Topic: Hellgate: London - 2018 Update: Coming to Steam (Reply 61)

[MysterD]

So I'm listening to the 1UP Yours podcast and the guy talks a little about Hellgate. Next issue of GFW magazine is going to have tons of Hellgate info, including the mutli free and not free stuff. The podcast guy gave a heads up and said this: Whatever is in the box when you buy the game. All that cool shit, the quests, monsters...thats all free to play online, just like Diablo. If you choose to subscribe then you get like new stuff.

I'll be sure to post more details whenever the mag arrives.

Ooooh, I just started to get that mag in the mail -- I got one of them free subscriptions, when they were giving those out!!! :O)

Can't wait to read more on it.

That's crappy about the subscription model. Bah.

[MysterD]

Roper explains WHY he left Blizzard.

Q: Why was Flagship Studios originally founded?

A: Our original intention back in 2003 was not to leave Blizzard. We wanted some level of participation and direct communication with Vivendi’s home office in order to offer our insight, knowledge and desires as to their plans at the time in terms of a possible sale or IPO of the games unit. The level of uncertainty back then made it extremely difficult to plan for our futures, as well as the futures of our team members.

And with no long-term compensation or employment contracts in place, we wanted to be able to interact directly with the people making the key decisions that could drastically affect our lives and workplace. In the end, Vivendi chose not to make that opportunity available and accepted our resignations over the matter.

The next day, David Brevik, Erich Schaefer, Max Schaefer and I started Flagship Studios.

[MysterD]

GameSpy had time to test out a preview Alpha build of the MP portion of Hellgate: London.

And basically, they really, really like what they've played...
...despite the rough edges -- namely, framerate issues...

[MysterD]

Looks like if you do a Pre-Order of Hellgate, you will get an option to do a Lifetime Subscription to their Online Portion of the game.

From what we know so far, looks like EB/GameStop, Best Buy, WalMart and will be doing this offer.

More info here on HellgateGuru.

[idolminds]

Its not a free lifetime subscription. If you preorder you get the option of signing up for a lifetime subscription...which currently we don't know the price.

[MysterD]

Its not a free lifetime subscription. If you preorder you get the option of signing up for a lifetime subscription...which currently we don't know the price.

Thanks for the correction.

Really though -- offering a FREE Lifetime Subscription to people who Pre-Order would've really sold some units.

[Quemaqua]

No kidding.  I probably would have jumped at that.

[idolminds]

Lifetime subscription = $150

Only available to people that preorder, and must upgrade to lifetime by Nov 30th (only giving you a month to decide).

[Quemaqua]

Yeah, that's not gonna' happen.

[Ghandi]

1 month isn't long enough to decide whether or not to spend $150 on a game, especially considering that there are going to be considerable changes in the first month of the game.

I just can't see how many people would jump on that.

[MysterD]

You guys think that sometime later on, they might offer this Lifetime Plan -- but maybe at a higher price than the Pre-Order price?

[MysterD]

GameSpot gets an interview w/ Ivan Sulic of Flagship.

Actually, this whole interview is about the types of style of quests that are found in the game.

There's the story quests -- which pertain to the main story.
There's the template quests -- namely, these are side quests
There's the "Tasks", which are randomized quests.

Hellgate: London is an action role-playing game that doesn't feature a fantasy setting, haughty elves, surly dwarves, or sassy peasants. Instead, this action RPG, which can be played from either first- or third-person perspective, is set in the gutted ruins of a future London after a dimensional portal has opened a rift that allows demons to enter the world. Your job is to kill every demon in your path as you pursue hundreds of quests and try to, hopefully, save the world. To learn more about the mission that you'll pursue, we turned to Ivan Sulic, writer for Flagship Studios. Hellgate: London will ship in late October.

GameSpot: We've heard that Hellgate: London will ship with hundreds of quests. How many are you up to currently? What's the typical quest like?

Ivan Sulic: I believe we're at about 250 quests for launch. There are essentially three primary quest types in Hellgate: London. We have story quests, template quests, and...um...tasks? The names get changed often. Apparently "task" isn't very exciting. Let's just call them, "Those grand opportunities of much astonishing fun."

