To save space, you can delete the entire USB \HBCD\DOS folder as it is no longer required. Close all Explorer Windows and reboot and try out some of the the DOS Programs menu. Press Enter when prompted (several times)Ħ. Now find and run \HBCD\Dos\dosimg.cmd by double-clicking on itĤ. Double-Click the My Computer icon on the Desktop and find the USB disk volume.ģ. Boot to Mini Windows XP on a REAL SYSTEM!Ģ. Note: This MUST be done a real system booted to Hiren's Mini XP and NOT under emulator or VM that does not allow writes to the USB drive (or use QEMU in RMPrepUSB v2.1.709 or later which enables USB writes or use DavidB's Virtual Machine USB Boot utility+Oracle Vbox (see Tutorial #4 for details)).ġ. Hiren as made this easy however as you can create this image file and copy it within mini Windows XP as follows: In order for the Hirens DOS Programs menu to work correctly, we may need to make and copy a DOS image file to the \HBCD\BOOT folder on your USB boot drive. Note: This step is NOT necessary for a FAT32 USB drive - If your USB drive is NTFS and not FAT32, then you may need to follow these steps (but try a DOS Program first to check!). Step 6 - Getting the DOS utilities to work with an NTFS drive To fix this, find the \HBCD\Menu.lst file and the KonBoot menu.ĭirectly under the KonBoot menu entry, add the line in red KonBoot may not work because it is booting from the USB drive instead of the CD (if it prints '2 HDD SWAP' then it should work), so HDD0 will be the USB drive and not the internal hard disk. You can also copy the entire \HBCD folder to the root of the USB drive (F:\HBCD) so that is is automatically detected next time.Ģ. Then run the HBCDMenu.cmd file in the root of the new virtual CD by double-clicking on it. If you just want to get the HBCDMenu working in MiniXP, locate the ISO file in Hirens XP Windows Explorer - right-click - select 'Mount as ImDisk Virtual Disk'. You can now test this works using RMPrepUSB QEMU or by booting from a real system. Copy or extract the \HBCD\Boot folder to the USB boot drive \HBCD\BOOT folder using 7Zip - you should now have a folder on the USB drive called \HBCD\BOOT and inside it will be about 16 files and the pmagic folder. To fix this you will need to copy the files from inside the ISO to the USB boot drive as follows:ġ. Other utilities may still not work correctly from just an ISO file (depends on what version of Hirens you have). It can run on any older or newer computer and provides the complete set of diagnostic utilities.Step 5 - Getting the other utilities (linux/pmagic/password changer, etc.) to work Processor: Single Core Processor or higherĬlick on the below-given link to download the standalone zip of Hirens BootCD 15.2 for Windows x86 and 圆4 architecture.Installed Memory: 128MB of minimum RAM required.Free Disk Space Required: 700MB CD or HDD space required.Operating System: Windows 2K/XP/Vista/7/8/10.System Requirements for Hirens BootCD 15.2īefore you download Hirens BootCD, make sure that your system meets the given requirements Text-based and graphical user interface.Hirens BootCD has many tools and features for recovering you Windows including It does not depend on the Operating System. Create recovery drives and restore Windows to the previous state. This powerful tool can also run from Windows environment as well, you can perform many other operations related to the recovery, HDD, and other. There is a complete set of antivirus programs which can disinfect any computer. The environment is very lightweight and never stuck, you can run it on any older and newer computer. The interface is text-based and requires some technical skills to get back your data or recover your operating system. It directly runs from the boot menu without starting the Windows. You can burn the CD and run on any affected computer. ( Source > Click on Hirens.BootCD.15.2.zip) Note: You can find/download the latest version of Hiren's BootCD in the Official Download page: (Scroll down and click on HBCDPE圆4.iso) 2. Either your computer is damaged due to any virus or some missing files this wonderful tool can easily recover from any system error. Download Hiren’s BootCD version 15.2 to your computer. Many times when the computer stops working, you need a recovery tool. Hirens BootCD is a complete set of tools with all the basic diagnostic utilities. This free download is a standalone setup of Hirens BootCD latest version for Windows 32-bit and 64-bit. Hirens BootCD 15.2 is the most popular recovery and diagnostic boot CD with many useful options and features.
