Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 News

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Hello Kindred,

It’s been about a year since we last talked about combat in Dev Diary 7, so the team have put this article together to give you a deeper dive into the things you can do as you go bump in the night.

[h2]Brawling[/h2]
When blades come out in BL2, unless you've taken extra care to isolate your prey, you're going to be outnumbered. While several discipline abilities can help you escape or swiftly resolve a fight, you'll need to do a bit of brawling when those options aren't available. Spacing is key - your basic attacks can make short work of individuals but are risky when you're getting sliced apart from all sides.

The basic attacks get used a lot, so during their development, I was keen to make time to give each clan their own set. Banu is sharp and fast, Ventrue firm and precise, Tremere has a bit more reach to let you maintain distance, and Brujah, well, punches stuff. It’s a small thing, but I found it really helped people get into the attitude and poise of their current clan.

Dashing is an ability Phyre can use regardless of clan and is critical for maintaining distance. It can even be used aggressively - dashing forwards into a strike right as it hits will break your opponent's guard and leave them open for a counterattack, though this is best suited for one-on-one situations.
[hr][/hr]
Kicks are another useful tool and are great for handling groups - done by attacking straight after a dash, you can pick which type you use with your movement direction. A big swinging roundhouse can stumble a large group but won't create much space - whereas a backkick can send a single enemy soaring away. Both you and your opponents will be able to resist attacks used repeatedly, so you'll want to mix things up a bit to stay on top.
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While kicks are great for getting opponents away from you, telekinesis is perfect for bringing them close. You can use it to yank a chosen target in for a follow-up or a feed, though consider that Kindred and their ghouls may be expecting this.

Telekinesis can also earn a quick kill when used to pull an unsuspecting enemy near the edge of a rooftop, causing them to fall to their death on the street below.
[hr][/hr]
Breakable objects, like bottles and ashtrays, can be grabbed using telekinesis and then thrown to create a noise, distracting enemies. If you really want to create a bang, pick up and throw an explosive, such as a gas tank – a good way to hurt several enemies at once.

Telekinesis can also be used to pick up weapons from the dead, from knives to sniper rifles. A goal of Phyre’s combat design was to be fast and fluid, so we incorporated the use of Telekinesis with weapon use to maintain speed and flow – you can kill one opponent, dump their gun’s magazine into a second, and toss it at a third to open them up for your next attack.
[hr][/hr]
This can be even more useful when used in tandem with discipline abilities. For example, Tremere's explosive blood curse can be triggered from a distance with a well-placed shot, and Brujah's taunt (when used with mass manipulation) can encourage a whole team of opponents to drop their weapons, allowing you to turn them on their owners.
[hr][/hr]
And, of course, the bigger they come, the harder they fall- When fighting enemies equipped with explosives, telekinesis can lead to an even more devastating turnabout.
- Senior Game Designer Max Bottomley

[h2]Elixirs[/h2]
Our setting of Seattle features a large population of Thin-bloods: weaker vampires who use alchemy to create powerful “elixirs” that give access to the vampiric powers they otherwise could not. As you explore, you can find and collect these elixirs to give you an edge in combat or help level the playing field in a difficult boss encounter.

The four elixirs Phyre can use are:

• Mending Elixir – Instantly restores health, allowing you to avoid final death.
  
• Blood Elixir – Instantly restores blood pips for your abilities, great for continuing ability combo chains.
  
• Potence Elixir – Temporarily boosts your strength, increasing the damage caused by your attacks.
  
• Fortitude Elixir – Temporarily turns your skin to marble, reducing the damage you take from attacks.
  

[h2]Ability Combos[/h2]
Having recently started a playthrough to test out my favourite Clan Tremere, I’ve enjoyed the sense of space control a well-planned fight can give you. Starting out by placing Recall up high so that I can teleport away if it gets out of hand.

Later in the game, mixing Disciplines from different Clans can make fighting more powerful Kindred much easier. There are a lot of useful combinations that Ventrue’s Mass Manipulation can provide to manage many combatants at once. The effect of Banu Haqim’s Mute on a group can make sure the battle will go unnoticed by nearby enemies. And it’s not just your own powers but the environment that you’ll have to observe, helping you find tools that are left lying around.

Not all enemies will go down that easily, and I’m really excited for you all to learn how much trouble you’ll be in when you face off against your first Kindred foe. Their powers can quickly make well-planned fights go wrong if you’re knocked over and surrounded.

