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IMJack posted:I could have sworn there were a couple of exits from this stupid dungeon back into the main Hollywood sewers, so you could get back to the Red Spot and your blood dolls for supplies. Locked from the inside, so that once you opened them you could get back in and continue through the dungeon. The exits are in the vanilla game too. But I think they are only found in the first part of the dungeon, where they are less needed . If I recall correctly.
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Oct 21, 2014 13:29
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  So, last time... ugh. gently caress it, let's just get moving.  We're not quite done with meandering around caverns just yet, since the warrens are even more cavernous than the sewers. However, infinitely more enjoyable to traverse because there's nothing trying to murder you.  Note the red water. While it's red because of some rendering mess, it's a good indicator of what the water is about - it's really loving hot, and will cause damage if you go into it. Speaking of rendering and similar things, this place is really loving dark. Seems like it's some sort of thing with the lighting. Screenshots will be very dark during this update.  And... this bridge goes nowhere. What the hell, Gary. You built this poo poo just to gently caress with me, didn't you? "Just you wait, when that new kid comes out of the sewers, beat to poo poo and pissed the hell off, and then walks across that bridge to nowhere, his reaction will be rich!"  While bopping around the caverns some more, we stumble across some dead vampires. I wonder if these are supposed to be dead Nosferatu that didn't manage to get away from an attack, or if they're would-be intruders.  It takes a bit, but we eventually make it to an area that looks like somebody might actually be living here. Still, no Nosferatu in sight...  Oh, hey, there's one.   Uh... hello? [Listen] Wha? Oh, yeah, hold on a sec... oh my god. Are you kidding me? What are you using for security down there, a Trash-80? Ugghh! Guys, it's called encryption. This is too easy. I'd let you off the hook, but stupidity always brings out the rear end in a top hat in me. Ummm... uh... hey there. Yeah, I guess you'd have to be a real idiot to open it. *cough* Maybe I'll just come back later. So this is Mitnick, and he's a hacker, obviously a play on famous real-life hacker Kevin Mitnick, once the number one wanted computer criminal in the USA. I'd have called the guy Draper, but that's just me. However, this brings up a question - Kevin Mitnick was born and originally operated out of Los Angeles. Are we to assume that this Mitnick is actually supposed to be that Mitnick? Basically every half-way important person in world history was somehow involved with WoD creatures in the WoD storyline, so I wouldn't exactly rule it out. Me too. Tell me about yourself. Me? Like I said, I'm- I'm the resident tech-head. Keep this place wired to the outside world. Gary wants me to keep a close on the street, at the same time I'm supposed to be upgrading the Sch- ...uh, the net- network. Upgrading what? What were you going to say? Hmmph. No-nothin'. Forget about it. Like I said, just some network stuff. Yeah, right. So what do you have to do? I'm trying to add a few more network hubs in the city so we're covered in case of emergency, but Gary doesn't want anyone leaving until this whole thing with LaCroix blows over. Which basically leaves my freakin' cheese hanging in the wind. Maybe I can help you out. Ye-yeah? You-you'd do that? Man, that would really help me out. I could hook you up along the way, uh, make it worth your while. I've got access to all kinds of goodies! I'm in. What do I need to do? Well, I-I-I need a little time to set things up. Tech-technical details. I'll send an email to your haven and tell you what needs to be done. That's... all you need to know for now.Alright, we got ourselves a sidequest again! Things are looking up. Now, let's see what else we can get out of this guy. By the way. How did you end up down here, Mitnick? Me? Before all this, I was a hacker. Good one, too. There wasn't a system I couldn't crack... telcos, DOD, you name it. One time... I emailed the president all the nuclear missile activation codes. Ha! And the FBI was making GBS threads their pants. Well, one day I ran across this system... totally dark... unbelievable security. I fried three laptops trying to bust it. I worked on it for months. D-didn't sleep much at all. I'd almost given up, but I caught a lucky break one night and finally broke in. Yeah? What was it? It was... uh... a... Nosferatu database. Not even a really important one, either. Which was probably the only reason I cracked it. I dug around for a while, got totally freaked out, and I unplugged. Two hours later, guess who shows up at my door. Gary. And voila! Here I am. How's