Terraria: Otherworld Changing of the Guard: An Update from Otherworld

[ayurai]

that moment you realize that maybe the game was announced a little too early... just a little.

 

[Explinorater]

Just a tad...



Where's that 2016 release?

 

[phichikapparho]

Just a mite. Originally was hoped to be a Christmas of 2015 sort of deal if I remember correctly.

Unforseen circumstances withheld, I honestly have serious doubts that they would have made the 2016 deadline even if the first company they hired out didn't screw the pooch quite so thoroughly. But to be fair they were pumping out a TON of hype posts so it may be that I am mistaken on that.

But we never really will know now will we.

I'm thinking now they might just be working on it through the next holiday season and we just might get a dec2018 Jan 2019 release of it.

Regardless, it has been so long since we have seen any real evidence of any sort of progress; it's beyond the point of ridiculousness to hope for (or certainly to expect) anything sooner.

Keep chunking away at it dudes. I'm still planning on playing it... whenever it does come out.

 

[smeagolheart]

That's great that the wiki says otherworld and terraria 2 are separate but that was so long ago that they can make new plans such as a turning otherworld into Terraria 2 and whatever little they have on terraria 2 into terraria 3

 

[NonBritGit]

I still remain hopeful for OW. I've put a ridiculous amount of hours in Terraria (and then Starbound) and now have nothing that scratches that particular itch. OW promises to do just that. It is starting to look like CubeWorld level of communication though and that's not good. ANY word would give hope. Even just a "hey guys! We're still digging into the existing code!" just to know that there is still some kind of movement going on and they all haven't left town.

 

[Lord_Yoshi]

I still remain hopeful for OW. I've put a ridiculous amount of hours in Terraria (and then Starbound) and now have nothing that scratches that particular itch. OW promises to do just that. It is starting to look like CubeWorld level of communication though and that's not good. ANY word would give hope. Even just a "hey guys! We're still digging into the existing code!" just to know that there is still some kind of movement going on and they all haven't left town.

I completely agree on all of this. I have one "good message" though. The Community-manager of Pipeworks has posted an answer regarding Otherworld on Feb 6, which isnt too long ago luckly.

I'll keep my faith!

 

[Altaire]

Tough nuts.
Deal with it.
I've said this countless times. They owe you nothing except a finished game.
The Hype was created by a team who had nothing to hype, who had dropped the ball and not even realised it.
Now the project is in the hands of professionals who are acting professionally.
They are concentrating completely on developing a product, no pandering to the whims of those who will never be satisfied with "still in development" announcements because they will want some evidence that it is "still in development".
They will whine and moan and cry for screenshots, for videos, for release dates.
Well I think it's perfectly obvious after all this time, that you will get what you get when you get it and not before.
If you cannot handle that then as I said before, tough nuts!
Must be terrible to have no patience.

lmao at this mentality.

"They owe you nothing except a finished game"? This is such a stupid defense for inadequate PR. They don't "owe" us in the sense that they're not obligated to us in any way, but it's the kind of thing they should just -want- to do out of respect for their userbase. It's really, really not hard to pop in once in awhile, especially after an extended period of silence, to let us know what's going on. The fact that it's so quick and painless for them to do is why not doing so conveys that they don't care enough about their userbase to even so much as write a couple sentences for an update, even if that update is nothing more than "hey guys, development is still proceeding, we'll give you more info when we're able". It's not unreasonable to expect that. There is no excuse whatsoever for radio silence. It's highly unprofessional.

I don't even understand the ideology behind this kind of reasoning. It's like you think that a developer can't be expected to do anything for their customers that they don't have a strict, legal obligation to do. You're implicitly stating that it's unreasonable to expect anything more than the bare minimum of effort from them. How much money do you think Terraria has made for ReLogic? The game had sold 20 million copies, as of this time last year. You do the math.

