There needs to be a discussion about Torchlight
#1
http://www.torchlightgame.com/

This is the latest offering from Runic Games, which are a bunch of the old Diablo guys. It's a 3D diablo-esque dungeon crawler, and is very highly polished.

Here's a youtube trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghQBj6Gfn10

You can buy it online for $20, and it's worth every penny.

There are 3 classes, the Destroyer (think Diablo Warrior), vanquisher (Rogue), and Alchemist (Sorcerer). There are tons of items in all kinds of flavours, cool spells, randomised dungeons, massive battles with great visual effects, and great atmosphere. Runic really nailed it with this game.

Right now it's only a single-player game, but they hope to be able to make a MMORPG version later on. System reqs are also very light, but it also scales well. Torchlight looks and sounds amazing on my gaming computer.

The best part is that you have a pet! It follows you around and helps you out. You can teach it spells (my dog can heal me and summon zombies to fight with me), and have it carry the items you pick up. If you have too many items, you can send it to town to vendor them so you don't lose precious dungeon killing time. There's also a Shared Stash you can access with other characters. And you can fish!
Reply
#2
The only thing that dissapointed me about the demo was that it seems there is no monster type randomisation... Same monster mix on every level.
Reply
#3
There's a demo? I can't find it on the site.
Former www.diablo2.com webmaster.

When in deadly danger,
When beset by doubt,
Run in little circles,
Wave your arms and shout.
Reply
#4
Quote:http://www.torchlightgame.com/


The best part is that you have a pet! It follows you around and helps you out. You can teach it spells (my dog can heal me and summon zombies to fight with me), and have it carry the items you pick up. If you have too many items, you can send it to town to vendor them so you don't lose precious dungeon killing time. There's also a Shared Stash you can access with other characters. And you can fish!

And the pet morphs on occasion. I saw a screenshot by Dr.Disaster, wherein his pet had turned into a facsimile of The Luggage (from Terry Pratchett). :w00t:

What disappointed me and will keep me away from this one is that it is only single player. :( Otherwise, rave reviews abound.
And you may call it righteousness
When civility survives,
But I've had dinner with the Devil and
I know nice from right.

From Dinner with the Devil, by Big Rude Jake


Reply
#5
Quote:There's a demo? I can't find it on the site.
Kinda strange that they didn't provide a link on the site, but there is a link in this thread. The full version acts as a demo until you unlock it with a key and be aware that keys only work with the version from the same retailer. Last I checked the link in that thread went to the Perfect World version (which is not the same as the one you can get from the torchlightgame.com site)

Quote:And the pet morphs on occasion. I saw a screenshot by Dr.Disaster, wherein his pet had turned into a facsimile of The Luggage (from Terry Pratchett). :w00t:
Pets morph when you feed them certain fish. The one you're talking about is the Pocketfish (turns the pet into a Mimic). Most fish grant temporary effects, but the morph ones also have a much rarer permanent version.
Hugs are good, but smashing is better! - Clarence<!--sizec--><!--/sizec-->
Reply
#6
O!M!G! I can finally kick WoW to the curb!

*wave* off to download the demo
Lochnar[ITB]
Freshman Diablo

[Image: jsoho8.png][Image: 10gmtrs.png]

"I reject your reality and substitute my own."
"You don't know how strong you can be until strong is the only option."
"Think deeply, speak gently, love much, laugh loudly, give freely, be kind."
"Talk, Laugh, Love."
Reply
#7
Quote:O!M!G! I can finally kick WoW to the curb!

*wave* off to download the demo
They have Frost Alchemists!?! Gimmy a chilly, slushy potion, sir!

