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Hellgate: London Live But The Subscription System is Not

Hellgate: London Is Now Live on the Hellgate: London Website announces Flagship’s action/RPG is now on store shelves. The Hellgate site also offers word that the game’s controversial subscription system is temporarily unavailable.

 “Subscriptions are temporarily unavailable due to technical issues. You are still able to create accounts and all players will be able to subscribe as soon as this is resolved. For users who have had difficulties subscribing, we are investigating these issues and will attempt to resolve them as soon as possible.”

How about a handy side-by-side list will help you decide whether to pay the 10 bucks a month for a subscription.

Hellgate: London Adware EULA Follow-up

The Hellgate: London Website speaks out about the new about the Hellgate Adware EULA with an explanation of why it’s worded the way it is. To me it sounds like they are trying to put out fires with very weak excuses on why they did what they did.

We want to make something very clear. We are in no way scanning your computers for your personal information or taking any personal information without your knowledge. The only time that Flagship or Ping0 would collect your personally identifiable information is when you actually decide to give it to us. Examples are when you create an account for Hellgate: London online or when you provide us your personal information when you enter a contest. The language in the portion of the EULA that has been cited is actually fairly standardized language that is used in the vast majority of EULAs for recent on-line software. It was unfortunately also somewhat broad in scope and potentially ambiguous in nature in an attempt to keep the legalese at a minimum.

This catch-all statement was included so that we have the ability to determine if someone is using hacks, unauthorized mods or other abusive applications while playing the game which spoils the gameplay for everyone else. We also use this catch-all to protect other parties offering technical support, such as our online provider, Ping0. This is a completely legitimate function and other leaders in the MMO space do it in an effort to stop hackers and provide better technical support. In order to stop hacks and cheats, as well as attempts at outright fraud, we may need the ability to scan our player’s computers for applications running at the same time as our game. This paragraph was designed to be able to allow for such functionality. It is also important to point out that EA does not determine what we do in regards to online and offline for our game security.

Also, this has nothing specifically to do with advertisements. EA has nothing do with Massive or potential ad-serving in Hellgate: London. First and foremost, any in-game advertising that would be in Hellgate: London is there to simulate how London looks in the real-world. Ads that represent this have been in the entirety of the beta, and in fact, have been shown in the game for well over a year. The fact is that we did not agree to potentially have ads in the game just to make more money. If we did not work with Massive, we would have to get individual approvals from every single company that we want to feature in the Underground stations. This is simply too time consuming and it’s much better to have the experts to do it, allowing us time to focus on making Hellgate: London better and better while getting a realistic portrayal of London in the process.

Should we elect to serve ads, they must be approved by us, Flagship Studios. We would demand that they be in-context with the game world – aged, weathered, only shown in appropriate areas, just as the static posters you see in the Stations are now. We have no interest in putting giant, bright-white billboard in the middle of your battles or having you wield swords of Brand X Cola.

Finally, Hellgate: London and all of the online play and components are controlled by Flagship Studios and Ping0. We’re all gamers here, and we’re as sensitive to protecting our personal information as you are. This is why we have spent the past six months becoming a member of the ESRB Privacy Online certification program. This means that we’re meeting the most rigorous standards in the industry for protecting your privacy and the information that you provide us.

Hellgate: London Subscription Details

Flagship has finally announced what Hellgate: London subscribers will get for their $9.95 monthly subscription fee:

Elite Mode – This is for those players that always feel a game is too easy. The demons are tougher, deal out more damage, move faster, travel in larger groups, and have more champions at the ready. Numerous tweaks to the overall balance and progression of the game make this an extremely challenging mode.

Hardcore – Hardcore mode takes away the various resurrection options. For the gamer that wants the ultimate test, try playing an Elite Hardcore character!

Themed Events and Items
Halloween (October 31 – November 4)

• Zombot – A special pet just for All Hallows’, this amalgam of meat and metal is sure to frighten and delight those players that are willing to put in the time to find all the necessary pieces in order to construct him.
• All Hallow’s Visage – A Unique Helm that has not only very special properties, but as well a look unlike any other helm in the game. Ghost Rider would be jealous!
• All Hallow’s Treats – Delicious and devious, these different candies do everything from temporarily boosting stats to temporarily altering the appearance of the devourer.
• All Hallows’ Quests – There is a pair of special quests available, including one that is repeatable for continuous fun.
• Nemo ~ Master of Festivities – This special NPC can first be found in Covent Garden Station to greet players and send them on their way with quests specifically crafted for the season.

Guild Creation – Buy purchasing a Guild Herald, a character can form a new guild. Characters can only be part of one guild at a time and should a Guild leader decide to abandon their post, they can pass leadership of the Guild to another subscribing guild member.

Achievements – These are long-term goals for players. The player starts with a few new goals in an Achievement Log. These can be as simple as slaying a certain amount of specific demons to something as difficult as completing quests without the benefit of armor! Players uncover new goals as they start to meet the requirements of that achievement. For example, after 50 zombies have been slain, an “Achievement Unlocked” message displays on the screen. Checking the Achievement Log shows how many zombies must be eradicated to complete the achievement. Rewards for completing achievements can be anything from reputation to tags on the player to special particle effects to items to special skills to – well, anything is possible!

Extra Character Slots – While everyone gets 3 character slots, subscribers can have a maximum of 24 characters.

Larger Stash – Each character’s storage locker is doubled in size with an extra 6×8 section, making the hoarding of all sorts of goodies that much easier. Packrats rejoice!

