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is the premier daily MMOG newsletter, only from Ten
Ton Hammer!
Welcome
to the 1,404th
edition
of Loading...
Writing a weekly (much less a daily) column is, well...a labor
of love, which means we Ten Ton Hammer editors love you, but totally
not in that creepy, stalkerish way. After getting a crystal ball
prediction and some great content pimping out of the way, Karen
"Shayalyn" Hertzberg asks the question that's been haunting her--do you
love us, too? Read today's lovingly prepared column and then share your
thoughts, suggestions and insights with the Ten Ton Hammer editorial
team in today's
href="http://tentonhammer.com/loading/2010/aug/25">Loading...
Requited Love?
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:
- World
of Warcraft -
EverQuest
II -
EVE
Online (UP1) -
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/taxonomy/term/115">Age of
Conan (Down 1) -
Dungeons
& Dragons Online (UP 2)
Biggest
movers in the past 7 days :
- 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
- City
of Heroes: Going Rogue (release) - 8/18
- EverQuest
II Extended (release)
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
Loading... Like Woodward and Bernstein, but without Woodward
or Bernstein.
My gaming crystal ball this morning tells me that we're not done yet
with the pay-to-play gone free-to-play conversions. I spot a trend, and
my spirit guides insist that something new, albeit perhaps not as earth
shatteringly newsworthy as the
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/69501">Dungeons
& Dragons Online,
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/loading/2010/jun/4">The
Lord of the Rings Online and
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/88125">EverQuest II
conversions were, is on the horizon. Just you wait and see!
Setting my crystal ball aside (I actually do have one, but it's green,
so everything I see looks as though it's taking place in Oz), I wanted
to take a moment to point you at our amazing content. Our editors have
been pounding the convention beat with unceasing dedication during this
busy season, and what you see below is some of the best fruits of those
labors. If you haven't checked out our most recent coverage of
SOE
Fan Faire or
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/events/gamescom/2010">gamescom,
not to mention Jeff "Ethec" Woleslagle's
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/syndcon10/interviews/john-smedley">interview
with SOE's President, John Smedley from SyndCon, now's your
chance. Loading... can't possibly get any more interesting or
entertaining than the great video and hands-on previews, interviews and
more those events produced.
During a staff conference call on Monday, our esteemed Grand Pubah and
former Loading... pundit, John "Boomjack" Hoskin, reminisced a bit
about his time writing Loading... "back before it was
professional." It's true that every editor who writes Loading... brings
a little something different to the column, but we're all
professionals. Boomjack may not have been "
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/48501">shackled by
facts and grammar" the way Jeff, Ben, Reuben and I endeavor
to be, and he may have poked fun at Kirstie Alley, Tom Cruise and Rosie
O'Donnell a lot more often than we ever will, and he may have had the
best Jack Thompson jokes, and the best Vin Diesel riffs, and...well,
okay. I miss Boomjack, too. But I hope you've accepted me and my
colleagues for the pale substitutes that we are, since Boomjack is
working on bigger and better things for Ten Ton Hammer these days.
The point I'm hoping to make is that Loading... is a professional
endeavor and its writing and preparation requires dedication. It was as
professional when Boomjack wrote it (every weekday!) and made fun of
celebrities as it is today when we editors write it and make fun of
Ben. (We can't help it, really. He's an easy target.) We work to put
the best of our knowledge, insight and wit (not of the epic Boomjackian
quality, but our own brand) into each issue.
Because we do put so much effort into Loading..., we'd love to know
what you think we're doing right, and what you think we could improve,
and how you'd like to see Loading... evolve. Come talk to the editorial
team in the
href="http://forums.tentonhammer.com/showthread.php?t=53104">Loading...
forum.
Shayalyn's Epic Thread of
the Day
From our
href="http://forums.tentonhammer.com/forumdisplay.php?f=615">EverQuest
II News & Articles Discussion
EverQuest
2: Destiny of Velious Revealed at SOE FanFaire 2010
Although our EverQuest
II: Destiny of Velious
reveal from Fan Faire was, like, so last week, our community has taken
this thread as an opportunity to discuss not only the expansion but all
things EverQuest, including the upcoming free-to-play EverQuest II
Extended. Looking for information (Savanja, our EQ2 diva, will answer
your questions) or have an opinion?
href="http://forums.tentonhammer.com/showthread.php?t=52739">Drop
in!
