Well, having utilised God Mode to escape the warehouse after the big blow up, I can honestly say I would NEVER have escaped without it.
What fights were required - to get out !!!!

Anyway, I've turned my cheat off again now and am happily doing new quests in Downtown L.A.

This is a super game and I'm loving it

Mad

So glad God mode was around to help you move on

Yikes !!!! I just found myself in some kind of a hospital building in Downtown L.A.

Made it to the lower levels OK but then ....

[Promptly reloaded a previous save ]

Little creepy, eh!!

Hi Draclvr

I am fed up today because due to my relatively poor RPG skills, Bloodlines has all of a sudden become way too difficult for me

I was managing really well and totally enjoying myself until the warehouse part, but not long after came that horrible entity in the bowels of the hospital and now, today, yet another situation I can't cope with !!
The Bishop and "Enlightenment" in the abandoned building

I will never be able to do any of this type of quest without cheating and I hate cheating, unless it's only for an odd fight now and then.
So I am thinking I will give up now and try something else.
Drakensang, maybe, or Dragon Age or Divine Divinity 2 ??

Or, I could go back and re-play games I KNOW I can manage - like Morrowind or the original Divine Divinity or even Baldur's Gate

Cheers.

Mad

The Bishop is more of a long slog that a hard battle, but only if you have the right weapons. The shotgun was my weapon of choice for him. So, don't go in unless you are well-armed and ammo'd up and have plenty of blood supply. You may have to wait to do the Bishop battle until you get enough money to buy what you need. Make sure you sell all the little "trinkets" you pick up to keep your money belt full.

I waited to do the Bishop for a long time, that is where looking at a walkthrough is good. You can look what quests are available, then do what you have to do to trigger them. Doing these small easy quests help build up your points and your cash. I had a horrible time in the parking lot and had to use God mode in that, also in the mansion when it was on fire. My old computer just wasn't fast enough to keep up with all that was going on.

This is the place where I got the most help Vampire Bloodlines

That is the best resource, for sure. Like Hawka says, do as many of those side quests as possible to build up your points and cash. I suspect you took on the Bishop before you were ready. Don't give up yet!

Hi

Thanks for the tips, both of you, but sadly, I have decided to give up, for now at least

I just don't have fast enough reflexes for some RPGs and then resorting to God Mode is the only way I can progress - but that means, for me, the fun is gone

So I'll experiment with the other games I mentioned and see if I can manage one of those

[I'd probably never attempt ANY if I didn't know I could come here and get friendly help without being laughed off the board ]

Cheers.

Mad

The only thing that matters is that you're having fun! Now, don't ask me how many times I've tried to defeat the theater critic in Psychonauts!!!

One for ME to definitely avoid then

The first time in Bloodlines I spent all but the very beginning in God mode and it didn't bother me in the least.

My reflexes are pretty good but since my shoulder dislocation my mouse movement isn't.

Hi hawkavonpuka

I'm glad you can cope like that

I just know I wouldn't enjoy myself being permanently in God Mode

Not that there's any guarantee I'll be any better with the next RPG I try !!

Cheers.

Mad

What I always liked about Bloodlines, was how there were multiple ways of doing things.

You were also rewarded differently based on how you accomplished the various goals in the game.

It almost always paid to be more stealthy, rather than going in guns blazing (although that could be fun at times, not to mention necessary).

Unfortunately, the fight with the Bishop is one of those situations, where you just have to slug it out (which isn't necessarily a bad thing for everyone).

I think you should give it a go again sometime. With a bit of planning ahead I think you could handle some of the tougher fights better, or at least give yourself the best chance possible.

Completing all the side quests and also making sure you are receiving the maximum points for completing each quest would be a good start.

Then placing those experience points in the right places and with the right timing would bring it all together.

TP, I think you've pretty much summed up the basics of this game!

Thank you, Templeton Peck, and I will bear in mind what you say

Bloodlines is one of my favorite games of all time but there are some very difficult battles in it. Personally I hate "boss" battles with a passion, and wish more games would give you an option to skip them entirely by giving you some type of dialog option.

If you get your persuasion or dominate skills up high enough, you should be able to talk your way out of just about anything.

And that's really my only complaint about the game.

However I'm playing as a Ventrue this time around, and the Bishop was surprisingly easy. The only time I've played the game, (and it's been at least 5 times!) when I wasn't banging on the keyboard in frustration trying to beat that guy. And I attribute this to the defensive skills you get. ie; Fortitude/Presence. Put a lot of points in these skills and you're pretty tough. Plus the Dominate skill has some hilarious results in dialog, as well as some good offensive skills surprisingly enough. Using Brain Wipe and Trance helped me a lot defeating the Bishop.

Although now I have to go to the Warrens, and seeing as I'm a "Blue Blood" and can't feed on rats, think I may be in a bit of trouble. Have to stock up on blood bags!

I say keep at it. You sometimes have to be quite creative with your disciplines in this game to overcome some of the harder foes. Using God mode does kind of defeat the purpose of playing.

I'm also playing VTM Redemption now, (both at the same time), and finding that a more difficult game than Bloodlines.

Hi olgeezer

I played Masquerade Redemption some time ago and hardly had to resort to God Mode until near the end, so I fared much better

I am not a great RPG-er - I fight like a wimp and can't cope with complicated keyboard controls - but I SO like the genre that I will have a go when one takes my fancy

Cheers.

Mad

Hey Mad. I find myself quicksaving in Redemption every 5 min haha. I dunno, could be the awkward game controls and the fights being so hectic. I just got to New York, and that boss just before you skip into the present day, took me like a dozen trys to defeat.

All in all though, I'm totally into the game, and putting Bloodlines aside until I finish it. It's a bit to combat orientated, but the story, though seemingly very generic, has me hooked.

Just Enjoy Yourself, olgeezer