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f13.net  |  f13.net General Forums  |  The Gaming Graveyard  |  Hellgate: London  |  Topic: First Hellgate Reviews Start to Roll In (and for those of you on the fence) 0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.
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Author Topic: First Hellgate Reviews Start to Roll In (and for those of you on the fence)  (Read 135639 times)
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Reply #70 on: November 01, 2007, 11:27:29 PM

Also, the 'hype' has been building for so long, it had petered out quite a bit by the time of actual launch.

This, I do not agree with.

The hype for this game was half as long as most MMOGs.

Of course, lulz, it's only half-MMO.

I don't think MMOs get any real benefit out of launching their marketing campaign 3 years before they even have a beta product. It also provides a lot of time for people to get distracted by other things or for your key features to get trumped by someone else.

For instance, if I want demon fighting, Jericho looks like a better bet.

However, I think we agree that the marketing for HG:L was seven different types of tragedy.

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Reply #71 on: November 02, 2007, 12:33:23 AM

Jericho isn't a better bet.

Painkiller Overdose is though.

Also, loot. So, Hellgate wins.
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Reply #72 on: November 02, 2007, 06:43:39 AM

Jericho isn't a better bet.

Painkiller Overdose is though.

Also, loot. So, Hellgate wins.

Jericho isn't a good bet, but it's a better bet than HG:L.

Also, loot means fuck all during CTDs, memory leaks and bugged quests that stop character progress dead.

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Reply #73 on: November 02, 2007, 06:50:08 AM

Actually you're wrong. Loot is still awesome. Awesome loot is awesome. Much like Longcat is looooong.

Also, the load times make me not be bothered too much by the crashes and memory leaks. Today I never actually experienced the memory leak even though there wasn't a patch. It may have something to do with the number of people in an instance at any given time, 99% of the crashes I had were in Charing Cross.
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Reply #74 on: November 02, 2007, 07:46:49 AM

Charing Cross is where my memory leak CTD incidents occurred as well.

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Reply #75 on: November 02, 2007, 12:21:42 PM

Also, the load times make me not be bothered too much by the crashes and memory leaks.

Someone bashed in my head with a baton so now it doesn't bother me at all that people keep stepping on my toes. Or is it the other way around?
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Reply #76 on: November 02, 2007, 03:43:22 PM

Also, the load times make me not be bothered too much by the crashes and memory leaks.

Someone bashed in my head with a baton so now it doesn't bother me at all that people keep stepping on my toes. Or is it the other way around?

Nah, this is more like struggling with a fast-loading version of Bloodlines for me. It just loads really really fast.
fuser
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Reply #77 on: November 05, 2007, 04:36:59 AM

(Disclaimer: I had no expectations when purchasing this game, and I really think word of mouth advertising on this game is very low.)

 Been playing the game for a bit, experienced the CTD, memory leak (do not even try this game with 1gb or less of ram), and stuck problems. Something else I found is running a bittorrent session along with the game severely effects lag, but it usually doesn't effect games such as eq2/wow as drastic.

 Overall, even with the terrible chat/guild system/bugs I'm really enjoying the game. The main story is pretty good with the conclusion of act 2 (314 quests) being the funnest time playing an "Action-RPG"(or wtf its called) in a while.  I have been able to play it every time I sat down (exception of lolpatch), without any lag or server crashes or fuss. If a friend logs on we group hit party portal and I'm instantly helping him on his quests and we both have separate loot tables.

What really shocks me is the vile in which people speak of the game. It's like this guy looks legit showed up, stole their ice cream and proceeded to violate them six ways from sunday.


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Reply #78 on: November 05, 2007, 04:41:51 AM

You know. Someone had to point the ads out to me.

