Tera Online News

Greetings, members of the TERA community!

As you have no doubt seen, today Bluehole Studio announced a partnership with Frogster to publish TERA in Europe. Naturally, your first reaction must be “what does this mean to me?”

Here is our answer to this important question:

• TERA will have servers located in both North America and Europe. Frogster will create, maintain, and manage the European servers.

• TERA accounts created through Frogster will be exclusive to European servers and will be unable to access the North American servers. Frogster will handle European customer service.

• TERA in Europe will follow the same update schedule and contain the same content as the North American version of the game, with translations appropriate to each country and region.
- TERA is still planned to launch at the same time in North America and Europe.
- The tentative list of languages for translation remains French and German.
- Any content changes to the game, such as the removal of blood, will occur only to meet local European regulations and needs if necessary.

• There will not be a separate microtransaction payment model for TERA in Europe. TERA will use a subscription-based payment model in all regions.

• TERA-Europe.com will be the home of TERA in Europe and will host European-specific news, forums, and events.

• En Masse Entertainment and Frogster will communicate regularly before, during, and following the game’s launch.

• All players are welcome to participate on the official TERA-Online.com forums regardless of geographical location.

This information should address most of the questions we’ve seen asked on the forums. We will do our best to respond to any additional questions you may have; please feel free to add them to this thread.
-- Scapes

Greetings, members of the TERA community!

As you have no doubt seen, today Bluehole Studio announced a partnership with Frogster to publish TERA in Europe. Naturally, your first reaction must be “what does this mean to me?”

Here is our answer to this important question:

• TERA will have servers located in both North America and Europe. Frogster will create, maintain, and manage the European servers.

• TERA accounts created through Frogster will be exclusive to European servers and will be unable to access the North American servers. Frogster will handle European customer service.

• TERA in Europe will follow the same update schedule and contain the same content as the North American version of the game, with translations appropriate to each country and region.
- TERA is still planned to launch at the same time in North America and Europe.
- The tentative list of languages for translation remains French and German.
- Any content changes to the game, such as the removal of blood, will occur only to meet local European regulations and needs if necessary.

• There will not be a separate microtransaction payment model for TERA in Europe. TERA will use a subscription-based payment model in all regions.

• TERA-Europe.com will be the home of TERA in Europe and will host European-specific news, forums, and events.

• En Masse Entertainment and Frogster will communicate regularly before, during, and following the game’s launch.

• All players are welcome to participate on the official TERA-Online.com forums regardless of geographical location.

This information should address most of the questions we’ve seen asked on the forums. We will do our best to respond to any additional questions you may have; please feel free to add them to this thread.
-- Scapes

Onlinewelten: Hello Jason, thank you very much for your time. Could you introduce yourself to our readers and tell us a bit about your work, please?

Jason Mical: I’m Jason Mical, Community Director at En Masse Entertainment. In my position here, I work with the PR, Marketing, and Web directors to ensure that our strategies are all designed to work together toward a common vision, that the things we do in community fit in with all of the company's initiatives, and most importantly, that what we do is fun for you guys. If I had to summarize my job in one sentence it would be this: think about all the times I’ve been involved in communities and thought “holy crap, wouldn’t it be cool if they did this,” and then make this a reality here at En Masse for the TERA community.

Onlinewelten: We read that TERA is going to be a sandbox game. Could you explain that a bit further? What makes TERA a sandbox game?

Jason Mical: Players will be able to explore the world openly from the time they leave the Island of Dawn, our starting area, without being restricted by their character's experience level or which quests they have (or haven't) completed. Of course, they might find that some areas are extremely dangerous at low levels....

Onlinewelten: Will the races in TERA have a special race bonus?

Jason Mical: There are no racial bonuses to stats in TERA, although we’re exploring racial skills that will help differentiate races beyond the obvious aesthetic differences.

Onlinewelten: Most western players are not happy about the female Popori. Do you think about a re-design for the western version of TERA? Besides that, how do the Poporis reproduce themselves?

Jason Mical: [Guest reply by David Noonan, Lead Writer] What you’re seeing there is actually two different kinds of nature spirits. Most poporis have taken on the forms of woodland animals—fitting given their role as protectors of the world’s wild places. The female poporis are more like dryads or wood nymphs, and they’ve taken on the appearance of the original goddess of the wilderness in tribute to her. (There’s a whole mythology about that, which we gradually reveal in gameplay.) Finally, as nature spirits, neither sort of popori procreates in the traditional sense.





Onlinewelten: The female armor design is too sexy for the most western players as well. Are you considering changing it?

Jason Mical: Nope.

Onlinewelten: What will be the main way to level up in TERA: Questing or killing mobs? Or will both, doing quests and grinding, be equally efficient?

Jason Mical: Our goal is to make every action involved in leveling up organic to the overall story and the individual player and group/guild goals. Quests are the primary method for gaining experience. We're constantly refining the pacing of the game and the process of leveling up by conducting focus group tests and ongoing beta tests. Our production team is working very closely with the development team in Korea to ensure that the game feels good to Western audiences.

