Torchlight II
Encyclopedia
Torchlight II is an upcoming action role-playing game
developed by Runic Games
and published by Perfect World
. It is the sequel to Runic's 2009 ARPG, Torchlight
, and features peer-to-peer
multiplayer support and extended modding
capabilities. A release for Mac OS is planned for some time after the PC release. Runic Games originally estimated the PC version's release date to be sometime in 2011, but in November 2011 company president Travis Baldree announced the game would be pushed back to 2012 to allow time for further polishing and a beta test.
, Torchlight II will feature randomly-generated dungeons
for the player to explore, and numerous types of monsters to fight for experience
and loot
. Torchlight II maintains the same basic gameplay as its predecessor, but features overland areas with multiple hub towns, and a longer campaign. Other new features include time of day cycles, weather effects, and a redesigned user interface. Players will be able to customize character appearance with choice of gender, face, and hair style. Additionally, several elements from the first game will be returning, such as pets, fishing, and a retirement system.
es. The Engineer (formerly known as the Railman) is a heavy melee fighter who uses ember-powered steampunk
technology; the Outlander is a wandering nomad who uses ranged weapons and "low magic." The Berserker uses quick attacks and animal-themed special powers to kill everything in its path, and the Embermage who is a highly trained spell-casting class with elemental attacks. The three classes from the original Torchlight do not return as playable characters, although they are present in the game world as NPCs
.
multiplayer, supporting both internet and LAN play. Runic has not yet decided on the maximum number of players per game, but Runic co-founder Max Schaefer stated that in their testing, groups of 1-4 players give the best experience.
As the game progresses, the player treks across large geographical areas, corresponding to three "acts" of the story and an epilogue. Act I is set in the mountainous Estherian Steppes, and Act II takes the player to a desert known as the Mana Wastes.
set in the Torchlight game world to follow the release of the single player game. However, in August 2010, Runic announced they were developing Torchlight II, a sequel which was conceived not only as a way to give the series multiplayer support, but also to give Runic "more experience with making a multiplayer Torchlight." Some of the work on Torchlight II is intended to carry over to Runic Games' upcoming Torchlight MMORPG, which the company plans to focus on following the release of the sequel.
In late 2010, Runic Games' increased involvement in the Xbox Live Arcade
port of the first Torchlight game caused a delay in the development of the sequel, but memory and loading time optimizations developed for the port led to improvements in the PC version of Torchlight II.
Unlike its predecessor, Torchlight II features cinematic sequences, which are being produced by Klei Entertainment
, the developer of Eets
and Shank
.
Action role-playing game
Action role-playing games form a loosely defined sub-genre of role-playing video games that incorporate elements of action or action-adventure games, emphasizing real-time action where the player has direct control over characters, instead of turn-based or menu-based combat...
developed by Runic Games
Runic Games
Runic Games is a Seattle-based American computer game company formed by Travis Baldree , Max Schaefer and Erich Schaefer , Peter Hu, and the Flagship Studios Seattle team responsible for Mythos. It is a subsidiary of Perfect World Co., Ltd...
and published by Perfect World
Perfect World (company)
Perfect World is a China-based online game company specializing in MMORPGs. Beijing Perfect World Co. was founded in 2004 by Chi Yufeng, the president of Human Software Corporation. The company aims to develop and market games with Chinese characteristics...
. It is the sequel to Runic's 2009 ARPG, Torchlight
Torchlight
Torchlight is an action role-playing game developed by Runic Games and published by Perfect World, released for Windows in October 2009. The fantasy-themed game is set in the fictional town of Torchlight and the expansive caverns and dungeons nearby, which adventurers explore to collect valuable...
, and features peer-to-peer
Peer-to-peer
Peer-to-peer computing or networking is a distributed application architecture that partitions tasks or workloads among peers. Peers are equally privileged, equipotent participants in the application...
multiplayer support and extended modding
Mod (computer gaming)
Mod or modification is a term generally applied to personal computer games , especially first-person shooters, role-playing games and real-time strategy games. Mods are made by the general public or a developer, and can be entirely new games in themselves, but mods are not standalone software and...
capabilities. A release for Mac OS is planned for some time after the PC release. Runic Games originally estimated the PC version's release date to be sometime in 2011, but in November 2011 company president Travis Baldree announced the game would be pushed back to 2012 to allow time for further polishing and a beta test.
Gameplay
Much like the original TorchlightTorchlight
Torchlight is an action role-playing game developed by Runic Games and published by Perfect World, released for Windows in October 2009. The fantasy-themed game is set in the fictional town of Torchlight and the expansive caverns and dungeons nearby, which adventurers explore to collect valuable...
