Torchlight - Runic Games

[Salamok]

This should end up beign awesome how often does a dev get to refactor his code 3x before release!

[Margalis]

Textures with low frequency detail, clean lines and regular angles, flat surfaces, similar lighting, etc.

The character models are proportioned and lit differently but the environments are much similar than different.

[Zzulo]

Textures and ambience seems to be very similiar. Only the models of characters seem to be very different.

[Malakili]

Some more information: http://torchlight.tumblr.com/post/99934419/my-interview-with-runic-games

Some important highlights, this actually doesn't look like it is going to be an MMO, but rather single player.

However, this opens up a second interesting point:

Building the single-player first has a host of other benefits - not least of which is the fact that the game will be highly moddable, and we plan to deliver some robust modding tools, which would never be possible with the MMO.

Sounds very interesting.  I'm actually MORE interested in this game as a moddable single player action RPG than I was when it was going to be a mythos style MMO.

[Azaroth]

Yeah, but everyone had to be somewhat forgiving of the premise when it was an MMO. I mean... MMOs are nothing but an intricate contraption of hamster wheels and pinatas (somehow connected to a series of tubes).

But, really. "And so then the player goes to the mountain for the ore which makes their armor real good and ALSO MAKES GREAT PERIL LOL!" doesn't necessarily seem like a strong enough story to carry a single player RPG.




...

Actually, you know what. Fuck it. I'm pasting the actual quote, because mine actually makes the game sound more interesting than theirs.

Torchlight is billed as a simple, action-oriented online PC game in the style of Diablo. The basic setup: "Adventurers set out from the town of Torchlight into the nearby mountains in search of the magic ore that imbues their equipment with power, yet imperils their very existence."

[schild]

What are you talking about? The more story you latch onto a Diablo-alike the worse the game gets.

[Azaroth]

Well, I suppose if it's going to be strictly a Diablo ripoff, you're probably right.

[schild]

Well, I suppose if it's going to be strictly a Diablo ripoff, you're probably right.

What would ever make you think otherwise? Look at the people involved.

I'm still stoked.

[ahoythematey]

I'm not giving this game any thought.  Been burned too many times with early promises, I'm just going to wait it out.  My one hope is a game almost identical in mechanics and feel as D2, but with more robust PvP options.  That is the only thing that would interest me beyond widespread, good word of mouth.

[Lantyssa]

How are you going to get PvP options in a single-player game?

[UnSub]

How are you going to get PvP options in a single-player game?

Self-abuse is a form of PvP. Just don't think too hard on what one of those 'P's stands for.

[ahoythematey]

How are you going to get PvP options in a single-player game?

I had assumed a game with the MMO label in there somewhere wouldn't be single-player only.  I guess I don't really understand your line of questioning, because it seems an odd thing to ask.

[rk47]

Palm vs 

[ezrast]

we needed to get our feet back under ourselves. Building a single-player game on a short timeline gives us an opportunity to do this - and ship it and polish it.

Yes.

Jason: what games have impacted your ideas in terms of gameplay?
TB: The original Nethack, God of War, anything Zelda, Wasteland, Dwarf Fortress.

YES. 

Jason: Are there any key features from your past games you wish to bring back in your new games?
TB: Fishing!

NOOOOOOOOO

But aside from that one bit, they seem to have their priorities pretty well in place. This one interview gives me more hope for whatever this group does than years of Champions press releases have for that game. How often do top-tier game devs look at their work, say "Hey, this is too ambitious," and scale the project back to something more realistic? Has that happened ever?

The only concern I can think of is that the single player game just ends up being a mumorpuger without the ability to play with friends.

[Malakili]

The only concern I can think of is that the single player game just ends up being a mumorpuger without the ability to play with friends.

Actually, my concern is that this thing will come out around the same time as Diablo 3 and get blown into tiny bits, never to be seen again.  If they two games come out fairly far apart, I'll get both.  If they come out around the same time, I'll be getting Diablo 3 only.

[Threash]

The only concern I can think of is that the single player game just ends up being a mumorpuger without the ability to play with friends.

Actually, my concern is that this thing will come out around the same time as Diablo 3 and get blown into tiny bits, never to be seen again.  If they two games come out fairly far apart, I'll get both.  If they come out around the same time, I'll be getting Diablo 3 only.

This.  If the games are released anywhere near close to each other this is going to be another massive financial failure.  The time for diablo clones was during all the years we've had to wait for diablo 3, now? not so much.

[Ratman_tf]

Yeah, but everyone had to be somewhat forgiving of the premise when it was an MMO. I mean... MMOs are nothing but an intricate contraption of hamster wheels and pinatas (somehow connected to a series of tubes).

But, really. "And so then the player goes to the mountain for the ore which makes their armor real good and ALSO MAKES GREAT PERIL LOL!" doesn't necessarily seem like a strong enough story to carry a single player RPG.




...

Actually, you know what. Fuck it. I'm pasting the actual quote, because mine actually makes the game sound more interesting than theirs.

Torchlight is billed as a simple, action-oriented online PC game in the style of Diablo. The basic setup: "Adventurers set out from the town of Torchlight into the nearby mountains in search of the magic ore that imbues their equipment with power, yet imperils their very existence."

Sounds pretty similar to the concept of Moria and Mithril to me. One of the iconic dungeon crawl settings.

[Murgos]

we needed to get our feet back under ourselves. Building a single-player game on a short timeline gives us an opportunity to do this - and ship it and polish it.

[/quote]

Not in that order I hope.