Using Cauldron of Blood to draw everyone to the screaming victim and then picking one of them to explode with Blood Curse can blast a lot of the crowd away before I even get close to the fighting. And when it does go wrong, as it always will eventually, a quick Blood Curse on the ghoul chasing you can serve as a very handy projectile if you kick them into the people behind them!
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Nobody’s invulnerable to an exploding gas bottle telekinetically thrown at their head, and they’re easier to aim at when you’ve locked them in place with Mass Manipulation. If everything else fails then you can just use Possession on a ghoul and make them jump somewhere nobody will notice them…
- Josh Mathews, TCR Community Manager

[h2]Difficulty Settings[/h2]
While difficulty settings are a standard feature for action RPGs, we thought we’d mention that they are included because we recognise our audience's varied preferences for challenges and strive to accommodate them with carefully designed difficulty settings.

For players primarily interested in narrative and exploration, Easy mode ensures a smooth experience by making combat encounters more manageable.

Normal mode represents the intended balance of the game, challenging players to adapt and use a mix of stealth, combat, abilities, and elixirs to succeed.

For those seeking a more formidable challenge, Hard mode delivers an Elder Vampire experience, demanding mastery of all your skills and strategies.

- Project Design Director Jey Hicks

Happy New Year, and welcome to a fresh and tasty Dev Diary from the team at The Chinese Room. We are starting the year by talking about the player character, Phyre, and how you can shape their legend and add to it as you play. As you’ll see below your story will start wearing rags, but will it end in riches? Seattle’s fate is in your hands.
- Project Creative Director Alex Skidmore

Description: Masculine and feminine side-by-side renders in the robes you start the game wearing.

[h3]An Elder of your choosing[/h3]
As our game starts, an Elder that some call the Nomad wakes up in an abandoned building in Seattle. They don't know where they are or how they got there, but they are quick to adapt - the Nomad is old, and they have survived for a long time.

It is clear that they have experienced the deathlike sleep of torpor. The last they remember was a smile and a piercing pain in the chest, delivered in their Haven in Tunis at the start of the 20th century.

Now they are awake. What happened to them in their long slumber, and who woke them? Why does their Blood lack the strength and power they are used to? And why is their body carved with arcane sigils?

The Nomad is a legend amongst Kindred. Their name has been whispered for four hundred years - of their presence in revolutions, on battlefields, at slaughters, and at the fall of Princes. Are they escaping these situations, causing them, or taking joy in red wrath and ruin? Whatever the truth, they are a catalyst - when they appear, the world of the Kindred will be irrevocably changed.

Description: In-game screenshot of Safia recognising the Nomad.

The concept of the Nomad came when we were expanding early ideas of Phyre to make the most of an Elder's history in the world. There is a reason a vampire survives - and in the game our vampire is always on the front foot, leaving an indelible mark on Kindred society. That must have been true for the rest of Phyre's existence. So what might people in Seattle have heard?

In our story, different characters have different beliefs about the Nomad and their history. While these events may not have an immediate effect on the game world, they will affect how our protagonist is treated. We have deliberately left it up to the player to decide how Phyre treats these stories and their legend, and how much they tell other characters about their past - and indeed, which stories they tell.

How would a Prince behave if asked for a favor by the legendary and powerful Nomad, who is not yet caught up in local politics?
- Ian Thomas, Narrative Director

Description: In-game screenshot of Phyre’s mark glowing.

[h3]The themes behind the Nomad[/h3]
In Bloodlines 2, the matter of history takes a front seat. Our protagonist is centuries old, and while they may change things up to survive, adapt and keep pace with the march of time, they’ve nonetheless garnered something of a reputation. If a time-immune forensic detective were to inspect and compare the various crime scenes that are human history, they would no doubt find one set of fingerprints consistent. May you live in interesting times, etcetera etcetera. Playing an Elder was a bold choice; to move forward without leaning into the unique opportunities that provides for roleplay would be a missed opportunity.

In Narrative Design, we often find ourselves pulled between two ideals: providing agency and choice for players to make the story their own vs keeping the story feeling intentional, strong and tightly wound. The solution, then, is to establish what is immutable and, within that, carve out a more flexible play space. Ultimately, a good story is driven by characters being true to their psychology and either following that thread down towards tragedy, making the same mistakes over and over, or seizing upon the chance to challenge and change themselves.

That’s what makes a happy ending triumphant: a character’s ability to sacrifice what they have desired and strained towards for so long, to defy the never-ending hunger of old, painful wounds for a chance at long-lasting healing. It’s what makes a tragic ending tug at our hearts: we see clearly what the character needs, and we see them turn away from it one too many times, too consumed by their pain to do the hard thing, give up their coping mechanisms and save themselves. What I’m getting at is that history, for us, is not merely superficial or textural. Sure, the Nomad’s been around a while, and sure we want to give you folks the chance to say what they did with that time. But as far as storytelling tools go, that doesn’t give us much and, as Narrative Designers, we need tools that will allow us to chisel out those big, emotional moments. So more important than the ‘what’ is the ‘why’. The play space.

Description: In-game screenshot of Lou meeting the Nomad for the first time.

