Hellgate: London

[Seventh Child]

Anyone else waiting for this to release? Looks pretty awesome so far.

http://www.gametrailers.com/player/23226.html

Really reminds me of Diablo.

I was worried this would become vapourware, what with the company being split from Blizzard and new on the scene, and the really difficult task of randomly generating levels in 3D. Glad to see it's going strong.

[Thoden Firehammer]

looks good

[1337mojo]

Si!

The game looks awesome....
Can't wait for it to come out.
Looks like a new improved version of Diablo.

[Eeeek]

Flagship is apparently made up of a lot of the team who made Diablo/Diablo II from what I've heard (if that's true or not I can't say) but they also have another game in beta called 'Mythos' ( www.mythos.com (http://www.mythos.com) ) that they are using to test network stress on the coding for Hellgate and Mythos is even more like Diablo thah Hellgate is.

[Sluf]

What I liked about Diablo 2 was the battle.net function. Where a player could run certain parts of the game over and over to gain items or exp. So when this game ships, I hope they have a similar multiplayer function, if they aim to make it like Diablo/diablo 2.

[Grimfell Gromgear]

I've got a small group of friends looking to pick it up, hopefully it's going to be good.

If it's anything like Diablo at all, then it'll at least be decent.

[abr4]

Yup, me.

r4thwrtge

[Veilside]

Definitely looking forward to this game, Elite subscription is one hell of a bummer though.

[Michael Darkmoon]

Been waiting for Hellgate longer then Warhammer :eek:

[U4godlike]

looks good id buy it if it has no subscription fee sure looks pretty fun kinda like futuristic diablo in 3-d, couldnt ask for more... cept better graphics =P but im sure there available but it doesnt really deter me from WAR, actually i reported someone not to long ago about NDA because the guy had a beta key for WAR and wanted to trade it for a HG:L... pretty lame =/

[abr4]

A guild mate of mine got into both, WAR beta, as well as Hellgate beta.

AND HE LOST THE FRICKIN PASSWORD FOR THE WAR BETA AND DOESN'T CARE ENOUGH TO RETRIEVE IT.

[U4godlike]

A guild mate of mine got into both, WAR beta, as well as Hellgate beta.

AND HE LOST THE FRICKIN PASSWORD FOR THE WAR BETA AND DOESN'T CARE ENOUGH TO RETRIEVE IT.

...............................

[Seventh Child]

Definitely looking forward to this game, Elite subscription is one hell of a bummer though.

Ah yeah I'd forgotten about that. Kinda does suck. I can see why they'd need it though, but I really hope it doesn't leave the non-elite as sub-standard. I was looking forward to Shapeshifters.

I think I want to be an Evoker, at least I did. Then I saw the Engineer skills - and then I saw the Guardian in the Co-op trailer. Oh and then there's how amazing Whirlwind for the Blademaster looks.

So I guess I'm back at square one deciding on a class XD.

[Thorval]

This should be a great game to hold some of us off till WAR comes out. The hunter classes look fun.

[Rejected]

which beta?

Reading issues?

[Unstoppable]

It's gonna be good but why did they change the pricing plan so late into development. If they would of said it from beginning it would of been better. Still looking forward to it bu also am dissapointed :(.

[Rejected]

Pricing plan? I thought you could play it singleplayer? Is it online only, with a fee?

[Damienx247]

Pricing plan? I thought you could play it singleplayer? Is it online only, with a fee?

It has both single player and online mode. Online mode is split between basic free package and payed elite mode where you can earn shinier shiny stuff.

Edit: Just glad to see the return of Leap Attack and the "true" Whirlwind Skill unlike some other mmo:mad:.

[Rejected]

Phew. Thanks for info. I only intended to play it single player mode.

[Axxar]

I've long been awaiting Hellgate: London as the thing to do while waiting for Warhammer. I had really been hoping for it to be released during the summer, so I was a bit disappointed when it wasn't. But still, november still isn't that far off. I'm just afraid that I'll end up playing two subscription fees if Hellgate: London turns out to be really good, and not something I can get tired of in a couple of months. After all, how quickly can you tire of blowing up insane zergs of zombies and demons? I hope the skill usage isn't as simple as in Diablo II, or at least that the whole shooter aspect makes it fun enough that it doesn't matter if it is.

I was thinking of playing a Hunter Marksman or a Templar Guardian.

[VeriusCarth]

Hey! I was wondering how this game actually played, that looks pretty sweet. I think I might pick up a copy when it comes out. :)

[Reddimus]

Does anyone know a good fansite for HGL? I looked over the official site and it seems devoid of any actual consumer info even within the month of release.

A few things I'd like answered:

-what's included in the normal version?
-will the beta client be usable for retail?(I don't have a dvd drive and it looks like they're shipping in only dvd, so since you're given a beta key for pre-ordering, it might be my best option)
-system specs
-death system

'Blizzard North' knows how to make games apparently, but their PR sucks :P

[Ruinx]

'Blizzard North' knows how to make games apparently, but their PR sucks :P

Their PR sucks hard and I don't know of any fansite which will have the information you actually want. The Flagship Forums (search for "Flagship Forums" in google) have a decent HG:L section but be aware that their main mod is a bit of a twerp and if you asking any question without searching you'll get screamed at, and if you ask a question that searching didn't answer you'll get directed to threads you've already read that didn't answer the question either.

[Reddimus]

Their PR sucks hard and I don't know of any fansite which will have the information you actually want. The Flagship Forums (search for "Flagship Forums" in google) have a decent HG:L section but be aware that their main mod is a bit of a twerp and if you asking any question without searching you'll get screamed at, and if you ask a question that searching didn't answer you'll get directed to threads you've already read that didn't answer the question either.

Thanks, I just searched through five different sites and am still totally lost. Glad I'm not alone. I'll go try that.

[Thorval]

Got into beta. I will tell you two things...


My computer sucks with this game, as it does with team fortress 2, and it WAS worth the wait.

Damnit I hope I don't get in trouble for saying that.

[Garthilk]

Yeah, there really isn't a solid fansite for the game with simple information easy to find.

[abr4]

http://hg.gamona.de/index.php

is a pretty decent site.

scnr :>

[Ruinx]

Got into beta. I will tell you two things...

My computer sucks with this game, as it does with team fortress 2, and it WAS worth the wait.

Damnit I hope I don't get in trouble for saying that.

Well, there's nothing NDA-breaking there, and I'm not sure the NDA is still up anyway.

I think PR is going to be a serious problem for HG:L, because whilst they've done a good job hyping individual features in interviews and so on, they've failed to communicate the actual second-to-second gameplay of the game, which should really have been the primary thing they were doing. The videos aren't terribly illuminating in that regard either, because it's hard to know exactly what's going on.

This would all be fine, but they're releasing in less than a month, rather than three or four months.

Still, hope it's good.

[Grimfell Gromgear]

As long as I can pick it up and say 'Hey, this is like Diablo... in 3D!' Then I'll be happy.

[Ruinx]

As long as I can pick it up and say 'Hey, this is like Diablo... in 3D!' Then I'll be happy.

That's the hope, isn't it. I've heard some strange things from beta-testers that are a bit scary from that perspective, but hopefully they were misunderstanding.

[Reddimus]

http://www.gametrailers.com/player/25805.html

This video is really confusing. Up until now I've only seen 3rd and 1st person views.. this makes it look like those horrible X-men RPGs. In a sense, it'd be kind of neat to play it like Diablo, but atm it doesn't look that great from that view.. doesn't even look like the guy is controlling anything.

[ODDBALL]

Hmm...lets just say i preordered it...and i am not even slightly disappointed. Me and my friends had recently started back up in D2 for nostalgia sake and because its such a great game. But i am going to reccomend to them that they pick this game up instead.

Also, from what i have heard, the elite subscriptions work much like guild wars expansions. What youre paying for is added monthly content. When the game first releases the only difference between elite and free play people will be that elite get more character slots or something.

Personally for new monthly content i find 10 bucks a month worthwhile.

[Grimfell Gromgear]

http://www.gametrailers.com/player/25805.html

This video is really confusing. Up until now I've only seen 3rd and 1st person views.. this makes it look like those horrible X-men RPGs. In a sense, it'd be kind of neat to play it like Diablo, but atm it doesn't look that great from that view.. doesn't even look like the guy is controlling anything.

Yeah I was curious about that one too.

However, I've seen other current videos that still show the third and first person view, so it makes me wonder if that's some sort of squad control subgame or something...

[Veilside]

http://www.gametrailers.com/player/25805.html

This video is really confusing. Up until now I've only seen 3rd and 1st person views.. this makes it look like those horrible X-men RPGs. In a sense, it'd be kind of neat to play it like Diablo, but atm it doesn't look that great from that view.. doesn't even look like the guy is controlling anything.

Damn this university internet to hell, I can't see the video.

[Grimfell Gromgear]

Damn this university internet to hell, I can't see the video.

If you've ever played a top down squad based click to move style game... that's what it looks like.

Overhead camera, some rings around people, and what appears to be something akin to click to move.

It's rather... not in the same style as all the other videos about the game I've seen.

[Veilside]

If you've ever played a top down squad based click to move style game... that's what it looks like.

Overhead camera, some rings around people, and what appears to be something akin to click to move.

It's rather... not in the same style as all the other videos about the game I've seen.

No, which could mean that there are different ways to control your character. All the screenshots I've seen have been either 3rd or 1st person so I doubt the top down view is the default.

