Potential Loot Drops in Torchlight II, Diablo III Release Date Statement

Following the absence of any type of update on the Torchlight II website last week (due to a power outage), this week the team treated us to an "infographic" featuring pie graphs that illustrate how many gems, scrolls, potions, spells, magic items, and unique items were found by a test character up to level 38 (about 2/3 through the game). A total of 40 unique items sounds a bit high to me, but you won't hear me complaining about a reduction to grinding:
Recently Erich Schaefer compiled data on loot drops for a test character, and made this amazing infographic. This was sent internally for us to see how a specific character may encounter possible drops. Keep in mind that another character's loot drops will be affected differently depending on elements like play style, quests, and character.

It's rare to get such an elaborate and clearly defined loot breakdown, and we wanted to share it with you. As we continue to balance all aspects of the game, statistics like these will change. This isn't final data, but it's a great peek at just how much there is to find. Thank you Adam for the experiment, and Erich for creating this on your weekend.

And for those of you who are concerned about the fact that Torchlight II will likely be released after Diablo III, they've issued a statement about why any fears should be tempered:
We know a lot of you are worried about us. We've heard what you're saying, and sure we've had similar discussions. But we began making the first Torchlight in 2008 when development on Diablo III was already underway. We didn't let that be a reason that we couldn't make an RPG. We made the commitment to create a game we loved to play. That's what's important to us, and that's why we go to work every day.

Our commitment is the same today. It doesn't matter what gets announced, or who gets elected, or if there's a zombie attack. (Well actually, in a zombie attack we might leave our desks, but only to smash them into weapons.) We believe that the best business model is to do what you love, to give it everything you've got, and to make something you'll be proud of.

There will be unforeseen challenges along the way, no matter what business you're in. We've chosen to stay small with a total team of 32. We want to be the company that works hard and makes something we love. We know we have a lot of fans out there who've had a chance to play early builds of Torchlight II at conventions around the world, and are eagerly awaiting the sequel. We want you to have the best darn game we can make. We're pretty sure that we want this game out more than anyone (not just so that we can resume a normal sleep schedule!) - but we are going to do it right. That's our commitment to you, and to ourselves.

We're happy for the team at Blizzard - it's been a long haul for them. We are looking forward to our home stretch too.

It would be a shame if D3 completely overshadows this gem - I know I'll be buying both.