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Even after Idalia's center made landfall and tracked northward toward Georgia, a king tide - high tide caused by a super moon - had kept coastal- and low-lying areas inundated with water.īefore and during the storm, government and emergency management officials urged residents to evacuate or stay inside to avoid flooding. On Wednesday, the Tampa Bay Region experienced a storm surge of between 4 to 7 feet. The hurricane tracked at a pace of 18 mph. Other atmospheric causes made Idalia a fast-moving storm as well, Frazer added. "It's indicative of how fast these systems can intensify and how the extremely warm waters in the Gulf of Mexico contribute to that intensification," he said. In Idalia's case, the tropical storm saw an increase of more than 55 mph in that time span.įrazer says warmer waters caused by climate change is leading to stronger storms such as Idalia. In less than 24 hours, the tropical storm escalated into a Category 4 hurricane before downgrading to a Category 3 when it made landfall on Florida's Big Bend Region near Keaton Beach Wednesday morning.īy definition, rapid intensification is when a hurricane increases speed by 35 mph in a 24-hour period. So the more fuel you have, you know, you're just cranking up the engine, essentially," said Thomas Frazer, dean of the College of Marine Science at the University of South Florida. "The warmer the waters, the more fuel you have. When Idalia tracked across the Gulf of Mexico, ocean waters measured a balmy 88 degrees. My other question is what is the “preferred” way to place the board mounting holes, would that be 360 degree arcs on the edgecuts layer or just place a multilayer pad sized for minimum annular ring? I would hope if it’s on the edgecuts layer somehow that hole winds up being on the Gerber drill list automatically?. Meaning, that if you want to use non 90 degree arcs, you have to drag the end point of a line to snap to the end point of the arc, and not the other way around. The start point of an arc is on the grid, but because of the Pi thing in arcs the endpoint of an arc is not always on the grid, it just is closest to the gridpoint your cursor is on. If you draw a (also random) line and drag the endpoints of the line, then the line snaps to the controll points of the arc and this makes it easy to generate a closed outline. You can also punch in the numbers if you select the arc and press ‘e’: I just did a simple test in KiCad V5.1.0 and drew a (pretty random) arc.Īfter placing a random arc you can drag, center, start point and end point, which gives you enough of an interface for a decent manipulation of the arc. Just as long as it can be drawn with all endpoints on a relatively coarse grid to make all endpoints match it’s pretty trivial to draw the board outline in KiCad. When you get much beyond a basic rectangle, many of usĬrude, yes, but not that bad. The outline could have been created with KiCAD (plus a lot of patience), but I did it with the method outlined above. It shows a board outline designed to hug the interior contours of a commercial enclosure, with some cutouts for switches, connectors, controls, etc. Here’s an example similar to what you are trying to do: This makes it especially easy to deal with things like screw bosses, molding sprues, etc. Even a basic CAD drafting program will let you do things like snap-to-endpoints, define arcs in at least half a dozen different ways, convert corners to arcs, find tangent points, trim (or extend) lines and arcs to their intersection with other lines or arcs, etc.įor fitting boards into commercial enclosures it’s especially useful to open the enclosure manufacturer’s drawing of the enclosure in the CAD program, then use the program’s “Offset” tool to create an outline which is a fixed distance - say, 25 to 30 mils (1.0 - 1.2mm) - inside the enclosure’s interior contour. I use the open-source, no-charge drafting program called “ LibreCAD”, although there are others that will work as well. When you get much beyond a basic rectangle, many of us find it easier to produce the outline in an external drafting program, then import it into KiCAD as a *.DXF file. Yes, KiCAD’s drafting tools are rather crude and limited in their capabilities. KiCad is not very good in detailed graphics, and when board outlines become really complex they should be drawn in an external program and imported into KiCad. While this used to be a major snag for glamouring job-specific gear while playing multiple jobs of the same role (which often share gear), we have a little more freedom now thanks to the new Glamour Dresser and Glamour Plates, which we’ll get to soon enough. If you