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[GlyphGryph]

No-grind is a very basic principle of game design in every genre except for MMOs. In an MMO, any time a player spends grinding is time that they'll be paying for a subscription and therefore time that you make money. Then World of Warcraft happened and people went "Oh! That game made a lot of money! Let's try to do some of the things they did to make some money ourselves!" even when those things didn't actually make sense.

You have obviously never played large chunks of final fantasy games, or countless RPGs or collection games that pretty much base themselves on grind. MMOs turned it into an artform, I'll admit, but there are plenty of games that have made grind a core element of their approach to gameplay.

[The Merchant Of Menace]

No-grind is a very basic principle of game design in every genre except for MMOs. In an MMO, any time a player spends grinding is time that they'll be paying for a subscription and therefore time that you make money. Then World of Warcraft happened and people went "Oh! That game made a lot of money! Let's try to do some of the things they did to make some money ourselves!" even when those things didn't actually make sense.

You have obviously never played large chunks of final fantasy games, or countless RPGs or collection games that pretty much base themselves on grind. MMOs turned it into an artform, I'll admit, but there are plenty of games that have made grind a core element of their approach to gameplay.

I've played through all of the Final Fantasy games several times. While it's significantly easier if you grind, it's most definitely less than necessary. The only reason you have to grind, and this goes for most JRPGs is if you're looking for optional content or easter eggs.

[quinnr]

What would the point of the keys be then?

To get those non-breakable artifact items. (like the bars, wooden arrows, money).
It could break on the same pattern that lava does, except...less.

OR you could get all the stuff, but any weapons would be 'broken' and would need a heafty fee paid to repair them.

EDIT: Personally, if keys get locks, I believe a Keyblade would have to be added into the game. Because that would be awesome.

Save you hours of what? Farming? Which you still have to do anyways, for hearts, money and basic necessities? Your "quicky" way is the intended path of game play, you're not circumventing anything

I think you need to look up a few posts to even know what I am talking about...

Also the intended path is for you to dig until you got a full set of metal armor.

Terriaria? Intended path? Nooooooo. I scoff at intended paths.

[Wolf Tengu]

Explosions go through blocks they don't affect, right?

I want to give my base a crispy hellstone shell.

[Urist Imiknorris]

Yes.

[Wolf Tengu]

Aww.

I'll need a much thicker outer shell then so's I can use a dynamite defense.

Though bombs wouldn't damage anything but the backwall... No, they aren't powerful enough.

[Vattic]

I've played through all of the Final Fantasy games several times. While it's significantly easier if you grind, it's most definitely less than necessary. The only reason you have to grind, and this goes for most JRPGs is if you're looking for optional content or easter eggs.

I found the first FF required grind. Older RPGs tended to from what I remember.

[Neonivek]

There was some grinding involved in most RPGs.

The goal however was usually to minimise it without letting the player burst through things.

Hidden treasure was a great way to do so as the extra encounters collecting it usually got them about the appropriate level.

One aspect of lengthened out gameplay with RPGs that arn't shared by movies or games withotu any form of grinding is pacing. The length of time required to do things pace out the sections of the game.

It is something that is lost on a lot of games... Long games should feel like long periods of time have passed in game.

Which is one reason I don't like some Tales games. They try SO hard to be like an anime-RPG they forget that they are a game.

[GlyphGryph]

I've played through all of the Final Fantasy games several times. While it's significantly easier if you grind, it's most definitely less than necessary. The only reason you have to grind, and this goes for most JRPGs is if you're looking for optional content or easter eggs.

Getting anywhere in a final fantasy game is a grind. Your statement that "no-grind" is a central element of them is ludicrous. There's a tip of the hand, a recognition that not all players like it as much, the reserves the bulk of the grind for people seeking extras, making it so most players only have to do the limited amount of grinding shoehorned in as a required piece of progressing from point A to point B, but its still a central component of the way the games work.  Some of them were worse than others in this regard (Final Fantasy 8 was particularly bad), but it was definitely an actual intended design decision in most of them to go out of their way to require some amount of grind, and to hold the best rewards for those who grind the most.

Oddly enough, many of may favorite RPGs (Illusion of Gaia, Fallout, UQM, Shadowrun) were relatively grind free.

[Micro102]

I don't think it's fair to call fighting battles from A to B "grinding". Otherwise all games with random encounters is considered grinding.

I would say grinding was when you have to repeat things you have done before without advancing the plot.

[jmancube]

I don't know, after that seventh battle with the wimpy monsters that can't hurt you and just waste time when you're trying to get somewhere felt an awful lot like grinding, except without the benefits...

[Neonivek]

I don't think it's fair to call fighting battles from A to B "grinding". Otherwise all games with random encounters is considered grinding.

I would say grinding was when you have to repeat things you have done before without advancing the plot.

It isn't grinding if enemies interupt what you are doing.

Grinding is active not passive.

MIND you it is an entirely different beast and indeed it can be horrible too to have annoying travel times.

[Seriyu]

It's not like swinging your weapon twice to kill a zombie is a huge time investment. Demon eyes have a hard time hitting you if you keep moving, and fairly easy to jump over them, zombies aren't too hard to leap over either. In caves it's a bit more of a problem.

Really the main issue I feel is how nothing presents any kind of threat to you once you max out. If you felt threatened it'd be less of a grind and more of an "oh god I have to get inside"

[noah22223]

Terraria is awesome enough that im not going to post ponies here.
Carry on.

[Neonivek]

Really the main issue I feel is how nothing presents any kind of threat to you once you max out

That and also that skill is a tertiary requirement of the game. You basically just can't outright stink at the game.

Because of that, of course nothing presents any kind of threat... nothing presents any sort of challenge before hand except in raw numbers.

Honestly Hell is starting to be a great start... but the problem is... it is hell... It just gets annoying

Mind you Terraria will never be about the raw challenge because that would bar its main audiance (Indie Casual players) from the game.