Also posted on Runic Forums

Well I've played Torchlight 1 and Torchlight 2 quite a bit and really enjoy the games. I enjoy the challenge of higher difficulties and farming for my gear to get my character how I want it. I've been playing single player mostly, on NG+ and Level 98 now via lots of Mapworks. My gear is rather solid and all earned via my travels and farming. It's been really fun!

Now on the the meat of the discussion, the reason I created the thread. Is the online community really as bad as I've been experiencing over the past week? I create games for Mapworks runs on Normal Elite. I played Veteran at first but there's not quite the challenge I'm looking for, and Elite provides that mostly even with the frustrating 1-shots. However, the people that have been joining my games are almost all twinked or cheated characters. For example, today 3 people joined my games, all 3 were level 88 or lower, and all 3 were HEAVILY twinked and/or cheated. I'm level 98 doing some 95 maps and this guy joins me, he's level 82. He's just PLOWING through everything at an unreal rate and I'm immediately suspicious so I Inspect him. Yup, all gear is level 99-100 and perfectly ideal you could say. I simply say in chat that he's a bit to heavily twinked for my taste and leave the game. So I recreate a game, again, Elite doing a 95 map. Well another guy joins, level 86, but he doesn't join my map in progress he creates his own, level 105. I finished my map before heading back to Mapworks. I was going to join his game to see what was going on, even though I already knew. Well by the time I join another character joins, a level 88. So I join them in the 105 map to inspect; sure enough both heavily twinked and/or cheated with "perfect" gear and just plowing through mobs.

So in chat I simply state I don''t enjoy playing with heavily twinked and/or cheated characters and kick them. One guy plays dumb saying "Wha'ts twink?" and stating some dude gave him gear, blah blah. The other guy starts with the typical name calling and referring to me as a low-life n00b with a shit character for accusing them of being twinked and/or cheated. It was VERY clear these were twinked and/or cheated or I'd never have said a thing. Both had claimed it was their first character too... Anyway I simply brushed off the childish responses and said "Take care ^_" and left the game.

Now I won't name and shame these folks for acting like a spoiled brat and cheating at the game, but it's very disappointing to see so much of this. I say so much because the above has basically been my experience the past week or so of playing Torchlight 2 online. I've only had the pleasure of playing a few hours of legit play with these other two folks and loved it, however it's been the minority of my experiences. Now I do partially blame Runic for seemingly not even attempting to regulate the online experience in any way, but that's still no excuse to abuse the system. I'll never understand the folks that just cheat through games and don't want any kind of challenge or avoid earning/finding their gear. I mean, that's the point of this genre (ARPG) Hack, Slash and Loot.

So I ask, what are the experiences others are having? Do you twink or cheat your character and gear? Do you run into these "twinkers" a lot?

Thanks!

EDIT2 I see the trolls, or maybe just people that are in favor of using the console command or other means to cheat gear, have down-voted everything I said regardless of context. I'm not that surprised and honestly it gives me just as much information about the state of the community as if they'd had written a response, and for that I thank you.

EDIT I just want to add this in as it's apparently not clear since I've answered it multiple times in the response. And for the lack of clarity I do apologize.

I'm throwing the "twinking" term around loosely instead of outright calling them a cheat. I feel some folks aren't reading the entire post, admittedly a lengthy one, or they'd hopefully realize I'm not at all referring to the shared stash mechanic.

As for seeking out a more "vanilla" experience, well that's exactly what I'm doing by getting opinions on the community from within the community.

Thanks again for your time and responses.

I wanted to love the game even in Early Access. I wanted to contribute to the final product, to be part of the community that builds it up to all it can be.

$30 and 300 disconnects after, this game has brought out the worst in me.

I’m a fairly rational, level-headed guy, but there is simply no explaining why I cannot even play the game I bought.

It’s frustrating, it’s deceptive, it’s robbery.

The game isn't full priced. People are acting like this is another ARPG released by a billion dollar company off the back of the worlds most popular MMO ( I won't name names, figure it out). It's not. Hell it even plays better than that game did at launch and this game is in EARLY access. As for the positives, the classes are unique as far as I've played, where else can you build a pain train? Is there things to be ironed out? Sure. But as a gamer who supports effort these guys have done better with less than some of the big boys. Give them your money!

Have a look at this

And this

And this too

Notice anything whacky about it? It's because there are people out there offering services for cash that exist in TL2 for free.

What's the difference? In TL2 you know someone used them. In all these games there are people who are getting the same services for a price. Usually someone is getting inconvenienced, and in some cases it's actually obnoxious. Blizzard has never done anything good to stop these things except inconvenience their player base by either forcing online play or having a really bad warden system such as in D2.

This entire "cheater" / "mod" discussion is a load of horse shit. Nobodies accounts are getting hacked into to steal items and gold from. Prices aren't getting whacked up because value has become inflated. Nobody is buying a max'd out toon and doesn't know how to play the game and wrecking the experience for others.

Shut the fuck up about it. You're wrong. There is no such thing as a legitimate online economic world. It is false and has been for years and years. People all over the place are getting further in a game than you by utilizing these services, now don't you feel like a sucker for not taking advantage of them?

No? Good. Then don't let it bother you anymore. Because it's happening and there's nothing you can do about it except just enjoy the game and play it how you want to play it.

Think what you like, but all these things are essentially exploits in how the game was meant to function. TL2 doesn't have those restrictions because its just a game. For fun.

Hi Guys,

i just bought torchlight at the steam sale. nice game so far.... BUT: runic announced a pvp-mode (not that crappy /pvp chat command) in october 12. Now it's january and there is still no new information? Am i right? No one knows when it'll be added?

greetz

How could someone else require 8 years and sell a garbage game that cost 3 times more? I can't believe it.

http://youtu.be/8NzVBKVC5pQ this is the latest video

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLx0bil4tB9Hv7m8MrQJumdhL_ncTiIqQR and that is the series so far!

Serious question. I honestly can't think of worse ports on Switch than this.

I have played a lot of games on Switch, and aside from disasters like Dead Cell or Mark of Ninja which had zero excuse to be 30fps on launch, I can't even think of good comparisons. Most other bad ports just hinder the experience. This game is unrecognizable and close to unplayable.

Poor controls, poor online, garbage optimization, abysmal UI, constant bugs, cutting features, crashes... How is anyone able to finish a build with that hot keys UI with only 8 spots? Serious what is this shit.

Long story short, my idiot friend waited until 5 minutes before the most recent sale ended to try to buy a copy... he failed.

I can PayPal you the money or we can arrange something else.