Onlinewelten: Do you plan to implement an achievement system? If yes, could you give us a short description about the accomplishments, progression and rewards?

Jason Mical: Ah yes, achievements! We’ll talk more about those in the coming weeks.

Onlinewelten: Looking at the endgame: What do you offer high level players in TERA to keep them busy?

Jason Mical: TERA’s endgame will involve the full spectrum of things you expect from an MMO, including battling in dungeons with PvE instances; taking to the battlegrounds to fight for honor; working the economy by crafting, enchanting, and playing the market. Additionally, players will be able to influence the history of each server by participating in the in-game political system. We also understand the importance of alternate characters, so you will see some goodies for the altaholics in TERA as well!

Onlinewelten: And how does the endgame PvP look like? Open PvP, Battlegrounds and/or other PvP features?

Jason Mical: Open PvP is on a server-by-server basis. All servers will feature battlegrounds, duels, and other PvP features. Players who want to participate in PvP at the endgame will find they have plenty of options.

Onlinewelten: Will you reward PvP actions with special points - we heard something about valkyon points?

Jason Mical: Valkyon points are part of the political system, and yes they are associated with PvP as well. Political clout can be gained by defeating enemies—especially very skilled ones—or enemies with clout of their own.

Onlinewelten: Will the economy be a central aspect of TERA, or is it just a "nice to have" feature like in World of Warcraft and some other MMORPGs?

Jason Mical: The economic system plays an important role in TERA, and players will have a surprising degree of control over it.





Onlinewelten: Will the strongest crafted weapons and armors be as good as any other kind of items we can loot in-game? Or are they even better?

Jason Mical: The current plan is to make the highest-end items exclusive to raid boss drops, but crafted items can come very close to these high-end items. We’ll talk more about the crafting and enchanting systems soon, and get more in-depth about what exactly that means.

Onlinewelten: How can we get resources for crafting? Do we gather them only or can we get some materials from mobs?

Jason Mical: You’ll get resources through a variety of ways: gathering, drops, trading, and so on.

Onlinewelten: Does TERA have voice-overs in-game? If yes, even in German and the other localized languages?

Jason Mical: There will be some voice-overs in TERA, and the plan is to translate and localize them into French and German as well.

Onlinewelten: Could you reveal your test plans? When are the next focus tests, closed and open beta phases?

Jason Mical: We’re still working out when the next testing phase will take place and what it will look like. When we’re ready to move forward, we’ll let the community know ASAP!

Onlinewelten: When will you publish a German website for TERA? Do you have a German Community Team already?

Jason Mical: We had plans to relaunch the website recently, which included a German translation, but we had to push back the launch date a bit. It should happen within the next couple of months, though. We don’t have any European-based community teams at the current time, no.

Onlinewelten: What are your plans for the gamescom in Cologne? Can the community look forward to a hands-on demo? If yes, how many demo stations will be there?

Jason Mical: We’re still finalizing our plans for Gamescom. Our plan is to give the community as much hands-on time with the game as we can!

Onlinewelten: Will you offer a TERA database where the players can see the characters, server statistics and so on?

Jason Mical: We will offer a database, but the extent to which information will be open and what exactly will be available are both under debate.





Onlinewelten: Will there be an open API to get character data and so on to set up own databases?

Jason Mical: Yes, this is our current plan.

Onlinewelten: Last but not least: Is there anything else you want to tell us and our readers about TERA?

Jason Mical: If anyone is attending Comic-Con in San Diego later this month, be sure to come to our community event there. We’ll be revealing some never-before-seen stuff, which the community will then have free reign to share as they like! And good news my German friends: we’ll be doing the same in Cologne, as well. With all new information!

Grand Prize (1 Winner)

[1] Chimera 2-Q
Custom PC created by iBuyPower, given away to one lucky Curse user.
Chassis: Chimera Inferno 2
CPU: AMD Phenom II x4 945 Quad-Core
Cooling: Liquid cooling
Video Card: ATI Radeon HD 5770 DirectX 11 Video Card
Hard Drive: 1TBGrand Prize: Liquid cooled Chimera 2-Q

This past week, TERA received an editorial nomination for GameSpot's Best Massively Multiplayer Game of E3 2010 award. You can now vote for TERA as the Reader's Choice for the same award. Be sure to cast your vote before the July 9th deadline! Visit the nominee page on GameSpot.com and click the "Vote" button!

Interested in spreading the word and a chance to win a TERA messenger bag? Check out our Twitter account, @TERAOnline, for the latest retweet event!
-- Scapes

The fifth installment of the weekly Screenshots of the Week feature adventures into the magical woodland of Fey Forest near the logging outpost of Lumbertown. Feisty, flighty faeries swarm under towering evergreen trees and corrupted unicorns gallop along overgrown roads, trampling any in their path.



