Loading... End of an Era

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Posted Thu, Feb 04, 2010 by Sardu

Welcome to the 1,264th edition of Loading...

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

Many World of Warcraft players discovered that they'll soon have one less addon to micromanage later this month, as it was officially announced that the Azeroth Advisor service would be discontinued on February 17th. The service made an initial splash in the community by providing players with a newsletter custom tailored to their individual characters, but the surprise acquisition by 38 Studios, best known as the developer of upcoming MMOG codenamed Copernicus, in 2008 caused many to stand up and take notice. We'll take a closer look at what this closure might mean for gamers eagerly awaiting more details on Copernicus today in Loading... End of an Era.

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 are today's top 5 Pulse results:

Biggest movers today:

Free Realms (Up 16 to #16)
Lord of the Rings Online (Down 4 to #6)
EverQuest (Up 3 to #13)

Recent Releases

12/1 - LotRO: Siege of Mirkwood (expansion)
12/1 - EVE Online: Dominion (expansion)
12/2 - DOFUS 2.0 (update)
12/15 - EverQuest: Underfoot (expansion)
1/26 - Mass Effect 2 (release date)
2/1 - WonderKing Online (release date)
2/1 - Global Agenda (release date)
2/2 - Star Trek Online (release date)

Upcoming Releases

2/16 - EverQuest 2: Sentinel's Fate (expansion)
Q1 2010 - Mortal Online
March 2010 - APB
Spring 2011 - Star Wars: The Old Republic

Loading... Daily

In October 2008, 38 Studios made headlines due to its acquisition of the Azeroth Advisor. For those of you unfamiliar with the service it is essentially an addon that collects data about your World of Warcraft characters which then generates a personalized newsletter based on things like your character's level, race, tradeskill professions and more. On the whole its an incredibly cool concept as players are provided with pertinent information in each newsletter catered towards aiding you in character progression by providing tips on where to quest complete with maps on how to get there among other things.

While the service itself is pretty cool, what really caused MMO gamers to stand up and take notice was its purchase by 38 Studios, best known as the developers of upcoming the MMOG codenamed Copernicus. Founded by Curt Schilling and boasting an all star lineup including famed fantasy author R. A. Salvatore and comic book legend Todd McFarlane, 38 Studios has kept details surrounding its still in development game under tight wraps thus far, but at the time of the Azeroth Advisor purchase many gamers were curious as to why another MMOG developer would want to own the rights to a service that essentially served to augment the player experience for a competing developer.

At the time of the initial purchase Ten Ton Hammer had the chance to speak with Curt Schilling about the Azeroth Advisor in an exclusive interview, who had this to say about 38 Studios' motivations:

"There's a bunch of reasons. The first one, obviously, is that I'm a fan of the product. I love the Azeroth Advisor. But we do have an MMO in the works, and my draw to it was the fact that I wanted this sort of product available for the community that plays our games. That was a big initial piece of it for me.

I don't look at it - in anyway - as providing a service to a competitor's customer base. To be perfectly honest, you could probably take that angle. It might be true.

But I look at it the same way I look at Major League Baseball: There are 30 teams, and every team benefits when baseball – as a whole – gets more fans. I see it the same way with MMOs. We’re doing everything we can to improve the size and scope and retention of the MMO customer fan base. What I wanted to do with this first “product” from 38 Studios is send a message that “this company will always care about the customers and the community.” This is doing exactly that. “

While the official announcement on the discontinuation of the Azeroth Advisor cites that the decision was made so that 38 Studios could focus more fully on its own products, including Copernicus, it’s hard to say at this point whether this will have any direct impact on plans for the upcoming MMOG. As is my understanding 38 Studios still owns the technology behind the newsletter service, but only time will tell if it will be somehow integrated into Copernicus or other 38 Studios projects in the future.

If I were to don my +10 Cap of Rampant Speculation though, my guess would be that we’re on the verge of learning more details on what Copernicus is all about. With the 2010 convention season just around the corner, I won’t be all the surprised to see the game making its first major media push.

Or maybe that’s just wishful thinking brought on by the closure of the Advisor. Either way, I’d certainly count myself among the curious to discover the details behind 38 Studios’ decision, what type of impact it will have on the World of Warcraft community and what it might mean for the future of Copernicus. If you find yourself in the same camp, be sure to share your thoughts right here in the Loading… forums!