life, er... unlife since then? Are you kidding? Ha ha! I love this poo poo. I mean, yeah... I'm not gonna win any beauty contest, but I wasn't too good looking before anyway. Now I get all the new toys, plus I just happen to get to live forever. Not a bad deal if you ask me.Perspective really does count for a lot. I wouldn't have figured that a Nosferatu, of all people, would be a guy to go "aw yeah, being a vampire kicks rear end!". But then again, yeah, the disfigurement isn't really a problem if you already didn't place that much pride in your personal appearance. Tell me about this place. What, the warrens? Not much to tell. Just a bunch of us living down here, trying to stay off the radar. It ain't pretty, but it's home. Gary's the big man on campus... he's runnin' the show. Place looks pretty empty. There's more of us than you'd think. They're around. Oh, you won't see too many of the brood down here, but they'll be watching you. Heh! That's comforting. Anyway... I'm looking for Gary. Yeah, he knows why you're here. LaCroix must be pissed. But I hope you're not here looking for some payback. LaCroix knows better than to mess with Gary, sheriff or no sheriff. Gary's got some explaining to do. Where is he? His room is just down the hall. You'll probably find him down there. Or maybe he'll find you. Ha ha ha. I'll go find him. See ya.Down the hall. That's rich. There ain't poo poo here that qualifies as a hall.  We find this Nosferatu down the hall, but I'm guessing she's not Gary.  Sorry... maybe I came at a bad time. [Listen] I mean, just look at her! Too fat, big teeth, and her complexion! Does she wash her face with a cheese grater? Slow down, cowgirl. Who exactly are we talking about here? I mean, like anyone ever knew who Tawni Sessions was before I left the scene. She'd still be a fluff girl at Vivisexion, making ten bucks a stiffy if I was still around. Arrgggh! And who exactly are you? Oh, right. You probably don't recognize me with this whole Texas Chainsaw Massacre thing I've got going on here. My name is... Imalia.You might remember her from Carson's apartment, where there was a poster of her hanging around.  As a sidenote, you can gently caress up this conversation by pissing Imalia off. If you still want her sidequest then, you have to do another sidequest that involves getting an old magazine with her on the cover, which you can then find at the Sin Bin for 500 bucks, 400 with a Haggle check. Let's not do that. Hey, Imalia. How come you hate Tawni Sessions so much? Before this neat little makeover, I used to be a model. I was all over the place... TV, magazines, billboards. I mean, I was hot - super hot - and I knew it. Which is why Gary decided to invite me into his freaky little family. What do you mean, Gary "invited" you? Nosferatu have a sick sense of humor. Sometimes they feel that their victims - namely moi in this particular case - have an overabundance of vanity and need to be taught an important "life lesson". I see. So what happened? Well, I had just won Guy magazine's "The Most Ridiculously Hot Chick In The Known Universe" award, and when I came home after the ceremony, lo and behold Gary was sitting there on my couch with a martini in his hand. You fill in the blanks.The #1 way to appear menacing: Surprise your victim by breaking into their house while they're gone and sit on their couch. Bonus points if you're doing something mundane when they show up. So... have you learned your "life lesson"? Yeah. The lesson is "life is a cold-hearted bitch, so now I get to be one, too." You get that? You need to write it down? Sometimes, the ways to piss people off are more obvious than usual. Let's get back to Tawni Sessions. Why not kill her? I don't wanna kill her. That's too quick and painles. I wanna ruin her name in the business for good. I wanna dig up somethin' on her that smells so bad even the tabloids will think twice about printing it. Sounds cool. So what's stopping you? Gary says that everyone has to lay low until this thing with the prince cools down. Until then, I'm stuck here watchin' the whole world kiss Tawni's big, fat rear end. Hmmm. Maybe I could help you out. What would I need to do? I have some wireless cameras that I need you to set up in her apartment. One in her bedroom, one in her bathroom, and one in her kitchen. I'm sure you'll see good places to hide them once you're there. What else? Once the cameras are in place, you'll need to hook them up to the network. Log in to her computer using the password "cleopatra". From there, you'll be able to activate the cameras. What do you think you're going to see? Who cares? Sex, drugs, bad hygiene... everyone gets a little dirty when the doors close. Tawni's no different, and probably worse than most. What's in it for me? Look, I'll definitely make it worth your while if you do it right. But listen... I don't want her dead, I want her to suffer. Get in and get out without her knowing about it. Understand? Fine, I'll do it. You will? Great. Here are the cameras. She lives in Hollywood, an apartment building right across from the Luckee Star motel. I had someone here dig up a spare key to her apartment for me. Take that, too. Thanks. I'll take care of it. See ya.Another sidequest! We're getting right back to the more varied things as opposed to just meandering through a place, killing dudes.  