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En Masse's response to microtransaction speculation: TERA is not a microtransaction game
In one of our recent TERA articles, we speculated that TERA may be going towards a microtransaction/subscription model thanks to the wording in a press release sent out by Digital River, TERA's online shop service. However, senior producer Brian Knox has sent us a statement that sets the facts straight: TERA is not a microtransaction game. "After a press release by Digital River announcing our e-commerce partnership a few players expressed concerns that TERA would be a micro-transaction game in addition to requiring a subscription fee; that is not the case," said Knox. "TERA is not a micro-transaction or cash-shop item game. The game is built and designed to function as a subscription-based game. We would have to make dramatic changes to the game's design to support micro-transactions and there is no intention of doing so."
TERA talks public transportation, releases new screens
Did you ever think you'd see a bus or a subway train in the fantasy world of TERA? Apparently some community members have, as a recent discussion translated from the game's Korean website makes clear. Aside from the pegasus flightpath system that takes players from cities to quest hubs in the current beta client, no information on mounts in En Masse Entertainment's upcoming action MMO has been released. That said, TERAfans has managed to dig up a posting by Korean community manager Tree in which he solicits community feedback on the types of mounts desired. In other news, En Masse has released its latest Screenshots of the Week featurette, this time taking us to the cities of Velika and Castanica. Check them out in our gallery below or on the official website. %Gallery-96720%
Massively exclusive: The lore of TERA's Castanics, Part II
While TERA is being developed overseas by Bluehole Studio, the western localization and lore is in the hands of the excellent team at En Masse Entertainment, whose members are busy crafting a deep and interesting backstory for the world. At this time, we know that there will be six different races players can choose from in the upcoming game. En Masse is making sure that each of the races is getting its own unique history, such as the lore developer blog we've been given for the fiercely independent Castanics! In this second installment of the story Fates Be Damned by R. K. MacPherson, we catch up with Havelock, Calastra, Zufikar, and other Castanics as they try to make sense of what happened in the last tale. Why did this moment of malicious betrayal change the future of an entire race and cause them to leave their homeland? Read on past the break to find out as we dive into part II of our exclusive TERA developer blog! %Gallery-98895%
Updated: En Masse signs agreement with e-commerce company Digital River
En Masse the company responsible for TERA, is going to be working with Digital River for the next few years as part of a global agreement. In the immortal words of Paul Vasquez, what does it mean? Well, we know that TERA will have a subscription-based business model, but Digital River's press release points to a bit more than that: "Digital River will manage in-game commerce and launch an online store to support North American sales of En Masse's soon-to-be-released flagship action MMO, TERA." It's almost standard these days for MMOs to offer microtransactions even on top of a subscription fee, so while nothing has been officially announced, the mention of in-game commerce looks like our first indication that TERA may be going in that direction. The agreement will run through 2014. [Edit: Senior Community Manager of En Masse Entertainment has responded to some of the player concerns: "A few folks have expressed concerns that TERA users are going to have to pay micro-transaction fees in order to play TERA; that's not the case. We'd like to clarify that TERA is a subscription-based game, not a micro-transaction-based game. As gamers ourselves, we believe that our fellow players shouldn't be required to pay micro-transaction fees in order to have a great gaming experience."]
