Mobile Important Information Regarding the Mobile Terraria 1.2.3-4 Update

Status
Not open for further replies.
505Games-Mobile

505Games-Mobile

Developer
505 Games
Hello everyone-

So, we are hard at work on the Mobile 1.2.3-4 content update now that the promised fixes and initial rebalancing are in your hands - still planned for an October launch.

Along that road, we have news that will affect the small percentage of Terrarians that are still playing on older iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch (iOS devices). We wanted to take some time to share what's going on, why, and our plan here in advance so that you can have time to adjust/ask questions/etc.

There are some behind-the-scenes things for newer iOS devices as well, so even if you aren't on an older device, it is important that you read on.

(Loki Edit) This does not affect non-iOS devices at this time.

The Update​
It’s been more than two years since Terraria launched on the App Store and during this time, we have continued to add new features and content to the game regularly. More new content = bigger worlds = larger save files.

Essentially then, it all comes down to cloud saving and file sizes. If you’re using an iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch (with iOS 7 or lower), the supported cloud saving system will not work any longer once the new 1.2.3-4 update arrives. If we just push the update down, it will immediately break old cloud saves for all of those devices, meaning you would lose your world/characters and the ability to cloud save any further. We know how important those files are to Terraria players!

divider.png

The Options​
This creates a tough situation, leaving two paths forward each with their pros and cons. Unfortunately, this call has to be made for everyone and cannot be selected individually.
  • Do not release the new content to older devices
    • This keeps existing cloud saves and the ability to cloud save intact for those players
    • Of course, this means that these players will not get all of the new content
    • However, do note that as Terraria continues to update, the RAM requirements will rise as well (because Terraria has to fully load into RAM due to its not being instanced/level-based) - and we are already pushing up against the limits of older 512MB devices.

  • Release the content to everyone and just accept the collateral damage to cloud saves for some users
    • This means everyone gets to enjoy the new content
    • Anyone on an older device would immediately and permanently lose their saves and the ability to cloud save at all.
    • The chaos that would occur with anyone unaware of this announcement would be far worse than "I did not get my update" - again, we know how much saves mean to you guys and how much it hurts to lose them.

divider.png

The Path Forward​
After much deliberation, we have decided to proceed with option one. This means that anyone that is running an iOS 7 or less device will NOT receive the upcoming content update. We just feel that leaving you with a fully functional game, complete with your saves you worked so hard on, is the better ofthe two choices - particularly when we also consider that the RAM limits are quite likely to become a second issue in the near term.

We are truly sorry that this is the case - but we are just limited by what is possible here. That said, the existing game is a solid title and one that is certainly quite enjoyable on those older devices.

For newer devices (iOS 8+), things are more positive, though we have some work to do. Here is how that will play out:
  • Behind the scenes, we will migrate your current saves from the old cloud system over to the “new” CloudKit (which has actually been out since 2014 so we really tried to hold off on this change as long as we could)
  • We will make absolutely certain that everything is working properly - again, we know how important these files are to you all! - before we officially fully shift everything over.
  • We will then decommission the old files.
divider.png

Important Note About the Use of Multiple Devices​

If you own two or more devices, one of which runs an iOS that is no longer supported (iOS7 and below) and one device that is supported (iOS8 and up), and you synch the Terraria save files on the supported iOS 8+ device in the cloud - the save files will be deleted from the older (and no longer supported) iOS 7 device. If you update that device afterwards to iOS8+, you will then be able get access to your saves again.

divider.png

We realize the situation isn’t ideal but it’s the only way for us to continue to develop new content for the mobile game as technical requirements increase with each update. It is not news that we are happy to bring to you guys, but we feel it is important to be open and transparent with you all. Our hope is that you will understand the issue, agree with our choice, and understand the rationale behind it.

We are certain that you have a ton of questions and thoughts, so we would encourage you to share them here in this thread and we will try to get back to you on those. Thanks, as always for your continued support of Terraria!
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Well, unfortunate, but also seemingly unavoidable.

I tend to concur with the decision - having a fully functioning game with long-worked-on saves > update that may break things, especially with the note about RAM making this inevitable anyway (something people with even older devices - like my kids on their ancient iPad - may have already seen).

Hoping people understand the situation and the tough choice here....no real "happy" options for those old devices it seems. :indifferent:

Hazards of updating a game this size for this long, I suppose. :)
 
Ouch... Bad news for iOS... `:(
Though I'm happy that I have my not-so-trusty-anymore Android tablet.

I also have a question. Is it possible to make player and world files available? I mean, without root. If my tablet wasn't root-proof I would have backed up my files long ago.
So, would it be possible? I'm not asking how hard is this, but only if something like that would be possible to make. Like in PC version, you have folder with players and worlds. And if it actually was, why not give us option to manually back up files, copy them, share with others. Send local, non-cloud saves to other devices, etc.
Yeah. That's pretty much all I want to know.
 
505Games-Mobile said:
Hello everyone-

So, we are hard at work on the Mobile 1.2.3-4 content update now that the promised fixes and initial rebalancing are in your hands - still planned for an October launch.

Along that road, we have news that will affect the small percentage of Terrarians that are still playing on older iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch (iOS devices). We wanted to take some time to share what's going on, why, and our plan here in advance so that you can have time to adjust/ask questions/etc.

