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is the premier daily MMOG newsletter, only from Ten
Ton Hammer!

Welcome
to the 1,402nd
edition
of Loading...

Among gamescom's many virtues is that the event isn't entirely tied up with the upcoming holiday rollout- MMOGs past their peak still get airtime. In today's Loading..., we'll look at four online games that might be past their heyday but haven't stopped making waves yet. Read about the latest on Dark Age of Camelot, Star Wars Galaxies, Vanguard: Saga of Heroes, and Warhammer Online in today's Loading... Never Say Die.

width="100%">

The
Pulse

You vote with what you
view at Ten Ton Hammer, and the
result
is the Ten Ton Pulse (What
is The Pulse?
).

This month's
top 5 Pulse results:

  1. World
    of Warcraft
  2. Lord of the Rings Online (UP 6)
  3. EverQuest
    II
     
  4. Warhammer Online (UP 2)
  5. href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/taxonomy/term/115">Age of
    Conan (down 1)

Biggest
movers in the past 7 days
:

  1. Land of Chaos Online

    - UP 94 to
    #19
  2. href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/taxonomy/term/998">All Points Bulletin

    UP 21 to #15
  3. href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/taxonomy/term/42">Star Wars Galaxies

    - down 9 to #18
Recent Releases
  • 6/29
    - target="_blank">APB
    (release)
  • 7/27
    - href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/taxonomy/term/2461"
    target="_blank">Need
    for Speed World
    (release)
  • 7/27
    - href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/starcraft2" target="_blank">StarCraft
    II: Wings of Liberty
    (release)
  • 8/17 - href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/taxonomy/term/140">City
    of Heroes: Going Rogue (release)
  • 8/18 - EverQuest II Extended (release)
Upcoming
Releases

  • September
    7, 2010
    - Aion:
    Assault on Balaurea
    (free
    expansion)
  • September
    30, 2010
    - href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/ffxiv" target="_blank">Final
    Fantasy XIV

    (release)
  • style="font-weight: bold;">October
    26, 2010
    - LEGO
    Universe
    (release)

  • style="font-weight: bold;">November
    2, 2010
    - DC
    Universe Online
    (release)

Upcoming
Events

  • style="font-weight: bold;">9/3 -
    9/5 - href="http://www.paxsite.com/paxprime/index.php" target="_blank">PAX
    Prime
  • style="font-weight: bold;">9/3 -
    9/6 - target="_blank">DragonCon
  • style="font-weight: bold;">10/8 -
    10/10 - New
    York Comic Con
  • style="font-weight: bold;">10/22 -
    10/23 - href="http://us.blizzard.com/blizzcon/?rhtml=y" target="_blank">BlizzCon
  • style="font-weight: bold;"> 3/24
    -
    3/26 (2011) - target="_blank">CCP
    FanFest

style="font-weight: bold;"> style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">HOT! Get all the
latest breaking news, videos, and exclusives from Cologne, Germany with

Ten Ton Hammer's href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/events/gamescom/2010">gamescom
2010 coverage!

Loading... the Max Headroom of M-M-MMORPG news.

Berlin is a popular destination for the hipsters in my circle of friends due in no small part, I think, to its anachronistic modes and styles. The architecture, fashions, and heavy electronica-based music all seem like something out of the eighties, and for my generation the eighties and early nineties is a little like the fifties and sixties were to my parents' generation - a time of relative optimism, social progress, and prosperity.

It's an old Seinfield joke that older men forever keep dressing in the style of clothing they wore at the happiest times of their life, so it should come as no suprise that Germans (like the rest of us, at heart) enjoy fine old things. To wit, Germans are still big fans of online games well past their peak: the older Mythic and SOE games look to continental Europe for some of their biggest player communities. Consequently, companies send devs to European events that we wouldn't usually get to speak with on our home turf, and Ben and Reuben got some interesting interviews with people like Stuart Zissu, producer of Dark Age of Camelot, and WAR Producer Carrie Gouskous.

