Loading... Voicechat Viability

Welcome to the 1,042nd 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 for today:

Biggest Movers in the Top 20 today :

Ether Saga Online (UP 9 to #16)
The Chronicles of Spellborn (UP 6 to #14)
Lineage 2 (down 4 to #18)

Loading... Daily

Loading... if the MMO industry is a voicechat channel, we're the mouth breather.

Whatever your feelings on the importance of voicechat in today's MMOs , you have to admit that hitting a unsuspecting PvP opponent with your car just to hear his surprised R2D2-like outburst diminish into the distance as he flies backwards... that's fun stuff. Well, in a fun-loving vehicularly homicidal kind of way, and no, my theoretical children probably wouldn't be playing APB early in life. Still, positional voicechat is one of the more intriguing aspects of Vivox's brand of integrated VoIP. Realtime Worlds emerged from their media blackout to discuss how they'll use Vivox in APB and also deliver us an update on the game for GDC week, and Ten Ton Hammer was there for an interview.

I'll admit that I'm not the biggest fan of voice - raids and large scale battles are the best reason to climb into your headset and wall out the world, and I've seldom had patience for the tactics and coordiniation raiding the same place and going through the motions over and over. I'm a fan of variety, an MMO freebird if you will, which is good because I've got way too many MMOs to play.

Yet maybe, like microtransactions or pink armor, the game has to be designed around voicechat - it has to be made almost as necessary as your WASD keys - to hook myself and the casual gaming / freebirdly public on the concept. Walking down the street of APB's metropolis, muttering excerpts from Overheard in New York under my breath and being heard sounds like my kind of roleplay. Vivox's Monty Sharma, who is one of our favorite official people to talk to (being that he's obviously a gamer too, he's one of us), pointed out that APB will potentially be the first MMO to launch with Vivox integrated from very early in the design process rather than being tacked on at a later day.

And that level of integration leads to some interesting outcomes. Realtime Worlds' Ray Miller noted that there was already evidence that players were listening in on opponents around corners and from hiding places to find out their plans in APB. Obviously, if you're paranoid about security you can resort to Ventrilo, but the more sandboxy and pick-up groupy the game, the less you're likely to wade through the Vent rites of undying commitment. No game proves that better than Left 4 Dead, and it almost goes without saying that the better and more fun the voicechat solution, the less likely players are to muddy the waters with third-party solutions.

Is good voicechat becoming increasingly important in today's faster paced MMOs, or are you an avowed lifelong keyboard chatter? We want to hear from you either way in the Loading... forum, or skip the middleman and email me.

Shayalyn's Epic Thread of the Day

From our Aion: The Tower of Eternity Forum

One reason you want to play Aion

Metal started a thread to invite gamers to list one reason they want to play Aion.
It was a good thread idea, and a valiant effort on his part, but it
only took one post for someone to step in and say that NCSoft
makes "great games with terrible support," and nothing but games that
require "a huge huge huge huge time commitment to level." And of
course, this attack on NCSoft garners a response urging the posting to
"research before talking out their ass."

But really, the topic was
a good one, and I'm hoping that by epicifying (as I've said before,
shut up! It's a word) this thread we really can get people talking
about what's cool about Aion. Is the MMOG that will bring aerial
elements to combat little more than eye candy, or is there
something more beneath that glittery surface? Speak up in our forum!

==============================
Epic Quote from the Epic Thread

"Unfortunately
all materials related to Aion focus mainly on how attractive the game
looks, which leads me to think it's another one of hundreds of
throw-away games created in Asia for the gaming addict that moves from
one time sync to another, rarely making their home in a single game."

- PeZzy
==============================

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

7 new MMOG hand-crafted articles today! 98 in March! 358 in 2009!

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

Exclusive Jumpgate Evolution State of the Game Interview

With every tick of the clock, the team at NetDevil's Colorado-based studio draws closer to finishing their work on their upcoming space combat MMO, Jumpgate Evolution. As the Game Developer's Conference gets underway in San Francisco, the staff at Ten Ton Hammer took a moment to sit down with Hermann Peterscheck, the lead man for Jumpgate Evolution, to talk about the state of the game and what the team is curently working on. We also delve into some questions regarding PvP and PvP builds. As always, Hermann's answers are full of little tidbits of information, so make sure you read it all!
Exclusive APB Game Update and Vivox Deal Q&A

All Points Bulletin (APB) has been in development since at least E3 2005, first at South Korean developer Webzen before Realtime Worlds picked up the rights about a year ago. The cops and robbers MMORPG is up RTW's alley, judging by their critically acclaimed sandbox shooter Crackdown. As APB nears closed beta for a targetted release date this fall, Realtime Worlds made a rare appearance to discuss positional audio, voice fonts, and other voicechat features in APB that will come as a result of their just-announced deal with Vivox . We'll also get an update us on APB's progress and get Vivox founder Monty Sharma's take on what makes APB perfect for Vivox's brand of fully integrated voicechat.
The Final Frontier: What Does Jumpgate Evolution Need to Do to Survive?

Pinpointing the specific elements that help shape an MMO success is an inexact science at best. When all is said and done, looking back at the current state of the industry 50 years from now it’s likely that scholars will still be arguing over exactly what it is about World of Warcraft that’s had such universal appeal in the global market. In his latest love letter to the cosmos disguised as a weekly sci-fi column, Reuben “Sardu” Waters takes a look at the concepts behind MMO success, honing in on how Jumpgate Evolution will fare when it’s unleashed upon the masses this June:
World of Warcraft: Northrend Reputation System for Death Knights

World of Warcraft: Northrend Reputation System for Druids

World of Warcraft's newest continent, Northrend, has opened up a lot of equipment choices to the player at large. But what equipment is right for you? Byron Mudry discusses Northrend reputation rewards and what to be on the lookout for as a Death Knight and Jason Bolton takes on the Druid. Find out which factions are worth the grind, and which factions to never mind.
Warhammer Online: Slayer Ability List - Level 1-20

In Warhammer Online, currently the Slayer stands as one of the most played classes, but can just anyone be a Slayer? Some people play a class for several levels before they realize the types of abilities they have don't mesh with their playstyle. Do you like AoE attacks? Do you like attacks with lots of damage potential? Do you like positional attacks? Then the Slayer may just be the class for you! You can take a look at the Slayer's first 20 levels of abilities with Ten Ton Hammer's Slayer Ability List: Level 1-20 to see for yourself!
EVE Online FAQ

Getting started in a new game is difficult no matter what game you choose to try out. This can be a little bit more true for established games like EVE Online. Ten Ton Hammer wants to help ease the new player blues with our brand new and fully up-to-date EVE Online FAQ! Get those important questions answered and maybe learn a few things you didn't even realize that you needed to know, all in one easy to use format.

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

Real World News

Saudi authorities bust Al-Ahsa Sorcery Ring

Detainees were read their rites and will be warlocked up for a long spell.
State Farm recalls promotional teddy bears

Like a neighbour who gives your kids knives to play with, State Farm is there.
Cow Drugs Allegedly Used for Teen Abortions

Parents of bratty kids everywhere rejoice at the chance to rid themselves of their adolescent offspring.

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 APB: Reloaded Game Page.

Last Updated: Mar 13, 2016

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