Why are the devs silent about curio collector?

[minespatch]

He's a existing character who's out of sight unless you know where to look. Yet lore wise, when I try to ask about him, there's radio silence. Can't help but wonder if they have big plans for the character.

I remember that one time Sudura told me about the curio collector update where you could trade in chests but the devs said that mechanic was dropped, despite the dialogue changed him from being a Tom Waitsy chill country man to some erudite gentleman... Just something suspicious.

[Maxposting]

1 hour ago, minespatch said:

I remember that one time Sudura told me about the curio collector update where you could trade in chests but the devs said that mechanic was dropped, despite the dialogue changed him from being a Tom Waitsy chill country man to some erudite gentleman... Just something suspicious.

Honestly it felt like a completely different trade inn keeper and the Spools annoucement mentioned a new trader.

I will look it up.

Edit: I found it in this post;

 

Quote

There’s a new trader in town! If you get duplicates, you will be able to break them down to scrap and craft them into event items.

 

[minespatch]

54 minutes ago, __IvoCZE__ said:

Spools annoucement mentioned a new trader.

3 years ago...

[Well-met]

Have you considered perhaps it is you who's very obsessed about very meaningless and trivial bits of the game?

[axxel]

23 minutes ago, Well-met said:

Have you considered perhaps it is you who's very obsessed about very meaningless and trivial bits of the game?

That's not very nice. Minespatch contributed many fan works over the years and is interested, as many other, in the lore (trivia). It was just a question about a upcoming feature/NPC that wasn't released yet. If you don't have an opinion about OP's question then let it be. 

[Pebrot]

6 hours ago, __IvoCZE__ said:

There’s a new trader in town! If you get duplicates, you will be able to break them down to scrap and craft them into event items.

 

i think that's back in the day when there werent spools in game, and the "new trader" is meant to be yourself as you could wave things to get new ones.

[Charesque]

Speaking of The Forge's unreleased Trader - I'm kind of dissapointed we never got to see him. But judging by his quotes he was supposed to be a Shadow creature.
 

Spoiler

...Or maybe the Shadow trader is Inn Keeper's real form... We'll most likely never know...

 

[Whisperlisc]

What if Trader will be the final secret boss of this game but he is just hiding as a trader but when we'll get Charlie he will get angry that we are messing up his plan and he'll show us his true form and defeating him will be the key to get survivors back home.

[bruhmoment23]

8 minutes ago, Kuba5565 said:

What if Trader will be the final secret boss of this game but he is just hiding as a trader but when we'll get Charlie he will get angry that we are messing up his plan and he'll show us his true form and defeating him will be the key to get survivors back home.

His special move will be choking to death with a pleated shirt

[MondayNight]

"There’s a new trader in town! If you get duplicates, you will be able to break them down to scrap and craft them into event items."

The above line from that linked 2017 announcement seems to be just a marketing way to introduce the Spools Mechanic. Anyone knows if there's a hidden in-game character model for such a trader and dialogue lines you guys hint at? If so, pls do post them - visual model for said trader and his text lines.

[Maxposting]

9 minutes ago, x0-VERSUS-1y said:

Anyone knows if there's a hidden in-game character model for such a trader and dialogue lines you guys hint at? If so, pls do post them - visual model for said trader and his text lines.

The Wikia page links this: 

Spoiler

 

Special Deal "The special deals are cheaper than tha normal ones, but ya gotta give me the exact things I'm lookin' for." "These're my special deals. Gimme the stuff I'm looking for and I'll give ya a better item in exchange." "I'm lookin' for some particular things right now. If ya can give 'em to me, I'll give ya a new one of higher quality." Some Special Items Placed "I just need tha rest of the items on tha list. Bang 'em on in tha machine an' it'll spit out a higher quality item for ya." "Ya got the rest of tha stuff I'm lookin' for? If not, come back in a few days an' there might be a new deal." Examining Special Deals List "Take a look at tha list. Get me all tha things on it and I'll give ya a better item." "Ya got tha items on tha list? Stick 'em in there and ya'll get a better item out 'o tha machine." "If ya give me tha items on tha list, I'll give ya a higher quality item in exchange." Greeting (Forge version) "Greetings, mortal. Have you brought chests? I'll be happy to reveal your gifts, if so." "Greetings, mortal. I sense a chest in your possession! Please, be my guest." "Greetings, mortal. Come to receive gifts from the Shadow realm? You need only open your chests."