/shivering
~Frag:P
Hardcore Diablo 1/2/3/4 & Retail/Classic WoW adventurer.
Reply
#8
I've been playing this game a bit over the last week. I have been impressed with how diverse the skill sets look (all classes can be played as melee, if you'd like, or not) and how fun the gameplay is. I can see the game getting potentially repetitive given the lack of random monster generation in the levels and the fact that it is single-player only but for what it is (and for $20) the game is fantastic. I showed it to my brothers and my dad over the weekend and now I think they have all gone off to download it for themselves. I really look forward to what they put together for the future. :)
-TheDragoon
Reply
#9
If there's one thing I don't really like about Torchlight, it's that it seems quite easy. Granted I'm only playing on normal difficulty, but my Destroyer is like a ball of death and nothing even comes close to putting up much of a fight. I've maxed the passive weapon damage skills (Dual Wielding and Martial Weapons Expertise), and only have a few points in my main attack, Slash Attack. I just run around and gather up a big mess of mobs, and Slash Attack. Then they all fall over and die.

I want to try very hard difficulty, but I think I'll stick with my current character on normal just to play through the story.
Reply
#10
Quote:If there's one thing I don't really like about Torchlight, it's that it seems quite easy. Granted I'm only playing on normal difficulty, but my Destroyer is like a ball of death and nothing even comes close to putting up much of a fight. I've maxed the passive weapon damage skills (Dual Wielding and Martial Weapons Expertise), and only have a few points in my main attack, Slash Attack. I just run around and gather up a big mess of mobs, and Slash Attack. Then they all fall over and die.

I want to try very hard difficulty, but I think I'll stick with my current character on normal just to play through the story.

I had a similar experience in the demo using titan stomp. I thought that the 360 knockback would help with crowd control, but it turned out to be a screen clearing killer. It's nice when you need a bit of an easy romp, but it doesn't seem to have the same challenge that keeps Diablo interesting.

The random mob mix didn't turn me off, as the random layout gave enough interesting spaces, and I really like the pits/tunnels that pour out enemies if you get too close. I've only been playing the demo, but found the "down the Hatch" quest series an nice distraction when I got tired of the tileset of the main dungeon, and it seems that this sort of thing continues with the vendor maps that open portals to side areas that you can grind if needed, thought again, I'm not sure it is needed. Maybe the difficulty curve steps up after dlvl 5?
but often it happens you know / that the things you don't trust are the ones you need most....
Opening lines of "Psalm" by Hey Rosetta!
Reply
#11
Quote:If there's one thing I don't really like about Torchlight, it's that it seems quite easy. Granted I'm only playing on normal difficulty
They did state (a day or two after release) that Easy is intended for people who haven't tried the genre at all before. Normal is for gamers who aren't veteran ARPGers and Hard is the intended starting point for people who come from Diablo, TQ and so on.

One thing you can do to make it harder is to keep far away from the Enchanting system while doing your Normal run. 1k+ DPS weapons turns even Very Hard into Not That Hard.
Hugs are good, but smashing is better! - Clarence<!--sizec--><!--/sizec-->
Reply
#12
Quote:You can buy it online for $20, and it's worth every penny.

There are 3 classes, the Destroyer (think Diablo Warrior), vanquisher (Rogue), and Alchemist (Sorcerer).

*twitch*
Just from messing around with the demo;
I like that you can "free form" equip hands. Any 1-hand weapon can pair with any other 1-hand weapon or a shield (didn't try dual shields though).
1-hand Pistol + Shield I like.
I like that there is a skill system AND a spell system (and this may just be the demo talking, but the spell system seems a little limited).

The only thing that is stopping me from buying it right now, is that I KNOW this game will ruin my life for months to come.

Must

Resist

The

Fun
Reply
#13
It's really damn fun, and if you're looking for more of a challenge play it hardcore. I've been playing hard and vh hardcore since I got it, and have probably lost a dozen characters already. Even with going passive armor path on my caster and my ranged toons, there are a lot of traps and mobs out there that can 1hit you. FUN!
Currently a PoE junkie. Wheeeeee
Reply
#14
Quote:http://www.torchlightgame.com/

This is the latest offering from Runic Games, which are a bunch of the old Diablo guys. It's a 3D diablo-esque dungeon crawler, and is very highly polished.

Here's a youtube trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghQBj6Gfn10

You can buy it online for $20, and it's worth every penny.

There are 3 classes, the Destroyer (think Diablo Warrior), vanquisher (Rogue), and Alchemist (Sorcerer). There are tons of items in all kinds of flavours, cool spells, randomised dungeons, massive battles with great visual effects, and great atmosphere. Runic really nailed it with this game.