, Torchlight II will feature randomly-generated dungeons
Dungeon crawl
A dungeon crawl is a type of scenario in fantasy role-playing games in which heroes navigate a labyrinthine environment, battling various monsters, and looting any treasure they may find...
for the player to explore, and numerous types of monsters to fight for experience
Experience point
An experience point is a unit of measurement used in many role-playing games and role-playing video games to quantify a player character's progression through the game...
and loot
Looting (gaming)
Looting in a gaming context, specifically in massively multiplayer online games and MUDs, is the process by which a player character obtains items such as in-game currency, spells, equipment, or weapons, often from the corpse of a creature or possibly the corpse of another player in a PVP situation...
. Torchlight II maintains the same basic gameplay as its predecessor, but features overland areas with multiple hub towns, and a longer campaign. Other new features include time of day cycles, weather effects, and a redesigned user interface. Players will be able to customize character appearance with choice of gender, face, and hair style. Additionally, several elements from the first game will be returning, such as pets, fishing, and a retirement system.
Character classes
The game will feature four playable character classCharacter class
In role-playing games, a common method of arbitrating the capabilities of different game characters is to assign each one to a character class. A character class aggregates several abilities and aptitudes, and may also sometimes detail aspects of background and social standing or impose behaviour...
es. The Engineer (formerly known as the Railman) is a heavy melee fighter who uses ember-powered steampunk
Steampunk
Steampunk is a sub-genre of science fiction, fantasy, alternate history, and speculative fiction that came into prominence during the 1980s and early 1990s. Steampunk involves a setting where steam power is still widely used—usually Victorian era Britain or "Wild West"-era United...
technology; the Outlander is a wandering nomad who uses ranged weapons and "low magic." The Berserker uses quick attacks and animal-themed special powers to kill everything in its path, and the Embermage who is a highly trained spell-casting class with elemental attacks. The three classes from the original Torchlight do not return as playable characters, although they are present in the game world as NPCs
Non-player character
A non-player character , sometimes known as a non-person character or non-playable character, in a game is any fictional character not controlled by a player. In electronic games, this usually means a character controlled by the computer through artificial intelligence...
.
Multiplayer
Game modes include single-player and Co-opCooperative gameplay
Cooperative gameplay is a feature in video games that allows players to work together as teammates. It is distinct from other multiplayer modes, such as competitive multiplayer modes like player versus player or deathmatch...
multiplayer, supporting both internet and LAN play. Runic has not yet decided on the maximum number of players per game, but Runic co-founder Max Schaefer stated that in their testing, groups of 1-4 players give the best experience.
Plot
Years after the end of the original Torchlight, an unknown culprit steals the "essence of power" of Ordrak, the evil being who had been the source of the corruption under the town of Torchlight, and then destroys the town. The player character takes on a quest to stop this villain, who is using Ordrak's power to disturb the balance between the world's six elements.As the game progresses, the player treks across large geographical areas, corresponding to three "acts" of the story and an epilogue. Act I is set in the mountainous Estherian Steppes, and Act II takes the player to a desert known as the Mana Wastes.
Development
Though the original Torchlight received positive reviews, the game's lack of any multiplayer modes was a near-universal criticism of the title by critics and fans alike. Prior to the release of the first game, Runic Games had announced plans to develop an MMORPGMassively multiplayer online role-playing game
Massively multiplayer online role-playing game is a genre of role-playing video games in which a very large number of players interact with one another within a virtual game world....
set in the Torchlight game world to follow the release of the single player game. However, in August 2010, Runic announced they were developing Torchlight II, a sequel which was conceived not only as a way to give the series multiplayer support, but also to give Runic "more experience with making a multiplayer Torchlight." Some of the work on Torchlight II is intended to carry over to Runic Games' upcoming Torchlight MMORPG, which the company plans to focus on following the release of the sequel.
In late 2010, Runic Games' increased involvement in the Xbox Live Arcade
Xbox Live Arcade
Xbox Live Arcade is a type of video game download distribution available primarily in a section of the Xbox Live Marketplace, Microsoft's digital distribution network for the Xbox 360, that focuses on smaller downloadable games from both major publishers and independent game developers...
port of the first Torchlight game caused a delay in the development of the sequel, but memory and loading time optimizations developed for the port led to improvements in the PC version of Torchlight II.
Unlike its predecessor, Torchlight II features cinematic sequences, which are being produced by Klei Entertainment
Klei Entertainment
Klei Entertainment is an independent game development studio located in Vancouver that develops downloadable video games for the PC and Xbox 360's Xbox Live Arcade. Klei was formed in July 2005 by Jamie Cheng. They are best known for two of their original intellectual property games, Eets and...
, the developer of Eets
Eets
Eets is a 2D puzzle game developed by Klei Entertainment and first released on March 27, 2006 for Microsoft Windows. It was later released for Mac OS X on December 9, 2010. Both the Windows and Macintosh versions of the game are distributed digitally via Steam...
and Shank
Shank (video game)
Shank is a 2D side-scrolling beat 'em up developed by Klei Entertainment and published by Electronic Arts. It was released on August 24, 2010 for the PlayStation 3, August 25, 2010 for the Xbox 360 and October 26, 2010 on for Microsoft Windows. The game features both melee and ranged combat, as...
.