[project1dev] Re: [OT] Torchlight makers runic
- From: Alan Wolfe <alan.wolfe@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: project1dev@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Wed, 19 May 2010 11:09:55 -0700
not yet, i'll check it out tonight for sure
I dig that, i read a book once where it showed that for the most "chaos"
(variation), often times just a couple simple rules would give way better
results then trying to add a ton of rules so i get what you mean :P
On Wed, May 19, 2010 at 10:59 AM, eric drewes <figarus@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> the reason i ask is because its a game with a really simple premise...
> there's 10 characters, 6 maps, basic rules, but its set up to be played like
> chess or starcraft where its all about replayability with a different
> experience every time because of different play styles/game
> balance/tactics. the game isn't perfect but its really neat the way the
> different variables come together.
>
> On Wed, May 19, 2010 at 1:53 PM, eric drewes <figarus@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
>> hey did you get a chance to check out demigod yet?
>>
>>
>> On Wed, May 19, 2010 at 1:46 PM, Alan Wolfe <alan.wolfe@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>>
>>> I agree with you 100% on that, its cool we are on the same page.
>>>
>>> Also, I like it because act raiser was a fun game and doom was cool (and
>>> the fps part is hopefully going to feel kinda like doom... we'll see if we
>>> can do it).
>>>
>>> But also i feel like a lot of games these days are all kinda similar
>>> styles (basically shooters - oops... we are making part of our game a
>>> shooter too.. im a hipocrite lol), and the "old style" game play seems to
>>> have disappeared.
>>>
>>> In a way i think it would be neat to continue on this style of taking an
>>> older game's gameplay that doesn't have an analog in modern day gaming, and
>>> bring it back with updated graphics, tech, and maybe gameplay, but keeping
>>> the core of what made it so great the same. I think old ideas could have
>>> life again for a younger generation that has never experienced them (:
>>>
>>> That isn't the most original or imaginative idea ever so i dunno how you
>>> guys feel about it and i dont think we should only do that... but i think it
>>> might be a neat blanket idea to toss into our idea bucket as always
>>> something to fall back on if we need another game idea.
>>>
>>> I think too that theres a lot of ways we could make a good amount of
>>> money in markets that big game companies would never go after because its
>>> small potatoes to them.
>>>
>>> thats my hope anyways.
>>>
>>> but yeah im with you eric
>>>
>>>
>>> On Wed, May 19, 2010 at 10:23 AM, eric drewes <figarus@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>>>
>>>> i think the key to making great games is balance, like starcraft is a
>>>> game i consider "perfect" because its so well balanced, the depth comes
>>>> from
>>>> individual styles and not just complexity of game mechanics. Chess is the
>>>> deepest game ever made, but also very very very elegant in its simplicity.
>>>>
>>>> i think the key for us as a team is to make sure we set realistic goals
>>>> and expectations... like dirty harry says, "a man's got to know his
>>>> limitations"
>>>>
>>>> do i believe we can make kick ass games and a kick ass game company?
>>>> you're god damn right i do. However, like with the RPG i think even if all
>>>> of us quit our jobs and put in 50 hours a week, the scope and depth of what
>>>> we still needed was too much for us. eyes bigger than our stomachs. (or my
>>>> stomach at least)
>>>>
>>>> one of the reasons i am a fan of doing act raiser is that it is a
>>>> chewable bite, and will let us get our feet wet and some real experience
>>>> under our belt as we build into a real dev studio.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> On Wed, May 19, 2010 at 1:17 PM, Kent Petersen <kentkmp@xxxxxxxxx>wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> That's still pretty inspiring as far as I'm concerned
>>>>>
>>>>> The other day angela asked me what I would do if I made a game that we
>>>>> sold and made money off it. I told her, "I would quit my job and makes
>>>>> games." I'm excited. I think we can make kickass games.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> On Wed, May 19, 2010 at 10:12 AM, eric drewes <figarus@xxxxxxxxx>wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> oh and i dont have access to the article but i read it was $500,000 in
>>>>>> sales not 500,000 copies sold
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> On Wed, May 19, 2010 at 12:51 PM, eric drewes <figarus@xxxxxxxxx>wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> well... from wikipedia:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Development of the game is led by Travis Baldree, designer of
>>>>>>> *Fate<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fate_%28video_game%29>
>>>>>>> *, and Max Schaefer and Erich Schaefer, co-designers of
>>>>>>> *Diablo<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diablo_%28video_game%29>
>>>>>>> * and *Diablo II <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diablo_II>*, joined
>>>>>>> by the team that developed
>>>>>>> *Mythos<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mythos_%28video_game%29>
>>>>>>> *
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Pre-production on *Torchlight* began in August 2008, shortly after
>>>>>>> the dissolution of Flagship
>>>>>>> Studios<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flagship_Studios>.
