Need some help on downloading/installing Clan Quest Mod onto Bloodlines

Ok, so for weeks I've been trying to get Clan Quest Mod to work on Vampire the Masquerade Bloodlines, but its never worked.

I'll try to explain it as best as I can.

First, I'll clarify how I start VTMB on my Laptop.
I play VTMB on the Steam. To make it work properly, I have to exit Steam first (because it automatically boots when I turn my laptop on), and then go to the Start menu, go over "Steam", right click and click on "Run as Administrator". Then VTMB ill work without any messages popping up.

Next, I'll clarify on the mod itself.

When I began downloading it off of PatchesScrolls, I specifically have the 3.0 version.
Near the end of when it downloads into the "Downloads" section of my Laptop, usually when the download box says "5 seconds left", it takes about 30 minutes to an hour for it to fully finish. Then when I install to VTmb and pick the mods I want. Here's a list for reference:
Camarilla Edition
Wesps 7.9 Patch
Companion Mod
Posters Revised
Several Character clothing reskins (Anti-Perv Lily, Mad Malk, etc)
Weapon Reskins (Black Mamba Magnum, etc.)

And when it nears the end of the installation into VTMB, when its nearly finished, it takes 30 minutes to an Hour to fully finish the installation. Why it takes so long for the last bit for both download and installation I do not know, but what I do know is that I exit Steam before installation and when I reboot it the way I explained above, Its just the vanilla VTMB.

What exactly am I doing wrong? Im explaining how my problem is as full as I can make it. Please help. ;_;

Downloading has nothing to do with your game.

Have you tried a download manager?

also I believe I've read one of the devs state somewhere the companion mod needs to be a clean VTMB installation and it isn't compatible with any other mods.

Although I don't use Steam myself(since I have the retail, CD version), I've heard that it has an "Auto-Update" feature, which seems to keep the game in a certain state(i.e the way it was downloaded I'd imagine).

There is this, which is mentioned in Wesp's patches:

UP-Readme wrote:

On issues in Windows 7/Vista install as administrator without UAC to
default C:\Program Files (x86)\Activision\Vampire - Bloodlines, then
disable visual themes/desktop composition and run without DEP as XP.
On problems with Steam run Steam and game as administrator, then the
unpatched game once, go to offline mode, disable steam community and
auto update, exit Steam and install to \steamapps\common\vampire ...

Bloodywolf wrote:

Downloading has nothing to do with your game.

Have you tried a download manager?

also I believe I've read one of the devs state somewhere the companion mod needs to be a clean VTMB installation and it isn't compatible with any other mods.

About the Comp Mod, On the website itself, it stated that CQM integrated a few mods together and made them compatible. If I remember correctly, CQM's version only allows for Yukie and Heather to be companions.

Maxus Corvin wrote:

Although I don't use Steam myself(since I have the retail, CD version), I've heard that it has an "Auto-Update" feature, which seems to keep the game in a certain state(i.e the way it was downloaded I'd imagine).

I've disabled Auto-Update and Steam Community. They cant get in and screw things up.

I didn't think you could mix and match I thought you could only have one mod per install. Have you tried just installing one mod and see if they work individually?

eye of the divine wrote:

I didn't think you could mix and match I thought you could only have one mod per install. Have you tried just installing one mod and see if they work individually?

In the Clan Quest Mod, Burgermeister integrated a few other mods and made them compatible with each other and CQM, and in the installer, you get to choose which ones you want to include, if there were any.

http://planet-vampire.net/modules/Burgermeister/index.php


Follow clearly the instructions.. closer.

Download it from somewhere else

and don't forget 3.0.1 sur-patch : http://www.moddb.com/mods/vtmb-clan-quest-mod/downloads

*Le sigh*
Followed each and every instruction point straight to the letter and read the fine print too.
Still doesnt work.
I've tried contacting Burgermeister and he hasnt responded yet.

I hope you were very descriptive and clear about the problem you're encountering, cuz "It doesnt work !!11" won't help BG01 help you out dude XD

Btw, email him rather than pm. His email is on the .txt readme files

Claudia wrote:

I hope you were very descriptive and clear about the problem you're encountering, cuz "It doesnt work !!11" won't help BG01 help you out dude XD

I followed each and every point.

