Interview Hellgate: London chit chat at RPG Vault

[Drakron]

Speaking as such, it seens there is Sacred 2 under development (I remenber seeing some screenshoots) but if its just "Sacred 3d" or something else will remaind to be seen.

And yes, its a gender gone terrible wrong for one reason ... developers and publishers only look at the sales figures, Diablo was a interresting game but Diablo 2 to me was just Diablo plus ... sure it sold a lot but how many simply disliked the direction that it gone and how many simply played it for online?

We have GW and tons of MMORPGs now ... were does Diablo sits beyond endless hoards of enemies?

 

[Sol Invictus]

Well, there's not been very many Diablo-style games lately, which I prefer to call Action RPGs since the genre's been around way before Diablo came about. I can only think of one medium budget title that falls into the same mold: Sacred. Everything else, like Restricted Area and Space Hack were low budget titles out of Europe.

It's fairly refreshing to see Titan Quest, an American game with a pretty good budget and a solid design team behind it (Brian Sullivan, creator of Age of Empires, for example).

Aside from the combat, which it borrows from the Diablo series, the class system is very different, allowing for some truly versatile multiclassing options, and not in a half-assed manner like Guild Wars.

It's also pretty cool that they devoted a lot of time to the game's artwork and presentation, as every unique piece of equipment in the game has its own model and texture. As "phat lewt" is a big component of the game, it's fairly satisfying to see your character decked out in unique gear. In the same vein, skills look more powerful as you level them up. That's a nice change from having a level 1 fireball that looks exactly like a level 20 fireball in Diablo 2.

The coolest part about the game is probably the campaign creator, though. That's not to say that the game itself doesn't come with a good lengthy campaign or that it is of lesser value, but the campaign creator really adds quite a bit to the overall package, considering its ease of use.

All in all, I think it's rather unfair to judge the game based on comparisons to Diablo II. From all accounts (except those of the IGN and GameSpot reviewers who apparently only spent 30 minutes on it, not even long enough to consider the game's portal transport system and other features), the game stands well enough on its own. After all, when we play a new first person shooter like FEAR or Call of Duty 2, we don't make a direct comparison to their predecessors like Half Life and Doom, do we? Just as those games stand on their own as first person shooters, so to does Titan Quest stand on its own as a decent action RPG.

 

[Saint_Proverbius]

Well, there's not been very many Diablo-style games lately, which I prefer to call Action RPGs since the genre's been around way before Diablo came about. I can only think of one medium budget title that falls into the same mold: Sacred. Everything else, like Restricted Area and Space Hack were low budget titles out of Europe.

There's been a ton of them, though. If you're going back as far as Sacred, we're talking Fate, Titan Quest, Dungeon Siege 2, Space Hack, Restricted Area, X-Men Legends 2, that wacky dolphin game I forget the name of, Blood Magic, and Kult. Heck, that's just within the last year and a half and I'm sure I've missed a few.

There's several in the works right now as well, which will probably be out before the end of the year. I'm sure there will be at least 12 of them within two years time.

 

[LlamaGod]

It's also pretty cool that they devoted a lot of time to the game's artwork and presentation

Oh exitium, you're never gonna change, are you?

 

[kingcomrade]

Titan Quest was pretty lame.

In other news, I've started playing the original Diablo again. Man, that's a fun game. Much superior to its sequel.

 

[Goliath]

I have just watched the E3 trailer, and it is like a fucking hollywood movie i.e. cookie cutter dumbness.
I have also watched the gameplay video.. It is really Diablo meets Half life. I am not even remotely interested in such a thing, but I am sure it will sell well. No thinking, no reading, lots of boom bang and tattooed cabalist tits - can't go wrong with that!

 

[Sol Invictus]

Just like Diablo. When has Hellgate London aspired to be anything other than an action RPG? If you're expecting another Fallout or another Baldur's Gate, this is just the wrong game for you.

 

[vazquez595654]

I have just watched the E3 trailer, and it is like a fucking hollywood movie i.e. cookie cutter dumbness.

I have also watched the gameplay video.. It is really Diablo meets Half life. I am not even remotely interested in such a thing, but I am sure it will sell well. No thinking, no reading, lots of boom bang and tattooed cabalist tits - can't go wrong with that!

The question is, did they ever claim it to be anything but that? Bashing an action rpg when the developers have told you they are making an action rpg is like bashing Pixar for making another animated movie.

The only thing that really remains to be seen is whether it will be a good action rpg or a bad one. Everything points to Hellgate being the next Diablo 2 in terms of quality and design. I have only played the demo, but Titan Quest is simply too slow for an action rpg.

 

[Saint_Proverbius]

I'm interested in Hellgate: London, mainly because I like randomly generated worlds. I'm hoping the gameplay is moderately interesting as well. About the only thing I've heard that really annoys me is having a community chest for all your characters, which seems like a dumbed down solution to exchanging things to and from characters. Sure, it beats muling, but there should be a cost associated with exchanging items. I still like the idea of having a pawn shop system where the character with the item can pawn it for some money and your other character can be the exclusive one to buy it. Fits in the game world, and places a cost on transfering.

 

[denizsi]

I've seen the videos, screenshots, read interviews and previews, and to me, it looks like just another Diablo, done FPS this time. And Diablo games were mind-numbingly repetitive and boring to me.

 

[Major_Blackhart]

Well, that's the thing. It might not even be up to spec of what they're promising too.

 

[Nicolai]

HGL source code leaked. Millions panic.

 

[Drakron]

Just like Diablo. When has Hellgate London aspired to be anything other than an action RPG?

We are not in '96 anymore.

Besides Diablo legacy is online playing, it started Battle.Net and that service importance in online gaming cannot be denied.

But we are in 2006 now,if Diablo was released today it would be a flop.

Another thing, Diablo was a hack-and-slash game, a isometric one at that.

Now FPS tend to be "gun-and-fun" games, making a "action RPG" in FPV were most weapons are ranged weapons looks like to be just a normal FPS so what is the point of Hellgate?

The sequel to Hexen?

We are in 2006, games changed and as Doom 3 have shown you cannot use 10 years old design into new games.

 

[Naked_Lunch]

Now FPS tend to be "gun-and-fun" games, making a "action RPG" in FPV were most weapons are ranged weapons looks like to be just a normal FPS so what is the point of Hiellgate?

Err, it's more than just a vanilla shooter. It has different skills you can upgrade, phat loot, randomly generated worlds, melee weapons, et cetera. I'm guessing the point of the game is that it's an action-rpg...in first person bythe makers of Diablo, which is all Flagship has marketed the game as.

And old designs still work provided they were GOOD designs to beging with. The Doom 3 example doesn't work because Doom 3 doesn't play like Doom. It was more like resident evil. I would've enjoyed the hell out of D3 if it was more like the original with tons upon tons of enemies to kill and all sorts of wacky weapons. Games like Serious Sam and Painkiller DO prove you can use older game design to great advantage.

 

[Drakron]

I am afraid I have to call you on that.

First, random generated maps (not worlds) go back to at least Daggerfall and I would not consider it "good", Soldier of Fortune II also could use random generated maps ...

Second, skills ... well its just you have to find then as its a regular item, I dont mind having to quest for then but seeing in a loot table as if they just are a piece of gear.

 

[kingcomrade]

First, random generated maps (not worlds) go back to at least Daggerfall and I would not consider it "good", Soldier of Fortune II also could use random generated maps ...

Who said they were inventing it?

 

[LlamaGod]

SOF2's random maps sucked dick. So did Daggerfalls.