Tsuki
Party Girl
It's that time again, readers! As 1.3.1 looms over us, we feel something crawling on our back. I know what you're thinking, and no, it's not that, friends. This is something else! An itch that only a few can scratch, one that can only be satisfied by certain things. It's the thirst for news. The desire for journalism! It beats fast in your hearts, as it does mine! Fear not, readers, for I too have the itch! All this news just begging to be covered and shared with everyone. But thankfully, I am back on the case, pen and pad at the ready, to write about things most of you already know.
My name is Tsuki, and I'll be scratching that journalistic itch before it becomes an impatient rash. And this is, once again, The Terrarian Times. Sit back, relax, and let the calming sensation of pure unadulterated news soothe you.
Table of Contents
- Table of Contents: You are here
- Happy Birthday Terraria: A brief look at how Terraria's influence has spread over 5 years
- 1.3.1 Release Date: Yes, it has been announced
- Controller Support: Supporting the controller players
- Wiring Wizards: Holy matrimony of magic and machinery
- Community News: Stuff about things you guys do
- MagnificentMicrowave: May or may not cook hot pockets
- Future Spotlights: Stuff I want to put a spotlight on in the future
- Conclusion: All good things come to an end
Happy Birthday, Terraria!
First and foremost, how remiss would I be if I neglected to mention Terraria's birthday? Yes, as of May 16th, Terraria has hit 5 years old. This might not be a big deal for a lot of people, but considering how active this community still is, even after 5 years, it's a testament to the spirit that Terraria has. A spirit that several have tried to imitate. But there's something about Terraria's charm that simply cannot be replicated, though many have tried. A game that has consistently been in the top 20 games played on steam throughout most of its lifespan. This is player retention that even AAA developers would dream of.
Not only is it 5 years old, but throughout its lifespan, we've received more than a few major, free game updates. Several of which have easily crossed into the realm of expansion levels of content. For absolutely free, mind you, and coming from a game that only costed 10 dollars out of the gate, with frequent sales dipping it to 25% of that price! Surely this is a game with developers that have given back in bulk to the loyal players of their game. And here we are, yet again, with another relatively large update about to drop, so soon after its birthday. Even on its birthday, it continues to give us the gift of a great game, and new content.
And not just that, either! This is an indie game at heart that's earned a massive acclaim and following. Developed by a small handful of talented individuals, and spearheaded by level-headed minds in addition. We don't just have Terraria on PC, either. It's a game that's on consoles, and phones, and mobile gaming devices, tablets, and other such technology. It's spread well beyond the scope of its original purpose. It hasn't just survived for 5 years with minimal updates, it has flourished and expanded. Terraria collectables and toys, Terraria yo-yos, an actual Terraria comic published by DC Comics themselves, and a crossover contest with Chivalry. This is no easy task.
These are collaborations that take tons of time, effort, energy, and negotiations to make a reality. And they became a reality because of the business heads of Re-Logic go to those lengths to extend the audience for their game. They want to bring Terraria to as many people as possible, and it's succeeded in a major way. Who knows how far Terraria's influence will spread in the near and far future? It may continue to grow and grow, even further and further. Even after development stops, whenever that may be, the spirit Terraria has will not soon be lost to the ages. A great deal of this can be attributed to the core game itself, and to the people who work tirelessly behind the scenes to set up and follow through with such collaborations. It's not an easy thing to do, and definitely one worthy of recognition.
And so, this reporter not only wishes Terraria a "Happy Birthday" this year, but also a "Same time next year?" to a game that's given so much over the years that it makes us wonder what the future still yet holds. Keep it up, you're going places.
1.3.1 Release Date
Wait, wait, wait...did you say "release date?"
Keep trucking, homie!
I sure did! But for those of you that have been living in a wooden box with no windows (Hey, don't look at me, I know some of you still do it!), Cenx recently announced that the release date for update 1.3.1 is coming on May 22nd. Yes, May 22nd. Of this year. Soon after this paper is published! By the time you're reading this, it'll only be a couple of days until the update is out! Unless you're reading it after the update is out, in which case, stop reading and go play the update. Don't do that I need you.
But yes, just under a year in the making, 1.3.1 is nigh upon us. The time has come. For the fruits of the developers' labor to be delivered unto our hands, so that we may fill our faces with it. We'll indulge and overindulge and over-overindulge. What better way to usher in this new era than to kick it off with a livestream! Just a day before the release, the Re-Logic team will be hanging out with Pedguin on his twitch channel, where he'll be streaming an adventure map. But wait, that's not all. This is a custom adventure map not publicly seen by anyone else yet! And why is that? Because it's chock full of new 1.3.1 mechanics and made by the amazing @Baih and Noel. It'll be quite the party, and we wouldn't want you to miss it, now would we? No, we wouldn't. In fact, to miss it would probably be a criminal offense in at least 12 countries, and you don't want to be a felon, do you? I didn't think so.
