# Hellgate London



## caperpger (Nov 3, 2007)

Anyone else pick this game up? I just started playing tonight and I really like it. Its from the guys that did Diablo and Diablo 2. If you are a fan of those games, you'll like this game. Its basic hack and slash, but at times its a good thing to just play a basic game like this.


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## Deuce Traveler (Nov 3, 2007)

caperpger said:
			
		

> I just started playing tonight and I really like it. Its from the guys that did Diablo and Diablo 2.




It's from Blizzard?  Or do you mean guys who left Blizzard after making the Diablos?


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## Banshee16 (Nov 3, 2007)

It's from the guys who made Diablo, while they were at Blizzard, who have now left Blizzard to create their own company, which in turn created Hellgate: London.

Phew...

Banshee


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## trancejeremy (Nov 3, 2007)

It's from a bunch of people who left Blizzard, including several who did work on Diablo.


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## Thanee (Nov 3, 2007)

Is it the same gameplay as Diablo, as in... kill lots of monsters and take their random stuff, hoping for cool stuff to drop (usually from the bigger baddies)? 

Bye
Thanee


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## Andre (Nov 3, 2007)

Thanee said:
			
		

> Is it the same gameplay as Diablo, as in... kill lots of monsters and take their random stuff, hoping for cool stuff to drop (usually from the bigger baddies)?
> 
> Bye
> Thanee




Based on what little of the demo I tried out, yep. 

The main difference is that it's a first-person shooter, not the 3/4 isometric view of Diablo.


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## Banshee16 (Nov 4, 2007)

My understanding is that it can be switched back and forth between 3rd and 1st person, as preferred by the player.....except if you're playing the Templar class, in which case it forces you into 3rd person.

Has anyone played it?  I've picked it up, but haven't opened it yet, as I've heard some mixed reviews.  A buddy of mine got it, and said the retail copy is way better than the demo...which leads me to wonder if some of the people posting comments about it are basing these off of the demo, and haven't actually purchased the game?  My buddy didn't have any of the problems I've heard of it with.

For that matter, I didn't really notice any bugs myself.

Banshee


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## Banshee16 (Nov 5, 2007)

The graphics of the retail version are better than those in the demo.  I picked it up today, and had some fun tonight.  Reached lvl 5.  I've played only in the multiplayer mode...not that it's helped....for some reason, I can't seem to get the chat to work.  It's your typical "hit enter to open chat window", scenario...but then when you type a message, they don't seem to go anywhere, so I know I'm doing something wrong.

The gameplay is pretty cool.  The further I get into it, the better it's becoming.  Not nearly as indepth as something like Neverwinter Nights, but a cool game for mindless action, loot collecting etc. 

Banshee


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## andargor (Nov 5, 2007)

I've been playing for a while, and it's great brainless fun for when you feel like jumping into action.

Level 15 Engineer on Sydonai (EU, my gaming friends are there)

I had found Diablo a wee bit mind-numbing, but in Hellgate there are a lot more ways to customize your gear with mods, upgrades, and such, so you spend a lot of time optimizing your stuff.

I'm enjoying it for the sheer casual carnage.



			
				Andre said:
			
		

> Based on what little of the demo I tried out, yep.
> 
> The main difference is that it's a first-person shooter, not the 3/4 isometric view of Diablo.




You can play first-person or 3rd person. I play the latter.


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## Banshee16 (Nov 5, 2007)

andargor said:
			
		

> I've been playing for a while, and it's great brainless fun for when you feel like jumping into action.
> 
> Level 15 Engineer on Sydonai (EU, my gaming friends are there)
> 
> ...




That's it...sometimes you just want to kill things and take their stuff 

What's your character named?  I'm calling mine Cyndall....Templar Blademaster.  I don't know what server she's on though.  I just used the one it defaulted to...I assume this is based on region, which is Canada in my case.

Haven't figured out the stuff with customizing equipment yet.  I'm still trying to figure out a few things, like how to know whether items you're getting are good.  I killed a shugoloth (is that the right name), and got a gun which I can't use, but it's "legendary", and has 3 or four stars beside it.  I assume that's good?  It's for evokers and summoners.