swap to Paladin, the Valor Surcoat’s appearance will display, though. You can’t glamour Paladin’s Valor Surcoat to wear while you’re playing Dark Knight-the base item’s appearance will be displayed instead. A glamoured appearance will only display when worn by a class or job that can normally wear the item.That’s generally not going to be important, but it might matter sometimes if you’re glamouring gear to equip on your retainers. Note that this does not apply to item level, though: you can glamour an item level 350 piece of gear onto an item level 300 piece of gear, since they would both be level 70. Your base item has to be of equal or higher level than the item whose appearance you want to glamour, meaning that you can’t glamour the appearance of a level 50 piece of gear onto a level 1 piece of gear. There are a few things to keep in mind while you’re glamouring: As with many things, you’ll get a confirmation window after that, and once you confirm, the base item will take on the appearance of your selected item (and you’ll expend one Glamour Prism). Once you’re in the menu, you can select the base item you want to change on the left, and the item that has the appearance you want on the right. You can either use the Cast Glamour action directly (such as by placing it on a hotbar), which will open the Cast Glamour menu, or you can open the subcommand menu on an item and selecting Cast Glamour there, which will do the same. With that out of the way, you’re all set! Applying a glamour is fairly straightforward. If you’re coming back to the game after a long absence, Glamour Prisms are now all-purpose! They work for gear of all levels and item levels, and they no longer need to be matched to the type of gear you’re glamouring! If you have any of the old “specialized” glamour prisms, like a Grade 2 Glamour Prism (Clothcraft), you can exchange them (and any Graded Clear Prisms) with Tataroga in Mor Dhona (X 22.2, Y 6.8) for the newer all-purpose Glamour Prisms and Clear Prisms. Once you complete “If I Had A Glamour,” you’ll receive the general action Cast Glamour and a handful of Glamour Prisms, which are required to cast glamours on your other items. Swyrgeim has two other important quests as well: “ Color Your World” (which will allow you to dye items) and “ Absolutely Glamourous” (which will allow level 15+ Disciples of the Hand to create Glamour Prisms), so I’d recommend taking care of all three of them at the same time! You unlock the ability to glamour your gear by completing the level 15 quest “ If I Had A Glamour” from the NPC Swyrgeim (X 12.7, Y 14.3). Since the glamour system’s introduction in Patch 2.2, it’s been adjusted to make things much simpler and cement it as one of the game’s core features. The action to glamour couldn’t be unlocked until level 50, either, making it more of an “endgame” activity than one that was core to the game. With that in mind, here’s the Fashion Ninjutsu guide to glamour (current as of 5.1).įFXIV‘s glamour system, which allows the player to have a different item’s appearance display over the appearance of another item, started out fairly complex, with around 40 “catalyst” items, each one tied to a different material type and item level. It’s changed a lot since it was first added during A Realm Reborn, after all, and it can be tricky to find information on the changes and how everything works in tandem now. Most of the time, when I get a request from Patrons, I’m asked to put together a new glamour, but returning player and Patron Helena wanted to see a breakdown of how glamour works in the game now. We do recommend for titles such as this one that you use a Wired connection to your gaming device instead of Wi-Fi for the best possible experience. So there you have it, a step-by-step guide to checking the server status of Warzone 2 and its DMZ mode. Aside from being an heavy game, Warzone sets itself on high priority on startup, which means almost all the processes on the pc will be slowed down in order. If connection issues persist, we advise gamers to contact Activision support via Online Services and test their internet connection in another title to ensure it isn't a user error. Even Activision suggests turning it off and on again.