You know somebody hates you when they start scribbling over pictures of you.  Now, between Imalia's place and Gary's place, there's this storage room, and according to the walkthrough I'm following, there's supposed to be another occult powerup here. Instead, it's just a blood pack. I'll just ascribe that to WESP and move on.  We follow the path some more, and through a narrow passage, we see a fairly important looking door.  Well, that's an interesting sight. We've got some corpses sitting at a table, all dressed up, they're serving up dead rats, and Für Elise is playing in the background.  And then suddenly we've got a voice in our head! Show yourself. Maybe I'm in your head. Uh, oh... you might have picked up one of those psychoses so common to new Kindred. I need to talk to you. We are talking. But you aren't listening, boss. Where are you? Let's talk face to face. [Listen] I'm over here, boss! Wait, maybe I'm over here! Or maybe I'm behind you, with a hatchet in my hand... or did you ever stop to think that your fear, if given a voice, would sound... like... this. What do you want? I want to stick your lovely face in a piranha tank; I want to apply an acid glaze to your sculptured body; I want to throw your pocket mirror under a thresher and watch you fetch it. But I'm no butcher, boss. Are you?Wait... I thought that was a line specific to a Toreador, what with Nosferatu hating Toreador and vice versa. I mean, I'm sure that Melissa does her part to look good, noblesse oblige and all that, got to look the part when you're going to run poo poo some day, but it's certainly not going to the point of vanity the way Toreador do it. Probably just the patch mucking about again. I'm here about the Ankaran Sarcophagus. You don't say. Wake up, boss! Who do you think you're dealing with? Why else would LaCroix send you on this snipe hunt? Oh, that's right... I know you work for the price. Just tell me about the sarcophagus so I can get out of here. You should have got here sooner. That lot's been sold. Who bought it? I like to discuss business face to face. Show yourself. Are you sure, boss? You don't want my image in your subconscious. It's the stuff nightmares are made of. The suspense is killing me. Careful what you wish for, you just... might... get it. Yeah? Behind you, boss! Meet Gary. He's a dick, like most vampires. But unlike most vampires, he kind of seems to be doing a lot of the poo poo he does just for shits and giggles. When other vampires dick you over, they're looking for profit. If Gary dicks you over, chances are he's just having a laugh at your expense. This makes him one of the more pleasant people to deal with. Also, he's not really that ugly. I mean, gently caress, Tung was a lot uglier. That guy looked like I thought all Nosferatu would be - really messed up. Gary just straight-up looks like Count Orlok, which I guess is fitting and still qualifies as "grotesque" compared to the other clans, but still, hardly a face that's going to stay in your nightmares. Who are you? What? You don't recognize me from the pictures? Gorgeous Gary Golden? Don't tell me you missed Pirate Town or Tap Hotel. Little before your time, eh, boss? Well, those days are long past. Nowadays, it's just Gary.An opportunity was missed here to have a Toreador PC gush over finally meeting his idol. If there's film buffs under the Kindred, odds are they'd be Toreador. Delighted. Now where's the sarcophagus? Where, where, where did it go? That thing seems to get around more than Mae West. Why, might I ask, should I give you that information? Because I got rid of that Tzimisce for you. Oh, my hero. Had it not been for that drat Tzimisce, you'd still be searching under rocks for us. It was hardly a favor. But - I know where your prince's prize is. There's very little that doesn't leak down into this place. Tell me, boss, you ever gone up agant a Kuei-jin?Indeed, we have, back when Knox had us track down one and we ended up killing him. Surprised that hasn't leaked down, given that we were working for a Nosferatu in that case. No option of telling him that, so let's turn on the snark. Yeah, I have - hundreds. I'm a Kuei-jin death machine. That's a good one, boss. You been feeding near the skids again? The Kuei-jin are vampires, but not like Kindred. Sometimes known as the vampires of the East. But they ain't kin, boss... they're just someone else that, if you ain't being careful, might give you the Final Death. Tell me more. Even for old Gary, there ain't much more to tell. You