david-noonan
Latest
TERA writer discusses the labor of love behind game writing
There's a conception among some gamers that working with video games for a living entails more "video games" than "working." A new development diary by TERA's writing team manager David Noonan is quick to disabuse readers of that notion. He does see the job as a labor of love, but he also freely admits that every day brings the question of how much time will be "love" and how much time will be plain old "labor." Noonan explains the way that he and his team look at bug reports relating to their department. Sometimes, the only thing that needs to be changed is a simple typo; other times, the dialogue of an entire quest chain will need to be rewritten from the start. But that doesn't negate the joy of filling in a story and creating a world, from the major quests down to the item names. If you have an interest in TERA's writing, game writing in general, or both, Noonan has some interesting insights to share. [Thanks to Mike for the tip!]
Massively's exclusive TERA lore: Remember in Vein
It's no secret that several Massively staffers are looking forward to TERA. Just yesterday, in fact, we were lamenting the lack of TERA news and wondering when we might get another glimpse of Arborea. En Masse to the rescue, then, as today we're happy to bring you the latest lore exclusive for the upcoming fantasy MMORPG. Penned by lead writer David Noonan, this Day in the Life installment is called Remember in Vein and concerns the fearsome vulcans. TERA vulcans are quite a bit different from the vulcans familiar to most sci-fi and fantasy fans, though the former do have pointy (if rather large) ears. Head past the cut to read the lore and get a glimpse of our exclusive screenshots.
TERA Visions trailer sighted in the wild
Kotaku's got the scoop on the latest TERA trailer, and the new four-minute video treats fans and curious bystanders to a lot of spiffy Arborean fly-through shots as well as some tough talk from En Masse Entertainment developers. The dev dialogue snippets basically collate all of the talking points that En Masse has been hinting at in various interviews over the past year: There's the action combat, the size of the world and the way it caters to explorer-types, and the focus on the action instead of the UI. There's also a quick blurb about story from lead writer David Noonan, specifically the fact that TERA's story (and the world itself) is the dream of two ancient gods. En Masse VP Chris Lee even drops a hint about guild housing, which mitigates the fact that we've seen a lot of the footage in this video before. There is some new stuff, though, so make sure to keep watching past the titles at the three-minute mark for additional footage. Click past the cut to check it out.
TERA's David Noonan on building smart quests
Quests are such an integral part of current-gen MMORPG gameplay that players sometimes take them for granted. Collecting this or killing that is so ingrained in the gamer psyche that it's easy to overlook the work that goes into making a good quest (or the potential impact that unique quests have on the play experience). TERA lead writer David Noonan has been thinking a lot about quests, and he recently shared a bit of insight with GameZone regarding how the team of writers at En Masse Entertainment is building better quests. Much of the team's effort goes toward ensuring the quality (and relevancy) of a given quest regardless of when a player chooses to accept it. Quests that capture a player's interest before (or after) a villain or boss fight are the ultimate goal. "That's what we call a smart quest: a quest that's designed with an awareness of its emotional, storytelling, and world-building surroundings... When you see a smart quest... it's because someone thought through all the narrative, emotional, and gameplay implications beforehand," Noonan explains.
Massively's exclusive TERA lore: Contents Under Pressure
Ah, Berserkers. If you've ever wondered what goes on in the minds of warriors who let their emotions run wild, the newest TERA "Day in the Life" lore entry might pique your interest. Either that, or pay a visit to the nearest MMORPG forum. In any event, En Masse Entertainment lead writer David Noonan has penned a tale of battle, bloodlust, and bodacious armor that features Naurene, a High Elf Berserker with a giant axe and an attitude to match. While she's easy on the eyes in that typical TERA fashion, Naurene isn't exactly a girl you'd bring home to meet the family, as she's in the habit of talking to her recently deceased foes and rarely anyone else. Jump the cut for her story as well as a few new screens.
Massively's exclusive TERA lore: Five Tenets
Curious about the stoic Baraka race of En Masse Entertainment's upcoming TERA MMORPG? If so, Massively has a treat for you in the form of our latest exclusive lore entry from the world of Arborea. Despite their fearsome physiques and brooding countenances, Baraka are one of TERA's more scholarly races, and their barrel-chested bodies belie a gentle nature and pacifistic tendencies. It's not all bookworms and turning the other cheek though, as today's yarn by En Masse lead writer David Noonan demonstrates. When pressed, Baraka can be quite fearsome -- if cerebral -- fighting machines. Join us after the cut for a day in the life of Thuul, a Baraka archer tasked with defending his home against the horde of argon invaders.