Controller Power
While this update probably doesn't have 3 new bosses and 49 new weapons and 10 new liquids and paint consisting of colors never before seen by man, it includes something people have been clamoring for, for quite some time. Controller support. In this day and age, controller support is something that, for many people, should be an integral part of every single game. Something that many people take as a given. Something that can make or break a potential purchase, as well as something people assume is included, when they make said purchase. There are people who would debate the importance of controller support, but in the end, there is no harm that could come from making a beloved game accessible for as many people as possible, in as many possible ways to play it. There are people who quite simply do not enjoy playing the game on a keyboard and mouse, this is the truth. Aside from that, several users still have older keyboards which are susceptible to "ghosting," which is a very real issue when performing certain actions in the game.
But the time is close, where the PC version will get controller support. Yes, there were ways to use a controller to play Terraria before, but they simply are not the same as native controller support. If you didn't believe the hype about controller support, please visit this link and read up about it, and take a look at how many users are going crazy for this much desired change!
Wiring Wizards
Along with controller support, the meat of the 1.3.1 update is for wiring and mechanisms. Admittedly, before this update, wiring was pretty basic in terms of what you could do with it. Hoiks alleviated this limitation in a very major way. Through the power and versatility of hoiks, people were able to build complex, compact, and utterly convoluted contraptions. Hoiks are an enigma, the way they work. Some consider it black magic, witchcraft, but the fact is, it's an amusing and incredibly useful (to several) bug. A bug that the developers recognized as a very core part of several amazing builds, and opted to not tinker with. As a result, the usage of hoiks have blossomed and been embraced by a large part of the community. You can learn all about hoiks here. With the inclusion of several advanced wiring mechanisms, to 1.3.1, it's hard to say what will happen to hoiks. It'd be way too late in the game to "fix" them, but will they still be as widely used? They're extremely versatile in their applications, but who knows what sort of things the update will bring, and if hoiks will still be applied as often as they were before.
However, there'll be wizards that will be able to combine the "magic" of hoiks, with the technology of wiring mechanisms introduced in this update, to create an amazing and powerful union. This isn't the first time I've talked about these wizards, but given the content of this update, I simply cannot let them go unnoticed. I'm talking, of course, of the T-MEC group again. It would be quite remiss of me if I didn't mention them, in an update that probably excites them more than any other. This is the mechanical update, it's their update. I imagine once this update hits, they're going to be a busy bunch of people, brainstorming and coming up with even more ludicrously efficient designs. If you want in on that action, I strongly suggest you go and join their social group, and be part of the think-tank of wiring wizards! Be part of something huge!
When this update comes out, the ball's going to be in your court, guys. You'll be given a boatload of new toys to add to your arsenal, tools to perfect the techniques of your trade. It'll be your time to shine even brighter than you have in the past. I expect nothing short of brilliance, and I want you all to wow me. Wow us. Wow the entire community and push it to the limits. Show everyone what you're capable of, and what Terraria's wiring is capable of. We'll be watching. Last month, Safeman conducted an in-depth interview and a full article on these wonderful wizards, just in case you missed it, you can jump back on the horse and catch up by clicking here.
Where would I be if I didn't talk about some of the cool stuff our community is doing, has done, or is going to do? Half the beauty of Terraria is the community, that's so passionate with their skills and talents. And with the new update coming out, I'm sure we'll have a lot more fun stuff to show off, won't we?
But for now, I'm going to talk about another relatively new artist we've had in this community as of late. (One of many, that I'll definitely make it my mission to cover in the follow up issue, after 1.3.1 has been out and people are settled down!) That artist is...
MagnificentMicrowave
Mag joined in late 2014, but became more active in 2016, with the launch of an art thread, with a very simple description: "hi whats up i draw sometimes." Clean and simple, though the art Mag draws is an entirely different story. The opening post of the thread speaks of doing requests fairly often, and that was no lie. At this time, there's been almost 50 requests given out in the short span of a few months, which is no easy feat, but a quite generous one at that. If there's one thing this community loves, it's artistic talent. So it's no surprise that Mag became fairly popular and well known around these parts, in such a short time. With requests being done using several interesting techniques, the praise and acclaim for Mag's work is quite strong indeed. So strong, that once requests are opened, people file in at an alarming rate to get a cool piece of art done for them!
