A comment for those who are interested:
You /can/ examine the source code (via “View Script” plus editing the URL to view individual scenes) for versions purchased from the Chrome store. Thus, these comments are based off of reviewing the free version of Vampire 1 and the Chrome version of Vampire 2.
Depending on what platform you are playing on and WHEN you played it, part 1 had (?) a VERY serious bug – the scene “vicksburg_denouement” wasn’t accessible. Without this scene, none of the Wilson scenes in part 2 make any sense, as well as the transition to Memphis is very abrupt. However, it looks like this has been fixed (for the web page version), as when I checked the source to verify that the bug was still present the last line of “vicksburg_depot” reads “*finish Next” instead of “*goto_scene memphis_arrival” as it did yesterday. If the Wilson scenes in Part 2 are confusing you, you may want to play through the web version to figure out what’s going on as I’m sure it will take awhile to update the other versions.
I have to agree with the consesus on this thread: Vampires 2 was no where NEAR as good as Vampires 1, largely because none of the obvious objectives (capturing Wilson, or winning / influencing the election) are achievable. This results in loads of frustration for the player.
For the record:
* Neither you nor anyone else can win the either election – period. There simply is no code anywhere in the game to handle a winner. You can, in the second election, determine WHY this is true, but that’s as good as it gets. I understand why this was done (to avoid an enormous fork in Vampires 3), but… @jasonstevanhill: A much better solution is simply to have the player’s Senatorship revoked when Memphis ceases to be a city at the end.
…* Massive SPOILERS on how to identify why nobody can win in a follow up message.
…* You get an achievement (if your platform supports them – iOS does not, yet) for doing this.
…* You also get an achievement for meeting all 10 senators face-to-face, which is hard to do.
* It is not possible to capture or kill Wilson (or Hugh, if you are playing a version of Part 1 that allows you to play through the “vicksburg_denouncement” scene AND your race is african AND you elected to turn Wilson yourself) prior to the failure of the second caucus, at which point you can’t avoid succeeding.
* It is possible to have a romance in Part 2, with another woman who just HAPPENS to be named Clotho – but only IF you never met Herbert in Part 1 (you must ignore the invitation from Estafandia altogether or never have gone to New Orleans).
…* @jasonstevanhill: I don’t understand why this is the case – the whole /point/ of the Clotho romance was that she was going to come back, so… Why not here?
* It isn’t possible to save Memphis or even influence its development. All of the text that makes you think “Oh, if I had the right stat then I’d get a choice / different text here” – nope.
* If you join the KKK during Part 1 (instructions on how to do this in the followup message), you’ll get a bonus scene in Part 2. It doesn’t go anywhere.
* If you join the Freemason’s in Part 1 (instructions on how to do so in the followup message), you’ll get a bonus scene in Part 2. It ALSO doesn’t go anywhere.
…* Note that you’ll get a long sequence that is related to being able to IDENTIFY someone else is a Freemason – but being a Freemason yourself isn’t a requirement to unlock this content, and it doesn’t lead to your advancement within the order, so…
* If you convince Estfanda to start teaching you the “Secrets of the Blood”, you’ll get a bonus scene in Part 2 (one of the Senator’s recognizes the secret signal during the 2nd caucus) . It ALSO doesn’t go anywhere.
* There is no opportunity to create a great work of art in part 2.