In this case, we know the Nomad has moved around. We know they are notorious. But the questions that fuel and texture those facts are still up for grabs: You say this Nomad has moved around, so what drove their movement? Were they fleeing something, chasing something, or merely making the most of a long eternity? Where did they go, what did they do there? And what can we surmise about the Nomad’s psyche as a result of these decisions? Are they paranoid, curious, ambitious? What kind of arc does that suggest which might allow us to play with the framing of what they will encounter, to give the impression of those personal trials?

You will have the option to tailor the Nomad’s legacy at various points peppered throughout the game. Importantly, we have chosen not to do this up-front in the style of Bloodlines 1, because this history is a choice as much as any other in the game, and a choice is most effective once you know the stakes. It should make you umm and ahh, maybe even agonise a little: What will happen to X if I choose Y? As such, it was important to us to have these choices occur once play has already begun, once you have started to feel your way around Seattle and its various dangers. These will come in waves — some ‘golden path’, others optional (for instance, if you choose to spend more time with and open up to certain characters) — each tackling a different aspect of your legacy which, tapestried together, suggest a more bespoke story.

The first thing we establish is the theme. Who does the Nomad say they are? A legendary warrior? A curious traveler? Or a desperate survivor, fleeing disaster to disaster to avoid their foes? Once this is chosen, we branch out into further options — each unique to that choice — which both refine roleplay and drill further into that initial theme with your motivation. These sub-choices layer in more texture, allowing your mind to play it all out like a movie and start filling in the details. Later, you’ll have other opportunities to further fill out this narrative, even (if you wish) touching on details that preceded or even caused your embrace. As a personal note, the research that went into fleshing out these options and bedding them into interesting (but no less real) history was a veritable warren of rabbit holes — too many, even. Many, many darlings suffered their final death in the making of this game (may they rest in peace). Even so, nerding out with this stuff was a complete joy.

Description: In-game screenshot of Phyre and Fabian discussing the Legend of the Nomad.

These choices, once made, are not lost to forgotten metadata. Many will have direct nods or follow-ups, sometimes much further down the line. For instance, here’s a line from Lou that directly references a choice made during an earlier conversation with Fabien, showing how talk of the Nomad’s deeds have spread:

LOU: You'll have to tell me some time how you escaped Madame Guillotine and her... cutting tongue.

Others feed more subtly into the narrative, affecting the framing of why you might choose something to make it fall in line with your chosen psychology and resulting arc…

PHYRE: Katsumi is being pushed into a corner and must fight merely to exist. I know the feeling well.

VS

PHYRE: Merely holding where you stand is not enough. You need to gain ground.

VS

PHYRE: Were I in her shoes, I would leave this place. The world has more to offer than a dingy bar in a city that hates you.

…or else affecting how others perceive your motives based on what they can surmise from your legacy, branching their reactions to your choices:

MYSTERY CHARACTER: The Black Hand locked you behind iron doors under Paris, and you only escaped the blade by crawling through sewage. You are no mere survivor. You are the plague rat, the harbinger of wretched misery.

Others still will crop up more concretely in the game world. But now I run the risk of getting ahead of myself, so I’ll wrap things up here. After all, it’s always better to leave a few things unsaid, a little to the imagination…
- Senior Narrative Designer and Writer Sarah Longthorne

Description: In-game screenshot of Safia discussing the Legend of the Nomad.

[h3]Process and style of the ending cinematics[/h3]
Description: Test storyboard for the art style by Senior Concept Artist, Jordan Grimmer

Because they begin and end your experience, our intro and ending sequences needed a unique and recognizable look. The True Detective opening titles were a big inspiration and so we blended atmospheric images of Seattle with unique and recognisable shapes from the game.

Our narrative team led by Ian Thomas ideated all the possible Bloodlines 2 endings. There are almost 40 images for all the different ending options in the game. To help, they made a map of all the endings so we could see how they connected, and the concept team used it to create a series of storyboards and select the right images for each ending shot. We had to pick where the endings overlapped in location, event or character to make the parts efficiently.

Some of our shots needed to be flexible enough so we could, for example, swap characters but keep the same environment if different endings were happening in the same place. The cutscenes you’ll see are built from combinations of a few images from those created.

Description: Concept Art of the transitional scenes by Senior Concept Artist, Jordan Grimmer

To visualize how to transition between two images and how a static image could be animated, we made some tests and used them as a proof of concept to scope the work that needed to be done for the ending cinematics.

Ben Matthews, Associate Art Director, directed our concept team to create transitions that were like blood undulating and curling through water. All the images are wreathed in soft lighting, so they melt together beautifully with these animations.

[h3]Art Direction[/h3]
As we’ve mentioned, the art direction set its roots in Neo-Noir and the intro and outros are also designed with this light and dark contrast in mind. To give Bloodlines 2 a unique look, we wanted to use red and black combined with blood animations overlaid to add secondary movement and drench the city in blood. Each individual image should be evocative, and this is why our shots aren’t too literal.