Founder’s Perks – Name Color Forum Icon

Games + Adware = Don’t Buy It or Give Me A Discount

Do you read the license agreements when you install software, or do you just keep hitting next? Well if you downloaded the newly released Hellgate: London demo you should have, since you get the extra bonus of adware included. (Advertising-supported software)

Here’s the pertinent section of the license you have to agree to once Hellgate is installed onto your system:

The Software incorporates technology of Massive Incorporated (“Massive”) that enables in-game advertising, and the display of other similar in-game objects, which are uploaded temporarily to your personal computer or game console and replaced during online game play. As part of this process, Massive may collect your Internet protocol address and other basic anonymous information, and will use this information for the general purposes of transmitting and measuring in-game advertising. Massive does not store or use any of this information for the purpose of discovering your personal identity. For additional details regarding Massive’s in-game advertising practices, and to understand your options with respect to in-game advertising and data collection, please see Massive’s privacy policy. The trademarks and copyrighted material contained in all in-game advertising are the property of the respective owners. Portions of this product are © 2007 Massive Incorporated. All rights reserved.

Consent to Use of Data. You agree that EA, its affiliates, and each Related Party may collect, use, store and transmit technical and related information that identifies your computer, including without limitation your Internet Protocol address, operating system, application software and peripheral hardware, that may be gathered periodically to facilitate the provision of software updates, dynamically served content, product support and other services to you, including online play. EA and/or the Related Parties may also use this information in the aggregate and, in a form which does not personally identify you, to improve our products and services and we may share that aggregate data with our third party service providers.

Here is one better example for you As reported on CNN.com about splinter cell and other titles serving in-game ads for the UK Xbox 360 users.

Britain’s Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) is taking a new approach to attracting new recruits. ‘The monthlong ad campaign, which starts at the end of October, is being run by GCHQ, the recruitment firm TMP Worldwide and Microsoft-owned in-game ad agency Massive Inc. Ads headed ‘Careers in British Intelligence’ will appear as billboards in scenes in Splinter Cell and other games including Need for Speed Carbon and Enemy Territory: Quake Wars when they are played on computers and Microsoft Xbox consoles in Britain.

You might be saying well the ads are only posters on walls in certain areas, but with the adware fully incorporated into the game they don’t have to stop at just posters on walls. You could find yourself kicking the crap out of some Zombie flesh by chucking some Windows ME CDs at it, since Massive is owned by The Borg errr Microsoft.

I am ok with including this crap err technology with a free demo but to be included in a game you’re paying full price or paying a monthly fee for … NEVER! I have refused to buy a game at full price that has in game ads in it. I feel the same way about in game ads as I did when I found out Blizzard and World of Warcraft had been stealing my bandwidth to substitute for having game patch servers by using a bittorrent system. This would have been ok if they would have had an option to turn it off or receive the download some other way, or *Gasp* discounted my bill for supplying them with bandwidth.

Us as a consumers have allowed this to continue and dare I say it, even grow. More greedy game studios are looking at this as a great option to pad the bank account even more than the already high prices they charge for games.

If you don’t like it, do something about it like write emails, don’t by the game or setup a petition. But for your sake do something or all the games you play will be just like watching TV with commercials popping up at every loading screen / save point.

What do you think take the poll on your right or leave us a comment about your thoughts.

Hellgate London Has Gone Gold And Demo Release Download

A Unofficial Hellgate London website is reporting Hellgate London has gone gold and a single player demo will be released tomorrow.

Demons of London beware… your reign of terror is coming to an end. Electronic Arts, Namco Bandai Games, and Flagship Studios are excited to announce that Hellgateâ„¢: London has gone to gold master and will be available exclusively for the PC on November 2nd in Europe.

“This has been an amazing journey for us and we couldn’t be more proud of what we’ve accomplished,” said Flagship Studios CEO, Bill Roper. “We’re anxious to get Hellgate: London into gamers’ hands and we can’t wait to play right along with them.”

And for gamers who can’t wait until November 2nd to get their Demon-slaying on, Flagship Studios is releasing a single player demo tomorrow, Thursday October 18th on AOL’s Game Daily (www.gamedaily.com). The demo will be available everywhere else from Friday.

The single player demo represents just a small taste of the Hellgate: London experience. Gamers can choose from two of the game’s six character classes: the Blademaster, a master of swordplay and action-packed melee combat, or the Marksman, a cool, calculating, long-range specialist. In the demo, these heroes are able to battle through a small handful of storyline and side quests as they adventure through the streets and tunnels around London’s Holborn Station.

**Update** 2007-10-18

Looks like its official and posted on the HELLGATE: LONDON web site.

And for gamers who can’t wait until Halloween to get their Demon-slaying on, Flagship Studios is releasing a singleplayer demo this Thursday, October 18th.

On a side note there is no mention of AOL’s Game Daily getting it today and everybody else getting it the 19th. I will update when we know more with demo download links.

**Update 2**

Demo Up and Ready to download From AOL GameDaily, FileShack, GamersHell, 3DGamer, 4Player , ActionTri , Computer Games.ro, FilePlanet, Worthplaying

Hellgate London Beta Next Week

The beta for Hellgate London will officially start next week, according to a press release EA sent out. How do you get in? By pre-ordering the game. “We’re excited to get our most passionate players into the early Beta test, and to reward them with a special look once the game goes live on Halloween,” said Bill Roper, CEO of Flagship Studios. “The Founder’s offer is designed for those die-hard fans that will have had time to really get to know the game during the Beta phase and plan on spending a lot of time with us online.”

Here’s what you get when you pre-order, and/or decide to take the $149 plunge:

• A key to an exclusive Beta starting next week and ending October 7, 2007.
• One of four exclusive dye-kits1 that will give your hero’s gear a cool color theme right off the bat when Hellgate: London officially opens on Halloween.
• Eligibility to take advantage of the Hellgate: London Founders Offer, giving hardcore players a chance to purchase a lifetime subscription2 to Hellgate’s premium service for $149.99.