Designer Admits Hellgate: London Was Too Ambitious

[Master_Fubar23]

really do hope publishers will realize one day that you get what you give. if the studio needs more time because the game isnt finished dont force them to launch early or you'll just set yourself up for failure. I mean heck did they even play the game? I loved the game and of course it could of been better but i guess we see why it wasnt. oh and nothing is ever too ambitious. how are we ever gunna get the best games possible is no one is ambitious?

 

[Chairman Miaow]

am i the only one who liked that game?

Nope, I thought it was quite fun.

 

[Loonerinoes]

This is probably the main reason why I'm not that worried that SWTOR will take another 4-6 months to come out. If it needs that time, it needs it - better that than to just do what this thing described and wind up with a product that's been worked on for 5 years and that fails due to lack of polish or lacking engagement.

Though I can understand how impatience and desire to see a profit can turn a publisher to push for jumping the gun. Because if you don't jump the gun, then you get shareholders being skeptic about it all (also what happened to SWTOR), whereas if you do jump the gun...you don't make much of a profit when it comes to this sort of game at all.

 

[Shamanic Rhythm]

Don't forget trying to do both dark and gritty themes and wacky humour in the same game. Oh, and copy pasting about 5 enemies and environments throughout the entire game.

When you sliced it open, Hellgate London had the depth of a teacup.

 

[The_Emperor]

I personally loved hellgate despite its flaws.

I enjoyed the classes and some of the mechanics and I love the lootfest games, like borderlands etc.

I still agree it was released waaaaaay to early and wasn't finished at all.

 

[imperialreign]

It wasnt too ambitious, it was too bug ridden. It was pushed out the door way before it was actually done.

Too ambitious of a project can lead to a lot of in-game bugs - there's too much broad focus by the team on too many different aspects, and trying to wrap everything up quickly into a product that's releaseable doesn't always come together well.


STALKER: Shadow of Chernobyl is a prime example of this. Massively ambitious project that was forced out the door by the publishers . . . and the game was buggy as hell on initial release. Luckily, the devs kept to it at releasing patches, and the game slowly earned itself a strong clut following as well, and has helped push the series into a respectalbe positon.

Sadly, that's not always how these stories end.

 

[rembrandtqeinstein]

I predicted it would suck as soon as they announced subscriptions. Because at that point Roper and the and the execs were too busy counting their hookers and blow to actually make the game. Then they said no lan play, then they said 2 character slots online.

That was the nail in the coffin that turned off the vast majority of the diablo fanbase they were shooting for even if the game was super great. But it wasn't, it was unfinished, untested, and vastly unplayable.

The only good thing to come out of the whole fiasco was Torchlight