I wish this was also on 3DS

A world what big? The level is made up of chunks that are loaded when being used and unloaded when they fall offscreen. Consoles could handle anything if the game is ported right. But that's the problem, let's have a little discussion about the pros and cons (mostly cons though) of porting. I have limited knowledge of the subject but even I can see these gaping holes.

1. A port requires the team to essentially reprogram the entire game to work in the language of the console. From scratch. Obviously this puts a dramatic strain on the team working on the PC version, causing updates to roll out even slower than some people are complaining that they already are.

2. Controls. Although many games do work nicely on consoles, games with a large amount of quickslot usage like MMOs, Minecraft/Terraria-esque sandboxes, or anything else with a large amount of GUI usage become exponentially difficult to utilize on a console. An example of a game with a large amount of GUI usage would be Animal Crossing: the reason it works is because it's a game with no lose conditions, and its set up very nicely and the Touch Screen really helps alleviate the problem. On Gamecube/Wii without the touchscreen it's slightly clumsy at best.

3. Multiplayer and Community. Essentially the community are split into two groups. Since the console and the PC version are running inevitably on different versions (Think of every game with console ports and a huge conglomerate company behind them, how many of those have had the vigilance to keep both games on the same level so to allow the ports and PC version to communicate together? I can only think of two: Monster Hunter 3, which isn't even a console communicating with a PC, it's a console with a console, two no-patch systems on the same company's products of course are going to work together, and the most recent Final Fantasy) multiplayer is not possible between the two. The console community complains about how their version is neglected (from my experience of complaints from Minecraft 360, TF2 Playstation, and Dungeon Defenders Mobile)

4. Pricing. Since the portable version requires the game to be rewritten, it would be an enormous stretch (not to mention just naive) to ask for it as a freeby for those who purchased the PC version. Expect to pay $40+ ($70 if you're living in Australia) for a shelf copy of the game, if and when the full version is ready for console.

All in all, I would far prefer it if some random company wrote a Terraria or Starbound clone for 3DS. We've yet to see a game from that genre show up on that platform, so regardless of how good the game is, it'll get sales.

As a counter-point to anyone who disagrees with the second point, I'd like to propose a control setup in the fictional instance that starbound ever gets ported, as an illustration to the clumsiness of the system:

Controls are assuming you use your stylus in your right hand:
Circle Pad = WASD
D-Pad Left/Right = Scroll through hotbar items
D-Pad Up while touchscreen is pressed = Use Two Hand Item alternate function
L is jump
R = Tech
Y = E key (use)
X = X key (toggle between hotbar and LR slots)
B = Use Left Hand Item
A = Use Right Hand Item
Touch Screen = Use Two Hand Item (if held)
Start = Show Pause Menu
Select = Open inventory

Pistols are removed - No way to aim with right hand stylus and press A/B
Axes are two handed
No way to scroll through right hand items or select a hotbar item as a righthand item

 

I disassemble and rebuild them regularly. The 3DS could not handle Starbound.

 

*Looks at motherboard*

Yep Starbound can't be played on this.

 

Since there's the stylist pen for the 3DS, I guess it could be possible... But then there's all the key config to think about.

 

Generally when someone repairs something, they take an effort to familiarize themselves with the hardware, especially when they get paid for it.

 

Baseless accusations. The 3DS can EASILY handle Starbound. The NDS could have handled starbound.

 

This game on 3ds would be... hard to play. You know the screen would be extremely small and unplayable. So it's not a great idea

 

God, imagine the ship warp star animation in 3D. I'm pretty sure kids will have seizures.

 

Haha, that would look cool

 

Soo... statistics then?

Seriously, like said up above, the damn regular DS could've handled starbound.

 

I'm curious how you think the game can run on 96mb of RAM, and a processor that's generally agreed to be somewhere under 300mhz. Just about the only thing that meets the requirements on a stock 3DS is the SD card you get with an XL.

 

I wish this was on the Game.com.

 

I'm curious how you think porting a game simply involves copy+pasting the code in its entirety from PC to a console without optimizing anything whatsoever.

 

That's what some developers think porting a console game to PC means.

However, porting this game to such a limited system would involve so much dumbing down and feature removal, it likely wouldn't be worth it.

Sure, it might be possible to have it in its entirety, but you'd be waiting quite a while for planets to load, and there's no way it could generate the world faster than you could walk.

 

Which is why i'd prefer it if some random new company made a whole new sandbox game on the 3DS rather than porting down, and in the process, demolishing games we know and love.

 

Haha, funny.

 

i dont think 3ds is made for starbound

 

Why would you make a system for one game?

 

The one thing that will get in the way is that there may be no way to update it. I have a DSi (no, I don't have any plans to get a 3DS) and once you have something on the shop, there's no updating. I'm unsure if it's the same with the 3DS, but yeah... If CF starts hiring for console editions, they will most likely stick to PS4 and Xbox one... Or whatever new xbox or PS is out at the time.

 

How about the wiiU? It has an appropriate number of control sticks and a large touchscreen.