<s>
Vampire	B-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
Masquerade	I-Application
–	I-Application
Redemption	I-Application
is	O
a	O
2000	O
role-playing	O
video	O
game	O
developed	O
by	O
Nihilistic	O
Software	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Activision	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
is	O
based	O
on	O
White	O
Wolf	O
Publishing	O
's	O
tabletop	O
role-playing	O
game	O
Vampire	B-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
Masquerade	I-Application
,	O
a	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
larger	O
World	B-Protocol
of	I-Protocol
Darkness	I-Protocol
series	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
follows	O
Christof	B-Application
Romuald	I-Application
,	O
a	O
12th-century	O
French	O
crusader	O
who	O
is	O
killed	O
and	O
revived	O
as	O
a	O
vampire	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Redemption	O
was	O
released	O
for	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
in	O
June	O
2000	O
,	O
with	O
a	O
Mac	B-Application
OS	I-Application
version	O
following	O
in	O
November	O
2001	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
successful	O
enough	O
to	O
merit	O
the	O
production	O
of	O
the	O
indirect	O
sequel	O
Vampire	B-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
Masquerade	I-Application
–	I-Application
Bloodlines	I-Application
(	O
2004	O
)	O
,	O
which	O
takes	O
place	O
in	O
the	O
same	O
fictional	O
universe	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Vampire	B-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
Masquerade	I-Application
–	I-Application
Redemption	I-Application
is	O
a	O
role-playing	O
video	O
game	O
(	O
RPG	O
)	O
presented	O
primarily	O
from	O
the	O
third-person	O
perspective	O
;	O
the	O
playable	O
character	O
is	O
shown	O
on	O
the	O
screen	O
while	O
an	O
optional	O
first-person	O
mode	O
used	O
to	O
view	O
the	O
character	O
's	O
immediate	O
environment	O
is	O
available	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Interaction	O
is	O
achieved	O
by	O
using	O
a	O
mouse	B-Device
to	O
click	O
on	O
an	O
enemy	O
or	O
environmental	O
object	O
to	O
attack	O
it	O
or	O
to	O
activate	O
it	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
events	O
depicted	O
in	O
Vampire	B-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
Masquerade	I-Application
–	I-Application
Redemption	I-Application
occur	O
in	O
two	O
time	O
periods	O
:	O
12th	O
century	O
Prague	O
and	O
Vienna	O
,	O
and	O
late-20th	O
century	O
London	O
and	O
New	O
York	O
City	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
is	O
set	O
in	O
the	O
World	B-Protocol
of	I-Protocol
Darkness	I-Protocol
;	O
it	O
depicts	O
a	O
world	O
in	O
which	O
vampires	O
,	O
werewolves	O
,	O
demons	O
,	O
and	O
other	O
creatures	O
influence	O
human	O
history	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
main	O
character	O
of	O
Redemption	O
is	O
French	O
crusader	O
Christof	B-Application
Romuald	I-Application
,	O
a	O
once-proud	O
,	O
religious	O
church	O
knight	O
who	O
is	O
transformed	O
into	O
a	O
Brujah	O
vampire	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1141	O
in	O
Prague	O
,	O
crusader	O
Christof	B-Application
Romuald	I-Application
is	O
wounded	O
in	O
battle	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
development	O
of	O
Vampire	B-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
Masquerade	I-Application
–	I-Application
Redemption	I-Application
began	O
at	O
Nihilistic	O
Software	O
in	O
April	O
1998	O
,	O
shortly	O
after	O
the	O
developer	O
's	O
founding	O
in	O
March	O
that	O
year	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Intending	O
to	O
move	O
away	O
from	O
the	O
first-person	O
games	O
the	O
team	O
members	O
had	O
worked	O
on	O
with	O
previous	O
companies	O
,	O
Nihilistic	O
prepared	O
a	O
design	O
and	O
story	O
for	O
a	O
futuristic	O
RPG	O
with	O
similar	O
themes	O
and	O
gothic	O
aesthetics	O
to	O
those	O
of	O
the	O
