Tera Online News

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!





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.

Filed by TERA Fans News at 11:40 pm under Uncategorized  Tagged Armor, Badges, Boss, Challenges, Dye System, Fans, Game, Hunting Zones, Large Scale, Launch, Pax, Png, Political Intrigue, Priority, Producer Brian, Pvp Server, Remodeling, Rivalries, Scales, Sweet Spot, Weapons
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Today, TERAFans.com published 54 new armor renders, straight from the Korean closed beta client. Check them out or download the full set at TERAFans.com!

TERA is set to go into open beta in Korea in January 11, 2011. You'll want to keep TERA Fans bookmarked because we're getting ready to provide you with great beta coverage!

Filed by Izelia at 11:39 pm under Closed Beta,Korea,tera online,TERAFans  Tagged Armor, Korea, Open Beta, Tera
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Update: The pictures are very large .png's so I'm uploading them a few different ways in case you can't get them to load from the thumbnails! Here are the other ways you can grab these renders:

- High Quality Direct Download: 1 2 3
- Low Quality Direct Download
- On-Site gallery

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Hello, TERA Fans! Right on the heels of the Korean Open Beta launch date, today we have new armor renders from the Korean Sress Test client, thanks as always to TERA Fans armor renderer Radacci! These armors are really magnificent and Radacci noted they were super shiny-- literally.

There's two new armors for each type, for each race and for each gender, for a total of 54 new armors! Radacci did not render Popori or Elin, but Elin should be coming soon. Check em out below!

Filed by TERA Fans News at 5:54 pm under Uncategorized  Tagged Armor, Armors, Baraka, Different Ways, Elf, Fans, Heels, Hello, High Quality, Korean Pictures, Launch, Open Beta, Png, Renderer, Sress, Stress Pictures, Stress Test, Tera, Thumbnails
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Good day, TERA Fans. The last few weeks, the Mystic has had a lot of light shed on the class. Not only did TERAblah get some answers from En Masse, we sent our questions to En Masse as well. Little to our surprise, they where having their own Q&A! About one week ago, En Masse updated the Mystic section on the official TERA website. With that, they sent out a Pegasus Express asking players to chat them up, and to ask some riveting questions!

With the stress test/G*Star over in Korea, we got to see updated skills, video (another), and reviews on classes. If you have not read or seen them you should really take a look!

Although the answers were full of information, En Masse was still able to keep it vague enough for our minds to wonder. With such news, like summons staying the same size no mater the skill level, and more info on how the glyphs of a Mystic will empower the player but still keep it support roll. We also got a little insight on how the mystic plays. En Masse reviled that the Mystics are not made of glass, and are given tools to help keep the player alive as long as possible. The interview goes on to reveal that just because the Mystic as been dubbed the “Jack-of-all-trades” class, armor and weapons will stay the same when it comes to the many playing styles.

P.S.: Thank you Amira for the stress test screenshots, and LalaRu (Jenilea of TERA Fans) for the adaptation of those screenshots!



Q: Why does the mystic Curtain of Retribution skill have a smaller arc than the priest version?

A: It doesn't. It is, however, animated differently and that could be where the discrepancy comes from.

Q: Are the summons going to appear out of nowhere, like they do now, or are you going to polish the animation?

A: TERA's skill animations are not yet polished: they will change before launch.

Q: In some videos the summons look really small and in others they look bigger than the characters, does the size of the summons grow when a mystic levels up?

A: This depends on the type of summon cast. The summon does not increase in size with the mystic's level. Additionally, the summons have visually changed since they were first announced.

Q: Why do you think the mystic is an essential part of group play?

A: The mystic helps improve a party's survivability, debuffing enemies and curbing the number of forces opposing the group. They are also capable healers and damage-dealers.

Q: What have the summons changed in the mystic gameplay style?

A: The mystic summons allow for the support class to receive support themselves. This means a mystic can cast one type of summon and focus on their other abilities while it is active.

Q: Are there shared cooldowns or diminishing returns on mystic "crowd control" skills?

A: Not presently.

Q: Will the glyph system allow a mystic to specialize in healing, buffs, or damage?

A: The mystic is a jack-of-all-trades rather than a flexible specialist. Their glyphs will let them enhance their capabilities in a variety of areas, but not to the point where they become a damage-dealing class, for example.

Q: Since pets attack the last thing the mystic attacked, will they break "crowd control" status on targets?