In its ninth year, Dark Age of Camelot still has steam. UI improvements. more live events, and the game's nine year old strengths (most notably three-sided realm vs. realm play, something which hasn't been done since in a mainstream MMO) are two ways that Mr. Zissu isn't saying dinosaur. Ms. Gouskous seems equally enthusiastic about pushing WAR in a more free-to-playish direction with a sort of granulated expansion - players can purchase only the expansion features they want. It's a novel and thoughtful approach, especially at a time when players are in large part pinching pennies, but at the same time players might feel liket they're being nickel and dimed.

Aside from that, I think it's a cardinal mistake to complicate the buying decision - better to give players more reasons to buy something expensive than one or two reasons to buy something cheap. But then again, I'm the type of person that will purchase the album on iTunes if I like a few of the songs, because I like a complete statement.

Meanwhile, continuing the theme half a world away at SyndCon, I chatted with SOE President John Smedley about games like Vanguard: Saga of Heroes and Star Wars Galaxies. Would the impending release of Star Wars: The Old Republic make SWG obsolete? Smed's comments were brief, but positive. "I don't think [Star Wars Galaxies] will be stopping in the foreseeable future. A lot of people think it's going to end when TOR comes out, and I don't think they need to worry about that." That's good news for the small but resilient SWG fanbase we saw at Fan Faire earlier this month.

Smed had more to say about Vanguard: Saga of Heroes, and it sounds like Vanguard's fate might be bound up in the success of EverQuest II Extended. "We're thinking about specific next steps on Vanguard. We have no plans to shut it down, anything like that, and I'm not saying what the future is yet, because we're still figuring that out. But we want to add more stuff to it. The biggest question people have is whether we'll change the business model, will we take it free-to-play? We've discussed it, but as for what we'll decide, I'm not sure yet. We're going to see where EverQuest II Extended goes. But if we make a decision like that, it won't be without adding more content to the game."

John Smedley had a great deal more to say, and we'll have his thoughts on how risky of a prospect EQ2 Extended and DC Universe Online are, along with how these games fit into SOE's longer-term strategy in a complete Q&A we'll post tomorrow. For now, let me ask you this (especially you fans of bygone games), are you happy with how your games are being treated, both in terms of design direction and marketing? Despite all the talk of supporting MMORPGs as an ongoing service, are we still stuck in the console game marketing fire-and-forget rut? Let's discuss this, along with Smed's comments, in the Loading... forums!


Shayalyn's Epic Thread of
the Day



From our Members Only Ten Ton Topics


Exclusive – Star Wars: The Old Republic Lead Writer Interviewed at gamescom 2010



It's been a quiet weekend here at the Hammer home base while our
intrepid editors have been off in Germany gathering the goods from
gamescom. No doubt our forum members have been either hunkering down
waiting for more great exclusive content about their favorite games, or
maybe, and this is a slim maybe, they've been outside this weekend
enjoying the last vestiges of summer.

Despite the relative quiet, I
found a thread you're interested in at least chit-chatting about--our
recent Star Wars: The Old Republic interview video. If that doesn't do
it for you, you can always jump in and tease Jeffprime along with Ben.
This is currently a members only thread discussing a video for our Premium Members (but it should be public soon.) Hit it!



==============================

Awesome Quotes from the
Epic Thread




"It feels like they are very
carefully filtering out information. Maybe to keep the hype machine fed
and stay off judgment until more people actually play it? It's probably
good that there are a lot of unknowns because many companies have made
the mistake of putting too much out and not getting it all done before
launch.
"



 - Savanja

==============================


New
and Exclusive Content
Today at Ten Ton Hammer

11 new and exclusive
Ten
Ton Hammer
features
today! 91 Ten Ton Hammer
features
in August! 907
in 2010!

GAMESCOM 2010 - click here to see all the latest from Cologne!