[Grimfell Gromgear]

No, which could mean that there are different ways to control your character. All the screenshots I've seen have been either 3rd or 1st person so I doubt the top down view is the default.

Well, since the video looks almost group based (as in controlling more than one at a time), I wonder if it means there's some missions where you control henchman more like the top down strategy games.

I doubt it's the main control settup, it just seems like an odd addition that hasn't been mentioned before. Especially since the game does have terrain and platforming elements it looks like, so it'd be weird for it to have just the means to switch to a point and click style movement.

[Axxar]

There's a special quest type where you control multiple people in an RTS-like style. But that's only when you're doing that special quest.

[Grimfell Gromgear]

There's a special quest type where you control multiple people in an RTS-like style. But that's only when you're doing that special quest.

That sounds about right based on what I was seeing, I just hadn't seen any news of the sort.

Still can't wait for the game though! Getting together some chums for it as I type...

[Veilside]

That sounds about right based on what I was seeing, I just hadn't seen any news of the sort.

Still can't wait for the game though! Getting together some chums for it as I type...

Check out the hellgate.incgamers.com community, it's the best one I've seen so far.

[silex]

How is the mouse clicking amount compared to Diablo 1/2? While I probably burnt just as much time in those two titles as everyone else here, I'm extremely not looking forward to ever playing a clickfest again.

[Ruinx]

How is the mouse clicking amount compared to Diablo 1/2? While I probably burnt just as much time in those two titles as everyone else here, I'm extremely not looking forward to ever playing a clickfest again.

Er, hate to break it to you now, but in Diablo 2, you could hold the button down to do anything that really required "rapid clicking". So your finger-pain may have been for nothing.

Personally, I played D2 for years and years without ever being upset by the clicking. My left hand hurt from changing skills extremely rapidly, though.

[silex]

Er, hate to break it to you now, but in Diablo 2, you could hold the button down to do anything that really required "rapid clicking". So your finger-pain may have been for nothing.

Personally, I played D2 for years and years without ever being upset by the clicking. My left hand hurt from changing skills extremely rapidly, though.

Yea I know, and I did do that. I guess that method of gameplay is what I hate the most then.

Hellgate is probably not my game then, hehe.

[Ruinx]

Hellgate is probably not my game then, hehe.

Aye, I suspect not ;)

[Festo]

well i got in beta

DLing it now

now only if i could magically get in WAR beta :D

::jedi mind trick:: you shall let me in WAR beta

[Grimfell Gromgear]

Someone should start a poll to see what 'Hellgate' classes people are going to want to play. We've got enough Warhammer class polls going here and there.

[Ruinx]

Someone should start a poll to see what 'Hellgate' classes people are going to want to play. We've got enough Warhammer class polls going here and there.

Well there's one problem with that.

We actually know MORE about Warhammer and it's classes and how they play, with 6 months until release and a strict NDA, than we do about Hellgate's classes!

[Grimfell Gromgear]

Well there's one problem with that.

We actually know MORE about Warhammer and it's classes and how they play, with 6 months until release and a strict NDA, than we do about Hellgate's classes!

I know a bit...

Templar - Guardian = Shields n' Aura's
Templar - Blademaster = Dual wield

Cabalist - Evoker = Magicy explosions
Cabalist - Summoner = Pet class

Hunter - Engineer = Pet class
Hunter - Marksman = Ranged damage

But yeah... that's about it...

[Selandri]

There's no 'click fest' to it. WSAD to move, not clicking.

It's very Diablo like but not 3d isometric.

The RTS video is a small minigame in a quest. It's surprisingly fun.

Very playable in both third or first person, but if you have only melee weapons equipped you can't leave third person.

Far, far better than I expected.

[Ruinx]

Far, far better than I expected.

But do you get to slaughter hordes of monsters and take their randomly-dropped stuff? Because honestly, I loved D2, and that's what I'm hoping HG:L has. Mass monster-slaughtering goodness, hard bosses but ones which you can beat solo, and a real variety of "effective" ways to spec your character.

[silex]

There's no 'click fest' to it. WSAD to move, not clicking.

It's very Diablo like but not 3d isometric.

The RTS video is a small minigame in a quest. It's surprisingly fun.

Very playable in both third or first person, but if you have only melee weapons equipped you can't leave third person.

Far, far better than I expected.

Nice, maybe this game is for me after all. But then I go back to the pricing model again and am reminded that it isn't again, haha. I really hate that style of pricing model. Part of the reason I don't play "free" MMOs.

[Crusader]

Sadly, well actually not sadly, Blizzard will probably just thief any innovations Flagship has made and apply them to the next installment of the Diablo series. Hence, while I'm looking forward to HG:L, I believe Diablo III will ultimately be superior.

[Hiddenblade]

Sadly, well actually not sadly, Blizzard will probably just thief any innovations Flagship has made and apply them to the next installment of the Diablo series. Hence, while I'm looking forward to HG:L, I believe Diablo III will ultimately be superior.

Duke Nukem Forever will come out before Blizzard releases a third diablo.

[Tianzi]

Yeah, there really isn't a solid fansite for the game with simple information easy to find.

The fansite Hellgate Guru has quite a bit of information about HGL, but not all of it is up to date or accurate.

[Axxar]

But do you get to slaughter hordes of monsters and take their randomly-dropped stuff? Because honestly, I loved D2, and that's what I'm hoping HG:L has. Mass monster-slaughtering goodness, hard bosses but ones which you can beat solo, and a real variety of "effective" ways to spec your character.My impression of HGL is that this is exactly what it's all about.

[Ruinx]

My impression of HGL is that this is exactly what it's all about.

That's what they SAY it's about, but none of the movies I've seen really seem to show that (frex, I've never even seen anyone pick up a piece of loot in a movie, or really go on a monster-slaughtering rampage for minutes at a time), and I've heard mixed things about it from those in the beta.

[Axxar]

I remember them talking about money being picked up automatically instead of you having to click on the monsters. Perhaps it's the same for other loot. Haven't watched that much gameplay footage, but what I watched was mostly monster-bashing action - didn't really pay attention to any looting that might have taken place. And it probably wasn't huge hordes of monsters... I hope that happens though.

[Garthilk]

In terms of popularity, from most to least.

Marksman
Evoker
Blademaster
Engineer
Summoner
Guardian

[Blaze]

I never understood the attraction in the Diablo games. I still played them, quite a lot actually. There was something charming about the how brainless it was, and if Hellgate: London manages to capture that same feeling I just might buy it.

[Veilside]

I never understood the attraction in the Diablo games. I still played them, quite a lot actually. There was something charming about the how brainless it was, and if Hellgate: London manages to capture that same feeling I just might buy it.

Half the attraction is that it's brainless, button-bashing stuff. The other half of the attraction is making your character better by getting progressively better gear. It's suprising how many people still play D2 for 3+ hours a day.

[Ruinx]

I never understood the attraction in the Diablo games. I still played them, quite a lot actually. There was something charming about the how brainless it was, and if Hellgate: London manages to capture that same feeling I just might buy it.

Whaaa? You say you don't understand the attraction, yet you played them a lot and there was something charming about the brainlessness. I think you understand the attraction perfectly ;)

I mean, you pick a class, build them up, choose their abilities, and KILL THINGS AND TAKE THEIR STUFF, hopefully eventually to the point where you get awesome equipment that makes you even better at the killing and taking process. It's not a, shall we say, cerebral, game, but that's precisely the point and the joy. When I'm worn out on games where I have to use my noggin, or when I've been doing hard thinky work all day, I don't want to come home and think hard more. I do, on the other hand, enjoy killing things and taking their stuff, esp. multiplayer with friends.

I still play D2 on a semi-regular basis. More often than any other single game, that's for sure.

What's wierd is, virtually every "Diablo clone" ever made has seen fit to pee on this extremely simple and effective formula, and instead replace it with "yooneeek!" mechanics of their own, which serve to ruin the fun. Witness:

Sacred - Takes out the fun of using lots of different exciting skills, but severely limiting the number of skills you can use and putting them on truly huge timers.

Titan Quest - Removes the random level generation (and seemingly even monster placement to a large extent), in order to provide absolutely the minimum replay value.

Dungeon Siege - Let's put in a party, take out the skills, and allow the player to almost totally automate play! Great ideas guys...

Silverfall - Does away with random maps and FUN. Gj guys.

I could go on. There have been a huge number of games that could be called Diablo clones, but they really really tend to "miss the point" of Diablo 2, and provide severely weak replay value, or fail to have basically fun gameplay. Sacred and TQ definately came closest, but they're pretty far off. I hope HG:L lands a lot closer.

[Pugslah]

I hope Hellgate has the Diablo feel to it.

To be honest I had alot more fun playing Diablo1 then #2

Playerkilling..all you stuff drops when you die..:cool:
Man those were fun times only bad thing was the Hackers..those !

But D2 has hardcore mode so it makes me happy.
EDIT: D2 is still one of the best games ever!:D

[Veilside]

I still play D2 on a semi-regular basis. More often than any other single game, that's for sure.


Sacred - Takes out the fun of using lots of different exciting skills, but severely limiting the number of skills you can use and putting them on truly huge timers.





I've played D2 regularly for 3 years on battlenet, personally it utterly bores me now, the overall community is immature at best, the gameplay is repetitive and requires no skill, skills aren't balanced, pvp is dominated by item shoppers and cookie cutter builds etc, I occasionaly go and play it for a couple of hours every month, but it's definitely lost it's charm for me, only things that keep my interest in the game now are crazy character builds.

