Junior Adventurer's Guild - October: Deus Ex + Vampire: The Masquerade - Redemption SPOOKY HALLOWEEN DOUBLE FEATURE

[Tweed]

Originally, I wanted to do a Revision-run, but couldn't get used to the area changes (to the point I restarted my playthrough just to do a Vanilla-run instead).

Revision is complete **** anyway. Install RSD's fork of GMDX instead.

My previous playthroughs had been Vanilla/older versions of GMDX. Are total conversions like the Nameless Mod worth a try?

Never tried them, someone around here has, but I can't remember who. If you've never tried RSD's fork though it's worth checking out. The guy who made GMDX gave it his blessing and he's a crazy nutter.

[J1M]

Originally, I wanted to do a Revision-run, but couldn't get used to the area changes (to the point I restarted my playthrough just to do a Vanilla-run instead).

Revision is complete **** anyway. Install RSD's fork of GMDX instead.

My previous playthroughs had been Vanilla/older versions of GMDX. Are total conversions like the Nameless Mod worth a try?

Cassandra Project, Hotel Carone, Red Sun 2020, and ZODIAC are worth playing.

Cassandra Project is basically a demo of what would be a nice setup for another Deus Ex game.

Hotel Carone is a giant level in the spirit of Die Hard.

Red Sun is like some kind of mission pack set in asia you'd find on a CD packed with a magazine.

ZODIAC is like a proper expansion pack where you play as Paul and infiltrate Area 51.

Looks like the list of total conversions has grown somewhat since I looked into them.

The Nameless Mod is bad. It's famous, but long and full of insider jokes about members of a defunct gamespy forum. Like if someone were to make a mod to tell everyone that rusty is cool and didn't know when to stop.

[Statesman]

My previous playthroughs had been Vanilla/older versions of GMDX. Are total conversions like the Nameless Mod worth a try?

Cassandra Project, Hotel Carone, Red Sun 2020, and ZODIAC are worth playing.

Cassandra Project is basically a demo of what would be a nice setup for another Deus Ex game.

Hotel Carone is a giant level in the spirit of Die Hard.

Red Sun is like some kind of mission pack set in asia you'd find on a CD packed with a magazine.

ZODIAC is like a proper expansion pack where you play as Paul and infiltrate Area 51.

Looks like the list of total conversions has grown somewhat since I looked into them.

Will check a few of those out and (eventually) report back. Thanks for the recommendations

[DagothGeas5]

I have found (in Vampire the Masquerade Redemption) a cross, but I cannot wear it. It has been some time since, but in case I am missing something, do I need to do something to "identify it" (as the item's description shows) or do I just ignore it for now and as the answer will come later in the game?

[Oyster Sauce]

I have found (in Vampire the Masquerade Redemption) a cross, but I cannot wear it. It has been some time since, but in case I am missing something, do I need to do something to "identify it" (as the item's description shows) or do I just ignore it for now and as the answer will come later in the game?

Spirit Something scrolls sold by magic vendors are used to identify

[DagothGeas5]

Is there some way to save Erik? I can see the mage even if he turned invisible, his book (which I assume might contain research or whatnot) is not in my inventory though I picked it up and I cannot see anything that might be of use around the chamber. Is this truly the end for him? It a great story whatever the case, especially after the speech to go save Anezka "where four might do what one cannot", it was such a beautiful companionship. Was not expecting this though I should have seeing as the process was mentioned to have been left halfway

[Lord of Riva]

Originally, I wanted to do a Revision-run, but couldn't get used to the area changes (to the point I restarted my playthrough just to do a Vanilla-run instead).

Revision is complete **** anyway. Install RSD's fork of GMDX instead.

My previous playthroughs had been Vanilla/older versions of GMDX. Are total conversions like the Nameless Mod worth a try?

I played the nameless mod for half an hour, nothing made sense to me so I dropped it really fast.

