Runic Games BlogAll Things Runichttps://www.runicgames.com/blog2017-09-25T00:00:00-07:00Runic GamesHob Prelude Comichttps://www.runicgames.com/blog/2017/09/25/hob-prelude-comic/2017-09-25T00:00:00-07:002017-09-25T17:49:08-07:00Article Author<h2 id="is-this-a----what-day-is-it">Is this a . . . what day is it?</h2>
<p>Just kidding. We know <strong>exactly</strong> what day it is. It's the day before <strong>the</strong> day. It's the last day of the PHE (Pre-Hob Era). It's everyone's last chance to say, "<em>Hob?</em> No, I haven't tried it." We're so close to launch that we missed our chance to use the word "penultimate" anywhere in this post, which is disappointing, because it's such a great word. Fortunately, there is still time for our official launch trailer:</p>
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<p>Also, our very own Kristina Ness produced a wonderful comic prelude to the story of Hob. You can read the online version <a href="/hob/comic">here</a>, or flip through/download the pages below. And if that's not enough, Kristina made a printable ashcan<sup><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashcan_copy">*</a></sup> version with instructions for cutting and folding. <a href="https://download.runicgames.com/HobPrelude_Minicomic.pdf">Download yours!</a></p>
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<p>Even if it's too late to use a four dollar word, it's not too late to get some of the pre-order discounts and incentives.</p>
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<li><a href="https://store.playstation.com/#!/search/q=hob">PS4</a> - 10% off, includes our World Raise Theme, <em>ends at midnight EST!</em></li>
<li><a href="https://www.gog.com/game/hob">GOG</a> - 10% off, includes a copy of <a href="https://www.gog.com/game/stories_the_path_of_destinies">Stories: The Path of Destinies</a></li>
<li><a href="http://store.steampowered.com/app/404680">Steam</a> - 10% off (20% for PS+ members), includes the <a href="/blog/2017/09/22/hob-soundtrack-available/">Original Soundtrack</a> by Matt Uelmen</li>
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<p>Until tomorrow!</p>
<p><3 Runic</p>
Hob Soundtrack Now Availablehttps://www.runicgames.com/blog/2017/09/22/hob-soundtrack-available/2017-09-22T00:00:00-07:002017-09-22T16:55:41-07:00Article Author
<p>We’re wrapping up <em>Hob</em> and we're super excited to get it in your hands on Tuesday! Hob is a big departure from the <em>Torchlight</em> series, and a shiny new game needs shiny new music. Matt Uelmen painstakingly crafted an amazing set of 10 tracks that really help paint the evocative and mysterious beauty of <em>Hob</em>. Take a look at the process here:</p>
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<p>Feast your ears on the full soundtrack here:</p>
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<p>And as a special treat, anyone who pre-orders <a href="http://store.steampowered.com/app/404680/Hob/"><em>Hob</em> on Steam</a> will get the full album delivered along with the game on Tuesday morning. It's like a visit from Santa, but without all that judgy naughty-or-nice crap!</p>
<p>We’re also pleased to officially launch our <a href="https://runicgames.bandcamp.com/">Bandcamp page</a>, where you can get full-length lossless FLAC or MP3 audio for both <em>Torchlight 2</em> and <em>Hob</em>!</p>
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Dev Diary: Fallen Soldierhttps://www.runicgames.com/blog/2017/09/07/dev-diary-fallen-soldier/2017-09-07T00:00:00-07:002017-09-20T14:17:41-07:00Article Author<p>We get this question a lot: "So what's the story of <em>Hob</em>?" If you've asked us, you've probably received an answer ranging from an enigmatic smile to simply being told, "You'll have to play to find out!"</p>
<p>We've always said there is a deep narrative to <em>Hob</em>; in fact, the story came to us first, while the game was still a cocktail napkin sketch. But we always wanted you to experience it for yourself through environmental storytelling. Essentially, the story unfolds for you as you explore and (hopefully) find all the secrets.</p>
<p>We've been diligent about avoiding spoilers and keeping major story beats under wraps. Today though, we are giving you a hint as to what happened in the world of <em>Hob</em> before the Hero awakens. Who came before you? Watch to find out!</p>
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<p>We'd love to hear your theories, so leave us a comment on YouTube if you think you know the secret!</p>
