Genre: | Role Playing | ||
Developer: | Runic Games | Official Site: | http://www.torchlight2game.c... |
Publisher: | Perfect World Entertain... | ||
Release Date: | 21st September 2011 |
Genre: | Role Playing |
Developer: | Runic Games |
Official Site: | http://www.torchlight... |
Publisher: | Perfect World En... |
Release Date: | 21st September 2011 |
When playing modded games, you can view your mod history, any previously played mods, and the impact disabling mods may have on your character.Earlier in the week we saw Runic Games officially add the Steam Workshop, a further testament to the companies quite accepting profile on modding, something few games are struggling with these days. For those looking to pimp out their game, you can check out the official blog which offers a Q&A with tools engineer Greg Brown as well as an in-depth wiki guide which can be found here.
We've also added a special tool to GUTS designed to convert pre-GUTS mods into the official mod format, with an eye toward making the transition much easier for our ambitious early modders.
We've tried to make the process as seamless as possible, with a focus on allowing modded multiplayer games with a minimum of fuss.
A new launcher synchronizes any mods you have subscribed to, and lets you customize their activation state and loading priority. In addition, when playing Internet games in the lobby, you will be able to filter modded games by mod combination, and with a single button click, subscribe to those mods. Torchlight II will then restart, synchronize them, and activate them before returning you to the game.For those who are still on the fence will be happy to know a 50% off sale is currently under way to celebrate the launch of the Steam Workshop integration, which you can check out here.
The Steam Workshop is also fully integrated with GUTS, the in-house editor for Torchlight II. You can publish directly to Steam Workshop when you compile your mod, making it available immediately for others to play. Mods that have already been made with GUTS can also be quickly imported into the Steam Workshop.
The Workshop launch has also introduced new content to the base game, for free, which includes:>The NetherRealm tileset - new NetherRealm dungeons can be found via portals throughout the world New Monsters New armor sets New weapons New pets - including the Headcrab! New endgame map content Some additional new dungeons in New Game plus modes in large overworld areas
The award-winning action RPG is back, bigger and better than ever! Torchlight II takes you back into the quirky, fast-paced world of bloodthirsty monsters, bountiful treasures, and sinister secrets - and, once again, the fate of the world is in your hands!With the release of the game, Runic has also let us know that a demo is now available for download, though currently it only seems to be accessible on Steam, however hopefully we can get a local download soon.
Torchlight II captures all the flavor and excitement of the original game - while expanding the world and adding the features players wanted most, including online and LAN co-op multiplayer. Torchlight II is fast, fun, and filled to the brim with action and loot. Adventure solo or online with your friends!
Yes, we want to do more content post launch. For level design specifically, new map scrolls for endgame, phase beast portal rooms, and more variations of already existing levels so there is even more randomization where we feel it is beneficial. We will just have to wait and see how fans react, and what they ask for and try to accommodate if we can.One of the many other interesting questions asked was why exactly the team sells their games for only $20, something that Max Schaefer answers quite well:
We sell for $20 because we want a bigger community, and for people all over the world to enjoy our game. Not everyone has $60 lying around. Plus, digital distribution, like on Steam, makes this more economically viable for a company like us. We couldn't make money selling $20 boxes only, but we'll do fine with this price because of the trend towards digital distribution.With plenty more discussions including why anti-piracy measures aren't effective, then head over to the official page for a great read on what to expect from Torchlight 2. You can also check out our fresh review of the game and what we thought of the rapidly clicking hack-and-slash title.
With respect to piracy, a small company like ours isn't going to solve it. And the last thing we think is appropriate is to punish our honest customers for something other people are doing. We believe that if we put out a quality game at a fair price, there will be less incentive to pirate the game, and that those who do pirate it may decide to buy it down the road. That's our approach and we're sticking to it!
If you enjoy clicking the left button of your mouse thousands of times in order to get pretty rewards on the screen, this is a no brainer – order a 4-pack and demand that your friends put their lives on pause!Read our review to find out why.