==============================
Awesome Quotes from the
Epic Thread
"Scars of Velious is one
of my
absolute favorite expansions of all time, so I'm pretty psyched that
it's finally getting the shatter-style Norrath treatment. The big
question is though, will there be anything really nutty like the
Sleeper this time around?"
-
href="http://forums.tentonhammer.com/showpost.php?p=438429&postcount=3">Sardu
New
and Exclusive Content
Today at Ten Ton Hammer
9 new and exclusive
Ten
Ton Hammer
features
today! 107 Ten Ton Hammer
features
in August! 923
in 2010!
GAMESCOM 2010
style="color: red;">HOT!
style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">VIDEO!
Exclusive Star Wars: The Old Republic Lead Writer Interviewed
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/events/gamescom2010/swtor/daniel-erikson-interview">http://www.tentonhammer.com/events/gamescom2010/swtor/daniel-erikson-interview
BioWare
is known for their storytelling and gamers everywhere are waiting with
bated breath for that storytelling know-how to be implemented in the
Star Wars: The Old Republic MMOG. To that end, Ten Ton Hammer was lucky
enough to get to talk to Lead Writer Daniel Erickson of SW:TOR at
gamescom 2010.
style="color: red;">HOT! Looking Towards Final
Fantasy XIV - A Q&A with Square Enix from gamescom 2010
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/ffxiv/interviews/square-enix-at-gamescom">http://www.tentonhammer.com/ffxiv/interviews/square-enix-at-gamescom
The
launch of Final Fantasy XIV is approaching rapidly, set to release this
September. Ten Ton Hammer caught up with Square Enix at gamescom to
discuss the state of the game and find out a little bit more about the
anticipated release. We sat down with Hiromichi Tanaka, Senior Vice
Presient of Software Development and Corporate Executive of Online
Business Management; Sage Sundi, Global Online Producer of Community
& Service Division; and Nobuaki Komoto, Planner. The team was
able
to answer some of our questions and teach us a bit more about what
Final Fantasy fans have to look forward to.
style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">
style="color: red;">HOT! VIDEO!
Exclusive Interview with Guild Wars 2's Eric Flannum
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/gw2/features/interviews/eric-flannum-video">http://www.tentonhammer.com/gw2/features/interviews/eric-flannum-video
At
gamescom 2010 Ten Ton Hammer had the opportunity to speak with Game
Designer Eric Flannum about the hottest title at the event, Guild Wars
2. In our exclusive video interview with Eric, he gave us some
excellent new insights into the gameplay and mechanics of one of the
most talked about MMOGs of the year. But perhaps the coolest part of
all is that the questions for the interview were submitted by members
of our growing community for Guild Wars 2 right here on Ten Ton
Hammers GW2 forums.
A Galaxy of Features - A
Preview of Black Prophecy at gamescom 2010
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/blackprophecy/previews/gamescom-2010">http://www.tentonhammer.com/blackprophecy/previews/gamescom-2010
Reakktor
Media's Black Prophecy, published by gamigo, may be one of the most
anticipated MMOGs coming up in the free-to-play market. Our fans here
at Ten Ton Hammer have liked what they've seen so far and have made it
clear they want to see more. We stopped by the gamigo booth at gamescom
this year to check in with gamigo PR Manager, Dennis Hartmann. Dennis
took us through a demo of the game to show off its features, and boy,
did it have a lot of features.
Lightning Strikes Twice -
A First Look at Torchlight II
http://www.tentonhammer.com/torchlight2/previews/first-look
One
of the standout moments for us at gamescom 2010 was getting our first
look at Runic Games upcoming Torchlight II. Not only does the sequel
further refine the core gameplay that made the original such a success
last year, but adds a number of excellent new features into the mix.
But do these new features translate into a worthy sequel? We believe
they do, and you can find out why in our first look at Torchlight II.
style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">
style="color: red;">HOT! VIDEO!