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<p>Hob releases two weeks from today, and that's when you'll discover the truth. Pre-order now to save 10%: <a href="https://store.playstation.com/#!/search/q=hob">PS4</a>, <a href="http://store.steampowered.com/app/404680">Steam</a> and <a href="https://www.gog.com/game/hob">GOG</a></p>
Runic PAX party at Raygun Loungehttps://www.runicgames.com/blog/2017/08/28/runic-pax-party-at-raygun-lounge/2017-08-28T00:00:00-07:002017-09-20T14:17:37-07:00Article Author<p>No PAX badge? No problem, you can still play Hob! We are hosting a little get-together at <a href="http://www.gammaraygamestore.com/">Raygun Lounge</a> on Capitol Hill, a short walk (albeit uphill) from the convention center. Print out this flier or show it on your phone to get a free drink of your choice, while supplies last! If you are one of the lucky ones with a PAX badge, you might even score an additional drink ticket or two by playing Hob at the Sony booth on Friday. We will be staffing the two kiosks there ourselves, so please come say hi and give us a high five!</p>
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<p>Hob will be playable on four PS4's at Raygun. Drop in between 5 and 9pm to check out the game and get yourself some swag, including our extremely limited official-and-yet-unofficial (because we aren't selling them at the show) Fallen Soldier Pinny Arcade pins! These are brand new–in fact, we're picking them up the day before PAX opens. Ahhh, there's nothing like that new pin scent.</p>
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<p>We'll also have limited edition Hob posters and a speed run contest. Come test your controller skills!</p>
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<p>So tell your friends, tell your neighbors, and hit us up on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/RunicGames/">Facebook</a> or <a href="https://twitter.com/runicgames">Twitter</a>. Hope to see you there!</p>
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<p>Pre-order on <a href="https://store.playstation.com/#!/search/q=hob">PS4</a>, <a href="http://store.steampowered.com/app/404680">Steam</a> and <a href="https://www.gog.com/game/hob">GOG</a> today!!</p>
Hob Glove Abilitieshttps://www.runicgames.com/blog/2017/08/24/glove-abilities/2017-08-24T00:00:00-07:002017-09-20T14:14:11-07:00Article Author<p>This week on our social accounts (follow us if you don't already, we're very needy <a href="https://www.facebook.com/RunicGames"><i class="fa fa-facebook" aria-hidden="true"></i></a> / <a href="https://twitter.com/runicgames"><i class="fa fa-twitter" aria-hidden="true"></i></a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/runicgames"><i class="fa fa-youtube" aria-hidden="true"></i></a>) we've been hinting at the glove upgrade system in Hob. The Glove Upgrade System, or GUS, is an important part of your adventure in Hob. You need to upgrade your giant mech-arm in order to gain more abilities. These glove abilities–punch, warp, and mag/grapple–not only enable you to explore the world effectively, they're also pretty handy in a fight! So we wanted the upgrade process itself to be more exiting than just "<strong>BLING</strong> Upgrade complete!"</p>
<p>Today we go in-depth and invite you behind the scenes of our process, from start to finish. We're kicking it off with a short video slideshow on how GUS came to be.</p>
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<p>The upgrade process is a chance to show that this world has wonders on the micro scale as well as the macro scale. Now of course you're asking, How does that look in game? <strong>Voila!</strong></p>
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<p>So now we know how it upgrades. But how does it <em>play</em>? What cool things can you do with your glove abilities? When you're playing Hob, there will be areas you can't explore until you get the right upgrade. President/Lead Engineer Marsh Lefler and Lead Level Designer/Game Director Patrick Blank show you how the glove abilities work for adventuring and taking down monsters in this brand new dev diary.</p>
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<p>Who doesn't love multi-purpose tools? The glove abilities in Hob are your Swiss Army knife of adventure. They are your key to unlocking the entire world of Hob. See more of the glove abilities in action <a href="/hob/#glove-abilities">here</a>.</p>
<p>As always, thank you for joining us here on the blog to learn more about Hob! We're getting soooooo close to release (a little over a month to go!) and we really appreciate you following our development journey–an adventure in itself!</p>