A: It's certainly possible. Good help is often hard to find. Part of the challenge for mystics will be juggling their resources, and that means redirecting their pets when needed.

Q: How is the mystic's survivability given the short range of its skills and cloth armor?

A: The mystic's survivability has less to do with its armor and more to do with the player. If the player doesn't keep the mystic out of harm's way, life expectancy may be below average. However, the mystic has several tools for getting out of trouble. They are not made of glass.

Q: Are there any plans to give the mystic more healing skills?

A: The mystic and other classes will continue to evolve as TERA grows and develops. Changes to existing skills or new skills are always possible.

Q: The mystic skill Essence of Rejuvenation (known to many as "orb healing") seems drastically inferior to both priest heals as well as even other heals possessed by mystics. What makes this skill worth using in a party setting?

A: The nature of priest skills requires consideration for party member location while the mystic's Essence of Rejuvenation does not. Party members can consume the orb when it is needed while the mystic focuses on other tasks.

Q: How is mystic survivability in PvP given their array of skills and hybrid role?

A: The mystic's combination of damaging attacks, debuffing skills, crowd-control abilities, and self-sustaining heals make it a formidable foe in PvP.

Q: Because the mystic plays different roles, are any plans on allowing the mystic to use different types of weapons and armors?

A: No, the mystic is TERA's scepter-wielding, cloth-wearing support class.

Q: Will mystic summons benefit from party buffs, whether it be PvE or PvP scenarios?

A: Yes.

Q: When it comes to PvE content, are mystics able to keep up with other classes performing the same party roles?

A: Mystics are by nature a jack-of-all-trades type of class. They may not overspecialize in one of the three main party roles, but it's that same diversity that makes them a boon to a party's survivability.

Q: Will there be any MP regeneration skills that can be used outside of combat available to the mystic?

A: Yes, but only if you ask nicely. Each caster class gains an MP restoration skill at an early level that has a fairly rapid cooldown and can be used at any time.

Q: What gives a mystic its power? Is it one of the gods?

A: Mystics harness the primal powers of the world, the Sharan and Arunic energies. Rather than a direct connection to the gods, think of the mystics as having a deeper connection to the world.

Q: How much will mystic armor overlap with sorcerer and priest armor? Why don't mystics wear heavier armor like plate?

A: Those three classes share an armor type--cloth-- but as you progress in TERA you'll find that some armor is designed with the mystic in mind. Mystics simply prefer a tailored weave over a stifling breastplate. It's a comfort issue, you see.

Filed by TERA Fans News at 12:32 am under Uncategorized  Tagged Adaptation, Amira, Animations, Arc, Armor, Curtain, Discrepancy, G-Star, Glyphs, Jack Of All Trades, Launch, Mystic Column, Mystics, Pegasus Express, Retribution, Skill Level, Stress Test, Styles P, Summons, Test Screenshots
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KCBT4? Korean Stress Test? Pre-OBT Stress Test? I don't know which name is better x3

Regardless, BHS and NHN, TERA's developer and publisher in Korea just wrapped up their server stress test a few hours ago. This stress test came almost 8 months after KCBT3, included over 20,000 testers, and tons of changes and additions to the client. Hopefully we will hear about the results of the test soon, from how the servers faired to how the players felt the game has improved.

Those of us who were able to participate in the test streamed video of it and shared lots of information throughout the test, so the goal of this thread is to summarize what we learned!

First off, some important links you don't want to miss if you want to know all about KCBT4:

• Locien's Amazing Video Compilation Thread (Videos forever, seriously. You need to toast in this epic bread 8D)
  
• Neg0tti's Review
  
• All Loading Screens from the Client
  
• Major Cut-Scenes from the Client

And now on to the information we've gathered from the test!

Character Creation
The character creator is as we saw it during G*Star 2010, with its facial sliders and extensive make-up options. In addition, the creator features armor previews, showing off armor from all different level ranges. Check out all the armor previews in the character creator below!



You may notice that when females with long hairstyles try on armor with a detailed collar, their hairstyles automatically become modified up-dos to avoid clipping. This is an awesome new feature and each long hairstyle has a different, appropriate up-do to go with it!

The Island of Dawn/ Early Leveling
My finals are drawing near, so I was only able to hit level 10. However, over the past year, I've hit level 10 in TERA at least four times, so I can definitely talk about the changes I experienced in Island of Dawn leveling!



