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The Popori are not actually a single race, but a collective group of animal-like races. There are four known races, the Porian, Merunim, Uru and Perunim. The are led by matriarchs called the Eluren. The Popori live harmoniously with nature around the Lake of the Moon on Arun continent. They are peaceful and exude a happy, optimistic vibe, but are quick to sense danger and change. All male Popori are animal-like in appearance, whereas females resemble a human child. Both sexes are much smaller than the other races of TERA.

Design Point

Weird, isn't it? On the one hand, it's interesting design. On the other, does it really fit into the TERA experience? My impression of the TERA style is that it's a pretty realistic fantasy style. When I'm cleaving through hordes of mobs or teaming up on a giant boss, the sight of cute fuzzy woodland creatures fighting alongside me seems a bit... out of place. Of the male customization options, we've got kittens, bunnies, pandas, puppies, and some kind of raccoon (?). To their credit, the Popori models are consistently realistic, there is little anthropomorphization, and facial hair patterns add a degree of sentient complexity to their image. Still, the image of these things walking around in armor is pretty droll. Female Popori, that is the Eluren mentioned above, are completely different. The females are basically little (human) girls with animal ears. I imagine this design will be pleasing to certain demographics.

Filed by FrozenHorizon at 10:33 pm under races  Tagged Animal Ears, arborean skies news, Both Sexes, Collective Group, Customization Options, Facial Hair, Fantasy Style, Hair Patterns, Hordes, Interesting Design, Kittens, Lake Of The Moon, Mobs, Pandas, Popori, Raccoon, Race Profile, Realistic Fantasy, Sense Danger, Uru, Woodland Creatures
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Filed by admin at 10:01 pm under tera online  Tagged Gameplay, Hd, online, Partying, Tera
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Humans are, well I assume we all know what humans are. In TERA, like in many games, Humans are the "middle" race. They are average in physical appearance, but boundless in potential. The Human race is comparatively young, but shows great promise as a member of the federation.

A bit of history, from TERA Fan Wiki:

"For 2000 years, humans had to endure The Diaspora. To recover what they had lost in those 2000 years, they established themselves in an area of Arborea that was torn by a war of deities. The humans are upright, have good physical shape, and are full of confidence. However, no one believes humans will be the leading race of Arborea.

Humans have built the city of Velika which is now considered the center of civilization. They have driven away various monsters and creatures in Arborea to bring about peace, and created the Valkyon Federation, an alliance of advanced civilizations in Arborea."

Design Point

The industrious, capable, but overall unremarkable Human is again, not anything new when it comes to fantasy. For future concepts, what special flair or advantage can be added to the Human resume? I mean, we of all people should know what we're good at, right?

Male humans show a kind of physical exaggeration peculiar to the Korean style. Anatomy is slightly deformed to achieve emphasis, mostly in the torso and shoulder area. It may remind some of Hyung-tae Kim's artstyle from games such as Magna Carta. While not the slender, pretty boys of Japanese design, there is perhaps something still lacking here. Differentiation in facial features tend to revolve around ornaments, or surface decorations like facial hair, scars, wrinkles etc. Facial anatomy itself is a bit underwhelming, and leads to kind of a dull look. A greater dimension can be achieved with more exaggerated noses, eyes, lips, jawline and chin size. Don't be afraid to go for to the extreme! Female humans though, look very monotonous. The hairstyles are fairly regular, and similar to the High Elves. All females no matter what customization appear like a lady in her late 20s, certainly a more "mature" feel than the usual female game model. All in all, the designs fit the Human label pretty well.

Filed by FrozenHorizon at 9:55 pm under races  Tagged Arborea, arborean skies news, Artstyle, Deities, Facial Features, Facial Hair, Female Humans, Future Concepts, High Elves, Hyung Tae Kim, Japanese Design, Jawline, Korean Style, Magna Carta, Male Humans, Physical Appearance, Physical Shape, Pretty Boys, Race Profile, Shoulder Area, Surface Decorations
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The High Elves are a powerful race with a strong talent for magic. They were once part of an advanced Elven civilization. When the Elven civilization fell during the War of the Gods, a group of Elves emerged from the disaster, abandoned their old ways, and renamed themselves the High Elves. They migrated to the continent of Shara, where they built a new capital, Allemantheia. They are fond of dueling.

High Elves tend to be arrogant and prideful and look down on the other races. They are pale with light hair with pointed ears, and dress in a vain and aristocratic manner.

