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to the 1,276th
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Loading... is the premier daily
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Austin-based developer Heatwave set conversation blazing this morning when it was announced that they've taken over development of Gods and Heroes: Rome Rising, a mythology-infused MMORPG whose development went on hiatus in 2007. We'll discuss the advantages and challenges they'll face in resurrecting the game, plus offer links to three exclusive dev interviews and five hot new features in Loading... Gods and Heroes Rises Again!

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The Pulse

You vote with what you
view at Ten Ton Hammer, and the
result is the Ten Ton Pulse ( href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/thepulse/" target="_blank">What
is The Pulse?).

Here
are today's top 5 Pulse results over the last week:

  1. href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/wow">World
    of Warcraft
  2. href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/eq2">EverQuest II
  3. href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/sto">Star Trek
    Online (UP 1)
  4. Dungeons and Dragons Online (UP 1)
  5. Lord of the Rings Online (UP 1)

Biggest
movers in the last seven days
:

  1. Stargate Resistance (UP 71 to #19)
  2. Guild Wars 2 (UP 68 to #9)
  3. EVE Online (down 3 to #6)
size="-1">Recent Releases
  • size="-1">12/1
    - href="http://www.lotro.com/gameinfo/464-answer-the-call-of-war">LotRO:
    Siege of Mirkwood (expansion)
  • size="-1">12/1
    - href="http://www.eveonline.com/Dominion/">EVE
    Online: Dominion (expansion)
  • size="-1">12/15
    - href="http://everquest.station.sony.com/everquest.vm">EverQuest:
    Underfoot (expansion) 
  • size="-1">1/26
    -
    href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/taxonomy/term/2389">Mass
    Effect 2
    (release date)
  • size="-1">2/1
    - href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/taxonomy/term/926">Global
    Agenda (release date)
  • size="-1"> style="font-weight: bold;">2/1
    - href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/taxonomy/term/1004">Mortal
    Online (release date)
  • size="-1">2/2 size="-1">
    - Star
    Trek Online
    (release date)
  • size="-1">2/10
    - href="http://www.stargateresistance.com/">Stargate
    Resistance (release date)
  • size="-1">2/16
    - href="http://everquest2.station.sony.com/expansions/sentinelsfate/index.vm">EverQuest
    2: Sentinel's Fate (expansion)


size="-1">Upcoming
Releases

  • size="-1">March
    2010

    - href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/taxonomy/term/998">APB
  • size="-1"> style="font-weight: bold;">Spring 2010
    - href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/taxonomy/term/1801">Mytheon
  • size="-1">TBA
    2010

    - href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/taxonomy/term/2079">Final
    Fantasy XIV

  • size="-1"> style="font-weight: bold;">Spring 2011
    - href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/swtor">Star Wars:
    The Old
    Republic


Loading... Daily

Gods and Heroes: Rome Rising has risen again. Austin-based startup Heatwave Interactive picked up the IP, and while Heatwave is a new name for MMO players, founder Anthony "SunSword" Castoro probably isn't. A fixture at ORIGIN and EA (Wing Commander IV, Privateer 2, Ultima Online) and later LucasArts / SOE (Star Wars Galaxies) and Codemasters (RF Online, ArchLord), Castoro has been knee deep in PC game development for the past 15 years. But, as he notes on his blog, Heatwave marks the first time Castoro himself it all on the line.

Gods and Heroes will have a number of hurdles to overcome to match its 2007 brilliance, the principle one being that the game's chief innovation, loosely autonomous minions that join in combat with and level with your character, are pretty much de rigeur for a number of today's MMORPGs. DDO, LotRO, and Star Trek Online are a few games that have successfully implemented a "minion" system, so it's no longer the reason to check out Gods and Heroes.

Second, we're on the verge of seeing another MMO that taps into Greco-Roman mythology pretty heavily: Mytheon (you can check out the game with our two-part video interview series with Petroglyph posted today). Mytheon is part of the next wave of high quality free-to-play built by Western studios with impressive budgets and even more impressive credentials, so it's not a game to take likely. Its collectible stone system loosely mimics GnH's minions, in fact, so the isometric-perspective Mytheon might serve as a bellwether for the third-person experience of Gods and Heroes.

It should be a good year for all things mythical, with a new myth-inspired movie out now (Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief), a Clash of the Titans remake set to hit the silver screen, and a new God of War title on the horizon. But the mythology meme could work out to be a benefit or a drawback, depending on what kind of penetration Mytheon achieves and what Heatwave plans to do with Gods and Heroes as we currently know it.

Despite going on hiatus for two and a half years, I personally don't think Gods and Heroes will have much trouble getting up to speed in the graphics and animation department. GnH looked very good in 2007, but this is 2010. To some, being that long out of development might make the game an automatic candidate for the free-to-play model. However, even subscription MMORPGs are usually one or two steps behind on the graphics curve. Something simply has to give - you can't build an eye-popping, gaming on rails experience like the God of War series in an open massively multiplayer world.

The major challenges to Gods and Heroes: Rome Rising aside, I'm pretty glad to be talking about the game again. Greek mythology, as the Petroglyph devs pointed out in the interview, is known and understood around the world, and it's such a robust and dynamic body of storytelling that there's no end to what you can do with a game.

What do you think Heatwave will need to do to succeed with Gods and Heroes? Share your thoughts in the Loading... forum!