Even though I don't speak Korean, the Island of Dawn experience was profoundly improved. I didn't spend too long at any particular questing hub so I felt like I was moving and exploring at a comfortable, fun pace. Armor upgrades were abundant-- I got around 3 or 4 new chest pieces during my time on the Island, most with the same model in different colors and my level 10 chest piece was an entirely new model. These upgrades felt rewarding and they made what quests I could understand worthwhile.

One of the things I noticed almost right away in combat was that combos were most definitely situational. As a sorcerer, one of the first combos I got was an arcane trap sort of thing and flame column, which is literally a column of flames that's casted in front of your character's body. Usually when you're setting a trap, you'd move out of the radius of that trap before the monsters get there to continue kiting. With the trap -> flame column combo, though, if moving out of melee before the monsters get there isn't possible, after setting the trap, you can use flame column before making your escape. Very situational for sure and not something you'd do all the time.

If there hadn't been a language barrier, I believe I would've hit level 10 in well under the estimated time of four hours, probably more like three hours. The quests were varied, from killing to collecting, to fighting party mobs, to fighting little reap mobs. Overall, the Island of Dawn experience was certainly streamlined.


Instances/Bosses
Moving on, let's talk about instances! An instance was added to the Island of Dawn, tuned for players around level 10. Although I did not get to test it, from videos it's clear that this instance featured a giant boss. Check out a video of the level 10 instanced boss below!



It seems there was also an instance around level 20 as there were many videos of this awesome boss!



There are monsters designed to be party encounters and usually associated with quests all around between levels 1-20 it seems! Neg0tti says he was able to solo everything (on an archer) between levels 1-20, and the only monsters he couldn't solo were elite level 23 Kumas.

Mounts

This test we learned a thing or two about mounts and how they are acquired.


The mount skill can be purchased at a farm outside of Velika! There are two riding skills currently:

• Beginner Riding
  - Requires level 20
  - Cost: $210,000
  
  
• Advanced Riding
  - Requires level 40
  - Cost: $2,100,000

If anyone has clarification on this, please let me know, but it seems the warhorse comes with the riding skill? I am not totally sure. Cori told me he believed there was a quest for the mount, so maybe that's where the warhorse comes from! Again, no specifics on this right now.


Crafting

Crafting is the same as it was in CBT3/FGT2. Check out a video below!



As you can see, currently, crafting requires a host of items from resources the player finds/gathers to items bought off of vendors. You must create smaller components before you can create the final product. There is a possibility of failing and losing your materials in the process of this.

However, it is interesting that this version of TERA does not include a crafting overhaul. In EME's G*Star Information Thread, Scapes claimed that crafting was now a "One step process". This is clearly not the case at this time, so maybe we will see a big change in the crafting system before the game's launch!


Guilds
We still haven't learned too much about guilds! :(



TERA Fans member Zindorah told me a little about the specifications for the little guild icon you see next to the guild name, though! The icon has to be 64x64, a TGA or BMP, and placed in a folder within one's TERA directory. I think it's pretty safe to assume that once they're in action, guild houses will have this icon all over them. Get to work, guildmasters!

That about wraps it up for now! If I missed anything, please let me know and I'll add it :]

Filed by TERA Fans News at 8:45 pm under Uncategorized  Tagged Armor, Bhs, Character Creation, Character Creator, Dawn, Females, G-Star, Game Even Though, Hairstyle, Least Four Times, Loading Screens, Long Hairstyles, New Feature, nhn, Obt, Server Stress, Sliders, Stress Test, Tera, Video Compilation
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Hello, TERA Fans :D No I haven't forsaken you, I'd never do that <3 I am really sorry for my disappearance though-- you can blame blizzcon! I was over in California doing coverage for MMO-Champion and a little partying too. ;D

Anyway! Better late than never, today I have Kalsteine's translation of a new Korean article that popped up late last week. The article's got lots of new and important information, including updates Blue Hole Studio has made to armor and the introduction of a new item enhancement system.

Check it out below and let us know what you think!





Hello! Mr. Blue here.

Ever since the third closed beta ended, I'm sure you have all been hungry for new information. There was some news about new skills and enhancement crystals but today we've got even more news! We'd love to hear your feedback on these features.


Changing/Adding Items

One thing we noticed during CBT3 was that there was a limited variety of items. While leveling up and attaining better items, players felt that they wanted to look unique. To satisfy everyone, we thought we really needed a huge variety of items, not just items that are stronger, but also items of different styles. We increased both the quantity and quality of items.


These are just a few of the items you'll have the freedom to use around early-mid game. We encourage people to level higher and see our huge selection of items.


