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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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! 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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Good afternoon, TERA Fans! Today, Senior Producer Brian Knox spoke about the reality of the race-class combination conundrum. Check it out below.

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While I'm one of those TERA fans that really hopes all classes will be available to all races, I totally see where the development team is having a tough time making the call. What do you think, TERA Fans?

Filed by TERA Fans News at 11:22 pm under Uncategorized  Tagged Aesthetics, Continuing Development, Conundrum, Differentiation, Eve, Flip Side, Forces At Work, Game Balance, Good Afternoon, Hammer, Hot Topic, Lore, Producer Brian, Race Combinations, Relaxing Vacation, Rich Narrative, Sam Kim, Trying To Find A Way, Uniqueness, Weapons And Armor
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Hey, TERA Fans! So sorry this was so delayed but I've been having trouble getting both time and a spot with good internet at the same time D:! Here's the long awaited interview I had with Senior Producer Brian Knox at E3!

More goodies incoming! Enjoy! :3





Amira: So I just have a few questions for you! First off, they’ve all been submitted by TERA Fans members.

Brian: Oh awesome, those are my favorite!

Amira: Around how many quests will the game be launched with?

Brian: We’re saying there’s thousands of quests. We want to do what we can to make the game quest driven and story driven so that you’re not having to just kill monsters over and over; we want the quests to lead players along.

Amira: Right, great! How detailed will the guild system be? Will there be alliances or detailed options?

Brian: We’re working on the actual technical term, there’ll obviously be alliances among players but how that plays out technically within the game we’re still deciding on. Guilds will be able to rank different members, for example, there’ll be different permissions for officers versus regular members.

Amira: How much effect will players have on the world? Can you give any specific examples?

Brian: In terms of player’s activities in the world, we really think that’ll shine in the political system. The players will determine the history of, you know, this person was in power and then this person was in power and then this guild rose up and challenged him so we think that the history is really the biggest impact the players will have on the world.

Amira: Speaking of which, can you tell us anymore about the political system?

Brian: I can do a little bit, we’re not talking a lot about it, but, there’ll be different ways to be elected, be it through PvP, wealth, as well as voting. We’re just trying to find the right balance so that different players can participate in different ways and have a choice about how they want to be a part of it all. Once you’re elected to office, there’ll be some cool features available as well.

Amira: Will there be a separation between PvP and PvE gearsets?

Brian: Right now that’s not our goal. Our goal is to provide possibly skills that would work a little bit better in PvE versus PvP. It’s more that route versus having different gear sets, because, especially when you’re out and about, you don’t want to be like, “Oh, I have to switch my gear.”

Amira: Will the NPCs in cities be life-like?

Brian: We’re definitely going to be having NPCs bustling around, but we also want to keep players there with the commerce, so it’ll make it feel alive because players will be there, the guild housing is there, the way the players are shopping, talking and chatting, we’re working on voice chat as well. We really want to keep it bustling and alive.

Amira: How will mob-tagging work?

Brian: Right now it’s, you hit it and it’s yours. It doesn’t matter if someone else does more damage right now, they won’t steal it.

Amira: Is there any specific information you can share on the character talent system?

Brian: We’re working on a way to increase skills with skill points. We haven’t really given it a name yet. It was based off of focus group feedback and basically players wanted ways to differentiate there classes and to have different builds, so you’ll be able to assign points to skills which will then increase their power. It’ll be a way of defining yourself.

Amira: There was some confusion recently following an interview about this one; will certain classes be locked out to certain races?

Brian: This is a big debate apparently! The answer just isn’t final yet. We actually corrected that internal communitarian, but the answer just isn’t final yet.

Amira: Can you tell us a little about the alt-points system we’ve heard about?

Brian: I don’t have a ton of detail on it but it’s going to be a way that, once you get to max level, the things you’re earning can be kind of handed down to your alts. So it’ll allow them to get special weapons or level a little bit faster, kind of, get through the content that maybe you don’t want to redo again. What we really hope is that players can go through the game multiple times, each time taking different paths, that way, making an alt is fun and different every time. But this is a pretty big focus because every class plays so differently, so it’ll be a real different experience for every class.

Amira: Can you give us any specifics about the battleground system?

Brian: No, we’re not talking too much about the specifics right now. For the most part, we’re really focusing on PvE now and making sure that the balance and pacing in the game is correct, making sure the classes are good. Then when we balance for PvP, we’re going to be balancing for party play, not one on one. There are some cool things we’ll get into later on.

