After a one-day hiatus I am back.

England stumbled through the round of 16 at the World Cup and now play a injury and red-card riddled Portugese squad in the quarter-finals. That's the good news, for me at least.

The bad news is that NCSoft laid off 70 people in their Austin studios. You remember NCSoft, the company that brings you games that are innovative. You remember NCSoft, they are the company that brings you games that step outside of the land of Dwarfs, Elves and Halflings.
You wanted to see men wearing tights and NCSoft delivered with City of Heroes. It wasn't enough! You wanted to see evil men wearing tights and NCSoft came through with City of Villains. You cried like girls or babies or baby girls for a MMOG that had no monthly fee and NCSoft wiped away your tears with Guild Wars. You stamped your feet and held your breath until your face turned blue lamenting the fact that there were no fast paced, run and gun, play by the seat of your pants MMOGs and NCSoft drove Auto Assault in your local gaming store. Camaros with cannons! It's fun! I play it and my only complaint is that the low population makes it hard to get some quests done.

In the end, the community that moaned for something more, something different and something new didn't support the innovative games. Over six million people are playing a game with Dwarfs and Elves and an amount that would fit through the eye of a needle are playing Auto Assault. Every time you pay the monthly subscription to your MMOG of choice you vote. You can't vote one way and expect the publishers of MMOGs to believe that you want something else. I don't care how many of those "Chicken Soup For The Soul" books you read the MMOG genre isn't going to become a better place just because you "feel" it should be. The community is spinning in circles like a one-armed rower at a regatta.

Put that one arm to better use, like holding a steering wheel or creating some new content for Saga of Ryzom.

Some links for you free thinkers to check out:

• Auto Assault Community
• Saga of Ryzom interview with Producer, Daniel Miller
• Saga of Ryzom Hands-on

What will it take to make an innovative game succeed? Discuss!

Make your mark. Mark your territory. Post a comment. If you are shy you can E-Mail me.

Every good guild needs a home. A home free of gold ads, secondary market farmers. Look no further than GuildPortal.com.

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Exclusive new TenTonHammer.com Content!
Let us entertain you or at the very least waste some of your time at work.06.27.2006 Premium Content

• EverQuest 2: Interview with Joel "Raijinn" Sasaski, Community Relations Rep.
  "Ten Ton Hammer grabs an exclusive interiview with SOE's Community Relations Representative, Joel "Raijinn" Sasaki. Join RadarX as he ask all the burning questions like what games he plays, how he got into the industry, and "Chicken or Beef?" "
• Saga of Ryzom: Hands-on With Ryzom Ring
  "Our very own staff writer Messiah got a chance to try out the Ryzom Ring scenario development add-on for Ryzom Ring prior to last week's live event in Paris, France. The verdict: even well before launch, Messiah was impressed at Ryzom Ring's power and ease of use. Follow along as he creates his own world with just a few mouse clicks!"
• Saga of Ryzom: Interview with Executive Producer, Daniel Miller
  "Daniel Miller talks about the present and future of Ryzom Ring, including integration of Ryzom Ring into the Saga of Ryzom core experience, and what it means to make an MMORPG in the cultural paradise called Paris, France."
• Saga of Ryzom: First Impressions and Interviews With Director Milko Berset and Marketing Head Sebastien Daniel.
  "Our resident Ryzom Ring expert Messiah shares his impressions of Ryzom Ring after experiencing Nevrax's live event last week in Paris, France and speaking at length with Ryzom Director Milko Berset and Marketing Head Sebastien Daniel. "
• Saga of Ryzom: How Ryzom Ring Turns Players Into Designers
  "You've heard the hype, now it's time to see how Ryzom Ring, the free addon to Saga of Ryzom that allows players to design their own adventures and run them DM style, all comes together. Join Ten Ton Hammer as Nevrax leads us through a eye-opening map to mob to mission overview of how to create our own Ryzom adventures!"

More Exclusive Content!