see, I sent an agent, Barabus, to snoop around Chinatown... do a little hacking, make a few contacts... but he hasn't been calling lately, and it's breaking my heart. I see. Go on. You up for a little trip to Chinatown? You're in no danger there; me - best you don't mention my name there, boss. That's the going rate for info right now... you get our chum back from Chinatown, I'll give you what you need.Sadly, no option to say "forget it, Gary, it's Chinatown". Though he'd probably punch you in the face if you said that, especially with the smug grin you'd probably have on your face. Though there seems to be a dialogue path that leads to Gary saying it to you. Deal. Tell me what I need to do. The Golden Temple in Chinatown - it's a piss poor copy of a real place... looks like it'd be more at home in a theme park. That eyesore's where you'll find the leader of the LA Kuei-jin. They call her Ming-Xiao. Sounds dangerous? No, this ain't a suicide mission, boss. You'll be more of a curiosity than a threat. Talk to Xiao, ask her where my boy is, and get him back. Once he's safe, I'll tell you everything you need to know about the sarcophagus.Eh, I'm not so sure about this. That Kuei-jin we killed earlier and his laptop notes made it somewhat clear that these guys aren't just here to be friendly neighbors. Aren't the Kindred at war with the Kuei-jin? Not that I know of. It's like the eye of the hurricane right now. Don't make those winds blow, boss.That sounds off. We loving know the Kuei-jin are planning to take over Los Angeles. How the hell does that not cause widespread panic, or at least show up on the Nosferatu radar as a threat? Sounds dangerous. Got anything I can use to protect myself? Let's see what I got... Use your head. And your eyes. Chinatown's more liable to off you than ten Hollywoods. But not if you're smart. Alright. I'll go. But you better keep your end of the deal. Of course. What kind of a monster do you take me for? There is a method to my madness, boss. There's a payphone in Chinatown. I'll call you with the info until Barabus is safe... until then, you'll never know where I am. The Kuei-jin are going to be sorry I ever came to town. Whatever you say, boss. Remember, boss... that's their kingdom. Start testing them, you won't like the results. Just get our boy back. I'll remember that. Goodbye.And then Gary disappears. Because of course he disappears, he's a Nosferatu.  We then make our way through the other door in that room, up a small passageway.  At the end of it, we find a ladder...  ...leading to a tiny room...  ...which leads to the Hollywood graveyard crypt! This is going to be our easy entrance to the Nosferatu warrens.  Ah, it's good to be seeing the sky again and to be breathing some fresh air, even if it kind of stinks of the dead. Exciting thread vote time! So, where to next, boss? A) Aw man, Chinatown sounds awesome! I bet there's going to be all sorts of mystical poo poo there... B) You know, I think I've had enough of the main quest for now. Let's go and help Imalia and Mitnick instead. TheMcD fucked around with this message at 14:32 on Nov 18, 2014 |
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Oct 22, 2014 17:45
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In a game where you're everyone's pawn, it's nice to meet someone who actually takes an interest in you, even if it is just to try to gently caress with you. Gary seems to try to play the same head games with the Malkavian but doesn't get anywhere with them, but seems to enjoy the dance a lot more than most who try to match wits with a Malk. There's also a great exchange between the two that's a great example of seemingly lolrandum dialogue that's actually spoilers and foreshadowing: Gary: I'll show you the cards I've been dealt, but you put yours on the table first. Malk: I've got a nines, a jack, and a prince, and you were about to deal me a queen. Anyway, my vote is for B. Back when I played this I didn't delete emails for some reason so I missed all the missions from Mitnick and Imalia.
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Oct 22, 2014 18:14
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B) You know, I think I've had enough of the main quest for now. Let's go and help Imalia and Mitnick instead. Side quests ahoy!
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Oct 22, 2014 18:16
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Definitely B. We can test out our reflexes in little China later.
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Oct 22, 2014 18:20
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B. The Imalia quest was always really jarring for me and I'm not sure why. Would love to see the reactions of other goons.
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Oct 22, 2014 19:02
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Voting for B, some sidequests would be good after going through that sewer.