Vampire	B-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
Masquerade	I-Application
series	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nick	O
Peck	O
was	O
chosen	O
to	O
provide	O
sounds	O
effects	O
,	O
ambient	O
loops	O
,	O
and	O
additional	O
voice	O
recordings	O
based	O
on	O
his	O
previous	O
work	O
on	O
Grim	B-Application
Fandango	I-Application
(	O
1998	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
artwork	O
was	O
outsourced	O
;	O
Peter	O
Chan	O
(	O
Day	B-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Tentacle	I-Application
(	O
1993	O
)	O
and	O
Grim	B-Application
Fandango	I-Application
)	O
developed	O
concept	O
art	O
to	O
establish	O
the	O
look	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
environments	O
,	O
and	O
Patrick	O
Lambert	O
developed	O
character	O
concepts	O
and	O
full-color	O
drawings	O
for	O
the	O
modelers	O
and	O
animators	O
to	O
use	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
features	O
300,000	O
lines	O
of	O
code	O
,	O
with	O
a	O
further	O
66,000	O
lines	O
of	O
Java	B-Language
for	O
scripts	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
January	O
2000	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
announced	O
that	O
Nihilistic	O
was	O
seeking	O
a	O
studio	O
to	O
port	O
Redemption	O
to	O
the	O
Sega	B-Operating_System
Dreamcast	I-Operating_System
video	O
game	O
console	O
,	O
however	O
this	O
version	O
was	O
never	O
released	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
February	O
2001	O
,	O
after	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
the	O
PC	O
version	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
announced	O
that	O
MacSoft	O
was	O
developing	O
a	O
MacOS	B-Application
version	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nihilistic	O
initially	O
looked	O
at	O
existing	O
game	O
engines	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
Quake	B-Application
engine	I-Application
and	O
Unreal	B-Operating_System
Engine	I-Operating_System
,	O
but	O
decided	O
those	O
engines	O
,	O
which	O
were	O
primarily	O
designed	O
for	O
first-person	O
shooters	O
,	O
would	O
not	O
be	O
sufficient	O
for	O
its	O
point-and-click	O
driven	O
RPG	O
and	O
decided	O
to	O
create	O
its	O
own	O
engine	O
for	O
development	O
of	O
Redemption	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
NOD	O
was	O
prototyped	O
using	O
the	O
Glide	B-Operating_System
application	O
programming	O
interface	O
(	O
API	O
)	O
because	O
the	O
team	O
believed	O
it	O
would	O
be	O
more	O
stable	O
during	O
the	O
engine	O
's	O
development	O
,	O
intending	O
that	O
once	O
the	O
engine	O
was	O
more	O
complete	O
,	O
it	O
would	O
be	O
moved	O
to	O
a	O
more	O
general	O
API	O
designed	O
to	O
support	O
a	O
wide	O
range	O
of	O
hardware	O
such	O
as	O
Direct3D	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
once	O
a	O
basic	O
engine	O
was	O
in	O
place	O
in	O
Glide	B-Operating_System
,	O
the	O
programmers	O
turned	O
their	O
attention	O
to	O
gameplay	O
and	O
functionality	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
June	O
1999	O
,	O
Redemption	O
was	O
still	O
running	O
in	O
Glide	B-Operating_System
,	O
which	O
at	O
that	O
point	O
lacked	O
some	O
of	O
the	O
basic	O
features	O
the	O
team	O
needed	O
to	O
demonstrate	O
at	O
that	O
year	O
's	O
Electronic	O
Entertainment	O
Expo	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
the	O
team	O
eventually	O
switched	O
to	O
Direct3D	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
forced	O
to	O
abandon	O
some	O
custom	O
code	O
it	O
had	O
built	O
to	O
compensate	O
for	O
Glide	B-Operating_System
's	O
limitations	O
such	O
as	O
texture	O
and	O
graphic	O
management	O
,	O
which	O
required	O
the	O
re-exporting	O
of	O
hundreds	O
of	O
levels	O
and	O
models	O
for	O
the	O
new	O
software	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
team	O
focused	O
on	O
building	O
the	O
game	O
for	O
hardware	B-General_Concept
accelerated	I-General_Concept
systems	O
to	O