Increase in Item Quantity

One of the most common complaints during CBT3 was that there wasn't enough items to attain during leveling. Due to that there wasn't a very big difference between characters of the same level range. Even after killing elite monsters players were unable to acquire new equipment and that came off as a huge let down. These issues prompted us to change and add more items for players to acquire.

We have added a number of different weapons and items to the game since CBT3. We've also added amulets, crystal infusion (?) and stat bonuses. Equipment can be acquired through questing, monster drops, crafting and other methods.




Do you recall the final bosses of the instanced dungeons and open world elite areas? Now you can acquire items named after them once you've defeated them. You can also acquire tokens which you can use to buy equipment with from doing instance related quests or clearing an instance.




Better Item Quality

1. Variety of Ranks

We also implemented a system of item ranks. Equipment will now be ranked either as normal quality, high (magic?) quality, rare quality or legendary quality. Their corresponding colors are white, green, blue and orange.



2. Different stats for each different item rank.

Ranks are not only there to show which is better than the other. If an equipment is ranked magic or above they will have extra stats. Magic items will include one extra stat, rare items will have 2 and legendary items will have three.

Also items only acquired by instanced dungeon bosses also come with bonus stats, so go venture out in the World of TERA to find out more. Other than equipment acquired from quests, ranked items with stat bonuses will have different kinds of stats, even if the item is named the same. This will give more variety even if everyone has the same items.




3. Fusion Enchantment

TERA's equipment can be enchanted through a system called Fusion Enchantment. No matter where you are, you can use the Fusion Enchantment UI and use materials to enchant your equipment. To fuse one piece of equipment with another, they do not have to be the exact same type of equipment as the one you are trying to enchant, they just need to be the same rank. The piece of equipment can even be an item for a different class. (This information may be slightly inaccurate, but that's what it seems to sound like they're saying from the literal translation.)





Fusion Enchantment can raise basic stats like defense and it can also add bonus stats that become available when certain requirements are met. (Kind of like Set item bonuses except this one is through reaching certain enchantment goal. You can see +3, +6, and +9) Greyed out options are options that you cannot currently benefit from due to item lacking the requirement. Having a + on weapons can be reached through enchantment and some of them require you to enchant as much as 9 times for some bonuses. Also these bonuses are completely random, so it is hard to foresee what your future bonuses will be.

4. Other changes

We've changed many things other things since CBT3. We are working to make crafting a bit more accessible, adding more accessories, adding items like bombs you can throw at enemies, different graphic effects that can be achieved through Fusion Enchantment, and more equipment variation. We are sorry we couldn't reveal them in more detail in this report and we hope you will find out more when you explore the world of TERA!



Sorry for the long wait for more information.

Sincerely, Mr. Blue

Filed by TERA Fans News at 7:48 pm under Uncategorized  Tagged Amulets, Armor, Beta, Blue Hole, Champion, Crystals, Different Styles, Disappearance, Elite, Enhancement System, Freedom, Important Information, Infusion, Lt, Mid Game, Monsters, Partying, Stat, Translation Updates, Weapons
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Hello, TERA Fans, and welcome to the second issue of the Castanica Chronicle, your source for TERA Fans news in case you missed it! From class columns to more of Organic's amazing compendiums, check out what happened on TERA Fans over these past two weeks!





TERA Fans is Looking for a Sorcerer Columnist
Unfortunately, TERA Fans Sorcerer Columnist, Brace, is stepping down from his position on TERA Fans, so we're currently looking for a new Sorcerer columnist! Please check out the requirements for application and apply if you're interested!




Archer Column: The Cala Chronicles, Part 3
Join our Archer columnist, Caelixian, as he brings the Archer class to life through creative narrative. Also featured at the bottom of this week's Cala Chronicles is a discussion of the new Archer footage released by Frogster this week.


Mystic Column: Player Interview
This week, our Mystic columnist, Dukeun,interview three Mystic enthusiasts from around the TERA community! Check out what they think of the class.




TERA Cast Episode 14
After a short hiatus, TERA Cast returns with Episode 14! Check it out for discussion on all the latest TERA news and listener mail!




Two New Armor Slots
Another great discussion thread by Organic, this one is a great source for speculation on the new armor slots we could expect to see in TERA.



Enchanting, Crafting, Drops Difficulty
Big thanks to TERA Fans member, Cori for pointing me to the official forums for this bit of news! This week, Senior Producer Brian Knox talked a little about enchanting in TERA. You definitely want to check this bit of info out!