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Oct 22, 2014 19:05
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Tehan posted:In a game where you're everyone's pawn, it's nice to meet someone who actually takes an interest in you, even if it is just to try to gently caress with you. Holy hell that spoiler is glorious. Also let's deal with the drat hacker. b
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Oct 22, 2014 19:35
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Tehan posted:In a game where you're everyone's pawn, it's nice to meet someone who actually takes an interest in you, even if it is just to try to gently caress with you. This is one of the conversations where the writing for a malkavian player really shines. There's another great bit right at the beginning when he's playing headgames with obfuscate. "Maybe I'm in your head. Uh, oh... you might have picked up one of those psychoses so common to new Kindred." "No, you don't sound anything like the voices in my head."
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Oct 22, 2014 19:45
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Minor typo in Gary's dialoguequote:Let's see what I got... Use your head. Andy our eyes. Chinatown't more liable to off you than ten Hollywoods. But not if you're smart Also, I somehow seem to have missed the Malkavian in this update. Is it just the stuff written on the computer blue screen? Lastly, I'm voting for B
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Oct 22, 2014 20:00
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Stroth posted:This is one of the conversations where the writing for a malkavian player really shines. There's another great bit right at the beginning when he's playing headgames with obfuscate. "Maybe i killed the voice in your head, boss."
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Oct 22, 2014 20:00
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double nine posted:"Maybe i killed the voice in your head, boss." You have to admit he's good with the snappy comeback. He's got some great ones with a Toreador as well. "En garde, Toreador. You vainglorious, narcissistic poseur! How I loathe that determination of your kind to belie your true nature with Paris fashions and pomp. You are a dead thing - a creature of the shadows. Start acting like one."
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Oct 22, 2014 20:22
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That storeroom was where you originally found Galdjum, which was moved to the "generic" Downtown haven to give regular clans a buff (tremere and nosferatu-specific havens had a goodie in them but everyone else just gets an upgraded pad). Voting for sidequests because it's Chinatown.
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Oct 22, 2014 20:26
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Tehan posted:In a game where you're everyone's pawn, it's nice to meet someone who actually takes an interest in you, even if it is just to try to gently caress with you. He's a Nosferatu, they deal in information. Since it's a crapshoot on whether a Malk will say something prescient, useful, or intelligible, the best way to maximize the chance is to just keep 'em talking!
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Oct 22, 2014 23:09
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Sidequests ahoy! B.
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Oct 22, 2014 23:14
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Do some sidequests for the glorious B I do find the Toreador-specific (or is it the only available even) response somewhat odd, when Gary is relatively handsome compared to Bertram Tung.
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Oct 23, 2014 00:01
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GuyUpNorth posted:Do some sidequests for the glorious B Nosferatu always felt kind of off, as they run the gamut of looking like Count Orlock to looking like someone that's been in a major car accident. VtR handled them pretty well, actually - they're not necessarily ugly, they're just CREEPY as gently caress. Even if you're semi-acceptable looking, you'll end up with spiders and what not infesting the area around you. I think. Smoke & Mirrors might have changed that.
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Oct 23, 2014 00:11
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Sidequests are the spice of unlife. B
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Oct 23, 2014 04:02
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I vote B Sidequests are what make a good vampire!
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Oct 23, 2014 04:20
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B.quote:Basically every half-way important person in world history was somehow involved with WoD creatures in the WoD storyline, so I wouldn't exactly rule it out. 
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Oct 23, 2014 04:47
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This poster loves police brutality, but only when its against minorities!
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TheMcD posted:Sadly, no option to say "forget it, Gary, it's Chinatown". Though he'd probably punch you in the face if you said that, especially with the smug grin you'd probably have on your face. Though there seems to be a dialogue path that leads to Gary saying it to you. De-lurking (de-obfuscating?) to point out the dialog path... if you ask him why he doesn't go himself, he says "Forget it, Boss, it's Chinatown." Most likely the only reason he calls you "Boss" in all of your dialog is as a setup for that reference.
