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About this mod
An ongoing restoration of the lost multiplayer component for Vampire Bloodlines.
- Permissions and credits
After watching Tim Cain reminisce about the lost multiplayer mode for Bloodlines, I felt determined to restore it.
So far, the focus has been the restoration of basic functionality, such as PvP damage, multiplayer respawns, custom GUI, etc. I have also improved stability for the server host (including a fix for the physics CTD). This initial release also includes a fully functional deathmatch ruleset and accompanying custom map. Give it a try! Detailed install/setup instructions below.
If you wish to see a full list of restorations, known problems, and planned features, please visit the dedicated Planet Vampire thread.
Installation
Extract the archive to the game root. Ensure that your extraction tool does not include the "top" zipped folder. There's an option to disable this behaviour using 7-Zip, the tool I recommend for mod packaging/extracting. I have included a picture of the box you need to uncheck in the "Image" tab above.
Then, add -game VTMBMP to the executable launch arguments.
If you have the Steam version, you can do this via the launch options box in the Steam game settings.
If you have the GOG/retail version, you can do this by right-clicking on the application, clicking "Properties", and appending the command to the "Target" box, like so: C:\Vampire The Masquerade - Bloodlines\Vampire.exe -game VTMBMP
How to play / setup
You can choose your name/clan/gender with the following commands:
name <name>
vclan <clan>
vgender_int <0/1>
For the clan parameter, enter one of the following:
mp-brujah
mp-malkavian
mp-ventrue
mp-nosferatu
mp-tremere
mp-gangrel
mp-toreador
As for the "int" value, "0" equals female, "1" equals male.
You will automatically load into the "Tower" deathmatch map when you start the game, this is a custom multiplayer map I adapted from "la_ventruetower_2.bsp".
When you spawn, you will be unable to move until you press the Space key. This notifies the server that you are ready to begin playing, and you will have a selection of firearms handed to you. You can cycle between these with F2, just like in vanilla (the full inventory menu is disabled at the moment, so you will need to use F2). You're ready to go!
The setup diverges here between the host and clients.
Please read both of these setups to understand the system, it will make potential troubleshooting easier on all ends!
For hosts:
Everyone begins hosting automatically when they load into the map. If you are hosting, you don't need to do anything until the people you want have joined.
After they're in, you begin the match by pressing Ctrl. Easy peasy.
For clients:
Before joining the server, you will need the public IPv4 of the server host. The host can find their IP by checking their router settings, or by visiting this website.
It is strongly recommended for anyone interested in VTMBMP to use a fast and lightweight VPN (such as AirVPN), especially if you're going to be playing with total strangers. Understand the risks of sharing your address if you want to play!
Once you've loaded into the map, you will need to open the console with the ` key (usually found at the top left or top right of your keyboard) and enter the following command, with the host public IPv4 in place of the xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx:
connect xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx
If all went well, the console will confirm your connection, and the screen will go dark. After a brief load, you'll be in the server!
Limitations
Trying to restore multiplayer functionality to this game is very challenging. Bloodlines engine is fundamentally broken, and adding networking on top of that is a tricky combo. Therefore, there are some unfortunate technical limitations for players at present.
I've done my best to smooth these edges to make the experience more palatable, but clearly a lot still remains to be done. In the meantime, here are a few general tips to stop the game from breaking:
- Client jitteriness has been moderately reduced, however it is still pretty rough. To avoid it getting worse, play on ethernet and minimize other network traffic.
- Do not press SPACE before joining a server, SPACE can only run the setup commands once. If you accidentally press it before joining the server, you won't be able to move or play once you load in. You'll have to restart your game and connect again.
- Do not rebind your keyboard controls, some of these keys are hardcoded, and other keys are empty for a reason (mouse settings, such as sensitivity, are fine to change though). The bindings for VTMBMP won't affect the vanilla game, don't worry.
- Do not try to save/load or access other maps.
- Avoid the "reconnect" console command. If you want to join back, restart your game entirely and connect again manually.