Right now it's only a single-player game, but they hope to be able to make a MMORPG version later on. System reqs are also very light, but it also scales well. Torchlight looks and sounds amazing on my gaming computer.

The best part is that you have a pet! It follows you around and helps you out. You can teach it spells (my dog can heal me and summon zombies to fight with me), and have it carry the items you pick up. If you have too many items, you can send it to town to vendor them so you don't lose precious dungeon killing time. There's also a Shared Stash you can access with other characters. And you can fish!
Loved the sound track.

Looks a bit like Diablo III. Go figure.

Has potential.

Occhi
Cry 'Havoc' and let slip the Men 'O War!
In War, the outcome is never final. --Carl von Clausewitz--
Igitur qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum
John 11:35 - consider why.
In Memory of Pete
Reply
#15
I just played through the demo and enjoyed it a lot. The combat has an immediate feel to it that I just didn't get from Mythos. I think they'll be getting their $20 from me.
Reply
#16
Long time no see Lurker Lounge!
I thought there would be more fervor over this game here then anywhere else. Anyways, two thumbs up! And yeah dont bother with normal mode. waaay to easy. just jump right into hard or very hard.
Signatures suck
Reply
#17
I've been playing for a couple of days now and I've also enjoyed the game. Like DeeBye, I also started on Normal difficulty but have found it way too easy (the only time I've lost more than 1/4 of my health was when I accidentally sprung a trap).

I like that you can pay to get further enchantments/sockets added to items. Finally, there's a game where I don't end up with way more money than I know what to do with.

being able to send your pet to shop for you is a very nice touch. Unfortunately, it seems to be about the only thing the game offers that you can't find in other similar games. Having already played both Diablos, both Dungeon Sieges and Titan Quest, I keep getting a bit of a "been there, done that" feeling.

But other than that, the game is great. My PC is a couple of years old now, so I'm finding it harder to run new games, yet this runs beautifully on maximum settings with AA on. And the lighting and spell effects are very nice. I was a bit dubious after I saw the first few screenshots of the game, as they gave it the cartoony look that I've deplored in games like D2 and WC3. But that only seems to be the case when you have the view zoomed in as much as possible. I prefer playing zoomed out as much as possible, and find the graphics quite nice like that.

And the soundtrack is great. It reminds me very much of the original Diablo score.
"What contemptible scoundrel stole the cork from my lunch?"

-W.C. Fields
Reply
#18
http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2009/11/4/
Reply
#19
Quote:http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2009/11/4/

:D That made me chuckle... now I'll never trust my pet again!
Reply
#20
I have this on loan from a friend and I'll likely be using $20 out of my very limited entertainment budget to get it. Only played through a little ways, about 3 or 4 levels in the mines, using the rogue class, but it's been fun.

Like vor_lord said the combat is a bit more engaging than it was in Mythos (and I did enjoy that game). I think the stylized animation was a good choice as I think that will help stand the test of time a bit better and it feels alright.

I like the isometric view, this game does a better job with showing you behind the walls than others with a fixed view have done. I think the smaller view area (you don't really have a lot more on screen than you did with say D1) is actually a benefit as well and make the combat more engaging.

Going to town is not a pain, but being able to send the pet with the vendor junk still makes it better.

Yep it's got a lot of rehash from other games but it's done well enough to be enjoy able. I admit to playing around with ricochet shot just to see how many wall bounces I can get before hitting the mob a bit too. :)

Like D2 I think playing through with different classes and specs will hold my interest for a bit as well.

My system is not uber (see the Dragon Age thread if you want specs) but it set me up with AA, a good resolution, higher details and the game has played great, so it's really a low horsepower.

I've even been following the story in this one as the set-up makes a bit of sense.

Admittedly I'm not sure I'm any farther in than the demo would let you go, but it will likely get a bit more play time from me in the future.

Fun game so far, I started on normal, and may just restart on a higher difficulty as it's been very easy, but then so was normal in D2 and sometimes you want to just be invincible. :)
---
It's all just zeroes and ones and duct tape in the end.
Reply


Forum Jump:


Users browsing this thread: 1 Guest(s)