Next time on Screenshots of the Week, we'll provide a sneak peek of the game being demonstrated at E3.
-- Scapes

TERA is one of our most hotly anticipated MMOs here at IGN. With a colorful art style, extremely impressive visuals, and an action-based combat system where your positioning relative to your enemy truly counts, TERA is impressive on all fronts. En Masse Entertainment, the North American publisher of the Bluehole Studios game, have given us the low-down (that's slang for "information", or "soulful feeling of early blues" depending on the context) on the world of TERA, and we will dispense with that soulful feeling of early blues forthwith.



In the video above you'll see a lot of ruins, a campsite, and a giant, floating tree with things (probably magical!) orbiting the trunk. The real treats are, however, in the background. The entire island seems to be encircled by waterfalls that can be seen from all over the landmass. Keep an eye out for the wrecked pirate ship balanced precariously on the water's precipice. We really, really hope we get to go there, though considering the whole "raging currents" thing, it is unlikely.

Just north of the Island of Dawn, a brown line cuts a swath through the two continents. According to Knox: "Long ago, the "children" of Arun and Shara warred against themselves. These powerful gods used powers and weapons unmatched before or since—and one of them went completely out of control." It took the sacrifice of a god known as Balder to cease the fighting, and it was his selfless act that heralded the "Age of Mortals," which is the period in which the game takes place.



Spiritwood, showcased in the video above, is the zone players enter shortly after the Island of Dawn. It is much darker, with torches lighting the path, and stony constructs dangling from tree branches. It is home to a location known as Crescentia, which plays a central role in a series of quests. "The Devan bandits have pretty much taken over," Knox explains, "and everyone has lost something…or someone." Devas – the race of the invading bandits – look similar to the Castanics (one of the playable races) though, as Knox tells us, "They may look like Castanics, but the two peoples parted ways long ago."



This final video above displays Deadwood Bog. "That area's part of a zone known as the Tuwangi Mire," says Knox, "a place inhabited by strange humanoids of the same name. Seemingly without culture or resources, the Tuwangis have somehow adapted "frogs" into any number of uses." At least one of the uses includes makeshift balloons. You know, in case you need a frog balloon. Although this zone isn't as visually striking as the Island of Dawn, pausing the video while one of the totem poles is on display shows just how detailed the art really gets.

The geography has gameplay applications, too. Due to the nature of the action-based combat, using objects in the world opens up strategic options. "We've put together a world where ducking behind a rock is a viable way to avoid being hit by an attack." Knox says. "At the same time, climbing up on top of a stone idol might get you out of reach of a lot of mobs, but also out of range for your own attacks"

Much of the world still remains a mystery, of course. The large zone in the northern part of Arun, for example, is larger than any other on the map, and clearly borders the big brown scratch. We asked about this area: "Like any classic adventure story, there's always a little bit more to learn in TERA than can happen in just one release…. hypothetically speaking, of course." Sounds like post-launch content to us.

This third set introduces the city of Velika and two neighboring villages: Lumbertown and Crecentia. These villages border Fey Forest and Oblivion Woods respectively, two different wooded lands each home to different creatures. Vote in this thread's poll to choose which forest next week's Screenshots of the Week should document!



The TERA community will decide where Screenshots of the Week will travel next!
-- Scapes

Westernization

Perhaps the hottest topic of the FGT2 forum, the Westernization feedback category covered the gamut of story, dialogue, naming, game flow, and quests. Overall, testers commented positively on TERA’s Westernization and felt it was a strong indication of our goal for the final product. It's important to note that our Westernization efforts are nowhere near complete; as TERA proceeds through development, its Westernization will continue to be improved upon.

Testers found the core story intriguing and were excited to enter the world presented at the start of the game. Feeling involved in advancing the narrative through interaction with NPCs and engaging dialogue was important to the majority of participants: they wanted to feel that their character was pivotal to the game’s plot. Additionally, players wanted to experience more immersion through the exotic naming of items, skills, and other in-game elements to more closely match the colorful fantasy world of TERA.

We agree with our testers that the best way to convey the tale of TERA is through the quests and denizens of the world. An improved ratio of pertinent story quests to side missions will be introduced in future builds of the game. Also, we intend to polish the names of the equipment, NPCs, and monsters of the land to provide a more immersive experience.

Feedback on the game's flow was clear: playing through the Island of Dawn was a finely crafted experience, while adventuring beyond level 11 and the first major city required self-propelled exploration. Quests during the first 11 levels were easy to find and rewarding to complete. The feedback on later quest chains, however, showed that our testers sought better flow and rewards that scaled to match the increased difficulty levels. Participants agreed that quests were a viable method of leveling, and they would like even more dynamic and exciting quests. Some testers also reported that they were able to level well simply by killing monsters instead of accepting quests.

We want to make questing the optimal method of leveling. To that end, we're developing more than 1,000 quests and four times as many quest archetypes as were in FGT2. Additionally, we are evaluating and improving the geographic distribution of quests to ensure that the rewards scale to match the required level.