True Patch Gold: Enabling Clan Histories

[Tessera]

True Patch Gold Edition: Enabling Clan Histories


The various clan Histories are not enabled by default in the True Patch Gold Edition. There are two reasons for this:


(1) They were not enabled by Troika in the final release of the game, hence they are not enabled by default in the TPG, either.

(2) The clan Histories are not perfectly balanced and some of them might even make the player character be a bit overpowered.


However, I should point out that despite those two important considerations, we did indeed spend some time working on re-balancing -some- of the Histories. So if you are a player who would prefer to play with the Histories enabled... despite the two issues that I have mentioned above... then I will once again explain the very easy procedure for enabling them in your game.

First, it is assumed that you have already installed Bloodlines correctly and that you have also installed the True Patch Gold Edition, according to its instructions.


To enable the clan Histories, simply do the following:

(1) Look for a sub-folder within your Bloodlines installation named "\Vampire\cfg"
(2) Within that folder, there will be a file named "autoexec.cfg"
(3) Now open that "autoexec.cfg" file in a simple text editor, such as Notepad.

You will see a group of lines within that file which read as follows:

// Remove the two "//" marks from the beginning of the line below to enable the Clan Histories...
//vchar_edit_histories "1"
//

To enable the clan Histories, simply delete the two slash marks "//" which immediately precede the words vchar_edit_histories "1"
Removing those two slash marks will activate that command, the next time that the game is started.

(4) Save the file and exit.


That's all there is to it. Those two slash marks in your autoexec.cfg file simply "comment out" the line that enables the clan Histories. By removing the two slash marks, the Histories will thus be enabled... and all of them will available, the next time that you create a new character.

Happy vamping.  


PS -- for the record, I myself play with the Histories enabled. I always play a Malk with the "Ninja!" history and it's a lot of fun.

[anariel]

I'd also like to add that, if you have the console enabled, you can activate the clan histories by typing vchar_edit_histories 1 in the console.

[suspiria_2]

wow, that was easy!

think i'll enable this today and play through Santa Monica again to verify the outcome of my experiment on the different experience during play between True and the other patch.

thanks~!

[Jason]

i like playing as completely bat-shit not only are dementia powers are more effective and last longer

[fchopin]

I installed the unofficial patch last week but found changes from what i remembered of the game that i played about 2 years ago so i uninstalled the patch and have installed the True Patch Gold.

I also plan to enable the histories as i like them.

Thanks for the patch.

[Schu]

fchopin, I really hope you did a clean install, if you didn't you are going to have issues, because the TPG and the UP are not compatible.

[fchopin]

Yes i did a clean install and everything is working fine, but thanks for the info.

[Tessera]

Thanks for the patch.

You're welcome.   

[Lothos]

As someone new to VTMB, can you explain what Clan Histories are?  From the sound of it, they're clearly not just background info as the name would imply.

[anariel]

They are like the merits and flaws of the P&P version of the game. Essentially, they change the prioritization of the attributes (most of them are this) or give some advantages in exchange for some disadvantages.
For example, Malkavians have, among others, Complete Batshit (increase effect on Dementation, but also increases the XP cost on Auspex or subterfuge, I don't remember which one), which is my favourite, or Tessera's favourite Ninja!, impressive for a melee-oriented Malkavian.

[Tessera]

Clan Histories change certain base stats for your character... hence the choice of a clan History is something which needs to be carefully considered. They also add a great deal of replay value to the game, since your character's abilities will be altered somewhat, depending upon which History you select. Troika did something similar in one of their previous games, called Arcanum. And actually, you can trace this sort of game mechanic all the way back to when the leaders of Troika (Anderson, Boyarsky and Cain) were on the development team for Fallout and Fallout 2.

Each of the Histories has certain pluses and minuses to it. Usually, you'll gain a boost in one area, at the expense of a deficit in another area. For example, Anariel mentioned that my favorite History for my Malk is the "Ninja!" History. If you select that History when you create a Malk, it gives you a substantial boost to your melee abilities... but at a significant cost: you can never raise your skill in Firearms, no matter what. It's a great History for a Malk brawler, but you'll need to adjust your overall playing style accordingly. I will say this much: a Malk using the "Ninja!" History is a seriously kick ass melee character, especially in the earlier parts of the game (when we normally tend to be weak in those skills). In fact, for the entire first act of Bloodlines, my "Ninja!" Malk uses nothing except her fists as weapons.

Anyway, Troika disabled the Histories, prior to releasing Bloodlines. They disabled them because most of the clan Histories are imbalanced. Some are overpowered, and others are underpowered. And since Troika was very rushed during the final days of development, they didn't have the time to play test all of the different Histories and work out all of the balance issues.

With the True Patch, we made a small effort back in version 5.04AT to balance *a few* of the Histories. But most of them we left untouched... hence, the Histories are not enabled by default in any version of the True Patch. Instead, we decided to leave it up to each individual player to decide whether or not to enable them manually, by editing one of the game's configuration files. We felt that this was the best way to avoid imposing any arbitrary changes upon the end user, which is something that should be avoided at all costs within a fan-made patch.  

[Arglaar]

With the True Patch, we made a small effort back in version 5.04AT to balance *a few* of the Histories. But most of them we left untouched... hence, the Histories are not enabled by default in any version of the True Patch. Instead, we decided to leave it up to each individual player to decide whether or not to enable them manually, by editing one of the game's configuration files. We felt that this was the best way to avoid imposing any arbitrary changes upon the end user, which is something that should be avoided at all costs within a fan-made patch.  

Sounds like a good task for the Mega-Mod.  Add them back in and balance them.

