Game News Hellgate: London goes digital

[Vault Dweller]

Tags: Flagship Studios; Hellgate: London

Speaking of digital distribution, according to a <a href=http://www.next-gen.biz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3649&Itemid=2>Next Generation article</a> <a href=http://www.flagshipstudios.com/>Flagship Studios</a> is planning to distribute <a href=http://www.hellgatelondon.com/>Hellgate: London</a> digitally:
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<blockquote>Ping0 is the result of a joint venture between Flagship and Korean game company HanbitSoft. The new joint venture recently signed an agreement with Namco Bandai "to digitally distribute, host and manage the online component" of the upcoming Hellgate: London.
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Flagship CEO and co-founder Bill Roper further explained the purpose of the online service. “Supporting Hellgate: London is just the beginning for Ping0. We fully expect Ping0 to both handle the online components and digitally distribute all of Flagship’s future titles. The company will also provide publishers and developers that want to bring their games online with a solution proven by one of the most highly anticipated titles in the industry.”</blockquote>It's about time.
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[NoisyKillerHPB]

good news

 

[GhanBuriGhan]

Hey, even oblivion was available D2D.

 

[Nightjed]

so yet another "must online" copy protection, great

 

[Gwendo]

On the other hand, no TAGES or STARFORCE protections.

Plus, no intermediaries.

 

[Nightjed]

they are all as bad in my book, "must online" protection has its own potencial security flaws

 

[don_tomaso]

so if I buy a game online, and has to format my harddrive for some reason, do I have to buy the game again? or do I get like a lifelong code that I can always use to download the game?

 

[Country_Gravy]

Flagship CEO and co-founder Bill Roper

Isn't he the landlord in Three's Company?

 

[Drakron]

so if I buy a game online, and has to format my harddrive for some reason, do I have to buy the game again? or do I get like a lifelong code that I can always use to download the game?

Depends really.

Steam uses a account system so as long that account says you own the game you can install it.

Issues come from the fact the account is on their server so if for some reason the information is wiped you no longer own the game ... not to say about you forgot the account information and end up with no way to activate it.

Of course there is the abuse of having the account terminated for some reason, the biggest danger of the streaming content is that it not very regulated.

I could go beyond that, look at EA Sports that can very well decide only their lastest version can be downloaded and people with previous have to "upgrade" (they are pretty already doing that in multiplayer servers) ...

Also it kills the used games market.

 

[DemonKing]

I'm all for Digital Distribution especially since it usually works out cheaper than if you buy a ridiculously overpriced boxed version here in Oz (eg Prey DD was $49.95US, about $65AUS, while the Boxed version retailed at $90AUS) and also it has the added advantage that my wife won't see a new box lying around and realise I bought a new game.

I wish though that the distribution could somehow be centralised as I now have accounts with Steam, Triton, Direct2Drive and Sega to remember/monitor.

Of course if anyone ever bothers to release a decent PC CRPG again ala the old IE games I might actually pay the extra for the nice box and other goodies.

 

[Direwolf]

At the moment it is easier for me to get a game I actually want to buy from a shop, since I don't really trust all those digital distribution places. I have a steam account, but I had some problems with it in the past. I do understand and support the notion that this is the only way for PC games to continue to exist. It will just have to improve a lot.

 

[kingcomrade]

Besides "good news," why is this even relevant news. It doesn't look like it's going to be any fun and I won't be buying it either way.

 

[FrancoTAU]

Besides "good news," why is this even relevant news. It doesn't look like it's going to be any fun and I won't be buying it either way.

When the market is flooded with good RPGs than we can quit talking about the shitty ones. As it is now, there is only so much you can talk about AoD and Gothic 3.

 

[Eclecticist]

It's obviously the most financially viable option for developers who want to play it safe. They will not reach the full market, but what sales they do achieve will be on their own grounds. They will profit enormously per individual sale compared to standard retail distribution including a wholesaler.

As a consumer who loves his cRPGs, I can see the obvious advantages and disadvantages. In the advantages column, the developers I support will be getting more profit - assuming they pull off the 'distribution system' correctly - and many indy developers have the opportunity to release games they would otherwise not be able to. On the disadvantages column, I would hate to see one of my favourite developers screw up online distribution and make a loss on a game. Another disadvantage is the lack of physical property. I love to own tangible items; you get a cuddly feeling from having the official maps and merchandise of a game you're passionate about. That sort of passion just isn't manifested in the same way when a game is distributed online and is ONLY the folder on your hard drive.

 

[Surgey]

so yet another "must online" copy protection, great

Sometimes I prefer that to requiring a CD, especially games with tons of CD's. That or just the CD's tend to snap.

 

[Sol Invictus]

The game will use an account system. If you buy the game and for some reason need to play it on another computer or happen to reformat your hard drive, you'll simply have to enter your account details.

I don't think I've ever heard of any digital distribution type of system in which you had to actually burn yourself a copy to ensure that you wouldn't lose it.

 

[HanoverF]

Yeah, but to be fair what do you know about paying for games via any kind of distribution?

 

[xemous]

I was looking forward to buying a boxed copy

 

[Elwro]

You mean they'll distribute the game only via web?

 

[Naked_Lunch]

I doubt it.

 

[Drakron]

Perhaps in europe (considering Namco is the publisher).

 

[Araanor]

Unlikely.