Tsuki
Party Girl
It's that time again, friends! "Time for what?", you might ask? Is it another edition of The Terrarian Times?! Why yes, yes it is! But perhaps a bit more exciting to many members of this community, it's just about time for the next update to the wonderful game we all known and love! That's right folks, the fabled 1.3 update for the PC is just about upon us, with nary a week to go before it drops. With the last PC update, 1.2.4.1, having dropped over a year ago, the developers and testers have been hard at work to bring this amazing update into our hands. Soon, all of their hard work will come to a head, and we will be able to enjoy the fruits of their labor. It does my heart good to know that, since the previous update, the community has been thriving, and even growing since then.
It might not seem like that big of a deal to most, but in a world where games are released as is, with very little post-release updates, it becomes especially commendable for a game to be supported for over 4 years, with several DLC-sized updates being provided free of charge. A fact made even more amazing, given Terraria's indie status and roots. 4 years and over 6,000,000 units sold (on the PC at least, consoles are a whole different beast altogether) later, it still frequently lands itself in one of the top 25 "most played" games on steam. As I'm writing this, it's in the 22nd position but frequently fluctuates between 20 and 25. Pretty impressive if you ask me, and this is before the 1.3 update. I can only assume these numbers will drastically change once the update is released, at least for awhile!
That begs the question though, what is it about Terraria that makes it a game that so many people want to support, and keep playing, so many years after its initial release? What drives the developers to continue delivering free, very large updates? This was not a multi-million dollar company that had a particularly high amount of manpower when it first started out, and the game did not have a hundred-hour story, with voice-acted cutscenes, or the shiniest graphics money could buy. I think what made Terraria so initially successful was the heart it had, and the feeling it gave to the player. I believe this feeling was instilled into the community, and they sort of become the heart of Terraria, so to speak.
I think what I'm trying to say, is that without such a dedicated, passionate userbase and community, I don't think Terraria would have quite been as successful or lasted as long as it has. I think it's partly because of the community's support that the game has grown this way, and why the developers have worked to deliver free content and meaningful updates to the game, even years later. A game that a community wants to support, with devs who want to support and give back to that community in turn. So this reporter thanks the developers for the game we all know and love, and she thanks the community for being the lifeblood that allows the game to flourish even more!
Now then, since I got all of that mushy stuff out of the way, let's get back to the hard-hitting journalism, no? We got lots of ground to cover before 1.3 hits! The very last issue of TTT before 1.3, guaranteed!
Super Cool Table of Contents
Now then, let's begin by talking about some of the new spoilers, hmm? Some of the last spoilers before 1.3 launches. Because, of course, there sadly won't be any more 1.3 spoilers when 1.3 releases. But to commemorate how close 1.3 is, we've been recently graced with a massive spoiler in the form of a video. If you haven't seen it yet, drop everything you're doing, put your entire life on hold, stop reading right now, and check out the video here!
The release date is June 30th, as shown at the end of the video.
Yeah. You guys like that? A spoiler in a spoiler that has a spoiler warning in a another spoiler because it spoils the spoiler's ending. That's next level stuff. That being said let's get to the actual meat of this spoiler. As you can see, the hotbar is completely littered with fantastic-looking devices and items, the first of which we notice is a gun-like thing called the Blackhole Beater. The item that seems to have people the most excited, visible on the hotbar, is the one in the #8 slot. Is that...could it be...a Portal Gun? It juuust might be! But we'll come back to that a bit later, shall we? The video has us taking a minecart ride through Hell, which has a new, very beautiful background to go along with it. Concluded at the end by an ominous background and eerie track, the release date is prominently displayed. June 30th. Less than a week to go, folks.
I won't ruin everything the video has to offer, but I will say that there seems to be a lot of updated textures, new visuals, and even new sounds coming into 1.3. Not only are brand new things being introduced into the game (obviously), but older items and such seem like they'll be updated and given a fresh new appearance. It'll help to make 1.3 seem like an entirely different game, and chance the face of Terraria as we know it.