Banshee


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## andargor (Nov 5, 2007)

My character is originally named Andargor 

I'm in Canada too, and you probably are on the US server. I had to create an EU account on www.eu.hellgate.com, and I have to check the "show all" box in the server selection screen to see the EU one (Sydonai). One of my EU friends (an EN Worlder actually, Asm0dai) subscribed and started a guild, Vae-Victis. We are all in it.

Shuggoloth is the first boss, you can farm him for good items. Hang on to your Legendary items, they are usually very good. There's a stash near the merchants where you can store stuff. The item power order is normal/enhanced/rare/legendary/unique.

There's more info here (I haven't used it extensively):

http://hellgate.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page


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## Banshee16 (Nov 5, 2007)

andargor said:
			
		

> My character is originally named Andargor
> 
> I'm in Canada too, and you probably are on the US server. I had to create an EU account on www.eu.hellgate.com, and I have to check the "show all" box in the server selection screen to see the EU one (Sydonai). One of my EU friends (an EN Worlder actually, Asm0dai) subscribed and started a guild, Vae-Victis. We are all in it.
> 
> ...




Can you change servers?  If I'm on one server, can I join up with  somebody on another server (like in Guild Wars), or is it limited so you can only ever join up with people on the same server as your character was created on (ie. WoW)?

Is there a Shuggoloth server?  I think my server's name begins with an S or a G.

Banshee


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## FunkBGR (Nov 5, 2007)

I'm on the US server - 

When in the chat window, you have to type "/chat <message>" 

That took me awhile to figure out

How do you "friend" someone? Do you need their account name, or their avatar/character's name?

I've just been running around in multiplayer, but playing it by myself.


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## warren123 (Nov 6, 2007)

I think play alone is also interesting, is it?


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## Banshee16 (Nov 6, 2007)

FunkBGR said:
			
		

> I'm on the US server -
> 
> When in the chat window, you have to type "/chat <message>"
> 
> ...




What is your character name?  I'm on the U.S. server as well, with a character named "Cyndall".

You can add friends, but only if they're online at the same time as you.  So even if you know someone's name, you can't add them unless they're live as well.  Once you do add them, you  can see them whether or not they're online.

Banshee


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## andargor (Nov 6, 2007)

Banshee16 said:
			
		

> Can you change servers?  If I'm on one server, can I join up with  somebody on another server (like in Guild Wars), or is it limited so you can only ever join up with people on the same server as your character was created on (ie. WoW)?
> 
> Is there a Shuggoloth server?  I think my server's name begins with an S or a G.
> 
> Banshee




I believe they are separate accounts. I had to register on both sides. I'm sure you can't transfer your character between servers, you'd have to start anew.


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## Banshee16 (Nov 7, 2007)

andargor said:
			
		

> I believe they are separate accounts. I had to register on both sides. I'm sure you can't transfer your character between servers, you'd have to start anew.




No sense in my changing.  Since I'm in North America, most players in Europe would need to be playing in the morning for me to be able to team up....probably best to stick to the North America server.

Banshee


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## masshysteria (Nov 7, 2007)

Careful, you can quickly end up playing this game far more than you planned on. There is alway one more quest to complete, one more area to explore, or one more level to get.

The game isn't great. There isn't a lot of depth. But, it has that perfect amount of loot dropping and just the right amount of difficulty to keep you coming back.

Items come in four varieties: normal, enhanced, rare, and legendary. I think each item can have up to four properties (at least that's what the augmentation machine limits you to) on it and as you move up the rank the properties are more powerful.

I like the modification/augmentation system. Weapons have mod slots and mods basically add a special power to your weapon. Because there is a de-modification machine at the stations, you can always de-mod your weapon pretty cheaply and try new mods.

Then there is the augmentation machine that you pay to add an enhanced, rare, or legendary property to your weapon.

And finally is the nano-forge that allows you to upgrade existing items. So you can add more damage to weapons or armor. However, I've read a few reports that this isn't working right now, so maybe you want to wait.


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## Banshee16 (Nov 7, 2007)

masshysteria said:
			
		

> Careful, you can quickly end up playing this game far more than you planned on. There is alway one more quest to complete, one more area to explore, or one more level to get.
> 
> The game isn't great. There isn't a lot of depth. But, it has that perfect amount of loot dropping and just the right amount of difficulty to keep you coming back.
> 
> ...




