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Eh... avoiding spoilers and unfresh gameplay is one thing, but not even a token attempt to keep the hype going? I think the devs are just really really busy preparing for E3.
Marketing is done at a very deliberate pace. If they're sitting on something big (like the 30 minute gameplay demo they showed to journalists), it's better to release that at a place like E3 or Gamescom where such a video would get maximum exposure. Yeah, we all want more info on the game because we are excited, but we're going to have to wait. I'm confident that patience will be rewarded.
 
Personally, I wish they'd made their announcement way later. I don't think I can stay hyped for a game for this long without feeling hopelessly burnt out by the end of it. On the other hand, I can't just voluntarily look away, either. It's like a curse, which I guess is very thematically approppriate.
 
Personally, I wish they'd made their announcement way later. I don't think I can stay hyped for a game for this long without feeling hopelessly burnt out by the end of it. On the other hand, I can't just voluntarily look away, either. It's like a curse, which I guess is very thematically approppriate.

Compared to most "Reveal->Hype->Release" cycles, one year is pretty short for video-games. Compare it to the likes of Watch Dogs which had something like three years of build-up (and then turned to be just "Alright" which made that whole waiting period worse in retrospect).

Once E3 happens, and the 30-minute demo footage hopefully gets released publicly, there'll be an upsurge in articles and reveals throughout the year.

Plus, there's got to be a way to earn those extra Blood Points for your Paradox Account too...
 
So, is this a Brujah or Gangrel related mayhem in your opinion?
vampire-the-masquerade-bloodlines-2-preview-10.jpg
I'm guessing Gangrel. Too many clawmarks. :p
 
So, is this a Brujah or Gangrel related mayhem in your opinion?
vampire-the-masquerade-bloodlines-2-preview-10.jpg
I'm guessing Gangrel. Too many clawmarks. :p
I hope it's Gangrel :(
Gangrel >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Brujah
More interesting disciplines and lore.
 
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Most of the relevant info (I think) from the recent PC Gamer cover story/article:

- another confirmation that appearance and backstory can be customised before the game starts
- after the illegal mass embrace has taken place you awake in what appears to be a courthouse
- representatives from multiple factions (including the Camarilla) are present to watch the PC's trial and execution
- shortly after you have been given the chance to recount what has transpired from your perspective, the building is suddenly on fire giving the PC the opportunity to escape
- escaping from the building is the tutorial section

- the decision to let you pick a clan later on was made for both narrative as well as (game) mechanical reasons
- one of them are the political problems with thin-bloods (including the PC), which makes for a perfect and challenging starting situation, also in regards to how character progression in RPGs usually works
- starting as a thin-blood gives the player more time for getting to know the clans and then later make a well-informed decision based on what you've learned
- still no definitive confirmation which of the clans will be included in the initial 5 playable ones
- the reduction to 5 initially available clans was done to "deliver a clear player-fantasy", like a specific clan for "punching people in the face" while another clan will be perfect for "playing a wizard or something"
- the later choice of clan gives the PC access to unique abilites, as well as to unique locations

- 'Bald Vampire' from the screenshots is described as "grilling you in the introduction"

- at the end of the tutorial the player has to make the choice in which of the three initial disciplines (Mentalism, Nebulation and Chiropteran) to specialize in and unlock its subset of skills

- levels are designed to be navigated in multiple ways (illustrated by 3 different approaches to overcome a gap):

1. By transforming into mist, you can slip through a nearby vent leading to the opposite side of the gap
2. Using your telekinesis, you can create an alternate path to the opposite side by ripping out an industrial fan from the wall
3. The most straightforward approach - use your bat-like wings to fly over the gap

- besides the original Bloodlines the primary inspirations for environmental/level design are System Shock, the original Deus Ex and Dishonored which are praised for the "freedom to explore the world but also tackle different situations in the way that you as a player want"

- after the escape from the burning courthouse the PC makes his way through the underground ruins of old Seattle, which plays a significant role, such as being the counterpart to modern 'surface Seattle' with its gazillion-dollar (tech) companies and corporations, for example

- after making it through Seattle's underbelly(?) the PC emerges on the waterfront of Pier 57
- while approaching the pier the PC is described as coming across a man handing the PC a mobile phone, which has a "mysterious woman" on the other end of the line, instructing the PC on how to feed
- which works more or less like in the original Bloodlines, with a penalty in form of humanity loss upon killing resp. drinking the victim or blood puppet dry
- the PC is told (again, via phone) to meet someone up on the pier
- another confirmation that Bloodlines 2 is fully voiced by a cast that's "maybe the best of any game"
- after having entered a building on the pier the PC is attacked by a couple thugs
- further confirmation to get melee combat in particular right this time
- the first-person-melee combat is described as "up-close and personal" and as a "highly improvisational system" with "using fist, objects in the environment and powers to gain an edge" (yanking firearms out of the opponents' hands, dropping on opponents after having taken flight, etc)
- the PC will be able to hold and equip 2 melee and 2 ranged weapons at any time
- further confirmation of the weapons' degredation
- communicating the PC's supernatural, superhuman power, speed and resilience (especially when unarmed) is of utmost importance
- further confirmation of high-level "devastating special moves" in third-person-perspective
- having survived the fight against the thugs the PC meets one of the fellow thin-bloods created during the mass embrace, only to witness his sudden demise by the hands of a vampire heard whispering "You're not on my list" to the PC before vanishing