Does this mean that the ReLogic staff are our dancing monkeys, and have to do everything we say like they're indentured servants? No, but it does mean that we have an established consumer/producer relationship with them. They made a game that we like to play, and we put food on their tables by supporting it. The standard for that sort of relationship, exemplified by basically every reputable developer/publisher ever, is for both parties to respect one another's sensibilities, within reason. One aspect of that is accountability on the part of the developer. If ReLogic gave us an update on OW even just to say that they're a little behind schedule, but still pressing forward, I'd absolutely understand. Like, really, happens. Game design can have unforeseen complications and sometimes there are setbacks. I think most halfway decent people would respect them for being candid about what's going on in the dev cycle, instead of just going an entire year without so much as a word (while still posting updates about completely unrelated matters), and hoping it'll just blow over. All we're really asking for (those of us who are reasonable people, anyway) is anything more than radio silence. Anything. That is not much to ask of them.

Must be terrible to have no critical thinking skills whatsoever.

 

[landstalker]

lmao at this mentality.

"They owe you nothing except a finished game"? This is such a stupid defense for inadequate PR. They don't "owe" us in the sense that they're not obligated to us in any way, but it's the kind of thing they should just -want- to do out of respect for their userbase. It's really, really not hard to pop in once in awhile, especially after an extended period of silence, to let us know what's going on. The fact that it's so quick and painless for them to do is why not doing so conveys that they don't care enough about their userbase to even so much as write a couple sentences for an update, even if that update is nothing more than "hey guys, development is still proceeding, we'll give you more info when we're able". It's not unreasonable to expect that. There is no excuse whatsoever for radio silence. It's highly unprofessional.

I don't even understand the ideology behind this kind of reasoning. It's like you think that a developer can't be expected to do anything for their customers that they don't have a strict, legal obligation to do. You're implicitly stating that it's unreasonable to expect anything more than the bare minimum of effort from them. How much money do you think Terraria has made for ReLogic? The game had sold 20 million copies, as of this time last year. You do the math.

Does this mean that the ReLogic staff are our dancing monkeys, and have to do everything we say like they're indentured servants? No, but it does mean that we have an established consumer/producer relationship with them. They made a game that we like to play, and we put food on their tables by supporting it. The standard for that sort of relationship, exemplified by basically every reputable developer/publisher ever, is for both parties to respect one another's sensibilities, within reason. One aspect of that is accountability on the part of the developer. If ReLogic gave us an update on OW even just to say that they're a little behind schedule, but still pressing forward, I'd absolutely understand. Like, really, happens. Game design can have unforeseen complications and sometimes there are setbacks. I think most halfway decent people would respect them for being candid about what's going on in the dev cycle, instead of just going an entire year without so much as a word (while still posting updates about completely unrelated matters), and hoping it'll just blow over. All we're really asking for (those of us who are reasonable people, anyway) is anything more than radio silence. Anything. That is not much to ask of them.

Must be terrible to have no critical thinking skills whatsoever.

Must be terrible to not work in the games industry.
I do and I also worked on the original doomed version of this particular product.

The entire mess was caused by senior members of Engine Software deciding to announce T:OW before it was even started.
All of that and a complete inability to bring to market the spin-off title they were commissioned to create brings us neatly to this point in time.
The fans were treated badly, but not by Re-Logic or Pipeworks. They were informed of a product that existed as an idea and little else.
Meager attempts to put flesh on the bones of that idea and create the actual product were almost totally doomed from the start.
But what's done is done and it's the present we are concerned with.

While you are partially correct in your assertions you are more incorrect than not.
Just because you and millions of other fans have bought Terraria, that does not create any bond between the developers and yourself.
Not related to T:OW at least.
You will get regular updates regarding the product you have bought.
But T:OW does not exist as of yet.
So you have not formed any connection between Pipeworks and their product except to join a legion of players eager to see the finished title.