Actually, my concern is that this thing will come out around the same time as Diablo 3 and get blown into tiny bits, never to be seen again.  If they two games come out fairly far apart, I'll get both.  If they come out around the same time, I'll be getting Diablo 3 only.

So, they have three or four years to get it out the door then?

[Jack9]

I always thought Diablo models and art direction were pretty terrible. How many ways can we try to make dreary and dark interesting? Oh screw it, let's tile more cobblestone with a filter. I think the torchlight look is much more interesting and marketable.

Too bad it's not gonna be an mmo (maybe player instanced like diablo? over p2p). I'm no longer interested in playing.

[koro]

Too bad it's not gonna be an mmo (maybe player instanced like diablo? over p2p). I'm no longer interested in playing.

Damned if you do, damned if you don't I guess.

[Yegolev]

So, they have three or four years to get it out the door then?

I presume this is the impetus behind the smaller-faster-better ideal.  They really, really want this out before D3.

If it's "highly moddable" then it is possible a multiplayer mode can be modded in.  Maybe not likely, but possible.  It's not like they don't know how to make a multiplayer game.

[Tarami]

TB: The original Nethack, God of War, anything Zelda, Wasteland, Dwarf Fortress.

A fantastic game that's close to my heart, but really, Wasteland? You mean it's post-apocalyptic? No? You have a party? No? It has a strong story full of details and a solid backdrop? No? A varied and actually useful skill system? No? Iconic locations and characters? No? Really, how is it inspired by Wasteland? I fail to see how a loreless hack'n'slash is supposed to take inspiration from a deep, revolutionary RPG title.

[Lantyssa]

Or Dwarf Fortress unless the game allows you to dig out a habitat for your family which attracts settlers whom you can then instruct to do things.

But yeah.  I think the comparison to Wasteland shows a bit of a disconnect.

[Tarami]

I think they were thinking "NetHack and Dwarf Fortress are sorta the same game, right? ASCII graphics and all that."

[Ingmar]

It is hard to know what they mean by these things until we actually see how the game plays. The Nethack part is obvious, but who knows about the other stuff. Maybe it features constantly-spawning cats.

Point being, GRAAAAAAAAAH WHARRRRGARBL about someone dropping a Wasteland reference seems premature until we can actually see that, no, nothing in the game is Wasteland-inspired.

[Hindenburg]

I'm sure they'll add a desert zone.

[sam, an eggplant]

What are you talking about? The more story you latch onto a Diablo-alike the worse the game gets.

Really? Can you point to any badly reviewed story-heavy dungeon hacks to prove this statement? I can't think of any.

It hasn't been done before, but that doesn't necessarily imply it wouldn't work.

[FatuousTwat]

Maybe it features constantly-spawning cats.

That reference always makes me laugh...

[Count Nerfedalot]

but, but,     no multiplayer? not even lan or ip?    wtf?

They better be aiming for a US$25 price point then, because a solo-only Diablo clone (or even a vaguely Diablo-inspired action-RPG of indeterminate heritage) is just half a game.

Unless they plan to fill it with content equivalent to Oblivion or something.  Of course, I'm pretty sure Morrowind or Oblivion would have more than doubled their sales if they supported multiplayer in some form, even if just LAN and IP.  It doesn't have to be Massively multiplayer, but after a few years of playing in the same game with friends, family, spouses, etc, who wants to go back to playing just with themselves?

[NiX]

but, but,     no multiplayer? not even lan or ip?    wtf?

They better be aiming for a US$25 price point then, because a solo-only Diablo clone (or even a vaguely Diablo-inspired action-RPG of indeterminate heritage) is just half a game.

Unless they plan to fill it with content equivalent to Oblivion or something.  Of course, I'm pretty sure Morrowind or Oblivion would have more than doubled their sales if they supported multiplayer in some form, even if just LAN and IP.  It doesn't have to be Massively multiplayer, but after a few years of playing in the same game with friends, family, spouses, etc, who wants to go back to playing just with themselves?

I'm not sure how reliable this article is, but it says it'll be an MMO...

It's an action-MMORPG where players take the role of adventurers from the town of Torchlight...

[FatuousTwat]

I would be surprised if they didn't go with the multiplayer system Mythos had, it seemed to work pretty well.

[Ratman_tf]

who wants to go back to playing just with themselves?

It writes itself. 

[/lol]

I play Diablo and Dclones mostly to play offline. I think adding multiplayer is a pretty good idea, but personally it wouldn't be a deal breaker for me.

[El Gallo]

Those screenshots need more rainbows.

[sam, an eggplant]

I play Diablo and Dclones mostly to play offline. I think adding multiplayer is a pretty good idea, but personally it wouldn't be a deal breaker for me.

I played diablo2 solo on closed battle.net. Since (at the time) it was impossible to cheat, even in a non-persistent world my persistent character's advancement had meaning. Also the trading meta-game was pretty compelling for the time, in a pre-WoW-auctionhouse kind of way.

[Yegolev]

TB: The original Nethack, God of War, anything Zelda, Wasteland, Dwarf Fortress.

A fantastic game that's close to my heart, but really, Wasteland? You mean it's post-apocalyptic? No? You have a party? No? It has a strong story full of details and a solid backdrop? No? A varied and actually useful skill system? No? Iconic locations and characters? No? Really, how is it inspired by Wasteland? I fail to see how a loreless hack'n'slash is supposed to take inspiration from a deep, revolutionary RPG title.

Oh, so this is what you call "nerdrage".  It might have a useful skill system if they go back to something like Fate instead of the skill tree.  I never liked the skill tree.