Quick Torchlight 2 beta impressions

[Multi-headed Cow]

Screenshots got goobered up and it crashed after an hour or so of play, so seems like a decent enough time to throw some quick impressions out there.

Seems smoother than Torchlight 1, but the feel of it is much the same. Still has the weird issue of the monster drawdistance being within view of the player, so monsters pop in to view as you run around.
Difficulty (On veteran, normal specifies it's for new players and veteran is for people who have played Diablo-likes) seemed good, more difficult than D3 beta on normal. Died a few times when I wasn't paying enough attention to health pots.
All bosses I've seen so far are large versions of standard monsters with special abilities, but they can be HP sponges. One boss in a side quest turned into two more bosses once I killed him, that fight took a while.
Random map generation seems miles ahead of D3 beta. Went through the D3 beta twice and haven't yet done a full run of TL2 beta so it's possible I'm wrong, but it sure doesn't look like it. Still very tunnel-heavy even in aboveground areas, but the layout has far fewer recognizable patterns.
You do get stat points to spend as you level up, and items have level OR stat requirements. For example if you find a nice shield, it may have a level requirement of "Level 7 or strength 15 vitality 20" and so long as you meet either the level or the total stat requirements you can use the item.
Matt Uelmen's music seems good as usual, again better than D3 beta.
Fishing appears to be exactly the same.

That's about all I can think of off the top of my head. Looks like more (And possibly) better Torchlight. The biggest question (As with Diablo 3) will be how well it stacks up late game and how replayable it is. Dunno about you bros, but I enjoyed Torchlight 1 but didn't get much of an urge to replay it, which is a damn shame.
If I had to choose one game right now based on looking at the betas, I'd go with Diablo 3. Fortunately I can play both, though. Call it declined popamole action RPG all you want, but when I play these types of games what I'm looking for is mindless clicky action and loot collection. TL2 seems like a good example of that as it has been done in the past, but Diablo 3's faster paced action (And faster looting, and leveling, and skill distribution, and everything) fulfills the urge that makes me play these games. Besides, roguelikes are far better if you're concerned about build permanence and monocled dungeon crawling. Diablo-likes are a separate beast at this point.

 

[Metro]

I got a key a few days ago but just checked it today -- you still playing around on it? Also, I see that's it's online only (as far as the beta), can you at least make private games or are you forced to play with random mos?

 

[Multi-headed Cow]

I got a key a few days ago but just checked it today -- you still playing around on it? Also, I see that's it's online only (as far as the beta), can you at least make private games or are you forced to play with random mos?

Not playing at the moment, but I might dick around with it more. Honestly I'm a bit bummed out by how much more I liked D3 (Didn't expect that at all) and since the Torchlight 2 beta is supposedly fairly long I'm considering not playing just because I'll be running through all this again in a month or two when the game launches.

And yeah, it's online only since that's what they're testing, but you can make a private game with a password to run around by yourself.

 

[sea]

I should be getting a chance to try the beta too, but thanks for the impressions. Certainly seems like what I expected, but the improvements to randomization are a huge plus. Diablo III was pretty disappointing that way, with only a handful of pieces that seemed to fit together and only a few different caves/houses to find, so hopefully Torchlight II is replayable without just feeling like a bunch of generic copy-paste corridors as well.

 

[Metro]

I got a key a few days ago but just checked it today -- you still playing around on it? Also, I see that's it's online only (as far as the beta), can you at least make private games or are you forced to play with random mos?

Not playing at the moment, but I might dick around with it more. Honestly I'm a bit bummed out by how much more I liked D3 (Didn't expect that at all) and since the Torchlight 2 beta is supposedly fairly long I'm considering not playing just because I'll be running through all this again in a month or two when the game launches.

And yeah, it's online only since that's what they're testing, but you can make a private game with a password to run around by yourself.

Oh that's cool. Yeah, I wasn't initially going to sign up since I didn't want to spoil the content. But I learned you have to register for a Runic account, anyway, even if you play the Steam version.

 

[Multi-headed Cow]

But I learned you have to register for a Runic account, anyway, even if you play the Steam version.

I had sorta hoped for Steamworks MP, but I guess this makes sense. All versions could play together this way, otherwise they'd either have to make Steam mandatory or Steam players would be separated from the non-Steam. Still, presumably no right-clicking buddies in Steam and instantly joining them in-game.

 

[Metro]

Well, I'm sure they can work Steamworks integration into the Steam version

 

[sea]

 

[Berekän]

Everyone's getting invites 'cept me

 

[Gragt]

And me, but I never asked for this.

 

[Saint_Proverbius]

Torchlight was pretty awesome. Then again, I've liked most of the games that Travis Baldree has done. I romped the heck out of the dungeon in Torchlight up to the Black Fortress, which spanked me pretty hard and forced me to level up a bit. The last boss was pretty easy, though. At least he didn't have a ONE SHOT KILL attack like Diablo did in D2. I have fairly high hopes for TL2, but I don't want to really ruin my game with the beta. Instead, I've been trying to play Mythos, but I think the Koreans have kind of ruined it. The original beta for Mythos was pretty sweet.

