Part 51: LI - Propaganda

I just realized I've written every single update after sundown. In fact, I'm pretty sure I haven't worked on any update before midnight. Huh.



So, we're back in Venture Tower. That's because the last part of the last update didn't actually happen. It's going to happen again, but some complications arose, necessitating this rewind.

...let's talk about the Unofficial Patch, shall we? As noted in the OP, the LP started with version 8.8, and both gatz and I have been updating our versions of the game alongside new releases of the patch, going up to 9.2 fairly recently. Turns out that was a massive mistake. In version 8.9, WESP restored a new map for the Hallowbrook Hotel - an atrium of sorts where you go down four stories, get attacked by some monstrosities, then attacked by a bunch of Sabbat and work your way around until you get to the hotel proper.



Now, the problem comes in when you upgrade from 8.8 to 8.9, as it results in the map switch caused by flipping the switch on that elevator thing we stopped on last update breaking and just doing nothing. We could use the same console command we use to get to Mercurio's, but that still results in our inventory getting wiped, scripts breaking and the Sabbat ending being inaccessible, and that's just what I could spot right away. The short of it is that I had to downgrade to 8.8 again and have to get the quest from LaCroix again for the map transfer to work properly.



This is about as "uncharted territory" as it gets. No idea what the fuck will happen after this update, but I'm sure I can somehow jury-rig things into some vaguely working shape if things go tits up again. There is no Bloodlines LP curse, god damnit!



Anyway, the Hallowbrook Hotel. This is officially when the game descends into full-blown combat segments, one after the other. It's the problem that they couldn't figure any other way to make things climatic for the finale than just throwing tons of enemies at us, mixed with deadline problems and the like making keeping the detail level of the early areas of the game impossible. There's a reason people generally remember the first parts of the game most fondly, and recollections get tainted the further they go - usually starting with those sewers. It's still a great game, but the fact that I took over right before those sewers meant that I went (and will continue to go) through the worst parts of the game while missing out on all the good stuff.

Also, I put another point in Perception to boost our Firearms, because they're going to see quite a lot of use.



As we enter, we're immediately accosted by Andrei, who has some choice words for us. And by "choice words", I mean "dialogue cobbled together from his other dialogue in the game and unused default dialogue because this is WESP-added content". Note the dodgy dialogue for Melissa as well. This is the second part to getting on the Sabbat ending train, but we'll not be taking that side because I want to hold a vote for which ending we're "officially" taking once we get to the point where we can decide who to side with. Also, siding with Andrei here skips the hotel, and that would make this update rather short.

It looks as if I was more powerful than all of your creatures in the end. So did I pass that test and can join the Sabbat now?
Yes.
Great!
What do you want?
LaCroix send (sic) me to kill you.
What did you say?
You heard me, I will do exactly what he ordered.

SIKE!

What!?!
Because I changed my mind, after seeing those other creatures of yours!
I no longer wish to speak with you.
Yeah, talking time is over. Time to die, freak!



And poof, he's gone. Also, god damn was that dialogue terrible. Part of it is born from limitations (Andrei's part), but part of it is just terrible (Melissa's part). You know, I actually kind of liked the library level. This is erasing most of that good will, so WESP can consider himself lucky that the core foundation is still excellent.



Anyway, the Hallowbrook Hotel. It's combat. Lots of it. Most of this update will probably turn into a semi-stream-of-consciousness thing revolving mostly around combat mechanics, because hey, this seems like a decent enough opportunity to ramble a bit. It'll probably involve some other things as well, though. Expect me to jump from commentary about the level to general commentary between images.



Note the Sabbat dude all up in our grill, doing jack shit for damage. I had him attack like ten to fifteen times, and he didn't do any damage at all. Tankiest tank that ever tanked.



Note the Sabbat guy all the way in the back shooting his buddy in the back with his Steyr. As if I needed more help taking these guys out.