avoid	O
the	O
limitations	O
of	O
supporting	O
a	O
wider	O
range	O
of	O
systems	O
,	O
which	O
had	O
restricted	O
the	O
development	O
of	O
the	O
company	O
founders	O
 '	O
previous	O
game	O
,	O
Star	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
Jedi	I-Application
Knight	I-Application
:	I-Application
Dark	I-Application
Forces	I-Application
II	I-Application
(	O
1997	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
programmers	O
suggested	O
using	O
3D	B-Language
Studio	I-Language
Max	I-Language
for	O
art	O
and	O
level	O
design	O
,	O
which	O
would	O
save	O
money	O
by	O
allowing	O
the	O
company	O
to	O
license	O
a	O
single	O
piece	O
of	O
software	O
,	O
but	O
the	O
lead	O
artists	O
successfully	O
lobbied	O
against	O
this	O
plan	O
,	O
believing	O
that	O
allowing	O
the	O
respective	O
teams	O
to	O
choose	O
the	O
software	O
would	O
allow	O
them	O
to	O
work	O
most	O
efficiently	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
level	O
designers	O
chose	O
QERadiant	B-Application
to	O
take	O
advantage	O
of	O
their	O
previous	O
experience	O
using	O
the	O
software	O
while	O
working	O
on	O
Id	O
Software	O
's	O
Quake	B-Application
series	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Id	O
allowed	O
Nihilistic	O
to	O
license	O
QERadiant	B-Application
and	O
modify	O
it	O
to	O
create	O
a	O
customized	O
tool	O
for	O
its	O
3D	O
environments	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Because	O
QERadiant	B-Application
was	O
a	O
finished	O
,	O
functional	O
tool	O
,	O
it	O
allowed	O
the	O
level	O
designers	O
to	O
begin	O
developing	O
levels	O
from	O
the	O
project	O
's	O
start	O
and	O
then	O
export	O
them	O
into	O
the	O
NOD	O
engine	O
,	O
rather	O
than	O
waiting	O
for	O
up	O
to	O
six	O
months	O
for	O
Nihilistic	O
to	O
develop	O
a	O
custom	O
tool	O
or	O
learning	O
a	O
new	O
3D	O
level	O
editor	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
four-person	O
art	O
team	O
led	O
by	O
Kraaijvanger	O
used	O
Alias	O
Wavefront	O
Maya	B-Language
to	O
create	O
3D	O
art	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Staff	O
who	O
worked	O
on	O
Jedi	B-Application
Knight	I-Application
knew	O
the	O
experience	O
of	O
creating	O
a	O
new	O
,	O
customized	O
programming	O
language	O
called	O
COG	O
that	O
gave	O
the	O
programmers	O
the	O
results	O
they	O
wanted	O
but	O
cost	O
time	O
and	O
significant	O
project	O
resources	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
team	O
tested	O
various	O
languages	O
,	O
but	O
became	O
aware	O
of	O
another	O
studio	O
,	O
Rebel	O
Boat	O
Rocker	O
,	O
which	O
was	O
receiving	O
attention	O
for	O
its	O
use	O
of	O
the	O
Java	B-Language
language	I-Language
.	O
</s>
<s>
Speaking	O
to	O
that	O
studio	O
's	O
lead	O
programmer	O
Billy	O
Zelsnak	O
,	O
Nihilistic	O
decided	O
to	O
experiment	O
with	O
Java	B-Language
,	O
having	O
little	O
prior	O
knowledge	O
of	O
it	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Several	O
designers	O
were	O
trained	O
to	O
use	O
Java	B-Language
to	O
allow	O
them	O
to	O
build	O
the	O
several	O
hundred	O
scripts	O
required	O
to	O
drive	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
storyline	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nihilistic	O
had	O
intended	O
to	O
include	O
both	O
16-bit	O
and	O
32-bit	O
versions	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
textures	O
,	O
and	O
different	O
sound	O
quality	O
levels	O
to	O
allow	O
players	O
to	O
choose	O
which	O
versions	O
to	O
install	O
,	O
but	O
the	O
CD-ROM	B-Device
format	O
was	O
not	O
spacious	O
enough	O
to	O
accommodate	O
more	O
than	O
one	O
version	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
finished	O
product	O
barely	O
fitted	O
onto	O
two	O
CD-ROMs	B-Device
;	O
some	O
sound	O
assets	O
were	O
removed	O
to	O
fit	O
the	O
format	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Huebner	O
said	O
they	O
did	O
not	O
plan	O
appropriately	O
for	O
multiplayer	O
when	O
building	O
the	O
Java	B-Language
