Hellgate: London broke my fanboi meter.

[schild]

So, Hellgate: London is a first person dystopian/punky/fantasy spiritual successor to Diablo from Flagship Studios. Which basically is the Diablo team. I want some.

[Trippy]

IGN preview here.

[schild]

IGN preview here.

Yea, read that earlier. I figured one sentence saying it was fps and diablo was more concise than 4 pages of "The Buzz."

[MrHat]

Do the zombies drop rings that make that fantastic "ping" sound?

[schild]

Do the zombies drop rings that make that fantastic "ping" sound?

Just mentioning that ping sound made me drool.

Pavlov's phat loot indeed.

[MrHat]

A lot of the same principles are back at work here, including dynamically generated content and levels, tons of weapon and item drops for treasure hunters, and an emphasis on adventuring in the hell torn London with a group of friends. Weapons and skills are being designed to be both satisfying in single player and cooperative modes, and although PvP is something that's still being considered, it's not likely to play any kind of major role, due to weapons balancing issues. You try to balance 100 different weapon types perfectly for both single and multiplayer, and I'll talk to you in five years when you've pulled your hair out.

*shakes fist*

There goes another two years of my life.

[Rodent]

So Blizzard North split up and is making
1: Guildwars
2: This
3:
?

I won't have any sparetime left soon.

[Yegolev]

Dammit, GuildWars hit today and already I'm ready for the next drug.  I now realize the great flaw in GW: lack of zombies.

[AOFanboi]

I now realize the great flaw in GW: lack of zombies.

Kristal Ball says: Zombies will be content in an upcoming GW expansion.

[ahoythematey]

Ummm...





...first person?  Why not some classic clicky-move action?

I'm apprehensive despite my total desire to play anything they make.

[Nija]

...first person?  Why not some classic clicky-move action?

I'm apprehensive despite my total desire to play anything they make.

Because Roper and his team have been doing NOTHING BUT clicky-move since 1995. They finished D1 and went straight into D2. I bet they left because Blizzard expected them to start work on D3.

edit: Also, we've got another FPS game that is NOT Serious Sam that's built for co-op play. I look forward to this. Now maybe STALKER can do coop and I'll be set for a year or so between the three games. (Serious Sam 2 is the third)

[ahoythematey]

More than likely they left because the frogs at Vivendi started croaking louder and in a more demanding tone.  Besides, aren't they essentially doing "DIABLO!!!  IN THE FUTURE!!!  IN FIRST-PERSON!!!  RANDOMIZED MAPS!!!"?  Plus, I happen to like that they have stuck with their tried-and-true, because it is simply damned awesome.

[AOFanboi]

DIABLO!!!  IN THE FUTURE!!!

Already done.

IN FIRST-PERSON!!!  RANDOMIZED MAPS!!!

But not that.

[schild]

Brotherhood of Steel was NOT Diablo in the future. Jesus, don't even say things like that.

Terrible terrible game. Didn't even feel very futuristic. Or Diabloish. Just meh.

[Yegolev]

I now realize the great flaw in GW: lack of zombies.

Kristal Ball says: Zombies will be content in an upcoming GW expansion.

Awesome, I get to buy GW again to get zombies. =)

[raydeen]

iD software should just curl up and die now. Someone finally is producing a worthwhile Doom/Quake. And gosh darn if it ain't using the Unreal engine (I'm assumiing) which IMO has and always will kick what ever engine iD develops. Unreal 1 kicked Quake 1 and 2 (at least in level design capability) if not in the multiplayer area. Never liked the original Unreal multi but still hold UT and it's decendants as the best MP action to be had. The original Doom was the last good game iD made IMO. They've been resting on their laurels ever since.

I'm going to duck now as I know horrible things are even now being aiimed at my head.

[Trippy]

iD software should just curl up and die now. Someone finally is producing a worthwhile Doom/Quake. And gosh darn if it ain't using the Unreal engine (I'm assumiing)

It's not:

Running all of this devilish fun is a proprietary engine developed specifically for this game. They had apparently looked into many licensed engines, but none could handle the amount of randomization that Hellgate required without a serious hit in load times. The only component that Flagship has licensed is Havok for physics.

Graphically, Hellgate looks like it'll compare pretty well to most shooters out there. It may not be the cream of the crop by the time the game releases (which Bill Roper says is "not this year" and "when it's done"), since Unreal Engine 3 games will have begun hitting the market, but it should be pretty damn nice, considering everything that's going into it.

which IMO has and always will kick what ever engine iD develops. Unreal 1 kicked Quake 1 and 2 (at least in level design capability)

As well it should have given it was released a year after Quake II and a year before Quake III. The Unreal games have also had the advantage that none of their texture artists graduated from the Adrian Carmack school of texture design where they teach that the only acceptable texture palette colors are dark brown and dark green.