• Auto Assault: An Interview With David "Xerin" Piner
  "Once per month, we run an interview feature as part of our weekly common content feature over here on the Ten Ton Hammer network! Whether it is with a developer or a community member of intrigue or worth, we hope to bring you an interesting look at the people whom played a part in making things into just what they are. So who's up this time around? David "Xerin" Piner, former Community Manager of this Auto Assault site! Although he is no longer active in his prior role, I felt that his contributions were significant."
• Dungeons and Dragons Online: Top 10 Reasons To Play A Bard
  "Bard Week continues here at Ten Ton Hammer as we examine just a handful of the many great reasons to play the most versatile class in Dungeons & Dragons Online: Stormreach (DDO)."
• Dungeons and Dragons Online: Crowd Control Captain
  "Everybody changes his mind now and again. We at DDO @ Ten Ton Hammer are no exception. When we change our mind about something we've put in an article before, we like to take a look back and update you on our decisions. Wherever you see the UFR label, you see my changes since this build originally posted. I have left my old comments so that you can see exactly how the changes compare to my original opinions."
• EverQuest 2: Broker Changes In A Nutshell
  "For those of us who struggle with change, seeing all the new features on the broker can be daunting. Savanja meekly takes a peek at the new consignment system and finds that the changes aren't as scary as she had at first suspected, and even found some pretty nifty features!"
• EverQuest 2: Racial Quest Guide For Kerrans
  "Of all the races of Norrath, clearly Dark Elves are the most beautiful, intelligent, and generally all around perfect race. But if one MUST choose another, lesser race, then Kerran is the only way to go. They are of course no where near as perfect as Dark Elves, but they're as close as any others will ever come. Besides... their tails go swish."
• Vanguard: Saga Of Heroes: Beta Guild Announced
  "Join the Vanguard Ten Ton Hammer guild...get in beta? Well, no guarantees, but we're certainly going to try! Sigil is looking for guilds to invite--who are we to say no? At the request of some of our members here at the Ten Ton Hammer Vanguard community, we're forming a casual-friendly guild, and we're looking for like-minded players to join us as we attempt to get in on the fun that is Vanguard's Beta 3. If you're a Vanguardian looking for a home, and you're comfortable in a laid-back, family guild environment, stop by our forums and apply for membership."
• Vanguard: Saga Of Heroes - Paldin Guide Introduction Revamped
  "Righteous defenders of truth and justice, the Paladins of Vanguard: Saga of Heroes offer many things we've come to expect from the class--a strong defense against undead; the ability to heal and Lay on Hands; and potent defensive buffs. But Vanguard Paladins also bring powerful rescues and Acts of Virtue to the table. Learn more in our revamped guide!"
• Vanguard: Saga Of Heroes - Knight Of The Woods
  "If you think the Ranger has its roots in Tolkien's novels, or perhaps Dungeons & Dragons, think again. There is evidence of ranger archetypes as far back as the mythology of ancient Greece. Mercurie takes a look at Ranger types from Artemis to Robin Hood to Daniel Boone, and explains why the Ranger is one of his favorite RPG classes."
• World of Warcraft: Kids In A Candy Store
  "The fight between Raiders and Casual gamers within the World of Warcraft has been the biggest source of animosity within their first MMORPG attempt. It has taken a while for the two groups to really separate and voice their opinions and views, but now, well over a year after the release of the game, Blizzard has taken a very large step in trying to close the gap. The release of the new tier .5 armor quests gives the chance for any player, both Raider or Casual, to upgrade their tier 0 armor sets, into a whole new set, comprised of 4 new rare items, and 4 new epic items. This interview will help explain not only the steps involved to complete these new quests, but views from the gamer’s themselves as to whether or not these new upgrades and quests are worthwhile at all, and whether they are the answer to the Casual’s cries before the release of the expansion."

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Vin Diesel Fact of the Day - Chuck Norris owns Vin Diesel pajamas.

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Now on to the real world. You can't make this stuff up. [Thanks to Matt for the news today]

• Tribal Curse Haunts Launch Pad
  In other news, incompetence now considered curse.
• Man Had 1,000 Pet Rats
  Let the research grants roll in!
• 600 Pound Woman Thrown Through Her Sunroof
  Sunroof now just slightly larger than the actual Sun. Kirstie Alley in stable condition.
• Naked Man On Golf Course Shocked With Taser
  Golfers on golf course shocked by naked man.
• Smelly Robot Proves Fatally Attractive To Cockroaches
  All hail our pungent insect terminating robotic overlords.
• Computers Set To Read Our Minds
  All hail our robotic Kreskin overlords.
• Facial Uses Pregnant Cow Stem Cells
  Still unclear how the stem cells got knocked up.

As always, thanks for visiting TenTonHammer.com,
-- John "Boomjack" Hoskin