Option to feed?

[Lord451]

Is there any way to actively try to hunt? I just got the "omfg you just lost control because you didn't feed" after going like, 4 days with no options popping up and being unable to figure out how to hunt.

[GrandMajora]

There are certain points in the game where a "feeding opportunity" should appear.

Using your powers also causes you to get hungrier. So if you don't want to keep losing control, then try to find alternative methods to solving a problem, than just whipping out the vampirism for everything.

[DragonByDegrees]

As in "I'm hungry or forsee high blood use coming up in the future so I should go out of my way to seek out a mortal and top up" as an option similar to the "Select Mission" stuff on the world map? Nope. Just gotta hope the opportunity arises. Can't even ask NPCs for more blood bags as far as I know, at least as a Brujah.

For a game about choices and about creatures that hunt during the night, it really doesn't give you much of an active choice to seek out something to hunt during the night. You have to wait for the game to give you an option ;(

[Selvokaz]

on the start of every recruitment quest that i've done ive seen the option to feed at least once, if not the first mission then definitely during the 2nd.

[DragonByDegrees]

Originally posted by Lettus:

on the start of every recruitment quest that i've done ive seen the option to feed at least once, if not the first mission then definitely during the 2nd.

Yeah, options come up a lot so you're not likely to be starved, but you're also utterly at the mercy of the writers in that if they don't toss you a feeding op, you can't seek one out under your own power.

[thelogicalghost]

This gets really frustrating, especially as a Ventrue because that first bag and the first few feeding attempts don't actually work (since Ventrue are picky eaters).

[Vosoros]

Yeah, Sophie does teach you on your first hunt about all this. Hunting is about mindfulness and opportunity. Keep your eyes open for opportunity and be mindful of the screens visual cues.

Even a Ventrue need never go hungry. I should know, I just finished playing as one...

[Esteem]

After the first few attempts to feed fail, till the park scene, the rest all succeed.
I think our Ventrue likes caffeinated blood, which just so happens to be everyone after that point. You can't go out an hunt, but doing the side/coterie missions usually gives you a high chance of a feeding opportunity.

[Vosoros]

I felt the Ventrue taste for blood could have been the weak willed or some such. Something more harkening back to her origins.

[Psyringe]

The Ventrue character wants blood from blue-eyed people (there are multiple hints for this in the memories about your sire and in some of the feeding scenes). If that's not available, caffeinated blood will do as well.

Regarding feeding options in the game: You can pretty much ignore the entire mechanic. If you never feed at all, you'll eventually automatically kill an innocent person and your character will feel bad about that. But apart from that, there are no negative consequences. Some dialog options may be locked depending on your hunger status, but this usually does not affect any important decisions (and all decisions ultimately lead to the same ending anyway).

In short, the mechanic is pretty much superfluous in terms of gameplay (though of course still interesting in terms of roleplaying).

[gatherer818]

Huh. Came here to ask the same thing because I've only had one opportunity since the park and it was obviously another vampire's servant, possibly their ghoul given that they manhandled me effortlessly later.

[gatherer818]

Yeah, this is... bad. I fed and still got the "you murdered someone right outside your haven" event the same night. I think I'm giving up hoping for a decent VtM game.

[DragonByDegrees]

Originally posted by gatherer818:

Yeah, this is... bad. I fed and still got the "you murdered someone right outside your haven" event the same night. I think I'm giving up hoping for a decent VtM game.

No matter what you do, the SI will find out about you.

No matter who you recruit, you will get the same ending.

No matter WHAT you choose, at any point past the point where you can die early on, you will get the same ending.

This is a bad game. I can go into more detail on railroading and lack of logical choices and such if you want, but I don't think I have to in this case.

Vampire the Masquerade: Night Road is *much* better in terms of choices, consequences, feeding options, pretty much everything with the exception of art and music, because VtM: NR is a text game. It does have a few pictures thrown in, but that's about it.

The only disclaimers I feel I should add are that VtM:NR just came out and is a little buggy towards the last half (Coteries has been out for a long time now and still has bugs we were reporting during launch day, so... hey), and it also has the same ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ "one save, no rewinds" save system, though there's a guide up on how to create multiple saves now.

Here's the demo: https://www.choiceofgames.com/vampire-the-masquerade/night-road/ ,and it's on Steam right now.

Also worth mentioning is Red Embrace: Hollywood, a game inspired by VtM but set in an original setting. It's a visual novel that offers far more choice and consequence and player agency than Coteries, has full art and sound, and even lets you play their equivalent of a Malkavian.

There's a sequel to Coteries, Shadows of New York, but I refuse to give another penny to this studio, so I can't personally vouch for it. What I do know is that it has two endings, a single clan choice with no gender choice, costs less than Coteries, and that things like a text skip function weren't even added to Coteries until shortly before the release of Shadows, likely because they didn't want a wall of complaints to be what greeted potential buyers of Shadows if the buyers decided to look at the forums for the first game to try to get a feel for quality.

[Valion]

Originally posted by Psyringe:

The Ventrue character wants blood from blue-eyed people (there are multiple hints for this in the memories about your sire and in some of the feeding scenes). If that's not available, caffeinated blood will do as well.

Regarding feeding options in the game: You can pretty much ignore the entire mechanic. If you never feed at all, you'll eventually automatically kill an innocent person and your character will feel bad about that. But apart from that, there are no negative consequences. Some dialog options may be locked depending on your hunger status, but this usually does not affect any important decisions (and all decisions ultimately lead to the same ending anyway).

In short, the mechanic is pretty much superfluous in terms of gameplay (though of course still interesting in terms of roleplaying).

that's a lie i got my first game over because i went hungry and killed someone next thing i know i got a big Game over screen