 

[sea]

I would be playing right now, except that their servers are apparently dying. Download is either ridiculously slow or doesn't go at all. Played Path of Exile in the meantime, which was pretty good... be interesting to see how Torchlight plays in comparison.

 

[Metro]

Hmmm, I was able to download and install all patches relatively fine. Played for about an hour or two. It's pretty much an improved version of Torchlight. Art Style is relatively the same but seems a bit different than the first, not sure if I like it. I'm playing on Veteran difficulty (2nd hardest with 'Elite' being the most difficult) and so far it's not that challenging. Of course that's only in the first couple of areas. I seem to have a sound bug where if I open any sort of menu some of the sound effects go away.

 

[Jaesun]

Torchlight is more clicky clicky mindless fun with... adding stats on levelling up and find loot. I have not honestly read up on Path of Exile. It is basically clicky clicky with more in depth skills/stats?

 

[sea]

Played about an hour and a half of Torchlight 2. Impressions thus far:

• Much faster than Torchlight 1. I'm not sure exactly how much, but I'd say maybe 1.3x the speed. It's a quick game and it really took me by surprise. Definitely requires fast reflexes and is much more involved to play than either Diablo 3 or Path of Exile.
• Classes are cool. There are no generic classes - everyone is some sort of hybrid, like a melee fighter/summoner, a ranged gunslinger/sorcerer, etc. They seem quite flexible, allowing you to build them in a couple of different ways at least, although some of the generic skills remain from the first game (like your basic weapon mastery etc.).
• Character system is the same as always, but attributes have been tweaked to be relevant to all characters... yeah, it makes zero sense that strength influences how much damage a gun does, but at least it means that you have flexibility in your build and aren't going to want to just pump one attribute. There are a few balance issues - my gunslinger/mage's starting magic glaive skill was way more useful than a rapid-fire attack I had to invest in, for instance - but overall it's effective, if simple.
• Loot balance is improved. It's early in the game but there's still a lot less filler crap than Torchlight. It's very loot-heavy, up there with Diablo 2 at least, but... yeah, there's definitely not as much running back to town to sell your crap (or sending your pet), and good items are harder to find.
• The interface is really, really nice. Quick hotkeys are available for everything and there are a lot of nice tabs and sub-menus exactly where you would think you need them. The game plays fast so having quick keys for all the basic stuff is a godsend.
• Similarly, the controls themselves are very responsive, both because the game plays locally (none of that "everything is server side" crap Diablo 3 and Path of Exile do), and because the minimal graphics allow for less latency overall. The only problem is, like the first game, targeting specific enemies can get a little difficult. It's made worse with ranged characters, but I think overall the "clickboxes" are just a bit too small.
• Combat overall is very, very good, and extremely varied for a game of this type. 20 minutes into the game I was seeing bosses that could summon allies, eat corpses to regain health, teleport, powerful area-of-effect spells etc., as well as basic enemy types that all had their own little gimmicks, like shields that can be smashed through, or charge attacks that need to be dodged. Even your pet comes in handy, distracting enemies so you can attack them from behind. Diablo 3 hinted at this stuff a little bit, but Torchlight 2 is the only action RPG of this kind that has really required tactics and has integrated neat risk/reward propositions into basic enemy modifiers (for instance, is it a good idea to keep a corpse-eater away from corpses, or let them chew away and heal a bit, but take their focus away from you and thus allowing you free attacks?).
• If there is one downside to combat, it's HP bloat. A lot of bosses have way too much of it and can take several minutes to fight (at least with my character, playing on Veteran, aka the "I'm not insane" difficulty). Meanwhile some monsters are a joke to dispatch and others are almost as tough as bosses. This leads to dramatic difficulty spikes, and it's clear that a lot of balancing needs to be done, although the upside at least is that the game never really gets boring or monotonous with every encounter feeling the same.
• Exploration is pretty well done. There are a lot of semi-random events that can occur and, unlike Diablo, you will very frequently come across quests to complete, special enemies to fight, and small set-pieces, like shrines that can be sanctified for a loot reward. The random elements areas are made of are a lot more varied than Diablo III's, and the contrast between town, overland and dungeons is very welcome and really helps the pacing and flow of the game.
• Similar to the overland exploration, dungeons are a lot more unique. While there are still hallways and whatnot, I have already had a few memorable encounters, such as a huge boss arena where I had to fight a huge boss monster while fending off literally dozens of skeletons. I'm pretty sure this was also a fairly incidental dungeon too, not even part of the main story. I can't say how random this sort of thing will really be, or if this is a boss/quest that's always there, but still, I'm impressed at the effort put into these sorts of sequences.
• Somehow the story setup manages to be even more nonsensical than the first, but I guess nobody really gives a shit about that and I certainly don't if Runic don't. It is kinda neat to see it implied that your high-level uber hero from the first game gets his/her ass readily killed by the new bad guy, though.
• Visually, the game is alright... the art style is pretty similar, maybe even a bit more stylized, so if you didn't like the first game's you wont like this one's art either. The textures aren't all that great and models can be blocky, but there are a lot of effects on screen at any given time, and it runs exceptionally smoothly. Runic did a better job with varying up even the same tilesets, though, with a variety of light colours, fog density changes, different camera angles, and the rooms you go through are also more varied, dungeons have more doors to open, traps you can set off, etc.
• Audio is fine. Music is very similar to the first game's, maybe a bit more dramatic (there are strings etc. now), but just as pleasant and atmospheric as always. Sound effects are punchy and powerful, monster cries are distinctive, etc. Nothing to really write home about if you've played the first game, but it's certainly not disappointing and doesn't lose Torchlight's aural character.