Sure, sacred doesn't have all that many skills, but unlike D2, they're all useful, there are very few skills you'll never find a use for. As for the timers, maybe you're just building your characters wrong, there are easy ways to reduce skill timers while still having very high skill levels.

[Ruinx]

I've played D2 regularly for 3 years on battlenet, personally it utterly bores me now, the overall community is immature at best, the gameplay is repetitive and requires no skill, skills aren't balanced, pvp is dominated by item shoppers and cookie cutter builds etc, I occasionaly go and play it for a couple of hours every month, but it's definitely lost it's charm for me, only things that keep my interest in the game now are crazy character builds.

Sure, sacred doesn't have all that many skills, but unlike D2, they're all useful, there are very few skills you'll never find a use for. As for the timers, maybe you're just building your characters wrong, there are easy ways to reduce skill timers while still having very high skill levels.

I don't play games like D2 "for the community", and honestly, the idea that any of these games "require skill" beyond basic twitch, the ability to think a few seconds ahead and not being an idiot is pretty funny and nonsensical, so that's hardly biting criticism. That you're still play a game every month six+ years after it's release says something, in my opinion.

My problem with Sacred isn't the number of skills, I think you misread.

It's the number of skills you can use. In D2, I use about 6-15 active skills depending on my character class, build, and so on. I can switch between what skills are on what buttons incredibly fast. Indeed, to play D2 "properly", particularly on Hell when you're not wildly overgeared, you have to be able to do this.

In Sacred, you can have a small number of skills "equipped" based on your level. You cannot "flick through" your skills. You cannot suddenly whip out a rarely used skill for a specialized situation. Instead you have to go to the skill window and dig the skill out, replacing one of the skills you're currently using.

As for reducing the recast timers, no, I'm not doing anything wrong, at best the recasts are extremely long, when you compare to game like D2, where virtually all the skills are "spammable" as fast as the animation and your various hastes allow. This means Sacred's tactics and play, compared to D2, are even more simplified and braindead in a way I find "un-fun". It's not EVEN a click-fest! That's just sad. Maybe when you're very high level and have awesome gear this changes, but it's sure true up through most of the game, and that's outright stupid.

It's particularly sad, because, as you say, you WILL find a use for virtually all skills in Sacred, and if it's controls hadn't been designed by some numpty who'd evidently never played D2, and they hadn't decided to balance the game by limiting the skills you can have equipped and how often you can use them (limiting instead with mana cost or the like, a la D2), then they would have a rocking game on their hands.

As is, they only have an "okay" game. It's better than nothing, and after you're worn down on D2's play, it's good, but is it as good as it easily could be? No. Most serious D2 mods are better, sadly.

Titan Quest has similar problems. Again, it hard-caps the number of skills you can have equipped at once, and the controls are designed in such a fashion that you can't rapidly swap through them. This severely limits the number of skills it's worth putting a point in, and the possible workable builds.

Really, this is why I have some hope for Hellgate - The people who designed this must understand how Diablo 2's skill system works (indeed, it's evident from videos that most skills are "spammable", just like D2, and you seem to have multiple hotbars that you can swap through - thus sidestepping these two big problems). They also seem to "get" that D2 was always really more of a kind of "shoot 'em-up" (albeit sometimes a "hack 'em-up") rather than some sort of poncy RPG. I just hope the core gameplay is intact, and that they didn't simply find a new and inventive way to extract the fun.

Interestingly, Diablo 2 wasn't amazingly well-reviewed at the time, averaging 88 on Metacritic scores. Yet it's D2 we're still playing today, even when the isometric shooter/RPG is long dead. So if HG:L even scores in the 80s, I guess I should probably get it.

[Graven]

Hmm, have to disagree abit with you Ruin.

Although Sacred may have less abilities than Diablo, and on a longer cooldown, enemies also die harder then they do in diablo, that's just the idea of the game. Not so much a clickfest, but a hack'n'slash rpg with a bit of thought invested. Call it tactics, if you wish. The thing I like about Sacred is it's irony. It ironises the whole genre, and in a very cool way. Plus, the characters are awesome.

The major issue with Sacred was the item drops. WAY too random, goblins dropped better items than dragons, duh. Other than that, a fine game. And not exactly a diablo clone, have to give it that.

[Grimfell Gromgear]

To steer things back to Hellgate a bit, after doing a bit of searching, I read up a little on how they're attempting to do random level layout. I like some of the concepts, and while I'll be waiting to see it in action (as random level design can range from entertaining to frustrating), I'm certainly hoping for a solid experience from it. Randomized loot is obviously going to be important as well, as a game like that wouldn't be much fun with a straight item hierarchy.

At the moment I find myself drawn to the Guardian (curse my love of sword and board always putting me in one of the least popular classes...), but I may play an engineer as well. Which... is suprisingly similiar to how my interests for WAR run.

[abr4]

the gameplay is repetitive and requires no skill

Repetitive, yes.

But try reaching max level on hardcore. That does take some skill if you want to accomplish it in a reasonable time.

[Veilside]

Repetitive, yes.

But try reaching max level on hardcore. That does take some skill if you want to accomplish it in a reasonable time.

Skill? No, it requires hours and hours spent doing baal runs with a good team, and a lot of good equipment.

[Grimfell Gromgear]

Skill? No, it requires hours and hours spent doing baal runs with a good team, and a lot of good equipment.

Which is exactly why I find that games like Diablo 2 are best enjoyed leveling up and playing casually with friends, as opposed to shooting for the grind to best the games obscene high end difficulty.

[Veilside]

Which is exactly why I find that games like Diablo 2 are best enjoyed leveling up and playing casually with friends, as opposed to shooting for the grind to best the games obscene high end difficulty.

It's not a case of difficulty, the end game is incredibly easy if you know how to play and have a decent build, it's just so damned mind-numbingly repetitive. It takes thousands of baal runs to increase in level when you're in the level 90's, which is why I've never bothered getting a character above level 88, past that point it takes hours of straight boss running or mf-ing to go up by one level.
I've always found the process of getting to the endgame to be more enjoyable than the endgame itself, though I know a lot of people think differently.

[Grimfell Gromgear]

It's not a case of difficulty, the end game is incredibly easy if you know how to play and have a decent build, it's just so damned mind-numbingly repetitive. It takes thousands of baal runs to increase in level when you're in the level 90's, which is why I've never bothered getting a character above level 88, past that point it takes hours of straight boss running or mf-ing to go up by one level.
I've always found the process of getting to the endgame to be more enjoyable than the endgame itself, though I know a lot of people think differently.

By difficulty I meant... difficulty level. As in, enemy X having 2 times as many health as he did before.

And I myself rarely spend time at end game in any game, usually I create a new character and start over, but to me I can't even imagine grinding Diablo. It just seems so unrewarding.

[Jojin]

Does anyone know a good fansite for HGL? I looked over the official site and it seems devoid of any actual consumer info even within the month of release.

A few things I'd like answered:

-what's included in the normal version?
Normal version will let you play everything. The Paid feature will get you better looking gear, more characters slots, more bank space, taxi service, and the content updates for the MMo aspect.

-will the beta client be usable for retail?(I don't have a dvd drive and it looks like they're shipping in only dvd, so since you're given a beta key for pre-ordering, it might be my best option)

If you cannot use the media then just buy it from EA.com. There you can get digital download version. Purchased C&C this way and worked fine.

[Ruinx]

If you cannot use the media then just buy it from EA.com. There you can get digital download version. Purchased C&C this way and worked fine.

Edit - Need to find the right store - There is a UK version, but you can't get it from there, so you can't get the pre-order benefits. Boooo!

[Veilside]

By difficulty I meant... difficulty level. As in, enemy X having 2 times as many health as he did before.

And I myself rarely spend time at end game in any game, usually I create a new character and start over, but to me I can't even imagine grinding Diablo. It just seems so unrewarding.

Monster life doesn't scale with character level, only difficulty and players present in game.

[Grimfell Gromgear]

Monster life doesn't scale with character level, only difficulty and players present in game.

Sorry, it's been ages since I cracked open Diablo 2. But funny thing is...

I really want to break it back open now. If Hellgate London ends up not being good I'm going to rope a few friends into replaying through Diablo 2 with me. Likely the friends I have currently roped into playing Hellgate London with me.

[Veilside]

Sorry, it's been ages since I cracked open Diablo 2. But funny thing is...

I really want to break it back open now. If Hellgate London ends up not being good I'm going to rope a few friends into replaying through Diablo 2 with me. Likely the friends I have currently roped into playing Hellgate London with me.

If you want to play on bnet on eu softcore ladder or non ladder I can help you out.

[Grimfell Gromgear]

If you want to play on bnet on eu softcore ladder or non ladder I can help you out.

Nah, the only way I'll pick up Diablo 2 again is if I can weasle at least two or three of my real life buds to crack it open along with me.

I'm getting to the point in my life where there are fewer and fewer games I'm willing to play unless I'm doing so with people I hang out with... WAR may be the last honest MMO that actually gets my interest as a standalone game.

[Veilside]

I've just got my email invite to the HGL beta, rock on :D

[Axxar]

I've just got my email invite to the HGL beta, rock on :DYep, got an invite as well while I was playing Quake Wars last night. Didn't notice it until just now, though :)

[Ruinx]

The SP demo of HG:L is supposed to be coming out today (or tomorrow), that should be good for any of us not in the beta. Also, yay for companies who release demos BEFORE the game comes out!

