Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines - PCGamingWiki PCGW - bugs, fixes, crashes, mods, guides and improvements for every PC game

Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines
Developers

	Troika Games
Publishers
	Activision
Engines
	Source
Release dates
Windows	November 16, 2004
Reception
Metacritic	80
IGDB	72
Taxonomy
Monetization	One-time game purchase
Modes	Singleplayer
Pacing	Real-time
Perspectives	First-person, Third-person
Controls	Direct control
Genres	Immersive sim, RPG
Themes	Supernatural
Series	Vampire: The Masquerade


⤏ Go to series page
Subseries of World of Darkness
Vampire: The Masquerade - Redemption	2000
Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines	2004
Vampire: The Masquerade - Coteries of New York	2019
Vampire: The Masquerade - Shadows of New York	2020
Vampire: The Masquerade - Night Road	2020
Vampire: The Masquerade - Out for Blood	2021
Vampire: The Masquerade - Parliament of Knives	2021
Vampire: The Masquerade - Sins of the Sires	2022
Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodhunt	2022
Vampire: The Masquerade - Swansong	2022
Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2	2024

Contents 1 Availability 1.1 Version differences 2 Essential improvements 2.1 Patches 2.1.1 Unofficial Patch 2.2 Skip intro videos 3 Game data 3.1 Configuration file(s) location 3.2 Save game data location 3.3 Save game cloud syncing 4 Video 4.1 Ultra-widescreen 4.2 Field of view (FOV) 4.3 Anisotropic filtering (AF) 4.4 Anti-aliasing (AA) 5 Input 6 Audio 6.1 Localizations 7 VR support 8 Issues fixed 8.1 Game Launches in windowed mode 8.2 Black screen during intros / movies 8.3 Missing Textures 8.4 vampire caused an Access Violation 8.5 A.I. are disabled 8.6 Unable to run, less that 15mb memory available 8.7 Voices and Sound Effects have low quality surround/echo 8.8 Input Lag 9 Other information 9.1 API 9.2 Middleware 10 Modifications 10.1 X20 Mod 10.2 VTMB: Clan Quest Mod 11 System requirements 12 Notes 13 References

Key points

Released in an unfinished and buggy state. As such, installation of the Unofficial 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^{[Note 1]}
GOG.com		Includes Unofficial Patch.
Steam		Can be played without Steam after the Unofficial Patch is installed.
Humble Store (unavailable)
Amazon.com (unavailable)

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

After the Unofficial Patch is installed, the game can be launched without Steam.

Version differences

The GOG.com Legacy version is an unpatched/initial release of the game. True Patch may be compatible with this version.

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 and adds multiple features like widescreen support.

Mod is in active development.

Available in two flavors: Basic (bug fixes only) and Plus (restores cut content):

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 includes an outdated version of the Unofficial Patch. Legacy version does not.^[3]

Installation^[4]^[5]
Install the game from Steam or a disc and run the game once (it's fine if it crashes or shows memory error on a 64 bit OS). Download the latest unofficial patch and run downloaded executable as an administrator. Choose the installation folder when prompted and 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. Type in `-game Unofficial_Patch` in the Steam launch options (if using Steam version) or shortcut (if using disc version) and run the game. If you prefer a steam shortcut or batch file use `steam://rungameid/2600// -game Unofficial_Patch` or `start "" "steam://rungameid/2600// -game Unofficial_Patch"`.

Installation^[4]^[5]

Install the game from Steam or a disc and run the game once (it's fine if it crashes or shows memory error on a 64 bit OS).
Download the latest unofficial patch and run downloaded executable as an administrator.
Choose the installation folder when prompted and 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.
Type in -game Unofficial_Patch in the Steam launch options (if using Steam version) or shortcut (if using disc version) and run the game.
- If you prefer a steam shortcut or batch file use steam://rungameid/2600// -game Unofficial_Patch or start "" "steam://rungameid/2600// -game Unofficial_Patch".

