Well, it’s over, folks. The servers and website just went down. It was fun while it lasted. Well, no, it wasn’t, but you get the idea. Good luck to everyone else in what future gaming endeavors you pursue; full of win or full of fail otherwise. Oh, there is just one thing I would like to leave with you guys, however, and here it is.

Yes, Hellgate will be shutting down on February 1st, 12AM, as it has always been planned. However, Gamasutra caught wind of a Redbana US press release and decided that month’s-old news was new to them. Gamasutra’s insight offers that HanbitSoft will eventually start making updates to Hellgate. I’m sure in a few more months Gamasutra will also learn that HanbitSoft has already been doing so. What’s most interesting about Redbana US’s press release is that it says nothing about keeping up US/EU server support like Gamasutra has been leading on (and now Kotaku as well). Apparently everyone is still forgetting that Namco still owns the distribution rights of Hellgate in the US.

So will Hellgate servers shut down on February 1st still? Yes, they will. Will the game come back to the US later? Maybe, but maybe is all we have to actually go on.

Jan. 30 EDIT: Woopsie! Looks like Gamasutra realized their error and has changed “will continue on here” to “will continue in unspecified territories.”

Thanks to Webbstre for linking us to runicgamefansite.com, there is apparently a load of information to learn about Runic Games. I would post it here but hey, Webbstre has it all on his site, so if you’re interested, I suggest checking it out, especially if you were interested in Mythos. Remember, Runic Games was Flagship Seattle, who, for the most part, never even worked on Hellgate to begin with. Who knows, they might turn up something good.

Well, it seems that HanbitSoft’s promise to continue on with Hellgate holds true. Redbana US has released patch notes for the 1.34 patch. The following are the patch notes:

Greetings, Hellgate warriors.

 Hell’s siege of Earth has been long and arduous, but what little remains of the human race has persevered.  Our streets are overrun with Demons, our homes derelict and scarred by hellfire, and our friends and loved ones missing — or worse.  While civilians huddle in the relative safety of the London Underground, you and a scant few others have ventured out of the tunnels and into the dangers of the world above.  It is because of you that we have survived.  Thank you.

 To us, your selflessness and strength make you a hero. But to Sydonai, ageless Elder Demon and lord of the Hellgate churning above London, they make you a threat.

 Redbana US is proud to present Second Invasion, the first of our many content updates and bug fixes for Hellgate: London.  In an effort to crush the resistance of Earth’s few remaining noble champions, Sydonai has summoned his Dark Wills, five powerful Demons who exist to bring their master’s will to fruition. Led by Astaroth, the Dark Wills have spread out across London and wait for their master’s command to storm forth from Hell and overwhelm what little remains of London.

 If the Dark Wills are so eager to engage Earth’s most virtuous defenders in combat, our suggestion is simple: give them what they want.  Scour each of Hellgate: London’s five Acts for demonic runes to power eldritch blades that grant access to the domain of each Dark Will. Lurking within are legions of Demons who cry out for your blood, but those who survive the five Dark Wills will find great wealth, weaponry, and adventure.

 Second Invasion is but the first of our answers to your many requests. Don your armor, sharpen your sword and focus your spirit — the Hellgate over London remains open, and many more Demons, treasures, and quests will appear over the coming months courtesy of Redbana US.

 Your dedication to Hellgate: London is commendable, and we promise it will not go unrewarded.

 - Grand Master Mason & Redbana US Seraphim

 

That’s the only bit that was in English, at least. The rest is from the wonderful work of Google Translate. Good luck.

¦ 5 between each part of the story, the new boss of the Monster

      ? peuruseulraseu

     ? Iraq be rasya

     ?  Barbarez toss

     ?  ahmon

     ?  We taroteu ? General

 ¦ 5 of the New Territories

     ?  Zone ? of cruel

      ?  Zone ? of hate

     ?  Zone ? of anger

     ?  Zone ? of punishment

     ?  Zone ? of the referee

 ? 5 of new or changed the type of terrain

     ?  the region can be found in the second invasion

 ? add a new item rating: Myths Stars weapons

 ? for the future, to be added to the basic system, a set of additional items

 ?  Add the bag ? items

      ? There are 3 kinds ? by size (small suitcases, bags, big bags)

      ? You can open one at a time gabangman ?

      ? can not be left in the bag the other bag.

      ? The items in the bag ? inventory and other items as a bar to shorten the action

         You can put to use.

      ? empty gabangman trading / sales can destroy.

 ?  new life / Spirit items recovered

       ? It’s hard to get back new items do not have time to wait for reuse.

        ? Life in the following types of items are hoebokyong.

         ?  small serum treatment

         ?  medium, serum treatment

         ?  large serum treatment

         ?  advanced treatment serum

         ? Nano it serum treatment

       ? Spirit, the following types of items are hoebokyong.