(Picture: Activision)įor those who want the latest server status info on Warzone 2 and its DMZ mode, we suggest players follow the Activision Support account on Twitter and Infinity Ward's Twitter account for quick updates. in this regard, the EUobserver published an article, just after the malaysia airlines mh17 tragedy, in which a plane was shot down in a warzone in. This is an important step, as it might not be the actual Warzone 2 servers or your setup that are causing connection issues. To date, we’ve deployed a number of updates, but more needs to be done. We feel your frustrations and hear you loud and clear. The problem with Warzone has been resolved. A problem with Warzone has been detected based on visitor reports. On the Online Services page, gamers can also find options to check the status of platform networks, such as PSN, Xbox Live,, and more. Currently, our community is experiencing issues across Call of Duty: Vanguard, Warzone Pacific, and Modern Warfare. View the most recent times Warzone was not loading or down, including the outage duration. To check the server status for your favorite Call of Duty title, including Warzone, head to Activision's Online Services page and select the game from the dropdown box on the right, as per the image above. The new season’s update is scheduled to go live at 9am PT / 12pm ET / 5pm BST. However, it doesn't hurt turning it off and on again. If you’re logging on to play Ranked on August 2, 2023, the reason it’s unavailable is the launch of Season 5. If you play on Wi-Fi, trying a wired connection can also. (Picture: Activision)īefore going all IT Crowd on your gaming equipment or router, we suggest checking the Warzone 2 server status and the status of your platform's network. A fresh connection might be what you need and hit up SpeedTest to see if you’re being throttled. How to Check Warzone 2 Server Status Online Services for the original Warzone will go down until 28th November 2022 once Warzone 2 launches on 16th November. Planned maintenance might also occur, as there will likely be quite a few hotfix updates pushed out. It will be no accident that this coincides. The developers recently noted that they will be focused on "ensuring the new Warzone 2.0 free-to-play ecosystem is running effectively." The original Warzone will vanish from the internet for 12 days while it updates to its new permanent version. Why are Warzone server status down Generally, there are two main reasons: unknown bugs in the game, and servers undergoing maintenance. This could be due to the large influx of players. This, however, could change at a moment's notice, as during the first few months following Warzone 2's launch, there might be some unexpected server downtime. The Warzone 2 and DMZ mode servers are not down at the time of writing. Still having trouble? Check if you can connect to web pages and if you can't, contact your internet service provider.Update on 9 August 2023: This article reflects the latest information about the Warzone 2 and DMZ mode server status.Īre Warzone 2 & DMZ Servers Down? There might be some unexpected outages of emergency maintenance, causing the Warzone 2 and DMZ mode servers to go down quickly. In which case, we'd recommend restarting your machine, followed by your router. Usually, we'd recommend cross referencing all three services and if none of them show the servers as being down, there's a chance the issue is on your end. This is a third party service that you can check to see if anyone else has been experiencing trouble connecting to Call of Duty Warzone, along with a chart showing recent issues across the world. From there, you can also click on the individual platform icons to see if it's a network problem with PlayStation, Xbox One, or .įinally – as always – there's. If everything is working smoothly, it should have a green tick and say "All Platforms: Online". r/CODWarzone is a developer-recognized community focused on the series. If you can't see anything there, make sure you check the Activision Call of Duty Warzone server status page too. Call of Duty: Warzone is a first-person shooter video game series developed by Infinity Ward and Raven Software, and published by Activision. Nicholson said the clinic is the only place in town doing the 15-minute tests. Rapid testing for coronavirus will be available. Nicholson explained that staff could address a nosebleed, complete stitches, help customers with a cough, urinary tract infection, high blood pressure or just about any complaint. It will be staffed at all times by a physician’s assistant or nurse practitioner, two licensed professional nurses or certified medical assistants, and a receptionist, in addition to Nicholson.Ī radiology technician will be on duty, allowing for X-ray, splinting and intravenous treatment in case of a broken bone. It features a spacious waiting room with numerous windows overlooking the highway, eight procedure rooms, radiology facilities, and offices. The building is new and has been under construction since January. The clinic will start seeing patients following a grand opening that morning with some giveaways. “We’re available for small things, all kinds of concerns and urgent things,” said Shannon Nicholson, clinic supervisor. 