Now, combat in Bloodlines. It kind of blows. Particularly the situations the game throws you in more than the mechanics, though the mechanics are kind of frustrating as well. The problem is that the game really loves prolonged combat sequences, particularly during the endgame, but the earlier game has a few of them as well - Grout's mansion stands out in particular. Then come those sewers (and the segment leading up to that, and the segment leading up to that as well) - it's just dudes, then more dudes, then even more dudes, and eventually a boss that's probably going to annoy the shit out of you because he has something that makes him a massive pain in the ass - bosses like the Chang Brothers with their teleporting, Andrei in the first encounter with his teleporting, Andrei in the second encounter (we'll get to that), the Blood Guardian with his knockback attacks, the Hengeyôkai with his massive melee damage and so on.



Strewn throughout the level are these eyeless blood vessels that are only there for you to suck on. So they figured giving the player this kind of stuff is a good idea, but they didn't do it in the fucking sewers, where lack of blood is a much bigger problem, but here, where there's also a steady supply of human enemies to suck dry.



The problem with the bosses is that they often force you into a certain playstyle if you don't want things to end up very frustrating. Take for instance the Hengeyôkai and the Chang Brothers - if you try to take these guys in melee, you will very much regret it and will have to get pretty creative to not end up with your face sliced apart in several ways. Melissa is actually a very good combat character at this point - very skilled in both ways of combat and incredibly good at defense. Of course, I built her that way because I knew that combat will end up making up the most part of this endgame. My first character, Vincent the Ventrue, was not so lucky. I ended up having to godmode my way through the final boss because the strategy I had chosen (melee + heavy Dominate use) didn't work, and then I was officially out of options, simply because I didn't find the flamethrower, which would have been my only saving grace.



About the only thing that can really threaten Melissa in this place are these werewolf-looking motherfuckers, which hit for aggravated damage, but even they aren't that big a deal, since recovery opportunities are aplenty.



So, the combat situations you'll be finding yourself in aren't great, and the mechanics aren't that spectacular either. Melee combat is meh, but at least works well enough for what it's trying to do, but gunplay is rather awkward. This might just be me not knowing shit about game design, but the concept of "aiming" - that is, steadying your aim by standing still - in this game seems completely contradictory to the gunplay the enemy layout appears to necessitate. A lot of situations throw you into combat with several enemies that have quite deadly aim when they want to, and it seems to me that something like that would lead to gunplay that is more fast-paced - making mobility and diluting enemy aim through movement more important than positioning and patience. Same goes for a lot of enemies that love to get in your face and force you to be on the move. As it stands, the easiest solution for Melissa is just to spam Fortitude, sit in the middle of the crossfire and just tank bullets while picking off enemies one by one, completely ignoring the melee enemies until it's their turn.



It really is a testament to how easy this part actually is that I end up just switching to the Glock because hey, I've got all this ammo, might as well use it, right?



At this point, I invent a new strategy for Ventrue - at least it's new to me - which I've dubbed "No Blood Wasted". The basic strategy goes as follows:

1) Make sure you end each encounter with one guy left you can suck dry.
2) Command him to ensure feeding.
3) Feed on him, and spam Fortitude while you're doing so to make sure you don't waste a single blood point. This builds up the timer for Fortitude to ridiculous degrees and basically ensures you're going to be tanking shit for eternity.

This can also work for Presence, if that's what you leveled instead of Fortitude, and it probably works for the other clans as well, just not as efficiently because of a lack of Dominate.



A bit further, and we run into these three vampire twats that do exactly two things:

1) Do no damage to Melissa.
2) Teleport away after she does some damage.

It's a hilarious game of hit-and-run where the whole "hit" part kind of falls by the wayside. They're eventually dispatched without any difficulty. To be quite honest, I'm glad this is turning out so easy, because this section was a pain in the ass for Vincent.



Now, let's talk about Melissa for a bit. She's actually surprisingly OP for a Vampire character. I don't have the numbers on hand (I'm sure it's been brought up in the thread at some point, please feel free to point me towards the posts discussing this), but judging by her blood pool, she should be 8th generation. To compare: Jack is 10th gen, and Beckett is 7th gen. Also, while I can't quite vouch for my skills in cross-referencing stat sheets, comparing Jack's stat sheet to Melissa's at this point would lead me to the conclusion that Melissa can hang with him, though she has a fair deficiency in the Physical block. Still, she's a neonate that can't have been Embraced more than a month or so ago. This growth is incredibly fast. Of course, you've got to make some concessions regarding gameplay here - it probably wouldn't make sense if your character stayed on the general same level for the length of the game, at least from a game design point of view, but still, this is pretty ridiculous, and the game does reference this growth a few times within the story, so it seems like Melissa's rapid power level gain is actually a thing that is happening. There's one theory that comes in during this level, and I'll bring it up once we get to where it becomes relevant.