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^{[Note 2]} HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Troika\Vampire
Steam Play (Linux)	<Steam-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/2600/pfx/^{[Note 3]}

Save game data location

System	Location
Windows	<path-to-game>\Vampire\save^{[Note 2]} <path-to-game>\Unofficial_Patch\Vampire\save^{[Note 2]}
Steam Play (Linux)	<Steam-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/2600/pfx/^{[Note 3]}

Each "quicksave" creates a new save slot, they don't override each other.

Save game cloud syncing

System	Native	Notes
GOG Galaxy
Steam Cloud

Video

Graphics feature	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)	Can be forced off through video driver.
60 FPS
120+ FPS	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^[6]
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^[7]
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.

Changing the Field of View^[7]

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^[8]
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 on Linux/Wine with DXVK^[9]
If DXVK is installed in the wine prefix used to play the game, you can override the anisotropic filtering level using a configuration file. Go to `<path-to-game>` Create an empty text file named `dxvk.conf` if there isn't one. Open the file, add the line `d3d9.samplerAnisotropy = 16` and save it Values may range between `0` (disable AF) to `16`. `-1` disables the override.

Anisotropic filtering on Linux/Wine with DXVK^[9]

If DXVK is installed in the wine prefix used to play the game, you can override the anisotropic filtering level using a configuration file.

Go to <path-to-game>
Create an empty text file named dxvk.conf if there isn't one.
Open the file, add the line d3d9.samplerAnisotropy = 16 and save it

Values may range between 0 (disable AF) to 16. -1 disables the override.

Anisotropic filtering with ENB Series for Half-Life 2^[10]
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`

Anisotropic filtering with ENB Series for Half-Life 2^[10]

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`^[11]^[12] 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.

SGSSAA (Nvidia only)^{[citation needed]}

Open Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines driver profile via Nvidia Profile Inspector.
Change Antialiasing compatibility to 0x000000C0^[11]^[12]
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.

Force MSAA on Linux/Wine with DXVK^[13]
If DXVK is installed in the wine prefix used to play the game, you can force the game to use MSAA using a configuration file. Go to `<path-to-game>` Create an empty text file named `dxvk.conf` if there isn't one. Open the file, add the line `d3d9.forceSwapchainMSAA = 8` and save it. Values may range between `0` (disable MSAA) to `16`. `-1` disables the override.

Force MSAA on Linux/Wine with DXVK^[13]

If DXVK is installed in the wine prefix used to play the game, you can force the game to use MSAA using a configuration file.

Go to <path-to-game>
Create an empty text file named dxvk.conf if there isn't one.
Open the file, add the line d3d9.forceSwapchainMSAA = 8 and save it.

Values may range between 0 (disable MSAA) to 16. -1 disables the override.

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

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

Audio

Audio feature	State	Notes
Separate volume controls
Surround sound
Subtitles
Closed captions
Mute on focus lost
Royalty free audio		Combination of original and licensed music.

Localizations

Language	UI	Audio	Sub	Notes
English
Czech				Fan translation, download
French
German				Fan translation, download
Hungarian				Fan translation, download.
Italian				Fan translation, download.
Polish				Fan translation, download.
Brazilian Portuguese				Translation (Steam).
Russian				Fan translation by «Russian Bloodline». Tessera patch + russification on GOG-version. Fan audio localization by "GamesVoice and VTMB. Русский дубляж"
Spanish				Fan translation by Clan Dlan, 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

Game Launches in windowed mode

Game Launches in windowed mode^[7]
Run with `-fullscreen` parameter in the Steam launch options (if using Steam version) or shortcut (if using disc version) and run the game.

