Humanity still thinks HG:L is a shooter

[Brother Laz]

A recent issue of PC Gameplay had a cover article about HG:L, and I noticed that it had only first person screenshots. I looked around on the net and very few third person screenshots are to be found. The result: I've had to explain to a number of people that HG:L is not a freaking shooter like Half-Life. I tell them it's a RPG and then they think of Deus Ex.

They do have a point; first person mode looks very much like a generic shooter, and unless one is already interested in the game to begin with, they won't put more research into it and discover what it actually is.

Perhaps at the next major PR event, it would be a good idea to show mostly third person screenshots, to attract the RPG crowd as well as the FPS people? Otherwise the average Joe Buriza won't even find out about this game (and continue waiting patiently for a D3 that will never come), and Hellgate would bomb like Sacrifice, Messiah et al.
:cry:

[brandnewyork]

I see what you mean, its hard to predict the success of hellgate:london.

But I do think that alot of the people playing diablo and diablo 2 will buy the game. IF they hear about it.

[Sol Invictus]

It irks me very, very much that a lot of people have 'signed off' on the title without even knowing about it, due to the sheer proliferation of the screenshots of the game in first person mode. I've had to explain, again and again, to folks, to rid them of their poor first impression.

[Pernicious]

If only the people would be patient enough to read the previews rather than just looking at the screenshots.

However, that does not mean that shooter fans won't enjoy HG:L.

[Scapes]

RPG fans who are fond of third-person view and despise first-person are extremely reluctant to consider this title, I've found. Granted, it is their own loss, but I'm stubborn and wish to change their minds best I can. I've found the best method of changing their incorrect impressions of the game is to show them the videos available of the game which feature both the third-person view and the familiar rag doll inventory system.

I do hope that more gaming magazines start doing the game justice.
-- Scaper-X

[Akuyazi]

ya, people get confused about this game alot, it sucks that no one is willing to research the game and just look at screenshots :/

im doin my best to spread word of this game around with details such as 3rd person mode to alot of people

[Dac the Hork]

Well in reality first person view is not new for RPGs or really a big detriment.

The original RPGs (way back) where usually first person, especially in dungeon crawl environments. Also a very prominent rpg series, the Elder Scrolls, is first person and third person.

I don't see first person screenshots being that big of a deal. Heck mention Diablo Developers and 95% of gamers will be interested.

With more info coming out about the game as time passes it won't be such a big deal.

Most hype is generated by game information and not really screenshots anyway, info like classes, monsters, etc. So far HGL has some sweet weapons and guns (spell delivery systems is a lil corny)

[T-6000]

Yeah, you guys do make good points. Whenever people see screenshots and previews of this game, they will immediatly think of it as another generic FPS game. In fact, in the 15 minute preview video someone told the Flagship representative showing the gameplay footage that the game still looked like a FPS game to him, and the representative had to bring down the screen with the character stats, inventory, exc (basicly the RPG character stat screen) to show that it mainly *WAS* an RPG but from a FPS view.

I too will be stressing to people that it's mainly an RPG but from a FPS view.

[Nightsorrow]

Might and Magic was one, rather nine, RPG's in First Person view. But many dont make that connection when they see the screenshoots. I was kinda disapointed when I saw the screenshoots, and I have to say that they did give a FPS/Shot em up kinda look.

I am just hoping that as the development goes on, there will be more third person screen's, aswell as more Stat/Item and generally RPG info released.

[Krazy Kaution]

The cricket bat alone makes me wanna play :) Who doesn't wanna beat some face with a cricket bat lol. I think the reason they show the FPS screenshots more is because thats one of the key points of the game. Roper said that a lot of the play is First Person but in no way is it your average shooter (unless you play Half-Life with auto aim lmao). What people don't understand is that there's no rule that says if you have guns and you have first person then you have to be a first person shooter. If anyone has ever played Savage 2.0 its an awesome game (you can get it for free since the developers stopped backing it so the login server for cdkeys doesn't work so anyone can play.). Savage has gameplay much like this except its a big RTS that you play in not an RPG. You have the first person for bows, crossbows, some energy guns too and also have the brute site which is third person and you have axes and claws. I think people are just afraid to call it an RPG for sake of being wrong. I say we make our own publicity for the game, with the whole truth of the game ins and outs!

[Berserk]

Well I like fpd and mmo's so a game thats combined is all good.

[Krazy Kaution]

I agree with Berserk, any game that combines my favorite game types :) FPS MMO and RPG im there and behind it 100%

[Pernicious]

If only they could throw in RTS while they are at it. :wink:

[Brother Laz]

If only they could throw in RTS while they are at it. :wink:

:wink: They have a FPS/RPG hybrid, but how about a RTS/racing hybrid hmm? :twisted: They're Flagship, they can do anything. :twisted:

[Krazy Kaution]

If only they could throw in RTS while they are at it. :wink:
That's a great idea, i think ill expand on it. Possibly a mission where you are defending against a swarm who is attacking you like a freakin zerg rush and the group leader gets in a strange machine or something and he is able to see the mobs from an airial view and he issues orders and commands much like in Natural Selection, tells people where to build defenses etc. But instead of defenses just appearing maybe they have to go get the parts or something so the RTS Commander would be able to locate those parts on the map too!!! That would be so freakin awesome :) who agrees?

