An Update from Travis Baldree

[bigger4you]

We don't have unrealistic expectations of what 'polished' means. We absolutely want to finish the game and get it into people's hands. We have a polished section of the game, whose quality we want to replicate across the rest of it - and we want to run a beta to make sure that things go smoothly.

I like your desicionI like your decision for going this way. It's done when it's done.
Now I can hope to get into the beta ....

[Derekffs]

Hey guys,
This wait will be worth it, believe me. The change the game has experienced even over the last couple weeks is incredible - and this slight delay is more the result of aiming higher than it is just trying to get done what we originally planned. Anyway, thanks for understanding and being patient with us. We know how hard it is to wait for new releases, and how frustrating it is to hear of a delay, and we appreciate your kind and gracious response! We are more motivated than ever to make TL2 as great as possible!

Max Schaefer
CEO, Runic Games

I sense you're a little bit disappointed too Max. I thought you liked fast releases and low risk business especially after Hellgate. Or would you have to agree that TL2 wouldn't stand a chance near those massive titles with much higher quality than your game? With this news, it's certain that if TL2 fails it will surely pull the plug. In fact this looks like a good move if we don't count Diablo III. But D3 won't be a game you'll play for a month. So that it doesn't really matter if Runic gets the sales over the long haul or not (It was a flawed logic anyway). Risky business.

However I'm gonna be kind and share the release date of D3 here (a prediction but it comes from me). It's "Nisan". Release TL2 at least a month before D3 or you'll be disappointed.

Did you get trolled off blizzard forums? Because thats what usually happens to people who like to people like you. Diablo 3 doesnt even have a release date yet, and blizzard gives 2 months notice, they have pleanty of time. Theres tons of mmo's, and they usually make out fine, I think 2 hack and slashes wont be the end of torchlight, since this is the only click hack n slash since diablo 2 that has offline and lan, and the only one that has modded tools, with acceptable graphics. Hellgate wasnt a great game it has limited potentional. I can gurantee you that torchlight 2 will get atleast 2 million copys sold at some point in 2 years, and really, thats all they need, they dont intend to survive off this 1 game forever.

[Marceloide]

damn,well..seems ill preorder diablo 3 then..and ll keep playing diablo 2..

[xdanx]

Well, I guess I cancel my plans to get this games (like, forever) 'cause I really don't believe you need so much time for such a simple game, good luck not losing half of the sales :/

[Derekffs]

Well, I guess I cancel my plans to get this games (like, forever) 'cause I really don't believe you need so much time for such a simple game, good luck not losing half of the sales :/

What exactly do you think the employes that are getting paid to work, are doing?

[Paws]

such a simple game

Everyone who has played the game (myself included), notably everyone who did so earlier this week, all just collectively giggled.

[travisbaldree]

Well, I guess I cancel my plans to get this games (like, forever) 'cause I really don't believe you need so much time for such a simple game, good luck not losing half of the sales :/

I'm curious as to what you think an appropriate period of time would be? If the game includes 3x the content of Torchlight 1 ( At least - we run through about the same number of assets about 2/3rds of the way through the first act ), character customization, 4 new classes, many more items, many more monsters, many more skills, multiplayer, and new features like time of day, outdoor regions, as well as cinematics, and an orchestral score - how much longer should it, theoretically, take over the development of the first game? Factor in the fact that we'll be the first to admit that the first wasn't as well balanced and 'complete' as it should have been - and considering our team size is not significantly larger.

Scheduling is really, really hard - especially when you're effectively predicting a timeline to solve problems you don't know the solutions to yet. I have honest interest in how much time you think is required, and why. The previous game took 11 months to create, and we nearly killed ourselves doing it. Given the scope change from the first to the second, what would you consider a reasonable schedule? ( Ideally one in which you can sleep, have a vacation every once in a while, and spend time doing enjoyable stuff with your family )

I'll be straight with you. I care WAY more about the quality of the game, and what people think of it, than about how many copies it sells. I have never been motivated by money, and am never likely to be. My standards for success are to make something we are proud of, and to sell sufficient copies to survive and do something else that we want to do and that people hopefully want to play. That's pretty much it.

[universum]

Well, I guess I cancel my plans to get this games (like, forever) 'cause I really don't believe you need so much time for such a simple game, good luck not losing half of the sales :/

I'm curious as to what you think an appropriate period of time would be? If the game includes 3x the content of Torchlight 1 ( At least - we run through about the same number of assets about 2/3rds of the way through the first act ), character customization, 4 new classes, many more items, many more monsters, many more skills, multiplayer, and new features like time of day, outdoor regions, as well as cinematics, and an orchestral score - how much longer should it, theoretically, take over the development of the first game? Factor in the fact that we'll be the first to admit that the first wasn't as well balanced and 'complete' as it should have been - and considering our team size is not significantly larger.

Scheduling is really, really hard - especially when you're effectively predicting a timeline to solve problems you don't know the solutions to yet. I have honest interest in how much time you think is required, and why. The previous game took 11 months to create, and we nearly killed ourselves doing it. Given the scope change from the first to the second, what would you consider a reasonable schedule? ( Ideally one in which you can sleep, have a vacation every once in a while, and spend time doing enjoyable stuff with your family )

I'll be straight with you. I care WAY more about the quality of the game, and what people think of it, than about how many copies it sells. I have never been motivated by money, and am never likely to be. My standards for success are to make something we are proud of, and to sell sufficient copies to survive and do something else that we want to do and that people hopefully want to play. That's pretty much it.

epic,

hope someone of runic has read my previous post

oh yeah.. epic post

[kitetsu]

Well, I guess I cancel my plans to get this games (like, forever) 'cause I really don't believe you need so much time for such a simple game, good luck not losing half of the sales :/

[hanfeitzu]

Well, I guess I cancel my plans to get this games (like, forever) 'cause I really don't believe you need so much time for such a simple game, good luck not losing half of the sales :/

Pardon me sir, your rage is showing. You hang around here long enough to put over a hundred posts into this forum, yet you bail on the game entirely because Runic wants to take some time to cook it longer? Gtfo.