Okay...

(Sulic): Anyway, story quests are entirely unique. They are coded to offer experiences that may include minigames, special scenarios and/or events, environment alterations, and scripts not found in template quests. For instance, we have a story quest that lets players control a giant robot. We even have story quests that see the player leaping into the mind of a madman, chasing demons through supernatural rifts, delving the depths of an ever-darkening crypt, assembling a gibbering monkeylike demon from various gruesome pieces, shooting down a massive airborne demon with heavy weaponry, and even participating in several minigames modeled after popular competitive multiplayer modes like king of the hill, domination, and tug of war.

Cool.

(Sulic): Template quests are pretty straightforward. They are built off eight basic formulas: collect, explore, escort, infestation, hunt, travel/talk-and-do, use item, and operate object. Templates allow us to create quests assigned to different non-player characters without a lot of code work. Their primary function is to give players something to do while they undertake story quests: Going to Bloomsbury because the story said so? You might as well pick up some template-driven side quests that also point to Bloomsbury. It's all pretty self-explanatory: kill stuff, get stuff, save stuff, etc.

Got cha -- basically, side quests.

(Sulic): The final type, which I'll just keep right on calling "tasks" until someone kills me with a hammer, are combinations of templates and story quests. We code each of these, but we do it in a way that allows us to drop them into the game at various parts. So, we may have a task players can stumble upon midmission, such as "Help me! I've been mauled by that thing over there. It shot purple stuff at my eyes. Most unpleasant. I'm quite sure I've got some kind of infection now. Can you do something about it? If so, you'll first need to do these other three things." Stuff like that.

That sounds cool to me.

Sulic: There aren't so many tasks in the game at present, but there are a heck of a lot of story quests and templates. Our plan for future content includes developing much more of each type but focusing a bit more heavily on the random tasks that may appear during any given quest.

Interesting.

GS: Lots of games feature template quests. For example, you usually have to go out and kill X number of a certain creature or you have to deliver an object to someone. How does Hellgate put a unique spin on them?

IS: Our randomization systems help ensure every potentially mundane activity is unique in its own way. We also try and add a lot of character to our characters. Hopefully, if players are inclined to read quest dialogs, they'll be entertained, amused, or even offended. Anything but bored will work for me.

Aside from that, we try and make sure our primary story quests are as interesting as possible from both narrative and gameplay-design perspectives. Although, we are aware that templates and tasks are only there to enhance those primary quests and give players something extra to achieve while adventuring.

Okay.

(Sulic): That being said, coding giant robots and real-time strategy minigames is a lot of work. It's just not financially viable to create an entire RPG experience off unique elements like that. And so, like most other developers (as you mentioned), we implement templates and tasks to create more activities for the player. But they also balance out leveling and loot gathering.

GS: We got a glimpse of the "real-time strategy quest" at the EA Studio Showcase. But what is the RTS quest exactly? What do you do in it?

IS: Basically, a templar lord named Maxim isn't the best of leaders. His men can be uncooperative or insubordinate. These particular soldiers have found themselves overwhelmed by a demon attack in an area they were commanded to hold, and they're now incapable of doing their jobs effectively. A nobler templar lord recognizes this and sends the player to directly command this unit of scrubs, and an RTS is born!

The Hellgate RTS mechanic is comparable to one of those Command & Conquer or Starcraft single-player levels where the player is given control of a small group of units without any base-building capabilities. In our game, players must use this small group of units and point and click their way to victory, prioritizing targets and moving troops as needed.

The RTS quest also carries a simple leadership theme. We try and break some of our quests up into themes, like leadership, which tie into the main objective of the game. That objective is to find five "truths" of man. Think of them as physical representations of qualities most in keeping with the "creator." Demons, of course, serve as opposites of those qualities. The truths are all nicely themed, too.

Sounds like the NWN: Hordes part and NWN 2 part will you basically control a whole army to try and gain a victory over the opposing army.

