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Posted Mon, Sep 21, 2009 by Ethec

Welcome to the 1,168th edition of Loading...

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

The stage is set for a good week in entertainment, whether you're preferences run to newly minted MMOs or quality season premieres. Yet this weekend's early access period for Aion and Fallen Earth ended more often in frustration than in gaming bliss. Check out my comments in Loading... Access Denied and see if you can relate, plus we have a whole new slate of features and guides to get you through launch week in today's newsletter!

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's today's top 5 Pulse results:

Biggest movers this past week:

Dark Age of Camelot (UP 13 to #18)
Jumpgate Evolution (UP 7 to #17)
Fallen Earth (UP 6 to #13)

Recent MMO Releases

8/25 - CrimeCraft (release date)
9/1 - Champions Online (release date)
9/9 - Dungeons & Dragons Online Unlimited (release date)
9/15 - Runes of Magic "The Elven Prophecy" (expansion)

Upcoming Releases

9/22 - Fallen Earth (release date)
9/22 - Aion (release date)
10/9 - Cities XL (release date)
Early 2010 - APB

Important Dates

10/1 - 10/3 - EVE Online FanFest
10/23 - 10/24 - Hero-Con

Loading... Daily

I'm realizing that this might have been the perfect week for a staycation. Champions Online still certainly has plenty of folks milling around the Millenium City tutorial area and the two 11-20 destinations, and not only is Aion primed to launch on the 22nd, but so is Fallen Earth. I have to admit I'm drawn to Fallen Earth because I love games with a post-apocalyptic feel (the more realistic the better), and this game lacks the 1950s gone horribly wrong pastiche of Fallout 3, the matchbox cars racetrack feel of Auto Assault, and the alien influences of Tabula Rasa. The faction wheel alone- that your actions don't just increase your reputation with faction x and decease it with faction y, but impact your standing with four other factions at the same time - should lead to some refreshingly complex MMO decision-making.

And if you're the sort of gamer that enjoys a fine bit of television watching with your MMO gaming, this is the best week yet for season premiers are airing in the US market, including Castle (with Firefly's Nathan Fillion continuing his flawless transition from sci-fi to prime-time), NCIS and its new spinoff, The Big Bang Theory, Two and a Half Men, all the CSIs, The Mentalist, the still-dubious (to me) yet Joss Whedon-fueled Dollhouse, and old standbys like House, Heroes, Law & Order. If I'm missing your favorite, it's probably because my Tivo can only do so much.

That's what's in store for this week, but if you were one of the folks lucky (or unlucky) enough to get preorder access to Aion and Fallen Earth, you might have been as disappointed as I was. While I'm told that Fallen Earth early-access folks have been playing since the 9th, my purchase through Steam ("play right away," according to the Steam news blurb), downloading the game and attempting to launch only resulted in a "This game is currently unavailable" message. Zero for 1, so I tried to log into Aion when early access began at noon pacific yesterday. Some of my coworkers and friends had selected a server and faction in advance, and trying to log into said server put me in a two hour long queue. I figured I'd come back later, and after watching my Steelers lose pitifully, I tried again after dinner and email. The queue was 2.5 hours long at 8:30pm Eastern, so it was time for some doppelgaming with Champions Online.

To NCsoft's credit, the timer was spot on. At 11pm I finally got in and played for a bit before bed, and was pleased to see that the starting area chat was as full of pointless nerdfights and retarded sexuality as I'd hoped. If old-time WoW Barrens chat was any indication, this game has a bright future full of zillions of subscribers. With just about all my friends queue-quitting, I kept to myself, not wanting any real association until the game branched out a bit. This will be my third trip to 20ish so it won't be long.

Someone commented that queues would be the downfall of this game, and I couldn't agree less. Queues show how popular a game is, and everyone wants to play the game that's popular. Look at Tickle Me Elmo or the Wii. Once a product has gained a certain level of popularity, everyone wants it, and the fact that they can't have it makes them want it more, not less, because that you have that coveted product or once you're in the inaccessible game, you have something lots of other people want but can't have. Gamers are already all about extraordinary levels of dedication and patience to win that hard-to-get thing or achievement, so this is just icing on the cake. Be thankful that I'm not a suit at one of these companies, I'd think very seriously about trying to engineer mild shortages just to trigger the kind of feeding frenzy we're seeing.