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Oct 23, 2014 05:43
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There are a few amusing little nods to the RPG game in those sidequests. Our hacker buddy accidentally stumbled upon ShreckNET, which is sort of like the Silk Road for the Nosferatu. They've always been good with keeping up with technology so a while back they set up a secret network that runs parallel to the regular internet. This is how most Nos warrens keep in touch and share information quickly. The former model told you to use the password 'Cleopatra'. Cleopatra is a derogatory term for the formerly beautiful people who can't let go of their lost faces. They try to cover up and use Obfuscate to recreate the beauty but it becomes an obsession. A lot of times, they strike out at beautiful humans to punish them. Gary, it seems, is a necrophile. No, he doesn't have sex with dead bodies. He just really enjoys their company!
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Oct 23, 2014 05:50
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Vicissitude posted:There are a few amusing little nods to the RPG game in those sidequests. Our hacker buddy accidentally stumbled upon ShreckNET, which is sort of like the Silk Road for the Nosferatu. They've always been good with keeping up with technology so a while back they set up a secret network that runs parallel to the regular internet. This is how most Nos warrens keep in touch and share information quickly. Schreknet, like almost anything to do with computers (especially hacking) in the WOD, is just god drat hilarious when looked at today. HACK THE GIBSON! If I recall correctly, part of the ambient noise of the Warrens includes whispers and what not of different people pissed at you for being there - there's plenty of Nosferatu there, they're just obfuscated. And hey, at least this Warrens doesn't have machine gun emplacements all pointing deeper down the tunnel system! Ever since Baba Yaga got eaten the rest of the clan has been making GBS threads themselves over the Niktuku, ancient-as-gently caress monsters all in the thrall of their clan founder. He, like all vampires, is a massive flaming rear end in a top hat. Also, I vote B as well.
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Oct 23, 2014 13:09
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I vote B! Also, is it just me or are your screenshots really dark?
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Oct 23, 2014 18:44
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Heir03 posted:Also, is it just me or are your screenshots really dark? It's something with the lighting in the warrens in particular, I think. There's no "brightness" setting I could have amped up in the game itself (for some reason, gamma did nothing for me), and doing that in post seemed kind of off.
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Oct 23, 2014 18:48
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The screenshots look dark as gently caress on my phone, but on a computer they're at least visible. I was having the same problem earlier. I just increased the gamma in game.
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Oct 23, 2014 23:19
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gatz posted:The screenshots look dark as gently caress on my phone, but on a computer they're at least visible. I was having the same problem earlier. I just increased the gamma in game. I figured out the problem - setting the gamma does absolutely nothing when you're playing in windowed mode, like I am to make recording footage and keeping the walkthrough open easier. When I switch to full screen, gamma actually does what it's supposed to, but in windowed mode, all it does is make the life gauge a little bit lighter. I'll have to see if I can figure out how to make this poo poo work in full screen, because I seem to recall having some problems with it, particularly related to alt-tabbing.
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Oct 23, 2014 23:27
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TheMcD posted:I'll have to see if I can figure out how to make this poo poo work in full screen, because I seem to recall having some problems with it, particularly related to alt-tabbing. Just buy a second monitor!
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Oct 24, 2014 00:19
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CirclMastr posted:Just buy a second monitor! I was thinking about that - even though I'm mainly using a laptop - because I find myself in situations where a second screen would be so god drat handy, and the TV I have is still a CRT I can't connect to. However, turns out that fullscreening it was less problematic than I assumed, so the next set of screenshots should be reasonably bright. Also, yes, that means that I called the vote, because I recorded the footage for the next set of updates - roughly 1 hour and 30 minutes worth of footage, spanning over three sidequests (one of which won't be done by the end of the footage), one extended news session, and one easter egg. With 0% for A and 100% for B, I think I don't have to count.
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Oct 26, 2014 02:19
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The first time I ran the Sewer level, I didn't have enough Sneak to get by the various ant-monsters watching from their cubbyholes without being spotted. However, by clinging to the walls, I could sneak around *behind* them, and then whomp them once on the backside, causing them to spin around...and as they span around, I scuttled around in their wake, staying behind them. Then once they'd turned 180 degrees, I'd just run past them out of sight. Rinse and repeat. It was some Marx Brothers-level slapstick, but it got me through the horror with my sanity intact.
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Oct 26, 2014 23:19
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Oh yeah, if you get behind the guys in the tubes they have no way to respond but to run out the direction they're facing.