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<p>Pre-orer on <a href="https://store.playstation.com/#!/search/q=hob">PS4</a>, <a href="http://store.steampowered.com/app/404680">Steam</a> and <a href="https://www.gog.com/game/hob">GOG</a> today!!</p>
And the winners are...https://www.runicgames.com/blog/2017/08/17/trophy-contest-winners/2017-08-17T00:00:00-07:002017-09-20T14:14:11-07:00Article Author<p>Hey, everybody! We're excited to announce the winners of our trophy/achievement-naming <a href="/blog/2017/08/01/hob-release-date-announced/">contest</a>. We had thousands of entries from folks all over; so much that it took a lot of time to review everything! There were so many super creative ideas – it was great. Thank you all so much! So without further ado, I present our winners:</p>
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<h3 id="grand-prize">GRAND PRIZE</h3>
<p><em>Receives: trophy/achievement name to be used in Hob, a credit in the game, a free copy of Hob, a Hero Pinny Arcade Pin, all three posters in the "Make It Home" series, and a Hob Baseball Cap</em></p>
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<li><strong>Animal Instinct</strong> - by <a href="http://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198054420795">Elaeus</a> via Steam Community. (#17)</li>
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<h3 id="st-prize">1ST PRIZE</h3>
<p><em>Receives: a free copy of Hob, all three posters in the "Make It Home" series, a Hero Pinny Arcade Pin, and a Hob Baseball Cap</em></p>
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<li><strong>Duck, deer!</strong> - by <a href="http://steamcommunity.com/id/xaivierx">XaivierX</a> via Steam Community. (#17)</li>
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<h3 id="nd-prize">2ND PRIZE</h3>
<p><em>Receives: one of the three "Make It Home" posters, a Hob Baseball Cap, and a Hero Patch</em></p>
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<li><strong>Minimus Prime</strong> - by <a href="http://steamcommunity.com/id/TheMostInterestingFamily/">The Most Interesting Family</a> via Steam Community. (#25)</li>
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<p><em>Note: This prize was previously awarded in error.</em></p>
<h3 id="rd-prize">3RD PRIZE</h3>
<p><em>Receives: one of the three "Make It Home" posters, and a Hero Patch</em></p>
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<li><strong>Switch Hitter</strong> - by Phanjam via Discord. (#06)</li>
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<p>So many amazing entries made it diffucult to pick winners, so we want to highlight a short list of our favorites:</p>
<h3 id="honorable-mentions">HONORABLE MENTIONS</h3>
<p><em>Receives: Hero Patch</em></p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Ephemeralization</strong> - by Xavirex via Discord, <a href="http://steamcommunity.com/id/lexter909">(Elohim)972</a> via Steam Community, and <a href="http://steamcommunity.com/id/Poats">Poats</a> via Steam Community. (#25)</li>
<li><strong>Friend Request</strong> - by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/increaseblue2/">increaseblue2</a> via Instagram. (#17)</li>
<li><strong>Hello, world!</strong> - by Loboranto via Discord. (#06)</li>
<li><strong>Found the Torch. Have a Light.</strong> - by <a href="http://steamcommunity.com/id/mardukas">Mardukkas</a> via Steam Community. (#06)</li>
<li><strong>Static Shock</strong> - by <a href="http://steamcommunity.com/id/masterduelist2">Master Duelist</a> via Steam Community. (#06)</li>
<li><strong>One Slash</strong> - by <a href="http://steamcommunity.com/id/masterduelist2">Master Duelist</a> via Steam Community. (#02)</li>
<li><strong>Wait, there are upgrades?</strong> - by TheSerb88 via Discord. (#25)</li>
<li><strong>Make peace, not war.</strong> - by <a href="https://twitter.com/workhousetango">@workhousetango</a> via Twitter. (#17)</li>
<li><strong>I did it… my way.</strong> - by <a href="http://steamcommunity.com/id/leing">Loot-aholic</a> via Steam Community. (#25)</li>
<li><strong>Qualified cat herder.</strong> - by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ryan.wooton.98">Ryan Wooton</a> via Facebook. (#14)</li>
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<p>Congrats to our winners and thanks again to everyone who submitted a suggestion. <em>Hob</em> will be coming out on September 26th. Pre-orer on <a href="https://store.playstation.com/#!/search/q=hob">PS4</a>, <a href="http://store.steampowered.com/app/404680">Steam</a> and <a href="https://www.gog.com/game/hob">GOG</a> today!! :)</p>