Overall I have to say I am very impressed. There are some issues with balance and the game doesn't exactly look stunning, but it's honestly the most involving and enjoyable hack-and-slash I've played in years, definitely more fun for me than Diablo 2, the "gold standard" for this type of game. I think some people will dislike the game just because it's got a paper-thin story and the visual style is not for everyone, but I'm certainly having fun. Maybe I'm being a bit overly optimistic and some will find it banal shit boring, but I guess it's rare for me to play a Diablo-like and feel involved and entertained, rather than... just sort of occupied.

The odd thing is that, while the back-end character system and other mechanics are very close to Diablo, the actual combat is very fast and smooth... Path of Exile plays and feels much more like Diablo and is probably a bit more smartly designed, but the character system and mechanics are nothing much like Diablo. It's hard to say which one to go for if you want a "true Diablo 2 successor" because both take different aspects of the game and then make their own additions in very different ways. I guess all I can say is, try both and see which one you like more.

 

[Brayko]

sea: the man who does his homework and then some.

Great report, sir.

 

[Metro]

More I play the more I'm impressed. Although the overworld is essentially just wider corridors it's fairly expansive and there's a lot to explore aside from the main quest. Going back to that subtle change in the graphics/art style... best way I can describe it is that it looks more like Amalur than the original Torchlight. That is, everything has that plastic/rubbery sheen to it. Disabling bloom didn't get rid of it, at least, not that I noticed. Difficulty-wise it is ramping up a bit as a near level 8ish but I'm going to say for a real challenge most people here are going to want to play on the hardest setting (elite).

Fishing has been tweaked a bit so that it's less tedious. While there's an 'endless' fishing hole in town the one you find in the wilds have a limited number of attempts and the harder the area you're in the better the loot. The big attraction seems to be pet 'tags.' Instead of rings and necklaces pets now have their own armor types but still limited to two tags and a collar as in TL1. If you really don't like to play the small fishing mini-game (not much of a mini-game just hit the button when the ring is aligned) you can buy dynamite in town that yields the loot but gives you less than what you could have gotten manually.

 

[Mangoose]

Is the multiplayer enabled for this beta?

 

[Multi-headed Cow]

The beta is JUST multiplayer.
Also here's an obligatory monocle picture.

 

[CarnivalBizarre]

People complaining about D2 and D3's lack of atmosphere should hate torchlight with all their hearts, yet they don't? How come?

 

[Metro]

Can't say I like the new UI. It looks less 'substantial' than the one in the first game. I went back and rewatched the opening cut scene and I really wish they had just gone with ones using the game engine. That Shank-esque animation is terrible. The bleached/faded color schemes are really awkward compared to the game. The sidequests I've come across seem pretty generic -- they're basically just the 'Hatch' quests from the first game. As someone mentioned the story seems fairly weak and there's basically no story to the sidequests other than the generic plug-ins for the item/enemy/whatever you're supposed to retrieve/kill. Pretty funny they hired a 'professional writer' to work on this game as it doesn't look like it is paying off.

There's still a lot of positives... it's just that some of the negatives are really baffling.

 

[aris]

People complaining about D2 and D3's lack of atmosphere should hate torchlight with all their hearts, yet they don't? How come?

Because it's not a tripple-A game (quite a few people did not like the brighter colour palette of diablo 3, compared to diablo 2 and 1. Torchlight was all colours and cartoon graphics from the start)

 

[Gord]

People complaining about D2 and D3's lack of atmosphere should hate torchlight with all their hearts, yet they don't? How come?

Because it's not a tripple-A game (quite a few people did not like the brighter colour palette of diablo 3, compared to diablo 2 and 1. Torchlight was all colours and cartoon graphics from the start)

Guess that's it. Diablo is Diablo, if you have come to like the special atmosphere you might miss it in D3.
Torchlight always looked like that, otoh.

(And I guess people that didn't like the visual style didn't buy Torchlight 1 either)

 

[Mangoose]

The beta is JUST multiplayer.

Ah okay, so how is the multiplayer? How does it work and such?

 

[Metro]

The beta is JUST multiplayer.

Ah okay, so how is the multiplayer? How does it work and such?

It believe it's P2P -- someone creates a game (can be friends only/password protected) and other people join from a server list. As far as the actual game play I haven't tested that out yet but I believe it's just the standard increased difficulty/spawn rate. I'll try to hook up with MHC or Sea later if one of them starts a game and posts the info.