TERA Online - The Exiled Realm of Arborea

[Chronix112]

am i really the only one who enjoys his art?

i do.... for the hips! :P

[Uru]

Yes!!! A brother in arms (about hips!). Kim is the opposite to Murata (he does flat girls that look 5), I love both their art. Anyone else have some of the robot art books?

[Tenchi-no-Ryu]

I enjoy his artwork too - just don't pay any mind to Hidoshi, he's the consummate art critic ;p He's entitled to his opinion, but we don't have to agree with him  :)

[Hidoshi]

Being that I have a degree in Illustration, I think I'm entitled to my opinion. :P

[Chronix112]

Hey, the anatomy could always be worse  *cough*Rob Liefeild*cough*

[Uru]

lol, that was a good read. Thank you for posting that.

[Chronix112]

lol, that was a good read. Thank you for posting that.

Haha, thanks. I was just pointing out that  it could always be worse. that guy had the worst concepts of  anatomy I have ever seen in a professional  artist yet he still made millions durring the 90s. (back on topic) The game seems interesting and I will probably check it out since there really aren't  any mmos out there worth playing atm. Hopefully, it will have some form of an enjoyable endgame, unlike the utter grindfest that was passed off as endgame in Aion.

[Daggerstrike]

Being that I have a degree in Illustration, I think I'm entitled to my opinion. :P

Opinions are like assholes. Everyone has one and you are a douche. Wait...that doesn't sound right..

[Tenchi-no-Ryu]

http://static.terabeta.com/armor/castanic/mail/#/0

Skimpy armors ahoy! Slut factor OVERDRIVE!


... I'm so there.

[Uru]

Oh god, im a sucker for that spot just below hip bone....

[Hathen]

I'm not sure if I'm the only one who always gets really irritated when art designers think that women should nonsensically expose flesh while wearing armor of any sort. It kills a bit of the immersion for me. Besides, how many people are really going to spend their gaming time staring at a character model's thighs? If I'm really feeling that horny there's other ways of remedying that.

That aside, I'm really not seeing much here that says that NCSoft is going to differentiate this game from their others n any real way, gameplay-wise.

[Tenchi-no-Ryu]

Um, this isn't an NCSoft game. The devs are former NCSoft employees, but I think their  disgust with the company is great enough to take that label as an insult lol. The game is Korean developed, but there's a much better chance of it getting a proper localization for the western markets than Aion did. 

Also since the game will be PvE with consentual PvP already makes it an aberration for a Korean MMO.

[Uru]

I'm not sure if I'm the only one who always gets really irritated when art designers think that women should nonsensically expose flesh while wearing armor of any sort. It kills a bit of the immersion for me. Besides, how many people are really going to spend their gaming time staring at a character model's thighs? If I'm really feeling that horny there's other ways of remedying that.

That aside, I'm really not seeing much here that says that NCSoft is going to differentiate this game from their others n any real way, gameplay-wise.

Man, its a fantasy game where you fight giant turtles with magic but if they wear clothing that fits the setting THATS nonsensical? So what if its fun to catch a glimpse of some thigh while exploring, it beats staring at armored ass.

[Hathen]

Except fighting dragons and monsters in fantasy worlds is a given. Exposing vital organs while wearing armor is not. While in screenshots it might be nice to see thighs and such, I doubt you'll care very much while playing the game. I find that it reflects badly on art design- they're willing to sacrifice any sort of artistic vision they have in order to have a unneeded sex appeal. It's the artistic design equivalent of having the romantic subplot in every Hollywood movie, basically.

As for the game itself, whether NCSoft developed it or not (My bad on that point), it still doesn't sound like it's trying something particularly different. Just taking the game overview, for instance:

Craft the finest gear, form a group with your allies, conquer a world filled with treacherous monsters, and maneuver your way to the pinnacle of power on your server! TERA offers a unique endgame experience, one where players and guilds vie for control of the Federation.

It doesn't sound like they have any intention of doing something different with this game, just from looking at their main site. Yes, it looks pretty, but almost all Korean MMOs do.

Actually, their FAQ even has one question for "What's different about TERA?":

TERA will set a new standard in MMORPGs with its next-generation graphics, groundbreaking gameplay, and unique political system.

    * TERA's stunning graphics and visuals combine for a cinematic gameplay experience.
    * Players have a direct impact on the world, dictating the flow of the economy and maneuvering through the political system of their server.
    * TERA's tactical combat system gives players more control and constant involvement in the action! No more point-and-click or just cycling through a palette of spells and skills.
    * TERA will support game controllers at launch.

I suppose I should wait for more information about that third point before I pass judgment, and being able to use controllers is always a plus- constant involvement with action, however, is difficult to do depending on if they're smart with balancing. As the FF14 Alpha showed, it can be done really, really horribly.

[Tenchi-no-Ryu]

To be completely honest, the only thing I can see that is "new" to the genre with TERA is the combat. It seems to be trying to emulate WoW in alot of ways (Battlegrounds? lol), but I've never had a problem with WoW's game concepts, I just hated the art direction, cluttered UI and class imbalance. If TERA can keep those core systems intact, while remedying those nitpicks, I'll be happy as a pig in slop. Of course, i'll probably be more invested in FFXIV, especially since they're revamping the entire combat system for Alpha phase 2 (YES!!!!!!!!!) but I still plan on playing TERA simply because its pretty, and combat looks fun as hell.