HGL - Underground Communique, Issue #8 : FPS / MMORPG / RTS Discussion

Underground Communique #8
Week of June 9th

Happy Paraskavedekatriaphobia Day!

This eighth issue of the Hellgate: London Underground Communique comes to you on none other than Friday the 13th, a day which holds great significance for an estimated 17 to 21 million people in the United States alone. Due to the combination of the day and number, it is estimated that some $800-900 million in potential commerce is lost and that traffic-related accidents increase substantially. While you mull those figures over, take into account that every year has at least one and at most three Friday the 13ths.

However, for us Hellgaters, the thirteenth has a completely different meaning. Yes, it is on this fateful day in 1307 that the King of France ordered the arrest of more than one hundred of our Templar brethren on charges of heresy, beginning seven years of torture and executions of those captured: a true reason to be wary on this unlucky day. Granted, that event occurred in October and we’re only in June. Still! Be ever-vigilant!

Have a safe Friday the 13th, noble Hellgaters. Your Communique follows.


The Abyss Chronicles (Patch 2) is LIVE on Test Center!

You read right. After a brief delay due to a bad self-extracting patch, the Test Center server is now playing host to Patch 2 and its veritable mountain of new content. Population on the server is high and players are providing gobs of considerate, constructive feedback on all elements of the major content update.

Want to get in on the action? Follow this link to be taken to download links for the Test Center version of Patch 2. Already enjoying The Abyss Chronicles? Tell us about it! We have “Directed Feedback” threads set up for all of the major additions in the patch, allowing you to make your voice heard. Check them out in the Test Center Discussion subforum.


Teaser Video of The Abyss Chronicles Released

Wondering what unspeakable monsters and powerful weapons await your adventure into the Abyss? Sate your curiosity with this teaser video of The Abyss Chronicles (Patch 2). Glimpse new evils, new skills, and new tools to use in conjunction with those new skills against those new evils. Check it out here!

A higher-quality version of the teaser can be found on our YouTube channel or on the HellgateLondon.com front page. A high definition .WMV of the teaser video can be downloaded here from Hellgate: London's HanbitSoft website.


SneakShots #2 Tells All About Trinkets

One of the new additions that The Abyss Chronicles introduces is the Trinket inventory slot. The first trinkets available in Hellgate: London are rings, seven types of them. These items, while coveted, require cleansing using your Transmogrifying Cube before they can be equipped and serve you with all their latent power.


You can learn more about these new items in the second issue of SneakShots, here.


In-Game Mail Purge Plan Announced

As some Hellgaters may have noticed, in-game mail has been hanging around in inboxes past their expiration dates. Some players have hit the inbox size limit for mail with attached items and can’t receive any new attachments as a result. To fix this, we will be activating in-game mail purging on the Shulgoth (US) and Sydonai (EU) servers starting next week.

Here is the planned schedule:

* Monday, June 16th: All in-game mail that was sent during the month of April will be purged, regardless of its current “X days left (until expiration)” state.
* Monday, June 23rd: All in-game mail sent before May 15th will be purged, regardless of its current “X days left (until expiration)” state.
* Monday, June 30th: We will turn on automatic purging to match the displayed expiry date in players’ inboxes. Mail which shows “0 days left” will be removed within 24 hours.


If you have any further questions on this topic, please visit this thread.


Exclusive Patch 2 Screenshots and More at GameBanshee

GameBanshee.com has populated their Hellgate: London section with an item database, quest database, and skill database. There are also useful guides for classes and the mini-game in additional to a two-page interview with Flagship Studios’ Director of Technology, Tyler Thompson. In addition, they’ve a six-pack of exclusive screenshots of hot, new Abyss Chronicles content.





Click here to find out more!


Developer Blogs Forum Section Created

With forum activity at a high due to The Abyss Chronicles (Patch 2) arrival on the Test Center server, our developers have decided to offer small glimpse at our daily tasks and triumphs. The new Developer Blogs subforum is a great place to pull back the curtain a little and see what goes on in our studio, our offices, and sometimes even our heads. These posts provide insights into the development of game elements, how a typical day unfolds, and what food, music, or other entertainment we’ve been consuming lately.

The developers are quite keen to reply to comments so feel free to ask questions in your responses!


So Remember Hellgaters…

If any Templars see a mean old King of France trying to serve you a warrant for your arrest on charges of heresy, cast Sprint in the opposite direction and quickly. This goes for Cabalists and Hunters too. Be safe this Friday the 13th, in-game and out.

Remember the dead! Fight for the living!
-- Scapes

http://www.hellgatelondon.com/undergrou ... ue-issue-8