- Avoid Alt-Tabbing completely, this can trigger a certain crash, see the Planet Vampire thread for details.
- Disable all game overlays, especially Steam and NVIDIA.
Crashes are to be expected, report them to me with as much detail as possible about gameplay circumstances, map position, etc. Include the crash log too! You can find it in the game root folder.
If there are any other issues that aren't addressed by the troubleshooting below, feel free to leave a comment.
Troubleshooting
Here are some common problems and solutions:
"The console retries the IP four times, then times out."
This indicates that either:
a) the IP you entered is incorrect / incorrectly entered, or
b) the IP you entered is not publically accessible
To rule out a) first, ask the host to double check their IP.
If it is 100% correct, and you're entering it into the console correctly, ensure that everyone has their firewall and antivirus disabled for the Vampire executable. If everyone has their firewall and antivirus in order, then the host may need to open up their 27005 and 27015 ports manually.
Here's a tutorial that explains how to do this. Please keep in mind that we all have a different ISP and your router GUI will likely look very different.
"My game is crashing as soon as the map loads."
This is a known issue that should be fixed, however this crash seems to trigger no matter what on certain machines.
If you're hosting, the fix is simple - navigate to VTMBMP/cfg/multiplayer.cfg, find the line that says "sv_gravity", and change the value from "800" to "500000" (no, I'm not kidding, this will fix it). Then, once you have safely loaded in and ready up with the Space key, type "sv_gravity 800" into the console. Clients need 800 otherwise THEY crash! You couldn't make this up.
I'll update this section as we discover more problems and solutions.
Credits
Thank you so much to the following people:
Wesp5, and every other maintainer/contributor for the wonderful Unofficial Patch. Without the UP, this project would be impossible.
Exulx, and all other modders who attempted to restore the multiplayer back in 2006. Their work was eventually incorporated into the UP, and it now serves as the base for VTMBMP.
Planet Vampire forum members, for your feedback and encouragement.
Tim Cain, for outlining what the Bloodlines multiplayer looked like before it was scrapped. His word is what I'm basing the next gamemode, "Counter-Bite", on.
My friends, for exhaustively testing and supporting the mod from conception to release.
So far, the focus has been the restoration of basic functionality, such as PvP damage, multiplayer respawns, custom GUI, etc. I have also improved stability for the server host (including a fix for the physics CTD). This initial release also includes a fully functional deathmatch ruleset and accompanying custom map. Give it a try! Detailed install/setup instructions below.
If you wish to see a full list of restorations, known problems, and planned features, please visit the dedicated Planet Vampire thread.
Installation
Extract the archive to the game root. Ensure that your extraction tool does not include the "top" zipped folder. There's an option to disable this behaviour using 7-Zip, the tool I recommend for mod packaging/extracting. I have included a picture of the box you need to uncheck in the "Image" tab above.
Then, add -game VTMBMP to the executable launch arguments.
If you have the Steam version, you can do this via the launch options box in the Steam game settings.
If you have the GOG/retail version, you can do this by right-clicking on the application, clicking "Properties", and appending the command to the "Target" box, like so: C:\Vampire The Masquerade - Bloodlines\Vampire.exe -game VTMBMP
How to play / setup
You can choose your name/clan/gender with the following commands:
name <name>
vclan <clan>
vgender_int <0/1>
For the clan parameter, enter one of the following:
mp-brujah
mp-malkavian
mp-ventrue
mp-nosferatu
mp-tremere
mp-gangrel
mp-toreador
As for the "int" value, "0" equals female, "1" equals male.
You will automatically load into the "Tower" deathmatch map when you start the game, this is a custom multiplayer map I adapted from "la_ventruetower_2.bsp".
When you spawn, you will be unable to move until you press the Space key. This notifies the server that you are ready to begin playing, and you will have a selection of firearms handed to you. You can cycle between these with F2, just like in vanilla (the full inventory menu is disabled at the moment, so you will need to use F2). You're ready to go!
The setup diverges here between the host and clients.
Please read both of these setups to understand the system, it will make potential troubleshooting easier on all ends!