Design Point

Not much to say here. The fair-skinned, noble, magical Elf trope is not exactly groundbreaking. Their hair design is modern-chic, but nothing new there either. Males can look a lot like Legolas. Someone invent some new Elf stereotypes already!

Filed by FrozenHorizon at 9:26 pm under races  Tagged arborean skies news, Civilization, Continent, Disaster, Elf, Hair Design, High Elves, Light Hair, Magic, Pointed Ears, Race Profile, Shara, Stereotypes, Trope, War Of The Gods
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The Castanics are a race of demon-like humanoids known for being crafty and resourceful. They possess two decorated horns and pointed, elf-like ears. Individual Castanics may have different styles of horns. Their skin is pale to tan. Castanics are physically smaller than the other humanoid races, but are known to be agile and quick. They are independent, preferring to rely on their own skills than others. Because of this, they have a reputation for not listening to orders, and a penchant to put their own interests before morals.

A brief history, from TERA Fans Wiki:

"The Castanics have been under pressure from foreign invasion for the longest period of time of all races. During the Age of Deities, they were driven out from their homeland by their once brother-like Deva race. After the War of the Gods, they were protected by the demon god Roak, who was thought to eventually bring an end to the world. Due to their relationship with Roak, they were treated badly by other races.

The Castanics were able to become a part of the Valkyon Federation with the help of the Humans of Velika and the Amani, but to achieve that feat many young Castanics disappeared to the battlefield. To counter all the resentment from other races, they have become a very independent race. To this day, they continue to pass down their traditions from generation to generation."


Design Point

The design of the Castanics seem more based on characteristics than physical appearance. The concept eluded me at first, but a closer look reveals something like a "fallen-angel-meets-lone-wolf-rogue" idea. It would be interesting to see how well this is presented ingame. The horns differ from those of the Amani. Castanic horns are something more occult, whereas Amani horns are more beast-like. There is no great dichotomy between the sexes. The females look human save their horns. Female Castanic armor is skimpy, and may defy the laws of gravity as they somehow stick to the body with no visible support. It's clear the armor reflects a certain "sinful seduction" look, adding to the whole demonlike motif. Males feature elaborate hairstyles, and have kind of a rebellious glam look, although I wouldn't go so far as to call them effeminate.

Filed by FrozenHorizon at 8:13 pm under races  Tagged Amani, arborean skies news, Brief History, Deities, Demon God, Dichotomy, Different Styles, Generation Design, Generation To Generation, Horns, Humanoid Races, Humanoids, Laws Of Gravity, Lone Wolf, Penchant, Physical Appearance, Race Profile, Resentment, Roak, Visible Support, War Of The Gods
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The Baraka are hulking descendants of Giants. Unlike their cruel and proud ancestors however, the Baraka are a peaceful race with a sophisticated intellect. They are quiet and reclusive, seeking out knowledge wherever they can. Baraka are massive in stature. Their faces are calm and emotionless. Their skin is grey to bluish. All Baraka are male.

Design Point

The Baraka are my favorite in terms of creativity. It has really captured the "gentle giant" look. There is a very good motif that's been displayed here in the Baraka's facial features. Their faces appear stone-like, almost statuesque, yet also display organic features like beards and hair. All the facial variations carry a very "stone automaton" look. Props to the artists who created the Baraka. Also, the Baraka voice sound effects are very fitting of the image. A deep, echoing sound, yet clearly too sonorous and melodic to be human. Why are there no female Baraka? Perhaps they are immortal and need not reproduce. My theory though, is that female models would not fit very well with the Baraka image. Regardless, the Baraka is truly inspired design.

Filed by FrozenHorizon at 1:51 am under races  Tagged Ancestors, arborean skies news, Automaton, Beards, Creativity, Descendants, Faces, Facial Features, Female Models, Giants, Image, Intellect, Motif, Peaceful Race, Props, Race Profile, Sound Effects, Stature, Variations, Voice Effects, Voice Sound
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Ok, enough company profiles, let's get to the game design!

Today, I will look at the Aman or Amani (plural?). A bit of background first. The Amani are a physically large race, with strong resemblance to wild beasts. The males have horns, and are coated with reptilian scales or something similar. Their faces are rather un-human, ogre-like if you will. The females though resemble quite like humans, save for the eye area which is similar in beastly appearance. They tend to have long, bundled hair.

And their history is as follows, from TERA Fans Wiki:

"The Amani are a warrior race, having been embroiled in constant warfare with the other races since the beginning of time. Since the time that their father and creator, Amarune, gave life to the Amani during the Age of Deities, they have engaged their neighboring races in ceaseless battle. Following the death of Amarune, the Amani became enslaved to the Republic of Giants in its quest for continental supremacy.

