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An archived Hellgate: London feature. See the Hellgate Archives for more.

Feature: The Inquirer Article
Date: December 27, 2005
Source: The Inquirer Online

Demons in the square mile

THE ACRONYM RAM now means "Random Access Mayhem."

Hellgate: London will bring us a stylised and randomised London, with hellspawn to boot.

"London is perfect for the sort of game we sought to make," said Max Schaefer, chief operating officer, Flagship Studios. "There are centuries, eons even, of history beneath the streets of London. From druidic sites to plague pits to Victorian era sewers, to WWII bomb shelters and factories, to the modern Underground system. There's a whole host of locations that make for great, creepy, spooky gameplay."

The upcoming first person shooter will present each player with a different game, a different path through the plagued streets and underworld of London.

"Our randomized layouts will contain reproductions of actual buildings, signs, and the familiar icons that make London look like London," said Dave Glenn, art director. "And what's more, the major landmarks, like Big Ben and the Thames, are fixed in place. We've also tried to capture the traits of each area such as the width of streets, the style of buildings, the number of parks, and the density of buildings to make the neighborhoods feel like they should, even if the street layouts aren't strictly accurate."

Mix a little of Diablo's randomized mapping (or Rogue, if you prefer) with Doom's evil-comes-through-a-portal plot and a d20 style level and skill advancement system, and viola! You've got an idea of what Hellgate: London will be like.

Sorry, London. I guess the East End seemed like Hell on earth to Schaefer and Glenn.