Massively exclusive: The lore of TERA's Castanics
When it comes to upcoming MMOs with gorgeous graphics, TERA is definitely up at the top of many people's lists. However, as anyone who has been in the MMO scene for a while knows, graphics aren't everything. A really great MMO offers not only great looks, fun mechanics, and lots to do, but a believable world that people care about and want to learn more about. Thankfully, the team at En Masse Entertainment understand that adding in an interesting, well-designed story is equally as important as adding all the fancy graphics -- and are hard at work with Bluehole Studios, making the world of TERA come alive. To add to that, they've also sent us an exclusive two-part tale, which they say "describes a pivotal moment in Castanic history, namely the death of Balder at Lok's hand. This caused not only the arcane scars on the Castanics bodies (which persist to this day, sort of a Mark of Cain) but caused them to abandon their home in Shara and make their way to Arun (where we find them today)." Curious for more tasty lore? Then join us behind the jump for this first installment, titled Fates Be Damned. Also, be sure to check out the outpouring of TERA eyecandy in the gallery below! %Gallery-98895%
Gameforge buys majority stake in Frogster
MMO business news isn't normally as sexy as the latest press release from BioWare or as divisive as the newest F2P conversion announcement. That said, occasionally an industry-related story comes along that indicates something equally big is in the water. Today's announcement of Gameforge's bid to take control of noted free-to-play publisher Frogster seems destined to turn a few industry heads, including ours. Gameforge, which heretofore has specialized in smallish F2P games like Cabal, has just acquired a 60 percent majority holding in Frogster, the German publisher known primarily for distributing Runes of Magic. The purchase deal went through at $33 US a share, which places Frogster's overall value in the neighborhood of $85 million US. Frogster, and now Gameforge, is looking to grow its portfolio not only with Runes of Magic but also by publishing the forthcoming Mythos dungeon crawler as well as by securing the European publishing rights to the highly anticipated TERA action MMO from Bluehole Studio. The Gameforge folks have been busy little bees this summer, as they earlier announced an agreement with CBS to publish several browser-based games centered around the Star Trek intellectual property.
TERA releases new Screens of the Week, skill change info
We may not have much information on TERA's highly secret political system, nor do we have a ton of new gameplay details to report, but one thing we always have in abundance regarding the forthcoming action MMORPG is screenshots. Yes, En Masse has delivered the eleventh installment of their venerable Screenshots of the Week featurette, this time focusing on the Valley of Nihil. Situated on TERA's western continent, the valley is an arid wasteland of cracked plateaus and foreboding sandstone that you can view in our gallery below. En Masse was also kind enough to drop a few tidbits regarding skill tweaks earlier this week. In a brief news release, the TERA publisher details some of the feedback received from the Focus Group Test 2 that concluded earlier this spring, as well as some new skills that resulted from the feedback. Have a look at the skill descriptions as well as the in-game icons on the game's official website. %Gallery-96720%
SDCC 2010: TERA by the numbers
If looks were everything, then TERA would certainly place as a finalist in the Miss Upcoming MMO Universe pageant. Yet as visually sumptuous as it may be, we're more interested in its personality. Can the brains match the beauty? So far, it looks promising. We've been locked on to TERA's unique brand of fantasy play since this year's E3 (and before), and as such, it's great to check back in with the title, take it out for a quiet romantic dinner, and see how it's shaping up. We caught up with En Masse Entertainment at the 2010 San Diego Comic-Con and spent a half hour putting the game through its paces and chatting up with TERA's devs. While TERA's dev team is working with a more recent build of the game, our hands-on demo was the same build as the one we saw at E3. Even so, it's always worth spending a few more minutes with an upcoming MMO to see what new facts and impressions can be gleaned. Hit the jump to read more about classes, races and an idea about not getting hit that's so crazy, it just might work!
The Daily Grind: Could politics make for an interesting MMO?
Politics: it divides us, fascinates us and involves us on multiple levels. Along with religion, free-to-play and GearScore, it's perhaps one of the most controversial topics among gamers. Everyone has an opinion, everyone chooses a side, and everyone cares about something political -- or at least, it seems. Seeing our love for the political sphere, do you think politics could make for an interesting MMO? It's not as if it's a foreign notion, after all. EVE Online incorporates politics into its web of intrigue; TERA devs have hinted at a political system; and A Tale in the Desert allows players to vote to shape the game. Even guilds, to some degree, incorporate a political structure and tactics. So could a purely political MMO work -- and would you play it? What if the entire game were nothing but players and NPCs jockeying for power, ruling countries, enacting laws, and making decisions that could either hinder or help your political career? Would the game need to be set in an alternate universe free of real-world politics to avoid clouding the game with personal affiliations? Is there enough "game" in politics to build an MMO around it?