GS: Tell us about the "Galaga quest." (When we think Galaga, we think of the classic fixed-shooter arcade game from the 1980s.)

IS: Sounds like you're talking about a quest we call "The Big Gundown." It provides players with an opportunity to use some turrets against an enormous flying demon that's dropping tons of smaller ones on to the heads of hapless folk. Basically, you blow the holy hell out of the demon with turrets.

Okay. Sounds either like Jade Empire's flying side-missions or SW: KOTOR's "Shoot down the enemy from your ship" missions.

GS: We understand that there are also faction-specific quests that you won't see unless you play as a certain class. What can you tell us about them? Is there anything special worth calling out?

IS: Actually, we cut those. They just weren't fun. We pulled them all and are reworking them right now, so you'll likely see them in a future update. There wasn't a lot of incentive to do these faction quests we had. Players basically got faction points that were as much use as play money at a real bank. And it was confusing too.

Okay.

(Sulic): More faction stuff might come in our first or second patch. Our chief vision officer, Dave Brevik, has some great ideas in regards to improving our faction system. Since he also programs it all, I would say new faction stuff for ongoing content is a given.

Great....so, it looks like those who pay-to-play w/ get the chance to do "Faction-only quests...."

GS: In your opinion, what's the secret of good quest design? Are there any general rules of thumb when designing a quest for Hellgate?

IS: Secrets? There are none. Just use some common sense.

If you're making a Japanese RPG, for instance, perhaps you shouldn't have a story about some boy with amnesia that wakes up with his father's sword and suddenly goes on a grand adventure with a flamboyant tagalong. And if you're making a Western RPG, maybe you should cut down on the orc slaying some. Not every town needs a wizard to kill that jerk of a dragon that's been eating all those cows, you know. That's all narrative, though. In terms of mechanics, I think a good design is one that plays off the strengths of your base systems but does not rely on them.

We have a solid action RPG foundation in Hellgate that features customizable characters, deep skill use, and highly randomized environments, weapons, items, and monsters. That alone makes wandering around any given level and killing things worthwhile. What do we then do to make the entire experience more enjoyable? To make unique quests interesting? We simply create those unique experiences I mentioned above. None of them are too radical and none of them negate the base gameplay. But, all of them allow players to do something extraordinary while they're enjoying the game's core features.

GS: While the game will be free to play online, Flagship is also producing ongoing content for those who choose to subscribe. What sort of quest development can we see going forward?

IS: Everything. We're going to new places, we're doing new story, we're adding more templates, we're adding more tasks, and we're adding monsters, items, weapons, classes, features, modes, and more. Seriously, we're continuing to work on absolutely everything. Unfortunately, it'd be premature for me to elaborate on exactly where we'll take ongoing content and why.

Okay -- sounds like the MMO portion will get the special "DLC kind of treatment" the Oblivion DLC did.

GS: Finally, what's your favorite quest and why?

IS: I think I like the Mind of 314 best. It's a simple change of venue--stomp around some poor bastard's brain instead of the street he lives on--

Is this Psychonauts??
Nightmare on Elm Street???

... (Sulic): but I love our Lucious and Techsmith 314 characters. One is insane, the other is comically suicidal. I find their dialogue to be irrational and totally nonsensical, but then how often do you see that kind of thing in massively multiplayer online role-playing games or RPGs in general? Most MMO quest blocks are so boring people don't even bother to glance at them. At least with these two characters, players may chance upon the term "Taco Fort!" What's not to love? I suppose "Hold Fast" (the RTS quest) and the competitive multiplayer spins we do at the end of the game are far and away the most interesting in terms of functionality, though.

GS: Thank you.

[MysterD]

To promote the Game (and the Collector's Ed, of course)...

...FREE SONG for download from Hellgate: London -- The Hellgate: London Theme

[Pugnate]

I've lost a lot of excitement I've had for this game simply because of the many changes that seem to be reported daily. Other than that the developers seem so indecisive. I also get this negative vibe from them, can't say if it is valid.

edit:

Now I remember. I hate the fact that there is no LAN and that multiplayer requires a subscription fee. If I were to do that, I'd do it for World of Warcrack.

