I assume most of what was presented in the 1.4.4 Updates, namely the adjustment to Melee Weapons, closes this case... but, just for the sake of closing the book on this subject, I'll add some useful commentary for legacy's sake [in case this topic ever comes up again in the future, though I doubt it].
Classes ARE archetypes, literally. They're there to give you a type of playstyle, which feels different from other classes to focus on, and spec into. They exist to give the player something to focus into.
Yes, but also no. Contextually, Classes are "identifiers", especially in other media, where a character is defined by what they do, or what they're good at doing [i.e. D&D].
For example, in Skyrim, there are several Main Guilds in the game, complete with Quests and Storylines, specifically catered to certain "Classes" and playstyles.
- Mages Guild Quests.
- Thieves Guild Quests.
- Companions Quests.
- Volkihar Clan Quests.
- etc.
The same can be
somewhat said for Cyberpunk 2077, which separates "Class" from "Life Path", though the two occasionally intertwine depending on choices made by the player throughout the storyline.
Terraria is way too fluid [especially with the addition of loadouts], for Character Classes to be anything more than "Gameplay Flavor". Your character will never be defined by anything other than what you the player choose them to be.
Just because a mod focuses on a specific aspect of the game, doesn't mean it can't focus on every other aspect. Thorium adds new class based content, yes; that is the mod's MAIN focus. However, the mod also focuses on expanding the entire game, more notably the early game, which is the main topic at hand here.
Early Vanilla game doesn't need any help, especially not now with the 1.4.4 Updates. In fact, there are several "Chapter Ending" tasks and Craftable Items in pre-Hardmode, allowing the player to choose a specific style they want to use, by the time they are ready to Battle the WoF.
- Pylon Network set-up.
- Several Craftable/ Obtainable Accessories [i.e. Frog Gear, Obsidian Set, pre-Hardmode Apprentice Scarf, Bundle of Horseshoe Balloons].
- Adjustment to Legacy Swords with special Characteristics [i.e. Volcano, Muramasa, Evil Swords, etc].
- New Enemies and Bosses [i.e Deepclops].
What Thorium teaches the common Terrarian about Terraria, is that the Pre-Hardmode stage of the game is very limited in it's content.
This isn't a bad thing; Terraria is one of THE most popular games, so clearly it isn't a glaring issue.
However, Thorium provides you with tons of new content and new bosses to fight during this stage, along with granting you tons of new options which are fun and viable. Like
@Xylia said...
I don't agree with this, even 1.4 on initial release was fine,
for the most part. It's far from limited.
... Just because some of that content is class-focused doesn't mean that Terraria needs more class-focused content in Pre-Hardmode; It just means it needs more content in Pre-Hardmode.
I mean, if anything I think 1.4.4 executed this pretty well. At a certain point, games become
bloated if they keep getting too much new content [World of Warcraft]. With that also comes a bunch of Power Creep and Gaming Fatigue,
on the Players side, and the Development Team [who likely want to work on something else new after a while].
Terraria is a HUGE exception to the rule [it didn't escape these pitfalls, it simply survived them], powered by passionate fans, brilliant developers, and TONS of serendipity. These resources, though powerful, are finite. That's why if you pay attention, you'll see that apathy has set in for many Terrarian Fans.
Correct me if i'm wrong here, but Combat Modifiers? I think what you meant here was Combat Items. Regardless, the reason people are eager to get said items is because we want to play the game we want to. Seriously!
"Modifiers" are typically adjustments to Weapons and Accessories that allow small changes to any given Loadout, for example, two players can have
the very same Weapons and Armor equipped, but perform differently based on "Modifiers", like "Large" on a Greatsword, or "Warding" vs. "Menacing" on your accessories.
This is why adding attributes to
immediately accessible armor sets is pointless and will also create bias. Accessories do a fine job all on their own [and there's no immediate pre-Hardmode Enemies or Bosses that justify Min-Maxing that early on].
Some just choose to build things, yeah. But some also choose to Explore! Mine! Fight! If you want to build, that's fine... But most people play Terraria to build up to that inevitable Moon Lord fight, not to mention the ever-so-elusive GRIND! If there's one thing that's kept me attatched to this game for over 8 years now, it's been exactly that.
Don't forget about Adventure Maps, Player Servers, PvP and of course Modding [which often don't include Moon Lord].
Having new content for Pre-Hardmode quite literally is a plus for everyone, even if it may end up a bit one-sided.
Not necessarily, especially if the newer additions begin to invalidate older, Legacy choices still in the game [i.e. Power Creep]. We have actual proof of how fans will react in real time, no theorizing necessary.
It has plenty of new equipment to spice up the early game, but it also introduces entire new areas of the game, along with plenty of new materials to craft into tons of different furniture. The same Thorium ore that
@Xylia mentions is also an ore that can be turned into new bricks, and new furniture! They have a whole deep sea set, both armor and building wise for a whole new aquatic biome that the mod adds!
That's cool and everything, but if these Mods are so "complete" and rich with content, why are so many waiting for them [these Mods] to catch up to
first, 1.4, 1.4.3 and finally 1.4.4? Shouldn't fans just be playing
that instead?