For hosts:
Everyone begins hosting automatically when they load into the map. If you are hosting, you don't need to do anything until the people you want have joined.
After they're in, you begin the match by pressing Ctrl. Easy peasy.
For clients:
Before joining the server, you will need the public IPv4 of the server host. The host can find their IP by checking their router settings, or by visiting this website.
It is strongly recommended for anyone interested in VTMBMP to use a fast and lightweight VPN (such as AirVPN), especially if you're going to be playing with total strangers. Understand the risks of sharing your address if you want to play!
Once you've loaded into the map, you will need to open the console with the ` key (usually found at the top left or top right of your keyboard) and enter the following command, with the host public IPv4 in place of the xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx:
connect xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx
If all went well, the console will confirm your connection, and the screen will go dark. After a brief load, you'll be in the server!
Limitations
Trying to restore multiplayer functionality to this game is very challenging. Bloodlines engine is fundamentally broken, and adding networking on top of that is a tricky combo. Therefore, there are some unfortunate technical limitations for players at present.
I've done my best to smooth these edges to make the experience more palatable, but clearly a lot still remains to be done. In the meantime, here are a few general tips to stop the game from breaking:
- Client jitteriness has been moderately reduced, however it is still pretty rough. To avoid it getting worse, play on ethernet and minimize other network traffic.
- Do not press SPACE before joining a server, SPACE can only run the setup commands once. If you accidentally press it before joining the server, you won't be able to move or play once you load in. You'll have to restart your game and connect again.
- Do not rebind your keyboard controls, some of these keys are hardcoded, and other keys are empty for a reason (mouse settings, such as sensitivity, are fine to change though). The bindings for VTMBMP won't affect the vanilla game, don't worry.
- Do not try to save/load or access other maps.
- Avoid the "reconnect" console command. If you want to join back, restart your game entirely and connect again manually.
- Avoid Alt-Tabbing completely, this can trigger a certain crash, see the Planet Vampire thread for details.
- Disable all game overlays, especially Steam and NVIDIA.
Crashes are to be expected, report them to me with as much detail as possible about gameplay circumstances, map position, etc. Include the crash log too! You can find it in the game root folder.
If there are any other issues that aren't addressed by the troubleshooting below, feel free to leave a comment.
Troubleshooting
Here are some common problems and solutions:
"The console retries the IP four times, then times out."
This indicates that either:
a) the IP you entered is incorrect / incorrectly entered, or
b) the IP you entered is not publically accessible
To rule out a) first, ask the host to double check their IP.
If it is 100% correct, and you're entering it into the console correctly, ensure that everyone has their firewall and antivirus disabled for the Vampire executable. If everyone has their firewall and antivirus in order, then the host may need to open up their 27005 and 27015 ports manually.
Here's a tutorial that explains how to do this. Please keep in mind that we all have a different ISP and your router GUI will likely look very different.
"My game is crashing as soon as the map loads."
This is a known issue that should be fixed, however this crash seems to trigger no matter what on certain machines.
If you're hosting, the fix is simple - navigate to VTMBMP/cfg/multiplayer.cfg, find the line that says "sv_gravity", and change the value from "800" to "500000" (no, I'm not kidding, this will fix it). Then, once you have safely loaded in and ready up with the Space key, type "sv_gravity 800" into the console. Clients need 800 otherwise THEY crash! You couldn't make this up.
I'll update this section as we discover more problems and solutions.
Credits
Thank you so much to the following people:
Wesp5, and every other maintainer/contributor for the wonderful Unofficial Patch. Without the UP, this project would be impossible.
Exulx, and all other modders who attempted to restore the multiplayer back in 2006. Their work was eventually incorporated into the UP, and it now serves as the base for VTMBMP.
Planet Vampire forum members, for your feedback and encouragement.
Tim Cain, for outlining what the Bloodlines multiplayer looked like before it was scrapped. His word is what I'm basing the next gamemode, "Counter-Bite", on.
My friends, for exhaustively testing and supporting the mod from conception to release.