Shayalyn's Epic Thread of
the Day




From our Articles, News & Events Discussion


Gods & Heroes: Rome Rising Resurrected by Heatwave Interactive

Just
a few weeks ago our forum community waxed nostalgic, mourning the
loss of Gods & Heroes, which was cancelled in late 2007 in the
midst of a scandal and lawsuit
between its developers, Perpetual Entertainment, and PR firm Kohnke
Communications. When it was cancelled, Gods & Heroes had been in
beta and nearing a launch date.

Today we're celebrating, because it's back! Heatwave Interactive has acquired the rights and assets of Gods &
Heroes: Rome Rising. Will they be able to revive this mythological beast? We're talking about it in our forum


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

Awesome Quotes from the
Epic Thread



"Who the hell is Heat Wave and can they actually finish what PE
started and make it worthy? As a beta tester I loved this game even
with all it's bugs.
"

- OneEyeRed

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



Have you spotted an Epic Thread on our forums? Tell
us
!


New and Exclusive Content
Today at Ten Ton Hammer

8 new Ten Ton Hammer
features today! 94 in February! 209
in 2010!




INTERVIEWS

Going Rogue with City of Heroes - A Q&A with Melissa Bianco
http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/81234

With
the upcoming release of Going Rogue, the newest expansion for City of
Heroes/City of Villains, Ten Ton Hammer has gone in search of more
information. To that end, they've tracked down Melissa Bianco, Paragon
Studios' lead designer for COH/COV.

Mytheon Video Q&A Part 2 of 2

http://www.tentonhammer.com/mytheon/video/introQA_pt2



Veteran
audio director Frank Klepacki joins with Design Development Director Chris Rubyor to tell us about sound design and music in the mythological MMORPG Mytheon, plus microtransactions, loot, progress
towards launch, and what Petroglyph might have in store for the game
post-launch, in this video Q&A with the Mytheon team.



Allods Online Archetype Interview Series Part 3 - The Mage

http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/81285



Ten
Ton Hammer's series of archetype interviews continues this week with a
look at the Mage. A true powerhouse of spell casting power, the Mage is
the master of the elements and the conduit for the mystical force of
Entropy in the Allods world. We are once again lucky enough to have the
tandem of gPotato GM Gregory Carter and Community Manager Katelyn
Olmstead answering our questions about this intriguing group.



FEATURES & GUIDES



EVE Online - Sins of a Solar Spymaster #39 - The Twilight of the Great Powers
http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/81282

After
the recent implosion of GoonSwarm, members quickly reformed a spiritual
successor to the alliance known as SOLODRAKBANSOLODRAKBANSO (LODRA) and
The Mittani found himself aiding in the reconstruction of this new
alliance and noting many changes based around the Sovereign system.
Have the old ways of past alliances and the Great Power model that
helped fuel many historical conflicts finally come to an end under EVE
Online's new Sovereign system? Join The Mittani as he explores how the
new systems implemented with Dominion have changed the game and not in
a good way.

WoW Mod Review - RaidBuffStatus

http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/81279



Ever
wanted to know who was slacking off in the buff department in your
raid? RaidBuff Status is a mod that claims to allow you to do just
that. Containing various features aimed to improve your World of
Warcraft raiding experience RaidBuffStatus is the only intelligent buff
checking mods currently available for download. But will it live up to
expectations?



EverQuest II: Justice for JoJo Heritage Quest Guide

http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/81227



"Justice
for JoJo" is one of the newest EverQuest II Heritage Quests that not
only is easy to do, but takes you into the new expansion to
explore new lands and new dangers. We've got the step by step guide to
get you through as well as a preview of the reward offered if you
complete this quest!



Star Trek Online: Interactive Science Officer Skill Page

http://www.tentonhammer.com/sto/federation/science_officer



Whether
you're a freshly appointed Lieutenant just starting out or an
established Admiral within the fleet, you can't conquer space (let
alone the Klingons) without choosing the right skills. Fortunately for
you, our new interactive class skill pages have all the information
you’ll ever need to make those choices that best fit your playstyle!
This week, we've added the Science Officer Skill page.



Editorial - WoW Cataclysm - Completionist Paradise

http://www.tentonhammer.com/wow/editorials/completionistparadise



Collecting
pets and mounts has always been a pastime for a large number of World
of Warcraft players. Once achievements were added to the game these
collectors had something new to set their focus on. With Cataclysm
coming ever closer what will change for these avid collectors, and what
(if anything) will they have to look forward to? While nothing can be
known for sure until Cataclysm is released we can make an educated
guess on what is to come by looking at past expansions and minor clues
given by Blizzard.



Today's
Hottest Articles and Guides

  1. Going Rogue with City of Heroes - A Q&A with Melissa Bianco
  2. Mytheon Video Q&A Part 2: Sound, Loot, Launch Plans, and Microtransactions
  3. EVE Online - Sins of a Solar Spymaster #39 - The Twilight of the Great Powers
  4. Allods Online Archetype Interview Series Part 3 - The Mage
  5. href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/80902">Love
    Connections
    : Developers' First
    Gaming Loves
  6. Star Trek Online: The Traveler's Guide - Episode 3
  7. href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/81065">Stargate
    Resistance
    PC Review href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/81065">

  8. href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/81024">Defining
    the Lore of Guild Wars 2
    - A Q&A with
    ArenaNet's Jeff Grubb
  9. href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/81085">Allods
    Online
    Archetype Interview
    Series Part 2 - The Healer href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/80983"> style="font-weight: bold;">
  10. href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/80983"> style="font-weight: bold;">Bioshock 2
    Review

Thanks
for visiting the Ten Ton Hammer
network!

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



To read the latest guides, news, and features you can visit our Gods & Heroes: Rome Rising Game Page.

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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