[DagothGeas5]

I am not sure I will be able to complete Redemption, at least for now, as it is doing some sort of issue that is preventing me from continuing.
I am currently in the Nosferatu sewers (3rd level) and my game freezes in such a complete way, every time, that I have to disconnect the pc to return control of the mouse. I believe the Nosferatu here, which have been the only ones so far that used to ability that forcibly fills the Beast frenzy bar, might have some ability they are using that is bugging out and causing the game to freeze.
I will try to do the "divide and conquer" strategy and save every so often during the fight to see if I can smooth it out, but, unless it is a known problem I can fix, it might take me a while.

[DagothGeas5]

I managed to get through the freezing, but I can say for certain that it is some ability or at least some spell effect that is causing this. It only happens in the sewers and though I have no idea what it may be, for anyone that may have this issue, dividing your enemies (fighting them one by one by luring them away from the rest of their group) and killing the Nosferatu that do the spell that increases the Beast loss of control bar as fast as possible once they are reachable, does fix this.
From my experience with similar games in the past, it could be:

• them trying to summon a beast and failing because it is obstructed

• some SFX having issues when it is in contact with the specific water of the sewers

• mist or smoke effects nearby having some sort of conflict with an SFX near them

Whatever the case may be, it can be circumvented

[DagothGeas5]

"To the Abyss with thee!" Really enjoyed this game. It had some issues alongside the crash mentioned in the post just above

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(which then happened again before the final dialogue and, from how Lily was saying a voiceline before it happens, I am inclined to believe it had something to do with an inventory script or some such, as she was saying the line where the inventory is full but the mouse is right-clicked on a held item. Stranger yet, she was not the selected character, so I could not have done that )

some that I recall being the characters' AI seemingly stopping to work (and I would find my teammates in a far off corridor by themselves, not stuck on anything), teammates getting stuck or bugging out with the environment (and at times impeding movement), and the issues got worse during the last section (modern world) of the game, whereas I barely had any before then, and where if anyone got stuck it was Wilhelm, and very rarely.

All that said, I was not expecting the game to have such twists and turns, and dialogue choices, as it did.

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When I decided to go alone, and then every one of my team banded with me, Wilhelm even wanting to find God, it was incredible. There have been many such moments throughout, it truly was an epic. Erik, in the end, I could not save but by destroying him, and that too was an unexpected twist for me.
I am sure there are other endings, but the one I got was that Christoff turned Anezka before she could turn to dust so they may "live" eternally together. I was expecting him to carry her out of the church and then wait for dawn together to die and, finally, rest (returning to God), but that Christoff would instead decide to **** her too, and then "live" though it means sustaining on blood was not what I was expecting, so it got me on that one as well.

Samuel was strangely left out in my opinion as a character, much like the werewolf outside the tower of London. They just suddenly appear and, where the werewolf is an enemy, Samuel instead sticks around but is not referred to much afterwards, even though he is a Nosferatu and looks like he does (which should create some challenge to travel with him without some sort of hood, instead nothing). Was this game more "modern" I would almost say they just needed a token black character to place somewhere.
"Pink" and George also, in my playthrough at least, disappear. I expect they are relevant in other endings or some such, but there was a sort of buildup that, I feel, did not get resolved. It's not a problem though, as, like with other characters that seemed important, they just die off-screen or simply disappear, which gives a touch of realism to me in some way, as things can change in an instant and friends would be lost without a goodbye just like in real-life and, I feel, helps to feel how small Christoff is compared to the world, making his quest even more grand in my opinion.

Yet once again, thank you @Oyster Sauce for hosting these If it bothers in any way that I am quoting you, do let me know, I don't do it for the badges but to truly thank you for making these, which are, in turn, making me discover so many incredible stories that I very grateful to have experienced

Screenshot taken during the fight as I had a feeling the game would end. As StampRSist was already "carrying" this screenshot, I will leave the ending I got as a video below.