For more official TERA news from this week, check out the official Velika Guardian: Issue 19.

Filed by TERA Fans News at 9:19 pm under Uncategorized  Tagged Archer, Armor, Cala, Class Columns, Columnist, Cori, Enthusiasts, Forums, Great Source, Guardian, Hello, Hiatus, Listener Mail, Member Content, Mystic Column, Narrative, Producer Brian, Slots, Speculation, Tera News
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Hey, TERA Fans :D Unfortunately, I missed the new screenshots of the week yesterday, but here they are!

This week, En Masse Entertainment has decided to feature some interesting enemies; air demons called kumas. Check them out below or at the official site!

Quote

Filed by TERA Fans News at 5:35 am under Uncategorized  Tagged Armor, Conquest, Demon, Demons, Divine Energy, Enemies, Entertainment, Fragments, Free Agents, Giants, Holy Ground, Images, Larger Sizes, Mages, Mature, Raw Power, Runes Of Power, Shrine Of Life, Tera, Watchman
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OK. I’m going to flat out say it: I like swords.

They are sharp. They are pointy. They kill things to death. And this is awesome. But before you start jumping to conclusions about me from those four previous sentences, let me get one thing straight: I’m hardly a bloodthirsty monster whose only idea of what’s best in life is to crush his enemies, see them driven to before him, and hear the lamentation of their women. At least, I think so.

But, that aside, when I’m in the mindset of a fantasy setting where anything can happen? I throw caution to the wind and say “Screw the rules; this is awesome.”

The game world is designed as such to allow everything from humans, to pretty-boy and succubus-esque demons, rock giant loremasters, bishounen and (arguably) sexy elves, musclebound draconic humanoids, to the collective fuzzies whose genders are almost-but-not-quite-entirely-unlike different races, ALL of which in a setting to co-exist not only in a persistent environment, but also mesh in a cohesive art style. If this doesn’t say that this game has at least some form of cool factor at least in art direction, I don’t know what does.

When I was researching deep into the classes of TERA after seeing how much this game ran on the Rule of Cool, I was immediately sold by the promise of utilizing this awesome with an action combat system (a fact many of you are also aware of, I’m sure). This left me with the process of going through class after class to find the one which “clicked” the best. Obviously, everyone has their favorites, and I’m certainly no exception. Surprisingly though, the decision came fairly quickly.

I didn’t care for magic. I didn’t care for super heavy armor. I didn’t care for pew pew. And I didn’t care to be supremely agile and fast. And I decided upon that after seeing only the first class I clicked on, which incidentally happened to be the Slayer.

When I compare a gigantic blade of steel or unobtanium slicing into several mobs in a single, overpowering arc of immeasurable strength to throwing pretty lights, shooting wedges on sticks, guarding with a shield or poleaxe, or have to resort to using poisons on blades, this is hardly a fair contest.

This is how I see it: You have a big sword. You are actually able to swing it. You don’t have to prepare your spells or anything. You charge in. You swing the sword several times and time a whirlwind to deal massive area of effect damage to the mobs. They get flung back or stunned. You finish them off. All of this caused with brute force and (essentially) a giant hunk of finely edged metal.




For me, this is the epitome of what this game is to me: over-the-top epic going against all natural laws of physics and everything else for the sake of the Rule of Cool. If you stick around for the coming weeks, I’ll highlight some of what makes the Slayer and the rest of TERA have this uncanny quality. For those concerned about me neglecting the news about the class: don’t worry. I will be writing up on more detail on the class, especially the theory-crafting bit, as we get some more definite (and revealable) information.

For now, let’s all sit back and relax and twiddle our thumbs impatiently while I crack some hopefully entertaining articles for you all every Wednesday, especially for all of the Slayer fans who happen to come across this.

I’m Sorxaro, and this is “Slay On!”

Filed by TERA Fans News at 4:04 am under Uncategorized  Tagged Armor, Art Direction, Art Style, Bishounen, Caution To The Wind, Combat System, Demons, Different Races, Fuzzies, Game World, Genders, Humanoids, Jumping To Conclusions, Lamentation, Mindset, mob, Persistent Environment, Pretty Boy, Sentences, Unobtanium
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Hey, TERA Fans! PAX 2010 ended yesterday and in the wake of the storm, I have the results of TERA Fan's interview with Senior Producer, Brian Knox! Thanks so much for contributing questions guys :D While there's not a whole lot of new information, I think some of his comments leave open at least lots of room for speculation.

