Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines

Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines

Developers
	Troika Games
Publishers
	Activision
Engines
	Source
Release dates
Windows	November 16, 2004
Reception
Metacritic	80
IGDB	72
Taxonomy
Themes	Supernatural
Series	Vampire: The Masquerade

Key points

Released in an unfinished and buggy state. As such, installation of either the Unofficial Patch or the True Patch is highly recommended.

General information

GOG.com Community Discussions for game series

GOG.com Support Page

Steam Community Discussions

Availability

Source	DRM	Notes	Keys	OS
Retail		SafeDisc v4 DRM
Amazon.com
GOG.com		Includes Normal and Legacy version
Humble Store
Steam

SafeDisc retail DRM does not work on Windows Vista and later (see above for affected versions).

Essential improvements

Patches

• Patch 1.2 - this patch is already included in the unofficial patch.

Unofficial Patch

Various bug fixes used to fix remaining errors left over from the latest version of the game. Active development.

Comes with 2 options: Basic (Bug Fixes only) and Plus (restore cut contents):

• Plus Patch adds new fan-made content such as new quests, characters, dialogue and others.
  • Plus contents are optional and can be selected only during installation.

The GOG.com version already includes the Basic version of the Unofficial patch. Legacy version does not.

Using Unofficial Patches with Steam version

The fan-made Unofficial Patch removes many bugs and adds multiple features like widescreen support. The Unofficial Patch is available in two flavors Basic and Plus: Install the game from Steam as you would any other game. Run the game once. It's fine if it crashes (this is where an install with a 64 bit OS is likely to give a memory error). Download the latest unofficial patch. Run the executable you've downloaded as an administrator. Choose the installation folder when prompted. Choose a type of installation - Basic or Plus: Basic - consists of bugfixes that do not alter Troika's vision for the game and some minor changes made to streamline the experience. Plus - makes more changes including some fan-made content. Enjoy the game.

True Patch Gold Edition

• For more support, go to the website here. May not be SFW.

Similar to the Basic version of the Unofficial Patch but without adding or changing any aspect of the game itself.

Not compatible with the GOG.com version of the game due to conflicts between it and the Unofficial Patch that is pre-installed.

Installing True Patch Gold Edition

True Patch Gold Edition is designed to be used with either the Steam or CD release of the game. It's aims to only fix bugs and preserve an experience as close as possible to the original game. Install the game. If you are using the CD version it is not necessary to install the 1.2 Official Patch. Run the game once in order to initialize additional files. Download the patch. In the .rar file navigate to the folder named "TRUE_PATCH_MAIN" and copy its contents to <path-to-game>, overwriting everything when prompted. Modern Windows OS such as Windows 10 requires additional steps to run the game with the patch. Before starting the game navigate to start menu and run Command Prompt as an administrator. Enter the command sc config secdrv start= demand. Do not exit the Command Prompt, keep it running. Run the game. If it worked the game will be able to run with the patch without issue. When finished playing the game go back to the Command Prompt and enter the command sc config secdrv start= disabled, followed by sc stop secdrv.

Skip intro videos

Rename/delete intro videos[citation needed]
Go to <path-to-game>\Vampire\media Delete or rename activision.bik, nvidiabloodlogo.bik, troika.bik and whitewolf.bik

Game data

Configuration file(s) location

System	Location
Windows	<path-to-game>\Vampire\cfg HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Troika\Vampire
Steam Play (Linux)	<Steam-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/2600/pfx/

Save game data location

System	Location
Windows	<path-to-game>\Vampire\save
Steam Play (Linux)	<Steam-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/2600/pfx/