What were your early access experiences with Aion and Fallen Earth? Finally knit that sweater or paint that room that you'd been meaning to? Your thoughts welcome in the Loading... forum.

Shayalyn's Epic Thread of the Day

From our Aion General Discussion forum

Same server but can't meet friends

If you're playing Aion as part of the pre-order headstart, you're not alone. And yet you might find yourself alone when you're looking for your friends on the same server. Imagine the frustration of the new Aion player who has confirmed that both he and his buddy are standing smack dab in front of the Akarios Village food vendor, and yet neither one can see the other.

If you're having this common problem, welcome to the world of instanced worlds. Savanja provides a simple solution to getting everyone on the same channel in today's not-quite-epic but truly useful thread.

==============================
Awesome Quotes from the Epic Thread

"Bless you Savanja!! I was pretty sure we could all actually read and did get on the same server.
I owe ya another beer! Thanks!"

- Setter
==============================

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

8 new Ten Ton Hammer MMOG features today! 51 in September! 1,003 in 2009!

Today's New MMO Coverage and Features

Forever Fantasy: The Philosophy Behind Dragon Age: Origins
How many fantasy RPGs does it take to make a gaming market? Hundreds, if not thousands, apparently. In a day of so many fantasy based RPGs, one has to wonder if another game of the genre will take off, particularly a game that is single player only, with no multiplayer options. Ten Ton Hammer got together with Dragon Age Executive Producer, Mark Darrah, to talk about just that. We asked Mr. Darrah what BioWare was bringing to the table with the new game, and he shone a light for us on The Philosphy Behind Dragon Age: Origins.
Champions Online: Queer Eye for the Superhero Guy #3
Everybody's favorite fashion arbiter, Ronaldo, returns with a new installment of Queer Eye for the Superhero Guy! Sit back and enjoy as Ronaldo takes his critical eye to the great (and not-so-great) costumes worn by your favorite superheroes!
A Sneak Peak at Torchlight Classes
No, we're not offering lessons on how to build a torch out of a table leg, an old t-shirt, and lighter fluid (we're pretty sure you can figure that out on your own). We ARE, however, talking about three classes you can play in the upcoming MMO game, Torchlight.
Aion: The Hyped Fan - A Gaming Lovestory
Aion launches this week and hordes of hyped fans are waiting to attack servers with the hope that this game will be the one that they have been waiting for. So then what if it's not? Learn the pit-falls of following the hype and find out how to avoid that often inevitable post-launch let down in this Ten Ton Hammer editorial.
Dragon Age: Origins – Swimming in the Dangerous Waters of the “Mature” Rating
Gamers have been clamoring for a company to step up and deliver something truly epic for as long as anyone can remember. If all goes according to plan, BioWare will do just that with their upcoming release of Dragon Age: Origins. Packed with intense violence, a gritty world, and some "wardrobe malfunctions" of its own, it's destined for a Mature rating. Will that have any effect on potential sales? Join Dalmarus as he gives his own thoughts on this controversial subject.

Guides

Aion: Stigma System Overview
Upon reaching level 20, you've come a long way but many challenges still await you on your journey as a Daeva. You primary reward for obtaining level 20 is your ability to use Stigma Stones. To help everyone get a grasp on the Stigma System and just what it does, check out our brief guide.
World of Warcraft - Getting into the Perfect Guild
Getting into a guild is easy, or so most people think. When actually faced with the prospect of finding a guild, most learn that in the World of Warcraft getting into the perfect guild is anything but. Some quake in fear at the daunting Guild Recruitment Forums, while others make basic mistakes filling out their guild applications. This week Mem hands out some tips and pointers to hopefully allow you to make it through all these steps and more with your sanity intact.
World of Warcraft - Brewfest 2009 Guide
Are you ready to get drunk in style? Well guess what? It's now the perfect time to do so! Brewfest 2009 has started up and 'ol Direbrew has powered up (so has his loot) along with a ton of achievements and festivities. Brew of the Month, pink elekks, and a ton of other awesome quests await. There is so much to do but don't fret. Our Brewfest 2009 guide has everything you need to know about the event so you don't have to resort to the dreaded event general chat to try and figure things out.

Hottest Content:

Thanks for visiting the Ten Ton Hammer network!

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

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