[raydeen]

iD software should just curl up and die now. Someone finally is producing a worthwhile Doom/Quake. And gosh darn if it ain't using the Unreal engine (I'm assumiing)

It's not:

Running all of this devilish fun is a proprietary engine developed specifically for this game. They had apparently looked into many licensed engines, but none could handle the amount of randomization that Hellgate required without a serious hit in load times. The only component that Flagship has licensed is Havok for physics.

Graphically, Hellgate looks like it'll compare pretty well to most shooters out there. It may not be the cream of the crop by the time the game releases (which Bill Roper says is "not this year" and "when it's done"), since Unreal Engine 3 games will have begun hitting the market, but it should be pretty damn nice, considering everything that's going into it.

Thanks for the clear-up. I was skimming again and missed the part about Havok being the only license. I have a tendancy to do that.

[Fabricated]

So I can look forward to fighting off the legions of hell with stuff like, [The Wrangler's Shotgun of the Monkey]?

What about [The Doom Guy's Shotgun][/b]?

[Trippy]

Some more info on the game from GameSpot:

http://www.gamespot.com/pc/rpg/hellgatelondon/preview_6123193.html

[ahoythematey]

The fanboy in me is hoping it's like System Shock. 

[Yegolev]

The fanboy in me is hoping it's like System Shock. 

Quiet, you.  If I get my hopes up, I might be disappointed.

[Triforcer]

As a totally unrelated gripe with the screenshots, why do people in games always have to be right-handed?  If it wasn't for Link, we've get no love...

[schild]

Tons of FPS' let you switch hands. Don't be a noobler.

[Hoax]

While I actually agree its only a problem in rpg's of all the genre's.  In almost any fps for forever you can switch which hand you hold your weapons in.  But in a game where you customize your face, pick a class, and are the same person for months on end swords can ONLY be used when held with one's right hand.


So quick querry on Hellgate, its not really fps at all right?  Guns = Spells.  So its just going to be DiabloIII where we can have 64 players in a game at once with gun/spells and a bit of RE/Doom/Quake aspect with the demons and the first person perspective.  Right?  Wrong?  I'm trying not to hype about things so far removed from an actual purchase choice, so I've only skimmed some info.

[eldaec]

Counter example...

CoH Katana wielders, left handed.

Also, couldn't you pick which hand held a weapon in Kotor?

Lefthanded people are strange anyway, we probably shouldn't encourage them.

[WayAbvPar]

Lefthanded people are strange anyway, we probably shouldn't encourage them.

Or anger them. Ph3@r my left-handed 1337-n3$$.

[Rodent]

Lefthanded people are strange anyway, we probably shouldn't encourage them.

Or anger them. Ph3@r my left-handed 1337-n3$$.

I too prefer my left hand when dealing out pain, or writing letters.

[Trippy]

So quick querry on Hellgate, its not really fps at all right?  Guns = Spells.  So its just going to be DiabloIII where we can have 64 players in a game at once with gun/spells and a bit of RE/Doom/Quake aspect with the demons and the first person perspective. 

Yes that is what it sounds like:

ES: The combat system in Hellgate: London is a real-time system with projectiles moving through space and accurately colliding with targets, but what makes it different in feel from first-person shooters is that player reflexes and aim have only a small effect on success. Weapons have various dynamics to make them effective at any player skill level; some home in on targets, some automatically lock on, some have big explosive areas of effect, while others are just too inaccurate to use in any dexterous way. Character effectiveness will be a blend of equipment, skills, attributes, and "buffs," with just a little player skill thrown in.

[HaemishM]

So like Deus Ex, except less shooty?

[schild]

So like Deus Ex, except less shooty?

I don't think anything could be less shooty then Deus Ex 1. You could, conceivably go through the whole game firing very few rounds. I'd say more like Diablo, less clicky. I'm just hoping to holy god that, given the above quote, combat isn't first person MMOG style. That's the last thing I want. An fps where you can't dodge <insert projectile here>.

[ahoythematey]

Dodging worked in AC.

[Hoax]

Yeah I still am confused as to how the fuck the combat will work, but seriously isn't there something wrong with the genre when a dev says: "with just a little player skill thrown in" like its a great thing.

[Sky]

I'm just hoping to holy god that, given the above quote, combat isn't first person MMOG style. That's the last thing I want. An fps where you can't dodge <insert projectile here>.

Amen.

And lo, the lord gaveth us Planetside, and it was (pretty) good.

[schild]

It's not twitch.

Just read it. So sorry.

So So So So Sorry.

Won't stop me from playing and loving every minute of it though.