There has been a constant stream of pleas and inquiring posts begging for news, but other than "it is still in development" there has been little else.
Why that is will probably remain a mystery. I would assume that Pipeworks have chosen to keep their heads down and concentrate on creation rather than information.

By your own admission the new developers, Pipeworks are "not obligated" to you "in any way".
If you wish to split hairs, you're not THEIR userbase, you're Re-Logic's userbase and if they choose not to post regular updates then they probably have a very good reason for that decision and we are simply not privy to that information.
You are part of the userbase for Terraria, not T:OW. Not yet anyway.
If you owned a copy then you could be justified in feeling obliged for feedback.
But it doesn't exist so the point is moot.

You say it is quick and painless for them to do otherwise and keep their userbase up to date.
That is not in itself totally wrong.
Yes, it's quick.
Painless? Almost certainly not.
Because the moment one simple post is released, there are bound to be those within the userbase that will demand to know more.
If the news is simply that the game is still in development, people will ask for evidence in the form of screenshots, or potential dates for early release, or news regarding content; does it still contain the tower-defence mechanism, what is the "corruption" all about, have the original elements been retained or have Pipeworks started again from scratch?
Most of these questions, if not all have, at some point been asked somewhere in this forum.

It may not be unreasonable to expect more than the bare minimum, but when they were handed such a "poisoned chalice" Pipeworks knew they would have a tough uphill struggle.
Not only to deliver a quality title that potentially matches the original Terraria at the very least, but maybe even surpassing that fine product. Then they had to ensure that they did not repeat the sins of Engine Software, and screw the pooch in as grand a manner as they did.
Finally they knew there were millions of ardent fans who would be waiting with bated breath for the slightest hint of news.
Disappointment is something they will wish to avoid like the very plague.
So their decision was simple.
Update or not.
Damned if they do and damned if they don't. It's a no win situation.

But if you feel you have been ignored, cast aside or treated with less than the measure of respect you so obviously feel you deserve for purchasing the original title, then perhaps you should follow the Twitter page which has brought recent news regarding Otherworld.
There was an update of February 6th.

 

[Altaire]

Must be terrible to not work in the games industry.

LMAO

Like, really, this says all that anyone would ever need to know about you and your credibility. I'll humor you: What gives you the impression that it's terrible not to work in the games industry? What gives you the impression that it's something everyone must want to do? I'd love to hear you explain this. I'm really curious, because I'm generally so dumbfounded by the thought process of people who just generally don't "get it".

Oh, and while we're at it, here's something else I'm curious about: Why is it that you worked on Otherworld in the past, yet you don't currently? What happened there? Somehow, I can't help but wonder if there's some correlation between the answer to this question, and the inexplicable bitterness that radiates from every condescending post you make.

Must be terrible to not work on Otherworld.

(especially when you worked on it previously)

 

[landstalker]

You just seemed so confident in your belief that having purchased and played one particular title, that the developers of another related title, somehow owe you news and updates.
Whether this is true or not who can say?

What "it" is that I don't "get" is puzzling.

My current employment status should be reasonably easy to deduce.
I don't work at Pipeworks.
Neither do I work at Engine.
But I was involved, quite prominently in the original debacle.
In fact I was the person who discovered that the game had sat untouched for a year prior to my arrival. I was the one who got things moving, but unfortunately it was more than one person could do to maintain any enthusiasm, passion or creativity in those responsible for control of the project.
I finished the work I was hired to do. Moved on to other projects and watched from afar as the predicted catastrophe took place.
It's quite liberating not to work on Otherworld. The original version that is.
I have no connection with the new version.

 

[Altaire]

What "it" is that I don't "get" is puzzling.

Of course you don't. That's part of the criteria for people like you.

Speaking of, lmao at your reasoning for what gave you the impression I wanted to work in the industry, and how little sense it makes. It's like I asked you how you got to x = 4, and you said "I divided by 1". It's the most grammatically sound gibberish I've ever read though, so hey, there's that... I guess.

