Loading... Symbollic Logic

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Posted Wed, Sep 23, 2009 by Ethec

Welcome to the 1,170th edition of Loading...

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

We have word from NCSoft on efforts to improve server queue times in today's newsletter, including some information on the new servers going live this weekend. Also, we recently hosted a contest for your best guesses as to what The Secret World symbols revealed at the end of the closed-door presentaiton at PAX 2009 might mean. The symbols and the winners' responses are in today's Loading... Symbollic Logic, and we'll invite you to share your impressions too!

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:

The Secret World (UP 6 to #16)
Age of Conan (down 2 to #7)
Lord of the Rings Online (down 1 to #8)

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)
12/2 - DOFUS 2.0 (release date)
Early 2010 - APB

Important Dates

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

Loading... Daily

High praise today to NCsoft for prompt action on the Aion server queues issue. I was in the game after an entirely reasonable (for launch day) 20 minutes last night after NCsoft raised population caps. Additionally, we received the following word from the good folks in Seattle:

We did indeed see an initial rush on the first days of Head Start which resulted in longer than desired queue times for some of our servers, and we are working around the clock to alleviate this. In fact, we are happy to confirm we have increased our server caps and are adding an additional server in both North America and Europe by this weekend, and we will continue to evaluate adding additional servers.

That said, we do have alternate servers where players are experiencing lower queue times. People can get a real-time update and select that choice on our website at: http://na.aiononline.com/livestatus/server/ We continue to monitor issues closely and strive to address player feedback quickly to ensure the best possible experience.

Many of the Aion folks I've talked to are willing to put up with a little queuing now to have healthy server pops later, but here's to NCsoft for addressing the issue boldly.

Shifting gears, last week I challenged the premium members to guess as to the meaning of three symbols shown at the end of The Secret World presentation at PAX 2009 (see the video here). There were no right or wrong answers; no one outside Funcom really knows, but what we do know is that TSW draws heavily from real world history, folklore, and mythology. Basically I was looking for the most interesting guess, and the winners got some fun swag from the latest event and their name in Loading... lights.

Here are the winners' responses:

	"A New Opponent is a picture of a knot, and the kanji for 'snake'. The only mythology I can think of is the Snake tied in a knot - Ouroboros - used by Gnostic and Hermetics. The most popular of the hermetic orders are the Kaballah and Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. Golden Dawn would be interesting..." - Sodoshi
	"The second symbol could have something to do with Norse mythology. The symbol it self looks to be of a Viking war ship. The wolf head on the sail could be for Fenrir the gigantic wolf?" - Necrotoxin
	"The rising tide of change I am a bit split on, half of me wants to say Atlantis, as it would have to rise from the sea and had the best and brightest minds and collection of some of the finest nobles. If that doesnt belong with secret societies then I don't know what would. The other part of me wants to suggest the people changing from fearing and accepting what is being handed shown to us. To be bold enough to ask questions and delve deeper." - Anacche

Congrats to the winners! Have your own impressions of these symbols? hts welcome in the Loading... forum.

Shayalyn's Epic Thread of the Day

From our SW: TOR Class Discussion Thread

Bounty Huntards

This thread caught my eye today and made me smile.AngryBeaver is concerned that a bit of World of Warcraft may spill over into Star Wars: The Old Republic."Bounty Huntards," he says. "Anyone else a little worried about that happening?"

Head on over to today's epic thread for LOLs and...whatever hexaliciousness is.

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Awesome Quotes from the Epic Thread

"You had to go there didn't you Beaver, just couldn't resist could you. I call shotgun on Beaver's Hexaliciousness."

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

7 new Ten Ton Hammer MMOG features today! 64 in September! 1,016 in 2009!

Today's New MMO Coverage and Features

Champions Online; Skin That Build #3
The character creation system of Champions Online is a robust and amazing tool that allows users to make just about anything their imagination can come up with. But often times, if you’re anything like me, you might not know where to start. That’s why we at Ten Ton Hammer have done some of the thinking for you. We've got the winner's of last week's competition and a brand new hero for you all to dress up in Skin That Build #3.
Exclusive Fallen Earth Box Art Wallpaper
Fallen Earth recently launched the world into apocalypse and Ten Ton Hammer has received some exclusive images of the re-worked artwork for the Fallen Earth box art. This new wallpaper shows some of the devastation seen in Fallen Earth and some of the people that rise from the chaos.
Aion Launch Video
Aion is here! Boasting the biggest MMO game launch of the year, Aion launched this Tuesday. So while you're waiting on server queues (which was also addressed today), grab some popcorn and watch Aion's all-new CGI trailer, tailored specially for launch day.
Ten Ton Hammer's Aion Screenshot Contest
Aion is the latest eastern MMORPG that has made its way west to win over players of North America, Europe, and the Oceanic regions. Along with compelling storyline, engaging player versus player combat, this game also boasts a character creation process that goes far beyond most other games on the market! We know fans have some creative skills when it comes to making your characters (yeah, we've spotted you in game Obama!) and now is your chance to show them off to win some great prizes, including codes for in-game items and 12 first edition Aion comic books!
Guide to Aion Graphic Settings
If you are one of the many Aion players out there who is running a mediocre machine then you might be left dealing with cruddy graphics or terrible frame rates. How can you get the best graphics without costly upgrades? We have a few tips that might help you out!
Gamers Gone Wild - Are Women Objectified in MMOGs?
No matter where you look these days it seems someone is offended about something and political correctness advocates seem to be lurking around every corner waiting to pounce on the next slip up. Gaming hasn't been able escape this social spotlight and tends to attract controversy like moths to a flame. While most of these complaints amount to little more than grandstanding, the cry that women are treated as objects is one that seems to have a little more substance than most. Join Medawky as he dives into this subject and tries to separate the fact from the fiction in "Gamers Gone Wild - Are Women Objectified in MMOGs"
World of Warcraft: The Saturation of End Game Raiding
A new patch arrived this week and in true World of Warcraft fashion a new host of epics, and a new raid boss, were introduced. While most players thrill at the idea of new content (even if it is recycled) and shiny new purples, some feel that there is far too much and that most is too easy to obtain. Join Medawky this week as he explores the current state of WoW raiding and the players that the raiding landscape.