Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines was a first person, 3D Action RPG that took place in White Wolf's popular World of Darkness. An innovative game for its time, it featured action mechanics, full voice over, a compelling story, and a dark and gritty version of modern-day Los Angeles. In many ways, it was a precursor to the fully-immersive RPG experiences we enjoy today.
I was one of a small group of individuals at Troika Games who were on the project from the very beginning, and was involved in everything from narrative development to visual design.
GAME STORY
In the early days of the project, we dug deep into the Vampire source material, learning everything we could about kindred society, vampire clans, and the historical figures and events which shaped the World of Darkness. Drawing upon this knowledge, I crafted the overarching game story for Bloodlines, a dark tale of mystery and intrigue which took the player through a shadowy version of modern-day Los Angeles. Featuring iconic locations, warring factions, and an ancient sarcophagus of unknown origin, it served as the guide for the core narrative experience of the entire game.
CONTENT DESIGN
Bloodlines was a true story-driven RPG, and I was involved in creating a lot of the game's narrative content. First and foremost, I wrote dialog for a number of the game's iconic characters, and was involved in designing unique language for player responses related to their chosen clan. I also worked extensively on the game's tutorial experience, which served to introduce players to the World of Darkness, as well as teaching them the base mechanics of the game. And lastly, I wrote and implemented content for supporting narrative systems - like newspapers and computer terminals - which could be used by players to solve game situations in alternate ways.
CHARACTER ART
At this point in my career, I was still a practicing 3D artist, and I was responsible for creating many of the player characters and NPCs in the game. Players could choose from one of seven vampire clans at the beginning of the game, and each of them had different visual styles based on their individual characteristics. The game featured full voiceover and facial animation for all our characters, as well as multiple levels of armor, so the models required a level of detail and fidelity that, for the time, was pushing the technological envelope. The result was an interesting collection of player characters and NPCs that reflected the game's edgy, urban vibe.