There are some behind-the-scenes things for newer devices as well, so even if you aren't on an older device, it is important that you read on.

The Update​
It’s been more than two years since Terraria launched on the App Store and during this time, we have continued to add new features and content to the game regularly. More new content = bigger worlds = larger save files.

Essentially then, it all comes down to cloud saving and file sizes. If you’re using an iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch (with iOS 7 or lower), the supported cloud saving system will not work any longer once the new 1.2.3-4 update arrives. If we just push the update down, it will immediately break old cloud saves for all of those devices, meaning you would lose your world/characters and the ability to cloud save any further. We know how important those files are to Terraria players!

divider.png

The Options​
This creates a tough situation, leaving two paths forward each with their pros and cons. Unfortunately, this call has to be made for everyone and cannot be selected individually.
  • Do not release the new content to older devices
    • This keeps existing cloud saves and the ability to cloud save intact for those players
    • Of course, this means that these players will not get all of the new content
    • However, do note that as Terraria continues to update, the RAM requirements will rise as well (because Terraria has to fully load into RAM due to its not being instanced/level-based) - and we are already pushing up against the limits of older 512MB devices.

  • Release the content to everyone and just accept the collateral damage to cloud saves for some users
    • This means everyone gets to enjoy the new content
    • Anyone on an older device would immediately and permanently lose their saves and the ability to cloud save at all.
    • The chaos that would occur with anyone unaware of this announcement would be far worse than "I did not get my update" - again, we know how much saves mean to you guys and how much it hurts to lose them.

divider.png

The Path Forward​
After much deliberation, we have decided to proceed with option one. This means that anyone that is running an iOS 7 or less device will NOT receive the upcoming content update. We just feel that leaving you with a fully functional game, complete with your saves you worked so hard on, is the better ofthe two choices - particularly when we also consider that the RAM limits are quite likely to become a second issue in the near term.

We are truly sorry that this is the case - but we are just limited by what is possible here. That said, the existing game is a solid title and one that is certainly quite enjoyable on those older devices.

For newer devices (iOS 8+), things are more positive, though we have some work to do. Here is how that will play out:
  • Behind the scenes, we will migrate your current saves from the old cloud system over to the “new” CloudKit (which has actually been out since 2014 so we really tried to hold off on this change as long as we could)
  • We will make absolutely certain that everything is working properly - again, we know how important these files are to you all! - before we officially fully shift everything over.
  • We will then decommission the old files.
divider.png

Important Note About the Use of Multiple Devices​

If you own two or more devices, one of which runs an iOS that is no longer supported (iOS7 and below) and one device that is supported (iOS8 and up), and you synch the Terraria save files on the supported iOS 8+ device in the cloud - the save files will be deleted from the older (and no longer supported) iOS 7 device. If you update that device afterwards to iOS8+, you will then be able get access to your saves again.

divider.png

We realize the situation isn’t ideal but it’s the only way for us to continue to develop new content for the mobile game as technical requirements increase with each update. It is not news that we are happy to bring to you guys, but we feel it is important to be open and transparent with you all. Our hope is that you will understand the issue, agree with our choice, and understand the rationale behind it.

We are certain that you have a ton of questions and thoughts, so we would encourage you to share them here in this thread and we will try to get back to you on those. Thanks, as always for your continued support of Terraria!
Click to expand...
An acceptable price to pay.
 
we dont speak for everyone. poor iPhone 4s but it was inevitable you can tell these phones push their limits
 
I believe the older iPad 2 only has 512MB RAM, so I guess that means it means we have to give my son a better "hand-me-down" iPad. So that would mean iPad 2 isn't supported anymore. The iPhone 4s or older are also probably in the same boat, since the 4s has 512MB RAM. If more RAM is the deciding factor, it might be misleading to say certain iOS versions are fine. Both the iPad 2 and the iPhone 4s support iOS9, but they only have 512MB RAM. Perhaps they can clarify the minimum memory requirements... it sounds like 1GB is the new minimum.
 
Option 1 is by far the best solution. Although I don't currently play on mobile, I am someone who has spent quite literally thousands of hours on building worlds and I would be CRUSHED if I had no option but to lose all of that work, permanently.
Yes, people will still be upset, but you made the right decision!
 
If it is tied to iOS version, then it may stand to reason that if your device could get iOS 9.x....then you may be ok? Just theorizing there. :)

As they said, I'm sure that giving everyone affected their own selection here (say you don't use the cloud, for example) would be ideal - but that is also impossible.

The RAM thing - if I read it right - isn't here YET, but it is imminent - which makes Op 1 make more sense long term tbh. Its the nature of gaming, as a long-time gamer...except I do not recall a single game updating to this degree for going-on 5 years (PC at least) so I suppose these growing pains are to be expected. :/

I am curious about the "can older versions get fixes" notion though....that is an interesting one. I imagine it would be logistically a nightmare - BUT, maybe one last big fix sweep on those to stabilize them as well as possible. (Caveat: If the limits are already being pressed, then it stands to reason that older devices will always be likely to have some issues).

505 would have to weigh in there - I'm more just ruminating I suppose. :p
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top Bottom