HOT! A First Look at Battlestar Galactica Online at gamescom 2010

http://www.tentonhammer.com/bgo/preview-aug-2010

Battlestar
Galactica has earned a time slot in our lives not only in this recent
generation but in generations past. Many of us huddled around the
television set week after week watching episodes of the
sci-fi series that has entertained us so thoroughly. So when Bigpoint
announced earlier this year that they had obtained the rights to
develop Battlestar Galactica Online it was hard not to get excited. Ten
Ton Hammer headed over to the Bigpoint booth at gamescom to try to
glean some more information from the team and find out what exactly the
game was going to be all about.

Video Walk-Thru! An Extended Look at the Gameplay of Guild Wars 2
http://www.tentonhammer.com/events/gamescom/2010/gw2/extended-gameplay-feature

Guild
Wars 2 has taken gamescom by storm during the last three days and our
team on the floor has brought back a massive amount of details.
Designer Isaiah "Izzy" Cartwright walks Reuben "Sardu" Waters through a
live game demonstration in a lengthy video showcasing actual live
gameplay and we've got the details on dynamic events, the new
Necromancer special ability, and a lot more. Stay tuned to Ten Ton
Hammer with more details from gamescom as they come in, including
questions you've asked answered by Game Designer Eric Flannum.

Aging Well - A Dark Age of Camelot Interview with Producer Stuart Zissu

http://www.tentonhammer.com/daoc/interviews/zissu-aug-2010

Dark Age of Camelot joined the MMOG circuit in 2001
and has been a staple for many RvR enthusiasts. In gaming terms though, nine
years of player subscriptions is a rare achievement. How has DAoC survived
through several new generations of MMOGs and what are Mythics plans to keep the
game exciting and fresh? Find out as Ten Ton Hammer sits down with Producer
Stuart Zissu at gamescom to talk plans past, present and future of the legendary
title.

HOT! An Exclusive TERA Interview with Frogster CEO Andreas Weidenhaupt
http://tentonhammer.com/events/gamescom/2010/TERA/frogster-interview

Earlier this week at gamescom 2010, Frogster
signed a formal deal with Bluehole Studios to publish its upcoming MMOG TERA for
the European market. Ten Ton Hammer was on hand to witness the signing and
afterwards had the opportunity to speak with Frogester CEO Andreas Weidenhaupt
about their interest in TERA and why they feel the game represents the future of
online gaming with its action based combat, compelling storylines and absorbing
gameplay. See it all right here in our exclusive video interview with Andreas
Weidenhaupt.

VIDEO! New TERA Trailer Unleashed at gamescom 2010
http://www.tentonhammer.com/events/gamescom2010/tera/trailer

En Masse Entertainment has just released a
new trailer for the upcoming TERA MMOG at gamescom 2010. Watching the
bone-breaking action in this trailer will surely whet your appetite for this
action combat MMOG. Acrobatic dual-sword stabbing, bad-ass looking monsters, hot
women with antlerswhats not to love? The more that I see this game, the more
that I want to play it. Too bad my old man reflexes will doom me in PvP, but as
long as I take someone with me, its all good!

Going LOCO - A First Look at Land of Chaos Online at gamescom 2010
http://www.tentonhammer.com/events/gamescom/2010/loco/preview

One of the most widely recognized player created
mods in the history of the RTS genre is Defense of the Ancients, or DotA for
short. Created as a mod for Warcraft III multiplayer, this mod allowed players
to jump straight into combat. Now, it seems that Land of Chaos Online (LOCO) is
the game that takes the DotA style and pushes it to new heights with some
interesting twists.

MEDIA

Swampy Goodness! A DDO Update 6 Image Gallery
http://www.tentonhammer.com/ddo/images/update-6-gallery

With
the recent release of Update 6 for Dungeons and Dragons Online, Turbine
has made gamers quaff their ale with delight. Not only does Update 6
have lots of loot (always needed for awesome gaming), a tremendous
story and adventure arc, but it also introduces underwater combat to
the DDO game. Players can adventure in a new land, the Red Fens, and
fight against mobs of Sahuagin. Plus, dont forget the sunken temple! To
whet your appetite, heres an image gallery to get your adventurer in
the mood for some good old monster killing and looting.