From Cenx's profile, she showcased this little nugget of spoilertude recently:
It appears to be a positively yummy new underground Hallow background. And according to her, each biome will have around 3 variations, too. It appears like the Crystal Shards are also getting an updated texture, so it's just a nice, double-dose of pretty going on. In a relatively recent livestream, she also went on to say that Red was working on adding new sounds to the game, so chances of us getting some new, updated SFX for existing items or monsters is pretty great, if you ask me. Eagerly looking forward to how fresh this update is going to make the game feel when it finally drops on June 30th.
So, within that plethora of items shown and teased in that spoiler video, there remains one that has gotten people particularly more excited than some of the others shown, I feel. That item would be the Portal Gun. Yes, a Portal Gun. Having been hinted at for quite some time, it's been treated as something akin to an urban legend, by many members. But the video has rekindled interest in it, in a very major way. For very good reason, too.
The portal gun offers an interesting new dynamic to Terraria. An item with a completely new mechanic that isn't quite like the standard wired teleporter. Rather than arduously wiring and using mechanisms in order for teleportation, the portal gun will allow a much quicker way to get from point A to point B. A skilled and practiced user would probably be able to navigate around much quicker than walking or flying, if using it. Much faster than grappling, even. But there's something that may benefit the portal gun even more than just navigating your world while adventuring and slaying the 1.3 monsters...
Adventure maps. Yes, that's right folks. I'll say it again. Adventure maps. Could you imagine the boon that this could provide to adventure maps? As a unique and interesting way of, say, "gating progress" in terms of "metroidvania" style maps? I can definitely see it being used as a tool that you have to find in order to progress, while exploring and dealing with other puzzles, of course. And just think about the possibility that people can create full-length adventure maps focusing entirely around cleverly using the portal gun's mechanics.
As you can see above, as shared by Yoraiz0r previously, there seems to be some sort of retention of energy and momentum, to allow users to, essentially, use the forces of gravity and momentum in order to launch or propel themselves to otherwise impossible-to-reach locations. To put it simply, an experienced map maker could create interesting puzzles in order to test the player's ability to use their wit in order to progress. A sadistic creator may even decide to make the challenges harsh and punishing, as well!
So, what does this have to do with anything. Well, just for the sake of fun, interest, and spurring the talented map creators within our community, I propose a "challenge" so to speak. I would like to put the challenge on the table for all of you beautiful map-makers out there: make a Portal-inspired map, or an adventure map heavily focused on utilizing the Portal Gun (as well as any other interesting mechanics that 1.3 may toss into the mix.) Now this seems a tad soon, since 1.3 has yet to grace us with its godly presence, but I would like people to be thinking about whether they want to participate in this call-to-arms.
I figured this would be a good way to introduce a means to give talented map-makers a way to share their creations with the community. Judging by how popular the idea of putting forth a "map creating challenge" may be, this may become somewhat of a recurring segment that we host on The Terrarian Times. That being said, the next issue may be over a full month away, so users would have plenty of time to familiarize themselves with the Portal Gun's mechanics, and to create their puzzles and challenges. Keep in mind the maps would not have to be extremely long, there's no real "rules" in place, and it's definitely not a contest. It would be more like a showcase, and next issue, I will put up a gallery and share some details and screenshots from each of the maps submitted. Not only that, I will point readers in the direction of the user who made each map, as well as threads if they have it set up.
Every entry would be reviewed and put up for show in the next issue of the Terrarian Times, for all the readers interested in getting their hands on some fantastic Portal-style action! All you would have to do is create an adventure map designed around the Portal Gun, or if you want, just a
So while dabbling with the Portal Gun and playing around with it, keep this in mind if you ever decide you might want to create challenges and tests for the sake of science! Just don't forget to equip players with a Lucky Horseshoe! Or don't worry about it if you're that devilish. I'm sure I'll be designing some interesting challenges myself.
For the sake of making references: cake, Black Mesa, Companion Cube, neurotoxin, SPAAAAACE.
So, while the Terraria side of things is just a hustle and bustle of activity and flourish, so close to the release date, Otherworld is not to be outdone. Oh no, not at all. Otherworld has gotten its fair share of attention and tasty teasers over the past month, since our last issue. The most important of which is this guy, right here.
And while we're speaking of tasty teasers, can we really afford not to mention the fact that they released a teaser video, which is simultaneously a music teaser? Yes, not only are we taken on a journey to explore some of Otherworld's beautiful biomes, but it's accompanied with a soundtrack that's just as beautiful. This reporter would certainly consider this a double feature teaser, herself, but any of you who have not seen it yet, go ahead and feast your eyeballs on this.