I hear that the beta finally got all the drops, the high-res textures, the voice and music stuff and so on, as well, and the game's just gone gold, so very excited myself. Rolllll on demo!

[Vyndara]

I was almost going to say that I was SO jealous of the beta invites until I read Ruinx's post. YAAAAY demo!!!

I'm loving the sci-fi bent for this MMO! Woo hoo! What would be neat would be if they had stuff like Neocron's implants and drugs.....I love the dark cyber-punk feel of Hellgate that reminds me of Neocron as well. I'm drawn to the hunter class, marksman spec. I'm off to look for demo now.....

mwahahaha

[Veilside]

I was almost going to say that I was SO jealous of the beta invites until I read Ruinx's post. YAAAAY demo!!!

I'm loving the sci-fi bent for this MMO! Woo hoo! What would be neat would be if they had stuff like Neocron's implants and drugs.....I love the dark cyber-punk feel of Hellgate that reminds me of Neocron as well. I'm drawn to the hunter class, marksman spec. I'm off to look for demo now.....

mwahahaha

I believe the demo only contains two of the character classes, so you won't be able to try out every character unless you're in the beta.

[Vyndara]

NOOoooooooooooooooooo...........

[Grimfell Gromgear]

I believe the demo only contains two of the character classes, so you won't be able to try out every character unless you're in the beta.

Which two? I should be alright because the only ones I'm not interested in playing are the cabalists, and I have to guess the two classes aren't both cabalist classes.

[Ruinx]

Which two? I should be alright because the only ones I'm not interested in playing are the cabalists, and I have to guess the two classes aren't both cabalist classes.

Blademaster and Marksman are the two classes in the demo. In ironic news, I just got a beta invite.

[Grimfell Gromgear]

Blademaster and Marksman are the two classes in the demo. In ironic news, I just got a beta invite.

Well half good... the two members of their representitive classes I wasn't as interested in playing but, both archetypes I wanted.

And an open congrats to all the people who got into Beta!

[Garthilk]

You know,

I was really looking forward to this game untill today. The developers and EA decided in game ads are going to be in. Also a little program monitering as well.

http://ve3d.ign.com/articles/news/34926/Hellgate-London-Includes-Adware
http://www.bluesnews.com/cgi-bin/board.pl?action=viewthread&threadid=81996

[U4godlike]

You know,

I was really looking forward to this game untill today. The developers and EA decided in game ads are going to be in. Also a little program monitering as well.

http://ve3d.ign.com/articles/news/34926/Hellgate-London-Includes-Adware
http://www.bluesnews.com/cgi-bin/board.pl?action=viewthread&threadid=81996

Well thats no good :? I might understand if the game were without monthly fees but I thought did cost monthly? Either way advertising has only not bothered me in one game and one game only and that was wc3 because it was so subtle and never really bothered nor hindered gameplay, this seems rediculous

[Nightsoldier]

You know,

I was really looking forward to this game untill today. The developers and EA decided in game ads are going to be in. Also a little program monitering as well.

http://ve3d.ign.com/articles/news/34926/Hellgate-London-Includes-Adware
http://www.bluesnews.com/cgi-bin/board.pl?action=viewthread&threadid=81996

I dont mind ads in game personaly as long as they dont get out of hand. If theres a bus stop that had a coke add but its semi destroyed and it ads to the atmosphere then that wouldnt be that bad. But if im going around killing zombies and then theres a broken down bus stop with a perfect add for coke in it. I wouldnt like that because it would take away rather then add to the atmosphere.

Coke is just an example by the way.

[kevanyenter]

You know,

I was really looking forward to this game untill today. The developers and EA decided in game ads are going to be in. Also a little program monitering as well.

http://ve3d.ign.com/articles/news/34926/Hellgate-London-Includes-Adware
http://www.bluesnews.com/cgi-bin/board.pl?action=viewthread&threadid=81996

thanks for the heads up. that kills the game for me aswell. can't believe people just throw away their rights like that... /sigh

[Kydrin]

I'm just really feeling torn about the game. Everything seems so incredibly greedy the more and more I learn of their business model. I could understand the elite subscription for more content, character slots, etc. But there's too much that they outright disable for regular users that bothers me such as guild creation, waypoint usage, etc. Then the in-game ads on top of that?! Plus I recently learned they have a lifetime subscription offer, and we've already discussed the inherent flaws with that in relation to WAR.

I really really wanted to like the game, but their business model is so full of greed that it's a huge turnoff. Makes me start to worry again for WAR too if EA's greed is rewarded with Hellgate.

[Grimfell Gromgear]

In game ads have never bothered me as much as some people. I'm always reminded of the Futurama quote about the dream ads

Well sure, but not in our dreams. Only on TV and radio, and in magazines, and movies, and at ball games... and on buses and milk cartons and t-shirts, and bananas and written on the sky. But not in dreams, no siree.


I mean, they're really already everywhere, I guess I've given up on trying to fight the idea that they'll be present in games from now on. It's a smart way to make money. Games are interactive and updateable, and with fewer and fewer people watching TV, and fewer still watching commercials, ads have to go somewhere. So maybe if you guys don't want ads in games you should stop Tivo'ing past the commercial spots huh?

As to differences between Premium and Standard. I'm going to hold my judgement till the game comes out. The way it looks like at the moment, in regards to the stand alone game without the premium you pretty much get a multiplayer dungeon crawl (not all of those offer guild creation anyways and you can still join guilds even without paying if you want so that doesn't miff me too much). Paying seems to be a regulated way of administering small expansion packs past the initial bonuses so... if that's the case I won't begrudge it too much.

As for the one time payment, often it speaks of a lack of internal funds however I'm suprised that that'd be the case considering their backers, which means more likely... they assume by that point (150 dollars roughs out to the value of about a year and a half assuming decent internal investments) people will stop paying. However, since I can buy the game standalone and never have to worry about paying later if I don't want to and still play it, that thought doesn't bother me so much.

It's really turned into a weird struggle for Hellgate here, taking some odd pricing turns near the end and all, since the model isn't really comparable to many on the market, I'm kind of curious how it's going to turn out for them.

[Gurgotz Ironchewer]

In my honest opinion this game is gonna fail on an epic level.

I just played the demo, and this game feels hollow, the game play is lack luster the AI is terrible and the graphics look blocky and unfinished.

I dont bite in all the hype around this game, plus the pricing they give for an instanced game, guildwar didnt have a monthly pricing.

In my opinion this is gonna fail and fail hard, still it just my opinion.

[Ruinx]

You know,

I was really looking forward to this game untill today. The developers and EA decided in game ads are going to be in. Also a little program monitering as well.

http://ve3d.ign.com/articles/news/34926/Hellgate-London-Includes-Adware
http://www.bluesnews.com/cgi-bin/board.pl?action=viewthread&threadid=81996

Uh, Garth, and any others freaking out about this, I strongly recommend you play the demo and see exactly how intrusive/unintrusive the ads are. I didn't even notice them until they were pointed out to me, personally, and they're grimy, torn things that fit in with the general ambience pretty damn well, at this stage.

Really, it's the whole "OMG THEY RUINED BATTLEFIELD 2142!" nonsense again. Only, no, they didn't, and unless you look for the ads, you won't see them. I don't know if they're even anywhere but the places REAL ads are in the REAL London Underground, either - all the ones I saw were placed correctly and appropriate.

Voodoo Extreme freaked out over that one too, and started weeping about how terrible it was going to be, and in practice, it was fine.

Gurgotz - Wierd, that's not how I felt about it, and as for the AI being "terrible" and the graphics being "blocky", I'm not sure what game you were playing, but it doesn't sound like HG:L. Then again, I've not played the demo, so it may be different.

Nightsoldier - Yeah, the adds are torn and dirty and fit in. They're not clean shiny new ads or whatever.

[Gurgotz Ironchewer]

Gurgotz - Wierd, that's not how I felt about it, and as for the AI being "terrible" and the graphics being "blocky", I'm not sure what game you were playing, but it doesn't sound like HG:L. Then again, I've not played the demo, so it may be different.


Oh yeah the graphics arent great and the AI isnt really good, all in all i hated it, but that just me im not gonna put a single penny on that game that for sure.

[Ruinx]

Oh yeah the graphics arent great and the AI isnt really good, all in all i hated it, but that just me im not gonna put a single penny on that game that for sure.

Are you sure you've played it lol? Would you care to name a game that you feel does have good graphics and AI?

[Gurgotz Ironchewer]

Are you sure you've played it lol? Would you care to name a game that you feel does have good graphics and AI?

I played the demo for 1 hour and i hated it, im not gonna change my mind

and i wont go on a debate on what game are good or not, for a game that was hyped as diablo 2 killer, this game failed on a level unimaginable.

D2 was good back in 2000 today online player look for a bit more depth than slash, slash, slash.

Maybe you like it good for you, but i feel this is gonna be nothing more than garbage. each is own.

[Grimfell Gromgear]

I'm still waiting on the demo download myself... hopefully it'll be there when I get home from work.

[Veilside]

I played the demo for 1 hour and i hated it, im not gonna change my mind

and i wont go on a debate on what game are good or not, for a game that was hyped as diablo 2 killer, this game failed on a level unimaginable.

D2 was good back in 2000 today online player look for a bit more depth than slash, slash, slash.

Maybe you like it good for you, but i feel this is gonna be nothing more than garbage. each is own.

If todays players look for more than just "slash slash slash" why does D2 still have such a strong online community?
The graphics are fine, either your computer sucks or you didn't increase the graphics settings.