In the most recent stint of requests, Mag quickly received over 15 requests in less than 24 hours, prompting a quick closing to not be overwhelmed by sheer demand. It's not easy to conceptualize, visualize, and then actually draw requests for so many people in a short period of time, so always keep this in mind when requesting from an artist! Mind your manners, say "please" and "thank you." Also something to keep in mind: artists are not contractually obligated to fulfill your request. They do so out of their own generosity, and they very much have the right to refuse a request if they so choose. Please be polite and courteous, especially when asking for them to devote time to do something for you, it's the right thing to do! Make sure you respect when an artist is doing requests, as well, and when they're closed. With that in mind, I thank MagnificentMicrowave for the generosity, and sharing artistic talent with the wonderful community we have at TCF! It's always nice to see, and more than welcome, always.
Future Spotlights
Speaking of community community contributions, let's talk about modders and map makers, as well as other in-game content creators. With this update bringing new tools to map makers, and modders themselves honing their crafts and further expanding upon the game in the form of user created content, I'd like to extend this idea to gauge interest. If you have a map, a mod, or any other sort of in-game modification / user created content that you'd like me to play, review, discuss, and talk about on future issues of The Terrarian Times, please send me a message. I would love to make this a regular feature, to review and talk about some of the awesome things that modders can do with the game, as well as play through maps and give them coverage, as I've done with so many artists and others in the past. All the talent we have in this community should be noticed and addressed! And the best way to notice and experience custom maps and mods is to play them ourselves, no? So if you have any ideas of anything you'd like me to cover, you can send me a message right here on the forums to tell me about it!
rip
If I get no messages, I'll be forced to pick something out for myself, and let me just warn you all that I have trouble finding matching socks when I wake up. Different lengths, brands, colors...come on. We'll have a disaster if I have to do anything for myself. Don't make me do things for myself, please.
Well, that about wraps it up for this installment of The Terrarian Times! I apologize that it's a tad on the short side, but I decided it'd be a smarter idea to split some ideas and segments into the follow-up issue, which I would like to come out a bit after 1.3.1 has been in the air, and meticulously deconstructed and explored by the vast majority of Terrarians! People can only handle so much news before they actually, physically explode, you know. I don't want to overload your sensory organs with the taste, sound, sight, smell, and touch of hard hitting news! So please, I hope you enjoyed this issue, and keep your eyes peeled for the next one!
As always, thank you for taking time out of your day to read this, and please send me all your feedback, suggestions, comments, pictures of cats, jokes about chickens, and unmarked dollar bills. Your support is always appreciated and noted, and I thank you all for standing behind The Terrarian Times, and hopefully you enjoyed reading this as much as I did writing it. No, maybe even more. This is your humble, modest reporter, Tsuki, signing off for this issue! Stay beautiful and stay Terrarian!
P.S.: For those of you still living in wooden boxes... Stop. You deserve better.
But the time is close, where the PC version will get controller support. Yes, there were ways to use a controller to play Terraria before, but they simply are not the same as native controller support. If you didn't believe the hype about controller support, please visit this link and read up about it, and take a look at how many users are going crazy for this much desired change!
Wiring Wizards
Along with controller support, the meat of the 1.3.1 update is for wiring and mechanisms. Admittedly, before this update, wiring was pretty basic in terms of what you could do with it. Hoiks alleviated this limitation in a very major way. Through the power and versatility of hoiks, people were able to build complex, compact, and utterly convoluted contraptions. Hoiks are an enigma, the way they work. Some consider it black magic, witchcraft, but the fact is, it's an amusing and incredibly useful (to several) bug. A bug that the developers recognized as a very core part of several amazing builds, and opted to not tinker with. As a result, the usage of hoiks have blossomed and been embraced by a large part of the community. You can learn all about hoiks here. With the inclusion of several advanced wiring mechanisms, to 1.3.1, it's hard to say what will happen to hoiks. It'd be way too late in the game to "fix" them, but will they still be as widely used? They're extremely versatile in their applications, but who knows what sort of things the update will bring, and if hoiks will still be applied as often as they were before.
However, there'll be wizards that will be able to combine the "magic" of hoiks, with the technology of wiring mechanisms introduced in this update, to create an amazing and powerful union. This isn't the first time I've talked about these wizards, but given the content of this update, I simply cannot let them go unnoticed. I'm talking, of course, of the T-MEC group again. It would be quite remiss of me if I didn't mention them, in an update that probably excites them more than any other. This is the mechanical update, it's their update. I imagine once this update hits, they're going to be a busy bunch of people, brainstorming and coming up with even more ludicrously efficient designs. If you want in on that action, I strongly suggest you go and join their social group, and be part of the think-tank of wiring wizards! Be part of something huge!
