True Patch Gold Edition -- DIRECT DOWNLOAD LINK

[Tommy6860]

Well first of all, thank you for the kind words. I'm glad you're enjoying the game again, now that you're using the best patch for it.  

Secondly, please add your correct age and gender to your Forum profile immediately, lest you risk having your account automatically deleted. All of our members are required to do this.

Apologies for that, I remember reading that caveat when I signed up, but I was on my way out the door to make it to work and forgot. I stumbled onto this site a while back, then found this patch, and played it; I only thought now to give a good comment as to let everyone know that I really played through it and how well it works. I just decided to make an account to comment. Anyhoo, all updated and yes, I am that old. I been RPGing since 1980 on computers.

Yah... Wesp's "patch" is pretty awful. And you're making the same complaints about Wesp and his "patch" that we've heard a million times before. That issue with the wires, for example. That's yet another ugly bug that Wesp himself added to the game. Wesp had the hair-brained notion that some of the wires on the various telephone poles needed to be "fixed." There was actually nothing wrong with them... but regardless, Wesp decided to pad out his horrible and amateurishly constructed "patch" a few years ago, by making changes to those wires. And they've been malfunctioning ever since.

There are numerous other examples of things that Wesp has broken in Bloodlines. It no doubt explains why so many VTMB players have "defected" away from Wesp and his nonsense and moved over to the True Patch Gold Edition. It's good to see... and I'm glad that I've been able to help everyone to enjoy a smooth, rock-solid gaming experience without bugs -and- without making silly and unnecessary changes to the original gameplay. The TPG represents what every good third-party patch should be: something well-constructed, which improves the game by fixing as many bugs as possible... and NOT making arbitrary changes to the rest of the game.

As for Wesp, he has actually added more bugs to VTMB over the years than he has managed to fix. Fortunately, we all have a very nice alternative. The True Patch has never added a single new bug to Bloodlines and it never will. That's a promise.

Sad too, because the first few patches I used seemed to have worked well, but then shit hit the fan and I got frustrated. I bought this game on Steam for a $3 about 2-1/2 years ago. Anyway, again, awesome job, will recommend you big time if anyone ever asks for help. 

[Tessera]

Bah, you're not old. You simply grew up with the best music and the hottest looking women of all time (those incredible 1980's "hardbody" babes). 

[Abhijeet]

Is there a changelog available for all the TruePatch hotfixes ?

[Tessera]

Is there a changelog available for all the TruePatch hotfixes ?

Unfortunately no, there isn't. Sorry, but I neglected to document most of the TPG repairs. Chalk it up to my own laziness... we are talking about literally hundreds of individual repairs.

If someone asks me about a specific item, then I can usually remember what it was that I fixed and respond accordingly. But no, I didn't sit here writing down every single item. There were just too many of them.

I am of the opinion that most people don't even bother to read change logs anyway, so I didn't concern myself with it at the time. In retrospect, I suppose it would have been a good idea for me to have been a bit more thorough in my documentation.  

But anyway, what difference does it make..? All of the repairs contained within the TPG are 100% legitimate and of very high quality. It's the best VTMB patch on the web, period. The TPG repairs more legitimate bugs than any other VTMB patch from any other source. That isn't just a bunch of hype -- it's the absolute truth and it has been independently verified.

[beetle]

I think the forums more or less serves as the change log. Aren't some of the changes posted here and there thru out the forums?

[Tessera]

I don't think they're viewable anymore... but yeah, back when the TPG was in its month-long beta testing phase,
there were pages and pages of posts from myself and the rest of the beta testing team, which examined all sorts
of different bugs and the solutions that I worked out for each of those bugs.

I'm pretty sure that the TPG beta testing forum was archived several years ago. I suppose I could dig it up again,
if anybody REALLY wants to read through all of that stuff. Most of it is pretty technical, though. 

In the meantime, if anybody is curious or has a question regarding a specific repair made by the TPG, then feel
free to ask me about it. I should be able to remember what was done to fix it, once I know exactly which bug
we happen to be talking about. It should still be rattling around inside my head... somewhere.

[Ratcatcher]

Unfortunately no, there isn't. Sorry, but I neglected to document most of the TPG repairs. Chalk it up to my own laziness... we are talking about literally hundreds of individual repairs.

Besides, to "someone we all know and love", a changelog would be a godsend. He'd actually know what to fix. 

[Tessera]

He has already stolen from the TPG, on quite a few occasions.

[Anthaus]

I just installed the TPG, and it works smoothly.
I just wish to express my thanks for your hard work.

Some months ago I installed Wesp's Unofficial Patch, having read about it somewhere. Well, I had my fun with it, but some changes I found either unnerving or aimed at making the game too much easy, like the Blood Heal [unnerving], the flapping ropes everywhere [unnerving] or the 4th point of Thaumaturgy [vastly overpowered, in my hopinion].

So now that I could make a fresh install of my VtMB copy, I proceeded with your patch and it's been really good so far.

