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

Welcome
to the 1,389th
edition
of Loading...

Stepping back into the World
of Warcraft Battlegrounds, Ten Ton Hammer Executive Editor
Benjamin J. de la Durantaye has become overwhelmed with
both good and bad memories of grinding through
Warsong Gulch and Arathi Basin. PvP battlegrounds can be a lot
of fun but they can also be the ultimate source of stress and
frustration. We take a look at some of the reasons today in href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/loading/2010/aug/3">Loading...
The Top Ten Reasons to Play and Avoid WoW Battlegrounds.

The
Pulse

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

Today's
top 5 Pulse results:

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

Biggest
movers in the past 24 hours:

1. href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/taxonomy/term/42">Star
   Wars Galaxies
   
   - UP 8 to
   #11
2. href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/taxonomy/term/154">Ultima
   Online
   
   - UP 6
   to #18
3. Star
   Wars: The Old Republic
   
   - UP 5
   to
   #16

• 5/26
  - EVE
  Online: Tyrannis
  (expansion)
• 5/27
  - Craft
  of Gods
  (release)
• 6/9
  - Mortal
  Online
  (release)
• 6/29
  - target="_blank">APB
  (release)
• 7/13 -
  target="_blank">Mytheon
  (release)
• 7/27 -
  target="_blank">Need
  for Speed World
  (release)
• 7/27 -
  target="_blank">StarCraft
  II: Wings of Liberty
  (release)

• August
  17, 2010 - href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/taxonomy/term/140">City
  of Heroes: Going Rogue (release)
• 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;">8/5 -
  8/8 - href="http://events.station.sony.com/fanfaire/" target="_blank">SOE
  Fan Faire 2010
• style="font-weight: bold;">8/18 -
  8/22 - href="http://www.gamescom-cologne.com/en/gamescom/home/index.php"
  target="_blank">Gamescom 2010
• 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;">10/22 -
  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="color: rgb(204, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;">HOT!
Visit Ten
Ton Hammer's StarCraft II Guides
portal to gain that competitive multiplayer edge, or to read our Wings
of Liberty
single player campaign mission walkthroughs!

Loading... Daily

Years ago when battlegrounds were first introduced to style="font-style: italic;">World of Warcraft
I, like many others, became instantly addicted. I would spend all day
sitting in the queue and battling it out with the Alliance chanting
"For the Horde" and "Lok'tar Ogar!"



A long time has passed since then. Several characters later and I
barely stepped into battlegrounds any more, choosing instead to focus
on PvE whether it be daily dungeon crawls or jumping into a raid. Now,
however, with Cataclysm approaching quickly I decided it was time to
finally make the dwarf paladin that I've been longing to play all these
years. I never quite feel at home in any MMOG until I have a dwarf
paladin. The only reason I never played one with any serious level of
dedication in WoW was because almost all of my friends were always
playing Horde. But my friends be damned this time, my dorf pally lives!



Anyway, while leveling up I decided to do something I hadn't in a very
long time. I queued up for Warsong Gulch. I remembered I had had fun
all those years back. What I didn't remember was how frustrating those
matches can be as well. After careful analysis I came to a shocking
conclusion. The reasons I love battlegrounds are the same very
reasons I hate them. I can dish it out, but I can't take it...
apparently. So without further ado, the Top Ten Reasons to Play and
Avoid WoW Battlegrounds.

Got more reasons to play and avoid the battlegrounds? Share them in the
forums.

Shayalyn's Epic Thread of
the Day

From our href="http://forums.tentonhammer.com/forumdisplay.php?f=6">Articles,
News & Events Discussion Forum



Vietnam
Imposes Online Gaming Regulations Amidst Public Outcry



It's been a while since we've heard about a country restricting its
citizens with regard to gaming. Vietnam stepped up recently to state
loud and clear that online gaming needs to be regulated, and put their
Ministry of Information in charge of making it happen. The new
regulation bans game advertisements, restricts online gaming in public
places between certain hours, and cuts licensing for online games
temporarily. The changes are a result of a public outcry blaming online
gaming for an increase in juvenile crime and truancy.



Are video
games to blame when kids go bad? Is stiffer regulation the answer? Or
should parents be made responsible for monitoring their kids'
activities more closely? href="http://forums.tentonhammer.com/showthread.php?t=52668">Have
at this heated topic!



