Interview with Runic Games

Erich Schaefer, Brock Jones, and Wonder Russell answer our questions about Torchlight for 360 (achievements!), Torchlight 2 (new pet!), and what to do with PC gaming doomsayers.

CS: For anyone that hasn’t heard the news - Torchlight is coming to Xbox 360. How long has that been in the works and when will it hit?
RG: We’ve been working on the new game since Fall of 2010, and are very happy that it will be launching on Wednesday, March 9th 2011.

CS: What about Torchlight makes it a good game for a move to console?
RG: Xbox doesn’t have a game like Torchlight; the Action-RPG market is really underserved. Tons of fans told us they wished they could just play Torchlight on the couch instead of curled over their PC, and we agreed. The fast paced combat and the fact that it’s save-anywhere are just two reasons Torchlight is really well suited for the console.

CS: Can you tell me about what the process of getting the game on the console was like?
RG: Technically, it was a big process of figuring out how to translate the gameplay from a mouse and keyboard to a controller. We had theoretical plans for how that would work that seemed great on paper, but when we began implementation, there were many elements that just didn’t feel right. We iterated a lot on new theories for things like attack skills, skill trees, and UI to feel cohesive and like they had a natural flow.

CS: How much was done outside Runic Games, and what sort of things did you have control over?
RG: Runic had control over the whole project. We worked in part with a contractor, World Domination Industries who also helped on our Mac port, but the entire project, start to finish, is a Runic project.

CS: What will PC gamers who also want to play the game on their 360 notice that’s different?
RG: Gamers will notice a difference in UI, in skill trees, in potion stacking, and especially a difference in combat. One of the best examples are the Vanquisher’s ranged attacks. Depending on how you automap the skills, traps will be thrown either at a fixed range or a range determined by how long you hold down the button. There were also changes to AoE attacks. And, there are three new armor sets for each character and a new pet.

CS: How did the process of Torchlight on 360 affect the development of Torchlight II?
RG: We learned a lot of lessons in making Torchlight for Xbox that are being implemented into Torchlight II, so it was a great process for us internally. Some of those things are the skill trees, UI, and combat, that we found just worked better, simpler, and were more intuitive. A lot of engine optimizations also carried over. Torchlight II has multiplayer and updated graphics, but we hope it will run at least as well as the first Torchlight.

Also, Xbox system specs made us focus even more on efficiency, and we’re implementing a lot of that in Torchlight II. Specifically, better memory management and loading optimizations.

CS: What can you tell PS3 gamers wondering if they’ll get a shot?
RG: Right now, we have an exclusive publishing agreement with Microsoft.

CS: What are some of the Achievements in the 360 version?
RG: There are 12 achievements, with a total of 200 points, which is the maximum for an XBLA/downloadable game. Achievements include defeating a few of our bosses, successfully enchanting an item 5 times, and transforming your pet.

CS: Any plans for DLC?
RG: We have no current plans for DLC – the best ideas we have from now on will go into Torchlight II.

CS: How are plans for the MMO progressing?
RG: The plans are still there but are just that: plans. Right now, we’re focused 100% on Torchlight II.

CS: Has the possible 2011 release of Diablo III impacted any of your plans for Torchlight II?
RG: Nah. Not much we can do except make the best game we can. And, we’re looking forward to playing it, eventually!

CS: Can you talk some about the pets in Torchlight II? Any additional abilities and options?
RG: The new pet in the Xbox LIVE version is called the Chakawary; it’s a sort of a cassowary + frilled lizard hybrid. It pretty much has the same abilities as all the others: combat, inventory, spell-learning. We have some cool new ideas, but nothing implemented yet.

CS: Torchlight 2 multiplayer online - have you settled on a how many players?
RG: Not yet – we’re still shooting for between 4-8.

CS: About how long will the Torchlight II campaign be?
RG: We’ll have to see what makes the final cut, but it looks like it's shaping up to be about twice Torchlight's, which we estimate at 8 to 10 hours!

CS: Anything on PvP?
RG: Yep, we’ll have some form of PvP. But we’re all adults here so it will be….how do I put this? Consensual.

CS: You’ve revealed the Railman class, a tank-engineer combo, and the Outlander, a magician suited to ranged combat. What about the other two character classes?
RG: We’ll be revealing them. Eventually.

CS: What do you think of the “PC gaming is dead” doomsayers?
RG: Nonsense. They haven’t played Torchlight, I guess!

CS: You guys follow a different model - can you talk a bit about what led you to create a comparatively modest game at a lower price point than most?
RG: We know we wanted to be a small team.  People work better and just have more fun when they're more than a small cog in a giant machine.  Our small size means that we have to stay realistic about the scope of the games we make.  We leverage things like randomized levels and loot to let us make great games with a small team.  Furthermore, we don't have vast cash reserves to fund development, so we have to work fast or we won't be able to pay the rent.  We set our price at a point where we hope that the value is obvious to our customers and will make it easy for them to recommend it to their friends.

We consciously made a 'modest' game as our first project, and from the very beginning we intended to charge a fair price for it. We want to deliver high value for the buck. This decision was supported by external factors like piracy prevention - why steal it when it's only $10 on Steam? - and our increased revenue share model with electronic distribution.

CS: What games distract the Runic Games team?
RG: Minecraft – that was a huge timesuck for us! Such a great game. It isn’t uncommon for us to “call in sick” the day a big game releases – we’re gamers, after all!