Runic Games' CEO, Max Schaefer comments, "We worked incredibly hard to make sure we could release Torchlight II before Summer's official end. Development will continue right up until we ship, and we couldn't be happier to be putting the finishing touches on a great game. We want to get it to the fans as quickly as possible. Honestly, we can't wait."As with the announcement of the date comes a new launch trailer which you can watch below (HD here).
Ideally, the multiplayer that everyone has asked for will further increase the longevity of the game (we certainly hope so!) These are all new assets as well ( some monsters and weapons return from Torchlight, but they have all been recreated, or in the case of some individual weapons and shields, updated and repainted )The release window for Torchlight II is still US Summer, so the clock is ticking until the end of August. The game can be pre-ordered on Steam for US$19.99, and at the time of writing, the original Torchlight can be had for 40% off at US$8.99, with 11 hours left on the sale price. However, note that pre-ordered Torchlight II, currently rewards you with a copy of Torchlight for free anyway.
I think when someone like Blizzard comes out with something like Diablo 3—where they’re doing TV commercials on ESPN, real mass market stuff—they’re bringing in millions of new gamers into the gaming community, and that makes our audience bigger. We’re doing pre-sales on steam, and the day Diablo 3 release they shot up 40% and have stayed up. They’re bringing in lots of people into this genre, and people are becoming aware of what we’re doing through them. We’re kind of piggybacking on their marketing.On Diablo 3's rocky launch:
Once they get things running smoothly, no one will ever remember they had a rocky start. We didn’t look at it and say “Hey we gotta make sure we don’t have this happen!” because obviously they were trying to prepare for it, they’re not dumb guys at all. It’s just impossible to prepare for that [much traffic]. We were actually relieved that the game didn’t suck. It’s a good game, and we want our genre to be hot.On D3's art style departure:
Also I worked on all the previous Diablos, so emotionally for me it’s important that it not suck, you know, by association. I think we look at it as a successful launch, obviously, it’s the fastest selling PC game of all time.
I think the art looks great! It looks like Diablo, but they have their own style, which I think they should do. You know, they shouldn’t just try to make Diablo 2 again. They’ve got a totally new crew making the game, and its always best when people are doing their version of what they’re doing, so I’m glad they put their own stamp on the style.On what the Diablo sequel was going to be before Blizzard North was folder:
You know, when I was working at Blizzard a million years ago we were working on Diablo 3 and it was an MMO. We were going to do the Diablo version of World of Warcraft. Blizzard obviously changed that pretty quickly, so we left to start Flagship Studios and we brought in a lot of the guys, so they rebooted with their own team.On whether there are now too many upcoming ARPGs
I don’t think so at all. For a decided simple game, ARPGs are actually very complicated to create. I think that’s why there aren’t a lot of them. I don’t think it’s based on the market at all, because whenever they do come out they sell like hotcakes. Look at Diablo 3. It’s the fastest selling game on all time on the PC. It’s a fertile market and I don’t think one or two titles are going to saturate it.Torchlight 2 is currently expected in "late summer 2012" (Australian Winter) with pre-orders already open at only US$19.99
There are so many FPS out there and no one thinks that genre is dead. Every one that’s good sells like crazy. We’re pretty confident that provided we can keep our quality up, there are more buyers than there are games in this genre.
We'll be sending out many more beta codes to those who have already made their Runic Games Account. Haven't signed up yet? Go for it now! Creating your account is always your best chance to receive a beta invite - especially this weekend.In Sydney time (AEST) That start date translates to Saturday May 19th at 04:00am and the end date to Wednesday May 23rd at 04:00am.
The Beta Weekend will start on Friday, May 18th at 11:00am PDT and go until Tuesday, May 22nd at 11:00am PDT. We will be staggering invitations to let participants know they have been chosen, but you will not be able to play until the start of the Beta Weekend on Friday. This is to help stagger downloading of the game client.
