Torchlight II, Spring 2011 - 8/19/2010, Multiplayer co-op trailer now up!

SunnyD

Belgian Waffler
Jan 2, 2001
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www.neftastic.com
Update: 8/19/2010 - New trailer up on the main website (gamescom trailer) featuring ... MULTIPLAYER

Runic Announces Torchlight II, due Spring 2011

I say "Good!" If it's as fun as the first one and available for $5 on Steam, I'm gettin' it too.

Torchlight II ignites the franchise created and developed by Runic Games in this exciting sequel to the award-winning Action RPG Torchlight. Runic Games, located in Seattle, is a veteran team composed of the designers and leads of projects like Diablo, Diablo II, Mythos, Fate, and Torchlight, which won the Game Developer’s Choice Award for Best Debut of 2009.
Torchlight II is richly textured with our unique art style, drawing from traditional animation influences and expanding on the whimsical and quirky world captured in the original Torchlight. We aim for that broad appeal that’s appropriate for older kids, but is really intended for the kid in every adult.
CO-OP ACTION

The most exciting new feature of Torchlight II is the multiplayer element. Play with your friends, and use the free peer-to-peer matchmaking service to meet new players of a similar level and interest. Together players will discover expansive randomized outdoor areas and deep ominous caverns; random instanced and persistent dungeons, a huge variety of all new monsters and villains, endless variations of loot to find, and quests to complete. Players journey through the perilous Overworld, enjoying all new weather features, time of day events, and a rich and cunning story to drive gameplay.
BACKSTORY

Beyond the town of Torchlight lies a world shrouded in adventure and mystery. Guardian-warrior Syl appears in a prophetic dream, summoning the player to the Estherian Steppes. There, you meet with the Destroyer and soon venture across the continent of Vilderan, an exotic frontier besieged by forces of evil. A discovery unfolds, that the Alchemist, following his conquest of dark ember, disappeared on his quest to defeat the unknown corrupted force responsible for destroying the mystical race of Estherians. Aided by Syl, the remaining Estherian Guardians, and clues left behind by the missing Alchemist, you will find yourself battling a powerful enemy that threatens to unravel the elements of the entire world.
Runic Games will release Torchlight II initially as a digital download in Spring of 2011.
KEY FEATURES


  • Multi-player – Play with your friends over a local area network, or over the Internet. A free matchmaking peer-to-peer service lets you make new friends for exciting co-op play.
  • Customizable Characters – Players create and customize a character from one of four classes available and choose an animal companion. Through cosmetic, class, and gender choices, skill path decisions, and the treasures they acquire, each character can be custom-tailored to each player’s needs.
  • Moddability – Torchlight II will release with an updated version of TorchEd, the Torchlight editor. Players have the option to create their own mods, adding even more content to the world. You and your friends can download the same mod and play together!
  • New User Interface – Torchlight II boasts an entirely new, improved user interface, designed to be easier than ever for new players to pick up and play. Thanks to this intuitive interface, players have immediate access to a rich and varied world, with little experience necessary.
  • Overworld Areas – Torchlight II has large randomized overworld areas to explore with weather, time of day cycles, and random events that provide players with even more content to experience.
  • Random Dungeons – Delve into randomly generated dungeons within the game at any time for extra experience and rare loot. Dungeons in Torchlight II have even more branching paths to explore with friends filled with random events, rewards and dangers.
  • Retirement System – Once characters are sufficiently leveled up, they can “retire” and bestow specific benefits and perks onto new characters.
  • Pets – Players choose a pet to accompany them. Pets level up along with the player, and help in battle, learn spells, carry items, and perform a variety of support services.
  • Fishing – Fishing returns in the sequel! Players can take a break from the high-energy pace of adventuring to relax by one of the many fishing holes and see what they can catch. Fish have unique benefits for the player and pet, while a number of other rewards can also be discovered.
 
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Firsttime

Platinum Member
Mar 31, 2005
2,517
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If it has co-op I'll probably get it. That's what kept me from picking up the first one.
 

dfuze

Lifer
Feb 15, 2006
11,953
0
71
Awesome, been waiting for a game like this to play with my brother.
 

Dumac

Diamond Member
Dec 31, 2005
9,391
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Awesome

I wonder what the pricing will be, and if having the first game will affect anything.
 

Alienwho

Diamond Member
Apr 22, 2001
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76
I have tried to beat torchlight 3 times, but I always seem to fizzle out in the middle of the game.