       ?  mini-mental ganghwaje

       ? medium-sized spirit ganghwaje

       ? a large mental ganghwaje

       ? advanced mental ganghwaje

       ? Nano ganghwaje the spirit of it

 ? The new dye paint

    ? a kind of new dye neungryeokchiman improve the paint, but they improve the width neungryeokchi

        The paint will run more than the color of my hair.

     ?  the following types of new paint is the color of my hair

       ? dye colors: white, titanium

      ? dye colors: iron oxides

      ? dye paint: the hapgeumpan

      ?  dye paint: tungsten alloy

    .] [A Guide for hard-core users - the invasion may be difficult to experience, even before the Normal mode, and then play a hard-core mode is recommended.]

 ?  ? animated update

 Running animation: All avatar is to improve the running animation, more realistic animation can be viewed and natural running. To each class by class animation to show each other has changed. Tempeulreo the slow, heavy weapons and close to shield jungmujang This is a class. Hunter, and the personal touch, and always rest with the new weapon is a class without a moving light. Cabal, and a variety of quick hand motions like a list of items to the middle of the spirit house and the demon summoning them to demonstrate who is fighting a class. All classes have been improved following the animation.

 ? running in all directions

? power running in all directions

 Choose animate characters to improve the window: all the characters of the animated character is displayed in the seontaekchang improved.

 ? When you create a new character animation, character and attitude that appears to set a more convenient Has been to improve.

? character at the beginning of the game for Armor and weapons have been revised to similar items.

 This looks like the class more accurately understand the feelings and character to make it easier to create It is intended to help.

      ? Armor weapons and all the classes you are wearing ? of the class characteristics have been changed so that you can save.

 ? briefly to the class did not fit the excessive animation has changed.

? weapons and can be obtained from Armor ahyitemman the ACT 1 has been changed to display.

? 360 º It will display a comfortable ? change the attitude of the character and simplify the 360 º was to explore.

 ?  (UI)  ? user interface (UI) to improve

 ? easy to see the characters for information by topic has 4 kinds.

     ? neungryeokchi

    ? defense

    ? reputation information

    ? character Preferences

 ? skills of all the classes were classified as 3 items.

 ? geomgisa

      ? gyeoltusa

      ? Article

      ? tugeomsa

 ? Guardian article

      ? Shield

      ? faith

      ? punishment

 ? combatants

       ? Charge

       ? reconnaissance

      ? bombing

 ? Technical Agent

      ?  bots

      ? ?   Drone

      ? ?   Duke Special

 ? Dark Magic

      ? nature

      ?  spirit

      ? vision

 ? devil Magic

      ? masu

      ? devil

      ? program

 ?  graphics improvements

? added a new particle effects associated with the fight.

? has improved the efficiency of particle effects.

 ? improve performance

? the appearance of a different character within the party so that you can view high-definition as a ‘detail patiwon’ features have been added.

? This feature is in the video settings in the Preferences.

? This feature was initially off.

 ?  bug fixes

 Items with the mouse and other items that can not be used in the home state has changed.

After the video could not resurrect the bug has been fixed.

When you give up the ghost in the Quest, the game was abnormally shut down, the bug has been fixed.

The other is equipped with a shield if the shield back to shield the player’s recovery was 100% bug has been fixed.

When you quit the game during the 3000 amplifier with the effect the item has been fixed the bug disappeared.

One more … ‘to the challenges of the compensation paid unusual bug has been fixed.

Abnormally in various areas of terrain can not move blocked the bug has been fixed.

Normal levels of the character window to display the defense has been corrected.

The number of fragments from heat Nano Nano was exhausted abnormally bug has been fixed.

To strengthen the effectiveness of the items described events to display properly corrected.

Die in the attempt to age the player is dead and the Quest has been fixed the bug did not shut down normally.

Strengthen the effects of the destruction ahreseu the bug has been fixed function abnormally.

Mars was the blessing of the work to strengthen the work unusual bug has been fixed.

Using the power running skills items initialization bug has been fixed skill was canceled.

Kevin’s bocheol Bridge (Quest items) normally destroyed after the completion of the Quest to be corrected.

Male characters, and two spirit of a house when the animation has improved middle-use items.

Male Hunter has been corrected animation skills of the tactical shooting position.

 

Yeeahh…If someone knows Korean, speak up. We could use a better translator.

On another note, we’re not entirely sure how you’re supposed to get this patch. HanbitSoft’s blog has been claiming we’d be getting this content, and we’ve assumed that we’d be able to download the client, so we’re not sure. There is, however, a download section on HanbitSoft’s Hellgate section that looks like a client download. You’re free to try and see how far you get.

Sure, we’ve all been trying to read the poor Google translations of the Hellgate updates coming from Korean websites, but here is something in English to chew on, as posted by HanbitSoft PR Manager Janelle (and where we have essentially heard previous news on Hellgate as well). Picy follows.

