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is the premier daily MMOG newsletter, only from Ten
Ton Hammer!
Welcome
to the 1,410th
edition
of Loading...
In the mystical land of
clichés, “time flies when you’re having
fun” is a fairly common phrase among the native inhabitants.
And while these beings and their customs may often times seem somewhat
mysterious to we mortal humanoids of the planet Earth, such
simple concepts still ring true more often than not. Today Managing
Editor extraordinaire Reuben “Sardu” Waters came to
the sudden realization when glancing up at the clock at 3 AM that
somehow an entire year has passed since his first trip to the real life
MMOG known simply as PAX. His mid-flight musings on the past year in
MMOGs and much, much more today in Loading… PAX Your
Bags… Again!
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/">What
is The Pulse?).
Today's
top 5 Pulse results:
-
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/wow">World
of Warcraft -
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/eq2" target="_blank">Everquest
2 - href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/eve">EVE Online
-
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/ddo" target="_blank">Dungeons
and
Dragons Online -
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/taxonomy/term/115">Age
of Conan
Biggest
movers today:
-
size="-1">6/29
- href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/taxonomy/term/998"
target="_blank">APB
(release) -
size="-1">7/27
- href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/taxonomy/term/2461"
target="_blank">Need
for Speed World
(release) -
size="-1">7/27
- href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/starcraft2" target="_blank">StarCraft
II: Wings of Liberty
(release) -
size="-1">8/17
- href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/taxonomy/term/140">City
of Heroes: Going Rogue (release) -
size="-1">8/18
- href="http://everquest2.com/free_to_play">EverQuest
II Extended (release)
Releases
-
size="-1">September
7, 2010 - href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/aion">Aion:
Assault on Balaurea (free
expansion) -
size="-1">September
30, 2010 - href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/ffxiv" target="_blank">Final
Fantasy XIV size="-1">
(release) -
size="-1">
style="font-weight: bold;">October
26, 2010
- href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/taxonomy/term/170">LEGO
Universe (release)
-
size="-1">
style="font-weight: bold;">November
2, 2010
- href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/taxonomy/term/1407">DC
Universe Online (release)
size="-1">Upcoming
Events
-
size="-1">
style="font-weight: bold;">9/3 -
9/5 - href="http://www.paxsite.com/paxprime/index.php" target="_blank">PAX
Prime -
size="-1">
style="font-weight: bold;">9/3 -
9/6 - href="http://www.dragoncon.org/" target="_blank">DragonCon -
size="-1">
style="font-weight: bold;">10/8 -
10/10 - href="http://www.newyorkcomiccon.com/">New
York Comic Con -
size="-1">
style="font-weight: bold;">10/22 -
10/23 - href="http://us.blizzard.com/blizzcon/?rhtml=y" target="_blank">BlizzCon -
size="-1">
style="font-weight: bold;"> 3/24
-
3/26 (2011) - href="http://fanfest.eveonline.com/" target="_blank">CCP
FanFest
Giveaway
We have eight codes for style="font-style: italic;">Warhammer Online.
These codes will give you a Bottomless Bowl of Custard to chuck at
people, a Skaven Skin Cloak and a Razored Skinning Iron trophy. Want
one of these codes? Simply send an email to href="mailto:[email protected]">[email protected]
with
the subject line "WAAAGH". Eight winners will be picked randomly at the
end of the week and contacted through email with their code.
Loading... Returning to Bind
Point...
Rolling into the Raleigh airport at 4 AM this morning for my flight to
Seattle I settled into one of the Fisher Price style chairs at my
departure gate somewhat weary after only managing to snag a mere 30
minutes of sleep. Thankfully one of the local airport alchemists had a
hefty supply of a core consumable in my traveling rotation, an elixir
most commonly referred to as coffee. So while the seats in the airport
are less than comfortable, at least there were certain creature
comforts to be had.
After what seemed like an eternity but was really only about five
minutes, I was pleasantly surprised to hear a familiar voice just over
my shoulder. As luck would have it, I’d managed to book the
same flight as the six members of the Fallen
Earth team who are also
PAX-bound this weekend. I’ve always considered Dave Haydysch,
Jessica Orr and the rest of the Fallen
Earth crew to be an awesome
group of people. So it’s certainly turned what might have
been a somewhat dreaded flight into one far more enjoyable.
Eventually I decided to be nice and let FE’s Tricia Jenkins
get some sleep rather than continue chatting her ear off the entire way
to our connecting flight in Detroit. Turning my thoughts towards the
next stop for Team Hammer this event season, something struck
me. And not, I'm not talking about the crumpled up napkin that randomly
bounced off
my head mid-flight.