TERA's Jason Mical teases politics, group balancing
TERA's political system continues to be shrouded in mystery, and whether it's a proper MacGuffin or some sort of public-relations red herring designed to simultaneously titillate and obfuscate is unclear. One thing that is clear is the fact that En Masse Entertainment representatives are reluctant to do much beyond tease the fact that the system exists. The latest example comes via an interview with community director Jason "BrotherMagneto" Mical over at World of TERA. Mical talks briefly about the level of player freedom inherent in the system. "I suppose the level of freedom will in some part depend on who gets elected. Some leaders might be benevolent, while others might become outright tyrants. Some who start with the best of intentions will probably end up tyrants. In other words, it's going to be a bit like real politics," he says. He goes on to state that PvP will influence TERA's political system quite a bit, referencing Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton "on a much larger and more common scale."
Frogster responds to TERA fan backlash
The recent announcement by Bluehole Studios and Frogster Online Gaming that the latter had secured the European publishing rights to TERA brought about something akin to an outcry from portions of the forthcoming fantasy MMORPG's community. While it wasn't quite millions of voices crying out in terror (and then being suddenly silenced), there were a few indignant threads on the various TERA fan sites. Why the brouhaha? Apparently some fans have experienced everything from perceived shoddy customer service, to forum "censorship," to the wanton slaughter of helpless kittens in previous Frogster-published titles (the largest of which is free-to-play behemoth Runes of Magic). Frogster director of product management Daniel Ulrich has since extended an olive branch in the form of a post on the official TERA forums, laying out the first of what will be several rounds of Q&A posts over the next few days. Check out the thread for some answers to your burning TERA questions, including free-to-play vs. pay-to-play, support team specifics, and server hardware.
TERA-Europe introduces new site with screenshots and trailer
Frogster announced last week that the company has secured publishing rights for TERA in Europe, and the Frogster team has progressed since then by getting the new TERA-Europe site up and running. It's primarily a placeholder at this point, carrying a "full website coming soon!" message, but it does bring some new goodies for fans. There are 16 screenshots that offer a nice overview of the world and of combat. The video, which is well over three minutes long, offers front-row seats to a battle with a bit of a surprise ending. Check out the newest trailer and gallery of screenshots below. %Gallery-97826%
TERA shows off Azarel's Temple
Has it really been ten weeks already? Time flies when you're looking at great TERA screenshots, and En Masse Entertainment has recently released the tenth installment of its Screenshots of the Week featurette. This set, coming to us from the dark innards of Azarel's Temple, may be the most exciting yet (or it could be just the fact that we love grim dungeon interiors that remind us of Raiders of the Lost Ark). In any event, Azarel's Temple is hidden amidst the dense jungles of Southern Arun, and you can get a sneak preview of it by checking out the first three images in our gallery below, or by visiting the official TERA website. Just make sure you stay out of the light. %Gallery-96720%
TERA's David Noonan talks story, gameplay
TERA was one of the big winners at this year's E3, and the action fantasy MMORPG continues to ride that wave with a set of newly released video interviews taped on the show floor. TheGameNet's Nadine Heimann interviews lead writer David Noonan, who drops a few interesting nuggets about TERA's gameplay and story. For starters, Noonan clears up a question many fans have had regarding Westernization and the game's plot. Despite the fact that the majority of TERA's development is happening at Bluehole Studio in Seoul, South Korea, the game's quests will have a distinctly American flavor since Noonan spends one week out of every month traveling to the far east to collaborate directly with Bluehole's designers. He also points out that the game's quests will feature upwards of two million words, and that players could play through the TERA's lengthy storyline twice without repeating any quest content. Check out the full interview on YouTube, and don't forget to watch the shorter "personality" piece as well.
TERA's Mical talks political system, endgame PvP
Want to know more about TERA's political system, as well as juicy details on the forthcoming action MMORPG's endgame PvP? Yeah so do we, but at the moment the best we can do is an interview with En Masse Entertainment's Jason "BrotherMagneto" Mical. The German fansite Onlinewelten managed to snag a few moments of the community manager's time, and while he steadfastly avoids revealing much beyond the title's talking points, at least the talking points are moving away from Westernization and in the general direction of actual game information. Perhaps the most interesting comment to come out of the interview is a remark tying together the title's PvP and political systems. "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," Mical says.