You really have my heartfelt thanks. =)

[Abhijeet]

Is there a changelog available for all the TruePatch hotfixes ?

Unfortunately no, there isn't. Sorry, but I neglected to document most of the TPG repairs. Chalk it up to my own laziness... we are talking about literally hundreds of individual repairs.

If someone asks me about a specific item, then I can usually remember what it was that I fixed and respond accordingly. But no, I didn't sit here writing down every single item. There were just too many of them.

I am of the opinion that most people don't even bother to read change logs anyway, so I didn't concern myself with it at the time. In retrospect, I suppose it would have been a good idea for me to have been a bit more thorough in my documentation.  

But anyway, what difference does it make..? All of the repairs contained within the TPG are 100% legitimate and of very high quality. It's the best VTMB patch on the web, period. The TPG repairs more legitimate bugs than any other VTMB patch from any other source. That isn't just a bunch of hype -- it's the absolute truth and it has been independently verified.

I have played VTMB quite a few times with True patches. My problem is that i am stuck with awful internet. So it would be helpful if I knew what changes are done with last few hotfixes. Is there any recommended mods which are compatible True Patch ?

[Tessera]

The True Patch does not change the game. The True Patch simply fixes the game. Hence I did not feel that a lengthy, detailed listing of every single bug fix was necessary. Most people would never bother to read it in the first place. Also, most people would have little or no idea what all of that information actually means, since most people are not very savvy when it comes to Source engine programming.

So I kept it very simple: the TPG fixes all of the most important bugs in Bloodlines, along with fixing numerous little bugs, too. At the present time, the TPG fixes more legitimate bugs in Bloodlines than any other patch, from any other source. That is an independently verified fact.

There are also a few minor restorations, most notably the "ghouling Heather" scene at the Santa Monica Clinic, as well as re-enabling a couple of oral sex sequences that Troika was apparently forced to disable prior to the game's release. Also, some of the NPC pathing has been adjusted, in order to minimize the frequency of collisions as the NPC's move about from place to place.

Aside from the above, the TPG makes no other changes to Bloodlines. It is not a mod... it is a legitimate bug-fix patch, and nothing more.

[Abhijeet]

The True Patch does not change the game. The True Patch simply fixes the game. Hence I did not feel that a lengthy, detailed listing of every single bug fix was necessary. Most people would never bother to read it in the first place. Also, most people would have little or no idea what all of that information actually means, since most people are not very savvy when it comes to Source engine programming.

So I kept it very simple: the TPG fixes all of the most important bugs in Bloodlines, along with fixing numerous little bugs, too. At the present time, the TPG fixes more legitimate bugs in Bloodlines than any other patch, from any other source. That is an independently verified fact.

There are also a few minor restorations, most notably the "ghouling Heather" scene at the Santa Monica Clinic, as well as re-enabling a couple of oral sex sequences that Troika was apparently forced to disable prior to the game's release. Also, some of the NPC pathing has been adjusted, in order to minimize the frequency of collisions as the NPC's move about from place to place.

Aside from the above, the TPG makes no other changes to Bloodlines. It is not a mod... it is a legitimate bug-fix patch, and nothing more.

Thanks for the info Tessera. What do you plan to fix in fix in next hotfix ?

[Tessera]

Thanks for the info Tessera. What do you plan to fix in fix in next hotfix ?

Well, I'm open to suggestions.   

Frankly, I can't think of anything else that needs fixing. Hotfix #7 (the current version of the TPG) pretty much nailed it. Oh, there's still a few extremely minor little things here and there. Dialogue errors (spelling and punctuation), for example... we never seem to run out of those. And the NPC's still collide with each other in a few places. But none of those things are especially important, really. All of the major bugs have already been taken care of by the TPG -- so if there's anything left over, then those issues would amount to nit picking on our parts.

But yeah, I'm open to suggestions, if anyone has any to offer. Keep in mind that I am only interested in actual BUGS... not just a list of things that you wish were different or "better." Making things different is what mods are for. The True Patch is only concerned with actual, legitimate malfunctions which may exist in the game code. As we have said many times around here: a patch is a patch, and a mod is a mod. I have always done my best to ensure that the TPG is a bona fide patch, which simply fixes bugs and does nothing else.

[Tessera]

Updated TPG Installation Notes:


True Patch Gold Edition
HOTFIX #7
August 08, 2012
ReadMe Updated on March 08, 2014
- Tessera -


NOTE: PLEASE REFER TO THE "Docs" SUB-FOLDER FOR FURTHER INFORMATION AND INSTRUCTIONS
REGARDING THE TRUE PATCH GOLD EDITION FOR VTM: BLOODLINES.


------------------
DESCRIPTION
------------------

This is the complete True Patch Gold Edition patch for Vampire -- The Masquerade: Bloodlines.
The True Patch Gold Edition patch MUST be installed BEFORE you install any third-party mods.

Regarding Hotfix #7...

This hotfix deals with several bugs and glitches which were discovered after the release
of the True Patch Gold Edition.