Oh, I know....just like Diablo was.....was it deep?  Nope.  But it sure was fun to see what you'd get by clearing just one more level.  And the art direction of the game has created a pretty cool aesthetic.  I want to level my Templar, if for no other reason than to get access to some of the awesome looking armour available later in the game..

Banshee


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## Thanee (Nov 8, 2007)

For those playing the game...

Reviews say it's fun, but that the atmosphere isn't good and the graphics are very repetitive.

How are your experiences here?
Does it make a big difference to you?

Bye
Thanee


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## Banshee16 (Nov 8, 2007)

Thanee said:
			
		

> For those playing the game...
> 
> Reviews say it's fun, but that the atmosphere isn't good and the graphics are very repetitive.
> 
> ...




Ask me in another 10 levels, when I get my glowing armour 

I find it very atmospheric.  Some of the demons are pretty creepy.  You'll be running down this dark, infested subway tunnel, and in the shadows ahead, all you see is a pair of glowing eyes in the darkness, then they start running toward you, but you don't know what it is, until you can make out the silhouette.....and then it comes into view, and you're engaged in combat with it.  I really like some of those effects.

I honestly am not far enough into the game to know how repetitive it is though.  I've only made it as far as the equivalent of beating "The Butcher" in the original Diablo.  Getting ready for a raid on the British Museum.  I think I'm lvl 8 at the moment.

It might be repetitive after a while.  I'm not sure.  One thing to keep in mind with the reviewers is that they review so many, they're probably burned out on games like this.  If you don't play many action RPGs, then it's probably pretty fun.

The only thing I find is that, similar to most other multiplayer games on PC that I've found, everyone's so intent on levelling themselves up, that it's hard to find a party.  I've only managed to team up once so far.  But that's really not so different from my experiences with World of Warcraft and Guild Wars, and, heck, Neverwinter Nights.  You don't *need* a party...but it is nice to play with others.  

Banshee


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## masshysteria (Nov 8, 2007)

Thanee said:
			
		

> For those playing the game...
> Reviews say it's fun, but that the atmosphere isn't good and the graphics are very repetitive.
> How are your experiences here?
> Does it make a big difference to you?




Hellgate: London isn't going to go down as "one of the greats" like Diablo II did. However, the game is just fun. When you compare it to some of the more recent releases we've seen - like Bioshock - it doesn't have the same immersive atmosphere, but you also have to look at what the game does.

Like Diablo the "dungeons" have some random creation aspect to them, so there are repeated parts. You also have to remember you are fighting in demon infested London. Therefore you can't expect a variety of different environments like in a fantasy game. So far, there are the subway tunnels, maintenance tunnels, city streets, wide open river beds, and an alien-like environments. I haven't finished the game, but as you progress you see more.

The game also scales the bad guys based on party size/level. So you can play solo as well as with others. My play is pretty much split between solo and with one other friend. I don't play online to meet new people, but to play with existing friends.

In the end, the game is a great for putting you mind on hold, killing a bunch of monsters, going up levels, and getting loot; everything you want from an action-rpg. However, I can't help but wonder if the game will have legs or if I'll set it aside when Mass Effect comes out and never pick it back up again.

Some other info:

There are three classes with two sub-classes.
* Templars - Melee fighters
** Guardians - Sword and shield fighters, can tank pretty much everything.
** Blademasters - Dual-wield swords, damage dealers, descent tank.
* Hunters - Ranged attacks
** Marksmen - Gun nuts, throw grenades.
** Engineers - Make bots that float around you shooting things/buffing you/debuffing bad guys
* Cabalists - Magic wielders
** Evokers - Lots of direct damage, a bunch of different spell options.
** Summoners - Summon demons to go around killing monsters for you, some buffs and direct damage.


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## FunkBGR (Nov 8, 2007)

It's basically Diablo, but for nowadays, with 3D Graphics and all that jazz.

By the by, look for Serran on Shulgoth. I'm also sometimes playing as Triklops as of late.


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## Banshee16 (Nov 8, 2007)

FunkBGR said:
			
		

> It's basically Diablo, but for nowadays, with 3D Graphics and all that jazz.
> 
> By the by, look for Serran on Shulgoth. I'm also sometimes playing as Triklops as of late.




I'm playing Cyndall, on Shulgoth.