Save game cloud syncing

System	Native	Notes
GOG Galaxy
Steam Cloud

Video

Graphics feature	State	WSGF	Notes
Widescreen resolution			Use Unofficial Patch.
Multi-monitor
Ultra-widescreen			See Ultra-widescreen.
4K Ultra HD			Use Unofficial Patch.
Field of view (FOV)		Default value is 75° (horizontal). See Field of view (FOV).
Windowed		Run with -sw parameter.
Borderless fullscreen windowed		Run with -window -noborder parameters, then use Borderless Gaming or similar software.
Anisotropic filtering (AF)		Can be forced through video driver. See Anisotropic filtering (AF).
Anti-aliasing (AA)		Nvidia users can force SGSSAA. See Anti-aliasing (AA).
Vertical sync (Vsync)		Enabled by default. Can be forced off through video driver.
60 FPS and 120+ FPS		No frame rate or refresh rate cap. At high framerates, doors get stuck when opening them. For this reason, the unofficial patch introduces a 92 FPS cap. You can remove it with the fps_max command, but this will introduce the door glitch. The higher the framerate, the more likely it is that you will get stuck on doors.
High dynamic range display (HDR)		See the glossary page for potential alternatives.

Ultra-widescreen

Change the aspect ratio via hex edit
Go to <path-to-game>\Bin\ Open engine.dll with a hex editor such as HxD. Search for the value 39 8E E3 3F and change it to B8 1E 15 40

Field of view (FOV)

Changing the Field of View

Go to <path-to-game>\Vampire\cfg\ or <path-to-game>\Unofficial_Patch\cfg\ if you are using Unofficial Patch. Open up autoexec.cfg or create one if the file does not exist. Add default_fov # (replace # with your desired FOV) and save the file. If you have already started the game and have a save file, follow the steps below. Use the -console command line argument to enable the console. Start up the game, close the console and load up a save. Reopen the console using ~. Input fov 0. To get rid of the console, type showinventory to bring up the inventory, then close it with Esc. Save your game. The FOV is now altered for this save.

Anisotropic filtering (AF)

Anisotropic filtering on Linux/Wine with AMD/Mesa
You can force anisotropic filtering when using AMD GPU with Mesa by setting the environment variable for r600: R600_TEX_ANISO=16, or for radeonsi: AMD_TEX_ANISO=16

Anisotropic filtering with ENB Series for Half-Life 2
You can use anisotropic filtering with ENB Series Download and Install ENB Series for Half-Life 2 Open enbseries.ini with a text editor and under [ENGINE] change ForceAnisotropicFiltering to 1 and MaxAnisotropy to 2/4/8 or 16

Anti-aliasing (AA)

Use SweetFX[citation needed]
Download SweetFX. Extract its contents to a folder. Follow the detailed instructions in the readme file to enable SMAA.

SGSSAA (Nvidia only)[citation needed]

Open Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines driver profile via Nvidia Profile Inspector. Change Antialiasing compatibility to 0x000000C0 Change Antialiasing - Mode to Override any application setting. Change Antialiasing - Setting to 4x [4x Multisampling] or 8xQ [8x Multisampling]. Change Antialiasing - Transparency Supersampling to 4x Sparse Grid Supersampling or 8x Sparse Grid Supersampling. This should match your Multisampling selection. Apply changes. Notes High quality anti-aliasing. Performance demanding.

Input

Keyboard and mouse	State	Notes
Remapping
Mouse acceleration		An option for Mouse Filtering. Mouse acceleration not present.
Mouse sensitivity
Mouse input in menus
Mouse Y-axis inversion
Controller
Controller support		It's possible to enable joystick support via console, but many of the actions (like feeding or crouching) can not be cancelled by pressing the same key, which makes the game unplayable on the controller.
Full controller support
Controller remapping
Controller sensitivity
Controller Y-axis inversion

Controller types

XInput-compatible controllers

PlayStation controllers

Generic/other controllers

Additional information
Controller hotplugging
Haptic feedback
Digital movement supported
Simultaneous controller+KB/M

Audio

Audio feature	State	Notes
Separate volume controls
Surround sound
Subtitles
Closed captions
Mute on focus lost

Localizations

Language	UI	Audio	Sub	Notes
English
French
German				Fan translation, download
Hungarian				Fan translation, download.
Italian				Fan translation, download.
Polish				Fan translation, download.
Russian				Fan translation by «Russian Bloodline». Tessera patch + russification on GOG-version.
Spanish				Fan translation, download.