scripts	O
for	O
the	O
single-player	O
game	O
,	O
meaning	O
the	O
scripts	O
did	O
not	O
work	O
effectively	O
in	O
multiplayer	O
mode	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
had	O
to	O
be	O
mostly	O
accessible	O
using	O
a	O
mouse	B-Device
as	O
input	O
,	O
reserving	O
the	O
keyboard	O
for	O
less	O
common	O
and	O
more	O
advanced	O
commands	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
mode	O
was	O
inspired	O
by	O
the	O
text-based	O
Multi-User	B-Application
Dungeon	I-Application
,	O
a	O
multiplayer	O
real-time	O
virtual	O
world	O
in	O
which	O
high-ranking	O
users	O
can	O
manipulate	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
environment	O
and	O
dynamically	O
create	O
adventures	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Vampire	B-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
Masquerade	I-Application
–	I-Application
Redemption	I-Application
was	O
released	O
for	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
in	O
North	O
America	O
on	O
June	O
7	O
,	O
2000	O
,	O
and	O
in	O
Europe	O
on	O
June	O
30	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
Mac	B-Application
OS	I-Application
version	O
was	O
released	O
on	O
November	O
14	O
,	O
2001	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
During	O
its	O
first	O
week	O
on	O
sale	O
,	O
Redemption	O
was	O
the	O
third	O
best-selling	O
Windows	B-Application
game	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
behind	O
The	B-Application
Sims	I-Application
and	O
Who	O
Wants	O
To	O
Be	O
A	O
Millionaire	O
2nd	O
Edition	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Redemption	O
achieved	O
enough	O
success	O
to	O
merit	O
the	O
2004	O
release	O
of	O
an	O
indirect	O
sequel	O
,	O
Vampire	B-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
Masquerade	I-Application
–	I-Application
Bloodlines	I-Application
,	O
which	O
is	O
set	O
in	O
the	O
same	O
fictional	O
universe	O
and	O
was	O
developed	O
by	O
Troika	O
Games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
remake	O
is	O
currently	O
in	O
development	O
as	O
a	O
total	O
conversion	O
mod	O
for	O
The	B-Application
Elder	I-Application
Scrolls	I-Application
V	I-Application
:	I-Application
Skyrim	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Reviewers	O
compared	O
it	O
to	O
other	O
successful	O
RPGs	O
,	O
including	O
Diablo	B-Application
II	I-Application
,	O
Deus	B-Application
Ex	I-Application
,	O
Darkstone	B-Application
,	O
and	O
the	O
Final	B-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
series	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Computer	O
Games	O
said	O
it	O
was	O
the	O
most	O
attractive	O
PC	O
game	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
,	O
ArsTechnica	O
said	O
it	O
was	O
the	O
best	O
game	O
to	O
look	O
at	O
and	O
watch	O
since	O
The	B-Application
Last	I-Application
Express	I-Application
(	O
1997	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
PC	O
Gamer	O
said	O
,	O
"	O
there	O
has	O
never	O
been	O
a	O
more	O
beautifully	O
created	O
RPG	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
ArsTechnica	O
said	O
the	O
acting	O
was	O
inconsistent	O
but	O
was	O
better	O
than	O
that	O
of	O
Deus	B-Application
Ex	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Combat	O
was	O
also	O
criticized	O
;	O
Computer	O
Games	O
called	O
the	O
game	O
"	O
little	O
more	O
than	O
a	O
hack-and-slash	O
adventure	O
"	O
,	O
and	O
said	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
focus	O
on	O
combat	O
was	O
counter	O
to	O
the	O
greater	O
focus	O
on	O
political	O
intrigue	O
and	O
social	O
interaction	O
prevalent	O
in	O
the	O
source	O
Vampire	B-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
Masquerade	I-Application
tabletop	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
the	O
1999	O
Game	O
Critics	O
Awards	O
,	O
Redemption	O
was	O
named	O
Best	O
RPG	O
ahead	O
of	O
the	O
first-person	O
action	O
RPG	O
Deus	B-Application
Ex	I-Application
.	O
</s>
