[TERA PC & Console] En Masse is closing, but TERA lives on! We will continue to support TERA PC (NA) and TERA Console until service is transferred. Stay tuned for more information.
[TERA Console] The Grotto of Lost Souls update (v85) is now live! Read the patch notes here: https://bit.ly/TERACon_v85
[TERA PC] The 64-bit update (v97) is now live. Check out all the changes delivered on August 11 here: https://bit.ly/tera64_patchnotes
[TERA PC & CONSOLE] Summerfest Part 2: The Beach Bash is on from August 11 until September 1! Participate in event activities to earn tokens redeemable for costumes, consumables, mounts, and more! Details: https://bit.ly/tera_sf20
Comments
I'm very excited and nervous about this. I'm happy more people will play and get to try out this game. and depending how it goes it could save tera. But it can go really bad.
(Now, whether they'll do a good job on the port in the first place is perhaps another issue, but it's hard to imagine it could end up worse than the current state.)
Using a USB keyboard is easy and most console MMO players do that for chat. (Heck, with FFXIV in particular, the controller interface is well-developed enough that a lot of PC players choose to play with a controller, even in end-game raids.) But most MMOs don't do voice (partly due to the RP-related issues, I imagine). If you're in a guild or raid group, they may have a Discord channel (similar to how it works with TERA now), so people on consoles can connect using their smartphone or whatever. In general, I think communication should work itself out.
I guess it depends on whether their idea is to integrate all players onto a common set of servers, or whether they will always keep TERA PC and TERA Console separate. Even if they keep it separate, I think they could port the engine but preserve some of the PC systems. (Or, to put it another way, they could port all the PC systems but then simplify them for consoles, keeping it the way it was on PC, if they want.)
Personally, it seems to me that the changes related to stamina and the like are more in the interest in streamlining the game in general after years of accumulated bloat from a lot of different teams, so I suspect it probably would have happened anyway even if consoles weren't on the agenda. But I guess only time will tell where we end up.
What it probably means: reaching a new bottom of the barrel, to make the game accessible and "fun" for absolute play-30min-a-week casuals. In context of being good at the game and/or trying to get better. Not in context of mindless farming.
ITOW BHS wants more money and the game will undergo further nerfs, dumbing down and simplifications.
Also I think you all missed key point:
"Bluehole Studio is currently looking for new staff to port TERA over to consoles, including PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. "
looking
That's not confirmation. That's wishful dreams of greedy, clueless execs wanting more money. Considering how different PS4 is from PC, porting this half a decade+ unoptimized mess to PS4 ? Wake the [filtered] up.
Porting the game to UE4 is honestly the most sane way to deal with all the current engine's limitations anyway, regardless of whether you wanted to go to consoles or not. It forces you to start over with a lot of the parts that are broken now, while being able to preserve a lot of the assets.
From a purely technical point of view, anyway, the proposal seems sound. Whether/how they'll screw it up, or whether they'll actually get it done, are other questions, of course.
*stares @Spacecats & @Treeshark *
As for where tera can fit in all this. Well, I could assume a few scenarios. In one scenario, the PC version doesn't get "dumbed down" to console playable level, but also doesn't get any of the optimizations, nor will be cross platform. Basically it will be like it is now as a world on it's own. In another scenario, all versions of tera get put at the same level to make it easier to update everything. Though I admit this scenario is a little bit difficult. I mean, take Warframe for example. That game was pretty much made from the start to run on PC and consoles, YET they cannot update everything at the same time. The PC is usually a patch or two ahead. They manage because the game is made for both platforms.
Anyway, as I said way before, and now as was posted here, this is just a job posting. I pretty much believe it means they are simply exploring the idea and wanted some input from someone who knows about the console industry.
Real question:
Is there going to be cross-platform multiplayer between PC/PS3/X1?
Square-Enix seems to be in talks with Microsoft and The Division has it for all three platforms.
We are not even sure if they will ever decide to develop Tera for consoles. Much less if it will be cross platform. As I said, even games made with both consoles and PC in mind are not cross platform. Apparently such a thing is very difficult to achieve, even with current technology. Either difficult to make right, or very expensive to maintain. At least considering the short list of games that have it.