Welcome to the 1,147th Edition of Loading...
Loading... is the premier daily MMORPG news and commentary newsletter, only from Ten Ton Hammer.
Two major MMO announcements have come out of GamesCom in Cologne, Germany this week. Funcom announced the Age of Conan expansion Rise of the Godslayer, but perhaps the most surprising reveal was CCP's newly revealed project: DUST 514. Details will be sparse on DUST 514, which features "first-person shooter and RTS-style gameplay" and "will interact directly with EVE Online" until EVE FanFest in October, but we can certainly speculate. Join us for a discussion of how to make a tie-in between two separate MMOs work in today's Loading... Sequel, Expansion, or Tie-In?
The PulseYou vote with what you view at Ten Ton Hammer, and the result is the Ten Ton Pulse (What is The Pulse?). Here's today's top 5 Pulse results:
Biggest Movers today :
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Important Dates
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Loading... Daily
The last year has seen the formation of more new trends in Massively Multiplayer online gaming than in perhaps the last five years put together. We've seen several new superhero-themed MMOs rise into the realm of possibility along with the announcement of a major new expansion for the genre's bellwether MMO, City of Heroes. While Age of Conan wasn't the first MMO to introduce "active combat" - the more twitchy little brother of yesterday's auto-attack MMOs - DDO Unlimited will take the idea to a new audience, and it's rare for an MMO to be announced without an overtly skill-based "twitch" component. A number of space-based or space story-based MMOs are making their way onto the scene - Jumpgate Evolution, Star Trek Online, Star Wars: The Old Republic, and a number more which may or may not make it onto the big scene. Likewise, "persistent world shooters" like Huxley, Global Agenda, CrimeCraft are starting to make their mark as well.
One underreported yet emergent trend is MMO tie-ins. Not necessarily tie-ins in the "crappy single-player game based on a movie" sense, but concepts supporting or adding to the lengthy dynasties of successful MMORPG games. Square Enix has proclaimed some level of integration for Final Fantasy XIV and Final Fantasy XI, we know that Guild Wars 2 will celebrate the achievements of the original Guild Wars players in some overt way, and now CCP has announced that DUST 514 will answer players' calls for an up-close and personal side to EVE Online combat.
It's significant to note that, unlike Guild Wars 2 and Final Fantasy XIV, DUST 514 (pronounced "five fourteen" instead of "five-one-four" according to CCP - go win a geek argument somewhere!) isn't a sequel to EVE Online and, as such, doesn't risk alienating players that weren't quite finished with the original concept or that lengthy, painful "sequel death" that so many games and movies undergo. If you talk to any of the CCP devs long enough, you'll hear that CCP has plans for EVE Online long into the future. I remember Torfi Olafsson talking about the game in terms of "30 years from now..." It's an incredibly refreshing break from the throwaway smash-and-grab MMOs that fill my inbox with pain every day.
In DUST 514, one can imagine FPS clans recruited as offshoots of EVE Online corporations, perhaps in a mercenary capacity, to help accomplish corporate goals. There's no dearth of imaginative ideas for DUST 514 - maybe the FPS side of the game will support boarding actions for capital ships and player-owned stations while perhaps the RTS side will cover combat over planetary sovereignty and combat - but one thing is for sure - the EVE Online Universe, already huge, is about to get much bigger.
Sequels, expansions, or tie-ins - what's the right way to grow a successful MMO over the long haul? Feel free to stop by the Loading... forum or email me with your insights and dirty pictures.
Shayalyn's Epic Thread of
the Day
From our Tavern of the Ten Ton Hammer forum
Should "open beta" mean free?
We recently announced
that Champions Online had entered open beta. You can indeed get into
the beta, but you'll have to have a paid Fileplanet subscription (unless
you're one of the lucky people who already received closed beta keys from Ten Ton Hammer.) Ditto Fallen Earth, another open beta we recently announced. Past games (and likely future ones) have required a preorder for beta access.
Should
open betas always be free? Or are there compelling reasons for
developers to restrict access during the open beta phase by requiring a
subscription or a preorder? Is it just semantics? Is it okay to require
a subscription or preorder as long as devs don't call their beta
"open?" Cast your vote, and make yourself heard!
==============================
Awesome Quotes from the
Epic Thread
It's a new thread--go make it epic!
