Loading... Dynamic Duo

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Posted Thu, May 20, 2010 by Sardu

Welcome to the 1,338th edition of Loading...

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

Last month, a super secret switch was flipped at the ArenaNet HQ in Bellevue, Washington. The result has been veritable flood of new information on upcoming title Guild Wars 2, the bulk of which has been revealed through ArenaNet's newly created blog for the game. We'll take a closer look at some of the finer details from this week's two stellar updates today in Loading... Dynamic Duo

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:

Biggest movers today:

Global Agenda (UP 10 to #14)
Free Realms (UP 9 to #11)
EverQuest (down 7 to #19)

Recent Releases

2/16 - EverQuest 2: Sentinel's Fate (expansion)
2/16 - LotRO: Oath of the Rangers (content update)
4/5 - Pocket Legends (iMMOG - release date)
5/1 - City of Heroes - Issue 17: Dark Mirror (content update)
5/11 - Age of Conan: Rise of the Godslayer (expansion)

Upcoming Releases

May 26, 2010 - EVE Online: Tyrannis (expansion)
May 27, 2010 - Craft of Gods (release)
June 9, 2010 - Mortal Online (release)
June 30, 2010 - APB (US - July 2 in EU)
Q2 2010 - Mytheon
TBA 2010 - Final Fantasy XIV

Upcoming Events

6/15 - 6/17 - E3 Expo
6/25 - 6/27 - Looking for Group Expo
7/22 - 7/25 - Comic-Con International
8/5 - 8/8 - SOE Fan Faire 2010
9/3 - 9/6 - DragonCon
10/22 - 10/23 - BlizzCon
3/24 - 3/26 (2011)- CCP FanFest

Loading... Daily

This week saw not just one, but two excellent new updates to the official ArenaNet blog for Guild Wars 2. As a long time fan of all things Guild Wars, I found both to be incredibly interesting not just for their core topical focus, but also for some of the more subtle details they contain.

First up, an interview with Kristen Perry titled the Fashion of Guild Wars 2 gave us a glimpse into her processes for coming up with unique and interesting clothing and armor designs. While ArenaNet has previously stated that one of their goals with the new game is to allow it to be played on as many systems as possible, Kristen does describe some of the ways in which she's been able to expand upon design potentials in GW2 by use of certain elements such as normal maps.

Perhaps one of the most significant new tools is the use of normal maps. For the first time, we can make use of much higher modeling techniques to add richness to an otherwise modest poly budget. We do have more polys to throw around as well, but there’s a lot to be said for the smoke-and-mirror use of a good normal map. I think perhaps what I love the most, besides normals and the fun of 3D sculpting, would be the silhouette polys I can now add and the higher texture resolution that goes with it.

To get a better idea of what the end results may look like when GW2 launches, be sure to check out Ten Ton Hammer's recently added gallery featuring character renders of human females and males.

While it remains to be seen whether the armor/stat dynamic will be treated similar to the original game, one of the things I've always found fascinating is that Guild Wars proves that armor doesn't necessarily have to be a poorly disguised stat grind to be a desirable item for players to obtain. Yet the fact that players will still invest the time to obtain elite armor sets in GW speaks volumes to me about the strengths of Kristen’s design capabilities. Not only that, but it does also give weight to the notion that imporoving the visual aspects of our characters can be a strong motivator in and of itself.

The second kickass blog update for this week features Colin Johanson's answers to many of the questions that have been circulating on the Dynamic Events system in GW2. A quick read trough the answers Colin has provided reveals other minor, yet interesting gameplay elements that extend beyond the topical focus of dynamic events. For example, in the following quotes we learn that Guild Wars 2 will very likely feature some form of weather system as well as night and day cycles:

Some events only occur when specific conditions are met, like a snow storm rolls into the map, or night falls over the graveyard. If an event reaches one end of the chain, it could sit at that point for days, weeks, or months until a player comes along and decides to participate in the event chain. We’ve tried to vary the conditions that trigger events and change the length and variety of the event cycles so that everything feels organic and unique.

