Hellgate London Alpha

[Calantus]

Yep, games be expensive here. Plus it was the battlechest.

Amazon would have taken quite a while to get here and still cost a fair bit with enchange and shipping. Not to mention it would require money in the bank that I can allow myself to spend on games. I can spend the coins in the coin drawer because it's like free money (seriously, I've been throwing my coins in there for years and never spent any until now).

[Kitsune]

Oh!  Australia.  So that was like fifteen bucks US, no big deal then.

Actually, I saw the battle chest in Best Buy today, still $40 here.  Scary that people'll still pay that for a game that old.

[schild]

I've spent over $200 on Diablo 2. $50 + $40 for the game + Expansion. Plus 3 $40 battlechests. It's the only game where I continually lose the key.

It's a really good argument for why things like Steam and a static email address are necessities these days.

[Calantus]

It's ancient but it's still the best game of its type and it has a large following to this day.

[MournelitheCalix]

Wait, what? Diablo 2 loot was fun because it was random.

I don't think that is entirely true.  While Diablo 2 did have some parts of the loot generation randomized, in all the time I played D2 I never found items for the class I was playing at the given time (unless I was in multiplayer and then it seemed like the other person found the loot I needed and I found the loot he needed).

I know I wasn't alone in this because I remember seeing many questions posed to the developers of WoW when WoW was in beta, asking if they would only find loot for other classes.

... you do know the whole thing about random and perceptions and whatnot, yea? I recall many instances where my barbarians found barbarian helms and put them on because they were awesome. I'm sure my other characters did too but I don't recall them specifically.

Again that is strange because i remember playing the necromancer and the paladin and finding a lot of barbarian, sorceress, and druid equipment.  I also remember seeing questions about the loot tables on the WoW beta boards.


On an unrelated topic, I went to preorder today and both Ebgames and gamestop (in Illinois outside of St. Louis) told me that they had no promotional codes for Hellgate London and to check back in the first week of October.

[Count Nerfedalot]

Ever seen the look on a cashier's face when you give them $89.95 in 50c, $1, and $2 dollar coins? It's awesome.

Actually it wasn't, I felt like such a dickhead but oh well.

Dang, what did you carry that in, a wheelbarrow?  Is the 50c piece still a half-kilo multi-sided blunt shuriken thing roughly the size of your palm?

[bhodi]

It's a really good argument for why people need to write important shit down and store it somewhere.

FIFY

[MrHat]

http://www.ea.com/article.jsp?id=hg914

Redwood City, Calif.  – September 14, 2007 –  Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS) and NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc. today announced three special pre-order promotions for the highly anticipated action RPG Hellgate™: London  in North America.  Gamers who pre-order either the regular or Collector's Edition of Hellgate: London will receive:

    * A key to an exclusive Beta starting next week and ending October 7, 2007.
    * One of four exclusive dye-kits 1 that will give your hero's gear a cool color theme right off the bat when Hellgate: London officially opens on Halloween.
    * Eligibility to take advantage of the Hellgate: London Founders Offer, giving hardcore players a chance to purchase a lifetime subscription 2 to Hellgate's premium service for $149.99.

Short fucking beta.  2 Weeks!

[sam, an eggplant]

That blows, unless they plan to convert it to an open stress test on 10/7. Which is pretty likely.

[MrHat]

That blows, unless they plan to convert it to an open stress test on 10/7. Which is pretty likely.

Ah, good point.

[sam, an eggplant]

The guys at hellgateguru now believe that beta will begin tomorrow, 9/17, and will run until "close to release" due to the many delays. But that wasn't confirmed by anyone from flagship. So I guess we'll see.

Also beta signups are now active on hellgatelondon.com. The beta (not the alpha) has officially begun.

[UnSub]

Ever seen the look on a cashier's face when you give them $89.95 in 50c, $1, and $2 dollar coins? It's awesome.

Actually it wasn't, I felt like such a dickhead but oh well.

Dang, what did you carry that in, a wheelbarrow?  Is the 50c piece still a half-kilo multi-sided blunt shuriken thing roughly the size of your palm?

You must have tiny hands.

[lamaros]

He lives in Australia.

I live in Australia too. I'm still not paying $90 for Diablo 2.

[Arrrgh]

My beta code from the gamespot preorder just arrived.

[sam, an eggplant]

Congratulations!

Prepare to join the insurrection to save mankind. You have been drafted to lay waste to the demon hordes in Hellgate: London Beta Program

 To become an official member of the Beta program, go to www.hellgatelondon.com/beta and follow the directions there to enter the unique code.

Your unique code is: (no)

The Beta program begins September 17, 2007 and ends on October 7, 2007.

So get in there early and often.

So I'll get home, sign-up for the beta, then cancel my online pre-order and get a local pre-order.

[Jamiko]

And yet I still can't find a pre-order box on the shelf anywhere.

[sam, an eggplant]

Boxes won't be available in stores until 9/24. If you want to get in now, you need to preorder online.

[MrHat]

Online Gamestop preorders require full payment don't they?

[lesion]

Boxes won't be available in stores until 9/24. If you want to get in now, you need to preorder online.

I am such a preorder nublet. classes finished at 12:00, I drive down to EB and put $10 on Hellgate thinking I've won at life.

all I have won is a receipt.

[sam, an eggplant]

Thats fine. Just order it online from gamestop, get your key, sign up for the beta, then cancel the online preorder.

It's illegal to charge consumers until the product is shipped.

[schild]

So Doing That.

[MrHat]

Eh, I'll just wait.

[Yegolev]

I think I see a hook in that worm.

[schild]

Heavens, a hook in that worm? What sort of voodoo is that? Alls I see is a purple bait of +7 penguing slaying.

[Yegolev]

I am not discouraging you.  By all means, go for it.  I'll be here or on AIM when you get back.

[schild]

I'm at work :( :( :( :( I might not even bother because of the TF2 beta.

[MrHat]

I'm at work :( :( :( :( I might not even bother because of the TF2 beta.

Yup.  That's my decision.  I'll do TF2 this week, and worry about HGL next week.

[Yegolev]

Oh, Jesus, SORRY, I meant I was going to be getting killed in TF2, not twiddling my balls on AIM.

[Threash]

How long did it take from pre ordering to getting the beta invite?

[schild]

This is the important question, I think.

[sam, an eggplant]

I preordered a couple of days ago, sorry. No clue.

[schild]

SOMEONE BE A TEST CASE. PREORDER NOW, COUNT THE MINUTES.

[Threash]

SOMEONE BE A TEST CASE. PREORDER NOW, COUNT THE MINUTES.

I pre ordered about 5 mins before i asked the question, ill let you know.

[schild]

Nice one.

[Miasma]

I pre-ordered at about 1:00 EDT from ebgames.com.  I imagine they have a batch program that runs once in a while, hopefully at least once a day...