[NoneSuch]

The reason D2 Has such a strong community is probably the reason why Starcraft is still so popular, and half life is seen as gods gift to man even though they aren't that good compared to modern day products.

Yea I said it - Starcraft sucks, compared to Supreme commander or World in conflict and well - Half life isn't anything compared to half life 2 ( Apart from Story and immersion). I'm not so sure about D2 though - Not seen many good RPs recently but I guess we could say the real MMO is a step up.

While all those games where definatly amazing at the time, I still see people treat them as top-notch quality... And it still does pain me to say it but with the limited tech they had, somehow these games can still be compared with the latest releases .. and you know - there's not that much difference.

[Grimfell Gromgear]

The reason D2 Has such a strong community is probably the reason why Starcraft is still so popular, and half life is seen as gods gift to man even though they aren't that good compared to modern day products.

Yea I said it - Starcraft sucks, compared to Supreme commander or World in conflict and well - Half life isn't anything compared to half life 2 ( Apart from Story and immersion). I'm not so sure about D2 though - Not seen many good RPs recently but I guess we could say the real MMO is a step up.

Diablo 2 is still fun on it's own. You can play it completely apart from the online community and enjoy it because it's a timeless sort of game. Like Super Mario Bros.

It understands basic enjoyable gameplay concepts (Kill lots of things entertaingly and feel very powerful while doing so), and executes them in a well done manner.

[Vyndara]

In game ads don't bother me at all, so long as they fit the feel and terrain. I couldn't give a stuff. The more money they get from advertisers, the more there is for development......the larger the business case, the stonger the franchise, you know, stuff like that.

[Vyndara]

I downloaded it, went to bed....then BF played it!!! Argh! He came to bed all scared and couldn't sleep. hehehe...i need to play after work!

[Veilside]

He was scared of it? But it's not even anywhere near being scary :confused:

[Grimfell Gromgear]

He was scared of it? But it's not even anywhere near being scary :confused:

Maybe if you were REAAAAAAAAAAALY bad at the game.

[Veilside]

Maybe if you were REAAAAAAAAAAALY bad at the game.

That wouldn't make it scary though, just hard.

[Ruinx]

The reason D2 Has such a strong community is probably the reason why Starcraft is still so popular, and half life is seen as gods gift to man even though they aren't that good compared to modern day products.

Yea I said it - Starcraft sucks, compared to Supreme commander or World in conflict and well - Half life isn't anything compared to half life 2 ( Apart from Story and immersion). I'm not so sure about D2 though - Not seen many good RPs recently but I guess we could say the real MMO is a step up.

While all those games where definatly amazing at the time, I still see people treat them as top-notch quality... And it still does pain me to say it but with the limited tech they had, somehow these games can still be compared with the latest releases .. and you know - there's not that much difference.

This is a really ill-considered opinion, NoneSuch. As in, you clearly haven't actually thought about it a whole lot. SupCom better than StarCraft? No, it really isn't. The basic gameplay of SupCom is inferior to StarCraft if you're playing at a skilled level. Hell, it's inferior to Total Annihilation if you both know what you're doing. It's less fun for many of us to play SupCom, because that gameplay just isn't there. World in Conflict is an entirely different play-style, and yeah, that is a great game, and guess what? When some shoddy "World in Conflict" knock-off comes around in 2012, there will be some ninny crying about "OMG Y R people sayin that WiC is good???? I r playing WiC4 and it's waay bettah even tho tha gaemplay iz so different they can't be compared meaningfully".

Half-Life is worse than HL2, I agree. FPS is the ONLY genre, though, where time has seen CONSISTENT improvement. Other genres have seen a lot of "back and forth". Mostly HL2 is a lot better because you don't go to Xen in it for hours of pain, though.

Look at beat 'em ups. Can you honestly say DoA4 is better than SF2 Turbo? Because I sure can't. More fun? No. Better looking, yes. More fun is what counts in the end, though. SF Alpha 3 was better than SF2 Turbo, but only about three people have copies, so...

As for "the real MMO" being "better" than D2, well, GOD NO is the only answer. "Real MMO" (by which I presume you mean WoW etc.), is a totally different kind of game to D2.

D2 is an ACTION GAME with RPG-ish elements. It's close to a shoot 'em up. It's super-fast, very twitchy, very much about killing as many mobs as possible as fast as possible and so on. No MMO plays REMOTELY like that. They're all slow and "balanced", and modern MMOs are specifically ANTI-twitch (like WoW's GCD), and seek to prevent you ever being truly awesome. In D2 I WW'd through like forty mobs at once (literally) and I could do it all day. In WoW I can hit 4 mobs with that every what, 21 seconds at best?

WoW is like D2 on massive downers, really near-comatose. It doesn't even have the awesome giant mob-packs to fight even if you could hit lots of them at once.

So, no modern games are not "better" universally, they are different. In some genres, and with some comparisons, sure, you'll find "betters", just like you always have. HL2 is better than HL. Is Doom 3 "better" than Doom 2 though? Hell NAW... Doom 3 is a pretty, slow, stupid, "OMG"-fest compared to the brutal lengthy slaughter that was Doom 2. Is Civ4 better than Civ2? Yes. But Civ3 wasn't, really. Is MoO3 better than MoO2? AHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHA! No. No it isn't. Is BioShock better than System Shock 2? Sure, but it's basically System Shock 2. Is SupCom "better" than Total Annihilation? No, not really. It's on-par at best. Is SupCom "better" than StarCraft? No, it definately isn't. At best, SupCom is an entirely different experience. At worst? SupCom is an entirely inferior experience in every area except graphics.

Grrr, maybe you don't even disagree, but the fact is, lots of these games STILL ARE top-notch quality. They'll be superceded eventually, but some remain unchallenged (MoM, for example).

Gurgotz - I think you're looking for a different game-style entirely. I'm NOT looking for "more depth" than slash, slash, slash, because I'm looking for FUN in a game, not "depth".

[Ruinx]

He was scared of it? But it's not even anywhere near being scary :confused:

It depends on the class you play, how high the graphics are turned up, and whether you have a nervous disposition. If you love stuff like RE4 and play it with a big grin on your face, sure, HG:L ain't scary. It made my wife shriek with fear a couple of times whilst I was playing it earlier, though, when zombies lunged at me, and a really big mob tried to kill me (though she was a lot less afraid of him after the five mins or so I took to kill him lol).

It was scarier in first person, too, I thought, than third person.

[Veilside]

It depends on the class you play, how high the graphics are turned up, and whether you have a nervous disposition. If you love stuff like RE4 and play it with a big grin on your face, sure, HG:L ain't scary. It made my wife shriek with fear a couple of times whilst I was playing it earlier, though, when zombies lunged at me, and a really big mob tried to kill me (though she was a lot less afraid of him after the five mins or so I took to kill him lol).

It was scarier in first person, too, I thought, than third person.

I've only played as a guardian so far so I haven't tried out first person yet but I haven't seen anything that could remotely be called scary, there's a few instances of monsters appearing right next to you but those aren't scary, and I've never spent any time really playing any of the RE or other survival horror games.

[NoneSuch]

That's down to your personal opnion entirley though ruin, I found Starcraft to be terrible compared to Supreme commanders matches and I've played a number of them. And well I'm going to assume a few years down the line, when a rip-off copying World in conflict is released, if it's better than World in conflict then I'd gladly say myself that it's a superior product. Nothing wrong with ripping off concepts, and copying game design aslong as you do it well.

There has been Fast paced MMO's, I mean planetside is one but that's an FPS so it dosn't really count. I've been enjoying a variety of Beta mmo's i'm not allowed to discuss which flow a little better, and behave slightly more FPSISH than Warcraft but not many really have that fast paced element. But yea it's a different genre it's hard to compare.

I suppose that's the sad thing about RPGS recently I can't actually think of one which match the old games.

Supcom is an really really niche game - and only appeals to a certain type, it's just far too slow for most - and sadly enough far too fast when someone knows how to win. It's flawed, but it's also in my eyes far better than about 90 percent of RTS games i've played down to a few things. Sadly the flaws stick out like a sore thumb, it's a hate love relationship for me.

But yea they can't really be compared meaninfully , then again I wasn't really trying to. I was simply attempting to compare them, well because I can. xD

[Ruinx]

I've only played as a guardian so far so I haven't tried out first person yet but I haven't seen anything that could remotely be called scary, there's a few instances of monsters appearing right next to you but those aren't scary, and I've never spent any time really playing any of the RE or other survival horror games.

Pffft, maybe you just don't scare in games?

[Veilside]

Pffft, maybe you just don't scare in games?

Except I do, some parts of FEAR scared me, and in Bioshock where that splicer appears right behind you when you pick up something.

[Elge]

Except I do, some parts of FEAR scared me, and in Bioshock where that splicer appears right behind you when you pick up something.

Most vivid scare I remember in a game was when I was younger, and I first played Resident Evil.

A Licker jumped out at me through a one-way mirror and scared me. I dropped my controller. :(

[Gurgotz Ironchewer]

Gurgotz - I think you're looking for a different game-style entirely. I'm NOT looking for "more depth" than slash, slash, slash, because I'm looking for FUN in a game, not "depth".

Good for you i gave my 2 years to wow to beat up wave of mobs after mobs, some are gonna like other wont, i wont, like i said each is own, i prefer to keep my money and go with WAR.

PS my rig doesnt suck i got

dual Intel Core 2 X6800, GeForce 8800 xfx ultra, and 3,5 GIG of ram.

