So FYI: The Spacefarer update
came out a little while ago. The navigation has been overhauled and you now freely fly your ship (like the system in Mass Effect 2). You can now find space stations in space that contain either loot or NP Cs to trade with (or both). There's also a trading system where you can buy and sell cargo between stations. You also have a customizable and upgradable mech you use to navigate the void of space and can also bring to the surface of planets. Finally, you can also build your own space stations using modular additions.
I have yet to try some of the features, but building my own station sounds cool. It's also fun to fly around space in the mech and fight space enemies with it. It's a shame the campaign was finished already, because you could have gotten some cool boss fights in space.
Tbh I feel like its the planet-hopping.
In Terraria while you can take your character and go to another world, its understated, not the focus of the game's presentation. You have your world and you build in and explore every corner and colonize it and so on. And the movement is organic, you trek across, or build dedicated transport system by your own hand.
In Starbound, planet-hopping is central. While you can build a house anywhere you wish, you are less connected to it. You plop a flag and teleport in and out. You hop down to new planet, circumnavigate it, loot the dungeons, maybe mine a bit, then hoover up to the next.
Although the colonist quests are fun for a while note they are mostly just something you grab a bit of money from - and to get more or better gear you build a new colony on a new planet with new tenants that are the same in their lack of uniqueness. Every merchant in Terraria has specific function, while in Starbound they're just a random grab bag of goods.
edited 24th Jan '17 9:48:37 PM by Adannor