Not only has the past year seemingly flown by, but it’s also
interesting to think of where the industry was at one year ago leading
into PAX compared to now. For example, speaking of the Fallen
Earth
crew, that game was just launching last year at this time, as was Champions
Online. Aion
celebrated its North American launch during last year’s PAX,
with Star Trek Online
being a hot ticket item at the show, launching
only a handful of months later.
It was an incredibly diverse bunch of titles we were all buzzing about
last year at this time: a Super Apocalyptic Hero Wing Trek if you
were to stuff them all into a giant MMOG blender.
We’ll be checking in with at least two parts of
that particular four headed beast this weekend, Aion
and Fallen Earth.
But as the world completed another jaunt around the sun and we decided
to call it 2010, it’s only natural that we’d
collectively continue to look towards the future, ever curious as to
what new title would provide our next great MMO gaming fix. On hand
this weekend are a number of the top contenders of tomorrow –
titles such as Guild Wars 2,
TERA,
Rift: Planes of Telara
and many
others are all here at PAX, and while it will be a busy weekend for
Team Hammer, it will no doubt be an awesome one all the same.
And now I’d best get today’s Loading… on
its way, but I’d love to hear your thoughts on where the
industry was heading into PAX last year compared to now. So find a
friendly neighborhood mage and ask them to teleport you over to the
Loading… forum to have your say!
Shayalyn's
Epic Thread of the
Day
From our
href="http://forums.tentonhammer.com/forumdisplay.php?f=615">EQ2
News & Articles Discussion forum
href="http://forums.tentonhammer.com/showthread.php?t=53164">EQ2
New Player Mount Guide
If you're heading into EverQuest II Extended,
href="http://tentonhammer.com/eq2">EQ2's
free-to-play version, you'll want to know where you can score a newbie
mount. Don't spend a fortune buying a horse from a
stablemaster--Savanja has the goods.
href="http://forums.tentonhammer.com/showthread.php?t=53164">
Ride on!
=====================================
Awesome
Quotes from the Epic Thread
"Just
an FYI, the Neriak mount quest series is fixed so the guide has been
updated with the info. It's my fave of all the newbie mounts!"
-
href="http://forums.tentonhammer.com/showpost.php?p=440740&postcount=8">Savanja
=====================================
New
and Exclusive Content
Today at Ten Ton Hammer
8 new
and exclusive
Ten Ton Hammer features today! 139 Ten Ton Hammer features in August!
955 in 2010!
BETA
GIVEAWAY
Bloodline
Champions Beta Key Giveaway
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/giveaways/bloodlinechampions">http://www.tentonhammer.com/giveaways/bloodlinechampions
Are
you anxious to check out Bloodline Champions, the newest arena PvP game
published by Funcom and developed by Stunlock Studios? We thought you
might be!
Bloodline Champions is a PVP game with short,
intense matches for up to ten players divided into two teams. Every
player plays one of several different bloodlines with 7 unique
abilities each. Different bloodlines in a set up complement each other,
different maps and game modes need different tactics, so good teamwork
is a must for success. Chance is not a factor, spells and abilities do
a set amount of damage. Random elements such as critical hits and
passive abilities do not exist. Spells travel to where the player aims
and can be avoided by enemy players, making every ability dependant on
individual player skill.
Without mana and creeps, the game has
almost zero downtime and is instead based on short cooldowns. This,
coupled with no grind or farming, ensures that every match is full of
action.
Win your
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/giveaways/bloodlinechampions">
Bloodline Champions beta key
right here at Ten Ton Hammer.
INTERVIEWS
A
Video Q&A with Rift's Scott Hartsman, Part 2: Planar Invasion!
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/rift/interviews/scott-hartsman/planar-invasion">http://www.tentonhammer.com/rift/interviews/scott-hartsman/planar-invasion
In
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/rift/interviews/scott-hartsman/new-classes-and-starting-areas">part
one,
we learned about Rift's newest classes, starting areas like
Shadowlands, Silverwood, and Free Marches, and also about other
uniquely Rifty concepts like the Soul Walk. Now, in part two, we'll get
to the heart of the game's dynamic content system. Rift: Planes of
Telara Executive Producer Scott Hartsman explains how planar rifts can
become something that profoundly, randomly affects every player's
experience. Scott also goes in-depth on the game's showcase dungeon,
Realm of the Fae, in this gameplay footage-filled new video.