I don't know why people keep complaining about the fucking ads. They're goddamn motherfucking elegant. If all in-game advertising were like this and developers could make an extra buck, I say do it. Even show it to subscribers. It's hard enough to make money in the industry. We don't need a bunch of self-righteous motherfuckers running around saying ads are ruining games. Ads before movies, in magazines, in cd cases, on tv, etc. You pay for all of that. Games are a natural extension of it. And I welcome it with open arms. As for some of the EA ads that have been put in games, whoa hey, look at me, still don't care. If I made games and could elegantly put some adds in with the razor sharp non-interruptive precision that the Flagship guys did it, I'd have them in faster than you can say moneyhat.
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Reply #79 on: November 05, 2007, 05:02:22 AM

You know. Someone had to point the ads out to me.

If I made games and could elegantly put some adds in with the razor sharp non-interruptive precision that the Flagship guys did it, I'd have them in faster than you can say moneyhat.

I had this exact same discussion at work.

A co-worker brought up the point over lunch about how terrible it was, and how this game is crap because of it. We tried to list a few games without product placement over the past few years and honestly I cannot confirm how little there were(I argued portal had advertisement from the American egg board due to all the cake references). The ad's in this game fit in so well and unintrusive its a moot point.
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Reply #80 on: November 05, 2007, 05:42:02 AM

The subway ads are ok. I find it strange why people hate ads like that, it fits.  Funny thing is I brought up the point on City of Heroes as well, there's a lot of 'fictional' billboards all over the city...why not get some ad revenue by putting Coca Cola or something like that? ....Everyone just went  Mob  like the ads raped their mother.  undecided

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Reply #81 on: November 05, 2007, 06:21:42 AM

Personally I don't mind the ads in Hellgate , espcecially since they are so well implemented as schild has said.  I am suprised howerver that Flagship didn't leverage the general hatred for ads among the gamers by making it a subscriber perk to have an option to remove them, like NCsoft does with Dungeon Runners and for Exteel  (assuming it will be the same).  I think it would have had a perceived value for many people and removed some of the hate , because at the end of the day the free part of the revenue model has to be supported some how.  Gamers understand this as in, don't like the ads then pay up or shut up.

I mean come on, if it wasn't for ads I would have a small penis and I wouldn't have that big chunk of money coming to me from Dr. Ubutu Bungdooku in Nigeria




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Reply #82 on: November 05, 2007, 09:28:44 AM

It is kind of odd that in a post-hellspawn apocolypse there are Alienware ads in the subway.  Are they supposed to be left over from before portals from hell opened and demons swallowed the surface of the Earth?  Or did Alienware employees, upon hearing of the rift, activate contingency plan 1 and make their way to the emergency demon-proof bunker so that they could continue to crank out game-worthy computer equipement. 

I'm not really pointing that out to be a lore whore or anything, and it doesn't bother me at all.  In no way do I have some high-minded moral objection.  I just thought it was kind of odd.  So I actually took the time to check them out to find out who's after our money.  Only other time I really pay attention to an ad is if it is funny and/or during the Superbowl. 

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Reply #83 on: November 05, 2007, 09:47:09 AM

I don't notice them in-game, I didn't even know they were paid ads until I read it somewhere here, I thought they were just there to make the stations look more realistic.  What I want to get rid of are the half dozen damn intro movies I have to escape through everytime I start the game, usually they are just bink files I can delete but not this time.
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Reply #84 on: November 05, 2007, 09:54:01 AM

If an ad is part of the background environment and not a flash across my screen obscuring everything else, I could care less if they are there. Especially in a modern urban environment- ads are EVERYWHERE in cities. Not having them is actually more jarring, and having fictional ones is like setting fire to money.

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Reply #85 on: November 05, 2007, 10:18:21 AM

I thought it was kind of cool how they did the ads, totally not in-my-face. I didn't even notice them for a while. My favorite so far is the tattered cover of the PC Gamer Hellgate issue that was framed and on the wall of a destroyed building.
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Reply #86 on: November 05, 2007, 09:05:23 PM

The subway ads are ok. I find it strange why people hate ads like that, it fits.  Funny thing is I brought up the point on City of Heroes as well, there's a lot of 'fictional' billboards all over the city...why not get some ad revenue by putting Coca Cola or something like that? ....Everyone just went  Mob  like the ads raped their mother.  undecided


There are some people of the CoH/V forums (in fact, probably everywhere) who are very vocally against ads in games. But it's too late - there are advergames (which suck, sure), there is product placement in games and their are a lot of different sponsorships for ads in games that are coming up.

