Unofficial Patch 5.2 is out...

[Wesp5]

...and can be found at The Patches Scrolls ((The Patches Scrolls) Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines Downloads) in both full and incremental versions.

Sorry for the current update frequency, but the Bloodlines community is quite un-dead at the moment , and I like to fix bugs and implement suggestions as soon as possible. This time many thanks must go to Sgloomi and Offkorn for checking the basic patch out, which resulted in the restoration of several overlooked issues. In fact because I myself finished merging the last basic/plus dialogues and made them switchable, I decided to revert several plus changes to the original state as well, because they did not make any sense anymore, seemed too much power-player orientated or would just be too much of an effort to merge. An example would be the lowered Persuasion conditions in the Giovanni mansion which are not necessary anymore, because the plus patch includes the Charisma powerup.

As for other major changes, the gum-not-giveable-bug of 5.1 has been fixed and the new guard already promised for 5.1 should now be at his place in the Empire hotel. I've added about a hundred new idle expression to about thirty NPCs and didn't test them all, so if anyone looks stupid now, please tell me. The same applies if you think some expressions should be emphasized, and for anyone interested a list of the states used is in the readme under restored stuff. Last not least I finally dared to meddle with the stealth rules and made the stealth quite a bit more realistic and harder that way! Again, I tested the tutorial and the Tawni quest which are still doable, but if you think the new rules are too hard, please give me feedback. Of course this change is plus patch only. The rest of the changes are listed below:

v5.2 23.04.2008
----
+Made occult braid raise unarmed feat instead of computer knowledge.
+Restored several persuasion, stat updates and research conditions.
+Made stealth harder and restored melee and defense powerup effects.
+Fixed Nadia humanity loss and moved a recorder at Grout's mansion.
+Corrected unofferable gum and renamed asian vampire "The Cathayan".
Re-added lost guard model and fixed Russians discipline reactions.
Added about hundred expressions to thirty NPCs and a .38 for Flynn.
Placed cops at SM conversation and some missing lamps into museum.
Forced player in DMP cutscene and offered Vandal's quest later too.
Added Skelter quest state and fixed Isaac and Barabus log updates.
Improved Heather and Malcolm dialogues and cash description limits.
Fixed Imalia's quest second chance and repeating Romero fun sound.
Removed bad warrens re-entry sound and adjusted the clipboard date.
Auto-closed warehouse door and placed Temple bar up on his guides.
Fixed overlooked Shin Gunto, Galdjum and flamethrower basic issues.
Added junkyard sound using a car and fixed downtown bus stop name.
Restored Gangrel frenzy damage and some first discipline durations.
Fixed minor dialogue bugs, some basic/plus mixups and a few props.
Replaced Misti clones at Vesuvius and added a few inspection nodes.
Adjusted hospital scream and several wrong door and weapon sounds.
Unlocked one Temple door for Yukie and secured two others later on.
Locked Red Spot back door and restored missing gesture for Damsel.
Removed humanity loss for killing any kind of hunters on main hubs.

[][_aVey]

Hi, Wesp.

A question: both patches at "The Patches Scrolls", "1.2 to 5.2" and "5.1 to 5.2" seem to be the same. I suppose this because both files are about 130 Mb. so I better canceled my download. Could you please confirm it?

Thank you.

[Wesp5]

Originally Posted by ][_aVey

A question: both patches at "The Patches Scrolls", "1.2 to 5.2" and "5.1 to 5.2" seem to be the same. I suppose this because both files are about 130 Mb.

You are right. At the moment the incremental patch download links to the full patch as well, so I already mailed the The Patches Scroll webmaster about this. The 5.1 to 5.2 patch should only be about 50 MB.

[Tricky]

Ah. I get this four hours into my game after maybe a year of abstinence. I forget, can I keep using old savegames with these patches? I'm like.. halfway through Santa Monica.

Edit: Also, with the readme texts gone from the package (at least, prior to installation), you might want to signify the difference between basic and plus at some point during installation.

[MichalHeimans]

THX for posting.

[Wesp5]

Originally Posted by Tricky

Ah. I get this four hours into my game after maybe a year of abstinence. I forget, can I keep using old savegames with these patches? I'm like.. halfway through Santa Monica.

It's always a little bit risky but so early in the game I would try it.

Edit: Also, with the readme texts gone from the package (at least, prior to installation), you might want to signify the difference between basic and plus at some point during installation.

What do you mean gone? The readme should be displayed right at the start.

[Tricky]

I think I missed that because that's where you usually skip past that user's agreement nonsense. I think that's bound to happen to anyone. At any rate, the installer window is nearly empty at the step (for the lack of the better word) where you select which version you want to install. Why not mention something there? I don't think it will occur to many to backtrack the installation steps.

[Wesp5]

Originally Posted by Tricky

At any rate, the installer window is nearly empty at the step (for the lack of the better word) where you select which version you want to install. Why not mention something there? I don't think it will occur to many to backtrack the installation steps.

I don't know if I can add specific text to that window, but I will look into it...

[Tricky]

On another note, I just tried to do Fat Larry's briefcase quest. After buying something to make him notice I meant business, I accepted his quest. But when I talked to him again I noticed that he reverted back to the "Seeing the kind of commando getup you've been stocking up on", etc. I figured, what the hell, and I just went into the garage and retrieved it. When I got back with the briefcase, Larry was still stuck at the start of the commando getup dialogue. I couldn't finish the quest.

Was that just a glitch? I played as a female Malkavian, I got the space cadet lines and I used the persuasion option to talk him into giving me a discount.

[Wesp5]

Originally Posted by Tricky

When I got back with the briefcase, Larry was still stuck at the start of the commando getup dialogue. I couldn't finish the quest.

Oops, that's a bug I introduced by merging the plus and the basic files. I already fixed it for 5.3 but for your current game type "G.Larry_Buy = 0" in the console to finish the quest.

[MichalHeimans]

I have the patch from 5.1 To 5.2 installed. But if I now make a new game is there that I still use version 5.1, you can explain to me what I do wrong?

[Wesp5]

Originally Posted by MichalHeimans

I have the patch from 5.1 To 5.2 installed. But if I now make a new game is there that I still use version 5.1, you can explain to me what I do wrong?

Nothing. I just forgot to update the internal version label to 5.2 .

[MichalHeimans]

Originally Posted by Wesp5

Nothing. I just forgot to update the internal version label to 5.2 .

Ok Thx can you fix that in version 5.3 Pleas?

[Tricky]

Hm, I think I'm going to wait for 5.3 then. No use continuing my game if I can run into another merger bug.

On a side note, I didn't notice I could sell the gum before because of another bug. The dialogue option to sell the gum doesn't appear if you already have it in your inventory when you first speak to the guy. It only works when you first talk to him, end with the 'maybe I'll find some gum too' line, pick up the gum, then talk to him again. It doesn't take into account people may already have checked out the pier before they talk to the thin bloods.

[Wesp5]

Originally Posted by Tricky

Hm, I think I'm going to wait for 5.3 then. No use continuing my game if I can run into another merger bug.

It's your choice, but someone has to find all these small errors as I can't replay the whole game with each new patch version .

The dialogue option to sell the gum doesn't appear if you already have it in your inventory when you first speak to the guy.

I just tested this and it works fine on my system. Did you start a new game with 5.2 or did you continue with the wrong 5.1 gum?