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Everything you ever wanted to know about TERA's testing but were afraid to ask
So your interest has been piqued in TERA. That's really understandable, considering the impression it left on us at the GDC and the jaw-dropping graphics it's put on display thus far. Based on that, it's quite possible that you signed up for the focus group testing when it was first offered. But simply signing up doesn't provide you with all of the answers to questions you need. Fear not, for if you were one of the many who signed up to test, an official sheet of information has now been posted. For those of us not taking part by choice or by poor luck, two of the most important pieces of meta-information are the fact that there will be an NDA in effect and there will not be enough spots for everyone who wanted in. One can also infer from the information about what's been added that the game is progressing nicely and still has a ways to go before launch -- yet it's still shaping up quite impressively. Those interested in finding out more can take a look at the full information sheet on the official TERA site, and keep your eyes open for more news here.
TERA unleashes trailer on the masses
The upcoming action RPG fantasy MMO TERA from Bluehole Studio and En Masse Entertainment definitely caught our eyes at GDC 2010. While our fearless leader Shawn got a chance for (several) hands-on sessions with this intriguing new title, the trailer from GDC has come out today for the rest of us who weren't so fortunate as to make it to the conference. What is most impressive about this trailer to us (beyond the fact that nobody seems to fall out of those skimpy metal bikinis) is that the footage was created using all in-game resources. If that's the case, the in-game graphics -- including facial emotes -- are quite impressive. Of course, considering how deep the game's various systems appear to go based on that hands-on at the convention, we're not surprised to find the graphics are equally as impressive. So if you haven't had a chance to see TERA in action, be sure to check out the trailer behind the break. Between all the details we keep hearing about and luscious visuals like this, we think this is definitely going to be a game to watch.
En Masse answers twenty TERA questions
Amira over at TERAfans.com has published a lengthy question and answer session with En Masse Entertainment's Brian Knox. En Masse, North American publishers for the forthcoming BlueHole Studios MMORPG, was formed by veterans of both Blizzard and NCSoft and their first project is localizing and distributing TERA to the western market. Knox drops a few interesting tidbits, including a brief mention of TERA's political system. "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 with crafting, enchanting, and playing the market. In addition, players will be able to influence the history of each server by participating in the in-game political system," he said. Check out the full interview and stay with Massively for more TERA coverage in the coming weeks.
TERA looking for focus group participants
Bluehole Studios' upcoming TERA MMORPG is looking for a few good focus group members for their second round of closed testing. A notice appeared yesterday on the game's official site, encouraging interested parties to complete a quick application process. "Applicant selection will be based on community participation, activity, quality of feedback, and the above application information. This will occur in [the] coming weeks," the site says. TERA recently wowed us at the Game Developer's Conference, and judging by the number of replies in an 11-page (as of press time) forum thread discussing the announcement, we'd suggest getting your Focus Group Test #2 application done in a hurry.
TERA Online zone screenshots revealed
TERA, the upcoming MMO from Bluehole Studio, kind of snuck up on us out of nowhere last month but quickly turned into one to watch. Our own Sera and Shawn got a look at the game last week at GDC and liked what they saw, and fans of the game are looking forward to it as well. As with any MMO in the works, any images and information are welcome to waiting fans, so screenshots of thirteen different zones were met with quite a bit of excitement. The screenshots were separated by location and showed quite a variety of design, offering gorgeous views of TERA and certainly not making the wait any easier. Looking through the screenshots, you'll see grasslands, desert, caves, forests...the zones give such variety that just exploring the game will take up quite a bit of time. Interested in seeing for yourself? We've gathered them all in a handy little gallery, so follow along and take a look! [via jkwengert] %Gallery-88481%
GDC10: Hands-on with TERA Online
New MMOs are becoming a dime a dozen. We here at Massively are constantly flooded with press releases claiming that Company A's new game is not only an MMO, but it's the best darn MMO you've ever seen. Despite this, we try to hold back the cynicism and keep a sharp eye open for the true diamonds in the rough. At GDC 2010, we saw what could be considered at least an emerald in the rough. TERA had a huge presence at the conference, with fliers everywhere you looked and an impressive demo booth with four playable stations. Since Seraphina and I both spent some quality time with the game, including a developer demo, we decided to pool our thoughts for one big article on what we saw. Follow along for our impressions of TERA.
New TERA screens revealed
Publisher En Masse today revealed three new high resolution screen shots of Blue Hole Studio's forthcoming action MMORPG TERA: The Exiled Realm of Arboria. "TERA is a new class of MMO that combines the depth and flexibility of online PC games with the lush graphics and immediacy of console action games," said Dr. Jae-Heon Yang, CEO of En Masse Entertainment. "Players can go beyond factions and static story lines to write the history of TERA in real time as six races learn to work together." Stay tuned to Massively this week as we'll be sitting down with En Masse at GDC 2010 and bringing you full coverage of TERA's debut. %Gallery-87895%
Blizzard, NCSoft talent set up MMO developer En Masse Entertainment
A piping-hot press release from Korean MMO developer Bluehole Studio has announced a new subsidiary for the company named En Masse Entertainment. Based in Seattle, En Masse will focus on "selecting high quality online games and adapting, refining, and positioning them so they are perfectly suited for audiences in Western markets." In other words, slightly reducing the size of everyone's swords. You know, just to the point where it looks reasonable that they could lift them off the ground. According to the presser, the En Masse team features talent from other big players in the MMOverse, including Blizzard, EA, ArenaNet and NCsoft. It sounds like the studio's got a pretty experienced roster; whether or not they'll be able to get us excited about their first project -- a Westernized version of a Korean MMORPG called TERA -- remains to be seen.
Bluehole joins vast ranks of Unreal-using devs
A new Korean development studio called Bluehole announced this week that it has licensed Epic's Unreal Engine 3 for its "flagship" MMO project, which is codenamed Project S1. The studio just started up last year, and is composed of "key members from some of the leading development and management teams in Korea." Specific, that!Project S1 is being developed for the PC, and according to a statement by Epic's Jay Wilbur, its team has "plans to reinvent MMO design and battle system mechanics." Sounds promising, but it's awfully soon to tell. We're looking forward to hearing more about this project in the months to come.Bluehole joins fellow Koreans NCsoft and Webzen, along with seemingly countless other studios like Cheyenne Mountain and 38 Studios in using the prolific and popular Unreal engine.