We wanted to leave something to the player’s imagination and together with the voiceover it results in an ending cinematic personal to each player, based on their choices in game.

[h3]Assets Creation[/h3]
Creating the ending shots towards the end of production gave us the chance to have access to a vast library of assets from the game. We took advantage of this assembling the ending scenes using the character models and props.

Once the shot was approved our concept artists had to separate each layer in a way that the animators could easily create a parallax effect to bring the shot to life. For example, in the images with a main character plus an environment, the scene happens inside the main character shape, like illustrated in the scheme below.

Description Cinematics making methods

To draw your attention to the focal points we leant on balancing lights and darks which was important to make the message of each image stand out. Then to give it more life we added secondary motion with snow, blinking lights, or smoke.

[h3]Final animation[/h3]
Motion graphic animation has been done by our studio partner Atomhawk Design Ltd. who worked closely with our Art Department. The concept team provided them with layered images and Atomhawk have animated and timed each shot in sync with voice-over.

[previewyoutube][LINK][/previewyoutube]
Description: In-game video from the intro scene.

To avoid any spoilers, we are not showing too much from the ending cinematics but safe to say you’ll see the faces and places you’ll come to know well. Now it’s up to you to complete Bloodlines 2 and unlock them!
- Michele Nucera, Lead Concept Artist

[h3]Customising the Nomad[/h3]
As we know that you are all hungry for more information regarding the customisation options that will be available in the game, we want to leave you with a confirmation of what will be available to you. You will be able to change Phyre’s gender, hair style, hair colour and outfit. We’ll share more in-depth information about this when we are ready, but to tide you over until then here is a sneak peek!

Description: In-game UI of hair selection.

Hello everybody, today we return with another audio-focused Dev Diary. We’ll be talking about sound design and implementation, with a specific view on the less obvious aspects that go into this. Our hearing is sometimes described as our ‘shadow sense’ – sound and listening by and large affect and work at the subconscious level. Our ears are never turned off; even when we are asleep, our ears and brains continue processing sounds. For sound design, this means that a lot of our work is designed to be subtle and go unnoticed.

So in this Dev Diary, us at The Chinese Room’s audio team want to explain the processes and thinking that go into designing sounds and audio systems that one might take for granted: environmental audio, UI sound design, player traversal, combat and the mix process. These all contribute to making the world of Bloodlines 2 feel alive and believable. There is a lot of craft and passion that goes into getting even the smallest of details just right, so I’m proud to let some of the audio team members have the opportunity to show and discuss their work in progress.
-Audio Director Daan Hendriks

[h2]Combat Audio Systems[/h2]
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
Here's a short video demo to show off some of the techniques and processes we used when designing the combat sounds and how we used some of the V:tM lore to inform our creative sound design work.
-Sound Designer Marcus Bagshawe

[h2]Environmental Audio Systems [/h2]
[h3]Audio of The City  [/h3]
Numerous systems have been developed for the game’s urban area, set in Seattle, that enable audio to create an adaptive yet cohesive soundscape. Many of these are designed to go unnoticed, yet there’s a lot to show underneath the bonnet, so let’s discuss some of these systems here.

[h3]Environment Sensor  [/h3]
Because the game is set in Seattle with its many streets, buildings, alleyways and rooftops, the soundscape needs to be appropriate in every location. To assist with this, we detect the size of the environment around the player at any given time. This is done by firing out traces from the player position and detecting the surrounding geometry, as seen in the below image (Green lines are the traces and the large green blocks are the geometry).

Description: One of our system set-ups in Unreal Engine.

We combine this information along with other variables to help us control what audio is heard in any given location. Gusts change from blustery rooftops to whistling alleyways. Street activity such as pedestrians and distant vehicles change to trash rattling through the backstreets. Reverb changes from close early reflections to a wider slap-back in bigger streets.  

All of this is complemented by positional emitters such as trees creaking, buzzing electrical units, city aircon and human activity bleeding from building windows. Using Unreal's Mass framework we are able to efficiently process thousands of potential sonic sources allowing us to create a rich ambience.  

Here’s a video I captured exploring a small section of the city, demonstrating some of what was discussed above. Please be aware that this is still a work in progress. 
 
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

[h3]Reaction System  [/h3]
We want the city to not only be dynamic, but also reactive. As you move around the urban environments, the objects around you react to the cold winds of the Seattle winter. Fences, trees and even small things like trash bags and bicycles will react to gusts and bring that extra touch of reality to the world.

This means the ambient audio should respond convincingly to stimuli either driven by the player or from the environment. We achieved this by building a system of drivers and reactions. Sorry, this will now get a bit technical, but such is the job! We perform an overlap check to find what static meshes are around the listener at any given time. Audio components are then moved to these locations and if they are tagged to react to a driver, their audio will play based on how loud the driver is.  

