Beta Isn't over but I'm spoiled...

It would be. As I said, I am a fan. I was just commenting that Starbound ruined me. ^_^

 

The Yahtzee arguement doesn't work here. When I went back to play Terraria before posting this, I found Iron all across the surface and a chest full of shurikens and an accessory. That is a chest and the materials for armor in the first 10 minutes. Sorry, spelunking is the same complaints Yahtzee has against being forced through linear corridors with no sunlight or pretty scenery.

 

But it functions at a base level which means even though we know what is to come, it does have to be treated like a full game to help discourage people who are making people spend 60 bucks for games that are just proof of concept.

 

Werewolfs weren't the part of game core mechanics. And i'm ranting about SB core mechanics lacking in variety and not about lack of some flavor features, which could obliviously added later.

Especially well said! 146% Agree.

 

Theres a lot more to Terraria than Iron armor. It looks basic and has basic functioning because its the kind of armor you can get within 10 minutes. When i first played terraria,i too though i was a bad ass with a full set of iron armor. little did i know there was WAY more depth to armors in terraria. that was the pleasant surprise. that is what made me try to play the jungle biome before i was ready.

Spelunking in Terraria doesnt feel forced. It becomes a natural part of your progression. There is no sign saying "dig here to progress". You get addicted to finding materials needed for crafting. thats the whole game. You get addicted to finding better and rare material. SB is missing this, yet its core gameplay is most suited for it.

 

As I said, I am a massive fan of Terraria. I get that, but Copper is supposed to be the 10 minute armor. Iron is supposed to be closer to an hour armor.

It does feel forced. You poke around and spend 90 percent of the game running through tunnels looking for materials and animal body parts. In Starbound, you have tombs, prisons, labs, cities, and even asteroid fields to find resources. You can find all you need above ground if you investigate these above ground dungeons.

 

Terria, to me has a much more coherent feel. It knows it wants to be fantasy, it knows it wants to feel rather frontiersman carving out an oasis of safety and civilisation against an unforgiving world. It plays to that by a variable tempo, by encouraging exploration by day and defence by night, in the way it rewards building your enclave, in having picked a fantasy feel, magic, undead and monsters, and sticking to it. Now part of that is that it is a grown up game that has had time to make its mistakes and focus its efforts, mature enough to know who it is.

Starbound, is much more like a bright teenager atm. Theres a lot of potential, but it needs to buckle down pick what its going to focus on. Right now, it feels aesthetic cluttered, spaceships and magic that, dont mix and blend into a coherent pice but instead stay separate, chunks of dissimilar worlds mashed together. It's more RPGish with races and stories, but undercuts that by gear only advancement. It has the survivalist notes in hunger and resource gathering... but it herds you at bosses and lavishes care on dungeons in a way that would suit an RPG more.

Don't get me wrong I'm here because its shaping up to be a heck of a ride, but, we are definitely dealing with the difficult teen years of semi alpha at the moment.

 

As how I've looked through the whole thread, no one has said anything about the planing of Terraria 2/Terraria sequel.
Here is a link about "Terraria 2" http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2013/10/03/terraria-2-announced/

 

Dunno about others, but i knew all along. And that's why i want SB to be different from Terraria. Because whre is gonna be another Terraria from its Devs.
Btw...

 

Wood is the starter armor. If you're lucky you will come across a good copper deposit or a good iron deposit. that is not a game flaw, it's good nonlinear design. One play through you suffer with wood before you get going, the other you luck out and get iron at the start. progression is not forced, it just happens. Iron is still a starter armor, whether you get it in the first 10 minutes or 1st hour doesnt matter. You will still need to work for the good armor tiers.

In SB some things are just given to you and for me it completely takes away the satisfaction of finding it. Digging my way through an advanced facility with a starter pick, looting it of ALL its equipment with barely any effort doesnt feel right to me. Sure i can build a fancy base with monitors, pods and shiny metal walls, but the sense of achievement pales in comparison to my platinum floored lab, with white walls that i made for my tinkerer in Terraria.

Above ground exploration is shallow. You go left or right. The reason why exploration in terraria is more satisfying is because you can explore in all directions when you get deep enough, it has more dimension. There are decisions to make while exploring underground. "do i just go deeper or dig left to that hole. Do i risk drowning to make it to that deposit. How long should i stick around in hell. I stumbled onto a jungle biome, am i ready for it. Is my pick strong enough for that deposit, do i return to make better equipment...etc. In SB the only decision you make is basically "do i keep going left or right or just fly to another planer- to walk left or right"

 

Yeah, all directions... like left or right.... 2d limits that, not the game. and I am done with you now. You seem to be set in your mind.

 

This is a good analogy. SB runs the risk of becoming an overall shallow experience by trying to shoehorn a bunch of ideas in what amounts to a mining game engine.

Terraria exploration is left, right , up and down because it takes place underground. How is that such a difficult concept for you to grasp? Thats why the mining is necessary in that games exploration, it adds a dimension to left/right 2d exploration. Thats why metroidvanias take place in elaborate structures and are not just regulated to left right progression like a Mario game. Skimming the surface in SB consist of mainly going left or going right. There isnt much digging or exploring the sky.

 

Starbound does the same kind of exploration, I just prefer surface explaination as opposed to spending most of my time underground. I hated that in terraria even when it started but I tolerated it because the alternative was minecraft.