TERA's Cultist Refuge screens revealed
Those of us cooling our heels at home during PAX Prime 2010 missed out on En Masse Entertainment's extensive demo for its highly-anticipated TERA MMORPG. Luckily, En Masse rides to the rescue with the latest Screenshots of the Week featurette. The 18th installment takes us to the Cultist's Refuge, discussed at length by lead writer David Noonan in our PAX demo article. The gothic fortress shelters forbidden magic and dark forces bent on resurrecting the demon god Lok, so adventurers are advised to tread lightly. Players will enter the area around level 35, and may also encounter a nefarious Argon as they advance their storyline and character in and around the refuge. Be sure to check out the screens in our gallery below and on the official TERA website. %Gallery-96720%
PAX 2010: TERA's David Noonan talks story, endgame
You might think that BioWare has the market cornered when it comes to story in upcoming MMORPGs. As we found out at PAX Prime 2010, however, TERA is also focusing on delivering an interactive narrative experience to complement its action combat gameplay. Our own Rubi Bayer managed to corner En Masse Entertainment lead writer David Noonan for a little one-on-one time regarding TERA's extensive storyline. Noonan also dropped an interesting nugget or two regarding the state of the title's endgame. Read the full interview after the cut and be sure to check out our gallery below. %Gallery-101708%
TERA collates Elleon's day three journal entries
It's no secret that TERA, the upcoming action-fantasy MMORPG from Bluehole Studio and En Masse Entertainment, is filled with interesting lore. En Masse has devoted much virtual ink to the dissemination of the game's unique take on the fantasy genre, and has also hired a team of professional writers, lead by David Noonan, to flesh it out. To that end, Noonan has been tweeting the journal entries of an in-game character called Elleon over the past several months, and the official TERA website has been updated with a comprehensive collection of all of Elleon's "day three" journal entries. "More gut-emptying pegasus rides. Kyrisha the botanist turned me down (teaching commitment), but Belevrus the anatomist said yes. Mysterium teleporters sent me to Allemantheia, where I recruited Jehan as our botanist. He's no Kyrisha, but his academics look solid," Elleon says. You can view the full summary here, as well as check out the day one and day two collations that you may have missed. Finally, don't forget to check out the recently launched day four on Elleon's Twitter page.
TERA's David Noonan talks lore, geography
TERA is rapidly becoming synonymous with lore in MMORPG circles, as En Masse Entertainment has gone to great lengths to talk about the game's back story as well as highlighting some of the individuals creating it. Lead writer David Noonan was recently interviewed over at The Examiner, and spoke at length about what makes a unique MMO, artistic inspiration, and literal versus figurative takes on the lore. "The characters in the world regard the world-creation story as a literal truth -- even if it happened long before they were born. And I think that's important to the feel of the world. We want TERA to be a place where gods and magic have a very real, authentic presence," Noonan says. You can check out the full interview over at The Examiner, and don't forget to peruse the nifty new screenshots accompanying the article.
TERA compiles Elleon's Journal, starts Day 2
Lore and storytelling often seem like lost arts in the majority of today's MMORPGs, as the games (and the players) tend to focus heavily on advancement and item collecting. TERA, the upcoming action fantasy title from Bluehole Studio and En Masse Entertainment, looks to change that equation with compelling world and character lore designed to flesh out the game's unique setting. Lead writer David Noonan has been delivering story updates via Twitter for some time, effectively using the microblogging service to disseminate the journal entries of a TERA NPC known as Elleon. "I want to make something absolutely clear at the outset: Elleon isn't tweeting. That would be wrong, wrong, wrong. But we are using Twitter to distribute Elleon's journal entries, which will tell a story (and give you a peek at game content) over the coming weeks and months. Twitter is just the distribution technique; Elleon isn't going to retweet, reply, or anything like that," Noonan said in a forum post last month. Fast forward four weeks and the official TERA website has released a compilation of the Day 1 journal entries. Check it out, and don't forget to get your lore fix with Elleon's Journal: Day 2 on the official Twitter feed.