1: Deleted Bloodlines and previous mods.
2: Reinstalled Bloodlines
3: (Steam users only) Started and exited Bloodlines
4: Start Installing CQM, with mods picked from list
5: ???
6: DIDNT PROFIT

Okay, open up your windows explorer browser and open up your steam files, and inside them, the Bloodlines subfolders. Make a screen. Post

This might be a potentially perilous venture onto a branch, but are you installing it into the VAMPIRE folder? If the installation is pointed to the 'Vampire - Bloodlines' folder, then it isn't going to work(or you won't see any changes in game).

Bloodlines hates Steam.

Go to Tessera's site here: http://www.tessmage.com/forum/index.php/topic,59103.msg92521.html#msg92521

He explains the reasons for the problems and how to fix them.
While you're there, you may want to try his patch - it's probably the 'simplest' of them out there. No gameplay changes (or very minor), only bugfixes, so you're playing as close to 'vanilla' as you can get, but it works

mouser9169 wrote:

Bloodlines hates Steam.

Go to Tessera's site here: http://www.tessmage.com/forum/index.php/topic,59103.msg92521.html#msg92521

He explains the reasons for the problems and how to fix them.
While you're there, you may want to try his patch - it's probably the 'simplest' of them out there. No gameplay changes (or very minor), only bugfixes, so you're playing as close to 'vanilla' as you can get, but it works

Yes, a simple answer that requires registration on that forum. Nice way to get the explanation out.

As for the patch, while I certainly won't say it shouldn't be tried, I just don't have any need to touch it myself. Mostly since I doubt Tessera has restored even half of what Wesp has - probably because he thinks that doing so is "modding" the game. Even so, what does a patch do to a game, even one from a game's developers? It modifies it. Like TSLRCM, which, even as it is labeled as a "Restoration Mod", it is still a mod, even if it's main aim is to restore what couldn't or simply didn't get into the release version of the game.

I've visited his site recently. It seems you can download his so called "true" patch without having to register. But if it's supposed to be so simple and close to vanilla, why is the download file nearly double the size of Wesps patch, including all the extras like the new python version, Dheus manual, and most of the tools developed for bloodlines modding?

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Maxus Corvin wrote:

Yes, a simple answer that requires registration on that forum. Nice way to get the explanation out.

Oops, my bad on that: here's the quote:

Quote :

VTMB is not compatible with Steam. You need to move the entire game installation out of your Steam folders and into its own unique folder on your hard drive. Then create a new desktop shortcut to the vampire.exe file and launch the game directly from there.

The problem with Steam is that they try to "repair" any game which is detected as being "corrupted." And that's where we run into trouble, once you have installed any third-party patches and/or mods. The Steam service does not recognize those patches and mods, and so it tries to remove them. The inevitable result is file corruption galore and a broken game. Another problem with Steam is that it tries to monitor various games that it launches, which in the case of VTMB can also introduce incompatibility issues, lag, and other such annoyances. VTMB was built upon the very earliest version of the Source engine and that version of the engine is not "Steam-aware," for lack of a better term. I have brought this issue to the attention of the Steam folks in the past... and so has Werner Spahl ("Wesp5"). To date, Steam has effectively ignored our complaints.

In your situation, I would recommend manually deleting your entire VTMB installation and then re-installing it from scratch. After it has been re-installed, move the entire game folder to a new location on your hard drive (example: "C:\VTMB"). AT THIS POINT, I STRONGLY RECOMMEND MAKING A BACKUP COPY OF THE ENTIRE GAME -- BEFORE YOU INSTALL ANY PATCHES OR MODS. JUST BURN THE ENTIRE GAME TO A DVD, SO YOU HAVE A BACKUP COPY OF THE PRISTINE "PLAIN-VANILLA" GAME. Then install the most up-to-date version of the True Patch Gold Edition (TPG with Hotfix #7), followed by any TPG-compatible mods that you wish to install. Lastly, create a new desktop shortcut to the vampire.exe file and then launch the game directly from there. Do not use a batch file.

Now that everything has been installed, backed up, patched and modded, let's talk about your game's screen resolution. If you intend to play the game in anamorphic widescreen resolution (as most people do these days), then you will need to use the VTMB ResPatcher utility (which is included within the TPG package). Be sure to select the correct aspect ratio for your monitor (16:9 or 16:10) when you run that utility. After that, you will need to add a couple of switches to the command line in your VTMB desktop shortcut, in order to force the game to run at the same resolution as your Windows desktop. There are various posts on this board which explain how to do that. If you are still confused, then just ask and I will help you set it up. It is not difficult to do.