For this to work optimally, we limit the amount of audio component available and prioritise where these components will be based on proximity to the player. As an example, below you can see the sphere around the player that is checking for meshes. The green and blue spheres represent the meshes found - green have audio components and blue do not. 

Description: Here’s how the debug tools for this system look like in Unreal Engine.

[h3]Player Traversal  [/h3]
Traversing the city should be a satisfying experience whether on the streets or rooftops. A big part of this is ensuring that the environmental materials always sound appropriate in whatever way you choose to move around. 
 
This was achieved in multiple ways: 

• Material Switching - Whether it’s the player’s feet or hands, we detect what material it hits and change the sound accordingly.   
  
• Snow Build-Up – This is applied to objects in the world such as cars and bus shelters that have been covered in snow. We introduce appropriate snow sounds on top of the underlying material. 
  
• Runtime Virtual Texture (RVT) - Covering the entire map, this texture allows footstep sounds to adjust depending on the level of snow, ice, and slush in the roads and alleyways. Our audio programmer intelligently compressed the resolution of this texture for optimal performance.  
  
• Decals – Sometimes you’ll find puddles of blood and other ground cover like leaves and trash. We do an addition check for these and layer sounds on top of the base material, so you get, for instance, a nice blend of a concrete floor and ‘walking on leaves’ footstep sounds. 
  
• Water and Wetness – Detected in a similar way to decals, except the play will remain wet for a set amount of time after leaving water for some nice soggy shoe sounds. 
  
• Slopes – To support variation in elevation we cache the player’s height and check whether they are moving up or down. This then adjusts the pitch and footstep sound type. 
  

There is even more to the player traversal audio than mentioned above, such as the different sounds for Phyre’s outfits, or the audio design for vampiric traversal abilities - but we’ll leave that for another time.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

[h3]City Sense  [/h3]
Being hundreds of years old, Phyre has seen cities change as people live and die, and knows that rooftops are a great place to avoid breaking the masquerade (and sometimes take in a vista). Having acute vampiric senses, we wanted the player to be able to tune into the city’s past and present, in a hyperreal way.  To do so we detect whether the player has been sat still over a certain time and above a certain height. We then subtly attenuate the diegetic audio and gently introduce more designed ethereal sounds. 

Description: In-game image of the city that will provide a rich auditory experience

Our Seattle is comprised of many other elements that complete its full soundscape, but hopefully this will give you something to listen out for that you otherwise might not have. Thanks for your interest!
-Sound Designer Mike Lane, Senior Audio Programmer Joe White and Lead Sound Designer Tessa Verplancke.

[h3]Audio dev processes, player foley and/or UI Design [/h3]
In Bloodlines 2, the UI audio serves as an extension of each player character, reflecting not only their distinct personalities, but the essence of their eras and supernatural depths. For our protagonist Phyre, the UI sounds evoke her origins, weaving in period-specific instruments and relics. This is a representation of their specific mind and thoughts, it also keeps that more fantastical energy of the vampire in mind.
-Lead Sound Designer Tessa Verplancke

[h3]Pre-mixing and Mixing Audio in VtMB2 [/h3]
In the final stages of game development, one of the most challenging aspects for the audio team is bringing the mix together. The diversity of narrative and gameplay contexts means we need to go through the game meticulously, room by room, encounter by encounter, ensuring each moment elevates the player experience. The precision is key - we have to zoom in and work with exacting detail.

At times, this means bending the rules to amplify the moment. The game’s acoustic model might suggest, for instance, that you shouldn’t be able to hear an NPC through two doors and a window - but if it feels right to hear them, we’ll definitely make that exception for the sake of immersion.

One of our core pillars for the audio experience is contrast, and it plays a vital role in mixing. For gameplay, this means highlighting the difference in feel between the raw intensity of combat and the fluidity of vampiric traversal. Audio helps ground you when it counts, or lets you feel light, stealthy, and almost ethereal when you’re on the move. For instance, we cut low-end frequencies from player foley sounds during agile movements, adding a low, ominous ‘whoosh’ as you close in on a target - reinforcing the sensation of a predator honing in for the kill.

Combat mixing is especially tricky; we aim for impact without overwhelming players with repetitive, sharp sounds. To balance this, we use priority mixing within combat audio. High-priority sounds like player punches or hits lower the presence of background sounds like footsteps or foley, while firearms are mixed at an even higher tier for clarity - essential information for survival.

