So Vampire: the Masquerade - Bloodlines will be a decade old this year. LET'S TALK ABOUT OTHER RPG'S

[Shadenuat]

For the engine they had, I think Obsi did fairly well with their first work with Bethesda's tools. It was a great improvement over F3 and design of locations at least had some logic in them. Nice landmarks like glowing tower of Vegas, ferris wheel, rangers statues, dino-shop and well designed glowing sign posts gave players something to follow. World felt more 3d than flat valleys of F3, and red canyons, dark birches and changes in weather gave nice contrast to deserts and ruins. New weapons and their upgrades looked good, and ranger armor was as stylish as any armor in old Fallouts. As for the faces, at least companions had nice distinct look. And important NPCs also looked nice.
I still think many things were a bit too washed out and a presense of some piss filter on everything always reminded me of itself, but then modders fixed most of that shit.
The art of Legion was kinda crap. But I don't like anything about Legion at all.

The walk around Honest Hearts was pleasant.

It's really unfair to bash FNV just for it's engine. Isometric game with fewer art assets tighter put together will always look more solid than mediocre 3D. You just don't care about dozen Melcars drifting around the screen, because you never see their faces.
Also, we have at least one rose lense in our glasses. We are used to old Fallout's graphics, like to old cartoons. But for some people, with fresh look, it may not feel as lovely as for us, but just dull.

 

[TheGreatOne]

yet during the last 10 years both a blobber and a hack n slash RPG have managed to reach that level.

Bullshit.

Jaesede, Felipepe and the codex top RPG list disagrees you. But then again, if you're a casual gamer with a modern mindset, it's understandable if you can't fathom why some people would enjoy overcoming challenges in a video game when we've evolved past that point to games where you can enjoy hikes in a vast sandbox world or watch a poorly produced movie where you get to decide whether commander Shepard is a good guy or not.

 

[Ninjerk]

Okay. TGO managed to get Roguey to respond with a futile one-word reply. I'm a convert.

 

[ERYFKRAD]

yet during the last 10 years both a blobber and a hack n slash RPG have managed to reach that level.

Bullshit.

Jaesede, Felipepe and the codex top RPG list disagrees you. But then again, if you're a casual gamer with a modern mindset, it's understandable if you can't fathom why some people would enjoy overcoming challenges in a video game when we've evolved past that point to games where you can enjoy hikes in a vast sandbox world or watch a poorly produced movie where you get to decide whether commander Shepard is a good guy or an XTREME Guy.

Fixed for accuracy.

 

[DalekFlay]

Disliking New Vegas should not need an explanation. It is Fallout 3 with somewhat better writing, better quest design and more C&C and that is not nearly enough to elevate it even close to Fallout 1. Yes yes, VATS, DT, weapon customization, different ammo types and so on.

Throwing rocks at an ocean also makes ripples appear but the ocean remains an ocean the same way Fallout 3 remains Fallout 3 even if its name is New Vegas. I am baffled by people who hate F3 and love NV as they are so close to each other that NV could have been an expansion pack to F3 and nobody would have blinked an eye.

"It's identical except for this list of important improvements and differences that I am disregarding because I'm a twit!"

Okay then.

 

[oscar]

The Legion was a promising concept that was disappointingly executed.

I'm not speaking with 'nostalgia goggles' as I played Fallout 1 and 2 for the first time about four years ago. I had a hell of a lot more fun with both titles than I did with New Vegas.

I don't get people saying Fallout 1/2's combat was terrible either. Sure it has the late-game problem of '95% to hit eyes' but in the early-to-mid stages I had some of the most entertaining gaming experiences of my life. It does a much better job than most RPGs in simulating a rough and chaotic street fight. Sending people flying with the sledgehammer, deadly close range SMG bursts, risky but rewarding dirty blows to the eyes or balls, taking drugs that in the long-term mess you up just to survive an otherwise impossible fight. Very fun stuff.

A bit off-topic but Old World Blues must have some of the most painful writing I've ever seen in a western RPG. I knew things were going to be bad when someone saying "multi penised feet" is apparently funny (instead I felt slightly embarrassed for and slightly curious as to if the voice actor was pondering their life choices at that moment) but the awkward 'humour' showed no signs of letting up:

I hit the uninstall button about five minutes later and never looked back.

 

[Lhynn]

Fallout NV is better made.

I agree, yet bloodlines is more enjoyable.
The comparison is valid because they are both games and they are both aiming to entertain you.

oscar I enjoyed some of the npcs in old world blues, maybe my mind is too immature but the toaster and his buddies made me smile more than once. You just need to take it for what it is, or ignore the dlc i guess.

 

[Shadenuat]

OWB is something a wacky, tired DM would go for just to relax. It is something that, when you DM, you might enjoy to write after months, or years, of serious stuff. In the end even you would look back at it and realise that your colleagues who said that you were being stupid were right.
It's like tower with pastry golems as enemies.

Thing is, I don't think Fallout deserved to be the yard to play it. I want to believe that at it's core it is still a serious setting that can still be treated as such.
I enjoyed talking to some NPCs in it too, but it might just be a separate game.

 

[DalekFlay]

A bit off-topic but Old World Blues must have some of the most painful writing I've ever seen in a western RPG. I knew things were going to be bad when someone saying "multi penised feet" is apparently funny (instead I felt slightly embarrassed for and slightly curious as to if the voice actor was pondering their life choices at that moment) but the awkward 'humour' showed no signs of letting up:

It's supposed to be insanity, and funny from being so insane. It's not written with the mindset if "multi-penised feet is hilarious!"