Banshee


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## Thanee (Nov 9, 2007)

Thanks! Sounds like it might be worth checking out at least. 

I'll probably get me some new games soon, most likely Crysis (though I'm certainly not a shooter player, but this sounds like it is _really_ good) and probably World in Conflict and Hellgate: London.

Bye
Thanee


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## Banshee16 (Nov 9, 2007)

Thanee said:
			
		

> Thanks! Sounds like it might be worth checking out at least.
> 
> I'll probably get me some new games soon, most likely Crysis (though I'm certainly not a shooter player, but this sounds like it is _really_ good) and probably World in Conflict and Hellgate: London.
> 
> ...




I get a bit of a kick out of it, because although the floorplans aren't always accurate, the actual textures etc. aren't bad....I was in London last month, and spent a lot of time riding the Tubes to get around, so it's kind of fun to be playing a game where I'm in the Tubes, and things actually look kind of similar.  I haven't made it to some of the other districts of the game, like the Tower of London, or Temple Church, so I don't know how those compare with what they looked like when I visited them a few weeks ago.  I can tell that they partly got Temple Church wrong....at least from the movie scene at the start of the game.  All the pews are facing forward, towards the altar, in the opening movie, but in reality, at least last month, the pews are perpendicular to the altar, and all point towards the middle of the church, from what I remember.  I'll have to go back to my photos to see.

Reached lvl 9 last night.  In all honesty, I haven't found the boss battles too difficult, but I am disappointed in the storytelling.  You get a fair amount, enough to tell what's going on, from some of the missions.  But I just completed Act I, and the movie scene was really hard to understand.  The script for the narrator just isn't written very clearly, so at the end, I was like "ok, what just happened?".  Maybe this is intentional, but it didn't feel very helpful for progressing the story.

Of course, I also gained two Legendary swords, so...

Banshee


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## Banshee16 (Nov 9, 2007)

Thanee said:
			
		

> Thanks! Sounds like it might be worth checking out at least.
> 
> I'll probably get me some new games soon, most likely Crysis (though I'm certainly not a shooter player, but this sounds like it is _really_ good) and probably World in Conflict and Hellgate: London.
> 
> ...




Another one to check out, if you have a PS3 or 360, is Assassin's Creed.  It's not an RPG, but looks *really* good.  You're a member of the order of hashashin in the Holy Land during the Crusades.  It's pretty much a sandbox game.  They went so far as having the town of Jerusalem completely mapped out using authentic medieval-era maps.

http://www.gameinformer.com/NR/exeres/4D2C55EC-834E-467D-A88A-6D79E78B595A.htm

Banshee


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## Thanee (Nov 9, 2007)

Yep, heard about that... guess it will come out on PC as well.

Bye
Thanee


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## masshysteria (Nov 11, 2007)

Well, I thought I may as well follow up my positive comments with this:

I'm shelfing Hellgate until they can get the stability issues figured out. I've been stuck on a quest because of frequent crashes. The quest has you travel through three zones and I can't do it as the game crashes every time I've tried to make it through the zones. I've tried well over a dozen time now and in the process leveling 3 times from level 19-22.

But, as I can't advance anywhere the fun was quickly sapped out of the game. I'm tired of replaying the same thing over and over while updating drivers and trying to track down solutions on forums.


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## andargor (Nov 12, 2007)

Banshee16 said:
			
		

> I honestly am not far enough into the game to know how repetitive it is though.  I've only made it as far as the equivalent of beating "The Butcher" in the original Diablo.  Getting ready for a raid on the British Museum.  I think I'm lvl 8 at the moment.




Look for the quote by Tennyson. I visited the British Museum this summer, and the rendering in game blew me away. Of course, it's not to scale, but the textures and atmosphere was very reminiscent.

Other than that, there is some repetition in the "blocks" used for random generation of areas. I'm level 26 now, and I am starting to get weary of the sameness. Still having mindless fun though.


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## GoodKingJayIII (Nov 12, 2007)

masshysteria said:
			
		

> I'm shelfing Hellgate until they can get the stability issues figured out.




Yeah, you're not the first person with these kinds of problems.  Sounds like they rushed this one out the door, so now the consumers are paying for it.

As a general question to everyone, who has general access and who has subscription access, and what are the differences between the two?


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