REGULAR
FEATURES
Microcosms
– Phoenix Rising: How Free-to-Play Will Save a Dying Genre
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/microcosms/2010/sept/35">http://www.tentonhammer.com/microcosms/2010/sept/35
When
World of Warcraft unleashed MMOGs onto the masses many hailed it as the
defining moment in the genre’s history, but it actually could
have been
its death knell. How could something so popular be a bad thing, and how
does Jason “Medawky” Bolton really think that the
oft maligned
free-to-play could be a savior? Join us this week in Microcosms to find
out
Sins
of a Solar Spymaster #51: Painful Lessons - Goonswarm Implodes
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/eve/spymaster/51">http://www.tentonhammer.com/eve/spymaster/51
When
it comes to mistakes made in EVE Online, few have been as costly as the
ones that led to the implosion of Goonswarm. This week The Mittani
explores a topic closer to home as he examines the events that led to
Goonswarm's downfall and offers a bit more insight into the costly
peace treaty between Atlas and the Drone Russian alliances.
MEDIA
Battle
of the Immortals Video Previews New Expansion
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/boti/videos/expansion-preview">http://www.tentonhammer.com/boti/videos/expansion-preview
Perfect
World Entertainment has announced the second expansion for their 2.5D
MMORPG, Battle of the Immortals. The second expansion has will arrive
for the Western market in Spring of 2011. The yet-to-be named expansion
will add several new key features to the game such as destructible
environments, new animations, environmental hazards and more. A new
video preview has been released detailing some of the new content and
features slated to go live with the expansion.
World
of Tanks Reveals New Screenshots with Launch of Closed Beta #2
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/wot/screenshots/cb2-sep2010">http://www.tentonhammer.com/wot/screenshots/cb2-sep2010
World
War II is a popular setting for many war-based video games and
Wargaming.net chose this period in history as the setting for their
upcoming MMOG, World of Tanks. The tank-based MMOG recently kicked off
its second closed beta phase and with the announcement the developer
has sent us six new screenshots showcasing some of the game's
environments that players will soon be blasting apart in heavy team
tank-based action.
FEATURES
& GUIDES
EQ2
General Mount Guide
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/54486">http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/54486
We
recently gave new players the skinny on how to get a hold of a newbie
mount, but what if you're an EverQuest II player looking for a mount
that packs a little bit more of a punch? There are several ways you can
net a great mount in EQ2 and we will tell you how. Our General Mount
Guide will get you started whether you are looking for your first pony,
wanting to upgrade a tired old nag, or searching for the warg of your
dreams!
StarCraft
II Campaign Armory Upgrade Guide
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/starcraft2/guides/armory-upgrades">http://www.tentonhammer.com/starcraft2/guides/armory-upgrades
Now with every single unit and upgrade broken down meticulously by Stow!
style="font-weight: bold;">
Today's
Hottest Articles, Guides, and Features
-
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/rift/interviews/scott-hartsman/new-classes-and-starting-areas">A
Video Q&A with style="font-weight: bold;">Rift's
Scott Hartsman, Part 1: Just for Starters -
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/eon/interviews/aug-2010/gary-wagner">Put
Up Your Nukes! An style="font-weight: bold;">End of Nations
Video Q&A with
Executive Producer Gary Wagner href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/eon/interviews/aug-2010/gary-wagner">
-
style="font-weight: bold;">
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/eve/interviews/gylfason-at-gamescom2010">EVE
Online href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/eve/interviews/gylfason-at-gamescom2010">
Senior Producer Answers Community Concerns - An Exclusive Q&A
-
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/gw2/features/previews/dancing-with-destiny">Dancing
With Destiny - A First Look at Guild
Wars 2 -
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/tsw/interviews/tornquist-london"
target="_blank">London Calling - An Exclusive
Interview for href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/tsw/interviews/tornquist-london"
target="_blank">The Secret World -
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/wow/newsletter/issue82"
target="_blank"> style="font-weight: bold;">WoW
Weekly Report - PlayerScore arrives at TenTonHammer! -
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/wow/cataclysm/tanaris-preview"
target="_blank"> style="font-weight: bold;">WoW
Cataclysm Preview: Tanaris, the Jewel of the Desert -
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/mythos/interviews/gadgeteer-skills"
target="_blank">Ready…Aim…Fire!
A Gadgeteer Class Q&A for style="font-weight: bold;">Mythos -
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/syndcon10/interviews/curt-schilling">Take
Me Out to the Reckoning: A Video Interview with 38 Studios’
Curt Schilling
-
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/tid/2675">gamescom
2010 Image Gallery href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/tid/2675">
Thanks
for visiting the Ten Ton Hammer network!
- Reuben "Sardu" Waters
and the Ten Ton Hammer team