[T-6000]

Well putting in a little bit of RTS couldn't hurt. There was a bit of this in the Neverwinter Nights add-on "Hordes of the Underdark." When the Drow Matron Mother attacked a city in the underdark your character got to lead a few units of footsoldiers to defend against the attackers. Maybe there could be a section in Hellgate London where you get to lead some footsoldiers against an attack on an underground station.

[Sol Invictus]

If the controls aren't tedious, I wouldn't mind being in charge of a squad of Templars or human resistance fighters every now and then, but I wouldn't want to see too much of that.

[Jormund]

Well, it looks like an FPS (in first person mode), and I'll admit the mis-understanding is a reasonable one. If the people research up on it though, they'll quickly come to realize it's got the soul of an RPG, not an FPS. All it takes is a little bit of reading...

[Krazy Kaution]

I hope that HG:L PR staff would just put out TONS of 3rd person screenshots, that way people who look at a section of screenshots see a lot of both. That is the only SIMPLE solution to people's misconceptions because most people who go to IGN look at the screenshots before they read to see if its worth tuning into :). I for one would love to see what other melee weapons they have, cuz so far nothing tops the cricket bat :twisted:

[Sol Invictus]

It's a common misconception that the game is an FPS more than it is an RPG. In reality, it is an action RPG played from a first person viewpoint.

I sound like I'm nit picking on the technical details, but the fact of the matter is that the game uses a 'soft aiming' method, so you don't need FPS skills to play it, and many of the weapons don't even require it, as they either home in on the targets, do AOE damage, or whatever. There's also an Accuracy stat (similar to Dex in D2) that allows you to shoot more accuracy.

Nevermind that, though - the game is played entirely from a 3rd person perspective when a melee weapon is wielded, and from what we've seen at E3, the game can be played in 3rd person perspective when you equip guns, as well. Besides being able to dual wield guns, or dual wield melee weapons, you can also dual-wield a gun with a melee weapon.

The game also relies heavily on the randomization that we've only seen a small part of in Diablo and Diablo 2. As Bill Roper himself said: Hellgate: London is like playing Diablo in a first person view. Therefore, it's hard to say that they're 2 completely different genres. If anything, I'd say they're two sides of the same coin: isometric (Diablo) vs Hellgate London (first/third person). The coin? Action RPG.

[devilsbane]

Stop saysing 'its a RPG from a FPS'. That alone is creating a misunderstanding.

[northrop]

Stop saysing 'its a RPG from a FPS'. That alone is creating a misunderstanding.

Ok, it's an RPG from the first person perspective. :roll:

[Aziere]

I like asking questions. It's what I do. So I'm gonna ask now:

Why does it matter?

It could look like a flightsimulator for all that I care. As long as the game is fun for me, then I don't care what genre it belongs to.

Now you would argue that genres are like guidelines. Personally I don't think so. I love FPS's like Serious Sam, Painkiller, and Quake. Yet Half-Life, Unreal and many others are just mediocre to me. While there are also some (Halo) that I don't like much at all.

As for RPG's. I like Diablo, Fallout, Neverwinter Nights. While I dislike Sacred, Gothic and Morrowind.

So it would be wrong to say just because I like one game in a genre I will like the next one.

Now you're gonna say that Hellgate is like the Diablo series with a mix of Serious Sam, Painkiller and such, so I'm going to think it's good. Perhaps and perhaps not. It all comes down to feeling.

But what about people who like Diablo 2 but not shooters at all? Just because Hellgate has a similar core gameplay, the difference is in the control and view. And not everyone is going to like that.

And those that disliked hack n slash games but loves shooters may actually like Hellgate. Because of first person perspective they may actually overcome the differences between the gameplay. So saying that it's not a FPS wouldn't do it justice either.

But you know what I ultimately think? It's best to leave them all alone. If they don't think too much about it, the game is going to be much better in their view when it's released. Hype does nothing but get good first-day sales, as in the long run it will just hurt the buyers.


Seems short and simple answers ain't my thing though :P

[Nightsorrow]

Perhaps not short, but it was a good answer none the less. And even though I agree to the most part that it doesn't matter, my opinion, and yours, and everone else's here, might be biased since we "know" what type of game it is.

Having all these First Person screens gives the people that dont know what type of game it is the feeling that it will be some sort of Halo clone or something similar.

However, the only impact that will have is that more FPS players will get the game, and perhaps less RPG lovers. And in the end, when the word gets out, the FPS players will be pissed since their "twitch" skillz doesn't have a big effect and the RPG players will join in the fun. So, in the end, the effect on how the game will look, how it will evolve, and who will play it will be very small. The only real diffrence it will make is that the game will be bought by a lot of players that wouldn't have bought it if they knew it was an RPG, so perhaps its a marketing ploy...

But... No, it doesn't really matter.