 

[Excidium]

At least it isn't VTMB's interpretation of Malkavians

 

[undecaf]

as a sequel to Fallout 3 ... FNV had to err on the side of bad players

Too bad, that. I'm not sure to what lengths they had to, but too bad nonetheless.

 

[tuluse]

Engine was fucking fine for its timeframe though they had to limit are-size because of console restrictions. If you're unhappy with the engine there are literally a metrict shitton of mods that bring the engine pretty fucking close to up-do-date graphics with texture, effects, etc.

1) Gamebryo sucks for any "timeframe"

2) When people complain about the engine, they're usually not talking about visuals

It's things like: huge battles between armies being represented by 12 characters on screen, being unable to enter a building without seeing a loading screen, the massive amount of glitches and annoyances in just moving around, an animation system so shitty it can't properly handle briefly stunning enemies when you shoot them, the fact that fast travel is basically a cheat code and not all that fast, etc

 

[Irenaeus]

At least it isn't VTMB's interpretation of Malkavians

Which was awesome.

 

[Ninjerk]

At least it isn't VTMB's interpretation of Malkavians

Which was awesome.

I haven't played Malk yet. Probably be my 2nd playthrough, but damn am I excited.

 

[Excidium]

It is like playing a dumb character but with much less unique reactions.

 

[Roguey]

Jaesede, Felipepe and the codex top RPG list disagrees you.

Must have missed that "These two RPGs have nigh-perfect design" from any of those sources.

But then again, if you're a casual gamer

Pretend I'm quoting The Princess Bride here.

' but in the early-to-mid stages I had some of the most entertaining gaming experiences of my life. It does a much better job than most RPGs in simulating a rough and chaotic street fight. Sending people flying with the sledgehammer, deadly close range SMG bursts, risky but rewarding dirty blows to the eyes or balls, taking drugs that in the long-term mess you up just to survive an otherwise impossible fight. Very fun stuff.

Good god man. All that is awesome-button aesthetics.

being unable to enter a building without seeing a loading screen,

This is true for a lot of engines. Some of them disguise it with a door-opening animation; not a good use of resources.

an animation system so shitty it can't properly handle briefly stunning enemies when you shoot them,

But it can...? "Crippling a torso results in a momentary stun and makes them even more susceptible to flinching from further attacks" is part of its design.

the fact that fast travel is basically a cheat code and not all that fast, etc

It's a convenience feature that takes up in-game hours and can't be done from combat.

 

[Irenaeus]

At least it isn't VTMB's interpretation of Malkavians

Which was awesome.

I haven't played Malk yet. Probably be my 2nd playthrough, but damn am I excited.

It's really worth it.

 

[tuluse]

being unable to enter a building without seeing a loading screen,

This is true for a lot of engines. Some of them disguise it with a door-opening animation; not a good use of resources.

an animation system so shitty it can't properly handle briefly stunning enemies when you shoot them,

But it can...? "Crippling a torso results in a momentary stun and makes them even more susceptible to flinching from further attacks" is part of its design.

the fact that fast travel is basically a cheat code and not all that fast, etc

It's a convenience feature that takes up in-game hours and can't be done from combat.

I found loading times to be longer in New Vegas than other games that use the door opening trick. I know Witcher 2 tries to stream new areas into memory and loads when it doesn't get it time.

Every bullet should cause a brief stun, no reaction to being hit is one of the worst feelings in an FPS game. Gamebryo can't handle all of those, so it only happens on crits.

Fast travel could have random encounters like RPGs have had since the beginning of time, and again load times felt much longer in New Vegas than other games (not all mind you, just some).

 

[dryan]

At least it isn't VTMB's interpretation of Malkavians

Which was awesome.

I haven't played Malk yet. Probably be my 2nd playthrough, but damn am I excited.

It's really worth it.

The three best playthroughs are:

1. Nosferatu
2. Malkavian
3. Tremere

 

[Excidium]

I had most fun with Brujah, Ventrue and Nos

 

[Irenaeus]

Ventrue is kinda my thing, so I agree.

 

[Excidium]

The Lacroix ending left me with the most intense of butthurts

 

[Pope Amole II]

1. Nosferatu

The most important thing to know when playing a Nosferatu is that you don't really have to stick to the sewers. Just don't run close to the people and you won't break the masquerade that way (if that's not larpy enough for you - rush obfuscate and run around in it).

Of course, the whole concept of you being disadvantaged that way is superb, but great concepts are one thing and having to run double the time whenever you want to do something (especially when you already have to run a lot in this game) is entirely another.

 

[Excidium]

Maybe if the characters could wear hoodies and hats and what not instead of BDSM clothes you wouldn't need to hide so much. WTF was Troika thinking

 

[Ninjerk]

1. Nosferatu

The most important thing to know when playing a Nosferatu is that you don't really have to stick to the sewers. Just don't run close to the people and you won't break the masquerade that way (if that's not larpy enough for you - rush obfuscate and run around in it).

Of course, the whole concept of you being disadvantaged that way is superb, but great concepts are one thing and having to run double the time whenever you want to do something (especially when you already have to run a lot in this game) is entirely another.

Once I saw how extensive the sewer system is, I had to change my pants. Normally, I don't like sewers or cave complexes because of how much they're abused in games, but (and this is without playing Nos yet) I like that the game enforces some extent of roleplaying.