Loading... From the Trenches

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Posted Fri, Mar 12, 2010 by Sardu

Welcome to the 1,290th edition of Loading...

Loading... is the premier daily MMOG news, coverage, and commentary newsletter, only from Ten Ton Hammer.

Things are winding down to their inevitable conclusion at GDC 2010, and today we have a special soldier's eye view of the conference sent in to the Ten Ton Hammer HQ from Ethec. In it he covers the biggest reveals and highlights from the event, as well as some of this year’s biggest GDC gripes and no-shows. This plus links to our latest Global Agenda guide and much more today in Loading... From the Trenches.

The Pulse

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

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

Biggest movers today:

City of Villains (UP 7 to #18)
Free Realms (UP 3 to #19)
Vanguard: Saga of Heroes (UP 2 to #8)

Recent Releases

2/1 - Global Agenda (release date)
2/1 - Mortal Online (release date)
2/2 - Star Trek Online (release date)
2/16 - EverQuest 2: Sentinel's Fate (expansion)
2/16 - LotRO: Oath of the Rangers (content update)

Upcoming Releases

March 2010 - APB
April 2010 - City of Heroes: Issue 17
Spring 2010 - Mytheon
TBA 2010 - Final Fantasy XIV
Spring 2011 - Star Wars: The Old Republic

Upcoming Events

3/9 - 3/13 - Game Developers Conference 2010
3/26 - 3/28 - PAX East 2010
6/15 - 6/17 - E3 Expo

Loading... Daily

Today we have a special report from Ethec who has been down in the GDC 2010 trenches over the past few days. As anyone that's attended a number of industry events over the years will tell you, they often tend to be a mixed bag of unexpected surprises, both positive and negative, and from the sounds of it this year's GDC was no exception. So without further adieu, here is Captain Ethec's soldier's eye view of the conference:

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Biggest Reveals - Hero 108, the newest show on Cartoon Network and soon-to-be MMO from Gamania, looks to be the perfect step-up MMORPG between kids titles and something like WoW. With an enjoyable cast of unique characters, some teenage heft to the storyline, comfortable and very recognizable adaptations of core MMO concepts like raiding, and a seamless portrayal of the show (which was created using Flash, so in many cases the same assets were used for the game as were used for the show), Hero 108 could be the hero to a currently untapped market segment. More in our full-length article coming up next week.

TERA (published by En Masse, originating in Korea), Vindictus, and Dragon Nest Online (both from Nexon, publishers of MapleStory and Mabinogi in the US) also came to the show floor for the first time ever at GDC 2010, and all look to be another solid action MMORPG originating in the east.

Biggest Highlight - Ten Ton Hammer had three troops on the ground at GDC, and for the most part we went to separate appointments so it's very possible Ben and Jason saw something cooler, but for me seeing Civ V demoed was the highlight of the show for me. I haven't owned a computer that some iteration of the Civ franchise wasn't installed on, and aside from dazzling DX11 graphics, rule changes such as the elimination of "stacks of doom" (only one unit can occupy each hex) will add extraordinary depth to the gameplay while keeping the pace uptempo.

Biggest Gripes - Our biggest appointments all carried embargo dates, meaning that we were asked not to release information from these appointments until later this month (or in one case, April). So if you haven't seen coverage on games you know and love, chances are we're honoring their wishes to not go to print, so stay tuned.

Biggest No-Shows - When we asked for your questions earlier this week, a few of you came back with questions for Square Enix and Blizzard. They're definitely at GDC, but only in a recruiting capacity. No worries though, we'll have plenty of opportunities to talk to these companies in the coming months.

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And there you have it folks! Be sure to keep an eye on the site as we continue to bring you coverage from GDC 2010. It sounds as though we have a number of cool things that we won't be able to reveal right away (darn those embargos) but there's still plenty of awesome content from the event on the way. In the meantime, drop on by the Loading... forums and share your thoughts on GDC 2010, and as always have a great gaming weekend!

Shayalyn's Epic Thread of the Day

From our /OOC (Off-topic) forum

Most addictive game since Cananbalt

I couldn't send you all off on a Friday without wishing you rainbows and robot unicorns over the weekend, could I? Of course not. And so, with thanks to Anacche, Discoverer of Robot Unicorns, here they are.

To quote Anacche--you're welcome.

==============================
Awesome Quotes from the Epic Thread

"I hate you. Now I'm not going to complete my Brew Day quests. It's sooo pretty lol ."

- stefman123
==============================

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

New and Exclusive Content Today at Ten Ton Hammer

2 new Ten Ton Hammer features today! 46 in March! 276 in 2010!

DOWNLOADS

Myst Online: URU Live Again Available for Download at Ten Ton Hammer
http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/81995

In February 2010 Cyan Worlds, developers of the online incarnation of the popular Myst series of single player games, brought new life into the game with the aptly titled Myst Online: URU Live Again. Now, Ten Ton Hammer is pleased to offer our readers the game installer download mirror in one of two exciting flavors. While a torrent download is available for all registered members, premium members will have access to a high speed direct download.

GUIDES

Global Agenda - Assault PvE Guide
http://www.tentonhammer.com/globalagenda/guides/assault/pve

Everyone loves a good tank, and everyone loves good DPS. In Global Agenda, you get the best of both worlds in the Assault for PvE. You are unmatched in the ability to take a hit and in the duration your massive Minigun can fire for. There's more than meets the eye to this firepower master however! Check out how to turn your Assault from Minion Fodder to Minion Master in PvE.

Today's Hottest Articles and Guides

Thanks for visiting the Ten Ton Hammer network!

- Reuben "Sardu" Waters and the Ten Ton Hammer team

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