Torchlight II is now available to pre-purchase on Steam! Act now and the original Torchlight to play right now!While no actual release date has yet been announced, an expected 2012 release is still in the works.
The award-winning action RPG is back, bigger and better than ever! Torchlight II takes you back into the quirky, fast-paced world of bloodthirsty monsters, bountiful treasures, and sinister secrets - and, once again, the fate of the world is in your hands!
This particular cinematic opens the game, filling in the story between the end of Torchlight and the beginning of your hero's quest in Torchlight II. Art Director Jason Beck created all the storyboards, and Klei Entertainment animated the scenes with sound effects. JD Wiker wrote the script, and Matt Uelmen assisted with sound effects and provided the score.While the reaction to the new opening cinematic has been quite positive, a few eager players aren't quite as happy, with the Torchlight 2 forums and YouTube comments clearly showing some distaste in the parchment style art. Runic Games has come out with a statement regarding why they chose the specific art style and not something similar to your average CGI cinematic.
When we started talking about doing cinematics we also had to be pragmatic... we couldn't go big-budget CG, nor did we want to go with in-game cutscenes. We landed on doing something that was heavily stylized and 2D. I think part of the hope is that going that route would be an unexpected solution that also meshed with our restrictions.Check out the trailer below (click here for HD goodness) showing off the very cool parchment art style that Runic Games chose, as well as head over to our game page for more on news and screenshots.
Some of the inspirations included the opening 2D sequence in Kung-Fu Panda, the cinematics from Heavenly Sword, the flashback God of War 3 cinematics, and Samurai Jack. With that sort of style in mind, doing it all in Flash became a really attractive option.
Congratulations to the Diablo III team for announcing a release date! That's got to be a such a feeling of relief to be on the home stretch. We're excited to hear the news, and we can't wait to play.Diablo III is due on PC on May 15th 2012. Torchlight 2 has yet to revise a new release date, with only "2012" as the current stated goal.
To our fans:
We know a lot of you are worried about us. We've heard what you're saying, and sure we've had similar discussions. But we began making the first Torchlight in 2008 when development on Diablo III was already underway. We didn't let that be a reason that we couldn't make an RPG. We made the commitment to create a game we loved to play. That's what's important to us, and that's why we go to work every day.
The first Torchlight was released in record time, but it had plenty of issues that a little more development could have resolved. We didn't have the resources at the time to give Torchlight that treatment. Right at this moment though, we do have those resources for the sequel, and we feel strongly that we should apply them to make this the best game we can make and hopefully one that you'll enjoy and continue to want to play in the future. We've probably had 18 months of full development time on it so far - not excessively long yet, as far as that goes. The amount of time we need to take it the rest of the way is relatively small.No new release window has been given, so it's going to be interesting to see if the Torchlight 2 team -- which sports several ex-Blizzard North veterens -- can still beat the very similar and hugely anticipated Diablo 3 to market.
We feel pretty safe in saying that if you enjoyed Torchlight at all, this sequel is superior in every respect. Right now our job is to ensure that the quality level is consistent all the way to the end.
Besides, you're all playing Skyrim right now anyway, aren't you? Or Battlefield 3? Or Uncharted 3? Or Saints Row 3? Or Arkham City? Or Skyward Sword? Or Minecraft? Or Modern Warfare 3? Or Dark Souls? Or Assassin's Creed Revelations?
“It’s always been our goal to provide exceptional value for the price,” says Max Schaefer, CEO of Runic Games. “Everyone who wants to play Torchlight II will be able to comfortably afford to do so, and they’ll be able to play with their friend online or via a LAN, or play single player offline, all with no further purchases.”Also revealed for PAX is the fourth and final player class, the Embermage
The mysterious Embermage joins the previously announced Engineer, Outlander, and Berserker classes. This marks the culmination of a month long buildup introducing each class to players.Torchlight 2 is in development at Runic Games by an independant team that includes several original Diablo/Diablo II developers from Blizzard North. Runic still don't have a specific release date for us, only that it is still due "for PC in 2011".