9, in south McMinnville, offering a full range of immediate-need health services. Located on the south end of McMinnville just past Bi-Mart, Nova features an X-ray department and will give 15-minute COVID-19 tests, in addition to urgent care.Ī new Nova Health Urgent Care clinic will open Thursday, Sept. Rusty Rae/News-Register # Offering a wide range of medical services in addition to immediate care, the newly built Nova Urgent Care building is in the last stages of preparation to open on Sept. If you look at other Intel 8051 derivatives in MAME, such as the DS5002FP, which Gaelco used for protection, you’ll see those clock in at 12Mhz, that’s 8 times slower than this chip. The AX208 uses a 96Mhz core based on Intel 8051 architecture from 1980, but with a number of significant changes. The AX208, developed by Appotech is a processor designed primarily for applications such as Digital Picture Frames, although product datasheets suggest other uses, such as hairdryers, blood pressure monitors, PDAs and media players. Something to keep in mind is this was a budget system, the retail price was below $20, so in terms of hardware it isn’t going to compete with the aformentioned big name systems because it was never trying to. It did however leave quite a mark during it’s short life.Įmulating this system has been a bit of a journey as the choice of tech used is unusual to say the least, and there have been a number of surprises along the way, with one of those challenges still being insurmountable, but I’ll get to that later. It had a relatively short lifespan, with around 20 games being released over the course of 20, and while there was great ambition, with more games based on further licensed IPs planned, it was maybe not the runaway success that had been hoped for. The console in question is the Monon Color. What madness is this? Well it’s machine that was developed for the Chinese market by a company known as M&D in 2014. So, MAME is about to gain support for a handheld console, one marketed as such, with it’s own library of fully licensed games on cartridges, that is more recent than the Playstation Vita, Nintendo 3DS, Playstation 4, and Xbox One. Join us at /r/EmuDev Android Emulator accuracy tests:Īre you an emulator developer? Send the moderators a message if you'd like a user flair reflecting that. Game recommendations: /v/'s Recommended Games Wiki r/SBCGaming - Single Board Computer Gaming (Raspberry Pi, etc) r/EmulationOnPC - For PC and Mac emulation troubleshooting and support r/EmulationOnAndroid - Android emulation and troubleshooting General Computers Handhelds Consoles Nintendo Browse All FAQ Discussion Links Posts asking which games are playable/what the emulator is called/where to get it will be removed. There are very few playable commercial titles for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PlayStation Vita, Xbox One, and Xbox Series emulators.This is /r/ emulation - not /r/flashcarts or /r/consolehomebrew. Please abide by reddit's site-wide rules on self-promotion. Any further videos should be packaged into a self post, accompanied by a submission statement that facilitates discussion. Users are permitted to post one emulator demonstration video per day as a link post. Comments stepping significantly over the line will be removed- use some common sense. Simple tech support or general queries not fulfilling that requirement belong in the Weekly Question Thread and will be redirected there.
But if Lieberstein and company want to continue having a corporate presence, they did just bring back Catherine Tate for this current arc set at Sabre’s offices in Tallahassee. Since Robert isn’t the branch manager, anyway, Spader may not need to be replaced. There are plans in the works for Rainn Wilson to move to a Dwight-centric spin-off at mid-season next year, and NBC may decide to have the new show simply replace the old one. Though the ratings are noticeably down this season without Carell, a ninth season – featuring some combination of the current cast (Mindy Kaling may not be back, for instance, as she has a project of her own in development) – seems a formality, considering how well it still does relative to NBC’s many other disaster areas. (I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the last few episodes, California-free, have been a bit better than most of what the show has done this season.) AlyssaBeCrazy