If the novelty of "because it's new" is the only drive for this take on Thorium, then it's an unreasonable standard and unsustainable. At a certain point, every game stops getting supported, both by the fans and the Developers. I think it's better to simply make the most "complete" game you can make, and allow the novelty of something being "new", to fall in the laps of those who enjoy such a thing, but it should NEVER be the rule, only the exception [i.e. Skyrim SE, over 70,000 Mods].
Sure, we may not be talking about the building blocks. But that's not the focus here; we're talking about progressing through the game, and playing through the game how most people end up doing, because this isn't just a problem that affects the people who enjoy the game for it's big scary boss fights. It's a problem for the builders, the explorers, and the fishers!
The only way I'd ever agree with this take, is if you can convince me that Thorium Mod and the 1.4.4 additions are
anything alike [which I highly doubt]. One is clearly an overhaul, focused on making an already complete package more "refined", the other, like most Mods, is likely the vision of the Original Mod Creator [a fan of the game] and their small team, whose goals rarely match with the Developers.
And that's perfectly fine. But in the same breath, newer mechanics to bosses you've already fought? Newer content to discover in places you've already been to? It opens up a whole new world for veterans of the game to explore and dig their teeth into, while granting newer players a refined experience to play for themselves!
Which is what Expert Mode
pretty much did in 1.3, and what Special Seeds pretty much do in 1.4.4 [of which I hear great things about
Get Fixed Boi]. If this is simply a case of "yeah, but I want more of it",
I'll continue to say the same thing, that's cool and everything, but that's an unreasonable and unsustainable expectation. Every game or Mod will eventually stop being supported at some point.
For the sake of real-life clarity, Skyrim SE is currently sitting at version
1.6.629,
however, the most supported and arguably "complete version" of the game is considered to be
1.5.97 [
Skyrim community consensus says this, not me btw, though I agree with them]. Why? Well, like I keep mentioning, both Mods and game inevitable stop being supported, version
1.5.97 has more support than any other version of Skyrim in existence, and so, even a community with 70,000+ Mods to choose from understands that there is a limit.
Less-is-more will always be a valid design choice. But there will always be those looking for something new. You could argue "that's what mods are for!" And you'd be right. But at the same time, a game shouldn't need to rely on it's modding scene to live on. At that point, the base game is dead, and the only thing truly alive are people's new reanimated corpses of that game. In other words, Necromancy!
As I said earlier, this is a luxury afforded to us by a VERY unique circumstance, which is the exception, not the rule! Keep in mind, 70,000+ Mods to choose from in Skyrim SE, but even
that community knows when to "stop".
That aside, just because there'd be stat-based armor everywhere does NOT mean that they wouldn't be special. Sure, you don't NEED to min-max in pre-Hardmode, but having the option is always nice for those playing on those higher difficulties. Not to mention, for players wanting to focus on something in early game, it makes for a great entry to class setups! Regardless, all of them would still have their own niche, no matter what. Mixing armor is always an option!
This feature already exists in pre-Hardmode, and was improved in 1.4+. Adding more of it is certainly something you could do...
but why? Is it because what already exists is lacking, or is it adding more for the sake of it? I'd argue that pre-Hardmode isn't lacking for any content, most Terrarians don't even know half the items or features in the game as it is [see the suggestions thread for numerous examples].
Most of what you list here is absolutely second-nature, even if you aren't experienced. The "complexity" being added here is quite literally just loot. A player who finds said new loot will probably check it out for a bit before deciding if they want to run said equipment, and if they don't it'll probably just be sold, tossed on the ground, tossed in a chest, or otherwise.
Not entirely... this is oftentimes a luxury afforded only to Sandbox/ Open World Games, that promote freedom of choice and freedom of approach. Though it's easy to assume, this isn't the type of game for everyone kind of person, some people do enjoy experiences "on rails", where their need to make a choice is extremely limited.
In addition, Terraria benefits from this design choice greatly, because almost every Map has a unique Seed [Special Seeds included], so those choices are actually critical to
what kind of experience the player will have, and heavily strays away from the illusion of simply "not knowing where to go" in other Sandbox Games.
This is also one of the many reasons why some of the more seasoned players request that some items be rare or inaccessible, because that also contributes to the overall experience.
And my final argument... Because new content is fun! It's that simple.
Not always... and there are plenty of cautionary examples of this
going the other way, so i won't bother insulting your intelligence. Just do some light research, it won't be too hard to find.
Just cause it can cause balancing issues doesn't mean you shouldn't do it...
I can't agree with this take, it's too obvious to me to bother explaining why, so just... "No"!
Any same item could be added and completely change how players approach the game, or be just some middle of the road equipment. Regardless, it gives us new stuff to mess with! It's the entire argument i've been making this whole time! The main focus isn't on the balance of the game when adding content, because that comes after in the patch updates. It's to give players a new experience, something with a bit of variety, some new options, something... interesting!
Variety is an illusion in a game with poor balancing, this is also a pretty self evident issue that I won't bother getting into. Simply look at the number of balance changes from
1.3.5 to
1.4.4 and that should give you some idea of how important it is to NOT oversaturate your game with "stuff" because "new",
it don't quite work like that...
...See you in
1.4.4 [
1.5].