CS: And finally, still planning an April-May release for Torchlight II?
RG: We don’t have a launch date yet. We haven’t set one yet but we’re getting closer. Probably not Spring, though. Maybe Summer, but since it’s still in development, we’ll see. We're on a good pace.

Thanks again to Brock, Erich and Wonder!

GameXplain: Trinity: Souls of Zil Review

Trinity: Souls of Zill O’ll is one of those games you don’t expect to be good. Most people have never heard of the game, it has a weird title, and the cover art is goofy. But I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised by Omega Force’s action RPG effort. Though it’s definitely no masterpiece, this game has an irrepressible charm to it, and the gameplay is well-polished and satisfying. That said, the experience suffers from a repetitive and excessively dragged out main quest.

You set off as a half-elf named Areus who’s itching to get revenge. His grandfather, the emperor of Dyneskal, is one of those self-fulfilling prophecy types who murdered his son because he heard his grandson might kill him one day. Areus managed to escape Dyneskal's assault along with his brother and elven mother, but his father was killed in the battle. Since then, Areus has been training as a gladiator and biding his time in the Arena. After beginning his quest for revenge, he is quickly party joined by Dagda, a hulking but easy-going adventurer, and Selene, an agile combatant with a chip on her shoulder. The narrative is not particularly well-crafted, and the characters never become all that interesting in their own right due to an unfortunate lack of development that keeps them from becoming anything more than caricatures. The story’s main problem is that it’s way too long. It drags on and on, and it frequently feels as if plot points were added in on the fly just to extend the game’s length. The dialogue is laughably bad at times, but the voice-acting is surprisingly adequate, though you’ll only hear it in cut-scenes which are few and far between.       

 

Trinity takes the button-mashing approachability of Omega Force’s Dynasty Warriors series and adds surprisingly deep RPG elements. You can only control one person at a time, but you’re allowed to switch between the three main characters freely. Each adventurer has three different skill sets with four or five skills comprising a set. Skills are either active or passive, and the actives are mapped to three different buttons. New skills are acquired either by completing quests or purchasing skill scrolls, and each skill can be increased to a maximum of three levels.  The system is simple but has a satisfying amount of depth. Some skills react differently based on the type of environment you’re standing in and what sort of objects inhabit that environment. For example, Dagda can pick up broken pillars and swing them around while Areus can set brush on fire with his magic. This mechanic was pushed as one of the game’s main hooks, but the concept isn’t fully fleshed out. For most of the game, it simply wasn’t necessary for me to take advantage of the environment because enemies could be taken down by simpler means.

Certain attacks throw enemies off-balance, allowing you to deal massive damage. Once the difficulty spikes, you’ll absolutely need to use the appropriate attacks to take down tougher monsters. Fairly late into the main quest, you’re also granted the ability to switch characters while performing a skill attack, which theoretically enables you to chain most of the skills together. I never really took advantage of this mechanic, mainly because it was introduced so late in the game. By the time I gained the ability to switch characters mid-combo, I had already figure out a system that worked best for me, so the addition was too late to be relevant. There’s also a boost gauge that fills up as you land successful blows, and once it fills you can use all three characters to unleash a powerful combination attack. This attack translates to a finishing move of sorts that becomes available once you’ve weakened an especially powerful monster. The finishing sequences are basically the same for every enemy, and since you’ll be killing a lot of monsters, you will inevitably see the same sequence over and over again with little variety.

 

The world map is split between towns and areas in which you can quest. In towns, everything is handled in menus rather than the third-person view. Most towns include an adventurer’s guild, a shop, a mage’s guild and a tavern. You accept quests at the adventurer’s guild, shop at the shop (imagine that) and the mage’s guild, and gather information over cocktails at the tavern. Liberdam, the first town you’ll encounter, also includes an Arena in which you can fight goblins, orcs, dragons and the like in timed battles.  

Ensuring your characters are well-equipped is a satisfying endeavor. Each adventurer has his/her base stats: strength, defense, magic attack and magic resistance. You can equip weapons, bracelets, rings, and amulets which affect each stat respectively. The kicker is that each piece of equipment can have up to three different effects attached to it, which range from status immunities to skill boosts to better item drops. Furthermore, each effect has a specific percentage or level attached to it that describes the strength of said effect. Suffice it to say, the range of loot possibilities is almost infinite so you’re always looking for the perfect piece of equipment for the perfect situation. And if that’s not enough to keep you busy, there’s a ton of extra stuff to do. My final play time clocked in at about thirty-six hours, and that was pretty much just the main quest. In addition, there’s a solid variety of rescue, retrieval and hunting quests that could keep anyone busy for hours upon hours.

 

Trinity’s aesthetic has more to offer than just extremely aggressive cleavage shots (of which there are an abundance). The graphics aren’t particularly sleek and shiny, but the characters and environments have a soft, appealing style that resembles a painting. In addition, certain details contribute significantly to the visceral experience, like the birds and clouds that drift across the world map as you choose your next destination. The scripted events are another example: there’s one in which you can see goblins climbing up the side of a cliff before they jump out to attack you. The effect is one of anticipation, then immersion. The musical score complements the visuals well, featuring string-heavy, orchestral arrangements.

Trinity: Souls of Zill O’ll probably won’t win any awards, but this title shouldn’t be dismissed simply because you’ve never heard of it. Most of the game’s drawbacks are redeemed by its endearing quirkiness, and its biggest flaws are excessive repetition and a main quest that’s too long. With personality and polished gameplay, Trinity offers a decent, if repetitive, experience for anyone looking to fill their action RPG void.