Talking TERA - An Exclusive Interview with En Masse Entertainment
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/tera/interviews/enmasse-talks-tera">http://www.tentonhammer.com/tera/interviews/enmasse-talks-tera
TERA
is shaping up to be one powerhouse MMOG, featuring not only some of the
best graphics for a new title that weve seen in recent years, but also
some of the most compelling group play this side of the great social
MMOG divide. Ten Ton Hammer had the opportunity to speak with Senior
Producer Brian Knox from En Masse Entertainment this past week at
gamescom 2010. Not only did we get the chance to hear how development
is progressing towards the North American launch, but Brian also
answered a number of questions sent in by our readers.
SYNDCON 2010
In The Trenches: A
SyndCon 2010 Q&A with SOEs John Smedley
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/syndcon10/interviews/john-smedley">http://www.tentonhammer.com/syndcon10/interviews/john-smedley
Last
weekend, SOE President John Smedley appeared at the ninth annual
meeting of The Syndicate, a thousand-strong influential multi-game
guild in its fifteenth year of existence. Actually, appeared is a
misstatement the man affectionately known as Smed chatted,
commiserated, dined, and imbibed with the members, all the while
fielding untold numbers of questions and absorbing countless rants
during the five day event. To top it off, Ten Ton Hammer was on-hand to
ask Mr. Smedley a wide range of questions from the importance of strong
guilds to DC Universe Onlines impending launch to the fate of Star
Wars Galaxies and Vanguard: Saga of Heroes. His answers appear in an
exclusive SyndCon 2010 interview with SOE's John Smedley.
FEATURES & GUIDES
EQ2 Shaman Sample AA Specs
http://www.tentonhammer.com/eq2/guides/specs-shaman
Being
an EverQuest II Shaman is far more than just spam healing and hoping
for the best. With great debuffs, damage over time, and wards these
healers are full of variety and interest. If you have a Mystic or a
Defiler and are hoping for better survivability and success then you
need a solid AA spec and we have one for you! In our Shaman AA Guide
you will find a full 250 AA spec that will point you in the right
direction of building the perfect spec for how you play.
Sins of a Solar Spymaster
#50: Painful Lessons - Atlas Routed
http://www.tentonhammer.com/eve/spymaster/50
Events
continue to unfold in EVE Online and Atlas Alliance has learned a hard
lesson through a series of setbacks. In just a short time this alliance
has fallen from power at an astonishing rate of speed. How did it all
happen? Join The Mittani as he examines what led to the fall of Atlas
in Sins of a Solar Spymaster #50: Painful Lessons - Atlas Routed, the
first of several feature articles that will detail the painful lessons
learned in EVE.
Today's
Hottest Articles, Guides, and Features
-
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/events/gamescom2010/swtor/daniel-erikson-interview">Exclusive
Star Wars: The Old
Republic Lead Writer Interviewed -
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/gw2/features/interviews/eric-flannum-video">Exclusive Interview
with Guild Wars 2's
Eric Flannum -
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/ffxiv/interviews/square-enix-at-gamescom">Looking
Towards Final Fantasy XIV
- A Q&A with Square Enix from gamescom 2010
-
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/tera/interviews/enmasse-talks-tera">
style="font-weight: bold;">
style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">
style="color: red;">Talking
TERA -
An Exclusive Interview with En Masse Entertainment -
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/syndcon10/interviews/john-smedley">In
The Trenches: A SyndCon 2010 Q&A with SOEs John Smedley -
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/torchlight2/previews/first-look">Lightning
Strikes Twice - A First Look at Torchlight
II -
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/blackprophecy/previews/gamescom-2010">A
Galaxy of Features - A Preview of Black
Prophecy at gamescom 2010 href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/blackprophecy/previews/gamescom-2010">
-
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/neverwinter/interviews/jack-emmert-aug-2010">A
Return to the Sword Coast! A Neverwinter
Q&A with Cryptics Jack Emmert -
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/events/gamescom2010/gw2/necromancer-gameplay">Exclusive
First Look at Necromancer Gameplay in style="font-weight: bold;"> href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/events/gamescom2010/gw2/necromancer-gameplay">Guild
Wars 2 -
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/swtor/news/specs-and-space-combat-reveal">Class
Specializations and Space Combat in style="font-weight: bold;"> href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/swtor/news/specs-and-space-combat-reveal">SW:TOR href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/swtor/news/specs-and-space-combat-reveal">
Revealed
Thanks
for visiting the Ten Ton Hammer network!
- Karen "Shayalyn" Hertzberg
and the Ten Ton Hammer team