Amira: Will there be any NPC faction reputation systems?

Brian: Right now there’s no faction system.

Amira: Which aspects of the game are specifically being westernized?

Brian: Everything, because we’re taking the feedback from everywhere and saying, you know, what are your players saying about this and what our players saying. Oh! They’re saying the same thing, so, a lot of it; you have so many resources before the launch with which you can do only so much stuff. You’re not going to be able to do everything, or every game would be perfect.

So, if we have a feature that players are really caught on and the Korean gamers are really caught on, it really prioritizes it because, you know, more bang for your buck, right? But there’ll also be things that the West has to have that maybe Korea doesn’t have. Maybe its promotional items or it’s the pacing in the game. Those are the kinds of things where we talk to the developers and we decide where we can allocate our time best.

Because they have not launched in Korea, all suggestions are valuable. There are things we’ve suggested that have been turned down, but then brought back up and put in. So we’re exploring something in terms of an achievement system, that’s definitely something the West prefers. Like I mentioned the pacing is a big thing. We’ve been given the green light to have a different leveling curve than in Korea, which is a huge difference, but we can’t just pick things. We need to do our research and do our focus group testing and see what our players want.

Filed by TERA Fans News at 10:38 pm under Uncategorized  Tagged Alliances, Amira, Different Ways, E3, Fans, Game Quest, Goodies, Guild System, Hey, Little Bit, Members, Monsters, Options, Producer Brian, Tera
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The Velika Guardian: Issue 5 has been released, covering the latest news in case you missed it! Enjoy!

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Filed by TERA Fans News at 3:18 pm under Uncategorized  Tagged Berserk, Berserker, Berserkers, Character Questions, Clerks, Deep Dive, E3 Trailer, Electronic Entertainment Expo, Entire Press, Expo 2010, Guardian, J Jonah Jameson, Jae, Pacific Time, Polearm, Producer Brian, Release Details, Story Consultant, Tera News, Twitter
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Good afternoon, TERA Fans! E3 is coming soon, but if you can't make it, the TERA team is making it easy for you to get your questions answered!

On Wednesday, June 16th, Senior Producer Brian Knox will be taking questions via twitter for 20 minutes. Check out the post below for details!

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Filed by TERA Fans News at 6:34 pm under Uncategorized  Tagged Answer Session, Backlog, Character Size, Convention Floor, E3 Convention, Exhibit Hall, Fans, Game, Gmt, Good Afternoon, Half Hour, Player Classes, Producer Brian, Question And Answer, Question Text, Real Time, Tera, Tweet, Twitter
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Good afternoon, TERA Fans! E3 is coming soon, but if you can't make it, the TERA team is making it easy for you to get your questions answered!

On Wednesday, June 16th, Senior Producer Brian Knox will be taking questions via twitter for 20 minutes. Check out the post below for details!

Quote

Filed by TERA Fans News at 6:34 pm under Uncategorized  Tagged Answer Session, Backlog, Character Size, Convention Floor, E3 Convention, Exhibit Hall, Fans, Game, Gmt, Good Afternoon, Half Hour, Player Classes, Producer Brian, Question And Answer, Question Text, Real Time, Tera, Tweet, Twitter
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Good afternoon, TERA Fans! E3 is coming soon, but if you can't make it, the TERA team is making it easy for you to get your questions answered!

On Wednesday, June 16th, Senior Producer Brian Knox will be taking questions via twitter for 20 minutes. Check out the post below for details!

Quote

Filed by TERA Fans News at 6:34 pm under Uncategorized  Tagged Answer Session, Backlog, Character Size, Convention Floor, E3 Convention, Exhibit Hall, Fans, Game, Gmt, Good Afternoon, Half Hour, Player Classes, Producer Brian, Question And Answer, Question Text, Real Time, Tera, Tweet, Twitter
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Hello again, TERA Fans! :3 ZAM.com recently had the chance to talk with Brian Knox and Scott James Magner about the Berserker class.

You can check out the Q&A below and learn more about the Berserker in our TERA Fans class guide!

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Filed by TERA Fans News at 10:01 pm under Uncategorized  Tagged Attack Patterns, Axe, Berserker, Executive Producer, Fans, Foot Blade, Game, Giant Sword, Hello, James Magner, Lot, Melee, Monster, Producer Brian, Sat, Six Months, Slayer, Story Consultant, Tera
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