When this update comes out, the ball's going to be in your court, guys. You'll be given a boatload of new toys to add to your arsenal, tools to perfect the techniques of your trade. It'll be your time to shine even brighter than you have in the past. I expect nothing short of brilliance, and I want you all to wow me. Wow us. Wow the entire community and push it to the limits. Show everyone what you're capable of, and what Terraria's wiring is capable of. We'll be watching. Last month, Safeman conducted an in-depth interview and a full article on these wonderful wizards, just in case you missed it, you can jump back on the horse and catch up by clicking here.
Where would I be if I didn't talk about some of the cool stuff our community is doing, has done, or is going to do? Half the beauty of Terraria is the community, that's so passionate with their skills and talents. And with the new update coming out, I'm sure we'll have a lot more fun stuff to show off, won't we?
But for now, I'm going to talk about another relatively new artist we've had in this community as of late. (One of many, that I'll definitely make it my mission to cover in the follow up issue, after 1.3.1 has been out and people are settled down!) That artist is...
MagnificentMicrowave
Mag joined in late 2014, but became more active in 2016, with the launch of an art thread, with a very simple description: "hi whats up i draw sometimes." Clean and simple, though the art Mag draws is an entirely different story. The opening post of the thread speaks of doing requests fairly often, and that was no lie. At this time, there's been almost 50 requests given out in the short span of a few months, which is no easy feat, but a quite generous one at that. If there's one thing this community loves, it's artistic talent. So it's no surprise that Mag became fairly popular and well known around these parts, in such a short time. With requests being done using several interesting techniques, the praise and acclaim for Mag's work is quite strong indeed. So strong, that once requests are opened, people file in at an alarming rate to get a cool piece of art done for them!
In the most recent stint of requests, Mag quickly received over 15 requests in less than 24 hours, prompting a quick closing to not be overwhelmed by sheer demand. It's not easy to conceptualize, visualize, and then actually draw requests for so many people in a short period of time, so always keep this in mind when requesting from an artist! Mind your manners, say "please" and "thank you." Also something to keep in mind: artists are not contractually obligated to fulfill your request. They do so out of their own generosity, and they very much have the right to refuse a request if they so choose. Please be polite and courteous, especially when asking for them to devote time to do something for you, it's the right thing to do! Make sure you respect when an artist is doing requests, as well, and when they're closed. With that in mind, I thank MagnificentMicrowave for the generosity, and sharing artistic talent with the wonderful community we have at TCF! It's always nice to see, and more than welcome, always.
Future Spotlights
Speaking of community community contributions, let's talk about modders and map makers, as well as other in-game content creators. With this update bringing new tools to map makers, and modders themselves honing their crafts and further expanding upon the game in the form of user created content, I'd like to extend this idea to gauge interest. If you have a map, a mod, or any other sort of in-game modification / user created content that you'd like me to play, review, discuss, and talk about on future issues of The Terrarian Times, please send me a message. I would love to make this a regular feature, to review and talk about some of the awesome things that modders can do with the game, as well as play through maps and give them coverage, as I've done with so many artists and others in the past. All the talent we have in this community should be noticed and addressed! And the best way to notice and experience custom maps and mods is to play them ourselves, no? So if you have any ideas of anything you'd like me to cover, you can send me a message right here on the forums to tell me about it!
rip
If I get no messages, I'll be forced to pick something out for myself, and let me just warn you all that I have trouble finding matching socks when I wake up. Different lengths, brands, colors...come on. We'll have a disaster if I have to do anything for myself. Don't make me do things for myself, please.
Well, that about wraps it up for this installment of The Terrarian Times! I apologize that it's a tad on the short side, but I decided it'd be a smarter idea to split some ideas and segments into the follow-up issue, which I would like to come out a bit after 1.3.1 has been in the air, and meticulously deconstructed and explored by the vast majority of Terrarians! People can only handle so much news before they actually, physically explode, you know. I don't want to overload your sensory organs with the taste, sound, sight, smell, and touch of hard hitting news! So please, I hope you enjoyed this issue, and keep your eyes peeled for the next one!
As always, thank you for taking time out of your day to read this, and please send me all your feedback, suggestions, comments, pictures of cats, jokes about chickens, and unmarked dollar bills. Your support is always appreciated and noted, and I thank you all for standing behind The Terrarian Times, and hopefully you enjoyed reading this as much as I did writing it. No, maybe even more. This is your humble, modest reporter, Tsuki, signing off for this issue! Stay beautiful and stay Terrarian!
P.S.: For those of you still living in wooden boxes... Stop. You deserve better.
)
And wow, we've had more coverage:
). There's so many more amazing hoiktronics creations (in group and guuide threads, etc) since that little concept...