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

Awesome Quotes from the
Epic Thread



"Humans have a few
problems:



Total freedom eventually
leads to Anarchy



Total control eventually
leads too Oppression



...and we lack self
control, among other things."



 - href="http://forums.tentonhammer.com/showpost.php?p=438036&postcount=9">Sylvinstar

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

New
and Exclusive Content
Today at Ten Ton Hammer

10 new and exlcusive
Ten Ton Hammer
features
today!  19 Ten Ton Hammer
features
in August! 835
in 2010!

PREVIEWS



EverQuest II Extended –
My Two Coppers and a Tour

href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/eq2/editorials/EQ2-Extended">http://www.tentonhammer.com/eq2/editorials/EQ2-Extended



Sony Online Entertainment title="http://www.tentonhammer.com/everquest-2/news/eq2-goes-free-to-play"
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/everquest-2/news/eq2-goes-free-to-play"
target="_blank">dropped a bombshell last week
announcing that one of their most notable games, title="http://www.tentonhammer.com/eq2"
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/eq2" target="_blank">EverQuest
II, is opening a free-to-play server joining the ranks of
games such as Dungeons and Dragons Online and Lord of the Rings Online
offering potential players a completely free gaming experience. As an
EQ2 veteran, Savanja braved her way onto the EQ2 Extended server to see
what it had to offer. Read up on what she found title="http://www.tentonhammer.com/eq2/editorials/EQ2-Extended"
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/eq2/editorials/EQ2-Extended"
target="_blank">in this editorial: My Two Coppers and a Tour.

Guild Wars 2
Elementalist Preview

title="http://www.tentonhammer.com/gw2/features/previews/elementalist"
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/gw2/features/previews/elementalist">http://www.tentonhammer.com/gw2/features/previews/elementalist

The Elementalist is a powerhouse in the original Guild Wars
and will be returning in Guild Wars 2 with much of the same function.
How much of this profession is the same and how much is new? Find out
at we explore the Elementalist profession here at Ten Ton Hammer.

WoW Cataclysm - Undercity
Preview

http://www.tentonhammer.com/wow/previews/undercity



The
Undercity was once the lower portion of the great palace of Lordaeron,
holding the crypts of royalty, only to be destroyed in one moment of
madness. Now, the Undercity is occupied by Lady Sylvanas and her
Forsaken minions. Cataclysm has not changed the Undercity much, however
players will be, for the first time ever, able to fully explore the
ruins of Lordaeron. Finally we will be able to get a taste of the not
so distant past when the Ruins of Lordaeron were not just ruins but
instead a grand palace, filled with light and laughter.



style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">HOT! GUIDE



StarCraft II Mission
Guides Part Six - The Prophecy Missions

href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/starcraft2/guides/prophecy-missions">http://www.tentonhammer.com/starcraft2/guides/prophecy-missions



The next installment of Ten Ton Hammer’s complete walkthrough for the
single player campaign of title="http://www.tentonhammer.com/starcraft2"
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/starcraft2" target="_blank">StarCraft
II: Wings of Liberty covers the Prophecy missions.
While the first campaign in the trilogy may be focused on the Terrans,
for this unique set of four missions players will be placed in the role
of commanding Protoss forces. Not only does this mission chain give
newcomers to the series some much needed insights into another of StarCraft
IIs armies prior to taking the plunge into mulitiplayer
matches, but it also contains some of the most compelling missions in
the game.



To help you navigate your way through one potential future of the StarCraft
universe, be sure to read our title="http://www.tentonhammer.com/starcraft2/guides/prophecy-missions"
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/starcraft2/guides/prophecy-missions"
target="_blank">StarCraft II Mission Guides Part Six – The
Prophecy Missions.





FEATURES & GUIDES



Microcosms: Dancing in
the Desert – A Tale in the Desert Introduction

http://www.tentonhammer.com/microcosms/2010/aug/31



When
most gamers hear the term MMOG their thoughts turn to orcs, dwarves and
dragons, but lately the genre has been moving away from fantasy and
exploring new worlds. While diversity has become more common and
accepted, most games still feature combat as their core game play
element. A Tale in the Desert has been quietly bucking this trend for
several years and Jason “Medawky” Bolton thought it was high time we
took a look at this unique game.