IMPORTANT NOTE: once you have patched and/or modded VTMB, you absolutely MUST destroy all of your old game saves and then create a brand-new character. Then, you will need to start playing the game from the very beginning. Failure to do this will result in clashes between your old game save data and the newly patched maps. This will lead to all sorts of anomalies during game play, including crashes. So the rule is simple: if you patch the game and/or install any mods which contain altered map files, then you absolutely must create a new character afterwards. There are no exceptions to this rule -- none at all. Trust me on this.

Steam users are the only people who need to jump through all of these hoops, in order to get their copies of VTMB to run properly with a third-party patch. This is not the fault of the third-party patches, it is the fault of Steam. Their service is simply not compatible with this game, nor have they made any serious attempts to fix those compatibility issues.

Please try all of the above advice and then see if things have improved for ya. If not, then just post a follow-up reply. But I need you to give me as much specific information as you can manage, in order to correctly diagnose whatever problem(s) you are having.

As for why Tess' patch is larger... it could be restored textures. Tessera doesn't bake down the textures he makes - and I do have to give him credit, the ones in his 'megamod' (no registration required) are phenomenal - you can count the hairs in Jack's beard. Unfortunately you've also got to be willing to put up with lots of nekkid people walking around, and on posters [NOTE: That's just the megamod. No nekkid people in the patch].

Or it could be that Tess just doesn't compress the files as efficiently as Wesp does.

To me it's like Pepsi and Coke. Some like one, some like the other. Personally, I like them both. Sometimes I like the simplicity of Tess' patch, and other times I like the added content of CE (built on Wesp's). I seem to get flak from both sides, since apparently that's not allowed

Most steam users I know never had any trouble with CQM, they just need to be careful to turn off the auto updates of steam and run the game through the folders and not through the "launch the game" from Steam.

mouser9169 wrote:

As for why Tess' patch is larger... it could be restored textures. Tessera doesn't bake down the textures he makes - and I do have to give him credit, the ones in his 'megamod' (no registration required) are phenomenal - you can count the hairs in Jack's beard. Unfortunately you've also got to be willing to put up with lots of nekkid people walking around, and on posters [NOTE: That's just the megamod. No nekkid people in the patch].

Or it could be that Tess just doesn't compress the files as efficiently as Wesp does.

To me it's like Pepsi and Coke. Some like one, some like the other. Personally, I like them both. Sometimes I like the simplicity of Tess' patch, and other times I like the added content of CE (built on Wesp's). I seem to get flak from both sides, since apparently that's not allowed

So he calls it a patch, and then includes high-res textures in it? If they are just like the original skins but at a higher res, perhaps. And were do you get this mod of his without the registration? I just find myself curious, since the download section just offers that bloody patch. If the link is in the forums, well, then I wouldn't be surprised.

As interested as I might be about some of his work, I don't plan on so much as placing my face near his posterior, much less anything else. It is a pity that someone can do work like that, but then wants the entire community that still has a love for this game, to kiss his ass to so much as use it.

Also, I am not trying to bring up those "problems" again. I don't have a problem with the True Patch, nor do I really have one with Tessera. I'd like to know why, but I doubt he'd act civil when asked that question, though I would prefer it.

try this: http://www.tessmage.com/mega_mod_downloads/Tessera_VTMB_Mega-Mod_With_Updates_2012.rar

Edit 2: if that doesn't work, let me know, I'll put it up in my dropbox for a few days so anyone here can grab it.

Edit: I have pulled the materials folder out and used it with CE 1.6 without any bugs I've noticed so far. You will want to use the -heapsize 384000 command line thing on your shortcut, or the game will crash when it tries to allocate memory for all the textures.

Ok, got all of that info. When I get home, I'm definitely trying it. Hopefully it works. Only one minor problem though.

I can't necessarily open it through the files (Clicking the icon on the desktop or clicking on the Vampire.exe in the VTMB folders), normally, I would have to right click on the Steam Icon, click "Run as Administrator", then open it in Steam.
Now can someone explain to me how exactly to open it through clicking the shortcut to the .exe file?

Also, I'm terribly sorry that I'm having a bunch of issues on this.

mouser9169 wrote:

try this: http://www.tessmage.com/mega_mod_downloads/Tessera_VTMB_Mega-Mod_With_Updates_2012.rar

Edit 2: if that doesn't work, let me know, I'll put it up in my dropbox for a few days so anyone here can grab it.