EDIT: Once again, people that know better are here to set me straight:




There's this one section that I swear is supposed to be this big battle, with like eight regular enemies and one of those werewolf dudes, but once again, Melissa gives no fucks and just kills everybody, dozens of bullets just pinging off her like she's the god damn Terminator. What was that, Jack? Shotguns are trouble? Not for Melissa!



The only problem I'm having is that I'm running out of ammo for most of my decent weapons - that will actually come back to bite me in the ass, but not as bad as one could imagine, since I still have the ultimate "fuck you" ace in the hole.



Eventually, we need to drop down this elevator shaft, and on the lower level, we find...



...Heather!



...welp, she's dead now.



The enemies are of course dispatched easily.



Great. Now I'll have to find me another slave.

Here lies Heather. She was broken most of the time, but she gave me a nice set of armor at the end, so eh, I guess she was alright.

I guess I might be more affected if I hadn't been constantly foreshadowing it with the whole "hey, we can tell her to get out, but we're not going to do that, I'm sure that won't end up ending badly at all, right?" thing and I hadn't gone through this game several times. If I were writing the narrative LP I originally envisioned, this would have been the breaking point for the character, which would have led to some sort of emotional breakdown (the character would have been a high Humanity Toreador, so that shit might still fly with some creative license) that ended with a complete lack of fucks to give about everything regarding that sarcophagus, just revenge against LaCroix for sending him on a collision course with the Sabbat. But I'm not doing that, although the way I'm roleplaying Melissa right now does go into a similar "no fucks given" mode, just in low humanity, "fuck y'all, you piss me off, you dead" flavor. Within the whole "I still have to keep all endings open" constraint, at least, which kept me from just flipping Ming-Xiao off.



Anyway, we make our way further into the hotel, and end up in this big, fancy, lounge-looking room.



As we enter, a Sabbat vampire appears and casts some protective shield spell...



...followed by some magic flames, keeping us from just walking up there. I proceed to get burned by those flames, taking out half of my health bar.



The solution to the problem is simple - just shoot at an angle. It takes a while, but he goes down eventually.



Just a little bit further, and we find ourselves at the door to the final section. Took me about fifteen minutes for the entire hotel section so far, though it probably would have taken longer if I hadn't known there were no interesting items to be had here.



It leads to the basement or something like that, which is flooded with... blood? Water? Bloody water? We step through the only doors we can step through, and find...



...some more wonderful examples of Tzimisce interior decorating. I'm sure the feng shui of this room is just marvelous. Anywayy, we step in, and...



...Andrei steps up to wax to us again.

No, because you knew I was coming for you.
Puppet! The strength of your blood is all that's saved you from yourself. Wretched weak-minded mongrel! The blood is wasted in you. Wasted!
Wasted is what you're about to be.
Miserable ignorant gutterspawn! You are blind! The sarcophagus must be destroyed!
I'm standing right here. Come get some.
I will do it myself if I must! And you - you will be purified. It is the blood that he is speaking through, the blood of all the pawns! It all must be purified!
Finally. Let's do this.



Boss fight time!

Watch Boss Fight:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdJw3F9pGI4

So, Andrei morphs into some weird fish thing form and attacks us. And let me tell you, he is a motherfucker. That damage I've taken is from one single attack.



We can find something here to help us in battle, though.



This weapon is functionally identical to the Katana, except it does aggravated damage, making it that much more lethal.



Of course, that doesn't stop Andrei from laying down some serious hurt on us. The damage I've taken here is from the first attack shown above plus one more attack (which happened after I activated Fortitude). That's damn near a third of the entire health bar.



After he leaps in to strike, he uses this weird power attack that shoves us back, making melee attacks very hard...