[Metro]

Man, am I making some cool stuff right now.
It would be a shame if that would have had to have been cut due to lack of time.

That's what DLC is for you silly goose! $0.99 pet armor!

[Rusty]

Just as long as there is another "Sword of Adam" or similar weapon. Easter eggs are my fav.

[DarkTails]

how does he know we're playing skyrim or dark souls..

OHHH MY GOD THEY READ OFF TOPIC!!
DELETE THE POSTS! DELETE EM, QUICK!!

rofl

Also, Travis, stop using logic, it makes the trolls look dumb.

[JacerX]

Well, I guess I cancel my plans to get this games (like, forever) 'cause I really don't believe you need so much time for such a simple game, good luck not losing half of the sales :/

I'm curious as to what you think an appropriate period of time would be? If the game includes 3x the content of Torchlight 1 ( At least - we run through about the same number of assets about 2/3rds of the way through the first act ), character customization, 4 new classes, many more items, many more monsters, many more skills, multiplayer, and new features like time of day, outdoor regions, as well as cinematics, and an orchestral score - how much longer should it, theoretically, take over the development of the first game? Factor in the fact that we'll be the first to admit that the first wasn't as well balanced and 'complete' as it should have been - and considering our team size is not significantly larger.

Scheduling is really, really hard - especially when you're effectively predicting a timeline to solve problems you don't know the solutions to yet. I have honest interest in how much time you think is required, and why. The previous game took 11 months to create, and we nearly killed ourselves doing it. Given the scope change from the first to the second, what would you consider a reasonable schedule? ( Ideally one in which you can sleep, have a vacation every once in a while, and spend time doing enjoyable stuff with your family )

I'll be straight with you. I care WAY more about the quality of the game, and what people think of it, than about how many copies it sells. I have never been motivated by money, and am never likely to be. My standards for success are to make something we are proud of, and to sell sufficient copies to survive and do something else that we want to do and that people hopefully want to play. That's pretty much it.

I really respect you guys, and really do hope this game sells well (you have my support either way)...but the fact of the matter is, if you guys release after D3, how do you expect to sell enough copies to survive?

[Webbstre]

JacerX: That was already explained early on. They sell games over a long period of time, not all at once. It took Torchlight 1 a long time, but it sold over a million copies, even with various other games coming out in the same time period. If Diablo 3 is going to ruin Torchlight 2, it won't matter if they release before or after. They're not afraid of that though.

[Rusty]

I really respect you guys, and really do hope this game sells well (you have my support either way)...but the fact of the matter is, if you guys release after D3, how do you expect to sell enough copies to survive?

Because they have a strong enough community. Just because there are other games (D3) out there, it doesn't mean people are not going to buy this game. There are many people who are still waiting for this game. It offers many things that others cannot, and the biggest of these is the community.

[travisbaldree]

really respect you guys, and really do hope this game sells well (you have my support either way)...but the fact of the matter is, if you guys release after D3, how do you expect to sell enough copies to survive?

Because I think there's room for more than one ARPG in the world. Because we do enough things differently from Diablo to justify our existence. And because we cost 1/3rd of the price to buy and WAAAAAAY less than 1/3rd of the cost to develop. A financial 'success' for us can be a LOT smaller than a 'success' for Diablo.

There are loads of games in a load of genres, but generally, very few ARPGs. I think(hope) we'll be OK. What can you do? Try your best, try not to do stupid things, and what will be will be.

[Paws]

I really respect you guys, and really do hope this game sells well (you have my support either way)...but the fact of the matter is, if you guys release after D3, how do you expect to sell enough copies to survive?

I had this conversation earlier today and I'm still baffled why people think they're in direct competition. One is created by a massive company that's got a juggernaut of slavering fans that will cost 60$ and hinges on features like online play and rolling economy. The other is a 20$ title created by a relatively tiny team, featuring LAN play and modding. While obviously those markets overlap because they both happen to be ARPGs, they're not anywhere close to butting heads.

It's like saying "Does Breath of Death VII (two guys, 3 months, 1$ to buy) compete directly with Dragon Quest IX (huge team, 3+ years, 40$)?" No, despite the fact they both have very traditional oldschool console RPG play, they're targeting two different audiences.

TL2 is an alternative to D3, and considering how many ARPGs came out of this year's E3 that have since been delayed, or reviewed poorly, that need is still very much there.

[PatrickB]

Just as long as there is another "Sword of Adam" or similar weapon. Easter eggs are my fav.

[JacerX]

really respect you guys, and really do hope this game sells well (you have my support either way)...but the fact of the matter is, if you guys release after D3, how do you expect to sell enough copies to survive?

Because I think there's room for more than one ARPG in the world. Because we do enough things differently from Diablo to justify our existence. And because we cost 1/3rd of the price to buy and WAAAAAAY less than 1/3rd of the cost to develop. A financial 'success' for us can be a LOT smaller than a 'success' for Diablo.

There are loads of games in a load of genres, but generally, very few ARPGs. I think(hope) we'll be OK. What can you do? Try your best, try not to do stupid things, and what will be will be.

I see! Well I guess there is only one thing left to do: Wait patiently and HOPE I can pre-purchase it on steam soon