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The whole game I did not want Christoff to be corrupted, so I not only never killed an innocent, nor drank from any, but also refused to use vampire powers besides Blood Healing, also sticking to swords the whole game until the final fight (phase 1) where I used a Rocket Launcher for a while (and submachine gun during a first attempt). This probably crippled me, but I did it anyway, just as I still carried a Holy Cross in my inventory even if, in the end, I never found a use for them

Ending I got
(It was in better quality in both audio and video in-game )

[Tweed]

Technologically advanced engine for its day, put to use in a game that ends up being a slog. I'm glad I became an ultra jew for infinite money so I could buy all the cool stuff I wanted, it made the game a lot easier.

[DagothGeas5]

Technologically advanced engine for its day, put to use in a game that ends up being a slog. I'm glad I became an ultra jew for infinite money so I could buy all the cool stuff I wanted, it made the game a lot easier.

When the modern day area started I was a bit worried about money at first after buying a lot in the previous stage, but by the end it indeed was quite the breeze. Had to restrain myself from going back to every instance and loot every object (to bring to the shops to sell) that I couldn't carry when I did my first sweep of the places XD

[Tweed]

Technologically advanced engine for its day, put to use in a game that ends up being a slog. I'm glad I became an ultra jew for infinite money so I could buy all the cool stuff I wanted, it made the game a lot easier.

When the modern day area started I was a bit worried about money at first after buying a lot in the previous stage, but by the end it indeed was quite the breeze. Had to restrain myself from going back to every instance and loot every object (to bring to the shops to sell) that I couldn't carry when I did my first sweep of the places XD

If you raise your manipulation or whatever it is high enough you can buy items and sell them right back for a profit.

[DagothGeas5]

Technologically advanced engine for its day, put to use in a game that ends up being a slog. I'm glad I became an ultra jew for infinite money so I could buy all the cool stuff I wanted, it made the game a lot easier.

When the modern day area started I was a bit worried about money at first after buying a lot in the previous stage, but by the end it indeed was quite the breeze. Had to restrain myself from going back to every instance and loot every object (to bring to the shops to sell) that I couldn't carry when I did my first sweep of the places XD

If you raise your manipulation or whatever it is high enough you can buy items and sell them right back for a profit.

Yes it's manipulation I thought it was charisma at first, but learned during the later parts of this as Samuel, though he is a Nosferatu, was having the best prices due to me rising his manipulation for some ability of his.

[Tangerine]

Too bad there's no trigger warning for VtMR. I was literally shaking when Ecaterina told me I had to go to the Jewish quarter and defend them, setting off my PTSD from the KCDII thread.

[Tangerine]

Completed.

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Oh no, how scary!

vtmr_01.png

An inventory full of rockets will calm my nerves.

vtmr_02.png

Oh my sweet Aneska...

vtmr_03.png

I thought this was suitably creepy.

vtmr_04.png

Thoughts:

It was nice to play a game where you're actually a good guy. It was also a pleasant change that he was a crusader but you weren't the bad guy or brow beat over the head with "crusades bad." Despite the awful line delivery, Cristof grows on you with his earnestness. Most of the other companions you get are also pretty good, though the Nigsferatu doesn't really have enough time to develop compared to the others. I didn't like Pink, but that's more because I hate the British punk archetype than anything he does and it turned out he was faking it anyway.

This game can be described in a single word: clunky. The input, combat, pathfinding, UI, line delivery, writing... you name it, the word applies. The combat feeding is pretty silly to begin with, but becomes annoying with frenzy as your teammates circle suck each other. This is not a good game, which is tragic because you occasionally catch a glimpse of that diamond in the rough and can imagine what could have been. VtM:R is the poster child for a game that actually needs a remake done by devs that care, rather than another [already polished classic game from beloved series] cash grab.

[J1M]

[Bertram_Tung]

Let's do this.

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(It's not a canon run if you don't start with the tutorial)

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[Bertram_Tung]

[rusty_shackleford]

**** that stupid statue and that ******** jewpoem on it

Can't believe a bunch of Christians erected a pagan statue to begin with

[Bertram_Tung]

MJ12's HR Director is Harley Quinn.

Game was ahead of its time. They knew HR ******* are clowns.