Industry vets joining En Masse Entertainment ... in large numbers
While you're waiting anxiously for the eventual Western release of Korean MMO Tera, En Masse Entertainment is busy hiring up developers with high profile credentials by the handful. From Aaron LeMay (former resource manager and producer at Bungie and Volition), to David Noonan (worked on D&D 4th Edition), to ex-BioWare PR man Matt Atwood, it seems that En Masse is really, really interested in getting the attention of game industry vets. According to En Masse's announcement, the man credited with creating the Xbox Live Operations Center, Marcus Schweig, has also been hired on to head up network operations. "As we build toward the launch of Tera, we are adding veteran strength to all facets of the company to ensure a topnotch Action MMO experience for our customers," CEO Dr. Jae-Heon Yang says of the acquisitions. Hey guys, you know that Ron Gilbert's up for grabs these days, right? Your move.
TERA adds veteran industry talent
En Masse Entertainment isn't messing around, judging by today's announcement regarding several game industry heavyweights joining forces with the publisher of the forthcoming TERA MMORPG. "We want En Masse Entertainment to serve as a magnet for creative talent. As we build toward the launch of TERA, we are adding veteran strength to all facets of the company to ensure a topnotch action MMO experience for our customers," said CEO Dr. Jae-Heon Yang. New TERA team members include Aaron LeMay, a veteran of major action franchises including Halo and Saint's Row. Also signing on are Matt Atwood, former Global Public Relations Lead at BioWare and responsible for overseeing both Dragon Age and Mass Effect. David Noonan, a former Dungeons and Dragons game designer and Aion writer also joins the TERA crew, as does Microsoft Xbox Live Operations Center veteran Markus Schweig. Head on over to the official TERA forums for the full press release.
Massively exclusive: TERA lore dev blog
While we had a chance to get our hands on with the upcoming mmo TERA at GDC 2010, there was little we could glean about the overall lore of the world beyond the broadest of brush-strokes. That's why we were so glad when the folks at En Masse Entertainment offered to give us some exclusive insight on some of the history of this interesting new world. This developer blog, written by David Noonan, Lead Writer at En Masse Entertainment, turns an eye towards the history of the High Elves, but in a fascinating way. Written in the format of a research paper -- complete with editorial remarks from a wizened professor -- it gives us a closer look at the bloody, violent, and fascinating culture of one of the elder races in TERA. While TERA's warlike High Elves are cautiously accepted now in the ranks of the Valkyon Federation, they're still not entirely trusted by the other member-races. Only recently did they stop their bloody and bitter wars -- and the memory of the world's inhabitants have not yet faded in terms of what the "Children of Karas" once did. The High Elves, aware that their own survival is dependent upon cooperation with any other enemies of the Argon invaders, actively look past those previous differences; their cause is now that of saving all life on the planet. They act with strength, patience, and honor to achieve their goals of moving "forward, together and strong" -- a tenet that is just as important to the High Elf race as the benedictions spoken at meals in elven homes for well over 3,000 years. Curious about lore on the High Elves of TERA? Join us behind the break for the dev blog from David Noonan or check out the gallery below for a handful of exclusive new screenshots! %Gallery-86517%
Five things content writers learned while westernizing Aion
In a developer journal over at MMORPG.com, NCsoft Content Writer David Noonan waxes on five things he and the "Aion Westernization Army" learned while stripping Aion down to its narrative essence and building it back up again. It was no easy task taking what was basically a fully-fledged successful Korean MMO and repackaging it for a totally different audience.It seems as though the writing team took the task seriously. In a game populated by over 2,500 quests, there's bound to be some repetitiion and uncreative storytelling going on but Aion's writers aren't simply giving in to the status quo. Your character's primary campaign quests may deliver the bulk of the narrative, but tons of other pieces are strewn about for players to discover that will be picked up by chatting with various NPCs. Based on this article, they seem to have taken a strategic approach to storytelling in the game. Story isn't shoved down your throat, but it is there if you are perceptive and take the time to actually read it. While many will surely plough ahead to reach the level cap as fast as possible, many others will stop to smell the roses. NCsoft wants to reward those flower-sniffers with a rich story experience.