From a survey I read earlier on this year (from a website that may be biased to this kind of thing), about 40% of MMO players don't want ads in-game, about 45% don't mind provided it fits in neatly to the game and the rest don't care. Provided a game launches with ads neatly intergrated into the experience, I don't think there is an issue. Ad revenue can provide a nice income boost to the games that have them.

The only issue becomes if games become so addicted to ad income that they start skewing content to suit advertisers. That's where it starts to cross the line.

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Reply #87 on: November 06, 2007, 05:57:32 AM

I don't notice them in-game, I didn't even know they were paid ads until I read it somewhere here, I thought they were just there to make the stations look more realistic.  What I want to get rid of are the half dozen damn intro movies I have to escape through everytime I start the game, usually they are just bink files I can delete but not this time.

The choose multiplayer from the launcher, escape the six movies, choose multiplayer again thing bugs me way more than the presence of some posters for real products scattered around the game.  In fact they are so well integrated and nonintrusive that II didn't even realize there were adds in game until someone mentioned it here, which seems to defeat the purpose of having adds but I'll let the people paying for them worry about that.
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Reply #88 on: November 06, 2007, 10:24:12 AM

What I want to get rid of are the half dozen damn intro movies I have to escape through everytime I start the game, usually they are just bink files I can delete but not this time.

There are intro movies? Perhaps it's because I was in the beta, but I don't see any intro movies at all. Also, I thought there was a single player option but I only get the multiplayer option. And yes, I did buy the box and activate my key. I don't really care, but it seemed odd to me.
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Reply #89 on: November 06, 2007, 10:32:53 AM

What I want to get rid of are the half dozen damn intro movies I have to escape through everytime I start the game, usually they are just bink files I can delete but not this time.

There are intro movies? Perhaps it's because I was in the beta, but I don't see any intro movies at all. Also, I thought there was a single player option but I only get the multiplayer option. And yes, I did buy the box and activate my key. I don't really care, but it seemed odd to me.

If you install the client from the DVD you get intro movies and also crappy little cut screens at the end of each act. Also, you get the option to play singleplayer.
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Reply #90 on: November 06, 2007, 11:45:56 AM

You get all that when you use the EA Trojan Spyware Asswipey Piece of Shitey Crap thing to download the retail version, too.  The movie is nice.   smiley  Single Player game... not so much.

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Reply #91 on: November 06, 2007, 11:55:50 AM

You get all that when you use the EA Trojan Spyware Asswipey Piece of Shitey Crap thing to download the retail version, too.  The movie is nice.   smiley  Single Player game... not so much.

Sorry, let me amend that. You get it any time you install the "release" version of the game. Some people from beta just continued using the beta build which is the online part of the game with no cinematics.
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Reply #92 on: November 06, 2007, 11:59:45 AM

What's wrong with the single player game?  I've played it a few times when I couldn't get to the server and it seems to work fine, granted I'm only up to level 8 or something so I'm not too far in.
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Reply #93 on: November 06, 2007, 12:15:32 PM

There's just no reason whatsoever to play the Single Player part of the game.
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Reply #94 on: November 06, 2007, 12:36:20 PM

OK, then I guess I can just keep playing on the updated beta version then. Not sure I see a benefit to installing off the DVD at this time.
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Reply #95 on: November 07, 2007, 08:43:13 PM

OK, then I guess I can just keep playing on the updated beta version then. Not sure I see a benefit to installing off the DVD at this time.

I suppose if you never want to know the plot that is a good idea.