So i can play it full graphic no lag, but i still think it ugly.

[Veilside]

NDA has just been removed (http://www.hellgatelondon.com/underground/subscribers-and-patch-0)for the beta. So we can actually talk about it properly now :D

[Grimfell Gromgear]

NDA has just been removed (http://www.hellgatelondon.com/underground/subscribers-and-patch-0)for the beta. So we can actually talk about it properly now :D

THEN START TALKING ABOUT IT!

I wants to know how it is >.>

[Veilside]

THEN START TALKING ABOUT IT!

I wants to know how it is >.>

Having only played it for about 2 days, I haven't gotten all that far yet, my guardian's level 13 so many of the high level skills are unnataiable yet (and beta is capped at level 22, some skills require level 30). The game is very similar to Diablo, extremely item dependent and really quite easy at the beggining. Maybe a little too easy so far, but then I haven't had a chance to try a harder difficulty mode.
There's a huge variety of weapons, with some being far more useful than others (splash damage weapons in particular, I've found).
The weapon upgrade system is pretty good, though I never have enough cash to actually upgrade decent base equipment (20+ k palladium for legendary upgrades, with some items being upgradeable 6 times).
Basically, if you enjoy playing D2, odds are, you'll enjoy playing this.

[Ruinx]

THEN START TALKING ABOUT IT!

I wants to know how it is >.>

What do you want to know? I've mostly played an Evoker so far, and I really enjoyed that, but I'm still a lowbie because I've not had as much time to play as I'd like. The interface and controls are excellent, playing with others is fun. I really love Diablo 2, though, so my opinions may be more biased than those of others.

Items drop in various grades. You can either sell them or break them up for crafting parts. You can craft in town using a horadric-cube like device or by giving the bits to NPCs to make specific things for you. The shops sell weapons that are often an upgrade (just like at the start of Diablo 2). Evokers and Demonologist (or whatever they're called) use weapons called "Focus Drives" primarily, which allow them to cast spells, and are like a melee's weapon in that, the better a Focus Drive you have, the more damage your spells do (thus making casters almost as gear-dependant as melees - this is both good and bad). You can also "buy" attributes on a weapon (I think it's a random roll, Charsi-stylez), but I've not tried that yet (I really should).

The mobs vary wildly in size, shape, behaviour, and armament. From classic-style zombies, to tiny little poisonous worms and wierd little biting things, to truly massive creatures (like, huuuuuuuge). Some melee, some fire weapons or spells. Some are beasts, others clearly sentient. Some just have health, some have shields too (just like you).

Speaking of which, you have three main "resources". Health, Mana (I forget the exact term, Power perhaps) and Shield. Your shield is a sort of "pre-Health" resource which regenerates rapidly. Your health doesn't naturally regen, but the shield does. Your Mana regens quite fast, and relates to your willpower.

Grrrr I want to play it more but I'm 98% certain the servers are down whilst they're updating it.

Ask away though, and I'll answer if I can.

NoneSuch - Well, if you're talking about Tabula Rasa, the NDA has been lifted, and if you're talking about AoC, I'll believe it when I see it, and if you're talking about some other MMO, well, cool, but I have no idea what that would be so <shrug>. If you're talking about Mythos well >.> Yeah, still NDA'd. Lalala.

Gurgotz - Man, if you think this game is "like WoW", you're living an excitingly alternate universe from em.

The game is very similar to Diablo, extremely item dependent and really quite easy at the beggining. Maybe a little too easy so far, but then I haven't had a chance to try a harder difficulty mode.

I found the difficulty varied pretty wildly with different character classes. I mean, I may be odd, but I found Evoker a lot easier than Marksman (and it ain't that I can't shoot straight, I've been playing HL2 all week and have deadly aim - it's just harder to make things dead with the Marksman abilities imho - esp. with the slightly odd usage of a Rainbow Six-style "widening cross-hairs" as your gun fires more). Haven't tried the melees yet though. Stupid three character slots.

[Veilside]

I've only tried a guardian so far and it's definitely an easy class to play, stuns are way too powerful at the moment.
I've been reading that the marksman has probably getting rid of enemy shields, and that the evoker kills very quickly, I should really start a new character.

[Gurgotz Ironchewer]

Gurgotz - Man, if you think this game is "like WoW", you're living an excitingly alternate universe from em.


im not saying this game is like WoW, im saying im done of mob grinding, like this game, anyway i dont like it case closed im sure other people will like it a plenty but to me this game doesnt have any appeal what so-ever.

[Axxar]

Now that the NDA has been lifted I can safely say HGL rocks, and I'm definetly going to buy it. It starts off a bit slow but once you get to levels 8+ it starts getting more intense. Combat varies from small groups of tougher opponents to big swarms of small opponents. I've played mostly a marksman and really enjoy running and gunning in 3rd person. I've got a sniper rifle and rocket launcher that I alternate depending on situation - sniper in most situations and the rocket launcher against swarms. Trying out a guardian now and finding the melee combat fun as well - shield bashing the tough ones and killing them during stun or just hopping around chopping at them one at a time, and got an extra shield boost for when I can't avoid multiple monsters hitting me. Graphics are great and the atmosphere is just perfect except for the friendly NPCs which are quite silly and don't really do much for keeping the dark mood the rest of the game offers. The skill trees don't seem to have as many options as the Diablo II skill trees did, but is more free-form instead of having nearly everything require points in previous skills.

The in-game advertisements seem to take place in the form of posters in the subways. They seem like they belong there and are just part of the detail rather than being annoying. I can run the game perfect with everything maxed, so I can imagine lower end computers can find the game very playable on lower settings. I'm already hooked on this addictive game - I love that you have to actually aim when using guns, and the melee combat is also quite fun, even if it's somewhat simple.

Looting is pretty easy, you just stand near the loot and press the loot key. Money is automatically looted when you pass near it. There's no repairing. It seems like practically all weapons are moddable (as in have slots where you can put in special kinds of ammo, batteries, scopes etc).

[Grimfell Gromgear]

Well I gotta say the demo made me decide I'm definitely buying it. I went for the Blademaster first and had fun, but picking up the marksman fealt like a whole different game. I'm definitely going to play that or an Engineer, it just... fealt right to be shooting and experiencing the game from the first person view.

But yeah, I can already see just from the small sample what the game is got going for it (in terms of potential for growth... can't wait to take on bigger enemy swarms.)

So yeah, definitely going to be putting in some hours on this baby.

[Veilside]

I just got a beta invite for Mythos as well so here's hoping that's as good as HGL.
And for the hours i've played HGL i'm yet to see any advertising, so it really isn't in your face.

[Garthilk]

Warhammer (http://youtube.com/watch?v=bW7NFEqdvn4) needs merchants like this.

[Veilside]

Warhammer (http://youtube.com/watch?v=bW7NFEqdvn4) needs merchants like this.

It needs that woman merchant that has some great lines.
"is that a gun in your pocket or are you just happy to see me"

[Graven]

OMG, a demo of Hellgate! I'm gonna go register (finally) at gamespot, I have to try it! I just hope it runs at least somewhat smoothly... please let it do so ...

[Crusader]

It runs on fairly well on outdated machines. Long load times but still runs well.

[Grimfell Gromgear]

It runs on fairly well on outdated machines. Long load times but still runs well.

Indeed, my computer isn't all that hot and I had no troubles with the demo whatsoever.

[Kinski]

I just finished the demo. Fun stuff.

Although, I had a graphic problem, my characters and NPCs were all coloured black (like somehow the textures never loaded for them). The environment and monsters all loaded normally...weird. It kinda put me off - maybe I just need a newer video card (I have a 256mb pci-x Radeon x550, usually runs everything fine).

Finished, uninstalled to make space for Civ 4. I miss it. :)

[1337mojo]

I'm stuck on the demo -_-

Where do I go in the convent garden approach?
The tunnels are just a dead end is that it?

[Veilside]

I'm stuck on the demo -_-

Where do I go in the convent garden approach?
The tunnels are just a dead end is that it?

I haven't played the demo but looking at a quick guide for it that appears to be the end of it.

[1337mojo]

Oh well that sucks it doesn't even tell you its the end in game.
>.>

[Nerissa]

Oh well that sucks it doesn't even tell you its the end in game.
>.>

That's kinda silly. Usually demos tell you when it's the end.

[Graven]

Oh well that sucks it doesn't even tell you its the end in game.
>.>

Yeah, I was wondering about that too, a weird decision there. The game itself looks pretty neat, though, and people are saying the game itself is much more interesting than the demo (makes sense :) )

[1337mojo]

I just randomly got into beta this morning O.o awesome.
Also I don't even remember signing up for it I must have done it months ago well at least I get to play it till the end of the month :P

[Veilside]

I just randomly got into beta this morning O.o awesome.
Also I don't even remember signing up for it I must have done it months ago well at least I get to play it till the end of the month :P

Beta will close down on friday, it'll open again for a while sometime before release though.
Existing characters will be wiped while those created in the last run of tests will be carried through.

[1337mojo]

Beta will close down on friday

Why do that?
I mean.... thats just mean....

[Chrismorris]

Played the demo the other day at it look pretty good, Tho hasnt made me want to buy the game. Going to buy COD4 when it comes out then wait for my new PC to arrive then get crisis and play that along with maybe hellgate untill WAR comes out.