Greeting (no items, Forge version) "Greetings, mortal. No chests today? A shame." "Greetings, mortal. Chests to find their way to you on your travels. I'll be here, until then." "Greetings, mortal. I sense you have no chests. You have been adventuring, yes?" Idle (Forge version, Shadow Trader) "[The shadow murmurs something, but you cannot comprehend the words.]" "Be at ease, mortal. We exist outside time, here." "[Chortle] Have you met her yet?" "I'll admit, I've always found Chesters endearing." "It seems you've a few admirers lurking in the shadows." "Do you ever tire of that ratty old mortal body?" "You're a long way from home are you not, little mortal?" "Your realm is a bit frazzled around the edges, hm?" "Tell me, have you traveled through the Gateway yet?" "[Chortle] You mortals have been quite enamored with the throne, haven't you?" "[Sigh] Immortality is such a burden." "Fear the dark, little mortal." "You must recount your corporeal stories to me some time, mortal."

 

[Mike23Ua]

So the Inn Keeper really is the Shadow Watcher? I was only joking about that.. but this is interesting.  

[minespatch]

Again, not trying to be obsessive but this guy owns a NOX. Something that has been mentioned in the Forge! I can't help but wonder what else he's hiding. At least the mini-games kind of explore his character(like his OCD wrapper addiction).

Thanks for giving him mini-games, @PeterA.

[Owlrust]

Usually when a company adds someone they want to keep silent about for awhile (or forever) they will joke about it often, or even beat around it; sometimes those characters are there for that entire purpose of being an aforementioned being. For example, a game I love to play a lot- Deep Rock Galactic has a character that is heavily hinted at named "Karl"; all the dwarves mention him with lines like "For Karl!" or "Karl would approve of this", but there is no information about him besides that dwarves seem to respect him. When you ask the devs about Karl, they usually joke by saying "Karl is Karl" or something like that. In other words, he could just be a side-character the devs don't want much from aside from having a use to the player. 

[minespatch]

I do have a theory that Curio Collector might be Wendy's father Jack Carter... So maybe that's why they're silent.

He has Wendy's eyes, his character sheet has Maxwell's cigar, and he mentions about a "boss"... Who might be Charlie or someone we don't know about.

[Maxposting]

19 minutes ago, minespatch said:

he mentions about a "boss"... Who might be Charlie or someone we don't know about.

Could be the Witherstone person from Maxwell puzzles?

But if I remember correctly, wasn't Witherstone running a loan-debt company?

[minespatch]

10 minutes ago, __IvoCZE__ said:

But if I remember correctly, wasn't Witherstone running a loan-debt company?

Witherstone is a W name after all. Not sure if Curio Collector is related to Maxwell at all since he;s a DST original.

[minespatch]

2 hours ago, Mike23Ua said:

So the Inn Keeper really is the Shadow Watcher? I was only joking about that.. but this is interesting.  

I like to imagine that being a different character or maybe a alternative shadow behind the Curio Collector like another dimension version of Curio Collector. All I know is the curio Collector is kind of like a homeless man with a ox as his best friend. It's so pathetic but adorable.

[CameoAppearance]

I don't think the Curio Collector or his nox is actually important to the lore; I think he just exists to add flavour to item trading. (Though it would be nice to see what a nox looks like. Maybe a more fearsome relative of the beefalo, judging by the nox helms.) I'm also fairly confident that the unimplemented Shadow Trader is a different person entirely, not the Curio Collector's true form.

[Mike23Ua]

17 minutes ago, minespatch said:

I like to imagine that being a different character or maybe a alternative shadow behind the Curio Collector like another dimension version of Curio Collector. All I know is the curio Collector is kind of like a homeless man with a ox as his best friend. It's so pathetic but adorable.

But isn’t the Curio collector not actually in the Constant at all?? He directly references YOU the player, not Wilson, Wendy, Wolfgang Etc...

Which leads me to think that Wilson and crew are inside of an Arcade Machine Game, And Myself and Curio Collector are on the outside.

Like the Movie Wreck it Ralph.

[minespatch]

14 minutes ago, Mike23Ua said:

He directly references YOU the player, not Wilson, Wendy, Wolfgang Etc...

If we're... THEM... WHO'S HIS BOSS????

[CaptainChaotica]

20 minutes ago, Mike23Ua said:

Which leads me to think that Wilson and crew are inside of an Arcade Machine Game, And Myself and Curio Collector are on the outside.

Like the Movie Wreck it Ralph.

FLYNN:  On the other side of the screen...it all looked so easy!

(aka characters in Disney movies have been getting stuck inside computer worlds WAY longer than that!  )

Anyway yeah...the Trader is kind of just for the _player_ to interact with; he doesn't seem to be part of the game world PROPER at all.  _Should_ he get actual lore that properly ties him into stuff, or will that start to warp and transparify the fourth wall in a way that would have genre-savvy players looking paranoidly over their shoulders for smiling flowers or ponytailed schoolgirls...?

...Notorious