joins The Reel Rejects for a Reaction & Review of THE LAST OF US PART 2Follow ALYSSABECRAZY On TWITCH. On occasion, he can be wryly amusing as he comments on what idiots he’s forced to work with, but more often than not, his lack of engagement sucks the life out of any scene he’s in. His Robert California was introduced last spring as a charismatic lunatic, but has mellowed considerably as a semi-regular on the show. Spader hasn’t been the biggest problem with the post-Carell version of the show, but he hasn’t been part of the solution, either. MOM REACTION TO THE LAST OF US PART II OFFICIAL STORY TRAILERMy mom loves The Last of Us and we are BOTH extremely excited to get our hands on The Last of Us. “The Office” showrunner Paul Lieberstein told Wallenstein that Spader had only wanted to do a one-season arc. Will the last one out the door at Dunder-Mifflin Scranton please turn out the light?Īs first reported by Variety’s Andrew Wallenstein, James Spader – who was brought in to give the show some star power in the wake of Steve Carell’s departure late last season – will not return to the show when it presumably returns for a ninth season. whats the best live video reaction to The Last of Us PART 2 trailer reveal you've seen so far Press J to jump to the feed. Download Gainy to check out TTF stock collections to invest in themes you like.Ĭheck out our IPO section to look at other scheduled IPOs. An even better approach is to build a balanced portfolio of stocks in an industry you know or believe in. While it’s fun to try, don’t rely on IPOs to bring you money, timing the market is hard. Investments like IPOs are speculative and much riskier than big companies with proven business models, robust earnings, and potential to scale. Still, the Unity IPO is a great illustration of how investing in IPOs can bring investors great gains right at the start, which is why it’s a good idea to keep an eye on upcoming IPOs. And because we know how quickly things can change in this industry, their popularity now does not guarantee their future success. Despite their strong position on the gaming market, they may be too dependent on other companies like Apple for their ability to grow. Unity is a solid business with solid revenue growth, but their losses are still high and they show no signs of profitability in the near future. However, now that the market for tech stocks is down, this figure is considerably lower.Įven though Unity’s stock price is over 80% down from the all-time high of $210 it reached in November 2021, this may be both a risk and and opportunity. The Unity IPO price was set at $52 per share but debuted at $75 on the day, closing the first day of trading at $68 per share, up 31%.ĬEO John Riccitiello, who owns 3.5 million Unity shares, had a net worth of around $500 million at the time of the IPO, which tripled within a year of their IPO date during the 2020-2021 bull run, thus giving the Unity boss a net worth of $1.4 billion. Unity launched its IPO on the NYSE on Septemand began trading under the stock symbol U. Unity IPO Date: SeptemTicker: U Exchange: NYSE IPO stock price: $52 Valuation at IPO: $13.6 billion Market cap (10/12/22): $9.35 billion CEO: John Riccitiello Category: Gaming Unity Public Listing Key Data and IPO Date Read on to find out about Unity IPO 2020 and other key info. However, the company reported losses every year from 2004 to 2020, which is nevertheless pretty standard for a tech startup trying to aggressively grow its business.īy 2018, fundraising over multiple rounds brought up the company’s valuation to $3 billion.īy this point the company management must have been asking themselves, “when is Unity going public?” On August 24, 2020, Unity filed their S-1 form to start the IPO process in order to get the necessary funding to continue their growth as well as pay back some of their debt. Since the company’s founding in 2004, Unity Technologies has seen significant growth due to the popularity of its engine. The engine has also been used outside of the gaming industry, such as in films, architecture, engineering and even by the U.S. Unity can be used for both 3D and 2D games, interactive experiences, and simulations. It is relatively easy to use for beginner developers and is popular with indie game devs. The company bet on the emerging mobile market early on and is particularly popular for the development of mobile games for iOS and Android. First released at the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference in June 2005 as a game engine for MacOS X, it has since been adapted for a range of mobile, desktop, console, and VR platforms. Most