...not to mention him jumping right back under water after that. From there, he can simply evade us eternally if he so wishes, only coming out when he wants to. You can see that in particular in the video.



He's also very fond of blocking attacks and counterattacking. Believe me, going into melee with this guy isn't good. Firearms would be better if you didn't run out of ammo for all the good shit like I did.



So eventually I just say "fuck it" and whip out the flamethrower, which makes very quick work of him, since it basically stunlocks him.



And poof. Right, so now, about that theory about Melissa's rapid power level increase - one theory I've heard is that she diablerized Andrei here. I've heard this once or twice, and quite honestly, I can't make heads or tails of it. It sounds pretty stupid - it would immediately be noticed and turn her into an outsider right off the bat, plus, Andrei already noticed that our blood is incredibly potent, so it's not sucking him dry that makes her strong. If anybody has more details on the "diablerie" theory for the PC's high power level, please elaborate, because I don't get it.

Anyway, we're spared the long way back, as we're simply teleported back outside after we step out of this room...



...and are immediately greeted by Ming-Xiao! What's she doing here?

Is that so?
Your foes all lie vanquished, Kindred. I come to help. Be at peace. Trouble is nothing but yours to give.
To tell you the truth, I could really use some help.
A true friend in death is as true love: Precious, rare and sweet. Pray your senses have not gone so languid that this blessing cannot be savored.
That would be nice.
We are in a position to help each other, yes; is it impossible, then, that my admiration is genuine, Kindred? Can friendship truly be founded on nothing? Or must there be nothing to gain in order for friendship to be true?
I suppose it's possible.
The tongue lies limp and pasty if you're simply dead - otherwise you would do well to savor these little graces. Your eyes are still able to take in my form and the blood still rushes hot to your skin - must your organs die so selectively?
How did you find me here?
I watch and wait for the time my path is meant to cross another. The "how" of it shall be more clear in a moment.
Do your agents do the same? I ran into a couple of them.
Indeed. The Chang brothers, my greatest agents, undone by the young soldier of LaCroix. It was obvious your path was greater than I, or he, had anticipated.
What's this about an alliance between you and LaCroix?
We did have an arrangement, LaCroix and I. A mutually beneficial pact to drive the lesser factions from the city.
So what happened?
LaCroix's zeal in recovering the Ankaran Sarcophagus has been to the exclusion of many relationships... mine included. And I, like yourself, have been used by him in his desperate quest for power.
How did he use you?
LaCroix feared Alistair Grout, the Malkavian primogen - for the cursed insight of his bloodline was strong and brought him uncomfortably close to the truth about LaCroix's ambitions.
And so?
LaCroix saw an opportunity to rid himself of two problems - a hardened rebel leader and a problematic primogen - in one fell stroke. And, as you can see, I was integral to the plan.



So Ming-Xiao is a shapeshifter of sorts.

Fascinating. But why did you agree to do it?
LaCroix convinced me that an alliance with the Camarilla could strengthen the position of the Kuei-jin. And so, with my help, your prince framed Nines Rodriguez for the murder of Alistair Grout.
So you were the one I saw at Grout's mansion?
Yes. You were made to be the witness, for your political naiveté put your word beyond reproach; no one would believe you'd devise such a story. LaCroix used you and once again turned a problem to his advantage.
Smart. So why are you questioning the alliance now?
Our dealings with LaCroix have put his integrity into question. He has become careless. His desire for the sarcophagus seems to have superceded all other concerns, including political discretion.
Go on.
It's obvious to me that he wishes to obtain it only so that he might use its power against those who would oppose him. If he betrays his own kind in these pursuits, can I trust him to honor our allegiances? Can you?
I see your point. But why do you care about what happens to me?
You need to understand that you are a liability, Kindred. Once LaCroix finds the right moment, you will be disposed of, just like he did with Alistair Grout, Mr. Rodriguez, your sire, and countless others.

That doesn't answer the question.