En Masse Vice President discusses goals for present and future
TERA has been generating a huge amount of interest in the MMO world these days, and the team at En Masse Entertainment is feeling pretty confident about where things are headed. En Masse Vice President Chris Lee spent some time chatting with Gamasutra about the company's past, present, and future, as well as what he sees in store for TERA. TERA is, of course, the main focus these days; the team is working to make the game's quality live up to expectations, developing it for the Western market, and generally preparing for a successful launch. But what about post-launch? What's in store for En Masse in the coming years? The team has no plans to slow down, and they want to expand a bit. "Our goal would be to go beyond what Bluehole's producing. I think they're the type of studio that's going to produce blockbuster hits, but take multiple years in between each one." They're hoping for a "small portfolio of high-quality titles" to introduce to the MMO market. Fans aren't the only ones attracted by En Masse's success, by the way. Runes of Magic publisher Frogster liked what it saw, and has secured publishing rights to bring TERA to Europe, broadening the game's scope even further. Check out the full story at Gamasutra.
TERA's Brian Knox dismisses console plans
There's been no shortage of TERA news since the game turned a lot of heads at this year's E3, and the latest comes to us courtesy of Caelixian and the TERAcast podcast. Episode number ten features discussion of En Masse Entertainment's showing at last month's trade event, and concludes with an interview with TERA senior producer Brian Knox. Knox talks about everything from the challenges inherent in Westernization, to international communication, to the possibility of TERA appearing on consoles. "[We have] a singular focus that allows us to be concentrated on one product, one release. A lot of people ask "it's such an action game, have you thought about the console"... for us we want to have that single focus, we want to make an action MMO on the PC and we don't want to stray too many different ways because that's when you get caught up and everything gets half done instead of one thing being done really well," Knox says. Download the tenth episode of TERAcast to hear the full interview.
TERA possibly subsidized by Korean government
It's not every day that your MMORPG gets underwritten by the government, and industry insiders are sure to take notice of the fact that Bluehole Studio's upcoming action MMORPG TERA is on the short list of possible recipients for a 500 million won ($415,000 USD) subsidy by the Korean government. TERAfans brings word of the subsidy, but stops short of calling it a done deal. "As this news has been translated from Korean to English, it is unclear whether TERA has officially been granted the funding yet or whether they're part of a list of nominees who could potentially earn the funding," the fan site says. If successful in its bid, it won't be the first time TERA has received a sizable cash infusion from investors outside of Bluehole Studio and En Masse Entertainment. Earlier this year, companies including KNet Investment and Stonebridge Capital signed on to the tune of almost $15.6 million USD. [Update: En Masse's Evan "Scapes" Berman has confirmed TERA's inclusion in this year's Global Plan in a post on the official TERA website..]
TERA's Jason Mical talks community, crafting
TERAHispano has a new interview with En Masse Entertainment community director Jason "BrotherMagneto" Mical. The TERA developer weighs in on a wide range of subjects including what it takes to be a community director, working at En Masse, and a bit of teaser regarding equipment and crafting. "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," Michal says. He goes on to chat about his PR experiences, and how they help him channel both En Masse's and Bluehole Studio's vision of TERA into a coherent and community-focused message. "Apart from working on TERA, a great game, the attraction of En Masse is that the company is small enough -- and daring enough -- that the marketing team (including community) has a lot of latitude to do some really cutting-edge stuff," he says. View the full interview at TERAHispano.
TERA screens take you to Arun's emerald shore
You can almost set your watch by En Masse Entertainment's weekly dose of new TERA screenshots. Yesterday was no different, as the ninth edition of the Screenshots of the Week featurette took us to the emerald shores of southeastern Arun. "Towering trees sprouting canopies of bright flowers sway in the warm scented breeze as glowing vines and luminous insects cross the cerulean night sky. The central feature of this chromatic forest is the shimmering Lake of Tears above which rests the town of Pora Elinu within a mighty trunk," writes En Masse community manager Evan "Scapes" Berman. You can view the new Arun images on TERA's official website, or browse them in our gallery below. %Gallery-96720%
