MMO New Year

Welcome to your Tuesday Loading... You can read previously enjoyed editions of Loading... in the blog archive. (For the navigation impaired that means you click the link and then look in the right menu.)

The 487th edition of Loading... is brought to you by EBgames.com: The authority on gaming.
Happy New Year!

Three quick thoughts:

1) Farewell 2006, my last column of that oh so very disappointing year generated so few e-mails that I wonder if anyone actually read it. There are developer predictions in there folks! This isn't about me; it's about the guys and gals who bleed and sweat MMO design on your behalf. Support our devs. Don't make me start a ribbon or wristband campaign.

2) The world isn't flat. Has anyone else noticed that most MMOGs, with the exception of World of Warcraft and in some zones EverQuest 2, have terrain that is perfectly flat bordered by towering mountains? Login to WoW somtime and just run around for five or 10 minutes. The land rolls and weaves like you would expect . Now login to another game. Pick just about any game and you will find that the natural relief is limited to flat plains and vast chasms.

The more complex world makes for a more enjoyable experience. Period. EVE Online players need not comment.

3) Why are comics so hard to create? I have a new one up, thanks to Darren and his artistic abilities. For your pleasure, PlayPriest.

Do you have a comic idea, a world that isn't flat or some candid photos to share?

Let me know, either in the comments section of the blog or in our forums!
--
Guild Management has never been easier! Not sure what GuildPortal is, or what it can do for your Guild? Click here to read about what GuildPortal is, why it's the most imitated, and why people have been using us since October of 2001 to host their Guild web sites!

Exclusive TenTonHammer.com Content!

01.02.2007

Dungeons and Dragons Online: The Stones Run Red Quest Guide
"Shiver me timbers! Darkgolem has created another scurvy quest guide for Three Barrel Cove, Arrrr!"
Dungeons and Dragons Online: Cleric 1 Spells Guide Redone
"New DDO @ Ten Ton Hammer writer Moros knows all about life as a cleric. He's completely rewritten our level 1 cleric spells to reflect the value of each spell since the addition of Module 3."
Dungeons and Dragons Online: Waterworks 2-1 Quest Guide
"You may have secured your entrance to the Stormreach Marketplace by completing the previous Waterworks quest, but Ralsu knows that finishing the series yields nice loot and good XP. He's got the guide for part 3."
EverQuest 2: Blood of the Brood Walkthrough
"Blood of the Brood is one of the few very cool signature quests, brought to us via the Kingdom of Sky expansion. This is the quest that earns you that oh so coveted class hat! If you haven't gotten started on this one yet, you'll definitely want to as soon as possible."
EverQuest 2: Ivy Shroud of Tunare Walkthrough
"Finally a Tunare quest that you can be evil to do! RadarX gives a first hand account of this great signature quest, and provides everything you need to get your hands on the amazing rewards."
Gods and Heroes: Tribe This...
"Gods and Heroes has an unusual answer to the guild mechanic we all know and love in other MMO's. They have called it the tribe. They didn't laugh at my joke about throwing people off the island, so we'll just move on. Kiara talks about tribes and how they function in games."
Vanguard: Saga of Heroes - Ask The Devs - Factions
"You're a goblin, but you'd like to do some trading in the dwarven city of Bordinar's Cleft. Our community member asks if certain factions will cause players to be killed on site in Vanguard: Saga of Heroes. Sigil Community Manager, Nick Parkinson, gives an answer in this week's Ask the Devs."
Vanguard: Saga of Heroes - Open Beta - Are You Ready?
"Open beta for Vanguard: Saga of Heroes is likely coming next week. In this week's Shay's Treehouse, Shayalyn asks the question: are you ready? Is Sigil really ready to kick off open beta? Are you ready to put your expectations and preconceived notions in check and discover a whole new game? Get Shay's take, plus all the news that fits (and it all fits!) in this week's Treehouse."
Vanguard: Saga of Heroes - Beginner's Guide
"Interested in playing one of the green-skinned races of Vanguard: Saga of Heroes? Our newbie guide details how to get started in the goblin and orc city of Martok, plus offers direct-from-beta tips and impressions. Read on and you'll be more than ready for your first day adventuring on Telon's archipelago of Kojan when open beta arrives!"
Vanguard: Saga of Heroes - Shaman Class Guide
" As we wind down to the beginning of the Vanguard: Saga of Heroes open beta, interest in choosing a class is at an all time high. Zinn offers another of his comprehensive guides to help make your choice easier (or more difficult, as the case may be). This time we're featuring the mystical shaman. Learn about the class and how shamans use things like spirit bonds and patrons to distinguish themselves. We've also included spells right up to level 50! "
Vanguard: Saga of Heroes - Ask The Devs: Fellowship Program
"How do you keep from out-leveling your perma-group of Vanguard companions when you're decidedly more hardcore than they are? You join a fellowship, of course. Our community member, Hexonyx, asks for details on the Vanguard: Saga of Heroes fellowship mechanic and Sigil programmer, AR Schleicher, provides them in this week's Ask the Devs."
Warhammer Online: 2006 In Retrospect
"Well, it seems that 2006 is about to slip right by us. As this year closes, Ratboy takes a moment to look over the finer moments of WAR this year. Ranging from locations to careers, and even E3, all of these topics are touched on."
World of Warcraft: First Look At Blade's Edge Mountains
"Ten Ton Hammer took a look at a unique and difficult zone in the Outlands--the Blade's Edge Mountains. We bring you a preview of the area and an entire gallery full of screenshots for you to drool over."
World of Warcraft: Burning Crusade - Steamvault Gallery
"The Steamvault is an instance in the Coilfang Reservoir located in the Zangarmarsh. The instance is meant for level 69 and 70 characters and is the start of the end game instances in the Burning Crusade. There is a noticeable increase in difficulty from any of the lower level instances that you will have completed previously. Many of the MOBs and all of the bosses require careful planning and tactics so bring your A game."
World of Warcraft In 2007
"Here at Ten Ton Hammer we've gathered together to discuss what we expect to see in 2007 in WoW. We share our thoughts on what we'd like to see along with what we truly expect to see in the upcoming years. Things like another expansion, patches, and even more cries for NERF! are discussed in-depth in our latest seasonal article: "World of Warcraft in 2007"!"
World of Warcraft: Design A Hero Contest
"Just letting everyone know our Design a Hero contest will be coming to a close soon. Get those entries in before the deadline or miss your chance at winning some awesome swag like a zBoard AND a limited edition Burning Crusade keyset!"
World of Warcraft: Forum Roundup
"Once again we bring you a roundup of posts from the WoW official forums! This week the forums seemed to focus on the holidays and the upcoming expansion."
World of Warcraft: Mage Basics Updated
"We've updated our Mage guide with tons of new basic information. Plenty of information on what's the best profession choices, what race is for you, and lots of other basic information for new and old Mages alike!"
World of Warcraft: Skinning Guide Revamp
"We've gone through and rebuilt our skinning guide from start to finish! Tons of new information, even including a few things from the upcoming expansion, have been added to the guild. It's also gotten a nice visual upgrade to help you find what you are looking for when you are looking for it!"

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- John "Boomjack" Hoskin

Last Updated: Mar 13, 2016

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