Edit: I have pulled the materials folder out and used it with CE 1.6 without any bugs I've noticed so far. You will want to use the -heapsize 384000 command line thing on your shortcut, or the game will crash when it tries to allocate memory for all the textures.

Seems it is working, but it's going to take a while.

SaulottheGentle wrote:

I can't necessarily open it through the files (Clicking the icon on the desktop or clicking on the Vampire.exe in the VTMB folders), normally, I would have to right click on the Steam Icon, click "Run as Administrator", then open it in Steam.
Now can someone explain to me how exactly to open it through clicking the shortcut to the .exe file?

Did you edit the shortcut so it points to the folder where the Vampire.exe is? If not, just right-click on the shortcut, and click "Properities". In the "Target" box, you'll want to change whats there to the location of the Vampire.exe, keeping the quotes. Do the same with the "Start In" box, and then click ok.

If this doesn't work, I'm not sure why.

[quote="Maxus Corvin"]

mouser9169 wrote:

try this: http://www.tessmage.com/mega_mod_downloads/Tessera_VTMB_Mega-

Did you edit the shortcut so it points to the folder where the Vampire.exe is? If not, just right-click on the shortcut, and click "Properities". In the "Target" box, you'll want to change whats there to the location of the Vampire.exe, keeping the quotes. Do the same with the "Start In" box, and then click ok.

If this doesn't work, I'm not sure why.

Even easier, just right-click drag vampire.exe on to your desktop and say 'create shortcut'. I would modify it with the -console option - goes after the quotes - so you can <noclip> when you get stuck in opening and closing doors.

Mouser, if you got the impression that I have problems with you or anybody else using Tessaras patch, I must apologise. Everybody is completly free to use any patch or mod they like. The only problem I do have is Tessaras attitude and download policy. And I will comment on that whenever he is mentioned on this forum.
After reading two or three of his pamphlets, he has become to me what the red rag is to the bull. I just can't help it. Must be the Brujah part of my personality

And for using the materials folder of his mod only shouldn't cause any problems with most other versions. There might be issues with TFN, if different discipline particles use the same filenames. And of course you might havve to reinstall things like raptor red's warform, which is part of the plus patch, CE, and TFN.
Also in CE the female Brujah might cause problems, because it uses one of the female Malk models. If there are issues, go to the \vampire\models\character\pc\(fe)male\ subfolders, and delete the clan folders for any clan you encounter model/skin conflicts.

If you have tried the mega mod skins with CE, and want to get rid of it again, that's no big deal either. Delete the materials and models subfolders in you game. Install CE into an empty directory, and move the materials and models folders from there int the \vampire subfolder of your game. Then you're back to plain CE models and skins. After that you have to reinstall any additional skinpcks you want to use.

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Childe of Malkav wrote:

Mouser, if you got the impression that I have problems with you or anybody else using Tessaras patch, I must apologise. Everybody is completly free to use any patch or mod they like. The only problem I do have is Tessaras attitude and download policy. And I will comment on that whenever he is mentioned on this forum.
After reading two or three of his pamphlets, he has become to me what the red rag is to the bull. I just can't help it. Must be the Brujah part of my personality

And for using the materials folder of his mod only shouldn't cause any problems with most other versions. There might be issues with TFN, if different discipline particles use the same filenames. And of course you might havve to reinstall things like raptor red's warform, which is part of the plus patch, CE, and TFN.
Also in CE the female Brujah might cause problems, because it uses one of the female Malk models. If there are issues, go to the \vampire\models\character\pc\(fe)male\ subfolders, and delete the clan folders for any clan you encounter model/skin conflicts.

If you have tried the mega mod skins with CE, and want to get rid of it again, that's no big deal either. Delete the materials and models subfolders in you game. Install CE into an empty directory, and move the materials and models folders from there int the \vampire subfolder of your game. Then you're back to plain CE models and skins. After that you have to reinstall any additional skinpcks you want to use.

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Yeah, he's a character to be sure. If you take him seriously, I can see how he would be a big red target...

As for installation, that's pretty much what I've done with all my mods. I have a clean (official patched) version of bloodlines, a folder for CE (actually 3 since I still have 1.4 and 1.5), a folder for TFN, CQ, TPG, etc... When I want to 'reinstall' I just delete everything in the main bloodlines directory, recopy the clean game, then move in whatever mod I want to play. Total time less than half an hour - sometimes a lot less depending on what mood my computer is in.

YES
YES YES YES
I GOT IT TO WORK