Shayalyn's Epic Thread of the Day

From our STO General Discussion

Class Confusion Question

Our new community member, TwoTonHammer (no relation), asked an interesting question: "Let's say I want to be able to tank in space, but I want to be able to deal a lot of damage on the ground. In that case, should I go with Tactical and use engineering space skills, or stay Engineer and get the class-based space skills?" Today's epic thread delivers good discussion and some answers. Learn more and join the chatter.

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

"First off the class you choose is really to determine your role in ground missions. It pretty much has no bearing on the space aspect of the game. Sure, only Engineers can train level 3 skills to engineer BOs, but guess what? You can trade BOs, yes thats right."

- MLecl0001
==============================

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

New and Exclusive Content Today at Ten Ton Hammer

8 new Ten Ton Hammer features today! 28 in February! 143 in 2010!

INTERVIEW

A Mytheon Video Intro from Petroglyph Studios, Part 1 of 2
http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/80277

Mytheon is part of a growing wave of free-to-play MMORPGs designed with quality, not quantity, in mind. Petroglyph Design Development Director Chris Rubiyor and Senior Designer Amanda Flock introduce us to Mytheon, an MMOG steeped in Greek mythology with strong action RPG and collectible card game (CCG) influences. Combat strategy basics, god-sized boss encounters, what power stones are and how they are used, and over a minute of new gameplay video await you in part 1 of this video series!

BETA GIVEAWAY

Aika Online Closed Beta Giveaway
http://www.tentonhammer.com/giveaways/aika_cbt1

gPotato has a new game on its roster, and this time it comes from Korea, Japan, Hong-Kong and Taiwan. Aika Online has been designed to re-imagine the "massively" in MMORPG. It has three major PvP modes which run the gamut from small skirmishes to 1000 vs. 1000 warfare.

Ten Ton Hammer has the keys for Closed Beta, so go ahead and give it a try. Pick up your Aika Online Closed Beta key here.

REVIEWS

U.I. Mod Review - HealBot
http://www.tentonhammer.com/wow/uimods/reviews/healbot

Healing can be a tough job in World of Warcraft and healers are always looking for a way to ease the burden. We here at Ten Ton Hammer have taken a look at HealBot, the popular healing raid frame replacement, to see if it really brings enough to the table to warrant an install. Is it a good raid frame or a lame frame? Find out here at Ten Ton Hammer.

EDITORIALS

Why EQ2 Battlegrounds Won't Suck
http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/80334

Battlegrounds have not always been the most well received feature in MMOGs. They seem like a great idea in concept, but making them work is a juggling act of player interest, worthwhile reward, and PvP excitement. Will EverQuest II battlegrounds have the right combination to find success? Read Savanja's reasons why EQ2 battlegrounds won't suck.

FEATURES & GUIDES

AdventureQuest Worlds: /touchdown!
http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/80311

With the Super Bowl just around the corner, Artix Entertainment decided to have a little halftime show of their own in AdventureQuest Worlds. Starting this weekend, players will be able to log in and enjoy new mini-games such as Punt Twilly. But if you aren't a fan of the football-themed events, you can enjoy a brand new zone with the vampires and werewolves of Darkovia. Read all about the new content and events in this week's blog.

Star Trek Online: Captain's Blog, All Systems Go
http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/80330

Star Trek Online launched this week and so far it’s been smooth sailing for the USS Hammer. Medeor launches his own mission this week as he switches gears from beta journals to Captain's Blog. It was full steam ahead after the launch with just a quick derailment to decide on starting a Klingon Federation captain. That was the only thing keeping the action at bay. This is ground control to Major Tom, take your protein pills and put your helmet on. T-Minus zero and we’re ready for launch. It’s go time.

Star Trek Online: Your First Days as a Starfleet Officer
http://www.tentonhammer.com/sto/features/editorials/firstdays

You've spent years studying, testing, and proving yourself at Starfleet Academy in preparation for this day. The Ten Ton Hammer crew has been hard at work creating an array of guides to explain the nuts and bolts of Star Trek Online, but guides alone can’t give you everything. Join Eric “Dalmarus” Campbell as he shares some hints and tips to get the most out of your first days as a Starfleet officer.

Runes of Magic - Rune Stones and Arcane Transmutation
http://www.tentonhammer.com/rom/guides/runes

Surprisingly enough, runes and rune stones are at the very core of Runes of Magic. Who knew? Join ZeroMerc as he covers the begining of runes and the role they play in RoM.

Today's Hottest Articles and Guides

Thanks for visiting the Ten Ton Hammer network!

- Reuben "Sardu" Waters and the Ten Ton Hammer team

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