SteveisNoob
Pixel Pirate
I'm really wondering this. Why the east and west isn't determined by rising and setting of the Sun? I mean, it makes no sense to saying "west" where the Sun rises and saying "east" where the Sun sets.
Why the East/West is Independent From the Sun?
- Thread starter SteveisNoob
- Start date
Because from a design point of view, it feels counterintuitive. In Terraria, we use the sun and moon as a clock, and clocks go, well, clockwise. That's (presumably, I can't say that that was Red's exact rhetoric) why the sun and moon follow that trajectory instead of their actual ones.
SteveisNoob
Pixel Pirate
OK, but can't we say east to left side and west to right side? I think it would be syncronized with sun and moon if the directions are swapped.
That would be even more counterintuitive. I've yet to see a compass where the west wasn't left and the east wasn't right.
I feel that the sun and moon rising in reverse is an acceptable sacrifice if it makes the game (ironically) feel more natural.
Deamterr
Terrarian
"Because it's Terraria"
Also, Terraria Wiki has a line in Goblin Tinkerer's Quotes says:
"I can't believe they tied me up and left me here just for pointing out that they weren't going east!" (referring to the Goblin Tinkerer initially appearing bound; and east/west and sunrise/sunset being inconsistent in Terraria, or the east/west reversal from their typical directions in real-world maps).
(http://terraria.wiki.gg/Goblin_Tinkerer)
Also, Terraria Wiki has a line in Goblin Tinkerer's Quotes says:
"I can't believe they tied me up and left me here just for pointing out that they weren't going east!" (referring to the Goblin Tinkerer initially appearing bound; and east/west and sunrise/sunset being inconsistent in Terraria, or the east/west reversal from their typical directions in real-world maps).
(http://terraria.wiki.gg/Goblin_Tinkerer)
SteveisNoob
Pixel Pirate
It's because the developers needed an excuse for the Goblin NPC to be tied up and left behind.
Thank you all. You explained it really good
scientistB
Dungeon Spirit
Yeah, the Goblin's smart enough to think outside the fourth wall apparently.
As well, I think it would be nifty to have an option where you could switch the direction of the moon and sun, to make it look more accurate. This would purely be a visual change, and day/night cycles would still work as normal.
As well, I think it would be nifty to have an option where you could switch the direction of the moon and sun, to make it look more accurate. This would purely be a visual change, and day/night cycles would still work as normal.
Sigma90
Brain of Cthulhu
I'd say the developers did not make the sun go west -> east purely so they could make a joke with the Goblin. More likely, the Goblin joke is just some self-deprecation and humour as the developers acknowledge the oddity.
Thinking about this a bit more though - most languages in the world are read and written left to right. This has spilled over into things like progress bars, which are also filled from left to right. There are probably more examples that I can't think of, but I'd say reading/writing is the biggest influence. That the sun and moon do the same seems more to do with progression and what we intuitively expect for progression of the day/night in-game. If you try to imagine the sun going the reverse (right -> left), it just doesn't seem right.
Left -> right seems to be the norm for 2D representations, like writing or Terraria. In 3D, such as the real world (of course) or a game like Minecraft, the sun/moon can follow their proper rise and set patterns.
Thinking about this a bit more though - most languages in the world are read and written left to right. This has spilled over into things like progress bars, which are also filled from left to right. There are probably more examples that I can't think of, but I'd say reading/writing is the biggest influence. That the sun and moon do the same seems more to do with progression and what we intuitively expect for progression of the day/night in-game. If you try to imagine the sun going the reverse (right -> left), it just doesn't seem right.
Left -> right seems to be the norm for 2D representations, like writing or Terraria. In 3D, such as the real world (of course) or a game like Minecraft, the sun/moon can follow their proper rise and set patterns.