Let's Talk About Terraria.

[Koh]

Because the massive 1.2 update was released last night. Has anyone else started playing yet? It feels like a totally different game at the moment, but it's awesome so far. Things I noticed so far:

Spoiler

-The pickaxe is now a tool of mass destruction. Like seriously, I made a hammer, but haven't been able to use it once so far.
-Overworld music is extended.
-Is there no more nighttime music or is it just me? Zombies were wandering about, but the overworld music was still playing.
-Torches look a lot better now.
-Monsters will spawn with special looks based on the weather. (Raincoat Zombies, Umbrella Slimes, etc.)
-There is actually a Wood Armor set now. It barely helps; I swear the leggings don't even have 1 defense. What's the point? Besides for collectionism xD.

[Chaoxys]

Wait, I thought the guy who made it said he gave up on ever updating it again. I'll need to check this out sometime soon.

[Koh]

Well he did initially, but it was basically his way of saying he needed a vacation. Because he came back out of nowhere wanting to do an update, and then it turned out to be a massive update XD. It's pretty awesome so far, but I hate how there's forced world hopping now. You can't get everything within one world because of....

Spoiler

The "alternates." Crimsonland or whatever it's called is the alternative to having a Corruption in your world, and you get either the Tin, Lead, etc. in your world OR Copper, Iron, etc. in your world, but not both.

[Viiper]

I'm playing it! The new snow and ice biome is amazing.

[Sevenstitch]

I wished I knew what the goal for this game is

I was given a copy like a year ago, but couldn't really get into it

All my buddies like this game, and insist i should play with them, "It'll grow on you"

I don't know.. I guess I just think its.. boring? I suppose that would sum up my opinion on it.


also the controls and display options are really slack imo

It could do with a 2x res zoom mode and maybe toggleable grid overlay
so i know where and what i'm clicking on so i stop misplacing and wasting materials

the inclusion of the options would change my opinion considerably i think

[Vipershark]

Terraria is admittedly a bit boring/confusing at the beginning until you figure out what you're doing (similarly to Minecraft) but then you start picking up items that completely change how you play the game (like the jet boots and grappling hook) and it becomes a lot more fun. If you sit through the beginning where you have no abilities and get some upgrades, the game gets a lot more fun.

That being said, you definitely want to play on multiplayer so you can have someone knowledgeable show you the basics of the game.

[Viiper]

its only boring if you hate exploring or love having your hand held.

[Koh]

its only boring if you hate exploring or love having your hand held.

I have to elaborate on this. I like Minecraft and all, but it's far more boring than Terraria, because there are no immediate goals, and exploration is not very rewarded. With Terraria, not only can you increase your character's abilities with equipment (not JUST stats, but abilities, like flying and doublejumping, etc.), but you are also able to fight bosses and find new biomes to explore and raid, as well as having an actual endgame.

[Ryan914]

They actually gave gems more of a use now, you can create Gemstone Grappling hooks (No more of a need to search for hooks from skeletons or Piranhas) and Magic Rods which are pretty dang useful. You also start out with 20 Mana (1 Star).

Also the Tundras have Blizzards in a bottle which give more uplift than Cloud in a Bottle. And a Snowball Cannon which has impressive knockback, you could knock back a Eater enemy with just one well placed shot.

Also you can use Lead instead of Iron for making Anvils and other metal items. Make Lead doors as Zombies will have a tougher time opening them.

[Koh]

Or you can just dig down 3 blocks and two blocks wide outside the door...nothing can break it down.

[Sevenstitch]

So I played this a little more

I can see the appeal i guess

Still hating the lack of real video options

I would be so happy with zoom res, a grid overlay, and a more pronounced cursor, so i can see where the hell and what the hell i'm pointing at

The controls aren't broken, just frustrating beyond belief for me; guess this is why i'm not typically a PC gamer

[Gors]

I didn't like this game at all, more because of its unintuitiveness. I had the same problems sevenstitch had, and without a wiki or something to aid you, you can't do anything. The crafting isn't intuitive and the purpose of building is solely to advance in the game. I for one enjoy building more than jumping around like a little fuck and killing enemies, and the 2D really limits your creations. It isn't really my cup of tea.

Also multiplayer is impossible with my internet and without that any game is boring. Also the graphics are ugly as hell. I prefer playing Minecraft instead, that admittedly shares a fair amount of these problems (but there's Creative mode for a reason).