It's a good game, but the lack of story makes it really easy to get sidetracked. Also, the repetitive gameplay and cheesy animation style doesn't help. I really hope this isn't a sign that I won't be able to play Diablo 3, especially considering I was looking forward to it more than starcraft 2. But starcraft 2 has been able to suck me back in.
 

KMFJD

Lifer
Aug 11, 2005
31,709
49,843
136
It might pass some time while waiting for the real game to come out....
 

gorcorps

aka Brandon
Jul 18, 2004
30,739
454
126
I have tried to beat torchlight 3 times, but I always seem to fizzle out in the middle of the game.

It's a good game, but the lack of story makes it really easy to get sidetracked. Also, the repetitive gameplay and cheesy animation style doesn't help. I really hope this isn't a sign that I won't be able to play Diablo 3, especially considering I was looking forward to it more than starcraft 2. But starcraft 2 has been able to suck me back in.

It's definitely a game that would be more suited for multiplayer. The lack of a story and repetitive gameplay is IMO present in Diablo 2 as well, but when you're playing with friends you kind of forget about it because it's just good fun. Same with Borderlands too.
 

AlgaeEater

Senior member
May 9, 2006
960
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I haven't been able to find a good co-op game to play with the girlfriend for a long time since Titan Quest. If this is true that multi-player will be added to Torchlight 2, then I'm super excited about it.

I hope they do their best to lengthen the game or add in a random dungeon generator ala Diablo 2 style. The first game could be finished quite quickly, literally in 2 sittings on a weekend if you had the time. Titan Quest was no where near as quick, although that game had long periods of walking.
 

Nintendesert

Diamond Member
Mar 28, 2010
7,761
5
0
Hell yes, I'm looking forward to this one. I really enjoy playing Torchlight, very laid back and just some mindless fun.

With multiplayer, big must buy. Day one for sure.
 

El Guaraguao

Diamond Member
May 7, 2008
3,468
5
81
coop?!


yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeehaw!

[throws cowboy hat into the air and shoots it]
 

Homerboy

Lifer
Mar 1, 2000
30,890
5,001
126
Mythos was such a freaking blast in the Beta. I nearly wept the day it died. Then Torchlight surficed, and while INCREDIBLY fun for sure, it just painfully lacked all the Multiplayer fun that Mythos had.

CAN NOT WAIT!
 

Arglebargle

Senior member
Dec 2, 2006
892
1
81
Can't get past the point and click movement. It always kills my interest in the game, no matter how good. The UI is super important to me, especially if it is not amenable to personalization. So probably no go on the Torchlight II unless they made some major changes.
 

Ika

Lifer
Mar 22, 2006
14,264
3
81
I just got hooked on Torchlight again as a Vanquisher after getting bored in the mid-game with my Alchemist. Honestly I've been waiting for the Torchlight MMO for a while now, but hopefully this will satiate the appetite.
 

Dumac

Diamond Member
Dec 31, 2005
9,391
1
0
It's definitely a game that would be more suited for multiplayer. The lack of a story and repetitive gameplay is IMO present in Diablo 2 as well, but when you're playing with friends you kind of forget about it because it's just good fun. Same with Borderlands too.

Diablo 2 had a story, and it was pretty damn good.

It gets completely ignored in MP though.

Borderlands has almost no story, though, like you said.
 

duragezic

Lifer
Oct 11, 1999
11,234
4
81
Interesting. So how's that affect the MMO?

A number of months ago, there was some Runic people on the Runic Forums that mentioned expanding their team and going to work on a "brand new project".

Which led to a lot of people speculate "what?", as it was understood that they were already known to be working on the Torchlight MMO, so it seemed like "new project" meant something other than the MMO.

So finally I believe this is the news of what they meant.

I would guess that a number of reasons made them want to release a Torchlight 2 with multiplayer, THEN do the MMO (maybe 2012 or so release).

edit: Yep, pretty much confirmed what I thought once I read the PC Gamer interview linked from OP story.
 
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Aikouka

Lifer
Nov 27, 2001
30,383
912
126
Maybe they realized that resistance to the Blizzard is futile... so no MMO :p. Chances are it'd fall to the same fate as Mythos :\.
 

SunnyD

Belgian Waffler
Jan 2, 2001
32,674
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Maybe they realized that resistance to the Blizzard is futile... so no MMO :p. Chances are it'd fall to the same fate as Mythos :\.

You mean sold off because the developer's previous title sucked shit and didn't generate revenue forcing the studio to close and sell off IP assets, having a new asian developer take up the banner and continue work on it, publish and release it in asia with plans to launch in europe and north america as well?

Is that what you mean? Given that Torchlight generated far more revenue than Runic hoped for, I don't think that'll be a problem this time around.