VR support

3D modes	State	Notes
Nvidia 3D Vision		Use Helix Mod: Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines.
vorpX		G3D, Z3D Officially supported game, see official vorpx game list.

Issues fixed

Black screen during intros / movies

Black intro screen with sound - no logos
Right click on vampire.exe, go to "properties". Flag "disable visual themes" and "disable desktop composition"

Missing Textures

Missing Textures[citation needed]
Make sure "Bump Mapping" is checked ON in the game settings. Restart the game

Unable to run, less that 15mb memory available

Unable to run, less that 15mb memory available
Install newest version of Unofficial Patch (either Basic or Plus). If this doesn't help, try Application Compatibility fixes

Voices and Sound Effects have low quality surround/echo

Voices and Sound Effects have low quality surround/echo[citation needed]
To fix this issue permanently, open <path-to-game>\Vampire\cfg\autoexec.cfg and add the following to it: // [Sound Patch] snd_mixahead 0.35 snd_surround 1 snd_gain 2.2 snd_gain_max 1.58 dsp_on 1 dsp_spatial 73 dsp_stereo 1 dsp_dist_max 9999 hisound 1 footstep_pc_vol 0.31 // footstep_npc_use_templates 0 volume "0.930000"

Input Lag

Input Lag[citation needed]
If the controls are hitching and unresponsive, particularly when moving and looking at the same time, change the compatibility of the main executable vampire.exe to Windows 98 mode. If this doesn't help, try running a game in Window or Borderless Fullscreen window mode to disable Vsync. Or simply force Vsync off in your graphics card's control panel.

Other information

API

Technical specs	Supported	Notes
Direct3D	6, 7, 8, 8.1, 9
Shader Model support	1.1, 1.3, 1.4, 2.0

Executable	32-bit	64-bit	Notes
Windows

Middleware

	Middleware	Notes
Audio	Miles Sound System	6.5e
Cutscenes	Bink Video	1.6d

Modifications

X20 Mod

Named after the 20th Anniversary Editions of the World of Darkness tabletop game lines.

Comes in 2 editions: Basic (textures only) and Plus (scripts, emails, dialogs and additional textures)

Both the Basic and Plus edition are compatible with the latest version of the Unofficial Patch with the Basic edition having no compatibility problems with other mods.

While both editions can be used separately, it is recommended to install both editions for optimal use.

Active development.

Improved textures at higher resolutions and with corrections.

UI Improvements such as better loading screens.

Lore-friendly additions based on other works in the World of Darkness.

Other minor fixes not found in the Unofficial Patch.

VTMB: Clan Quest Mod

An unofficial expansion pack with new contents.

Integrates both Unofficial Patch and X20 mod, as well as some contents from other mods.

Add new quests that are exclusive for each clan and for other special conditions.

Adds a new storyline, which includes new quests and three new endings.

Revised humanity system that's more in line with the pen and paper system.

An optional achievement system.

Development has been stopped.

Integrated mods are outdated (Unofficial Patch 9.2 and X20 Mod 1.0). While it is possible to upgrade X20 to the latest basic edition, updating the Unofficial Patch included in the mod will break it. It is recommended to install the latest unofficial patch in the base game folder and launch it separately from this mod.

System requirements

Windows
	Minimum	Recommended
Operating system (OS)	98, ME, 2000, XP
Processor (CPU)	AMD Athlon 1.2 GHz Intel Pentium III 1.2 GHz
System memory (RAM)	348 MB	512 MB
Hard disk drive (HDD)	4.7 GB
Video card (GPU)	64 MB of VRAM DirectX 9.0c compatible