Terraria FAQ Answers Questions About Its Nintendo 3DS Version

Last week, the action-adventure sandbox game, Terraria, made its Nintendo 3DS eShop debut.

In conjunction with its release, a FAQ was posted on the game’s official forums, and goes into detail regarding future updates, multiplayer functionality, the possibility of larger worlds in the future, and more. You can read the entire FAQ below.

What content is included?
Terraria 3DS includes all the content from 1.2 with the exception of Dyes which are excluded on technical grounds*. To make up for that, we’ve added Minecarts, Fishing and a few 1.3 UI options like the ability to quick stack to a chest. The 3DS version also features a completely overhauled interface, making full use of the two screens. You can cycle the bottom screen between an intuitive touch to build interface; a world map; or as a quick-select inventory bar. It’s the most intuitive Terraria has ever been on console, and we’ve included a few surprises for the Nintendo fanbase.

 

Will there be variable world sizes?
At launch, there is a single world size of 1750×900. You can save up to three Worlds and three Characters per console. This is as large as the original 3DS can handle. We are investigating the possibility of introducing larger worlds as a New 3DS-exclusive feature in future, but for launch we felt it was important to start everyone off on a level playing field.

 

Any other technical stuff I should be aware of?
This game plays in 2D ONLY. This is for a couple of reasons: the way the graphics layers work on 3DS was not conducive to a really exciting 3D effect; and the technical overheard required to run the game in 3D would have meant compromises in terms of world size and other gameplay-damaging areas. The game runs on ALL models of 3DS (original, XL and New) and also 2DS. The framerate on original 3DS is 30fps, whereas the New gets a boost to 60FPS.

 

Any other New 3DS benefits?
For launch, we wanted a single version that could be enjoyed by all players. There are different control possibilities for New, but nothing that will unbalance a multiplayer game with people on an Original or 2DS.

 

How does multiplayer work?
Multiplayer is 1-4 players via Local Play. Each player needs to have their own copy of the game.

 

Will there be a demo on the eShop?
There are no plans currently to offer a demo. I encourage people to seek out the opinions of their peers – there are a handful of people on the Forum playing this already.

 

Will the 3DS version be updated post launch?
We are planning to support both Nintendo versions post-launch, as we have done with the console versions. Update 1 is already specced out and scheduled, and we’ll be listening for community feedback from the moment the game goes live.

 

Will there be cross play between the Wii U and 3DS versions?
This is not possible owing to the smaller world size on 3DS.

 

When will the physical/retail version launch? Wii U?
Both of these are still planned for an Early 2016 launch.

 

How much free space do I need to install this game?
The game itself is around 80MB, which @Spectra tells me is 640 blocks. The save game and any subsequent content updates will be saved to the SD card.

 

I have a technical issue or feedback – where can I provide this?
You can always leave a post on TCF, and/or we would encourage you to utilize our new Customer Service Portal: https://support.505games.com/support/home

We will be gathering any additional bugs from our ongoing play/testing as well as your experience and rolling fixes into that first Update.

*We use pixel shaders to implement dyes on the other platforms, but 3DS does not have this capability.

 

Terraria is now available on the Nintendo 3DS eShop. However, the retail version on 3DS, along with the digital and retail versions for Wii U, are scheduled to arrive in early 2016.