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Are you looking for the latest industry headlines? Look no further.

1. Daily Column
2. New MMOG Articles at TenTonHammer Today
3. Hot Content
4. Real World News - You Can't Make This Up

1. Daily Column

Hooboy!

The casting producer for the ABC Television show, Wife Swap emailed me yesterday. As much as my wife was probably hoping that she could swap me out, that wasn't the case. Here is the scoop,

"In case you are not familiar with the show, the premise of Wife Swap is simple: for two weeks, two wives from two different families exchange husbands, children and lives (but not bedrooms) to discover what it’s like to live a different woman’s life. The show airs on ABC on Monday nights at 8pm – family hour! It offers a positive experience for people not only to teach, but to learn about different family values.We have been looking for a fun, outgoing and dynamic family of GAMERS to appear on an upcoming episode of our show! I came across your website in my research, and I was floored by the amount of members and resources that you have available. I was hoping you might be willing to help me spread the word about this casting call. Gaming is definitely a hobby that has swept the US, and we’d love to find the ultimate gaming family to represent that on our show. Nowadays, a lot of parents have a hard time finding things that they can relate to with their kids – so it would be really cool to feature a family where Mom, Dad and the Kids all have something in common – their love of interactive games!

Our only requirements are that families consist of two parents and at least one child between the ages of 6-17. Due to security restrictions, military families cannot be featured at this time. Families who participate in the show receive $20,000!"

$20,000 clams if your family is chosen for the show. If you are interested e-mail me and I'll get you an application to appear on Wife Swap. Ha, I love it. I've become a virtual swinger pimp!

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I missed posting this yesterday. My apologies to Meghan.

"Today, Turbine, Inc. and Codemasters Online Gaming announced the details of the first free update for subscribers to The Lord of the Rings Online™: Shadows of Angmar™, the #1 selling PC title in North America, Germany, UK and France. Book 9: Shores of Evendim, the first of many planned free updates to the world of Middle-earth, introduces an entirely new landscape region, over 100 additional quests, the battle for Helegrod raid, nine new monsters and major enhancements to monster play and the music system. The Lord of the Rings Online has been enthusiastically received by many gaming critics, including The New York Times, USA Today, Yahoo!, PC Gamer, GameSpot and Game Informer in the US as well as The Sunday Times, The Guardian, CVG, Eurogamer, PC Juegos and 4Gamers in Europe.“The Lord of the Rings Online has taken the world by storm and we’re thrilled with the community’s response to the game,” said Jeffrey Anderson, president and CEO of Turbine, Inc. “Shores of Evendim offers an enormous amount of content that delivers even more value to our subscribers.”

David Solari, Vice President and General Manager of Codemasters Online Gaming, commented “We are ecstatic to unveil the first in a long line of planned free updates to The Lord of the Rings Online. In just over six weeks, thousands of players have already experienced the world of Middle-earth.”

As the Fellowship prepares to leave Rivendell, Aragorn must re-forge Narsil, the Sword of Elendil. Gandalf has asked for help in Aragorn’s search of the lands of Evendim for an ancient jewel that once belonged in the sword’s hilt. This powerful relic must be recovered before the Dark Lord Sauron finds it. Players are challenged to secure the valuables of the abandoned city, defy Angmar’s encroaching grip on Annúminas, and aid Aragorn in his quest to re-forge Narsil.

Beginning June 13th, heroes can adventure to the Shores of Evendim, the first of many free updates to The Lord of the Rings Online."

So there you have it. Evendim will be about 100 miles north of the Shire. The expansion will include over 100 new quests, a 24-player raid in the Misty Mountains versus the dragon Thorog and of course, many other additions.

I lost my LotRO groove, but this might get me back into the game. In fact, right now I'm stumbling about like George Clooney at an open bar trying to find a game that catches my fancy and believe me, I can be fancy!

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You know you want to apply for Wife Swap. If you get in I'll send you a lifetime supply of TenTonHammer.com soccer jerseys.

Comment in the blog (now with direct link goodness) or email me directly.