 

[Delete This Account]

@landstalker is right about one thing at least. T:OW should have never been announced. No one should know it was even an idea yet, because currently that's all it is. There are tons and tons of games that never made it past this stage. You never hear about them because most companies are smart enough to keep their mouths shut until they have something concrete that will definitely see the light of day. We shouldn't even be having arguments about what the devs owe us right now.

I'd say Pipeworks and ReLogic are doing the best thing they can for themselves. At this moment there is probably nothing they can tell us that is guaranteed to make it into the final product. Any information they give will be conflated into a promise by the fandom at large. The risk of saying something that will come back to bite them in the is huge. It's a situation with almost no upsides from their perspective. As much as people don't want to feel kept out of the loop, we honestly shouldn't even be in the loop at all yet.

 

[landstalker]

Of course you don't. That's part of the criteria for people like you.

Speaking of, lmao at your reasoning for what gave you the impression I wanted to work in the industry, and how little sense it makes. It's like I asked you how you got to x = 4, and you said "I divided by 1". It's the most grammatically sound gibberish I've ever read though, so hey, there's that... I guess.

I know you would like to know what is going on.
The fault lies firmly with the original announcement.
A game that had sat with nothing done to it for more than a year was suddenly revealed to the world.

It stumbled along, with hardly any great progress until it was reclaimed by Re-Logic and handed to Pipeworks in April of last year.
What Pipeworks have chosen to do with the game is anyone's guess.
People have wondered if they were repairing what was broken or discarding it completely and beginning again from scratch.
We may never know.
Since then there has been one, possibly two comments on the Twitter page to say that, contrary to what some have surmised, the project is still alive and making progress.

While that is far from encouraging, and almost certainly not the type of update that Terraria fans wish to receive, it's better than nothing and an infinite improvement on the kind put out by the original developers.

So unless something drastic changes very soon, it's just a case of having to wait.

If anything truly negative had happened, it's certain that an announcement would have been made.

We all have to remember what happened the last time someone put news out regarding T:OW when there was really nothing to say.
This entire situation is the result of bad timing, poor communication and no thought.
I would rather wait than have my hopes raised with empty promises only to have them dashed.
"Those who cannot remember the past are destined to repeat it."
No-one wants that.

 

[landstalker]

Unit one. Moderator.
Posted this on the 6th.
"Well, I mean, it's not a secret. Pipeworks has mentioned still working on Otherworld multiple times on their twitter, on here back in November, and have said it's being worked on while answering questions in their 1.3 console streams. That info is available for everyone to see, read, and hear if they care enough to look for it.

Yes, I get alerts, but not crazy amounts. You learn to manage them, and yes, I look through each one."
Hope this is the kind of news you were looking for.

 

[FruIT 2]

TerrariaOtherworld is in a state of development or has it been forgotten? Why is not there any news?

 

[Delete This Account]

TerrariaOtherworld is in a state of development or has it been forgotten? Why is not there any news?

If you had read the last 2 or 3 posts above yours you would have an answer to that.

 

[Redknight910]

To be fair, they're a bit bulky. The answer is no, it hasn't been forgotten, and news is that there's no real news, it's still in progress.

 

[Necrius]

1.3 for consoles has been out for how long now? Are we going to get at least an announcement when they finally get to working on T:OW?

 

[landstalker]

1.3 for consoles has been out for how long now? Are we going to get at least an announcement when they finally get to working on T:OW?

I think it is safe to say they have been working on T:OW since the announcement last April.
They will not have acquired the license and then put it on a shelf until they completed 1.3.
They will have allocated a team for T:OW, to work on that project at the same time as the 1.3 team continued development.

 

[tonfa]

But OW was an ongoing project right ?
I mean when they were posting video and pictures, what happened then ? Because it went from,

"hey here's new stuff XXL world" "Wow Super ocean biome"

from

" Yeah we got a problem , stay tuned for news" ... (One year later) still no news :< .