Hellgate: London – London 2038 Development Update #6

According to the latest developer diary for Hellgate: London’s London 2038 multiplayer mod, there’s now a new patch that improves the game’s Guardian and Evoker classes, introduces some early game enhancements, and more. Beyond that, we’re told about a new QA initiative and get a general overview of the team’s future plans.

Check it out:

Hello, hello!

This is a very special day, so this one’s a very special diary. It marks new developmental milestones, new creative endeavors, a mild case of fatigue, and an open invitation for you to get involved. So, let’s jump right into it.

When patch? Now patch!

First and foremost, the patch has finally been finalized – and this is final. The patient souls who have been following my near-defunct channel may have caught a glimpse of it 15 already, but I did have to hold back for the surprise factor.

For everyone else and all the rest, you may find this long-awaited bag of sweets’ patch notes here: https://london2038.com/2021/04/19/patch-1-5-3b-notes/ 66

To quickly summarize the key points, this patch intends to achieve the following:

• Make Guardians great again; the shield bearers may now use their trusty shields from start to finish, and shields now differ enough to be worth inspecting.
• Give Evokers more choices; the spellslingers may now find new ways to deeply offend crowds and single targets alike.
• Spice up the early game; the hellscape that is London should be no walk in the park from the get-go, and Lords should deserve their name.
• Let the Cube transmogrify; the endgame calls for cubing, so cubing there shall be. Not to be confused with “clubbing” – we still need to repair whenhit nova disco builds.
• Unearth old relics and craft the future; Fat Bully now awards the forgotten FSS-era Rares, while we dip our toes into crafting new items of all grades. These are not the Uniques I’ve teased before 13, but they too shall come in due time.

There is more to it, of course, so please make sure you go through the notes for all the meaty details. Or play it, I suppose, as it should be released very shortly. Poor timing for this diary indeed, but I wouldn’t afford the piece of mind to get this out there within the coming week.

Come on in!

Next, we’ve finally opened applications for willing contributors. “Shady Ones” are our trusted, shady advisors, who get to test additions in secret and have the future spoiled for them in real-time! So if this sounds appealing to you, you may read the full job description and apply for it here: https://forms.gle/pHVGjH4obu3o3zZn6 16

Abandon all hope, I salute your bravery, and all that. For all who may apply, best of luck – I hope your fortitude carries you through these deeper circles of Hell.

The future: Hell expands

Now, speaking of the future, when does work resume? That’s a trick question; work never ends.

So, to repeat what I’ve teased before with some added substance, let me provide a sneak peek into the future.

Mysterious benefactors

A shady bunch, much like our own, will shortly find its way to London. These mysterious benefactors will meet you in Holborn, and follow your progress to St. Paul’s. They will change your future, but perhaps not without strings attached.

A portal to distant lands

An equally conspicuous person will find their way to the players’ path. This one seems eager to unintentionally push greenhorn survivors into harm’s way, but also promises new frontiers with unseen dangers and new unearthed relics.

It’s not a moon, it’s a station

Finally, a station long since conquered is being reclaimed by Alternalo’s forces as we speak. Jokes aside, this new frontier will be our first expansion-sized addition, complete with mechanics to flex your brains on, new items to collect, and a whole new chapter to the story – much to my personal delight. If you’re brave enough to visit, bring company.

About that stamina bar…

With all that said, there’s a final note I’d like to make. For full transparency, as exciting and rewarding as working on the 2038 project is, it’s also extremely tiring. We’ve been going on for over 4 years now, and all the members who remain have likely had very few breaks in all this time.

That is not to say we’re taking a break now, no no. Work continues, and we’re extremely keen on introducing our own content, be it lv1 or lv50. But it is indeed tiring, and our schedules are tighter than Lucious’s pants.

So all this section means to say is, please understand that our overall pace needs to reflect this. I’ve noted that “soon” is not a welcome word, justifiably so, and that even suggesting release dates creates natural hype that puts more pressure on us to deliver. What this means in turn is, I’ll have to be slightly more vague and swing around the “soon” bat much less. This will hopefully let you enjoy what is there without intensely focusing on the future, while also giving us more breathing room to craft new monstrosities to plague London.

And now…

…I’ll let you enjoy what the patch has brought, if it’s live when you’re reading this. If it isn’t, “patience” advises Arphaun – “soon” is now “soon” indeed. I hope you do enjoy this… particularly challenging new batch of changes, and I hope you share your feedback on the good, the bad, and the ugly wherever you choose. Wherever we can read it, that is.

As always, thank you for your time and continued support. Until next time, all the best and happy hunting :slight_smile: