K-TERA Patch Notes | 3.17.11

K-TERA Patch Notes | 3.17.11

[Zones]

1.Some party oriented zones have been converted to Solo zones.

-Target locations

  • 7 in Southern Arun: Forgotten City of Giants, Hill of the Crazed, Hill of Vampir, Cave of the Dead, Pirate Cave, Temple of the Heretics 1st Floor, Island of Snakes.
  • 3 in Southern Shara: Ancient Forest, Frozen Shores, Valley of Savagery.


-Tweaked notes

  • The party monsters in above zones had their difficulty reduced to solo level and experience and drop rates were increased.
  • Instances, large and named monsters will still require a full party.



2.Difficulty tweaked on some Party zones.

-Target locations

  • Excluding the Solo zones and instance dungeons. Southern Arun and Shara.



-Tweaked content

  • Party monster difficulty was reduced to allow a 2~3 person party to kill them.
  • Drop rate and experience are reduced along with the difficulty.
  • Quest log will now show if the quest is for 3man or 5man.
  • Instances, Large and named monsters will still require a full party.



3.Basic Stat change

-Lancer and Warriors now get enhanced attack power when fighting solo monsters.

  • Warrior’s attack damage increased by 4%
  • Lancer’s attack damage increased by 10%



4.Minor zone tweaks

-Monster respawn rates around the zones have been tweaked.

  • To fix the issue where killing a monster causes it to instantly respawn, we have made normal monsters that required less than 90 seconds to respawn to take 90 seconds to respawn.
  • Instance dungeons / large monsters / named monsters do not apply to above change.


-Difficulty reduced for killing high level monsters. (Solo / 3 man party monsters only)

  • Difficulty lowered when fighting monsters higher than your level.
  • Attack penalty for level difference has been lowered by 3%
  • Critical chance penalty for level difference has been lowered by 0.25%
  • Instance dungeons / large monsters / named monsters do not apply to above change.



-Basin of Eternity

  • Lowered the number of monsters required to complete the repeatable quest.
  • Quest ‘Young Kumas’ had the required number lowered to 1 from 3.
  • Quest ‘Core of Kumas’ had the required number lowered to 2 from 3.
  • Quest ‘Fang Pillager!’ had the required number lowered to 1 from 3.
  • Quest ‘Fang Plunderer!’ had the required number lowered to 2 from 3.
  • Previous requirements of needing ‘Basin of Eternity’ quest chain completed for the Brown War Horse has been removed. Instead, you now can get the quest at level 20.


-Island of Dawn, Southern Lumber mill and Forgotten Forest

  • Some quest now require you to kill less monsters than before.



-Golden Road

  • The northern path of the Golden Road is accompanied by Orkans, instead of Kumas.
  • The southern path of the Golden Road is accompanied by Kuchat, instead of Sandstorm Lizards.



-Mountain of Flames and Island of Snakes

  • To fix some monsters being more efficient than others, those monsters had their HP and EXP changed. Some monsters in Island of Snakes had their efficiency lowered slightly but some monsters in Mountain of Flames had their efficiency raised. Overall, you can expect better reward for most monsters.
  • Those effected below
  • Mountain of Flames Monsters below
  • Burning Abysmal Flames: HP lowered by 24%, EXP raised by 15%, attack lowered by 10%.
  • Burning Earth Elemental: HP lowered by 1%, EXP raised by 15%, attack lowered by 10%.
  • Raging Hellfire: HP not changed, EXP not changed, attack lowered by 10%
  • Burning Dark Venomous Snake: HP lowered by 20%, EXP raised by 15%, attack not changed.
  • Abysmal Hell Beast: HP lowered by 17%, EXP raised by 15%, attack not changed.


  • Island of Snakes monsters below
  • Aganti Watchman: HP rose by 10%, EXP lowered by 9%, attack not changed.
  • Aganti Fang Warrior: HP rose by 10%, EXP lowered by 9%, attack not changed.


  • Removed the monsters causing massive respawn issues near the camp in Island of Snakes to lower the difficulty of the zone.


-Hill of Vampir

  • The named monsters Serizar and Serizar’s Servant has been removed.


-Temple of Heretics
  • Terkasia not being able to catch up to the player has been addressed by raising the Terkasia’s movement speed by 67%.


-Ancient Castle of Evil

  • Removed some of the monsters that resided in the 2nd and 3rd floor’s corridors.
  • Removed some of the monster combination of Interrogator, zombie prisoner and zombie miner on the 3rd floor.


-Temple of Dagon

  • Density of the monster placement has been addressed to lower the difficulty.
  • With the new density of the monster spawn being spread out, the respawn rate has been changed from 5 minutes to 1 minute and 30 seconds.


-Frozen Prairie

  • To increase the density of the monsters in the area, there will now be normal monsters spawning near the mid-sized monsters to increase the efficiency of leveling.
  • Heal cooldown of Wendigo Cleric and Wendigo Cryomancer has been increased by 3 minutes from 30 seconds.


-Mia Arachnia

  • Heal cooldown of Blinded Shaman and Pope Kaligo has been increased by 3 minutes from 30 seconds.


-Howling Encroachment

  • Heal cooldown of Kuchat Shaman has been increased by 30 seconds from 10 seconds.


-Ancient Forest

  • Heal cooldown of Suspicious group’s Shaman has been increased by 40 seconds from 6 seconds.


-Castle of the Witch

  • Heal cooldown of Corrupted Witch Apprentice has been increased by 30 seconds from 6 seconds, also lowered the amount it heals.



5.Party Play

-Changes

  • When in a party and doing a solo quest, all party members will receive the objective.
  • Repeatable quests are affected by the changes.


-Target Area

  • Island of Dawn, Southern Lumber Mill, Forgotten Forest, Hookian Reservation, Howling Encroachment and Basin of Eternity.



6.Combat reward tweaks

-Mid-sized monsters

  • Mid-sized monsters will no longer drop bandage type items.


-Solo / 3 man party monsters

  • The spheres dropped by monsters will not only drop HP recovering spheres but also curing spheres that cure your status ailments.
  • 3 man party monsters will drop HP restoring spheres and it will drop twice as often as solo play monsters.


-Drop rate change

  • Holy water of Vitality
  • Holy water of Vitality will now drop 80% less frequent than before.
  • Movement Scroll / Resurrection Scroll / Pandora’s Box / Holy Water of Swiftness / Campfire’s drop rate has been lowered depending on your level.
  • Level 1~11: Same as before
  • Level 12~23: About 70% of the drop rate from before.
  • Level 24~35: About 60% of the drop rate from before.
  • Level 36~48: About 50% of the drop rate from before.
  • Level 49~50: About 40% of the drop rate from before.


-Tweaked the reward rate of Gold and reagents.

  • Crafting difficulty has been lowered and to make crafting more viable raised the chance of monsters dropping the crafting materials and lowered the amount gold the monsters drop.


[Zone > Instance]


-Necromancy Research Lab

  • Fixed the level required to enter the Necromancy Research lab to compliment the mission level to 41 from 42.
  • To make the quest ‘Kaidun’s Whereabouts’ to connect smoothly with ‘Kaidun’s Spirit’ added to the last part to visit to the NPC that starts the ‘Kaidun’s Spirit’ at the end of ‘Kaidun’s Whereabouts’ quest chain.



[Class > Lancer]


-Shield Block

  • Tweaked the Shield block to shield some damage from the allies behind the Lancer.
  • When successfully blocked, the allies behind you will receive 70% reduced damage. However, chance of paralyze and knock downs will never happen. Damage reduction has co-relation with the Lancer’s Defense.
  • E.i: When a Priest behind the Lancer was to receive 1000 damage, but if the Lancer successfully blocks the attack the Priest will only receive 300 of the damage. However, it will not block status ailments like bleeds.



[Class > Berserker]


-Tornado

  • Fixed the issue of certain race / sex dealing less damage when the enemy’s Health was higher.
  • Target: Human Male / High Elf Female


-Killing Will

  • Fixed the issue of Berserker’s Killing Will skill removing the Lancer’s Ironclad Will buff. (Cross out)
  • ##:‘Killing Will’ skill is currently unrevealed skill so was removed from the patch note.



[Class > Priest]

-Purifying Wind

  • Cooldown has been lowered from 20 seconds to 2.5 seconds.


-Awakening

  • Allies affected by this skill will have twice the resistance of being knocked back or paralyzed for 5 seconds.


-Ishara’s Lullaby

  • Skill animation time has been changed from 2 seconds to 1.8 seconds.


-Guardian Armor

  • During the time of period the buff is up, you are immune to knock backs and paralyze effects.
  • Cooldown has been reduced from 120 seconds to 75 seconds.
  • Skill animation time has been changed from 1.4 seconds to 0.66 seconds.
  • Skill cast time reduced from 0.9 seconds to 0.2 seconds.
  • Skill range has been increased from 15m to 18m.
  • MP cost has been increased from 500 to 675.
  • The buff now lasts 12 seconds up from 10 seconds.
  • The skill will be changed like below.
  • Lv1: Absorb 4367: Now absorbs 5111
  • Lv2: Absorb 6062: Now absorbs 7095


-Hand of Judgment

  • Mp cost has been increased from 125 to 500.
  • Skill’s damage has been increased by 2.79 times from before.
  • During the animation of the skill your resistance to knock backs and paralyze will double.
  • Skill cooldown has been increased from 4 seconds to 15 seconds.
  • Skill cast time has been increased from 1.4 seconds to 1.8 seconds.


-Hand of Retribution

  • MP cost has been reduced from 500 to 250.
  • Skill’s damage has been increased by 1.96 times from before.
  • Skill’s chance to cause knock back and paralyze is slightly lowered.
  • During the animation of the skill your resistance to knock backs and paralyze will double.
  • Skill cooldown has been reduced from 7 seconds to 4 seconds.


-Mark of Immobility

  • When using the skill, distance of push back is increased by 8.4m from 6m.
  • Skill’s area of effect is increased by 2.8m from 2.4m.
  • Skill’s speed is increased by 20%
  • After the use of the skill ‘Light of Retribution’ the skill ‘Mark of Immobility’ can be used instantly.
  • Using the skill ‘Soothing Light’, ‘Prayer of Healing’ and ‘Hand of Retribution’ will let you use the skill ‘Mark of Immobility’ during the delay of the combo.


-Divine Bolt

  • Lowered the chance of last hit not applying when using the skill ‘Hand of Retribution’ right after the 3 hit divine bolt combo.


-Curtain of Retribution

  • Added a hand of Retribution to become a combo with Curtain of Retribution. When the Hand of Retribution is used as a combo, the skill animation time will be increased by 2.5 times. It will also now show proper pop-ups.


-During the use of Light of Retribution, made it possible to cancel the skill any time. Also after the use of the skills Soothing Light, Prayer of Healing and Hand of Retribution made it possible to cancel.
->When there is a delay after a skill use it means it can be canceled.

-Mana boost

  • Increased the regen rate from skills.
  • Charge level: 0, previously 100 MP, now 103 MP
  • Charge level: 1, previously 300 MP, now 319 MP
  • Charge level: 2, previously 500 MP, now 549 MP
  • Charge level: 3, previously 700 MP, now 800 MP


-Mana boost Glyphs added

  • Increase the MP restore amount by 15%
  • Uses 4 glyph points.


-Guardian Armor glyphs added

  • When using the skill Guardian Armor, Cleric’s Vitality increased by 30% for 12 seconds.
  • Even after the Guardian Armor effect is gone, the increased vitality buff lasts for 12 seconds.
  • Uses 5 glyph points.


-Healing amount now scales through gear.
###: New skills and added glyphs will be applied on March, 24th patch.


[Class > Mystic]


-Sleep Sand

  • Fixed the time it takes the skill to be used and hit the target by 1.2 up from 0.5 seconds.
  • During PVP the effect will only last 8 seconds, down from 10 seconds.


-Flash Shot

  • Cooldown increased from 15 seconds to 30 seconds.
  • During PVP the stun duration will be reduced to 3 seconds from 5 seconds.


-Summon: Elemental of Destruction

  • When using the skill, the elemental will be summoned at the direction the Mystic is facing.
  • Elemental’s AI has been tweaked so that it no longer moves towards the target and uses its skills at the spot.
  • Elemental’s skill speed has been increased.
  • Take Down attack speed increased by: 1.2 times normal.
  • Single Shot attack speed increased by: 1.5 times normal.
  • Triple Shot attack speed increased by: 1.4 times normal.
  • Take down’s skill reach has been reduced.
  • Uses the skill only once and fixed the issue of the elemental disappearing during the use of its second skill.


-Summon: Elemental of Lightning

  • Duration of the skill is increased by 2 seconds so it attacks more.
  • Skills had its effect increased by 140~160%.
  • Fixed the issue of Elemental’s attack being slow after level 6.


-Skills now properly scale with gears.

  • ’Essence of Rejuvention’, ‘Elemental of Life’ skill will not be affected by gear.


[Item]


-Staff & Wand

  • Added basic effects
  • All staves and wands now have ‘Heal power’ so skills can now properly scale with gear.
  • With the new change, base ability of the skills have been lowered but with the new gear scaling effect it will be better.
  • Now with better equipment, you can heal more.
  • However, Mytic’s ‘Essence of Rejuvenation’ and ‘Elemental of Life’ will be not affected by this change.
  • E.i: When using the Golden Labyrinth staff


Before: Lv50 Priest using the skill healing invocation IX will heal 7325 without gear.
After: Lv50 Priest using the skill healing invocation IX will heal 10088 with gear’s added 2581 heal added effect. Adding 7% more healing mount.

-Gear effect added

  • Staves and Wands will now have more variety of options to be added.
  • Heal amount added by 7%
  • Reduced the threat caused by heals by 6%


-Gear effect removed

  • The random added effect ‘When using instant healing skill adding the healing amount by 9.1%’ will no longer be added in new gears, however currently existing items will keep its effects.
  • However when the effect is not added randomly the effect ‘When using instant healing skill adding the healing amount by 9.1%’ still exist.


-Bandage changes

  • Bandage prices has been cut
  • Bandage healing amount has been changed like the below.
  • Bandage I: Used to heal 34, now heals 43
  • Bandage II: Used to heal 68, now heals 79.
  • Bandage III: Used to heal 143, now heals 152.
  • Bandage IV: Used to heal 300, now heals 290.
  • Bandage V: Used to heal 665, now heals 582.


-Potion of Bravery / Potion of Fortitude

  • Made it so that the effects only work in PVP instead of also working for PVE.
  • Potion’s effect have been changed like the below.
  • Potion of Bravery: During PVP skill damage increased by 5%.
  • Potion of Fortitude: Reduces the damage received during PVP by 18%.
  • Death no longer takes away the buff.


-Brand Shop items added

  • Added the items being sold at the Brand Shop.
  • Special Charm added: Added a charm that only buffs you with special effects.
  • Swift Resurrection Scroll added: Cast time of the scroll is only 5 seconds.
  • Magical Bandage added: Magical Bandage will heal twice the amount to regular bandage, also unlike normal bandages the bandage effect will resist even in combat.
  • Instance dungeon teleport scroll added: Scrolls are now available that immediately teleports a player to the instance dungeon of your choice. Teleport Scrolls for all instance dungeons are sold.
  • Holy Water of Combat Vitality added: It restores 40 conditions and can be used in combat.
  • [Rare] Enchant Crystal added: Normal and Rare ranked crystals will be added.


[System > Politics]

-Political system will be added. First elections will take place on below dates.

March, 19th(Sat) 8PM: Registration for Archon begins.
March, 20th(Sun) 8PM: Registration for Archon ends and Election begins.
March, 26th(Sat) 8PM: First Archons will be born and his or her political reign will begin.

  • The archon period is 3 weeks and first Archon’s ruling period will be from March 26th to April 16th.
  • Second Archon election will begin on March, 9th and will continue until March, 16th.


-Requirements to become Archon Candidate.

  • To become a candidate you need to have more than 20 guild members.
  • ##: The Requirements for the election might change depending on the server’s activeness and each guild’s activity.


-For more info on Political system, click the link below.
Political System Post

[System > Achievements]

-New achievements added

  • ”Let’s be together” achievement will be added
  • To get the achievement you need to join a party once.


-Changed the requirements for the ‘Let’s all be friends’ achievement

  • Requirements changed from having 60 registered friends to 40 registered friends.


-Achievements regarding crafting have been changed.

  • Requirements for the below achievements have been changed.
  • Veteran Weaponsmith: Used to require 500 in Weaponsmith, now requires 300 in Weaponsmith.
  • Master Weaponsmith: Used to require 1500 in Weaponsmith, now requires 500 in Weaponsmith.
  • Veteran Magicsmith: Used to require 500 in Magicsmith, now requires 300 in Magicsmith.
  • Master Magicsmith: Used to require 1500 in Magicsmith, now requires 500 in Magicsmith.
  • Veteran Light Armorsmith: Used to require 500 in Light Armorsmith, now requires 300 in Light Armorsmith.
  • Master Light Armorsmith: Used to require 1500 in Light Armorsmith, now requires 500 in Light Armorsmith.
  • Veteran Heavy Armorsmith: Used to require 500 in Heavy Armorsmith, now requires 300 in Heavy Armorsmith.
  • Master Heavy Armorsmith: Used to require 1500 in Heavy Armorsmith, now requires 500 in Heavy Armorsmith.
  • Veteran Cloth Armorsmith: Used to require 500 in Cloth Armorsmith, now requires 300 in Cloth Armorsmith.
  • Master Cloth Armorsmith: Used to require 1500 in Cloth Armorsmith, now requires 500 in Cloth Armorsmith.


-‘Blessing upon me’ achievement description changed.

  • Changed to ”No matter what the material, enchant to +9 to without any failure.”


[System > PK]

-Rules regarding PK changed

  • Rule before the change: Compare my level with the target’s level to decide how many Dreadlord’s Emblems to spend.
  • Rules after the change: Compare the level with the highest level in my party with the target to decide how many Dreadlord’s Emblems to spend.


[MISC.]

-Gift of the Goddess

  • Removed the delete button


-Crafting Tablet’s icon change

  • Crafting Tablet’s icon changed to make it easier to differentiate the difference in ranks.

Community Play Event: Save the Date: March 28–April 3

Hey TERA Fans! Today some information on the long awaited community play event was announced! Here are the important points:

  • Invitations will be sent out on March 25th.
  • A CPE forum will be open on the official site for CPE participants on March 25th.
  • The game servers will only be open on April 2nd and 3rd.
  • Future tests will be coming sooner than later.

Check out the full release below or on the official forums!

Quote

Greetings TERA fans!

They say March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb. In TERA, it comes in like a pigling and goes out like a noruk.

March is also the month we're going to invite our community to experience firsthand the current state of TERA, and to track our hard work in the coming months as we prepare the game for its North American launch. There's a lot of work for us to do, but that doesn't mean we can't find some time to thank you guys and let you see a little slice of TERA.

We've selected our former Focus Group Testers in good standing and a large number of additional community members who have distinguished themselves over the last year by making contributions to the TERA community (and who have filled out our testing application). On Friday, March 25, these people will receive invitations to the Community Play Event. At that time they'll gain access to a private area of our forums where they can discuss their experiences, interact with our staff, and give feedback about TERA.

So if you're a dedicated TERA fan, you'll want to keep the week of March 28–April 3 open for discussing the event, forming parties and guilds, getting familiar with our special contests for CPE participants, and preparing yourself to enter the world of TERA. Our game server will be open from April 2–April 3, so keep your social calendars free that weekend. You'll get to experience TERA with your fellow fans and more than a few members of the En Masse team!

Good luck, and thank you for your feedback and support of TERA!
-- Team TERA

TERA Fans GDC Interview

Posted Image


Ello TERA Fans! Today I have the answers to our PAX interview with Senior Producer Brian Knox! All of the questions were based on questions you all asked so thank you very much for that!

While choosing questions, I noticed a lot of repeat questions which we already have the answers to and so I chose not to have them asked. Here are some examples!

  • EME has already said over and over again that there will be "as little delay as possible" between K-TERA and Western TERA updates.
  • There won't be a sub-class system.
  • There won't be any large scale/siege style battles at launch. There may be later in the game's life.
  • TERA may have "item remodeling" or a "dye system" someday, but it is not a serious priority.
  • Guild v. Guild rivalries are to play out through politics.


With that out of the way, enjoy the interview!


Posted Image



Q. A few months ago an En Masse Entertainment post alluded to guild housing, but we never heard about it again. What happened to guild housing and will we see it in western TERA?

It's something I'll say is "in development," I'm not sure when we'll get to it or if it will make our launch, but it's definitely something we're looking at for Western TERA.

Q. At level 60, what will keep players coming out into the open world?

There's a lot of good named bosses that kind of roam the fields. There's some good challenges that, you know--epic boss fights--as well as if you're on a PvP server, there's going to be political intrigue with guild-vs.-guild combat. Hunting zones you can get badges in.

Q. There are some concerns about how damage scales with armor. Will these numbers be tweaked in time for TERA's western release?

A lot of it is through the leveling up process, you have to balance PvE and PvP. So as you're going through, that's consistently tweaked just to make sure you can find that kind of sweet spot. Armor and weapons do make a difference in TERA--it's still going to set people apart when everything else is equal, by quite a bit.

Q. Currently due to the extremely high critical strike damage, damage in PvP is very high. Do you have anything in mind to address this to take it down a notch?

Yeah I mean, that's all stuff that comes with balance over time. We're looking at it--I'm guessing they're playing on the Korean servers, so I can't really comment on that. But at the same time, all that stuff is looked at.

Q. In one of last year's demos the media was able to experience traps and other kinds of interactivity in an instance. Will there be more content added with traps and puzzles?

Yeah we want the world to be as interactive as possible. So in the PvE dungeons, one boss in particular has a couple traps so that you can get the boss hurt as well on them, so I think you'll find a few surprises like that.

Q. How will the PK system work on both PvP and PvE servers in North America?

On the PvE server we're just removing the PK system, so any open world PvP isn't gonna happen unless it's consentual through a duel or a death match, or in the battlegrounds. On PvP servers, there's going to be some slight variance from the Korean rule system, but the Korean rule system is gonna be our base. We'll work off the community feedback on that to tweak the PvP servers.

Q. Will players be able to queue for BGs anywhere in the world in western TERA?

That's something we're evaluating right now, kind of going over that with the lead designer, both in the times it's available as well as where you can queue. So the answer is: not sure yet.

Q. Are there any plans to let players disable or rebind the combo hotkey (spacebar)?

That's a good question. It hasn't really been brought up, but that's definitely something I could ask about.

Q. Are there plans to include more movable, separate, non-paged action bars?

Not at this time, but that's another good suggestion we can queue and see as players play the game more. Stuff like that isn't terribly difficult, but there's a lot of stuff in the queue from other feedback as well.

Q. Are there any plans to change racial bonuses for the western release?

We're going to keep the racial bonuses, but we are going to make sure they're balanced and tweaked appropriately. I think there are a couple that are off right now, but it's more about finding a balance than changing them for the Western market.

Q. Is there any information on a pre-selection service allowing players to reserve their name on their chosen server etc for the NA release?

No official information on it, but we're definitely investigating it. We really liked how it went for NHN, so that's definitely a feature we're seeing how we can best implement for our market.

Q. Will leveling in western TERA be less group oriented than it currently is in Korean TERA?

That's probably the major focus that we're looking at, here and the development team. Korean players want a little bit more soloability as well, so it's very high on our list.

[Results!] Male Baraka LF Wife!

Good morning, TERA Fans! After a tense judging period where winners reigned supreme very narrowly and by only a few points, I'm here to announce the winners of our latest contest! All grand prize winners will receive and invitation to the NA Community Play Even this month!

Story
This was one of the closest and most difficult competitions we've had on the site but in the end two short stories came out on top. Judged on their originality, creativity, and writing skill, the winners are...

Reaveyn

Quote

Alexius was bored. The Baraka had been in retirement for a couple of years and yet still carried around the shield and lance that had been his closest companion. Lives had been saved as he guarded those weaker in stature. His shield was scarred from the numerous battles and skirmishes that he had survived through. He referred to himself as such merely because it was what made the rest of the races comfortable. Baraka were never truly male nor female.

None of that mattered at this moment and he sighed. His long dedication to the Valkyon Federation made up the bulk of his memories and the library did not stop his thoughts. He should go out, Alexius decided and lifted his bulk from a chair that protested with a soft squeak.

He went out into the town and his steps lead him to their usual haunt. The Red Boar was one of the fiestier taverns and he enjoyed hearing tales of the war still going on. As he approached the door, however, he caught sight of another Baraka. One who looked as world-weary as he. One who he recognized as a famous priest.

"Alfonsus, is that you?"

The Baraka stopped and looked at him. "I feel I should know you, Lancer, have we fought together in campaigns long
past?"

"We may have but I do not think we have spoken together at length." Alexius suddenly remembered an ad that he had seen in the paper earlier. "You would not be seeking company perhaps?"

A slow smile appeared on Alfonsus's lips. "I am."

Alexius beckoned. "Walk with me and tell me what troubles you, my brother."

Alfonsus seemed nervous but did as asked. The two Baraka walked side by side through the busy streets of the town and after a time the priest began to speak. He talked of all the deeds he had done and all the battles won. Finally he came to just how alone he realized he was.

To Alexius, this was familiar. His heart beat in sympathy and he nodded in understanding. "I, too, am alone."

They hesitated and turned to face one another. Alexius reached out and they gasped as their fingertips touched. Then they were palm to palm, eye to eye.

"This feels... right," Alfonsus murmured.

"Yes," Alexius agreed, "Join with me."

And the two Baraka stood that way, face to face, palm to palm, while the city bustled on about them. As still as statues they were and the site unnerved a few of the other races who saw them while other Baraka just smiled knowingly. And once it was done, Alexius and Alfonsus could sense one another and they were never alone again.


and


Maladhiel

Quote

The muted light of dusk cast an orange glow on the dim, scratched metal of the large battleaxe strapped to her back. Long had Sheira been away from the City of Wheels and its surrounding lands where the bright light of hope still reached. Since the rise of the Argons, the constant battles had drained her spirit and slowly took its physical toll. Her talons were caked with dry earth and some scales were missing here and there. Healing had taken a backseat to survival. In her current state, a noruk could probably fell her.

She moved through the throngs with no fixed destination, her thoughts dark. Sheira needed some time away from the death, the destruction. In coming to Velika, she hoped to regain some of what she had lost. Rest with a hearty meal and strong ale was a start, though she sought something more, something that had been missing for a while now. Her desire for it festered within her like an untreated wound. What it was, she did not know.

Lifting her heavy head, she realized that she had reached her destination - the entrance to the inn stood before her. With a deep sigh, she turned towards the inviting warmth. However, before she stepped over the threshold, her observant eyes caught sight of a parchment, curled and weather-beaten, tacked to a notice board nearby. She did not know what drew her eye, since there were plenty of other notices posted there. Somehow, this one seemed different. Stepping closer, her tired eyes began to scan the Velika Falcon notice that shouted in prominent letters:

Alfonsus, Greatest Barakan Priest of Our Age, Seeking Mate!

Seeking a mate?! We’re at war! Sheira could not help her outraged thoughts. The history between the Amani and the Baraka was legendary. Many of her people still felt rage at the humiliations they suffered at the hands of the Barakan ancestors. However, even grudgingly, she would be the first to admit that they were formidable in battle, Alfonsus being one of the best, not to mention highly respected. His mate would certainly want for nothing. Though she felt skin pull away from her teeth in a fierce frown, a powerful tingle settled itself in her chest and spread quickly. Brows raised, a startling thought flowed through her mind: Could this be what I seek?

In response, her darker thoughts quieted and a fire of determination flared deep within her. Another quick scan of the ad revealed all pertinent information. Plans solidifying, her feet quickly spun her in the opposite direction. Strangely, lassitude had fled and the eagerness for new adventures filled her. Though decidedly unexpected, she felt her light of hope rekindled.


Honorable Mentions
Both crum1515 and Lorgarn deserve a lot of credit for their fantastic entries. Great job, you two!

Congratulations winners and honorable mentions! Winners will be contacted via PM-- please answer as soon as possible.


Image Editing
Our image editing winners won based on their effort, creativity, uniqueness, and technical skill. In another close call, our winners are...

Aubreda

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and


DeynGerus

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Honorable Mentions
In addition to our winners, kayinvanderkill, Snazo, and Project.Machina all had amazing entries! Thank you for your hard work as well, you three! Great job!

Congratulations winners and honorable mentions! Winners will be contacted via PM-- please answer as soon as possible.

K-TERA Patch Notes | 3.3.11

K-TERA Patch Notes | 3.3.11

Monsters
  • Added three new named monsters to the open world.
  • Each new monster drops a legendary item. If a party dies while in combat with any of these monsters, the monster will reset.
  • Below are the monster's background stories and in-game information.


  • Name: Anansha the Greedy
    Location: Ancient Forest
    Lore: Anansha was a goddess favored by Arachne, the Goddess of Spiders. Unfortunately, Anansha was abandoned by Arachne when she gave her a mission and failed it because of her greed.

    Anansha regretted her decision soon after she was abandoned by Arachne. Her goal is to regain her favor by trying to expose Arachne's enemy, Shakan’s weakness. To this day Anansha wonders the Ancient Forest where Shakan sleeps looking for clues, however she is so greedy that she often forgets her original purpose. She is most often found attacking travelers and looting their gold.

  • Name: Karagos the Furious
    Location: Frozen Prairie
    Lore: Karagos was one of the Dragonkin Alkus, dragons who were born from the blood of the Ancient Dragon Vergos. Karagos carried the will of Vergos, who was a devoted follower of the Ancient God Sharleron, however Vergos was killed by other Gods. Karagos’ lair is found in the Frozen Prairies which is full of the ancient god's ruins. Kargos has an alliance with another dragonkin, Pandurus Sabraniac, and the two work together to attempt to free Sharleron.

    Name: Sabraniac the Slaughterer.
    Location: Frozen Prairie
    Lore: Sabraniac was another of the dragonkin born from the corpse of the Ancient Dragon Vergos. Sabraniac’s personality is greedy and sadistic and he likes to attack and pillage the nearby villages.


Village of Savagery
  • “Gigania”’s healing skill was fixed to heal for 10% rather than 100%.

Frozen Shores
  • Fixed some abnormal AI issues.


Class Balance
  • The effect "reflect damage back at attacker" can now stack.


Party
  • “Party Invite” Menu now changed to “Party Request”.
  • You can now type [/파티초대 or /파티신청 or /초대] to invite people to your party.

  • Party Request menu’s functions are as follows.
    1) An individual person can now request to join a through any of the party members, not just the leader.
    2) Party can request to an individual or an individual to party, also individual to individual can request to party.
    3) Party to Party request can’t be made if the party is full.

[Contest] Lonely Male Baraka LF Wife :(

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Poor, old, Alfonsus. By all accounts he had led a successful life, working hand in hand with the Valkyon Federation to protect the lands of TERA for as long as he could remember. He had slain creatures three times his size, been honored multiple times among his peers and even dabbled in the politics of Velika. But as he lay out on the pier of Cutthroat Harbor, accompanied by the plentiful sounds of the shores and wildlife, flipping through an old photo album, he felt strangely alone.

The album contained pictures of all his achievements yet inspired little pride in the old Baraka's heart. As he scanned the pages, turning the book to check the pictures from every angle, he could not wrap his head around what this pathetic feeling of loneliness was about. What could he possibly be missing?

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Regarding each picture he went over a list in his head. Heroic stance? Check. Victorious? Check. Famous? Indeed. ...Alone. In each and every picture he stood completely solo-- one on one with nothing but his surroundings. As though a lightning bolt had hit him he quickly sat up, eyes wide.

"That's it! The feeling of loneliness exists because.. well... I am entirely alone!"

The booming voice of the baraka startled a human dockworker, who after stumbling, stood straight and raised his eyebrow towards him.

Alfonsus regarded the human, head tilted, "AH! HUMAN! What do humans do when they are lonely?" The baraka's question was delivered as truthfully as one could ask; he honestly did not know how to cure loneliness.

It surprised him when the dockworker's answer was no more than uproarious laughter. The baraka shook his head and asked again with evermore sincerity, "What? Really, how does one cure loneliness?"

Another chortle and the human resumed his work, cleaning the dock and responding with a shrug, "I dunno, man. Could try a wife?"

Another lightning bolt struck Alfonsus' head, "A wife! I have never considered that!" He picked his massive stone body up off the old boat he had been leaning against and headed for town, head held high.

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Description
Alfonsus needs your help! The poor old baraka has been alone his whole life and could surely use some female companionship. In town, he's put in a classified ad-- if you choose to answer you could win a community play test invitation! Read on to find out how.

The contest will be divided into two categories, Story and Image Editing. Each category will have two winners, the prizes being an invite to the upcoming NA community play event.

Rules
  • Each participant must choose to enter only one of the two categories. Only one entry per participant will be allowed.
  • The contest is open to both NA and EU, but these play test invites are for the NA test.
  • Female Barakas are FAIR GAME and ENCOURAGED but not required! You can use any race you like :)
  • The contest will be judged by TERAFans.com staff.

  • Entries should be posted in this thread, in this format:
    - Participant's TERA-Online.com forum handle and associated e-mail.
    - Category (Story or Image Editing)
    - Entry


Categories
As stated above, there are two categories for this contest and you may only choose to enter one! Below are the descriptions for both categories!

Story
Participants who choose to enter the story category are to write a descriptive story of a potential ladyfriend for our bachelor, Alfonsus. The story should be no less than 250 words and no more than 450 words long. No pictures should be included in a story entry. The story will be judged on creativity.

Two winners for this category will win community play test invitations!

Image Editing
Participants who choose to enter the image editing category are to produce a picture of a potential ladyfriend for Alfonsus. As stated in the rules, female barakas are encouraged but not required! The image should be in some way edited and should not be an un-edited character creator image. Image editing entries should not contain text (other than the required entry information!)

Two winners for this category will win community play test invitations!

Timeframe
The contest will run from March 3rd to the morning of March 8th. Winners will be announced on March 9th!

Good luck and have fun!


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Entries
Story


Image Editing

TERA Fans GDC Interview!

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Hey, TERA Fans! Although I won't be there this year, TERA will be showing at GDC San Fransisco this week! Some Curse employees will be there in my place and they'll be able to interview the TERA team for us. We want to ask the questions you want to know the answers to, so suggest some questions in this thread and the may be included in our interview!

K-TERA Patch Notes | 2.23.11

K-TERA Patch Notes | 2.23.11

Battlefields
  • Battlefields are now open in 5v5 ("Battlefield of Courage") and 10v10 ("Battlefield of Honor") modes.


Combat
  • The equipment effect: "Health restored when hit by a skill" now stacks.

  • The equipment effect: "Mana restored when using a skill" now stacks.

  • Mystic Elementals can no longer be targeted with lock-on skills.

  • Fixed so you can now use lock-on heals on targets that are evading or dodging.

  • "Blessing from Above" effect added.
    - When Ressurected from a spawn point (At a town or inside a battleground) you revive with the effect "Blessing from Above".

  • Effects of "Blessing from Above"
    1. For 10 seconds you will take 99% less damage from players.
    2. Greatly lowers the chance to be knocked back or stunned by players.
    3. This buff is removed when the buffed target uses a skill.
    4. You gain great chance to resist debuffs.

  • Changed the EXP penalties experienced during party play.
    - The EXP penalty caused by the level difference between a player and a monster will now be based off of the highest level player in a party.

    Level Difference --- Exp Loss Before --- After
    0 --- 0% --- 0%
    1 --- 0% --- 0%
    2 --- 0% --- 15%
    3 --- 10% --- 40%
    4 --- 50% --- 60%


PvP
  • Changed the nameplate color of PVP enemies.
    - Previously, the 3rd person to interfere with 1v1 PvP gained a pink nameplate, now they have an orange nameplate.


PvP

Lancer
  • Reworked some of Lancer’s skills.
  • Shield Block
    - Mana cost of the skill was reduced from 100 to 30.

    - When successful in a block, MP automatically decreases depending on the damage blocked.
    1. When blocking from a Small Monster, you lose 70% of the damage blocked in MP.
    2. When blocking from a normal monster, you lose 65% of the damage blocked in MP.
    3. When blocking from a large monster, you lose 10% of the damage blocked in MP.
    4. When blocking from a player, you lose 30% of the damage blocked in MP.
    5. When blocking from any other, you lose 3% of the damage blocked in MP.

    - When you successfully block and your MP is at 0% you get knocked back.

  • Changed the amount your default attack restored your MP.

    # of Hits -- Before -- After
    1 -- 30 -- 36
    2 -- 48 -- 60
    3 -- 75 -- 93

  • Auto MP regen changed from 10 per second to 5 per second.

  • Armor Break
    - Armor break effect now last 12 second up from 10.
    - Armor break now cost 150 MP.

  • "Glyph of Courage - Leap Attack" was added.
    - Raises attack power of Leap attack by 25%. (Costs 5 Glyph Points)


Berserker
- Berserker changes did not happen, sorry for the confusion.


Items

  • Attack Speed Effects
    - Fixed the issue of your attacks not timing right or having false hit counters when your attack speed effect was greater 24%.



Dungeon

  • Akasha’s Hideout
    - Changed the cooldown time of the dungeon by 6 hours.
    - Raised the item drop rate of the bosses in the dungeon (Akasha, Sharti and Lugreva) by 2 times.

  • Cannibal’s Cave
    - Fixed the issue of the Monster Kendarik’s spawn overlapping the quest monster Tulinka Urt’s spawn point.
    - Lowered the respawn time for the quest monster Tulinka Urt.
    - Made it so that you can now climb up vines from basement 1 and 3.

  • Ancient Castle of Spirits
    - Removed the monsters positioned outside the Necromancy Lab.



Quests
  • Players will no longer be able continue a repeatable quest with a high level player is in the party.

  • When there is a player higher than the level cap of the repeatable quest in a party, the party will no longer be able to do the quest.

  • The level cap on repeatable quests is now 5 levels higher than the objective monster's level.

  • Guild repeatable quest level cap was not changed.

  • Mission quests, non-repeat quests and Battlefield quests are not effected.

  • Valley of Life Quest: "Fragment of the Titan"
    - Fixed the issue where during the quest the ‘Guardian of the Sanctuary’ was not spawning.
    - Removed the target monsters ‘Guardian of the Sanctuary’ and ‘Guardian of the Small
    - Sanctuary’ from the quest.
    - Fixed the issue of Elin and Popori race being able to swim at a Quest specific area.

  • Frozen Shores Quast: "Truth of the Goddess"
    - Made the quest item ‘Mark of the Reversal’ be deleted after use and also made it possible to sell the item through a vendor.


Misc
- Fixed typos on one line tips and system messages.
- Fixed crashes happening on Vista, Window 7 / 32bit OS when entering Ancient Castle of Spirits.
- Fixed many lag issues within the game.
- Fixed the lag that could occur when a party member’s status was changed.
- Fixed the lag that could occur through passive skill icon, battlegrounds icon, campfire icon and medal icon.
- Fixed the lag that could occur when obtaining exp.
- Fixed the lag that could occur when loading many player and homunculus names.

Caelixi’s Crazy Cartography 4

Finally we've come to the end of Caelixi's KOBT journey. In this last installment, you'll see a zone that was, during the Beta, blocked from public access. The zone in question was North of Cresentia's Basilisk area. Had you ventured North during the Beta, you would have encountered a swirling blue gate barring your path, as Vann did here in this screenshot. That's Caelixi on the other side of the swirling gate...

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Getting there was no mean feat; it took a great deal of experimentation and failed attempts, including attempting to access it from three different zones. Getting there was a combination of tricky climbs, jumps, and ledge crossings. The end result, however, is a look at this interesting and quite scenic zone!

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Mostly purple-ish in color, this zone boasts some impressive water features, from waterfalls to circular lakes, to meandering rivers. Below you can see the intriguing landmarks that incorporate roots and brilliant blue crystals that dot the landscape.

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Of course, it's not just a walk in the park... or at least it probably won't be when the zone is opened! (At the time, not a single creature existed in the zone!) There are a few tell tale signs of evil doers around these parts. Take these two grave looking graven idols for example...

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Wandering deeper into the zone, one does discover an area that appears could end up being a populated quest hub or village, but you will not the odd gray hue everything takes on when you arrive there. I'm not sure if this was just a feature of having the zone blocked for access or if there will be some lore-explanation of why this is, but it was a bit... off-putting! Kinda makes you feel dead!

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Well there you have it! Explorations by novice explorer Caelixi the Super Elin Sorcerer! Thanks for reading along and checking out the scenes, hope ya'll enjoyed! Seeya next time!

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[Translation] BHS Devs: "Have faith in us and wait a bit" Post-Release Q&A

Hey TERA Fans! Today we have a new translation for you featuring another This Is Game Q&A.

In the Q&A, TIG puts a lot of pressure on BHS's lead developers, forcing them to confront specific issues Korean TERA players have been complaining about since the game's official launch. BHS's answers revolve around promises for the future of the game as they discuss impending bug fixes and future content updates.

Its pretty detailed but well worth the read, so check it out below!


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“Have faith in us and wait a bit.”
BHS’s development team leader Hyun-Kyu Park and graphic team’s leader Chul-Woong Hwang


On the 10th, NHN revealed TERA's launch statistics, announcing that the game had 170,000 players at launch and earned an estimated profit of 80,000,000,000 won (~$71,383,958 USD). However, the faces of the development team over at Bluehole Studio are not so bright. Even with overall player satisfaction with the combat system and look and feel of the game, players complained about balance, the leveling curve, and an extreme focus on party play.

“Even with great news about the game we still don’t have time to celebrate,” says development team leader Hyun-Kyu Park. He believes there are still mountains of things to fix and tweak. He also stated that, “Even if we diagnose problems early, they still take a while for us to fix, and we also have a lot of content to release. We would like the players to have faith and patience and wait for us to make things right.”

We’ve had a little chat with the two men below.
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(From left the Graphic Team’s leader Chul-Woong Hwang and Hyun-Kyu Park the Dev team’s leader.)


  • The first issue to solve is class balance.

    TIG: We heard that balance is the first thing you're trying to adjust.

    BHS: Class balance will always be an issue. We need to balance the game so that many different people will be able to play it their way and have fun.

    Firstly, we have released a Sorcerer balance patch, and recently we’ve been looking at Priests and Mystics. Before the OBT, Mystics were really bad off so we buffed them a little. We feel we may have overdone it.

    When we make decisions, the statistics become the foundation. There are many things we could not acquire through just in-house testing. We’ve been looking at the balance between crafted items and droped items and changes to some of the glyphs and skills that are not very popular to people. Class balance and change are determined thorough statistics collected.

    TIG: As the game goes on the difficulty level skyrockets.

    BHS: With a game like TERA, balancing the difficulty of a dungeon is a big issue. Unlike many MMORPGs out there, TERA’s difficulty greatly varies on how good the player is. We thought we had good balance before the OBT but we are now reconsidering it.

    We’ve raised the difficulty level because most of the max level characters now are those who were trained through FPS or other action games. We are thinking it is too hard for players new to action games.

    Right now we are looking towards balancing the dungeons so that with enough preparation you can clear them. For example, if a dungeon’s entry level is 40, if a player is good, they can probably clear it as a level 40. If a player is not as skilled, they may have to come back in 2 or 3 levels with better gear to clear it.

    Of course we will patch it if we think the difficulty is too hard.

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    (A boss in Gold Labyrinth. Is is known for doing massive amounts of damage.)


    TIG: The balance between ranged and melee classes is an issue too.

    BHS: Monsters don’t really react very well to ranged attacks at the moment. No matter how much speed boosting buffs and attack speed buffs we give, ranged still have enough time to dodge and prepare for the monster’s upcoming attack. This is also on our radar as an issue to solve along with class balance. We are thinking of adding a few different monster patterns.

    TIG: Many people are calling you out, saying low item drops are simply your tactic to stall players.

    BHS: It is true that playtime is important. We constantly keep an eye on item drop rates; we thought players could use a challenge and that's why we’ve created the droprate we have. Of course the drop rates can always change in the future and it is simply at a monitoring stage.


  • Some issues are already recognized and solutions are coming soon.

    TIG:TERA is too focused on party play.

    BHS: There were pros and cons to this situation. Firstly the party matching system was really inconvenient; some saying it is hard to find party for quests. We will take all of that feedback positively and try to make content easier to solo or just enjoy the game with party but more conveniently.

    We will also try to fix the current content, it just depends on how we do it, we hope players give us some time to fix it.

    TIG: Different animations among races cause efficiency issues.

    BHS: We are still looking at how greatly animations affect the efficiency of each race. We were actually hoping players would choose races based only on aesthetics. It is true that the time between attacks differs depending on race but we’ve designed it so that it is similar as possible.

    We thought the difference was minor but when actually being played the difference was pretty significant. We think character animation should be solely based on taste and not efficiency. We will definitely fix the issue if it is hurting game balance.

    However, some animations may look slower or faster even though they actually aren't. For example, the Elin archer’s bow shooting might look slow because of their spin but in reality their attack speed is the same as the other race's. We are working on the class balance issue first, but we will look into this issue as well.

    TIG: When you raise your attack speed, the range of your attack decreases.

    BHS: It is a bug, we are currently working on a fix.

    TIG: The auction house is really inconvenient.

    BHS: I have tried it myself and I agree, it is inconvenient. We will fix it.

    TIG: When players go to certain areas in-game, there is a huge dip in FPS even with high end machines.

    BHS: Our engine team is currently looking at that. They are aware that certain situations still need tweaks. It is actually something we will constantly be working on, so we are not noting each time we make a change on the patch notes. We will constantly try to improve it and it is an issue that must be resolved.

    We will be improving major city graphics bugs as well.

    TIG: Any plans for the botters?

    BHS: We’ve made lists of players who abuse it and we are constantly monitoring it. We think we are pretty strict about botting.

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    (Some of the players who were banned due to being caught botting.)


  • Tweaked battlefields will be open, next up is politics.

    TIG:Max level players are asking for more content.

    BHS: We are currently working on tweaking battlefields and will be updating them in the near future. After that we will release politics and raise the level cap.

    We have made group-matching faster and easier in battlefields. We’ve also worked on balance so that even if the situation looks grim you can still turn the tides and reach victory.

    TIG: How developed is the political system?

    BHS: It is almost finished being developed. We are currently determining the right time to implement the system. Archons are chosen through battlefields and votes so we are going to implement it when Battlefields are used widely. Also to give everyone a fair chance we are waiting for more people to reach max level.

    TIG: How will the political system work?

    BHS: First, there will be mounts exclusive to those in the Archon’s guild. A white horse with an insignia and fast run speed, it will be the fastest mount available for its time.

    Archons can also collect taxes and make closed brand shops open and active. They can batch auctioneers across the continent and can make NPCs active as well as place new NPCs that are not already available in villages. An Archon can also make areas in his continent PK free zones.

    We are also looking to give Archons the ability to do the opposite, to disable some of the PK going around. However, we feel this can work negatively to players so we are approaching this carefully.

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    (Archons will be picked continently.)


    TIG: Any plans to raise the efficiency of consumable items?

    BHS: There are. Take bombs, there is a throwing type but also there will be a planting type like “Monster Hunter” and also we are thinking of adding other items exclusive to classes.

    TIG: Any plans to make the body proportions of the races changeable?

    BHS: This is a sensitive topic. Because the attack range of each race is made through their height, it is hard to say we will let people actively change it. When we implement body proportions the customizing will be for efficiency reasons, not for the player’s taste.

    Many people seem to prefer really short heights and we think in TERA that will be more the case, so we are trying to prevent that from happening.

    TIG: Will look, name, and race changes be offered?

    BHS: Probably. We are not sure about allowing race and sex changes, but we will probably allow the change of appearance. We are still deciding if we will make this a premium service or one made with in-game currency. We will have a chat with the business department. We definitely have plans to make such service available but it all depends on the timing and how it will be done.

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    (Character proportions won’t change.)


  • The next goal is to create content catering to the players.

    TIG: What are the goals set for TERA in Bluehole Studio?

    BHS: We do have a roadmap for the development of the game over the year but this is not as important as the players’ reactions. So we are still trying to find the important issues.

    We’ve tried our best, there are many pros and cons of this game. I always think “This has to get fixed soon.” So tweaking is always my priority so we never really had time to celebrate our successes.

    TIG: What is one piece of feedback that has stuck in your head since launch?

    BHS: There were two. Players were calling TERA “Kumas Online” and “Deep Sea Fishing” because the Kumas and the giant crabs were such good sources of XP. This will be solved.

    TIG: Were there some things you wished the players would have enjoyed though they didn’t?

    BHS: We didn’t like players just swarming over one area. We thought we’d tested the game well but apparently it was not enough. We hope the players won’t just repeat the same area over and over and that they get out there to explore the world.

    As the Graphic Team Captain I don’t like the fact that all the players just run dungeons. We gave the outside world so much care and detail… but we are still happy that some players go out and explore. However, they were too good. They even found this one part where you HAVE to look from the sky to see under development areas on the ground. We don’t even know how they got there.

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    (One player’s screenshot of an area under development.)


    TIG: Many people say the characters are too sexual.

    BHS: When we were designing the outfits for each race we had a few goals. However, we agree we may have gone a bit too far with how much skin the female characters show. We thought it wasn’t a big problem when developing but once players started to play and rotate the camera around it became a problem.

    To give the each race its own style, we always worked on the race first then the outfit but the quality sometimes had drastic differences. Aman females and Elins are the primary examples. They were both worked on at the end but their quality is completely different.

    We thought both of them would only be played by minorities but Elin gained a lot of attention. We are still thinking about what the priority should be when developing characters.

    TIG: Will there be cosmetic items?

    BHS: This will be added slowly and consistently. The players’ gear will always come first but as the updates go on, there will be more importance placed on cosmetic items. We are considering adding an undergarment slot for characters.

    TIG: Are you going to make the story stronger?

    BHS: It is hard to show story in MMORPGs, especially because of the element of party play. Even I had to turn off cut-scenes because when I finished watching the clips other party members were already back in town.

    We are thinking of different methods to deliver the storyline. Cut-scenes are the biggest match for our game but it does not seem to be efficient. We are thinking of a system that does not use text and is not a clip but yet makes you feel the story during gameplay. We will take advantage of this system during future updates.

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    (Many people feel the story is lacking even with cut-scenes and clips.)


    TIG: Many people complain that the patch notes are not descriptive enough.

    BHS: If we put every detail in the patch notes they will be too long. Instead of giving specific numbers we just like to give the players the feel of what changed. We are still discussing how transparent we will be with NHN, we hope to come a conclusion that will satisfy both NHN and the players.

    TIG: Lastly, is there anything you want to say to those currently enjoying TERA?

    Hyun-Kyu Park: I am happy that many people are enjoying our game, and I am aware there are still things that we lack. The developers play the game and feel the gravity of the problems so we understand your complaints. We will try to make the game more enjoyable, all we ask from the players is to have a little faith in us.

    Chul-Woong Hwang: There is still a lot of content we have not gotten to show. We still have a lot of things to reveal so we ask for everyone to wait a bit. TERA’s client size is 22GB but that is not all. Once again I ask everyone to wait a bit for us to show some really enjoyable content.
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