>>>>>>> Runic Games was founded by Travis Baldree (lead developer of *Fate*and
>>>>>>> *Mythos <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mythos_%28video_game%29>*) and
>>>>>>> veterans of Blizzard
>>>>>>> North<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blizzard_North>and Flagship: Max
>>>>>>> Schaefer, Erich Schaefer and Peter Hu.
>>>>>>> [24]<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torchlight#cite_note-gamesource.it-23>
>>>>>>> [14] <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torchlight#cite_note-shack-13>The
>>>>>>> "entire Flagship Seattle team" consisting of 14 people (the branch of
>>>>>>> Flagship which created the original *Mythos*) signed on to Runic
>>>>>>> Games at the time of its
>>>>>>> formation.[25]<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torchlight#cite_note-warcry-24>
>>>>>>> [16]<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torchlight#cite_note-eurogamer-15>Having
>>>>>>> lost the rights to
>>>>>>> *Mythos*, the Runic team saw the development of a new game as a way
>>>>>>> to "finish what [they] started," although they would have to start over
>>>>>>> with
>>>>>>> none of the code or art assets from
>>>>>>> *Mythos*.[26]<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torchlight#cite_note-gamasutra-art-25>The
>>>>>>> company's founders decided to "go back to [their] roots" with a smaller
>>>>>>> game that they could refine and polish within a relatively short
>>>>>>> production
>>>>>>> cycle.[14]<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torchlight#cite_note-shack-13>Full
>>>>>>> production on the game started around November 2008, giving the entire
>>>>>>> project a development period of approximately 11
>>>>>>> months.[27]<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torchlight#cite_note-g4tv-26>As
>>>>>>> of July 2009, 25 team members were working at Runic Games.
>>>>>>> [20]<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torchlight#cite_note-pcgames.de-19>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> In a feature article on
>>>>>>> *Gamasutra<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamasutra>
>>>>>>> *, art director Jason Beck explained that *Torchlight's* art style
>>>>>>> was inspired by comic books and classic film animation, using stylized
>>>>>>> character designs combined with painterly background
>>>>>>> textures.[26]<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torchlight#cite_note-gamasutra-art-25>The
>>>>>>> developers have described the game's look as inspired by "
>>>>>>> *Dragon’s Lair
>>>>>>> <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragon%E2%80%99s_Lair>*meets
>>>>>>> *The Incredibles <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Incredibles>*."[
>>>>>>> 28]<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torchlight#cite_note-gamasutra1-27>The
>>>>>>> team chose to give the game world a lighter fantasy tone to make it more
>>>>>>> inviting, rather than utilizing a "dark and gritty"
>>>>>>> style.[26]<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torchlight#cite_note-gamasutra-art-25>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> The game uses the OGRE <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OGRE> open
>>>>>>> source <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_source> 3D graphics
>>>>>>> engine, although the rest of the game engine was built by Runic. The
>>>>>>> game
>>>>>>> was designed to run on a wide range of systems (including a 'netbook'
>>>>>>> mode)
>>>>>>> and does not require shaders <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shader>.[
>>>>>>> 2] <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torchlight#cite_note-zam-1>
>>>>>>> ...
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> so, 25 people working full time using an open source 3d engine and
>>>>>>> headed by veteran designers and coders with some pretty beefy
>>>>>>> pedigree/experience
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> On Wed, May 19, 2010 at 12:43 PM, Alan Wolfe
>>>>>>> <alan.wolfe@xxxxxxxxx>wrote:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> thats pretty rad... do you know how big the team was?
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> I wonder if they did it full time and lived off savings or if they
>>>>>>>> had funding from somewhere else or if they had other jobs or somethin?
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> On Wed, May 19, 2010 at 8:23 AM, Kent Petersen
>>>>>>>> <kentkmp@xxxxxxxxx>wrote:
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> It only took em a year or so to make it too
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> On Wed, May 19, 2010 at 8:23 AM, Kent Petersen
>>>>>>>>> <kentkmp@xxxxxxxxx>wrote:
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> Yeah man. It was fun but I didn't play it for more than a month. I
>>>>>>>>>> think the key is making the game simple yet fun.
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> On Tue, May 18, 2010 at 5:39 PM, Alan Wolfe <alan.wolfe@xxxxxxxxx
>>>>>>>>>> > wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>> http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2010/05/18/lighting-it-up-runic-investment-and-sales/
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>> they sold 500,000 copies of their game and sold part of their
>>>>>>>>>>> company for 8.4 million.
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>> wow...
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>> if you guys have played torchlight, sure it was a decent game but
>>>>>>>>>>> it wasnt GREAT. i think there is major money to be had from small
>>>>>>>>>>> indie
>>>>>>>>>>> game groups such as ourselves :P
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>
>
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