Many people have shown great interest in not only our game, but also the tools we are using to create it. And considering we are going to be putting these tools into the customers hands enabling them to create their own modifications, I thought it was about time we start giving fans a sneak peak in just how powerful and simple this toolset is to use.

Today we are releasing Part 1 of a 3 part series demonstrating scripting in levels. Part 1 covers setting up player spawn areas, monster spawns, regions where the monsters can’t spawn, triggers, and a basic trap. Part 2 and 3 will continue building on the same level, and show different and more advanced scripting techniques.

We hope people enjoy these videos and not only find them informative, but also get you excited to use the toolset for your own creations. So follow the link to Part 1, and keep an eye out for Part 2 very soon. You can discuss the video in the forums here!

Howdy gang!

Matt Lefferts here. I’ve been the animator here at Runic since the very beginning. To say that I love my job would be an understatement. It’s pretty much my dream job. I work with fantastic people here. I went to the Savannah College of Art and Design for Film and Game Development, and soon after found myself in Seattle. I’m still rather fresh to the industry, I’ve been here for about a year and a half and did freelance work for a couple of years before that.

So the basic day to day is pretty simple. I handle all animation content creation, and management. I get a list of what monsters we are working on for a particular level and go from there. I always start with the character’s idle, as it’s pretty much the most important. It sets the tone for the character because almost all other animations branch off from it. The start and end of other animations will use this pose. Often the idle animation itself is something simple, like breathing or looking ready for a fight. Once we have a full set for a particular character, I go through the process of exporting it and bringing it into our editor. In the editor we have a specific section for animations where we apply tags for things like what frame something gets hit on, or when a sound is played.

Now that we are winding down on the project, I’m focusing most of my time on polish. Going back through and making sure there is necessary secondary animation on bones we might have for bits of cloth that dangle, or a tail, or something else attached to the character that would be effected by the way it moves. Things are really moving along for us right now. It’s an exciting time and I’m really looking forward to getting this out there, into the hands of the player.

Hello future Torchlight fans, my name is Jason Lamb and I do quality assurance here at Runic Games. I’ve been with Runic since early June, though as I’ve worked for Flagship since before it’s eventual demise I do not feel like I’ve ever left.

Originally from San Diego, CA, I’ve tested software ranging from state correlated educational programs to bitstreams on your satellite set-top box, and have even dabbled in a few MMOs. Working for game companies is by far the most fun, but in my experience working at Runic is by far the most fun COMPANY to work for period.

There are a lot of horror stories conjured up by game testers (*see Grandma’s Boy) about just how low they are on the totem pole. But I can tell you that here, everyone is equal, and all input on the product is valid. We’ve done a very good job of breaking down the barriers between the different departments of our little team, and I truly believe that anything we put out will have something for everyone because of this.

Does this mean our games will lose focus? Too many paws in the cookie jar? No. It just means that the decision makers take all of the wonderful ideas, narrow them down, then implement them in the best way they can.

I look forward to being here for a good long while, and hope that I can help to give you the best dungeon crawler around.