Runic Games have been releasing teasers for Torchlight II as they lead up to next month’s E3 convention. The latest of which happens to be a detailed explanation of the new and upgraded types of level design that gamers will be able to enjoy once they enter the mining town of Torchlight a second time.
The tease mentions that the game’s levels will be a lot larger this time around, with some new outdoor environments for players to explore. To give a good idea of how much larger some of the locations will be in Torchlight II, level designer Patrick Blank explained that, while the levels in the original game were comprised of six to seven ‘chunks,’ some of the outdoor environments in its sequel will be made up of twenty of those chunks. The outdoor levels are also set to feature a full day and night cycle, which will hopefully mean that there are time-specific features in the game. Nothing has been confirmed on that end, though.
The game’s overworld or hub will be sprinkled with a lot of different dungeons – some of which are specific to your quests, though others are random. Players should always feel like they’re being rewarded for exploration, due to the game’s loot and level system, which was the feeling that the original Torchlight gave off. Each dungeon will also have a portal leading back to its surface at its endpoint, to prevent needless backtracking.
Runic have also posted a detail level design question and answer piece, which goes into some technical details that may interest fans of the series. It also features news about the game’s level-editing abilities.