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Oct 26, 2014 23:28
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  And we're back, with all-new raised gamma correction! Turns out that the windowed mode for this game was probably not very well bug-tested (which is probably why you need to force it via launch parameters to get it in the first place), because it causes all sorts of problems, like the gamma correction not working at all. Anyway, we've got sidequests to be doing, because that's what the thread decided we do. They decided unanimously, even, which I think is a first.  Here we are - the hotel opposite the Luckee Star. It's locked, but we have the key.  Nothing happening on the ground floor, so no need to be sneaky just yet...  ...but once we go up the stairs, we should start sneaking.  Now, this is where things get tricky, because I completely turned my brain off. The house is filled with enclosed areas, and both Tawni and her boyfriend/fiancee/whatever love walking around the house, meaning there's not a lot of safe zones. The solution that eluded me? Just use Dominate 1 - Command. That would have knocked whomever we used it on out for long enough for this to become very easy. I didn't think of that, so this is very difficult. I already binned one set of footage of failure.  In that run, Tawni was in the dining room here and the guy was on the couch, giving me free reign to blitz the kitchen and place the first webcam. So let's hurry, hug the wall so she doesn't spot us...  ...wait, what?  poo poo. Well, I guess that's a reloa-  Whoa, did the guy just try to shoot me? With a pistol no less? ...of course, you realize, this means war.  gently caress YOU.  Oh, now you're going to cower and run? Now that the intruder suddenly whipped out a SPAS, you don't feel so tough anymore, eh?  gently caress YOU TOO. ...well, that was cathartic. Best reload, though. Let's try this again, and let's try not getting busted immediately this time around.  OK, this time, let's actually check the dining room and make sure that there's actually somebody here to dodge. There isn't, which means Tawni's probably in the kitchen again, and the guy is on the couch, creating a dead zone that we can't move through without risking getting caught again.  Good, she's leaving the kitchen and heading towards the back, which means this should open up the kit-  -never mind, she's heading back, abort, abort!  We end up close enough to her for her to notice something's up, sending her into the "alert" state. That means she'll be looking around for us a bit, then give up again. Normally, this isn't a problem. However, given that our only short-term retreat is a tight hallway, things could have gotten rough. Thankfully, she doesn't catch on, and we can try again.  Alright, let's try the kitchen agai-  poo poo, ABORT, ABORT!  Made a quick forward retreat to the back room, turns out that wasn't a great idea either, with the guy just coming out of the bathroom. So what is the smart move at this point?  Make a blitz for the bathroom, of course! At least this gives us an opportunity to place the first camera. Well, maybe he didn't notice us rushin-  NO, HE DID. Right back in the bathroom we go!  This is not Melissa's finest hour. Big badass vampire lady, just got done fighting off things that could just as well have been hellspawn, now stuck scampering around a tiny apartment like it's some sort of comedy show, somehow trying to solve a problem that can't be solved by either talking to it or shooting it. This is mostly uncharted territory.  The guy eventually leaves, allowing us to slap the second camera down in the bedroom - leaves the one in the kitchen, which means we need to somehow find the time when the guy is busy on the couch and Tawni is standing in the dining room. This is easier said than done.  Especially when she heads right back in the kitchen...  ...and this rear end in a top hat is really jumpy with his pistol, meaning that strategic retreats are common.  And he's persistent, too. Pretty much the only place where you can really be safe is behind that blind. And then it's time to wait...  Of course, it doesn't end there. Turns out that with our current stats, we can't sneak past him when he's sitting on the couch, so we need to wait for him to head to the bathroom again.  Eventually, he does. Let's hope that gives us free reign to head to the kitchen...  ...it doesn't, but it'll have to do. Her back is turned, so all I've got to do is walk in, place the camera on the right side, then hope like hell she doesn't turn around.  Success! But of course, that wasn't all - now we need to head back to the bedroom and get to the computer to send the signal to Imalia, with the guy still hovering around that area. Well, maybe if we're fast enough...  NOOOOOOPE.  Alright, hiding behind the couch it is. Works for now, but the new problem is that when the guy comes back, he can spot us sitting behind the couch.  But with one well timed push, we can get back to the bedroom and to the computer!  We check on the cameras, punch in the password "cleopatra", run the cam check, and...  Excellent! Now, getting out...  ...is surprisingly easy, since all you have to do is wait for the guy to head back to the bathroom and you can just leg it. If they notice you and end up alert, it won't matter since you're faster than they are, even when you're sneaking.  And that's yer lot! Now all we've got to do is head back to the warrens and get our reward.   