famous for the development of Unity, a cross-platform game engine used in video games and other applications. in 2007 and continued to do business as Unity Technologies. Originally founded in 2004 in Denmark under the name Over the Edge Entertainment or OTEE, the company changed its name to Unity Software Inc. Unity is a video game software development company with headquarters in San Francisco. Equipment tends to be compared on a fairly linear scale: stats are boiled down to a simple Strength/Dexterity/Intellect/Vitality system – you won’t ever need to weigh up the opportunity cost of sacrificing attack speed and accuracy for a bigger damage number, for example. I’ve also never really needed to stop and think at any point in the game. This makes ranged classes particularly cumbersome to play since there’s no way to kite enemies confidently (you can rotate your character in place by clicking down the left-stick though) but there are also very few enemies which require this level of complex movement. There is no way to manually lock onto enemies, by the way – the right-stick is used for camera control. The game has a very weak, contextual lock-on based on the direction your character is facing when you hit the attack button. Targeting is also hampered by the control setup. It is a slight reduction in the amount of active skill slots compared to the PC version, but it’s more than enough to get by. The game maps quite faithfully to the Switch’s controls – Movement is handled with the left stick, autoattacks with A, health and mana potions mapped to the shoulders and the rest of the face buttons and triggers open for active skills. I’m not always in the mood for that conversation though – and when I’m able to shut off that voice, that is when I really, really appreciate what this game is trying to do.Ĭombat is fast and fun, owing to a simple control scheme and some very juicy animations. Overall, there’s a useful conversation to have about what games are valuable uses of time, and what ultimately can be gained from the act of play. It’s like saying the carrot is dangling the perfect distance away from my mouth – far enough that I’ll never reach it, but close enough that I’ll always want to keep trying. And, because of this nature, reviewing the game does feel a little silly – like I’m praising the carrot for being aesthetically tantalising (knowing full well that I’ll never actually get to eat it that’s the whole point) or the fishing line it’s hanging on for being particularly transparent and noticeable. Its speed and ease of access just make the compulsive gameplay loop a lot more apparent, and a lot more compelling, than most other RPGs of its kind. This is to say that Torchlight II, in every sense of its design, is a carrot on a stick. It wants to keep the player locked into the power fantasy of killing monsters, getting stronger, and pushing forward – and it’s discarded anything which does not directly contribute to this end. There are a lot of things missing from Torchlight (namely a deep story, advanced skills, a complex player stats system, overworld puzzles, etc.) but each of these things is in its own way inessential to the experience this game wants to be. Polish simplifies things, it removes the chaff of the experience and keeps the remaining package laser-focused. When I say that Torchlight II’s design is polished, its design philosophy is really a double-edged sword. It’s just plain and simple: kill, loot, upgrade, repeat. You’ll never need to figure out where to go, or solve any tedious puzzles, or do any fetch quests. The game is extremely kinetic – you’ll receive a very small amount of quests and all of them have simple objectives and clear waypoint markers. It’s modeled after Blizzard’s Diablo II and WildTangent’s PC game Fate (anyone remember that one?), in that it offers a rapidly looping cycle of killing monsters, picking up loot, upgrading characters and then killing stronger monsters. Torchlight II is, mechanically, a simple action RPG. It’s a fantastic port too – this is a game which greatly benefits from portability, and being able to share the experience. None of us expected Panic Button to take the game to current-generation consoles, much less the Nintendo Switch. The studio’s two action RPG titles were examples of impeccable polish – immensely playable, worked well in short bursts or long sessions, solo or in a party, and were compulsive like nothing else on the market. When Runic Games sadly closed its doors in 2017, we all thought we’d seen the end of the Torchlight franchise. |
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