This Hotfix also includes several model repairs by DDLulu. Specifically, these repairs add
visible fangs to several NPC vampires who previously lacked them. The NPC's affected are:

Skelter
Lily
LaCroix
Isaac
Copper
The "Serial Killer"
Sweeper

Many thanks to DDLulu, for giving us permission to add his various model repairs to the TPG.

All other repairs were performed by Tessera and Acrimonious, unless otherwise noted.

-------------------
INSTALLATION
-------------------

IMPORTANT:
It is strongly suggested that you make a FULL backup of VTMB, prior to installing this
or any other third-party patch or mod(s).

After unzipping this package, simply copy the entire contents of the "Vampire" folder and
the paste those contents into your working VTMB\Vampire folder. If you do this correctly,
then Windows will warn you that the files in question already exist and ask if you wish to
overwrite them. Select "Yes" to all and then wait for these updated files to replace the
original versions. That's all there is to it.

You do not require any other patches aside from this one. The official version 1.2 patch
from ActiVision is already fully incorporated into the TPG package. The TPG is all you need.


*** SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR USERS OF THE "HAVEN DANCE" MOD: ***

If you elected to install the optional "Haven Dance" mod that was included within the original
True Patch Gold Edition, then you will need to follow the instructions below:

(1) First, install this update as per the previous instructions at the beginning of this section.
(2) Next, look for a sub-folder within this hotfix package labeled "Haven Dance."
(3) Within that sub-folder is another sub-folder named "maps." Highlight and copy that sub-folder.
(4) Now paste that sub-folder named "maps" and all that it contains into your working
VTMB\Vampire folder. When Windows prompts you to overwrite existing files, say "Yes" to all.
(5) If you do all of the above correctly, then your Haven Dance mod will be updated with the
new repairs for the "Milligan bug." The dance mod itself will continue to function as before.
The Milligan bug occurred within the Skyline map, as does the Haven Dance mod. Hence the need
for Haven Dance mod users to install a separate version of the Skyline map file.


*** SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR VTMB MEGA-MOD USERS ***

DO NOT install any of the optional mods from the True Patch package. There is no need for Mega-Mod
users to do so, because improved versions of all of those optional TPG mods are already included
within the VTMB Mega-Mod package. Mega-Mod users should simply install the basic TPG and then
install the VTMB Mega-Mod. You will then "have it all," as they say.


--------------------
IMPORTANT NOTES
--------------------

This hotfix includes several major map repairs. Hence it may be necessary to start the game
all over again... from the beginning... with a brand-new character which has never been played
before. This unfortunate requirement is due to the way that the Source engine saves map data
into its gamesave files. If you enter a newly revised map with an existing character who has
already visited that map -- prior to when it was updated -- then in all likelihood the game
will malfunction in various and unpredictable ways. Hence the need to start over again from
scratch with a brand-new character. With Bloodlines, that's just the way it is, folks.

--------------------------------
Notable repairs in Hotfix #6:
--------------------------------

Some minor adjustements to several ground pathing nodes have been performed in various maps.
A fairly significant pathing issue inside the Asp Hole club has been repaired (it had to do
with NPC congestion happening on the stairs leading up to the second floor).

Several other minor map repairs have been performed inside the Asp Hole club in Hollywood.

A sound effect which was causing certain audio cards to experience problems has been adjusted.

Barabus will now despawn properly after the player has completed all of his quests and exited
the Fu Labs building (in Chinatown).

Milligan will never get hung up on the furniture... never again. The "Milligan Bug" is no more.

Several female NPC's have had a minor texture repair done to their hair. Thank you for reminding me, Zeno.

Several Kindred NPC's whose fangs were missing have been repaired, courtesy of DDLullu.

A minor adjustment to the "Haven Dance Mod" bundled in with the TPG has been performed.

A few new Python repairs are being introduced, courtesy of the one and only Acrimonious.

A couple of malfunctioning triggers have been repaired on the Santa Monica Warehouse map.

Various other small map repairs, which are frankly too numerous to list.


----------------------------------------------
Notable repairs in Hotfix #6b and Hotfix #7:
----------------------------------------------

Several misfiring audio problems resolved via map trigger edits.
A few minor NPC pathing issues were resolved.

The main executable (vampire.exe) has been patched, in order to provide
additional stability and better memory usage on 64-bit operating systems.




---------------------
SUPPORT
---------------------

As always, official support for True Patch users is available via the tessmage.com Forums.


---------------------
AUTHOR
---------------------

All parts of the True Patch Gold Edition were written and assembled by Tessera, except where
otherwise noted within the official patch notes.



- Tessera -
www.tessmage.com
August 14, 2011

E-Mail: tessera@tessmage.com
 

[Shotgunner]

Nice - thanks for the update Tess!

[jester]

Thanks alot my game is much better now 

[mooseh]

Nice to replay one of the best RPGs

[Tessera]

Glad you're enjoying it. VTMB is probably my all-time favorite PC-RPG.