Terraria is an amazing world-building game released by Relogic in 2011. It's surprisingly deep, and through many playthroughs I've clocked hundreds of hours into it. We've had a few Cheerful Ghost Terraria servers, and we're all looking forward to the release of 1.2, which promises to change the game more than any update has so far. I recently asked Andrew Spinks (redigit) some questions about the games past and near future.
Thanks for your time Andrew! Terraria is an amazing game, still making news long after release. How did the journey start for you? What was the basic idea that led to the game?
Hey Travis. No problem, man! Really, the basic concept was just me wanting to make a fun game for people to enjoy playing. I figured that if I took elements that I liked and put them all together, that it would work out, and it has so far!
How has it been working with Engine Software and 505 Games? What are your thoughts on the changes and additions added to the console versions?
Engine and 505 have been great! They have been very flexible to work with and have stayed true to the original feel of Terraria. When they started production of the ports, 505 approached me about both companiesā thoughts on exclusive content, and it was an offer I couldnāt refuse.
Some PC players were initially upset when the new content for consoles was announced, since you had previously stopped development on the PC version, which wouldnāt be getting this new content. How do you view the community response to this?
It was somewhat to be expected. The existing fan base already felt bad enough that they werenāt going to get anymore free content before we started putting out teasers about the console ports. So when we announced it and some fans werenāt thrilled with the news, we could definitely understand where they were coming from.
On the other hand, fans are excited that youāve started development on a new patch for the PC version. Can you share whatās coming, or when weāll be diving into some new and awesome content?
There is already so much content that weāve added that itās hard to know where to start! We are packing this update full of new aesthetic, new game mechanics, items, enemies, and all kinds of stuff for the builders! We couldnāt be more excited about 1.2, but there is still a lot of work to be done, so itās hard to nail down a date.
Taking both of the previous questions into account, is there any chance of content collaboration between Re-Logic and Engine/505, either bringing Engineās new content to PC, or your new content to consoles?
We donāt yet have plans to bring console content to PC, but weāve already been working with 505 on the details of bringing 1.2 to consoles.
Other games developed with XNA, such as Bastion, have later gone multi-platform. There are currently some functional methods to play Terraria on Mac and Linux using Monogame, but they arenāt stellar. Do you have any plans for official releases for these platforms?
The last time I checked on MonoXNA, it couldnāt support a stable build of Terraria, so I havenāt actively sought this out for a while.
There are two enemies and two bosses that are evil disembodied eyes, and the Wall of Flesh, which has some creepy giant eyes. Do you find eyes particularly creepy?
Sure, man. I mean thereās something just ominous about a giant eye just staring you down with big red blood vessels bulging and everything. Itās like the definition of creepy!
There have been many high-quality mods released for Terraria that change mechanics, add items, or aid in multiplayer, but they all involve
overwriting or editing game files. Do you have any plans for official mod support?
I actually havenāt had that much time to look into this since Iāve been so busy with 1.2, but that has always been a strong request from the community so weāll see!
Terraria is an astonishingly deep game. We have run a few Cheerful Ghost servers and we always have a blast. Exploration, creation, epic boss fights-- the game is amazing. As you look back on what you have built, what accomplishment or milestone are you most proud of?
I donāt know if there is just one event that I could single out regarding my experiences with Terraria. Just the very fact that people are so immersed with something that Iāve created simply amazes me!
The community has done amazing things with the game. What builds really stick out for you?
Amazing is a good word for it! There are so many awesome creations out there that itās hard to really choose favorites.
How many planets has the Eater of Worlds consumed?
Haha, Iāll leave that one for the fan to speculate!
Thanks for your time Andrew! Terraria is an amazing game, still making news long after release. How did the journey start for you? What was the basic idea that led to the game?
Hey Travis. No problem, man! Really, the basic concept was just me wanting to make a fun game for people to enjoy playing. I figured that if I took elements that I liked and put them all together, that it would work out, and it has so far!
How has it been working with Engine Software and 505 Games? What are your thoughts on the changes and additions added to the console versions?
Engine and 505 have been great! They have been very flexible to work with and have stayed true to the original feel of Terraria. When they started production of the ports, 505 approached me about both companiesā thoughts on exclusive content, and it was an offer I couldnāt refuse.
Some PC players were initially upset when the new content for consoles was announced, since you had previously stopped development on the PC version, which wouldnāt be getting this new content. How do you view the community response to this?
It was somewhat to be expected. The existing fan base already felt bad enough that they werenāt going to get anymore free content before we started putting out teasers about the console ports. So when we announced it and some fans werenāt thrilled with the news, we could definitely understand where they were coming from.
On the other hand, fans are excited that youāve started development on a new patch for the PC version. Can you share whatās coming, or when weāll be diving into some new and awesome content?
There is already so much content that weāve added that itās hard to know where to start! We are packing this update full of new aesthetic, new game mechanics, items, enemies, and all kinds of stuff for the builders! We couldnāt be more excited about 1.2, but there is still a lot of work to be done, so itās hard to nail down a date.
Taking both of the previous questions into account, is there any chance of content collaboration between Re-Logic and Engine/505, either bringing Engineās new content to PC, or your new content to consoles?
We donāt yet have plans to bring console content to PC, but weāve already been working with 505 on the details of bringing 1.2 to consoles.
Other games developed with XNA, such as Bastion, have later gone multi-platform. There are currently some functional methods to play Terraria on Mac and Linux using Monogame, but they arenāt stellar. Do you have any plans for official releases for these platforms?
The last time I checked on MonoXNA, it couldnāt support a stable build of Terraria, so I havenāt actively sought this out for a while.
There are two enemies and two bosses that are evil disembodied eyes, and the Wall of Flesh, which has some creepy giant eyes. Do you find eyes particularly creepy?
Sure, man. I mean thereās something just ominous about a giant eye just staring you down with big red blood vessels bulging and everything. Itās like the definition of creepy!
There have been many high-quality mods released for Terraria that change mechanics, add items, or aid in multiplayer, but they all involve
overwriting or editing game files. Do you have any plans for official mod support?
I actually havenāt had that much time to look into this since Iāve been so busy with 1.2, but that has always been a strong request from the community so weāll see!
Terraria is an astonishingly deep game. We have run a few Cheerful Ghost servers and we always have a blast. Exploration, creation, epic boss fights-- the game is amazing. As you look back on what you have built, what accomplishment or milestone are you most proud of?
I donāt know if there is just one event that I could single out regarding my experiences with Terraria. Just the very fact that people are so immersed with something that Iāve created simply amazes me!
The community has done amazing things with the game. What builds really stick out for you?
Amazing is a good word for it! There are so many awesome creations out there that itās hard to really choose favorites.
How many planets has the Eater of Worlds consumed?
Haha, Iāll leave that one for the fan to speculate!
If you want to join this conversation you need to sign in.
Sign Up / Log In
This is awesome, thanks for posting this Travis.
Really looking forward to when 1.2 drops and we get the Cheerful Ghost server going :D
We're getting close to 1.2... I can feel it! @.@
With all these new items I can't wait to see what everyone builds on our next server.
I want to build some kind of snow house. Perhaps some kind of super villain evil snow fortress.
Yeah, we must keep creating the world until one with snow comes. I also think a pyramid, since sand building materials are coming, along with half-blocks and the ability to run up a 1 block incline without jumping.
Sounds good. We might have to lag the server start a bit to handle someone getting the patch and fiddling around with creating a world until we get the right one. A few hours perhaps.