Baconfry
Terrarian
Sometimes, new players start by creating Expert mode worlds, thinking that they would be "missing out" by playing on normal mode. This inevitably leads to frustration as they die over and over, and can burn them out quickly before they can even get started. Based on my observations while playing with randoms on the Discord server, this happens disturbingly often.
I see no reason why a new player who just downloaded Terraria should be able to play in Expert mode before they've had a chance to learn how the game works. I see no reason why they should be able to start as a Mediumcore/Hardcore character, either, as those modes are extremely unfriendly to new players. Locking more difficult game modes behind achievements is standard practice for many video games, and I don't see why Terraria should be different.
In my opinion:
Mediumcore character creation should be locked behind "Eye on You". (Defeat the Eye of Cthulhu for the first time)
Expert mode and Hardcore character creation should be locked behind "It's Hard!" (Activate Hardmode)
Master mode should be locked behind "Champion of Terraria". (Defeat the Moon Lord for the first time)
Obviously, existing players who restrict themselves to those modes have nothing to complain about, since they should already have those achievements unlocked. This suggestion simply ensures that new players won't waste their first few hours dying over and over and receiving a bad first impression of the game. You could say that it's their own fault for choosing Expert mode, but in the end, the result is the same: someone downloaded Terraria, had an unenjoyable first experience, and might not be inclined to play the game again. Blame whomever you want, but in the end, no one is satisfied. Why offer that option to begin with?
We could also prevent people from accidentally bypassing these measures by joining someone else's endgame world by disabling achievements in multiplayer, but this is optional.
Let me know if you think this would be a good idea for Terraria in the long run, or if there's something I might have overlooked.
I see no reason why a new player who just downloaded Terraria should be able to play in Expert mode before they've had a chance to learn how the game works. I see no reason why they should be able to start as a Mediumcore/Hardcore character, either, as those modes are extremely unfriendly to new players. Locking more difficult game modes behind achievements is standard practice for many video games, and I don't see why Terraria should be different.
In my opinion:
Mediumcore character creation should be locked behind "Eye on You". (Defeat the Eye of Cthulhu for the first time)
Expert mode and Hardcore character creation should be locked behind "It's Hard!" (Activate Hardmode)
Master mode should be locked behind "Champion of Terraria". (Defeat the Moon Lord for the first time)
Obviously, existing players who restrict themselves to those modes have nothing to complain about, since they should already have those achievements unlocked. This suggestion simply ensures that new players won't waste their first few hours dying over and over and receiving a bad first impression of the game. You could say that it's their own fault for choosing Expert mode, but in the end, the result is the same: someone downloaded Terraria, had an unenjoyable first experience, and might not be inclined to play the game again. Blame whomever you want, but in the end, no one is satisfied. Why offer that option to begin with?
We could also prevent people from accidentally bypassing these measures by joining someone else's endgame world by disabling achievements in multiplayer, but this is optional.
Let me know if you think this would be a good idea for Terraria in the long run, or if there's something I might have overlooked.
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