We always mix with surround and LFE content in mind as we never want players to be disappointed when they plug our game into their swanky 7.1 home cinema setup. We even use deliberate surround mixing to accentuate some of the core narrative components in our title. For example, we position Phyre's first-person speaking voice very differently to where Fabien's voice plays from in your head, which certainly adds to the immersion. So yeah, there’s a lot that goes into all of it, we hope you enjoy all the layers!
- Lead Sound Designer Dom Parker

[h2]Ambient & Narrative Audio Design[/h2]
For me, Ambient and Narrative Audio Design is a way to breathe a haunting, layered life into the world - a craft I’ve especially relished in Bloodlines 2. Through audio, we can lend depth to the environments that other departments have painstakingly crafted, imbuing each location with that sense of story, history, and character that oozes through the game.

Our approach allows us to amplify the narrative tone through soundscapes that subtly guide the player’s emotions. When we want the player to feel truly alone, we pull back elements from the soundscape, creating an eerie sense of emptiness that heightens their isolation. Or does the player need to feel more tense and on edge, we can then add in more obscure elements that contrast with what would normally be an ordinary ambience.

Through narrative audio design, we can also shape how players perceive their own presence within the environment. Do they feel like unseen observers, or do they sense they could be spotted at any moment? Do we want them to feel more secure in the area they are in and that they are able to blend in?

One way I’ve been looking at creating this are ways in which we push and pull the players focus of the ambient sounds, pulling sounds closer and playing back audio that sounds close up, draws attention to the player immediate position and actions, whereas playing more distant sounds bring focus onto the wider area, could allow the player to feel like they can blend in more.

I’m truly looking forward to seeing how players respond to our audio design, and how these crafted sounds shape their experience in the world of Bloodlines.
-Senior Sound Designer Lewis Bean

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
Description: An illustration of the complexity of filling an environment with sonic detail.

[h2]Holiday Break[/h2]
And with that, the Dev Diaries will take a holiday break and return on the 15th of January next year. We look forward to the new year, and can’t wait to show you everything we have planned for 2025. This includes showing off how you can customise Phyre, more information about the weapons system, the planned DLCs and most importantly: the release! From us at Paradox and TCR we wish you all a pleasant holiday season, full of food and fangs!

Kindred, welcome to another Dev Diary where we hear from the team at The Chinese Room (TCR) and learn about the development of Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2. Tonight, we’re joined by Audio Director Daan Hendriks, who lifts the veil on TCR’s approach to music for this game and introduces the composers behind the key scores for the game.

We are excited to announce that the exceptionally talented Craig Stuart Garfinkle and the internationally renowned Eímear Noone are joining the team for Bloodlines 2 as lead composers. In addition, fans can look forward to the inclusion of music created by the legendary Rik Schaffer, known for his contributions to the first Bloodlines game!

[h2]Music Direction[/h2]
The core of any TCR game always revolves around narrative: the story and its characters. Across all disciplines, our focus is to serve the narrative as well as we can. Music is of course a very powerful tool for this, as it can provide subtext and unspoken meaning in a way that no other artform can.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

A key aspect of the music direction has therefore always been to develop strong, memorable themes for the main characters in Bloodlines 2. These themes are interwoven throughout the game, sometimes directly in a scene involving their character and other times indirectly, perhaps when we want to subtly hint about deeper, unrevealed narrative entanglements.

Another important aspect of the musical direction has been to develop a style that fits our game. There are numerous considerations that informed this: the diverse cast of characters you meet, the noir-inspired art style, the motivations of the player character, Phyre, the pace and violence of the combat encounters and of course, the rich musical heritage from the original Bloodlines game, released in 2004.

We looked for the score to invoke a sense of timelessness, a sensation of age and melancholy. We also wanted the music to express a strong sense of contrast, of opposing extremes, and to be a vital part of the game’s narrative, adding depth to the moody, nocturnal atmosphere.

The original Bloodlines had a captivating and immersive feel, as well as a strong musical identity, which of course, served us well as a point of reference and inspiration. So did the music written for Hardsuit Labs’s version of Bloodlines 2 – more on that later. References also came from many other places, such as OST’s from films like Only Lovers Left Alive, Under the Skin, or the Coen brothers’ oeuvre, as well as jazz and choral music such as Gregorian chanting.

Through their extreme versatility and sheer tour-the-force of musical capability, our lead composers Craig Stuart Garfinkle and Eímear Noone have molded all these influences into a stunning and expressive soundtrack that perfectly encapsulates the mood and themes of the story being told in Bloodlines 2. The styles range from distorted guitar feedback, haunting, ambient soundscapes, driving, heaving combat music to strikingly beautiful melodic, wistful and gloomy themes. They have made extensive use of creative processing and unconventional techniques, and the results are outstanding. I can’t wait for you to hear it all in-game, but for now, over to them to tell you more about their process.
-Daan Hendriks, Audio Director (TCR)

[h2]Craig & Eímear[/h2]
Working on the music for Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 has been an incredibly rewarding journey, full of opportunities to experiment with sounds, styles, and instruments. Bloodlines 2 combines the modern urban environment of Seattle with characters that are centuries old, layered with the mystery, horror, and allure that makes the vampire lore so captivating. Crafting a score for this unique world has allowed us to explore everything from film noir to Eastern European influences.