[Tessera]

Well, saying "add them back in" makes it sound as if the True Patch did something to remove the Histories. It doesn't. The True Patch simply leaves them disabled by default... exactly the same way as it was in the plain-vanilla game. And enabling them is a no-brainer... just open up your autoexec.cfg file in Notepad and change a single number in that file from "0" to "1" and voila... all of the Histories will be enabled, the next time you play.

But yes, it might be fun to either "revamp" (pun intended) the existing Histories, or else construct entirely new ones for my VTMB Mega-Mod. But that is precisely the way to handle it: in a mod, not in a patch. I won't take it upon myself to second guess Troika within the True Patch. But in a mod, anything goes... so perhaps we can monkey around with the Histories in a future Mega-Mod update.

We gotta be careful with them, though... because it is very easy to give in to the temptation to create overpowered Histories, which give too much strength to the player. Wesp is guilty of doing exactly that within his horrible "unofficial patch." I would never make the same mistake. When you add ez-mode content to Bloodlines, the challenge decreases and as a result, the game's overall re-playability likewise decreases. That's a big no-no.

[Curmudgeon62]

Hello from Japan. First, many thanks for all the work that went into making this fine patch for a great game.
I checked the latest version of the patch and found this little problem in Vampire\vdata\system\traiteffects000, specifically with the history, "Eerie Prescence".

What should be a bonus to the Mental traits, Perception, Intelligence, & Wits, is mistakenly assigned to the Social traits, Charisma, Manipulation, & Appearance.

Below is the section of code from the above file in the latest patch.

Code Select Expand

TraitEffectGroup
{
"InternalName" "History (Eerie Presence)"
// Mental Advancement Bonus
TraitEffect
{
"Trait" "Charisma"
Costs
{
"Raise" "Table: 2, 3, 6, 10, 12"
}
}
TraitEffect
{
"Trait" "Manipulation"
Costs
{
"Raise" "Table: 2, 3, 6, 10, 12"
}
}
TraitEffect
{
"Trait" "Appearance"
Costs
{
"Raise" "Table: 2, 3, 6, 10, 12"
}
}
// Social Advancement Penalty
TraitEffect
{
"Trait" "Charisma"
Costs
{
"Raise" "Table: 3, 6, 10, 16, 20"
}
}
TraitEffect
{
"Trait" "Manipulation"
Costs
{
"Raise" "Table: 3, 6, 10, 16, 20"
}
}
TraitEffect
{
"Trait" "Appearance"
Costs
{
"Raise" "Table: 3, 6, 10, 16, 20"
}
}
// Stealth Advancement Penalty
TraitEffect
{
"Trait" "Stealth"
Costs
{
"Raise" "Table: 3, 4, 8, 12, 16"
}
}
}

Below is what I suspect it should be.

Code Select Expand

TraitEffectGroup
{
"InternalName" "History (Eerie Presence)"
// Mental Advancement Bonus
TraitEffect
{
"Trait" "Perception"
Costs
{
"Raise" "Table: 2, 3, 6, 10, 12"
}
}
TraitEffect
{
"Trait" "Intelligence"
Costs
{
"Raise" "Table: 2, 3, 6, 10, 12"
}
}
TraitEffect
{
"Trait" "Wits"
Costs
{
"Raise" "Table: 2, 3, 6, 10, 12"
}
}
// Social Advancement Penalty
TraitEffect
{
"Trait" "Charisma"
Costs
{
"Raise" "Table: 3, 6, 10, 16, 20"
}
}
TraitEffect
{
"Trait" "Manipulation"
Costs
{
"Raise" "Table: 3, 6, 10, 16, 20"
}
}
TraitEffect
{
"Trait" "Appearance"
Costs
{
"Raise" "Table: 3, 6, 10, 16, 20"
}
}
// Stealth Advancement Penalty
TraitEffect
{
"Trait" "Stealth"
Costs
{
"Raise" "Table: 3, 4, 8, 12, 16"
}
}
}


Best, C.

[Schu]

Hello from Japan. First, many thanks for all the work that went into making this fine patch for a great game.
I checked the latest version of the patch and found this little problem in Vampire\vdata\system\traiteffects000, specifically with the history, "Eerie Prescence".

What should be a bonus to the Mental traits, Perception, Intelligence, & Wits, is mistakenly assigned to the Social traits, Charisma, Manipulation, & Appearance.

Below is the section of code from the above file in the latest patch.

Cylnar and myself have done a re-balance of the Histories, and that is one that got fixed. Here is where you can find the re-balance beta.
http://www.tessmage.com/forum/index.php/topic,58884.0.html

If you have any comments, complaints or suggestions about the re-balance then please post them in that thread...thanks.

[Cylnar]

I checked the latest version of the patch and found this little problem in Vampire\vdata\system\traiteffects000, specifically with the history, "Eerie Prescence".

What should be a bonus to the Mental traits, Perception, Intelligence, & Wits, is mistakenly assigned to the Social traits, Charisma, Manipulation, & Appearance.

What Schu said.

The problem is not due to the patch, but existed in the game as shipped. The TPG disables histories by default, because that's what Troika did. The histories were incompletely balanced and Troika ran out of time before the Activision bean counters' deal with Valve forced Troika to declare the game "finished"...and then let it sit around for six months until Half-Life 2 shipped.

[Curmudgeon62]

Schu & Cylnar

Thank you for your replies. I understand that the True Patch is not the problem.
Just thought that it was a bug that could be fixed. Anyway, I'll give your mod a try.
Best, C.

[dracconus]

thank you for the true patch and the histories it has made the game more interesting each time i play