==============================
Have you spotted an Epic Thread on our forums? Tell
us!
6 new MMOG hand-crafted articles today! 60 in August! 920 in 2009!
New MMOG Articles At Ten Ton Hammer Today [Thanks Phil Comeau for links and Real World News]
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The Consequences of True Choice – A Look at Decisions in Dragon Age: Origins
In the past, BioWare has been heralded for creating games with epic stories that were comparable to what you'd read in a fantasy novel, except the protagonist was your character and the narrative was derived from your decisions. But much of that narrative, depending on how you played, would be very similar to your friend's play through of the same game, albeit with subtle differences. Dragon Age: Origins, however, looks to change that mold. At GamesCom 2009, the BioWare team pulled out all the stops and sat journalists down for what they described as "storytelling 2.0." They showed the gathered press two different versions of the same event, each of which had huge repercussions on that person's gameplay. Ten Ton Hammer was there, recording every detail. -
Dragon Age: Origins GamesCom 2009 Screenshots - Dragons and Inter-Party Conflicts
At GamesCom 2009, developers from all across the world have gathered to show off their wares, and the BioWare team is no different. Although we haven't heard much about Star Wars: The Old Republic yet, the Edmonton-based team is showcasing their upcoming massive single player RPG known as Dragon Age: Origins. Ten Ton Hammer has seen the GamesCom demo, and it certainly impressed us to no end. This is a game about choice, and although these screenshots may not show those choices outright, you can rest assured that there's a story behind this inter-party conflict. -
Exclusive Video Q&A - SOE's John Smedley Talks Better Support for Guilds
During SOE President John Smedley's closed-door keynote (which we were asked not to record, unfortunately), John talked about new ways of leveraging the 100% free Station Voice concept to support guilds by allowing players to phone into raids, allowing guild officers to leave voicemail for rank-and-file members and vice versa, and much more. We were intrigued about SOE's other plans for guild support, so we caught up with Smedley after his presentation and beggared a few more questions out of him after the keynote! -
Video - Richard Garriott on Space Travel and More from The Syndicate World Conference 2009
Whether you're a fan of Richard Garriott or not, space travel is incredibly cool, and the man has plenty of stories to tell. And Garriott, now a "cosmonaut" did plenty of storytelling at this year's Syndicate World Conference in Austin, Texas. You'll learn about the rigors of training, the incredible opportunities space travel presents, why Garriott believes anyone will be able to afford to go to space in a few short years, and the latest on how the mastermind behind Ultima is leaning towards a return to games development. -
Guide: The Art of Questing in Champions Online
There's an awful lot of content to swallow in Champions Online. Missions, quests, and perks are littered all over the place, and it's enough to keep you busy for hundreds of hours. But how do each of these categories stack up to the traditions of the MMO genre? Bill "JoBildo" Murphy has it covered. Read on to find out all you need to know about questing in Cryptic's latest offering. -
New CG Movie Featuring the Backstory of Aion
The release date for Aion looms just over the horizon. Players have been scouring the web in search of any new piece of information they can get their hands on. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so how many words is a video worth? NCSoft has released a new CG movie telling the tale of an ancient time. The conflict, the destruction, the glory... see how it all began!
Giveaways:
Hottest Content:
- Guild Wars - Rediscovering Tyria
- Star Trek Online Closed Beta to Begin in October?
- Champions Online: Exclusive Interview on Sidekicks, Super Groups, and Supervillains
- World of Warcraft - New Expansion = New Tamable Pets?
- World of Warcraft - Vanity Pet Collecting Checklist
- Age of Conan - A Year Later, Part 2
- The Hollywood Cycle: Comparing the MMO Industry with the Silver Screen
- Flight or Fight: A Look at Advanced Flight and Combat in Aion
- The Co-Op PvE side of Global Agenda: A Q&A with Exec. Producer Todd Harris
- An Advanced Guide to Crafting in Aion
Real World News:
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School introduces grade worse than F
Representatives for think-tank Simon Fraser University explained that the development was necessary to be able to put the Bush administration into proper historic perspective. -
Joker charged with church burglary
New Bat-Signal to be installed at The Vatican -
Saudi businessman pays £30,000 for solid gold penis enlarger
Merely demonstrates the lengths that men will go to give their partners an Au face. He used to have a cheaper model, but erect it.
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 EVE Online Game Page.