One of the most exciting aspects of working with video game music is the freedom to experiment with rich, dramatic compositions that might not fit in other forms of media. Unlike other music forms, which are often limited by time or structure, video game scores allow for expansive, thematic soundscapes that evolve as the player moves through the story. For Bloodlines 2, this freedom has been crucial. We are both supporting an engaging narrative and adding an extra depth to each character, many of whom often are many decades old, mysterious, seductive, and dangerous

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In creating the soundscape for Bloodlines 2, we wanted to balance the old with the new. The game takes place in a contemporary setting, yet the characters, vampires with decades of history, carry the weight of their respective eras. To embody this, for us, it meant combining the harmonic and instrumental qualities of film noir with the gritty, raw, and often darkly seductive tones that vampires embody.

The main approach for the music in Bloodlines 2 has been the organic nature we went with for the score. We ended up relying a lot on manipulated guitars and cello throughout. While listening, remember that even things that might sound like a synth or electronic instruments are often not; it’s a guitar or cello. Rather than using electronics, we used natural instruments in unusual ways so they were not identifiable.

These manipulated instruments provide an unsettling quality that fits the game’s atmosphere, close to reality but always slightly distorted, like looking through a fractured lens.

We turned to film noir for its atmospheric harmonic language and also for its instrumentation. Guitar, strings, and dark piano melodies frequently evoke a classic, brooding feel suitable for characters such as these with long and twisted pasts. But vampires aren’t just elegant or tragic; they are also raw, primal, and predatory. To capture this, we infused guttural, primitive sounds into the score. Deep percussion, drones, and dark-sounding elements mimic the underlying danger that lurks beneath the surface, reminding the player that these beings are elegant yet eternally tied to something visceral and untamed.

We had the opportunity to incorporate a unique element for one particular quest. In this sequence, an old Victrola plays a traditional aria, serving as both a plot device and a hauntingly beautiful soundtrack. Writing an aria for this was really exciting as it’s something you don’t normally get to do in video game music. We worked with one of Ireland’s top sopranos, Celine Byrne, to create this piece, blending operatic tradition with the game’s dark, modern tone. This aria stands out as a significant musical moment within the score but also serves as a narrative clue, weaving music directly into the storytelling.

Each character in Bloodlines 2 has their own personality and backstory, which influences the music we created for them. For characters with roots in the Balkan/Anatole area, like Phyre, we drew from Middle Eastern scales and harmonies, introducing sounds and modes that might be unfamiliar to Western listeners but evoke an ancient and dark allure. We even had our cellist Adrian Mantu imitate the way traditional instrumentalists would perform on the Balkan fiddle. That's the source of the harmonics and Ponticello accents.

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Another example is what we did for a certain enemy type Phyre encounters in the game. To give them a distinct sonic identity, we recorded the sounds of shovels being banged at different pitches, creating unique percussive instruments. This method allowed us to craft a truly raw, organic feel that resonates with our soundscape through the score. The result is a haunting, metallic rhythm that’s both unsettling and compelling. These recordings became one of the musical identities of the entire score because they were so unique and effective.

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One of the recurring themes in Bloodlines 2 is the seductive danger vampires present. To express this in the score, we relied on slow, sensual rhythms and minor tonalities that evoke a sense of allure and mystery. Vampires in Bloodlines 2 are not just terrifying monsters; they possess a fluidity and sexuality that make them both attractive and dangerous.

The use of the human voice has been an essential component in creating this seductive quality. We used vocals to add a deep and atmospheric texture. The voice becomes a living instrument. Resonating with the subtle intimacy that is intrinsic to the vampire’s allure. Close, personal, and yet ultimately dangerous. The human voice as an element also adds to the organic nature of the score.

Bloodlines has a dedicated fanbase, and with that comes an expectation of continuity, a desire for the familiar alongside the new. As composers, this was both an opportunity and a challenge. We wanted to respect the original while expanding on its themes and introducing fresh elements that would suit the story of Bloodlines 2.

The original Bloodlines score had a distinct sound that many fans hold dear, so in Bloodlines 2, we leaned into some of those established atmospheric qualities, like the dark, moody overtones and the sense of lurking danger. However, we avoided directly replicating any of the old themes. Instead, we focused on the underlying tone that made Bloodlines unique, incorporating noir-inspired elements while introducing a more organic approach.

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Building the world of Bloodlines 2 required a different approach from the fantasy games we’ve previously worked on, which were set in worlds so different from the real world. Fantasy worlds often call for sweeping orchestras and epic, thematic compositions. But Bloodlines 2 demanded a more intimate and introspective score, reflecting a world that is urban, gritty, and inhabited by beings who lurk in the shadows of the modern world.