So check out the interview below and enjoy! You can find all our TERA PAX coverage here.





Amira: So hey, Brian! Once again, all the questions are straight from TERA Fans. We had lots of questions for you and we picked out a few. So for one, what in-game events are being planned for players to participate in?

Brian: That's a good question! So right now, our focus for in-game events is going to be mostly on trying to find those spots where people hit a wall because we're really focused on the journey to level 60. So, once the game's out, sometimes players find areas that are hard to get through and we want to focus our events around that. How we're going to do that I don't know. But we do plan on having them!

Amira: And will there also be holiday-type events?

Brian: Yeah, we are trying to have an events system. It's one of those things that's like every feature takes away development time. We want to have these but we may not have them available right at launch.

Amira: Will there be any non-combat, or combat pets in-game?

Brian: So, we have the Homonculus which is kind of a pet. It doesn't quite follow you right now but we're looking into ways to expand that as well.

Amira: And the Mystic pets; will those really be pets?

Brian: Well they're summons: they come out and last for only a short amount of time to help out. There's a healing one, there's a dps one, and there's like a tank one. But I wouldn't call Mystics a pet class. It's hard to explain-- they're a little bit different than you're used to, so you'll see.

Amira: Sam Kim once mentioned that the development team was considering adding more armor slots. Is there any information on that?

Brian: Yeah, we've added two more slots and we'll see them soon.

Amira: Are there plans to allow players to customize the look of their gear or spells at this point?

Brian: Not at this point but we're looking heavily into both the dying system and the ability to change gear models as well. So I'm not sure if any of that would make it in by launch, but it's definitely on our list of ideas.

Amira: Some guildmasters are very concerned about recruiting more guildmates than the maximum guild size in TERA will allow for. Is there any information on about how large guilds will be able to get at launch?

Brian: Y'know, that's a good question. Right now, I can't answer that but I would really like to get back to you on it because I think that's an important one.

UPDATE: Brian Knox let me know that the current guild size is 300 members by default. This is always subject to change.

Amira: On the topic of guilds, is there any more information on how extensive the overall guild system will be?

Brian: Well the guild system will really play into the battleground system, which we're not talking a lot about just yet. I think that's where you'll see the guild system really work. Since we're not faction based, guilds will become allies or rivals as well.

Amira: Some players are very concerned about westernization. Can you talk about what aspects of gameplay are being westernized?

Brian: All aspects are being evaluated. In our last focus group test, we had everybody answer a 120 point survey which was a lot of questions. What it did was allow us to hold up a transparency and compare where results are similar and different among players in the West and players in the East. We're able to identify those areas. There's a lot of stuff that lined up and in the feedback, there were a lot of things, particularly surrounding solo play and the leveling curve. And so, those were the two areas that players felt different about. Also, specific features have been added as well. The achievement system and the controller support are things that kind of originated in the west.

Amira: How will the lore of TERA be explained to players beyond quest text? Will there be cut-scenes at all?

Brian: Yeah, actually we have been adding cut-scenes. Hopefully they'll help tell the story in a little bit more of an epic fashion.

Amira: Are there any plans to have a designated Oceanic server available at launch?

Brian: Not at this time. But we're looking at the territory. We want to make sure that if we do it, we do it right.

Amira: Is there any information available on mounts at all?

Brian: There are mounts, and we're tweaking them. We're trying to make sure they're the right speeds right now. At this time, there will not be combat mounts.

Amira: Are there any plans to allow third party addons in-game?

Brian: Not at this time. We're actually doing what we can to minimize the UI as much as possible.

Amira: Finally: are you still re-evaluating the idea of allowing all races to be able to be all classes?

Brian: Right now, it looks like that's what going to happen but I can't really say for sure. That is what we're aiming for, though. In the version that we're playing off right now, actually, we're balancing the Human male, so that way we can balance that off the other races. It's a lot less development time to balance one and get it all right-- in terms of all the numbers-- and then we can balance things around that.

Filed by TERA Fans News at 8:06 pm under Uncategorized  Tagged Amira, Amount Of Time, Armor, Development Time, Game Events, Good Question, Holiday Type, Homonculus, Interview With Brian, Launch, Little Bit, Mystics, Onc, Pax, Png, Producer Brian, Sam Kim, Slots, Speculation, Summons, Wake Of The Storm, Whole Lot
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