Of course, if you believe Namco, the very company that continues to say that they are the sole reason why we won’t see this content in the US, EU, and JP, then this doesn’t mean much for us. So the next time you want to thank someone for proactively bringing a halt to where the game was born, just give a pat on the back to Namco. Then again, the associated people have been wrong in the past. Frequently, might I add. Only time will tell. Besides, after all this waiting, we should be used to being left in the dark by now.

The lifeboats are still making their way to shore and two more survivors climb out of the inflatable innertube and make their way back into the market. According to diii.net, Phil Shenk, one former founder of Flagship Studios, and Kevin Klemmick, former senior software engineer at Flagship Studios, have decided that creating a new company would be a good idea. The company is called Gravity Bear, and, as you can see from their website, they are getting tons accomplished.

Roper the Hutt answers some interview questions from Champions Online fans. Gotta love this folks, great comedy gold here. Here are some of the Q and As (with commentary, of course):

Did you approach Cryptic for a job or did they ask you to join the team? (Captain_Intrepid)

[Roper:] “Initially, I was trying to get into the closed alpha test through a friend of a friend. I ended up talking with Arkayne, which led to coming in, meeting with Jack Emmert, and us seeing if there might be a good match between Cryptic and myself. The answer was a resounding ‘Yes!’ “

This is too good. Roper wanted to test Champions Online…Hey Roper, did you ever think about trying to test Hellgate? And you didn’t even have to ask to get into that closed alpha either. But I love that list bit there. A “resounding yes” speaks infinitely about Cryptic Studios. I should really go into the video game market. I mean, what other market can you go in to, quit a good job, form a company and be one of the biggest contributing reasons why 100 people lose their jobs, a foreign company has to sell itself to another, and over 200,000 customers are left with $50 coasters, have to liquidate most of your assests, and STILL get a job—-one that the employer is even ENTHUSIASIC about wanting you to work with them. The only conclusion I can come to is that Roper must have some magic mind erasing technology. “Oh, you’re Bill Roper? 9 years of Blizzard experience? And it says here that—-*bzzzzt*—-that your favorite food is sushi! You’re hired!”

My understanding is that the game is through the concept and base-design stages, so why the decision to bring in Bill Roper? What does Bill bring at this stage of development? (Arakim)

[Roper:] “I’ve got a lot of experience coming in at the later stages of a product to help get it through the polish phase and released. This is something that I did for a lot of years at Blizzard, but unfortunately wasn’t in the position to do at Flagship…”

If you’re not seriously lol’ing at this one, then there is something wrong with you. Seriously, what position did you need to be in at Flagship Studios to have a hand in this? Can you go higher than CEO or am I just losing my mind here? And I’m also willing to bet that it wasn’t even your call to hold back Blizzard products to polish them either—-just, “Hey Roper, we need you to do a few lines here again.”

What’s one of the core lessons you learned from how things went down with HGL? (SaintKairos)

[Roper:] “While we learn from our successes, we probably learn more from our shortcomings. Hellgate: London was a game that had some great elements, and sorely under-delivered on others, making for a very uneven experience. Having the time to polish the content that exists and ensure smooth play and functionality isn’t as easy as it seems…“

…And yet hundreds of other lesser companies are able to put out much more successful titles. I’m just curious. What is the point of the high-and-mighty “I have experience at Blizzard” stick being waved around if you brought a company full of those guys together and they gave you the biggest turd known to mankind? Seriously, if “top notch” developers say it’s too hard to polish a game BEFORE RELEASE then maybe they are on the wrong career path.

What was your highest high in gaming and lowest low (in your opinion)? (kiramon)

[Roper:] “…The lowest was closing a company that I co-founded and breaking up a team of really fantastic developers.”

Maybe if you didn’t “follow your heart” when it came to gambling with people’s jobs then you might have never had to close it down in the first place. Hell, if you had a lick of sense then this site wouldn’t even be here in the first place either.

Runic Games is still going quietely in the night. Still no update from them since August 8th. Hey Travis, if you’re still kickin’, mind letting us know how’s it goin’? Still no word on what Turbine’s West Coast studio is doing either. Hopefully it stays that way. Not so sure about the rest of the folks. We know a few people got scooped up by other companies rather quickly, like Tyler Thompson, who went to go work for EA. It is of interest to note that Eric Liu isn’t even showing his previous experience with Flagship Studios on LinkedIn, but, interestingly enough, he is working for RedBana. You remember RedBana, guys; they are supposed to be the US distributor and overseer of the future of Hellgate. So chew on that one for a bit.

Until next time, chilllllllldren, this is Three Dog, awoooo—-er, heh. What I meant was if anything else goes down in post-apocalyptia these days, we’ll be there, for you. And now, some music!