Events are not designed to occur at specific real world times; they're triggered by game conditions, player actions, and in-game time occurrences (like night falling in the game world). Players from all countries and time-zones in the world will never feel like they're missing out on content.

While seemingly minor on the surface, the mechanics mentioned above do most definitely reinforce the concept that the Tyria of Guild Wars 2 will have a vastly more “virtual world” feel than its predecessor.

I thoroughly recommend giving both the interview with Kristen Perry and Colin Johanson’s FAQ answers on Dynamic Events a read. Still no word on whether or not GW2 will feature the most awesome competitive online mini-game of all time, Rollerbeetle Racing, but we can certainly hope! While we wait to find out if it makes the transiion into the sequel, I'd love to hear your thoughts on either of the above topics, so grab your favorite fiery dragon sword and head on over to the Loading… forum. And if, like me, you consider yourself a fan of all things Guild Wars related, be sure to stop by Ten Ton Hammer's Guild Wars 2 forums and join in on the discussions!

Shayalyn's Epic Thread of the Day

From our WoW News Discussion

Blizzard Reveals New Female Worgen Models

Are you waiting for the release of World of Warcraft's next expansion, Cataclysm? So are we. Want to see "female Worgen in chain?" Sure, everyone does. Want to talk about it? That's why we have a thread to discuss the latest little sneak preview from Blizzard. Head on over!

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Awesome Quotes from the Epic Thread

"There are going to be a lot of happy furries out there."

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

New and Exclusive Content Today at Ten Ton Hammer

4 new Ten Ton Hammer articles today! 71 Ten Ton Hammer features in May! 542 in 2010!

GIVEAWAYS

HOT! Forsaken World Closed Beta Key and IBUYPOWER Gaming Desktop Giveaway
http://www.tentonhammer.com/giveaways/forsaken-world/cbt

Join the closed beta test for Forsaken World with a key from Ten Ton Hammer and be eligible to win an IBUYPOWER Chimera 2 desktop from Perfect World Entertainment! It's simple to enter: just click on over to the Forsaken World Closed Beta Key giveaway page, follow the instructions to get a key, then test Forsaken World in May and June and you could win a brand new gaming desktop! Either way, you win with a Forsaken Worlds closed beta test key!

SPECIAL FEATURE

WoW: Blizzard Reveals New Female Worgen Models
http://www.tentonhammer.com/wow/previews/cataclysm/female-worgen

World of Warcraft: Cataclysm will add two races for WoW fans: the Worgen and the Goblin. Today Blizzard has given the community a sneak peek at the upcoming Worgen with four amazing screens of the model in different armor typse. Wondering what the Worgen model will look like? Let Ten Ton Hammer show you in our latest article covering the upcoming WoW expansion.

FEATURES & GUIDES

EverQuest II New Halas Prelude Quest Walk-through
http://www.tentonhammer.com/eq2/guides/halasevent

If you weren't lucky enough to score the EverQuest II quest line introducing New Halas into Norrathian lore from SOE reps in previous weeks, it is now available to all on the live servers via NPCs. You can find barbarian representatives in each city that will send you on your way to learn some truths of Mithaniel Marr, his sister Erollisi, and of the newest city. Find out where to get the quest and what you need to do to walk with Marr himself in our "Vision of Valor" walk through.

The Worst Things to Hear in WoW
http://www.tentonhammer.com/wow/editorials/worst-things-to-hear

We all end up running with various forms of groups in World of Warcraft and any time you're grouped with other players there is a chance that you'll happen upon a real winner. Some players seem destined to travel through the game blissfully ignorant of others, basic gameplay mechanics, and often even their own class and role. When you run into them inevitably you will hear something that makes you cringe and wonder why Darwinism doesn’t weed these people out faster.

Today's Hottest Articles, Guides, and Features