Ten Ton Hammer - Taking MMO Gamers to the Next Level!

Welcome to the 1,003rd Edition of Loading...

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The Pulse

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

Here's today's top 5 Pulse results:

1. World of Warcraft
2. Warhammer Online
3. Lord of the Rings Online
4. Age of Conan
5. Runes of Magic (UP 6)

Biggest Movers in the Top 20 today :

1. EverQuest (UP 9 to #12)
2. Dream of Mirror Online (UP 9 to #19)
3. Vanguard: Saga of Heroes (down 4 to #11)

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Loading... Daily

Loading... more action-packed than a creepily smiling Cromartie.

Try as he might, Coyote couldn't stay away from writing a daily humor column. Though the recently retired Not Funny... Ever will remain discarded, de-brained, and set on display in the Ten Ton Hammer archives suspended in a vat of its own juices, Coyote has started a little something he calls It's All Geek to Me. Will there be pictures? Will there be geek tested and approved sexual innuendo? Of course? Will Coyote manage to offend Trekkies, Harry Potter fans, hobbit lovers, and console fans? He's started already. I'd be anxious to see what he does with today's topic, though.

Cody reported on some interesting news surrounding a Terminator MMO from Halcyon Games and Swedish developer GRIN. That you've never heard of these development firms gives you some clue as to whether or not this will happen, but since they've at least acquired the license, let's join in the irresponsible speculation. Here goes...

Time travel is an absolute necessity in every Terminator flick and especially the Sarah Connor Chronicles. It's also one of the least explored mechanics in MMOs; during a blue sky session in Voon a few weeks ago Metal pointed out WoW's Caverns of Time, but I can't think of another MMO that's done something similar (though EQ2 seems primed for it). Time travel is rare almost certainly because the design complications - the cause and effect not only in the world at large but also in your character - are enormous.

But unless you're Ms. Connor and have a time machine stashed in a bank for future (past?) use, Terminator series time travel is a one-way trip, thereby limiting the storyline knottyness. Your character starts out in an FPS-like, shoot 'em up future and has the opportunity to travel back to an RPG-like, quest-driven past at various points in his or her character development.

So what do we have: Popular license with lasting appeal? Check. Console twitch gamer desirability? Check. Post-apoc grit with an escape to a more comfortable here and now? Check. Old school RPG appeal running missions against Skynet in the present or Fallout 3-style humanity saving ops in the future? Check. The better the humans do in the past, the better the war goes in the future? Completely awesome, with the obvious downside that you're really designing two games instead of one.

The question on everyone's lips, though, is do I get to play a terminator? While we're dreaming, of course you should get your mits on a T-888 Cromartie or a liquefacting T-1000 (Step aside, Sporn) at some point. But since Terminators are completely and totally OP, you'd have to limit how many player-controlled Terminators are on the map at any given point. Metal mentioned EQ2 style defection quests - cowardly or coerced humans going over to the Machines and rogue Terminators helping out the humans. That's an interesting concept; you'd only have to promise me a hot gynoid companion and I'll be certifiably machine 4 life, or human, whatever. In any case, one thing this game would have is incredible replayability.

Yesterday we mentioned reasons why sci-fi MMOs had trouble attracting the masses (I know, Elysia, I'll give Planetside a shot someday soon), but a Terminator MMO would have plenty going for it on just about every level. Agree? Disagree? Have your say in the Loading... forum, or write to me like the email cranking fool I know you are.

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Shayalyn's Epic Thread of the Day

From our /OOC (Off Topic) Forum

Rauge's Signature Shop

Today's Tuesday. Tuesday is, by all rights, a rather unremarkable day. But Rauge is bored and has opened his Signature Shop, so at least there's a little joy in the world. If you're a forum member (all the cool people are) you can drop by Rauge's thread to check out his work and request a signature banner of your own.

Offer good only while supplies last (or until Rauge gets overbooked or is otherwise no longer bored and has to call the whole thing off). Get 'em while they're hot! Rauge gives good graphic.

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Awesome Quote from the Epic Thread:

No quotes today, just signature images here.

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Do you have a favorite Epic Thread? Let us know!

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6 new MMOG hand-crafted articles today! 109 in January! 109 in 2009!

New MMOG Articles At Ten Ton Hammer Today [Thanks Phil Comeau for links and Real World News]

Interviews

• Runes of Magic: Daniel Ulrich on the State of the Beta

Features

• MMOs, the Final Frontier: How will Atari Shape EVE Online?

Community

• Jan-Feb 09 Schedule for Loading... Live!

Guides

• World of Warcraft: Selecting Talents for the Hunter
• World of Warcraft: Selecting Talents for the Mage
• Warhammer Online: Secrets to Ultimate Pwnage - Swordmasters and Sorceresses

Hot Content - Or, what I took a fancy to:

1. Runes of Magic: Daniel Ulrich on the State of the Beta
2. MMOs, the Final Frontier: How will Atari help EVE Online?
3. Jan-Feb 09 Schedule for Loading... Live!
4. Geeked: "Jimmy's Plea"
5. Top Ten Free-To-Play Games: Car Shopping
6. EverQuest: A Return to Norrath
7. Preview of Holic Online
8. In the Trenches: The Draw of the World of Warcraft Arena
9. Loading... Live Episode #3: "In the year 2009..."
10. Goob & Begud: "Out of the Bag"

Real World News

• Israeli girls use Web to turn eating disorder into 'cult'
  Starved for attention, this binge of internet use will likely require a purge of their locally stored cookies.
• NJ Residents: "It Was Raining" Dead Birds
  Agriculural Department insists they were merely 'pining for the fjords'.
• Firefighter accused of swiping foot is under arrest
  Prosecutors say if there was also a missing arm involved, the situation could have been humerus.
  

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Thanks for visiting the Ten Ton Hammer network!

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