So is this just a Terraria clone?

[Mr. Very Cool Guy]

It looks like terraria.

[Cake for Mumm-Ra]

It has a lot of similarities, but it's also pretty unique in a lot of ways. I'd say it's categorically the same genre as Terraria, but it's definitely not a clone.

[Joe Cool]

It depends... does being in the same genre make it a clone?

If so then does that make all FPS games a clone of CoD? or all RPG games a clone of Diablo? or all MMO games a clone of WoW?

Personally I think Starbound does many things better than Terraria, but the main thing is background blocks...

- In Terraria you have to craft background walls seperately (more crafting materials used) Then you have to carry them as a seperate item (more bag space used) Then if you want to remove them you need to use the hammer (additional tool = more bag space used)

- In Starbound you use the Matter manipulator for everything (one tool) and any building block can be placed in the foreground with left click, and as a back wall with right click. Thus you don't need to craft anything extra, carry anything extra, or lug around extra tools...

Plus in Starbound the blocks always line up with the foreground blocks. In Terraria the grid for wall blocks is not the same grid for foreground blocks.. thus they don't always line up.

[amyy]

it's much better than terraria, just because it's such a big game.

[Mr. Very Cool Guy]

Originally posted by Sanpypr:

it's much better than terraria, just because it's such a big game.

how is it bigger? And is it a quality vs. quantity type of thing?

[AbsynthMinded]

Technically, if you do not complete the main quest, there is an infinate number of worlds to explore in a procedurally generated universe. Running a Plot line that has no set termination clock.

[Rio]

Terraria's end game is boss and fishing based. You still might die easily, moreso on expertmode endgame collecting what yo missed. Also fishing quests achivement is super boring.

Starbounds end game is revisiting low tier planets where things are so impossibly easy you'll fall asleep in your solrium armor. And the figurine achivements take so long compared to terraria's fishing ones its like the difference between watching every episode of fooly cooly vs every episode of onepiece.

Both games are alright, but terraria still has moments of challenge end game and can take a lot longer to reach end game. And well the stuff you take the time out to collect in terraria is often useful where as starbound its often cosmetic.


I'm stuck where I wanna collect the remaining cosmetics, fossils and stuff. But I just fall asleep now because it involves me searching tons of low level planets. Its made me really desire lately a terraria's hard mode for starbound. Or a return to the old sector system.


Also Starbound "Endgame" is pretty pointless an backwards thinking since volcanic planets are bland. Often full of the red chests with just lava balloons, cosmetic armor, or a smoke machine. And well the weapons you find here are all tier 6, while moon colonies give tier 10. And moons are one of the most boring biomes/planet types in the game.

[Uzi Master]

In the way 'clone' is generally used to describe video games, yes. Hexen and Duke Nukem 3D were considered Doom clones, despite the things that made them unique, so unless Terraria's format becomes a more distinct genre it'd be fair to call Starbound a Terraria clone.

There are features that make them distinct, but most of them are lackluster or not fleshed out on Starbounds side, while many things Starbound doesn't copy seem like things they maybe should have.

[Cake for Mumm-Ra]

Originally posted by Uzi Master:

In the way 'clone' is generally used to describe video games, yes. Hexen and Duke Nukem 3D were considered Doom clones, despite the things that made them unique, so unless Terraria's format becomes a more distinct genre it'd be fair to call Starbound a Terraria clone.

There are features that make them distinct, but most of them are lackluster or not fleshed out on Starbounds side, while many things Starbound doesn't copy seem like things they maybe should have.

Not disagreeing with you, but this is why I hate the term. According to this logic, every FPS is a Doom clone, just as every open world game is a GTA clone. It's not a useful word to describe games that are inspired by or borrow ideas from preceding games. 'Clone' sounds like 'rip-off' which, to me at least, sounds like unoriginal garbage. Clearly that isn't the case, or else everything after doom is just crap.

[Linio]

It is.
And definitely not better.
More items, more places to see.
The AI is not good nor are the fights.

[C.J.してんし]

well, it looks like tererria, but there are a lot of diffrences, including storyline and quests. And if you like sci fi like me, then this is your game.

im also not fond of the demons in tererria, so this is better in my opinion

[b_rigid]

genre =/= clone

it is a 2D sidescroller sandbox

but it is no more a clone of terraria than terraria is a clone of minecraft

these games all have something amazing and unique to offer. to label it nothing more than a clone is to do a great injustice to the thousands of manhours and dedication of the team who made the game.

wether you like the game or not, you should still respect the years of work that went into designing something uniquely beautiful and fun.

[Richard02]

Originally posted by Cake for Žižek:

Originally posted by Uzi Master:

In the way 'clone' is generally used to describe video games, yes. Hexen and Duke Nukem 3D were considered Doom clones, despite the things that made them unique, so unless Terraria's format becomes a more distinct genre it'd be fair to call Starbound a Terraria clone.

There are features that make them distinct, but most of them are lackluster or not fleshed out on Starbounds side, while many things Starbound doesn't copy seem like things they maybe should have.

Not disagreeing with you, but this is why I hate the term. According to this logic, every FPS is a Doom clone, just as every open world game is a GTA clone. It's not a useful word to describe games that are inspired by or borrow ideas from preceding games. 'Clone' sounds like 'rip-off' which, to me at least, sounds like unoriginal garbage. Clearly that isn't the case, or else everything after doom is just crap.

i think clones are games that function almost exactly the same as the real game and is cheaper

Castleminer Z

[C.J.してんし]

and you have planets instead of biomes, and a moving house (spacecraft)

[Richard02]

Originally posted by cjmassee:

and you have planets instead of biomes, and a moving house (spacecraft)

planets have multiple biomes

[Rukrio]

TL:DR it is. but it takes a different approach to a lot of things.