- one of the side-quests involves looking for the other remaining thin-bloods (the so-called "Unsactioned Seven") of the the mass embrace
- this particular side-quest is described as exploring "what happens to a completely normal human, with all their wants and needs and life situations, when they suddenly get turned into a vampire"

- after the pier the PC gets access to the first haven or safehouse, which is Dale Talley's (Bloodlines 2's Smiling Jack) apartment as previously seen in the cinematic reveal trailer
- conversational skills as well as abilities will again affect dialogue and dialogue options

- Mitsoda was "keen to retain the noir-ish vibe and black humour of Bloodlines 1" and Bloodlines 2 has "just been incredibly fun to write"
- "the characters are some of my favourite characters that I’ve ever done for a game, and Paradox has given me a lot of freedom, which I’m not used to from the publisher side, just kind of going, ‘What do you want to do?’.”
- further confirmation that familiar faces from the original Bloodlines are to return

- the apartment has a "pinboard covered with notes and documents" put together by the thin-blood that earlier was killed (in front of the PC) while figuring out and uncover the reason behind him being turned

- Bloodlines 2's approach to quest design is described as "closer in spirit to the original" than the hand-holding approach of most modern RPGs
- quest-relevant NPCs won't have floating exclamation marks above their heads and the player will have to rely on exploration and interaction with NPCs to discover new quests, stories and adventures
- "among the documentation, for example, is a missing cat poster. As you explore Seattle, you’ll find greater concentrations of missing cat posters in certain areas and, if you take the time to investigate the phenomenon, you can eventually discover where all the cats have gone, and why they have disappeared..."
- quests and questlines "can be stumbled upon" while "others may arise depending on how you play Bloodlines 2"

- the player will be able to work for factions other than the Camarilla this time around
- which will also play into the overall experience, that can vastly differ depending on favoring one faction or factions over or spoiling things with others to the point where they refuse to work with the PC

- upholding the masquerade is also a key part to the PC's reputation
- violations can happen in small (feeding in public) and bigger varieties (going on a rampage or killing spree) and will have ramifications for both the PC as well as Seattle
- "people will be less likely to go out at night, meaning you’ll have fewer bodies to feed on, while repeated violations may cause Seattle’s chief vampire, Prince Cross, to send supernatural enforcers after you"
- masquerade can be restored in several ways but only to a certain extent
- "one way to do this is to join Prince Cross’ clean-up crew, which clears up the messes left behind by Masquerade-violating vampires"

- "the clean-up crew exemplifies the weirdness Mitsoda and Hardsuit are hoping to carry over from Bloodlines to the sequel. The organisation is run by a man named Bart, who has seen every kind of horror imaginable and is completely numb to it. An early quest involves clearing the mess left behind after a disastrous romantic entanglement between a vampire and a human. 'If someone exploded in a small hotel room, that’s what that would look like,' Schlütter explains. "You’re there to just pick up the pieces. Literally, the pieces. And Bart just comments on whatever is there, eating his noodle-soup."

- further emphasis on "organic" exploration in Bloodlines 2, extending beyond the discovery of quests or figuring out how to solve them
- in the early game it's mainly the choice of the PC's character background that will impact the overall experience most
- "if you choose Police Officer, for example, then should you need to visit the police station, you don’t have to find a back entrance and sneak around, you can just walk through the front. But even this comes with complications. "Your colleague will come and say 'Hey where have you been the last two weeks? Social security has covered for you, but you need to get back to work'," Schlütter says"

- "many other systems and ideas" that the author of the PC Gamer article "barely touched upon"
- Hardsuit Labs "set out to provide as many active unlocks as possible during your progression system" while "there will be extensive customisation options that let you enrobe your vampire however you like"
- further description of the "resonance" system ("flavoured" blood affected by the NPC's individual emotional state which when feeding carries over and, in case of 'anger-flavoured' blood results in a short-term melee damage buff)
- feeding on people with the same emotional state repeatedly may even unlock a permanent passive bonus
 
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Also (sorry for double posting, but this really deserved its own), i came across this, and dont think i've seen it anywhere on this board :

"While we won't know the precise date for a while, Bloodlines 2 will release sometime in March 2020" Source.

So we've now narrowed down the release windows from "1st quarter 2020" to "March".
 
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- "among the documentation, for example, is a missing cat poster. As you explore Seattle, you’ll find greater concentrations of missing cat posters in certain areas and, if you take the time to investigate the phenomenon, you can eventually discover where all the cats have gone, and why they have disappeared..."

I blame Nosferatus! :p

Anyway, what an interesting interview! thanks for compiling the news

The beginning of the game sounds really really interesting. I'm guessing the "mysterious lady" on the phone is the narrator/lady in green from the trailer!