As you may notice almost immediately, the soundtrack of Otherworld does have a certain style that is noticeably different from the music we've come to know and love. Not that this is a bad thing, by any stretch of the imagination, but to me, the different musical influences set a different tone for Otherworld. It helps Otherworld to truly feel like a completely unique game in its own right, and sets the pace for the game.
Moving on from just the audio, we're privileged to take a glimpse at some of the different biomes we'll be coming across in the land of Otherworld. Among those biomes are Space, and the Crystal Cave. While Terraria does have space, it's more of a thing that just happens near the top of the world, in contrast to the other fleshed out biomes that exist. We can only infer that perhaps space will play a slightly larger role or function in Otherworld. If not, we can always just hang out on asteroids for fun! The keen-eyed ones among us will be able to glean a lot more from this spoiler than just music and biomes, of course, so happy hunting!
There's been several other details that have been shared with us, but I won't waste so much time covering them all here, especially when there's a whole thread dedicated to keeping us updated on any new information! Plus it's ran by Loki himself, so you know it's got that super-mega-official seal of approval on it. For those of you who are not made aware of its existence, this thread remains a lightning rod for spoilers, teasers, and general Otherworld information. Most definitely worth checking out to see if there's anything you missed in recent months, and worth following so you can be in the loop whenever news is released! Even now, you can head on over there to check out the newest spoiler posted there: a look at the awesome UI, and the tower customization interface! Don't miss it, folks.
And that just about wraps it up for Otherworld news, for this edition at least! Next issue we'll hopefully have lots of interesting things to discuss. I would imagine that after 1.3's release, things with Otherworld may pick up a little, but that's quite a bit too early to assume. Until then, friends!
So now that we got spoilers and other fancy stuff out of the way, it's time for my personal favorite part of each issue of The Terrarian Times: Community stuff! Yep, always love talking about the community and the cool things they're doing, they did, what they want to do, what they will do, so on and so forth.
Well, first off, I think it goes without saying that some important community news to share, is of course, the wedding between Redigit and Cenx. They are more than just developers, they're a part of this community, and are actually two of the main reasons this community is still as active and thriving as it is. So when the announcement of their engagement came, the community was quite abuzz. But that day arrived just recently, and the community wished the newlyweds well together on the road of life! Some even brought gifts such as art, and a couple of the beta testers collaborated to produce a lovely, elegant wedding set in an exotic beach locale! Color this reporter jealous!
I've taken some of the gift pictures from that thread and put them right into the spoiler if you would like to view upon their glory! And if you haven't had a chance to get your "Congratulations" going, feel free to pop on over to the congratulations thread to give your good words to our beloved Terrarian Power Couple. Should we call them Whitdrew? Renx? The possibilities are endless!*
*They are not.
For my next piece of community news, I'd like to talk about a suggestion. A personal favorite of mine, I won't lie, but mainly I want to illustrate how a suggestion can be simple and still leave a large impact. That suggestion is the True Copper Shortsword. There is not an incredible amount to understand about the suggestion. It is one item. It is one sprite. But yet, it may be one of the single most "liked" suggestions on the forums. Why? Because it's simple, but amusing and actually has a relatively large impact. It is taking one of the most universally hated weapons / items in the game, and giving it a usage. It's very tongue-in-cheek, because I know many of us have created a new character only to start out with a "Legendary Copper Shortsword," only to laugh because how useless that actually is, even with a prefix of "Legendary." We almost immediately trash it in favor of a wooden broadsword, or many people die trying to use the shortsword.
But this suggestion is fun, and to me, it fits very well with Terraria's silly and quirky sense of humor. A weapon that's quite hated, poked fun at for being incredibly weak and useless, only to be given the honor of having a "True" variant. And you don't even stab people with it. You throw it. You throw it and it becomes akin to a heat-seeking boomerang that hits up to 5 targets. It's almost like a play on the idea that most people throw the copper shortsword away the moment they create a character. But the True Copper Shortsword always comes back to its owner. And it's useful. And it can actually kill things.