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Reply #96 on: November 07, 2007, 10:56:56 PM

Finally got my mitts on the retail copy.  I ordered slow shipping to save a few bucks.  Never again.

I've only one thing to say about it that hasn't been said yet:

After so many times of seeing it not make a difference, It amazes me when the release build really is significantly better than what I was using at the end of the beta.   The retail game to find something much more efficient.  I can actually run this sucka at pretty high detail and 1280x800 resolution without significant lag.  On my ATI Radeon 1600XT.

Looking forward to seeing what happens after Act 3.  Haven't bothered to shell out for a subscription yet - it's not like I can get into Elite or Hardcore modes until I finish the normal mode anyway.
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Reply #97 on: November 08, 2007, 10:40:29 AM

There's just no reason whatsoever to play the Single Player part of the game.

I dunno, you typically can't talk to or see any other players due to bugs and stupid design decisions.

Going single player and skipping any lag issues might be an idea...

Quote
Some people from beta just continued using the beta build which is the online part of the game with no cinematics.

And some people can't see the cinematics because they are corrupt on the DVD.  Ohhhhh, I see.

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Reply #98 on: November 08, 2007, 10:59:04 AM

I can't see them because they keep pop'ing up when I'm in a panic due to all the blue/orange loot sitting on the ground back where I was before I got whisked away by some portal.  I keep esc'ing the cinematic even though there are no other players to take my loot.  I don't want to to Vanish while some oracle whosawhatsit blabbers on about charts or whatever.

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Reply #99 on: November 09, 2007, 09:11:37 AM

Ok. I passed on Dungeon Runners because it was too cute with the humor. I got to play a little HG:L today and I might have to purchase it for myself.




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Reply #100 on: November 10, 2007, 02:00:47 AM


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Reply #101 on: November 10, 2007, 04:08:45 AM

Can someone explain how different this game gets as you progress in levels?

I found playing the game at lower levels a chore, will I find any semblance of fun at higher levels?

I'm not interested in loot (an inordinate amount of time playing DII turned me OFF loot), are the skills better at higher levels? What about grouping?

What has this game got going for it apart from the shinies?

(No sarcasm, all serious questions, my butt is firmly planted on the fence currently)
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Reply #102 on: November 10, 2007, 08:19:11 AM

There's just no reason whatsoever to play the Single Player part of the game.

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Reply #103 on: November 10, 2007, 08:35:31 AM

shinies
The big three of this game are grindables (loot/skills), killing suckas en masse and difficulty progression. I am making up a "big three" for this game.

If you dislike loot, either coordinating an outfit or the collection thereof, it doesn't bode well. New skills are fun to get for the sake of getting; there is no cool black hole grenade, there is no telekinesis. Monsters die in droves to explosions, spells or otherwise hurty effects. It is satisfying in the way that breaking down a flimsy door with furious hands is. There is a hardcore difficulty mode so that you can lord your awesomeness over lesser beings, even though their chat window is hidden. Look upon my dirks, ye mighty, and despair.

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Reply #104 on: November 10, 2007, 01:00:16 PM

Can someone explain how different this game gets as you progress in levels?

Harder enemies, nicer loots, and more skills to choose from. It's not really different at all as you progress if you don't count any of those things, and one negative to leveling is starting to run out of stats to equip new and better things you find.

Quote
I found playing the game at lower levels a chore, will I find any semblance of fun at higher levels?

If you found the low levels a chore, it's not likely that you'll enjoy anything about progressing in levels.

Quote
I'm not interested in loot (an inordinate amount of time playing DII turned me OFF loot), are the skills better at higher levels? What about grouping?

What has this game got going for it apart from the shinies?

(No sarcasm, all serious questions, my butt is firmly planted on the fence currently)

Basically the only thing about this game is the shiny loot, grouping makes it somewhat more fun, but shiny loot and ramped up difficulty are all there is to look forward to in this game.. So, if loot/levels isn't an appeal, I can't see you liking this game, unless you like random broken shit, half done games, or your machine crashing.


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