Recent times have seen the Amani continue to serve the front line in the defense of the Valkyon Federation from the Argon invaders. Having been inured to a constant struggle for supremacy and pursuit of ambition, the Amani experienced a rebirth into a race that valued freedom, prestige, and self-sacrifice following their long ordeal of enslavement. This transformation contributed greatly to the acceptance of the Aman into the ranks of the multi-racial Valkion Coalition."

Design Point

At first glance, the Amani do not stand out to me. In my opinion, distinction and diversity between everything is very important in any MMO. It is key to present a large variety of unique elements in order for people to feel like they're really stepping into their character role. Be it a wide range of environments, music or even color-coded skill icons. Unfortunately, the Amani design does not give that impression. The design has been described as "dragon-like", which is a fine concept. Problem is, the armor hides too much of their distinctiveness, something that could be balanced out with slightly brighter colors around the face. The great difference between male and female models is, I assume, to present a sexy, appealing human-like female character. Wouldn't be the first MMO to compromise unique female models for the sake of sex appeal, but I'm not complaining there.

Filed by FrozenHorizon at 10:26 pm under races  Tagged Amani, arborean skies news, Argon, Beginning Of Time, Character Role, Company Profiles, Constant Struggle, Deities, Design Today, Eye Area, First Glance, Game Design, Mmo, Ogre, Ordeal, Race Profile, Reptilian Scales, Resemblance, Self Sacrifice, Warrior Race, Wild Beasts
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TERA is a massively multiplayer online roleplaying game (MMORPG) in which you fight to protect the Valkyon Federation—an alliance of the worlds surface races—while also battling for glory and power. With action-filled gameplay and riveting visuals, TERA promises a thrilling, engaging ride. See terammo.com for more!

Filed by admin at 10:00 pm under tera online  Tagged bluehole studios, En Masse Entertainment, gaming, Hd, Mmo, Mmorpg, Mp4, Multiplayer Game, Online Game, Online Mmorpg, Online Roleplaying Game, Online Video, Tera, tera mmo, tera online, Trailer, Visuals
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En Masse Entertainment is a subsidiary of Bluehole Studio, and is based in Seattle. It was created with the purpose of bringing games, specifically online games, to a Western audience. Like its parent company, En Masse too is staffed with industry veterans, including several NCSoft vets, as well as Patrick Wyatt, the man who created Warcraft and Starcraft. Producer Brian Knox (who produced Aion) is dedicated to bringing Korean games to the Western market. En Masse has also hired David Noonan (of D&D fame) as lead writer for game lore. With its big names and international staff, it may be shaping up to be the first major Western-based publisher of Korean games, and could give a whole new face to the genre. Look out for this one.

Filed by FrozenHorizon at 9:02 pm under Uncategorized  Tagged Amp, arborean skies news, David Noonan, Entertainment, fame, Game, Genre, Industry Veterans, International Staff, Korean Games, Lore, Ncsoft, New Face, Parent Company, Producer Brian, Seattle, Starcraft, Subsidiary, Western Audience
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TERA’s creators, Bluehole Studio, takes its name from the Great Blue Hole of Belize. But has anyone heard of this company before? I haven’t. Who is the Bluehole team?

The studio is based in Seoul, Korea, and is devoted entirely to online gaming. It was founded in 2007 by a team of “industry veterans”. As of now, the only product in its portfolio is, TERA. According to its English site, Bluehole is made up of over 200 employees, along with a handful of former core developers from NCSoft (responsible for Aion, the Lineage series, etc). These distinguished members include, quote, “the former producer, lead game designer, lead programmer, and art director of Lineage II.“ Sounds like some heavy hitters. And starting out with a team of 200+? Perhaps Bluehole is a gaming company to watch for in the future. The Korean version of their homepage contains far more details than the English one, but unfortunately I understand none of it. If someone would like to translate some key information, that would be fantastic. In any case, Bluehole Studio radiates an aura of professionalism and is worth keeping an eye on.

Filed by FrozenHorizon at 4:39 pm under Uncategorized  Tagged arborean skies news, Art Director, Aura, Belize, Blue Hole, Bluehole, Case Studio, Core Developers, Creators, Game Designer, Gaming Company, Handful, Industry Veterans, Korean Version, Lineage Ii, Professionalism, Programmer, Seoul Korea, Some Heavy Hitters, Tera
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