by Banshee

Disclaimer

I think it's only fair to let you know that I've been pestering the guys who are bringing you Vampire for a long while now - long enough that I feel a little maternal towards them. I worry a bit over their nutrition because of their Pop Tart addiction, and I've chatted with them online while they were running laundry.

I've only gotten to meet one of the people involved with the product in person, and that was brief, but the team stays in touch with those of us who are very interested in this game via message boards at their web site. Indeed, I have the pleasure and honor of serving as a fan moderator on these boards, and it's been a lot of fun getting to meet so many others who are as enthusiastic about VTMR as I am, either through their posts or in the #redemption channel on Efnet via IRC.

Now, you may have some concern that I'm biased; that I lack objectivity when it comes to this game. Well, I mentioned that maternal feeling, didn't I? And would your mother lie to you? Would she let you go out of the house with a tag hanging out of the back of your shirt? I thought not. In the same way, I like this team too much not to be honest with them, and with you. I know they care about putting the very best game out that they can, and I know that the beta testers aren't going to let them get away with less.

Now, if I could just get a hold of their moms to let them know their sons aren't eating a balanced breakfast . . . J

Friday, May 5, 2000, 4:21 p.m.

At long last, I open my mailbox to find the beta CD for Vampire: The Masquerade – Redemption. Unfortunately, my joy is short-lived, because of the agony of social obligation – I only have five minutes to gaze at the disc longingly before I have to get dressed and dash off for the rehearsal dinner for my friends Jim and Theresa, who get married the next day. Okay, yes, it's a once in a lifetime event for them, but so is getting the VTMR CD! And it's the first beta program I've ever participated in. Still, I just don't think they'd understand.

Friday, May 5, 2000, 11:45 p.m.

We're back home from the rehearsal dinner, and so I give the install a shot. Unfortunately, it fails to complete. I kept clicking "Finish," but for some reason it just wouldn't respond after copying all the files. Rather than believe this to be the first bug of many that we beta testers will probably have to stomp throughout testing, I decide that this is a message from God telling me that if I got it working, I'd miss the wedding the next day. Since bridesmaid duty starts at 6:30 tomorrow morning, it's wiser (if not as much fun) for me to shut down and get some sleep.

Sunday, May 07, 2000, 11:43 p.m.

Saturday was non-stop wedding, and with a bad sinus infection, I was far too tired to fool with the beta. General sneezing and coughing continues through Sunday, but I start to feel a little better late in the evening, and decide to give the beta another shot. I clear a little room off my second drive, defrag it, and cross my fingers.

Monday, May 8, 2000, 12:06 a.m.

Well, the install program worked this time – when I clicked Finish, it rebooted. I have a little black icon that says Vampire as a Shortcut on my Desktop. The bad news is that when I clicked on that, I got a small black screen and an hourglass in the upper left corner of my desktop . . . and it did nothing else. But wait, I say! I forgot that I have the VTMR patch. I'll go install that, and see what happens.

Monday, May 8, 2000, 12:47 a.m.

I feel a warm sense of joy as the Activision and Nihilistic logos appear on my screen . . . then yet another wave of frustration as I hear the music, but see no video, just flickering white edges around my screen. After a quick check on the beta discussion boards, it seems this may be a problem with my video and sound drivers. I'll have to check to see if I have the newest ones, but for now I'm satisfied that I've gotten this far.

Monday, May 8, 2000, 3:00 a.m.

After reading post after post on the beta boards, I am finally going to bed, and will try more tomorrow. It seems that people who are having glitches so far have a Voodoo II card (workaround already provided), a cable modem, or a firewall. Guess who has all three? With this in mind, I am currently wondering if I will actually get to see the beta, in light of this, but I'm still optimistic and excited. All of it will have to wait until after a good night's sleep.

Monday, May 8, 2000, 2:27 p.m.

Well, I just decided to give it another shot, and the workaround for the Voodoo II worked without a hitch! I don't think I can quite express the happy tingle of excitement at seeing the menu screen load . . . at watching the credits for the designers roll, and smiling in recognition at the names listed. After chatting with these folks for almost a year on their message boards, I can attest that they're really responsive, friendly guys. I'll admit it – you may get a somewhat biased review of this game out of me, but I've just never anticipated any computer game the way I've waited for this one. I'll do my best to be objective, I promise, but that will have to wait until after I get over the thrill of hearing the music roll out of my speakers. Off to try actually connecting this time.

Monday, May 08, 2000, 4:46 p.m.

I was pleasantly astonished by the game working right off the bat, after being warned about cable modems and firewalls. I still can't quite believe it, but it seems to be working.

I jumped into character creation, and selected a body model, Kazi. A big thank you to the designers for providing a sensibly dressed female character among the options. She's in jeans, a slightly cropped t-shirt, and boots. I have no idea what I'm doing, I haven't really even looked at the directions yet. Usually, I read the directions before I do anything else, but I've been busy just getting the game installed and running. In spite of not having a clue what I'm doing, I allocate points to customize my test character, Shimina Wynn, of clan Brujah. I then make it into chat, and find a few people I recognize. After a minute or two of chatting with Nexus and Sandman, two Nihilistic board members, I created my first game – I went solo the first time out, just so I could get the feel of the controls.

Talk about atmosphere! I found myself in the lobby of the Barclay Hotel in New York City, starting an adventure that involves providing security for the Prince of the city. The game is beautiful, if a little dark – players may want to increase the brightness level on their monitors. The camera is extremely smooth. This time, I just wandered around the city, looking at the buildings, walking where I could as an instrumental version of the "NYC Hub Rap" played.