[Wetta3217]

Multiplayer is free, however if you want the newer stuff after the game goes retail then you need subscription. Subscription give you 12 character slots, as to non-sub 3 slots, bigger storage, plus a few other things.

[MysterD]

Multiplayer is free, however if you want the newer stuff after the game goes retail then you need subscription. Subscription give you 12 character slots, as to non-sub 3 slots, bigger storage, plus a few other things.

Extra quests, extra items, and other extra junk will be added to the "Subscribring" MMO part, once that's out.

[Xessive]

A resurrected thread for a soon-to-be resurrected game!

Hellgate: London Rising from Grave, Returning as Free-to-Play MMO

...the game's actually been hacking and slashing among the living in South Korea for quite a while now, so with any luck, the extra development time has added a few much-needed layers of polish to the proceedings.

As for the US version, it'll be undergoing the world's shortest beta from June 3 to June 5. We were hoping to participate, but then realized that we were already scheduled to blink during that time period. The full game is set to launch later this year, though an exact date has yet to be specified.

[MysterD]

A resurrected thread for a soon-to-be resurrected game!

Hellgate: London Rising from Grave, Returning as Free-to-Play MMO

3PIC FAiL.
Tomorrow is Rapture....

[idolminds]

I'd give it a spin.

[MysterD]

I'd give it a spin.

Me too.

Still waiting on Hellgate: World (AKA Hellgate 2).
Someone get cracking on it.

[PyroMenace]

It would be great if the world ended so I didn't have to hear about this shitty game again.

[MysterD]

So, HELLGATE: London popped up on Steam and re-launches in about 3 weeks:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/939520/HELLGATE_London/

This is Hanbit's re-release of the game w/ the Tokyo expansion (Version 2.0).
Looks like this is just going to a be a SP game, at its re-launch on Steam.
MP support is actually not listed either.

For those who remember - way back in the day, HGL launched from Flagship w/ both SP and MP support.
MP got shut-down, when Flagship went under.
When T3 and Hanbit took it over, they did do a MMO F2P version of this.
Seems weird this version (upcoming HGL Steam re-release) doesn't have both SP and MP support.

Regardless, I'm happy w/ SP campaign and Tokyo expansion coming here.

Gonna be interesting, to see how things turn-out...

[idolminds]

That sorta came out of nowhere. Ill be interested to hear if its any good now.

[MysterD]

I'm also curious if the HGL 2038 mod team that's working on adding MP back to the old version of HGL (old version from Flagship, before the Hanbit take-over) will support the new Steam version.

[Quemaqua]

Such a weird and random thing to bring back. I honestly don't remember almost anything about it other than it had a neat atmosphere and was sort of Diablo-y and maybe not very good? I think it had a bad launch and I think I played it after the bad launch and it still didn't seem that great. It's funny, reading the old comments here, apparently my 2007-era dumbass self was quite interested in this.

[MysterD]

I would guess T3 and Hanbit are probably trying to tap also into the West, in our market...and maybe go further, if possible.

Why not? Why let this IP sit there, rot, and just do nothing?

With old-games getting re-releases and/or remasters; and even old games getting new expansions (i.e. TQ Anniversary Remaster got the Ragnarok expansion; BG1 got the Dragonspear expansion) - I think we might see a lot more of this.

HGL felt like, back in the day, the next progression and mix of the shooter/ARPG. Borderlands was very success - so maybe, T3 and Hanbit are also banking on fans of Borderlands and Fallout 4 (since FO4 feels less of a RPG and more or an ARPG now, for the most part) to give this one a shot.

[Quemaqua]

People fizzled on Borderlands 2, and I don't see people clamoring for more of this. And the IP is old and feels stale, and wasn't really that popular to begin with here. Have my doubts about anyone buying in. But I'll reserve judgment ... maybe it'll be cool. Seems weird as SP-only, though. The MP seems like the thing that might have made people care.