Is it me or do the days seem to be gettin longer the closer the release date comes :(

[1337mojo]

Played the demo the other day at it look pretty good, Tho hasnt made me want to buy the game. Going to buy COD4 when it comes out then wait for my new PC to arrive then get crisis and play that along with maybe hellgate untill WAR comes out.


Is it me or do the days seem to be gettin longer the closer the release date comes :(

COD 4 is pretty awesome way better then medal of honor as usual.

[Chrismorris]

COD 4 is pretty awesome way better then medal of honor as usual.

Yea played the COD4 demo, Single player loots good but Multiplayer looks like its going to be Sweet

[Axxar]

Grrrr I want to play it more but I'm 98% certain the servers are down whilst they're updating it.Haha, my main issue with the beta is that I don't want to spend it before I get the full version, so I parked my marksman at level 16 and refuse to play any further. Instead I'm trying out the various classes. I got my engineer to level 9 and so far it's my favourite class - but I'll stop playing it when I reach the same point as my marksman.

[Cookster5]

Just read the review in the UK PC Gamer magazine....they gave it 73%.....

They say...

It's
- Hack and slash
- Shoot and loot
- Spell and steal

It's Not
- An RPG classic
- A great shooter
- A great compromise

Ho hum!

[Ruinx]

Just read the review in the UK PC Gamer magazine....they gave it 73%.....

They say...

It's
- Hack and slash
- Shoot and loot
- Spell and steal

It's Not
- An RPG classic
- A great shooter
- A great compromise

Ho hum!

Sounds not dissimilar to a lot of D2's reviews. Back then, an awful lot of magazines were keen to say that it "wasn't a classic" and the like. Some of the criticisms I've heard from the review are at odds with the beta, so they must have played a different version (the gold version, maybe).

I do agree that it's not a "great shooter" in the classic sense, but I wonder if the reviewers were a bit confused if they were expecting it to be. It's hack & slash RPG, not a shooter, even if it looks like one at times.

[Grimfell Gromgear]

Just like Diablo 2, it doesn't have to be amazing. It has to be fun if it wants to succeed.

That's what Diablo 2 understood, fun. Killing hordes of enemies, firing off enjoyable skills, collecting increasingly better gear (randomly too, so it was always a welcome suprise), and palpably feeling awesome (Something the Devil May Cry series picked up on), is what made Diablo 2 the longlived game it is.

So far, Hellgates had that 'fun' quality for me, we'll see how long it lasts.

[Veilside]

Just like Diablo 2, it doesn't have to be amazing. It has to be fun if it wants to succeed.

That's what Diablo 2 understood, fun. Killing hordes of enemies, firing off enjoyable skills, collecting increasingly better gear (randomly too, so it was always a welcome suprise), and palpably feeling awesome (Something the Devil May Cry series picked up on), is what made Diablo 2 the longlived game it is.

So far, Hellgates had that 'fun' quality for me, we'll see how long it lasts.

That's exactly why D2 is fun, let's just hope the endgame isn't the same boss run that D2 engame is.

[ManiaCCC]

Just read the review in the UK PC Gamer magazine....they gave it 73%.....

They say...

It's
- Hack and slash
- Shoot and loot
- Spell and steal

It's Not
- An RPG classic
- A great shooter
- A great compromise

Ho hum!

Diablo 2 in time of release got avarage 60-70%. Rarely above 70 or 80% .. History is repeating. :)

[Ruinx]

Just like Diablo 2, it doesn't have to be amazing. It has to be fun if it wants to succeed.

That's what Diablo 2 understood, fun. Killing hordes of enemies, firing off enjoyable skills, collecting increasingly better gear (randomly too, so it was always a welcome suprise), and palpably feeling awesome (Something the Devil May Cry series picked up on), is what made Diablo 2 the longlived game it is.

So far, Hellgates had that 'fun' quality for me, we'll see how long it lasts.

Yeah, the Devil May Cry comparison is the one thing that makes me worry, and think that HG:L, unless they "change it up" a lot with patches, won't be as successful. It's not as "WAHOO!" kind of fun as DMC or Diablo 2, where you're hacking up dozens of monsters at once. It's more controlled and thoughtful, and a little less mindless, which can make some imperfections stand out more.

Still, I'd give it a lot more than 73%, reviewing on gameplay.

[Axxar]

Been trying out the blademaster and really like this class. Charging around like mad doing sweeping strikes. I got the Aura of Power on so I have no problem spamming special attacks. I think they also increased monster count in the test center as I often found myself surrounded by monsters which I hadn't seen happen before at low levels. Fortunately nothing sweeping strike and rapid sword attack thingy can't handle! It's great to charge into a zerg of mobs and then watching them all die as you perform the Twirl of Death (tm). If you know those lizardlike guys that teleport in out of nowhere, usually in packs of 3 - they seem to be in packs of 9 now, pretty funny when two groups spawn simultaneously. So far engineer and blademaster seem the classes for me. I need to do a serious tryout on the guardian, though. Magazines can rate the game 5% for all I care. I'm loving it. There's room for improvement but that's true for all games.

[Allmightybob]

Hellgate: London is mediocre. Pretty much how I felt about Diablo 2 back in the day. It's low on strategy and high on mindless killing. The only real difference I noticed is that Hellgate: London was about 10 times easier, I think I took damage twice the entire demo.

A 50-60% rating feels about right.

[Ruinx]

Hellgate: London is mediocre. Pretty much how I felt about Diablo 2 back in the day. It's low on strategy and high on mindless killing. The only real difference I noticed is that Hellgate: London was about 10 times easier, I think I took damage twice the entire demo.

A 50-60% rating feels about right.

If you thought D2 was bad, though, you're automatically disqualified from reviewing HG:L accurately, though. The demo is also a lot lower on strategy than the game itself.

God, can you imagine if people reviewed on the basis of Act 1, maps 1 & 2 of Diablo 2, with a level limit of say, 4? It'd have gotten about 20%.

[ManiaCCC]

If you thought D2 was bad, though, you're automatically disqualified from reviewing HG:L accurately, though. The demo is also a lot lower on strategy than the game itself.

God, can you imagine if people reviewed on the basis of Act 1, maps 1 & 2 of Diablo 2, with a level limit of say, 4? It'd have gotten about 20%.

Exactly.. :)

Anyway, anyone who is playing beta on test server with patch 0 must agree that game is much much better than few days ago. Improved FPS, improved graphics, improved difficulty, improved items (just more type of items)..and some another new features.. I really like it.

[Veilside]

European beta invites were sent out, got mine today and been playing on there with a new character, the game is much better now than it was a few days ago, which is great.
I found a cricket bat, single best weapon in the game :D

[Astro]

Wow the patch notes are insane too. Everything is improved. Especially Directx10 improvments.

But best of all, they put in Duels and FFA PvP. That makes me happy. They also added achievments similar to Xbox live's achievments as well more variety in monsters.

Theres a million and one other things too, just check the forums!

[Pugslah]

I got a European Beta Invite, but I live in the U.S. :confused:

[Browncoat-WHA]

I would be tempted to try this out but the subscription system, although I understand why it's in place, kind of turns me off. I would like to play the game and have fun with it but I don't know if the subscription model really is appealing since non-subscribers don't get the content delivery, which is the most glaring difference. The model is workable in MMO's, but in an action RPG like this one I'm really not too sure.

I may try the demo but having to subscribe to get the updated content will probably turn me away from buying the actual game.

[Nightsoldier]

Me personalyt, im not to worried about the updated content. This will just be my MMO fix until War comes out. I dont think il miss out on too much in 4 or 5 months without patches. Depending on leveling time that might be 3 or 4 to max level.

I totaly get what your saying though. After reading through notes it seems like the game is kinda gonna suck unless you subscrice. Alot of the best features seem to be kinda for the subscribers.

[Gorrr]

thanks for the heads up. that kills the game for me aswell. can't believe people just throw away their rights like that... /sigh

i so agree

I m not even buying the game now =/
Gonna pick up some warhammer strategies or maybe some warhammer books >_<

[Koot]

I'm not really understanding the problem with this adware business, I played the beta over at a friend's place a few nights back and the only advertisement that stuck out at me was a Nvidia poster at one of the safe outpost-like underground tunnels. It's just like an ordinary subway station.

Anyone that actually knows what they are talking about care to explain this to me?

[mongoose]

Uh, Garth, and any others freaking out about this, I strongly recommend you play the demo and see exactly how intrusive/unintrusive the ads are. I didn't even notice them until they were pointed out to me, personally, and they're grimy, torn things that fit in with the general ambience pretty damn well, at this stage.

Actually I couldnt care less about the Ads.....its the other link Garth posted that I have a real issue with......

3. Consent to Use of Data. You agree that EA, its affiliates, and each Related Party may collect, use, store and transmit technical and related information that identifies your computer, including without limitation your Internet Protocol address, operating system, application software and peripheral hardware, that may be gathered periodically to facilitate the provision of software updates, dynamically served content, product support and other services to you, including online play. EA and/or the Related Parties may also use this information in the aggregate and, in a form which does not personally identify you, to improve our products and services and we may share that aggregate data with our third party service providers.

Someone on that site attempted to downplay the implications of this clause by basically saying, "its really no different than any other EULA" but thats complete BS.

Sure, scan my system to see if Im using 3rd party cheats but to collect, store, use and transmit related information (which is a fairly ambiguious term) not to mention who EA deems an "affiliate". Another highly suspect scentence, ...and other services to you could mean just about anything THEY deem a potential service. Yeah, no thanks.

Im sorry but the terms of this are WAY too far reaching and vague in scope for my tastes.