FEATURES & GUIDES

StarCraft II - Campaign Armory Upgrade Guide
http://www.tentonhammer.com/starcraft2/guides/armory-upgrades

Raynor
risks a lot to make his credits. Diving in Lava, stealing relics
guarded by psycho zealot Protoss groups... the man has cheated death
multiple times. Those credits need to be spent wisely to make the most
of your forces in the campaign, and picking the right upgrades is
critical to a smooth survival on the hardest difficulties and final
missions of the campaign in StarCraft II!


A Newbies Guide to Salvaging In EVE Online

http://www.tentonhammer.com/eve/guides/business/salvaging

Salvaging
stands out as one of the most lucrative professions available to
players that are new to EVE Online. As a bonus, it is also an activity
that benefits from cooperation with other players, helping new players
learn to network and make friends. Ten Ton Hammer Contributing Writer,
Space Junkie, rocks this guide.

WoW Cataclysm Stormwind City Preview
http://www.tentonhammer.com/wow/previews/stormwind-city
:
Stormwind
City is the stronghold of the human race and the capital city of the
kingdom of Stormwind. With all the changes we have seen Cataclysm bring
we can’t help but wonder what is in store for Stormwind. Have the drums
of war begun to beat as they have in Orgrimmar? Or has the city seen
the devastating loss of their proud leader as it is in Thunder Bluff?
Take a journey with us through Stormwind before and after to find out!

The New Class Abilities in World of Warcraft: Cataclysm
http://www.tentonhammer.com/wow/cataclysm/new-class-abilities


In
Cataclysm, as with all the previous WoW expansions, each class will get several
cool new abilities. In this case when the expansion is released each class will
get three new abilities that are earned from level 81 to 85. While all of them
are still being looked at, tuned, and implemented, many are shaping up nicely.
In this article each of the new abilities are described and then briefly
reviewed with possible uses and usefulness evaluated.


Today's
Hottest Articles, Guides, and Features

  1. Exclusive First Look at Necromancer Gameplay in Guild Wars 2
  2. Class Specializations and Space Combat in SW:TOR Revealed
  3. GamesCom DC Universe Online Trailer
  4. href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/diabloIII/caravan/faq">Blizzard
    Unveils Caravan Feature FAQ for
    Diablo III
    href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/diabloIII/caravan/faq">

  5. href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/ffxiv/preview/aug-2010-hands-on">New
    Final Fantasy XIV
    Hands-On Preview
  6. Runic Games Unveils Torchlight 2 Trailer
  7. href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/end-of-nations/preview/aug-2010-hands-on">The
    Beginning of the End: A Hands-On Preview with style="font-weight: bold;">End of Nations title="http://www.tentonhammer.com/end-of-nations/preview/aug-2010-hands-on"
    href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/end-of-nations/preview/aug-2010-hands-on">

  8. href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/mythos/interviews/bloodletter-skills">Myth
    No More: A Mythos
    Beta Update and Bloodletter Class Q&A href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/mythos/interviews/bloodletter-skills">

  9. href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/sto/interviews/season-two-stahl">Exclusive
    Season Two Q&A with Star Trek Online's
    Executive Producer Daniel Stahl
  10. href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/rift/hands-on-preview-part-1">Rift:
    Planes of Telara
    First Hands-On
    Preview - Part 1

Thanks
for visiting the Ten Ton Hammer network!

- Jeff "Ethec" Woleslagle
and the Ten Ton Hammer team

Last Updated: Mar 13, 2016

About The Author

Jeff joined the Ten Ton Hammer team in 2004 covering EverQuest II, and he's had his hands on just about every PC online and multiplayer game he could since.

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