Ten Ton Hammer - Taking MMO Gamers to the Next Level!

Runic Games promised to deliver a new update for their upcoming Torchlight sequel, Torchlight II, every other week leading up to E3 2011. This week the team didn't disappoint. The new two-part update released today reveals a look at the making of the Torchlight II world and its randomized content.

The update offers a look at the outdoor content, which has been broken down into two types: Passes and Overworld areas. There are multiple passes in the game, each offering random dungeons, events and areas to explore. Passes are more theme-focused areas that connect between other zones and contain multiple random versions for players to enjoy, while Overworld areas are more open and fully explorable for players. Overworlds are fully random and can contain a few surprises for players with an endless variation of random content.

The second part of this week's update is a Q&A with Torchlight II's Level Designers Jason Beck and Patrick Blank. The duo provided some insight into the size of the Torchlight II world and how the various parts of the game world differ. You'll even get to learn a little about the day/night cycle and dynamic weather.

Yes, all outdoor areas have full day/night cycles, and random weather. Players will notice this right away when starting Torchlight 2. It really adds a lot to make the world feel dynamic and alive. Everything from hard rain, with lighting and thunder to light drizzle, snow, sand storms and so on will be present in the different environments.

Sources:
Passes and Overworld Areas
Torchlight II Level Designers Q&A