[Unhelpful Contrarian]

It truly amazes me how the Devs were able to have such high quality writing in Deus Ex compared to now that absolutely pales in comparison , even the prequel series were lacking although D:IW was a solid attempt.( writing not gameplay)

[Bertram_Tung]

Badge me, @Oyster Sauce!

Edit: Thank you!

[J1M]

It truly amazes me how the Devs were able to have such high quality writing in Deus Ex compared to now that absolutely pales in comparison , even the prequel series were lacking although D:IW was a solid attempt.( writing not gameplay)

Deus Ex wasn't written by committee.

[Ryzer]

Deus Ex was written by communists, **** and ********.

[J1M]

VtM: Redemption is awful. I remember making it to the modern nights when I first played it before giving up due to monotony. Didn't know it at the time, but it appears I nearly made it to the end because I remember the NYC sewers.

I think the only thing I like is that it features a character who is Christian, which is a very rare thing, and therefore has some potential.

I disagree with some earlier comments about this being a better entry point to Vampire than Bloodlines. You slay dozens of vampires a night after being embraced and a about a thousand before before the tale closes. Sometimes simply because they attack while you walk by with permission to be in their domain. Camarilla allied with Tzimisce?

Controls are frustrating. Companions waste resources even when instructed not to. Most swings are misses. Manual fails to explain how to build a strong character. You also kill Father Leopold incidentally. I'm assuming that isn't canonical. Stat allocation is freeform and full of traps.

I tried looking for guides so I'd have some idea of what to do with regards to character creation. None of them list how much a point of DEX increases your chance to crit, or what other stats do, exactly. The written advice in guides is basically "here's a copy of the misleading information in the manual, and btw this game is really easy, so just remember to put 'some' points in 'physical attributes' and you'll be fine, but also when I play the game I just turn on cheats and use this one ability that lets you kill enemies far enough away that the AI glitches out". Given that this game has some of the worst difficulty spikes in any game I've played, and the "design" of combat/blood costs/how long it takes to feed, it's pretty clear the developers never played through this game without cheats either.

If Redemption wasn't attached to Vampire the Masquerade we'd be more likely to be discussing Nox than this. Bloodlines is obviously the best World of Darkness game, and I can't speak to the overly verbose visual novels, but even the ecoterrorist-simulator Werewolf: The Apocalypse - Earthblood is a significantly better World of Darkness game than Redemption.





@Oyster Sauce badge please.

[CornCake]

After 20 years, I replayed and finished Deus Ex, on the revision mod to spice things up a wee bit. The new areas were either incredibly well done, or worse than the original, but at least it were different. I really liked the weather effects, they blended in seamlessly compared to the stale environments of the past.

Unfortunately, the gameplay was still the same bore I played all those years ago. The shooting is straight arse, with stealth having been outdone years prior by Thief. The AI is completely brain dead, often running straight at you, seeing you from a mile away, or being blind close up. It's hard to believe this came out 3 years after Half Life turned the shooter genre over. Obviously most are playing this for the exploration and story, but 60 percent of what you're doing is stealth or shooting, and both suck ********.

On to Invisible War, which I never played as me mates said it was worse than burning shite. Wonder if it still holds true.

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@Oyster Sauce If ye would be so kind as to provide a badge, thanks mate

[Oyster Sauce]

Christof is back, baby!

[CornCake]

Redemption done. Badge when you have a chance @Oyster Sauce thanks mate

@J1M you were right.

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Saved the bonnie lass with big knockers. Half of the struggle was making this Godforsaken game run, and ended up with the cinematics stuck in the top left, but not enough trouble to keep bothering with it as the game functioned (barely).



This game is very much an early Diablo clone, but forgot the reasons that Diablo was loved, but the story was half-decent at least. Was not surprised to find out these devs went on to make flops like Resistance Burnng Skies and Black Ops Declassified. Glad to be done with this one.

[dagal]

@Oyster Sauce GEP gun enjoyer reporting in. Went through each of the three endings after fooling around A51 for hours.

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JC is wearing WS outfit, but customized with a red tie to make him a less ugly son-of-a-*****.