This smaller, more focused soundscape draws the player into the dark underworld of the game’s setting. We focused on subtle, atmospheric cues that complement the game's environmental storytelling. The choice to use organic sounds allowed us to build a sense of a place that feels real and present. Even within this stripped-down approach, the characters’ ancient history and their modern urban surroundings of Seattle create a nuanced soundscape that pulls the player deeper into Bloodlines 2’s world.

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Creating the music for Bloodlines 2 has been a journey of blending the old with the new, the organic with the manipulated, and the seductive with the terrifying. This project has allowed us to explore unconventional sounds and shape a soundscape that complements the game’s dark, complex world.

We hope that, as players move through the game, they feel the depth and intricacies that we’ve tried to instill in the music. Each note, each beat, and each sound is crafted to bring them closer to the characters, the setting, and the mystery that lies at the heart of Bloodlines 2. Whether it’s the metallic clang of a shovel, the eerie call of a manipulated cello, or the haunting strains of a Victrola aria, every piece of music is designed to resonate with the world and the stories of Bloodlines 2.
-Eímear Noone & Craig Stuart Garfinkle

[h2]Music Systems & Implementation[/h2]
Multiple music system functions have been implemented for Bloodlines 2, enabling us to present the compositions in an immersive and adaptive way. From narrative quest progression to non-linear exploration, combat encounters of varying intensities, cutscenes, conversations, UI and diegetic score, it all needs to be dynamic and transition smoothly between each other. The challenge has been presenting all of this in an immersive way so that the player doesn’t notice the complexities of the systems that drive it.

A lot of the heavy lifting is done in our game engine, Unreal Engine, providing our audio implementation middleware Wwise the appropriate variables to utilise its music hierarchy effectively. We can go into two examples here: combat and dietetic:

[h2]Combat[/h2]
Combat encounters are divided into four primary states:

1. Exploration (Enemies are above a minimum proximity variable)
   
2. Stealth (Enemies are within the minimum proximity)
   
3. Investigate (Enemies have received a stimulus and are looking for the player)
   
4. Combat (They have found you!)
   

Each of the above states has additional variables driving them. We track the number of enemies unaware, aware and in active combat, the proximity from the player and the threat level that the player is under. Threat level is comprised of various factors such as enemies' attack power, maximum health, blood reserve and player health. All of these feed into the system allowing us to raise and lower stems and transition between cues according to the action in game.

Player abilities also come into play with this system, transitioning and ducking depending on the ability performed.

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[h2]Diegetic Systems[/h2]
There are several locations in the game where music plays diegetically, including the Glacier hotel lobby, the Makom Bar and the Atrium nightclub. Each of these pose a different spatialisation challenge with differing rooms, corridors, doors and windows. The system has been implemented to ensure that the music fades in naturally as you approach, diffracts around corners, and is occluded by any barriers as it would be in real life.

Description: Visual examples of the diegetic system.

In order to achieve this we get the location that we want the music to emit from and use it to drive the panning position and volume. Said location is handled via splines that project the position a variable distance ahead or behind the player, which then controls panning, distance and stereo spread. High frequencies fall off as distance increases as you would expect, with additional occlusion at specified spline points as well as functions for doors opening and closing.
The screenshots above show an example corridor spline where the music position will follow ahead of the player, as well as the pink debug spheres where the music position will end up when entering the main room.
-Mike Lane, Sound Designer (TCR)

[h2]...and One More Thing[/h2]
As many of you may already know, the development journey of Bloodlines 2 has been through significant changes, initially in the hands of Hardsuit Labs (HSL) before transitioning to The Chinese Room (TCR). This shift presented a unique opportunity, as it left us with an extraordinary collection of music crafted by Rik Schaffer, the original composer behind Bloodlines 1. Rik had been contracted by Paradox & HSL to compose for Bloodlines 2, and the result was a rich library of musical pieces that had yet to find their place in the new direction of the project.

Throughout the development process, it became clear that this music was not just a source of inspiration; it had the potential to enhance the game’s atmosphere in a profound way. As Craig and Eímear began to shape the soundscape for TCR's rendition of Bloodlines 2, we actively sought opportunities to weave Rik Schaffer’s compositions into the fabric of the game.

Now, we are thrilled to share that these stunning pieces have been integrated into various segments of the gameplay. Players will experience them during intense combat encounters, poignant narrative moments, and as they explore key locations within the game world. We believe that this addition not only enriches the gaming experience but also beautifully complements the exceptional original score that Eímear and Craig have meticulously crafted. The culmination of these musical elements elevates the overall quality of Bloodlines 2, providing an even deeper and more immersive experience for players.

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