On the way back, I notice a pair of movie posters hanging in Gary's room, with some developer references - Jason Anderson, Leonard Boyarsky and Tim Cain are the founders of Troika and all three were also main guys on this game, C(had) Moore was the lead character modeler, and Brock Heinz, Jesse Reynolds and Huy Nguyen were programmers. Additionally, did you know that there's some unused files sitting around referring to C. Moore's Coffee interiors, apparently for both Santa Monica and Hollywood? You can see the building on the map for Santa Monica, too - next to Gallery Noir. Now, our quest reward.  ...wow, that was fast. Took me like five minutes to get down here. Man, the Internet sure makes information spread faster and faster. I guess the game had some invisible time dilation happen there (since this entire game doesn't exactly take place over the same night and all).  Camera angle! Anyway, we get the option here to decline the cash. Since we now know that the blood of Tawni is on our hands, we could take the high road here and keep our Humanity from dropping even lower. ...nah, gently caress that. I tried to be thorough. Now hand over the cash. Here... you definitely earned it. Thanks, rotting queen. See ya.Four hundred bucks and a humanity loss. Works for me. I'm going to spend so much money, I need every bit I can get. Humanity is overrated, anyway. Now, Imalia said something about it being printed in the papers, and sure enough, there's one laying on the desk in her room. Let's see what kind of dirt we helped uncover...  
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Oct 28, 2014 02:18
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First thing that came to mind: 
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Oct 28, 2014 02:28
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TheRagamuffin posted:First thing that came to mind: I'm not sure I'd admit to that being something that would come to mind...Yeah, the Tawni mission is really hit or miss. Anything with obfuscate? Speedrun-easy mode. (Malks, Nos) Dominate/Presence? It's a bit tricker since you need to target and take advantage of limited windows, but doable. (Brujah, Tremere, Ventrue, Toreador) Gangrel are the only ones that get severely shafted since they have no panic button that will help them. Not sure if Wesp has made it any easier, but in the original game you could go through the mission and not know if you were spotted until well after the fact, which was a bit frustrating.
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Oct 28, 2014 07:59
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OAquinas posted:Not sure if Wesp has made it any easier, but in the original game you could go through the mission and not know if you were spotted until well after the fact, which was a bit frustrating. As far as I can tell, as soon as you're spotted, both characters always go hostile and the boyfriend starts shooting at you, which is a pretty big "you hosed up" indicator.
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Oct 28, 2014 14:40
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TheMcD posted:As far as I can tell, as soon as you're spotted, both characters always go hostile and the boyfriend starts shooting at you, which is a pretty big "you hosed up" indicator. He probably cleaned up that code then. I know from experience it was more finicky pre-patch, which just goes to show that no matter how :wesp: he gets, he's still done yeoman's work in making the game more fun.
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Oct 28, 2014 16:46
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I remember getting in an unwinnable situation because I when I first entered hollywood I explored every building. The way the AI works, you can aggro the couple by running around downstairs and fail the quest long before you go to the way of kings and gain access to Imalia's quest. When I eventually tried to do the quest it was several hours later - and I'd have to redo the entire hollywood hub. So screw Imalia.
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Oct 28, 2014 17:12
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OAquinas posted:He probably cleaned up that code then. I know from experience it was more finicky pre-patch, which just goes to show that no matter how :wesp: he gets, he's still done yeoman's work in making the game more fun. Yeah :wesp: is really weird but he has done a preposterous amount to make the game actually work. Also he's quite possibly the only modder ever to acknowledge that some people wouldn't want his crazy add-ins and fork the project.
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Oct 28, 2014 18:24
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Shugojin posted:Also he's quite possibly the only modder ever to acknowledge that some people wouldn't want his crazy add-ins and fork the project. That is very peculiar. Compare that to the oblivion gates guy.
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Oct 28, 2014 18:58
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| # ? May 25, 2024 19:42 |
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The stealth asked of you in that apartment is infuriating, I think I remember botching it either by getting spotted planting the cameras or just killing them. I'd probably used up all of my patience in the sewers.
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Oct 28, 2014 23:39
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