The game's senior producer answers our hard-hitting questions that came to mind following PAX. Find out what he had to say about this action MMO!

Just when you thought all the other sites were getting all the exclusives, ZAM comes through! TERA Senior Producer Brian Knox was kind enough to answer the hard-hitting questions that sprung into our minds following the Penny Arcade Expo earlier this month. Since this went so well, I personally hope to write even more stumpers for our readers, people working on TERA, and especially for myself. That means you can expect even more TERA coverage on ZAM!

Knox answers questions on all sorts of topics, ranging from combat to the game's music and artwork. You can read everything he had to say after the jump! Also, be sure to check out the TERA PAX demo walkthrough video that En Masse just released to see the game in action!

ZAM: While watching MarkeeDragon's most recent gameplay interview with you, the equipment screen for a human female was shown. How does armor affect your character? How much of a time investment will be involved in acquiring high-quality equipment in TERA?  

Brian Knox: Apart from the cosmetic changes, armor really changes a lot of things about your character. Not only does it increase your defense modifier and several other stats, but higher-level armor can slot more (and better) crystals. 

What’s more, these advantages are not limited to the "fighting" classes. There are three general types of armor, with hundreds of individual sets, each with its own specific strengths. Sometimes you might even want to carry more than one kind of armor in your inventory for specific situations!

ZAM: There are a lot of different looting systems out there in MMOs. In TERA, why was it decided to let loot drop on the ground like Ragnarok Online and Diablo instead of a loot list, corpses and other methods? Or are we interpreting the loot animation incorrectly? 

Brian Knox: While we can’t speak to how other games do things (or why), part of TERA’s appeal is in how things look on the screen and how the player reacts to them. It takes only seconds to clean up a battlefield after each fight, and in some cases you only need a fraction of that time to go after a specific item. Plus, it isn't just “loot” that drops. There are healing effects and temporary “buffs” available, and these might be useful to more than one person in a group.

ZAM: Mixing and matching armor pieces in other MMOs has always created really mixed results in aesthetic quality. Will getting sets of armor be easier than mixing and matching from looted and bought equipment? 

Brian Knox: We like to think that having a great time exploring and engaging with the story is important, but of course you want to look good while doing it. Each piece of equipment has a certain look and feel to it, as well as its own special abilities. 

The art team has done a fantastic job of making all the equipment options really feel like part of the game, and every time they bring us something new we love it. But more than just aesthetics go into equipping your character. The designers have made great gear options to help enhance each character’s play style, and the writers have done an equally great job of matching items to stories. TERA is a cooperative effort from the top down, and we feel it really shows in our game. 

ZAM: There are three primary focuses in most MMOs: battle (PvE or PvP, with or without reward), economy (crafting, auction house, selling, farming, etc.), and socializing. TERA seems to concentrate on battle as its primary focus, so what kind of social functions will be in place at launch? How about economics? 

Brian Knox: Don’t forget about story. To us, it's equally important that you want to engage the core and side plots, as well as really connect with the NPCs. 

To address your question more specifically, we already have a player-to-player e-mail system, mechanisms for selling items directly or through consignment, and account banks so your own characters can share items from a central pool. We have guilds, cities designed with large spaces for character gatherings and interaction, as well as "message boards" where strangers can look for help or new friends while adventuring in nearby areas. 

And that’s just what we can talk about now...