---

tl;dr it's a decent game, I hate it and prefer using a cube modelling software instead

[StarSock64]

I imagine anyone who quit has not gotten very far. It sounds like people are unsure of what they're supposed to be getting from it or was misled by how lacking the beginning of the game is.

The point of the game is to progress to new areas and get stronger weapons and utility items and fight new bosses. The aboveground/underground areas you start off with are not very interesting and the weapons you start off with make the gameplay itself pretty mediocre. That's also where the fun in the game lies, though; the further you go in, the more stuff you get that actually changes the gameplay and really rewards you with feelings of progress. As said earlier, the stuff you unlock does -not- just change the damage numbers, but your actual abilities. There are many options for combat weapons, so you get to take your pick after you get enough, and you get them at a pretty steady pace. If you think sword-swinging is boring, you can throw grenades, fling around flails, or use multiple magic spells with unique controls. Since you have multiple item slots, you can customize your character however you want. It's more fun than it sounds, if you ask me.

The utility items also improve gameplay. Your normal jump is pretty typical and boring, but then you get a double jump. Then you get a triple jump that lets you propel for awhile (think like a jetpack with limited fuel that recharges every time you land). Then you get a grappling hook. Then you get a better grappling hook. Maybe that sounds all run-of-the-mill or something, but I think it's really fun when games give you such freedom of movement, e.g. Mega Man X's dashing or swinging in Spider-Man games. And since you progress into these things slowly through your effort and they have an actual impact, you feel rewarded on a more genuine level than "yay I do 20 pts more dmg now."

The different locations are also interesting (maybe not so much visually...) and each have their own dangers and materials, which makes exploration fun. It's not just a change of scenery; it's access to a whole new set of items and new, challenging enemies. It keeps the game fresh every time you reach a new location. The game's also quite long if you pick a decent-sized map. You have some level of freedom as to where you can go, but some areas require you to obtain, say, pickaxes of a certain level before you can explore them, and some areas will probably have enemies that are too strong for you. That's really just to help guide your progress, though, and keep you from jumping from low to high level items, obviously.

The game is definitely more fun with friends. So is any game, really, but sharing the feeling of progress and reward together is really nice. There's plenty of stuff to split/share between people. Preparing for boss fights and trying to beat them together is fun too. Bosses are definitely a highlight in this game, I think.

You do sort of need prior knowledge/a wiki to make the most of it though. I'm pretty sure the method to even get the first boss to appear isn't explained very well in-game. I think the NPCs give hints, but I'd recommend just looking stuff up while trying not to accidentally spoil late-game weapons/items. It's definitely a flaw, so do have someone who knows the game better with you if you can.

When I got this game, I shared the common misconception that this game is "2D Minecraft," and they do share plenty of common elements, but the purpose/source of fun in both games are completely different. Minecraft is more creatively-based. Terraria, on the otherhand, is very much action-based. If you came to this game with the goal of trying to make something pretty, you had the wrong goal altogether, so it's only natural that it wasn't fun for you. The building and crafting in this game are almost purely for functional purposes. The game does give you vanity options and such, but really, when the game looks like this, what's the point?

The fun in this game definitely lies in action, collecting and exploration, and the beginning of the game misleads you into thinking it's much worse than it ends up being. The designers could have just made you start with better stuff, but I really think that would have diminished the "get better and better" feeling that the game gives you. The entire game is designed around it, and you'll be working up and up for a very long time, but only if you give it that chance.

/20 pg review

[Gors]

I am not a fan of "wiki games" and this type of design only leads to trouble. It must be a nice game, yes, but its presentation is terribly lacking and I personally believe that if you really need to have a wiki on hand to fully enjoy the game, then there is something really wrong with your game design

I love exploring as much as the other guy but when doing such thing, I would at least know what I am doing or how I should work to get the pace of the game. And both games, Minecraft and Terraria, really suck at it. I still remember trying to play that with everyone and only getting voices of disapproval while I was trying to explore by myself, and that was a real mood killer to me (my memory is foggy and I don't understand spoken english very well so I might be saying bullshit)

Anyway none of the gameplay styles really appeal to me, sure Terraria is more developed and well-thought but I prefer playing with legos than killing enemies, even if they were well-explained games, so that pretty much explains my tastes

I don't intend on going back to Terraria at all and while I think it's an interesting game, it's simply not my thing.

[Mutsukki]

its only boring if you hate exploring or love having your hand held.

Or, you know, have diferent tastes or opinions




but I guess that's kinda crazy talk