But I gave him the Ankaran Sarcophagus.
You are no more to him than an entry on his ledger; a sum of that which can be bled from you.
What's any of this matter now? LaCroix has the sarcophagus.
Hear these words, Kindred. The sarcophagus is sealed against the ages; only the proper key will break this seal. That key now lies safely in Kuei-jin hands. Your prince's prize cannot be had without it.
I see. Thank you for your honesty, Ming-Xiao.
I hope you recognize my sincerity, Kindred. I would like to see you reach your destination before your path is cut short. I hope when next we meet, it is again as friends.
I hope so, too. See ya.



And poof, she's gone. Well, since it's becoming abundantly clear that this is ending with us siding with somebody, let's start talking a bit about the sides we can pick. So, first of all...

My opinion on siding with Ming-Xiao:

Pro: She has been fairly open with us, all things considered. She was the first one to actually admit that Kindred and Kuei-jin were at war, she revealed the secret of how Grout was "killed" (I have my own theory regarding that, as you might remember, but we'll leave that aside for now) and all that, which is a pretty large amount of trust to put in us. She also recognizes that Melissa is badass as hell and doesn't openly antagonize her directly for killing the agents and destroying the research at the Fu Syndicate, indicating some sort of grudging respect.

Con: She's a hoity-toity bitch with a superiority complex over Kindred. She can't possibly be serious about treating us right, right? Also, she's backstabbed several people pretty openly and plans the murder of close associates once they slightly step out of line (Wong Ho). She cancels the alliance with LaCroix and immediately tries to turn us against him as well - the timing seems suspicious. Furthermore, she's a priestess of sorts that is revered similarly to some kind of deity. This kind of person doesn't do well with comrades, only with servants.

Personal verdict: Nah. Fuck her.

Now, back to Venture Tower to report to LaCroix.



Chunk! You're still alive!



You know, there's a lot of characters in this game, and there's only a few I can't be an ass to. Chunk is one of them. The third option actually leads to a several-line long verbal beatdown involving wonderful lines like "IF YOU AND I WERE STUCK ON AN ISLAND, I'D HUNT YOU FOR SPORT!", but come on, Chunk tries so hard to be liked and to look like a good security guard, the poor bastard would probably kill himself if we tore that down.

I need to see LaCroix, security stud.
I guess you can go on up. He wasn't expecting you, but it should be alright.
Thanks.

He wasn't expecting us? Hm...



Done.
Another obstacle is removed. From the anomy, we resurrect a new order. And this, in no small part, to your service. He turns to the sheriff. Did you hear that? You were never able to wipe them out completely. Back to Melissa. Keep it up and you may have HIS job. My unstoppable crusader... My victories in this city are in no small part due to you. You've done what I asked without question, and you've done it well. Take this small token of my appreciation - we'll rule this city side-by-side, you and I.

That nets us a sweet 800 bucks. We'll need it too, what with all the ammo I ran through in that hotel.

I know where the key to the sarcophagus is.
You found the key? Where? Who has it?
Ming-Xiao has it. She also told me to tell you the alliance is off.
This nonsense again! Look, I told you before: No Kindred would ever ally themselves with those... demons. This is a subterfuge, a trick to start a civil war... and apparently it's worked.
Then Nines is innocent. She took his shape. She killed Grout.
As of this moment, there is no blood hunt against Nines Rodriguez. The Kuei-jin have revealed their plot. They want us to war against each other?!? Well, to that end I propose an alliance with the anarchs. Together, we Kindred shall drive out these foreigners once and for all!
Do you really think the anarchs will trust you?
It's not a matter of trust... it's a matter of who they dislike more: The Camarilla or the Kuei-jin. The Kuei-jin killed their last leader and threaten all of our kind. I think they'd agree to an alliance.
How do you expect them to agree to an alliance?
Go to the Last Round, immediately. Tell them the Kuei-jin have admitted to killing Grout and that the blood hunt against Nines Rodriguez is officially over. Tell them I have realized the true threat the Kuei-jin pose and wish to negotiate a pact. You will be my emissary for the alliance, so naturally, you speak on behalf of the Camarilla. Choose your words carefully. I will begin organizing plans for war. Good luck - the prosperity of all this city's Kindred depends on your success tonight.
Then their future's in good hands.



So that's that then. Next time, we'll be trying to make amends with the Anarchs - what could possibly go wrong?