D-Mail #6 The Importance
of Real Life Player Gatherings

http://www.tentonhammer.com/features/dmail/6



Online
gaming is not just gaming, but participating in a social experience
with other players. To that end, many non-verbal forms of communication
are lost through the online experience, which can lead to distrust and
eventual meltdowns in the social constructs of an online game. Meeting
other players face-to-face in a real life gathering serves to put a
face to a name and is beneficial to both game communities and the
overall success of the online game.



The Nine Laws Of Power In
EVE Online

href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/eve/guides/politics/laws_of_power">http://www.tentonhammer.com/eve/guides/politics/laws_of_power



EVE Online is full of machiavellian bastards, and Space Junkie has
their number in this guide to the realpolitik of space.



Flying The Imicus In EVE
Online

http://www.tentonhammer.com/eve/guides/ships/flying_imicus



The
Imicus frigate is probably the single best newbie mission ship in
existence because of its accessibility, cost, and ability to absolutely
destroy low-level mission NPCs. In this guide, Ten Ton Hammer
Contributing Writer, Space Junkie, gives us the inside dirt on this
little marvel.



Sins of a Solar Spymaster
#49 - The Summer of Discontent

http://www.tentonhammer.com/eve/spymaster/49



href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/eve" target="_blank"> title="http://www.tentonhammer.com/eve">EVE Online
has seen its share of rough times of late with lag issues still
plaguing the game from the Dominion launch and a community less than
thrilled about the fact that a 70 person dev team is working on future
content, leaving only 22 developers working to address current game
issues and to try and appease an increasingly discontent playerbase.
The Mittani has been monitoring the situation and this week offers up
his thoughts on CCP's current dilemma in Sins of a title="http://www.tentonhammer.com/eve/spymaster/49"
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/eve/spymaster/49"
target="_blank"> title="http://www.tentonhammer.com/eve/spymaster/49">Solar
Spymaster #49 - The Summer of Discontent.



WoW Weekly Report - Beta
Keys, Mount Hyjal, PvP and much more in the WoW Weekly Report

http://www.tentonhammer.com/wow/newsletter/issue78



The
WoW Weekly Report is our newsletter dedicated to giving you a
wrap-up of the previous week in news, stories, and more. This week we
take a look at many of the changes coming with Cataclysm, focusing on
PvP, leveling changes, and even changes to the world of Azeroth. In
addition we explore one of the potential starting zones in Cataclysm
with a look at Mount Hyjal. In addition to all our network content
check out all the news regarding World of Warcraft so you don't miss a
thing. All this and more in our WoW Weekly Report every Tuesday.

Today's
Hottest Articles, Guides, and Features

1. href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/guild-wars-2/video/jeff-grubb/ghosts-of-ascalon">VIP
   Video Q&A with Guild Wars 2
   Ghosts of Ascalon Author Jeff Grubb
2. StarCraft
   II Guide Portal
3. href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/eq2/editorials/EQ2-Extended"> style="font-weight: bold;">EverQuest II Extended –
   My Two Coppers and a Tour
4. href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/wow/cataclysm/ui-changes">World
   of Warcraft: Cataclysm Interface Changes
5. href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/wow/previews/tirisfal-glades">WoW
   Cataclysm - Tirisfal Glades Preview
6. Can
   LotRO Duplicate The Success of DDO?
   
7. New
   LotRO
   Screenshots Show Starting Area Changes
   
8. href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/eq2/interviews/free-to-play-georgeson"> style="font-weight: bold;">EverQuest
   II Goes Free-to-Play - A
   Q&A with Producer Dave
   Georgeson
9. href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/coh/going-rogue-preview">Into
   the Gray: A Hands-On
   Preview of City
   of
   Heroes: Going Rogue href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/coh/going-rogue-preview">
   
   
10. href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/dc-universe-online/trailer/blur">DC
    Universe href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/dc-universe-online/trailer/blur">
    Online
    Blur Trailer from San Diego
    Comic-Con 2010

Thanks
for visiting the Ten Ton Hammer network!

- Benjamin J. de la Durantaye
and the Ten Ton Hammer team