Black screen during intros / movies

Black intro screen with sound - no logos^[7]
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

vampire caused an Access Violation

vampire caused an Access Violation
View the crash logs in the main Bloodlines directory to see if this error occurred. If you are using something like Voicemeter Banana to split audio channels, change the default sound device in Windows to your speakers instead of Voicemeter VAIO/AUX, then change what audio device the game outputs to while it is running through Windows 'App volume and device preferences'. Installing the Unofficial Patch (even if you don't launch it) will install some engine fixes that commonly fix these errors.

View the crash logs in the main Bloodlines directory to see if this error occurred.
If you are using something like Voicemeter Banana to split audio channels, change the default sound device in Windows to your speakers instead of Voicemeter VAIO/AUX, then change what audio device the game outputs to while it is running through Windows 'App volume and device preferences'.
Installing the Unofficial Patch (even if you don't launch it) will install some engine fixes that commonly fix these errors.

A.I. are disabled

A.I. are disabled
Try common Source game disabled A.I. fixes. If you have the Unofficial Patch installed (even if you are not using it), the game normally uses .ain files in /maps/graphs to determine A.I. pathing. The universal engine changes from the Unofficial Patch (which run even if the patch isn't being used) will instead build these on the fly as .loc files, but the game will still try to read .ain files from this directory which will break all A.I. pathing. Remove all .ain files from /maps/graphs to fix this.

Try common Source game disabled A.I. fixes.
If you have the Unofficial Patch installed (even if you are not using it), the game normally uses .ain files in /maps/graphs to determine A.I. pathing. The universal engine changes from the Unofficial Patch (which run even if the patch isn't being used) will instead build these on the fly as .loc files, but the game will still try to read .ain files from this directory which will break all A.I. pathing. Remove all .ain files from /maps/graphs to fix this.

Unable to run, less that 15mb memory available

Unable to run, less that 15mb memory available^[7]
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"

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	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^[14]
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

Notes

↑ SafeDisc retail DRM does not work on Windows 10^[1] or Windows 11 and is disabled by default on Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 8.1 when the KB3086255 update is installed.^[2]
↑ ^2.0 ^2.1 ^2.2 When running this game without elevated privileges (Run as administrator option), write operations against a location below %PROGRAMFILES%, %PROGRAMDATA%, or %WINDIR% might be redirected to %LOCALAPPDATA%\VirtualStore on Windows Vista and later (more details).
↑ ^3.0 ^3.1 File/folder structure within this directory reflects the path(s) listed for Windows and/or Steam game data (use Wine regedit to access Windows registry paths). Games with Steam Cloud support may store data in ~/.steam/steam/userdata/<user-id>/2600/ in addition to or instead of this directory. The app ID (2600) may differ in some cases. Treat backslashes as forward slashes. See the glossary page for details.

References

↑ Not Loading in Windows 10; this will break thousands of - Microsoft Community - last accessed on 2017-01-16
↑ Microsoft - MS15-097: Description of the security update for the graphics component in Windows: September 8, 2015 - last accessed on 2018-02-16
↑ Release: Vampire®: The Masquerade - Bloodlines™ - GOG.com - last accessed on 9 June 2023
↑ someone tell me how to do the patch properly please.. - Steam Users' Forums (retrived)
↑ filthster comments on Did you even look? - last accessed on May 2023
↑ Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines | WSGF
↑ ^7.0 ^7.1 ^7.2 ^7.3 Verified by User:Suicide_machine on 2016-08-19
↑ The Mesa-dev mailing list - last accessed on May 2023
↑ Sample dxvk.conf - last accessed on May 2023
↑ ENB Series for Half-Life 2 - last accessed on May 2023
↑ 3DCenter Forum - Einzelnen Beitrag anzeigen - Antialiasing - Kompatibilitätsbits - Sammelthread
↑ 3DCenter Forum - Einzelnen Beitrag anzeigen - Antialiasing - Kompatibilitätsbits - Sammelthread
↑ [1]
↑ Verified by User:Markhoris on 2019-03-18
Version number found in Mss32.dll in the game installation folder.