2. New MMOG Articles At Ten Ton Hammer Today

• Blog: Getting The Fun Back
  "What once was lost now is found. Cody "Micajah" Bye is getting that twinkle in his eye again, and that means fun is afoot! In his latest blog, Cody explores why he's suddenly more excited than ever to be a MMORPG writer again."
• Editorial: Change A Little, Change A World
  "Our current MMO market consists of games that are "stuck in a rut" and leave players to the same monotonous tasks that they experienced in other titles. However, a simple, small change is often the only action necessary to make a world fresh and new to MMO players. Cody "Micajah" Bye explores this phenomenon and titles that have employed this tactic in his editorial "Change a Little, Change a World".
• Editorial: Fantasy's Last Stand
  "Description: Is this last round of "high-powered" fantasy MMOGs the final throes of a super-saturated fantasy marketplace? This is the question Garrett Fuller asks in his editorial, "Fantasy's Last Stand", and he attempts to answer this question by looking analyzing the upcoming generation of MMOGs and determining if there is any room out there for another fantasy based MMO."
• Dungeons and Dragons Online: Quest Guide - The Xorian Cipher
  "Creatures of madness arrive from Xoriat, and it is up to your party of intrepid adventurer's to stop this evil and recover a vital tome from the forces of madness. Read Khalas's guide to The Xoriat Cipher!"
• EverQuest 2: An Insider's Look At Quest Design
  "Quests are an integral part of every Massive Multiplayer Online game we know and love, but what type of work goes into making them? Ten Ton Hammer gets an insightful look from Developer Ellery "Saerkin" Jones about quest design in EverQuest 2. Get an inside look at how developers work and content in the new Darklight Woods zone was put together.
  Snippit:"
• EverQuest 2: Innoruuk Miracles Guide
  "Completing our series on the EverQuest II deities, we have now added the Innoruuk blessings and miracles guide! Find out what bonuses you will receive if you take on the Prince of Hate as your chosen God. This guide is a quick and easy way to see if this deity is the one for you!"
• Lord of the Rings Online: Ultimate Newbie Guide Part 5
  "The latest chapter of our massive Ultimate Newbie Guide tackles one of the most important parts of MMORPGs: grouping (or fellowships, as the case may be)! If there's only one chapter of the Ultimate Newbie Guide that new players should read and understand, it's probably this one."
• Vanguard Blog: Paper Cut
  "Ralsu's latest blog discusses the things in Vanguard that sting like a paper cut and his optimism that SOE can heal the wounds."
• World of Warcraft: U.I. Mods Updated (Damage Meters)
  "We've updated our U.I. Repository (database) with DamageMeters, Gatherer, Grid, GuildPortal Guild Info and Scrolling Combat Text. All of these mods are good to go for patch 2.1 and even some are TOC complaint with 2.1.1. Check back soon for more great U.I. mods to shine up your interface as we're constantly adding and updating more."
• World of Warcraft: Making Money With Auctioneer Updated
  "Our Auctioneer guide has been updated to include details on supply and demand and begins into the real meat on how to turn a profit with Auctioneer. Check by often as we continue to update this guide with more and more excellent information on how to make money the smart way."
• World of Warcraft" Illidan's Defeat
  "In this update to "Heal Plz" Xerin takes a look at Illidan's defeat and the lore surrounding it. We won't give away too much if you're still keeping the event unspoiled but we do take a look at a few ways for Illidan to overcome the difficulties presented at the end of the battle."
• World of Warcraft: Guide To The Shattered Halls
  "The Shattered Halls are the third and most difficult of the five man instances in the Hellfire Citadel. The citadel itself straddles the Path of Glory leading to the Dark Portal and contains 3 other instances. The Citadel is the home of the Fel Orcs in Hellfire Peninsula and was built by Blackhand and Gul’dan and still houses the Kargath Bladefist.

3. Hot Content

• Interview With Brian "Psychochild" Green, Founder of Near Death Studios
• Gods and Heroes: Interview With Travis George, System Designer
• Sword of the New World: Exclusive Developer Diary #3
• Lord of the Rings Online: Interview With Jeff Anderson
• Interview With Industry Legend, Don Daglow
• Fury: Q&A With Mike Hampden
• 38 Studios: R.A. Salvatore Interview Part 2
• Gods and Heroes - Video Interview With Chris Launius
• OGDC: Auto Assault Post-Mortem With Scott Brown
• OGDC: EVE Online Interview With Peter Gollan

4. Real World News

• Device Warns You If You're Boring Or Irritating [Thanks Matt]
  Rosie, are you backing up or is that your IrritationMeter beeping?
• Just Add Water - Students Invent Alcohol Powder [Thanks Matt]
  Mixed with instant coffee, you inhibitions now become your realities. Court system collapses.
• PETA To Stage 'Running Of The Nudes'
  You hear that bulls? You can't wear clothes this year.
• Yoko Ono Did Not Eat Dog Meat
  Has also never traveled to South Korea.

Thanks as always for visiting TenTonHammer.com

John "Boomjack" Hoskin