This is an idea that a lot of people might have considered a joke at first glance, only to realize that it's actually quite entertaining, fun, and funny. I would definitely be one to use a True Copper Shortsword. They even have a neat little banner to share your support for the idea!
Between this issue and the last one, there's actually been a large surge of streaming activity from members on these forums. Both artists and gamers from our community have picked up on the trend of streaming, added onto the decently sized streaming population we had. Once 1.3 hits, I can only imagine this number will grow, as more and more people want to stream their adventures, or fan art, or what other activities they can think of! So, in an effort to help these new streamers get a bit of a kickstart in an audience, I'll be offering a super-duper limited time opportunity.
If you are someone who regularly streams or intends to regularly stream Terraria-based content at the time 1.3 launches, and are interested in perhaps expanding your audience a bit, I invite you to PM me a little bit about your stream. My goal is to create a brief catalog of up-and-coming, as well as established, streamers. Again, this is most definitely not something I intend to do every issue, but in the spirit of 1.3, I think it might very well help to get some people kick-started in the streaming business, and give them a chance to do so if they want. So if it's something you're interested in, I would ask that you PM me your stream site, a little bit about the sort of things you stream, and probably your time zone and hours that you normally stream, as well.
From there, I'll have a small section in the next issue to briefly give our streamers some coverage. A large part of the Terrarian userbase has come from streamers and youtubers alike, and I believe it may be beneficial for those interested to be listed. That way, streamers can get a bit of coverage, and people who enjoy watching streams can perhaps find a streamer that has relevant interests to things that they would like to watch.
For our last section of community news today, we're posing another question! If you recall, last issue I asked you lovely people what your favorite pet in the game was. The results seemed pretty close, but in the end, it seemed like the Black Cat and the Cursed Sapling tied out in the end, as the most favorite. This issue, I want to ask another question. A bit broader, if you will entertain me. I want to know, out of all the things you've seen in the spoilers, what would be your most anticipated feature of 1.3? Or what do you hope will make it into 1.3?
I know people are super thrilled about the portal gun, as am I. But what would be your overall most anticipated thing in the entire update? Think about that and give your thoughts below, friends!
Well, that just about wraps it up for this issue of the Terrarian Times! I just want to thank all of you great people for the support you've given us, and the encouragement and drive that allows us to keep providing content to you all! It means a lot to have such an outstanding community of readers, and to be able to write the news for said outstanding community! I can't wait to see the hustle and bustle that 1.3 will add to these forums, and I will be honored to continue writing the news, as well as featuring the prominent community members, and all the neat things they do.
That's where I need your help. I might be the biggest, but I am still just one person! If you guys see some cool things going on that I miss, you should send us an email over at [email protected], or if you don't want to do that, you can send me a PM right here on the forums. Or send an owl, or a carrier pigeon, or send a letter through your local delivery moogle, anything! When people are doing cool things that we miss, it's not because we decided not to feature them or anything, it just might be because we didn't see them.
And keep in mind, you don't even have to explicitly email us or talk to us when something cool's going on. Your feedback, suggestions, support, and other such communication is what drives us to continue! So don't be afraid just to shoot us a message with any suggestions, or just to say "Good job, keep up the great work," if you'd like! We enjoy communicating with our awesome readers!
Now, before we part ways on the last issue before 1.3, I'd like to take a brief moment to invoke some memories here. For a lot of us, myself included, Terraria has been quite a large and interesting part of our lives over the past 4 years. I previously asked you all what your most anticipated feature of 1.3 is. I asked you all to look forward to what you're most excited for. But now, I'd like to shift gears backwards a bit. While thinking to the future of 1.3, I'd like you all to think to the past as well. The past of Terraria, and the memories you've built, with the friends you've met, stuff like that.
So while awaiting the glorious 1.3, think about the best memories you've had with Terraria up until that point, and feel free to even share in the thread below. Just a fun little time to reminisce about some of the great experiences Terraria has helped many of us to have! Just something to keep in mind while reading, and while waiting for the next issue! And on that final note, friends, it's time for us to once again part ways. When next we meet, it will be after 1.3, and the beginning of a new era. Or unless we meet before then, if you see me walking on the streets of TCF or something. I keep less than twenty dollars on me at all times! See you in the next issue! Tsuki, signing off!
Seriously, don't mug me.
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