I wont consider playing this game until they are willing to revise the wording of their EULA.

[Lorik]

HGL Rocks my face.

It's a get-on-and-get-off type game that you can play with your guildies when you're not capping a city in RvR. A shoot-and-talk type of game.

Oh, and 'vokers are overpowered. Just get past lvl 11.

[Veilside]

How hard is it for people to read the official HGL site rather than just all the rumous all over the net.
EULA explained (http://www.hellgatelondon.com/underground/eula-explanation)

We want to make something very clear. We are in no way scanning your computers for your personal information or taking any personal information without your knowledge. The only time that Flagship or Ping0 would collect your personally identifiable information is when you actually decide to give it to us. Examples are when you create an account for Hellgate: London online or when you provide us your personal information when you enter a contest. The language in the portion of the EULA that has been cited is actually fairly standardized language that is used in the vast majority of EULAs for recent on-line software. It was unfortunately also somewhat broad in scope and potentially ambiguous in nature in an attempt to keep the legalese at a minimum.

This catch-all statement was included so that we have the ability to determine if someone is using hacks, unauthorized mods or other abusive applications while playing the game which spoils the gameplay for everyone else. We also use this catch-all to protect other parties offering technical support, such as our online provider, Ping0. This is a completely legitimate function and other leaders in the MMO space do it in an effort to stop hackers and provide better technical support. In order to stop hacks and cheats, as well as attempts at outright fraud, we may need the ability to scan our player’s computers for applications running at the same time as our game. This paragraph was designed to be able to allow for such functionality. It is also important to point out that EA does not determine what we do in regards to online and offline for our game security.


This whole thing is being completely blown out of proportion by a bunch of anti-EA fanboys.

[Garthilk]

Well, anyone who gets into the game, add me to your friends list. Avatar name is "Garthilk". Also, would anyone be interested in a WAR Hellgate Guild?

[Axxar]

Sure, why not. There'd have to be an EU version of the guild though ;) I seriously can't wait for friday - I hope lag/crashes on launch day won't make the game unplayable, though. At least I can always get a fix offline until that wears off. Currently I've decided my first two characters are going to be a Guardian and then an Engineer. Possibly I'll switch between them a bit to make sure they're close to each other in levels. It should give me a nice switch between melee and gunning.

[Darlos]

thanks for the heads up. that kills the game for me aswell. can't believe people just throw away their rights like that... /sigh

Hate to sound rude but

"zomg der iz a c0ke advert in da game ZOMG DA GAM I0Z RUINEDZ!11!oneoneeleven"

[Veilside]

Muahahahaha, Archaon is mine on the EU server :o

[Captbigbeard]

I played the demo and wasn't impressed what so ever. I don't really like mindless hack and slash games. I want story and depth. Plus I'm not really getting into the whole background of the game. Demons, zombies, ect take over london... kill them. The game does look damn pretty, the action seems like it could hold great promise at higher levs, and it really does seem made for multiplayer kick action, but still not my cup of tea.

Of course it is a demo, and many RPGs have very poor first levels. So I'll keep an eye on this one. This whole subscription thing though, well that has me a bit worried. Dosen't seem like a game you subscribe to. I hope this isn't becoming a trend.

[Dracius]

*edited for content*

[Axxar]

The first levels, which are the ones in the demo, are pretty boring. The demo doesn't do the game justice at all.

[senmance]

A bunch of my guildies are playing it but I'm going to return my preorder when it arrives in the mail. The game was ok, nothing special, but it was super easy and unless you pay the subscription you won't have any sort of challenge. It just wasn't interesting enough at the core to make me want to pay, all I did was left click to shoot my gun for hours on end, so it's going back to the store.

[Grimfell Gromgear]

The games proper is alright, nothing spectacular. I don't think I'll bother subscribing but I'll run through it till I get bored with it which will probably be just around the time Mass Effect is out.

I don't know, it feels... unifinished in a lot of respects.

[SirSeptin]

I am having so much fun with it.......

Woot for hack and slash!:D

Most fun I've had in AAAAGGGGEES.

Story and depth is all good and well, but I only look and expect them in a game that tries to convey them. Not a game that makes a main point of being all about killing hordes of demons.

add Septin on the euro server if you want. :)

[Axxar]

Does anyone remember the Duriel fight in Diablo II? If you had a crap computer like I did back then, he would beat the living crap out of your character while you were still loading the graphics. Once you could see anything other than a completely black screen, your character would often already be dead.

[Seventh Child]

The games proper is alright, nothing spectacular. I don't think I'll bother subscribing but I'll run through it till I get bored with it which will probably be just around the time Mass Effect is out.

I don't know, it feels... unifinished in a lot of respects. I agree with you. I feel they really wanted to get that Halloween release and ended up having to push out a rushed product. They've already released two patches which have addressed a lot of issues (other than the fact that patching can be a very hit or miss process) which shows they are capable, just maybe that they didn't have the time. I'm considering just leaving the game for about a month, then coming back to patch it up when the rough launch has been smoothed out. Well, I would do that...but so far the Single Player keeps sucking me in >_>

[Roargh]

The more i play the more bugs and crashes show up.
It is a sad fact that this game is out in the stores.

Gameplay is mad fun but damn, die ers for releasing this.

[Captbigbeard]

Looks like the game is getting some reviews. I know, I know, you can't always trust reviews, blah, blah, blah. But I find that when the scores are low the game just ain't that great. Unlike a movie it's a little easier to grade a game.

Come over to the dark side.... come over to The Witcher ;).

[ManiaCCC]

To be honest :) Hellgate london is more fun for me as Witcher. I am sure, when i will be bored with hellgate, i try Wticher again :).. but.. it will take a while.

Anyway, some reviews are just horible. Not because the game but because for really stupid arguments of some reviewers.

The score of HGL london is somewhere between 6-8 (depends if you are fan of Diablo or not).. but i am sure it will change later when game will be fixed and added additional content. Like DIablo 2. On release 6-7/10, after expansion 9-10/10 :) Witcher score for me is somewhere between 7-8. But problem is that witcher will stay a same. :S

[Captbigbeard]

To be honest :) Hellgate london is more fun for me as Witcher. I am sure, when i will be bored with hellgate, i try Wticher again :).. but.. it will take a while.

Anyway, some reviews are just horible. Not because the game but because for really stupid arguments of some reviewers.

The score of HGL london is somewhere between 6-8 (depends if you are fan of Diablo or not).. but i am sure it will change later when game will be fixed and added additional content. Like DIablo 2. On release 6-7/10, after expansion 9-10/10 :) Witcher score for me is somewhere between 7-8. But problem is that witcher will stay a same. :S

You forget the witcher is the neverwinter engine, and the devlopers say they have big plans for custimization... so we're looking at tons of mods. If anything the witcher will change far more than hellgate. I'm not a fan of dumb hack and slash, I like a good story, and fighting that requires thinking. Witcher has both, hellgate has niether. Plus after the success of The Witcher, I'm sure an expansion is already in the works.

[Wyrmtongue]

Seriously unimpressed with Hellgate, I thought it would offer a lot more than randomised button mashing levels.

Complete meh.

[Seventh Child]

You forget the witcher is the neverwinter engine,

Oh snap, I never knew that. Aurora it's called yeah? Or was that just the toolset they gave out for NWN?

Definitely have to pick up the Witcher now. After a computer upgrade =(

[ManiaCCC]

You forget the witcher is the neverwinter engine, and the devlopers say they have big plans for custimization... so we're looking at tons of mods. If anything the witcher will change far more than hellgate. I'm not a fan of dumb hack and slash, I like a good story, and fighting that requires thinking. Witcher has both, hellgate has niether. Plus after the success of The Witcher, I'm sure an expansion is already in the works.

We will see in November next year. :) Which game will be still played and popular. Maybe both will fail in long-run. And maybe both will be succsessful.

[Sparra]

But that won't matter. WAR will be out by then!

[ManiaCCC]

But that won't matter. WAR will be out by then!

We hope at least :D

[Veilside]

Why are people expecting depth in a hack and slash game? :confused:

[Ruinx]

Why are people expecting depth in a hack and slash game? :confused:

It's a damn fine question really, but I'm not sure there's any good answer.

It's like, what's that phrase, "category error". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category_mistake

People think, because it has levels and equipment in, it must be trying to be Baldur's Gate 2, or DAoC or whatever, but that's a "category mistake". It's not a deep RPG, it's a "hack and slash" game, which is basically the same genre as shoot 'em-ups and beat 'em-ups. I mean, something like Baldur's Gate 2: Dark Alliance (i.e. not the PC BG2) has more in common with Final Fight than it does with the real BG2, so if you play it and then cry about a lack of depth, it merely shows you're confused.

The depth, if there is any, will be in the actual, detailed, second-to-second gameplay, not in the plot or planning or the like.

Diablo 2 is the perfect, still un-matched example here. It's GAMEPLAY is very deep and complex, but in a shooter/fighter-style way, made deeper due to the RPG elements. However, it's plot is straight-foward (if highly original) and the apparent depth is not necessarily great.

I do think HG:L, to judge from the beta, was somewhat lacking in gameplay depth, but here's the thing - D2 doesn't get deep/smart until like level 30+, typically, so that'd be like level 20+ in the beta, and the beta only went to 22 (and I only got to 10!), so I can't really say if HG:L lacks depth.

I notice games mags are mostly holding off reviewing HG:L yet, presumably because they want to get a thorough look at it before they say anything.