Q ＆ A with TERA Lead Writer Dave Noonan The worl

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5/25/2010 10:08:51 PM

TERA is a richly developed MMORPG from En Masse Entertainment, a team full of talented industry professionals. Currently scheduled for release in winter, TERA will offer new innovations to the traditional MMORPG.

The team at TERA has offered Examiner an exclusive chance to ask questions of the development team. In our first Q&A session, Examiner speaks with Dave Noonan, Lead Writer at En Masse Entertainment, about the world and environments of TERA.

According to the lore on TERA's website, Tera took shape around the two forms of sleeping titans. Is this lore meant to be taken more literally or figuratively, and where did you draw the inspiration for this kind of story of the world's creation?

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. As for our mythological inspirations, take your pick from across the globe. We're cribbing notes from everywhere,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych]! In the case of our titans, Arun and Shara, there's certainly a Greek influence there.

What are some of the differences between Arun and Shara that make them different continents?

Until recently, Shara was always the more dangerous of the two, whereas Arun (especially southern Arun) was mostly settled. Now that most of its army has departed for a war elsewhere, Arun has become a dangerous place, and all the old enemies are eager to reclaim some territory from "civilization."

The official TERA site also shows the Island of Dawn on the map. What is this place, and how is it different from the two continents?

The Island of Dawn is the first mystery the players will face. A few months ago, an island rose out of the sea in a matter of moments—and it's a fully formed island with intact buildings and strange inhabitants. For the denizens of TERA, this is a mind-boggling concept, because it's the first time there's ever been a landmass that's not obviously Arun or Shara. An island that might not be connected to the creators of the universe? Many in TERA regard it as an omen of great events to come.

Will players be able to see or visit the Underworld, where the Argons come from?

Without giving too much away, suffice it to say that many of the endgame instances have the Argons as enemies. And when I explore them, I can't see the sky!

From the screenshots we've seen so far, TERA uses a vibrant color palette. How does color choice affect the mood in different areas?

We're really focused on delivering an emotional reward through gameplay, and color can certainly evoke emotion. When our game—or any game, really—is at its best, the palette can foreshadow events and heighten the emotions you get from the action, from the story, and from the overall gameplay.

What are some of the real world environments that artists have drawn their inspiration from in creating the world of TERA?

A global game like TERA demands a global set of inspirations, and we take delight in mixing it up. For example, I was in a desert village the other day and saw cacti that reminded me of the American West, thatched-roof huts reminiscent of the African savannah, and larger buildings with a more Saharan, Arabic architecture. Each element helps to evoke the terrain, but they are elements that don't appear next to each other in real life. TERA is a huge place,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], so there's plenty of room for us to draw inspiration from across continents and, for that matter, across history.

How do you plan to make TERA a world unique from any other MMO?

For me, the most compelling and unique aspects of TERA are the action of combat (especially no whack-a-mole for healers!),[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], some endgame features (they're still cooking,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], so I can't reveal them yet), and a world that gets beyond the traditional fantasy tropes (no traditional goblins or minotaurs, for example).

As an extra bonus, we have six exclusive screenshots seen here on Examiner for the first time! You can check out the screenshots in the slideshow below. For higher resolution images, visit our new photo album.