Welcome to the 34th edition of Reloading…



“Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one.” – Albert Einstein



Everyone can use a feel good moment to start the day.   Let’s go with this…





Most non-MMO players believe that reality is the space in which they go to work, earn their wage, travel home, relax and do it all over again the next day.   Reality to most people is what they can physically touch.   It is concrete.   It is solid.  It follows the laws of physics as the individual believes them to exist.   It is the order that they have formed from the chaos around them.   Some even believe that they form the reality that surrounds them.  



OR…. It is what it is and you can’t change it. You live and die at the whim of the Fates.



What is “real” has come up in conversation twice in the last 24 hours.



First, the U.S. women’s soccer team defeated Brazil in a penalty shoot-out at the World Cup and as I was flying home from Las Vegas a woman sitting behind me commented on how ugly the players were; the jist of their crazy-talk was that the players did not meet the stick-figure standards of Hollywood actresses. 



If you want real beauty then look no further than Hope Solo, the keeper for the U.S. team.    Graceful, powerful, perhaps outspoken, but in a word “Boss”.   Would you rather have your daughter aspiring to be Lindsay Lohan or Hope Solo? Even her name is hard to top.



When I checked my mail this morning I had a message from CCP reminding me about their “EVE is Real” promotional program.

“We're about to launch an advertising campaign using a creative and different approach to the way we've done it in the past. At first glance that may not seem super exciting to an existing EVE Online player, but what sits at its center has a lot of potential to be.



"We're making a micro-site into a hub of creative pieces (videos, screenshots, corporate recruiting posters, stories, etc.) in order to form a virtual museum of player created EVE history. We believe that bringing someone unaware of EVE through that experience, and having them encounter this history, will enable them to get a better feel for this unique game we all play.”

So the question is, are our experiences, within virtual worlds real?  They feel real.  I have never played EVE enough to understand its grasp on a player, but I do understand how it felt to play EverQuest, EverQuest 2, World of Warcraft and other MMOs.   My best gaming memories still start with “Remember when we were in (insert virtual zone here)?” 



Are MMOs our Matrix?  Will those characters wake up someday and realize that we were just playing them?   Is somebody just playing us? Send me your thoughts.



As always, you can contact me a number of ways:

  • Email
  • Twitter
  • Telepathy (Just make sure it’s during business hours.  I hate to be woken by this stuff)

Until we meet again,

John “Boomjack” Hoskin




Latest MMOG Features

DC Universe Online Green Hornet Details Emerge

Green Lantern is coming to DCUO! Ten Ton Hammer was able to catch a glimpse of the new Light powerset late last week during Fan Faire 201, and now we bring new details to you.

Gear Eye for the WoW Guy - Issue 2

This Gear Eye takes careful aim at a Hunter. In the process of Messiah's trademark makeover, he'll discuss why what gear you have isn't always as important as what you do with it.

The Titanic Question - What Will Blizzard's Next-Gen MMOG Be?

We take a closer look at why Titan, the codename for Blizzard's "next gen" MMO project, has been sending ripples through the gaming industry, and what it means for gamers.
Latest MMOG News

DUST 514 Not Intended To Be a True Free-to-Play Game

For the latest in a round of bizarre microtransaction model choices from CCP, CEO Hilmar Veigar Pétursson announced that FPS tie-in DUST 514 will not be totally free-to-play but will require a "cover charge" to start playing.

New TERA "Dark Cathedral" Video Unveiled

Journey through the mysterious depths of the Dark Cathedral fighting Big Ass Monsters and other creatures in TERA’s latest video walkthrough. Bow-firing panda bears are optional.

Conan the Barbarian Movie Tie-In: Free In-Game Item

The great thing about cross promotions is that we often get some free goodies. Age of Conan fans that visit the Conan the Barbarian Facebook page can claim their code to claim the free in-game item "Amra's Noble Mane."

One More Week to Win Neverwinter Swag!

Every so often, we reward the cool people who frequent our Members Only Forum by offering some amazing goodies especially for them. Last week we kicked off a contest to win one of two Neverwinter messenger bags. All premium members need to do for a chance to win is post (and post often) anywhere on the Members Only Forums. The more you post, the better your odds of winning!

Since the folks at Cryptic featured our giveaway on the official NeverWinter website we decided we'd extend our contest one more week. Our Members Only Forums are spam and asshat free, so go enjoy some great discussions without all the "noise."



Each legitimate post gives you an entry, and you can post as often as you like. Go to it! (And if you're not a premium member, you can still become one today to enter plus enjoy a year of great members only perks and exclusives for just $9.99!)

GearScore is better than iLevel - Reason #4

One of the biggest problems with WoW's AIL is the fact that PVP gear is usually higher iLevel, easier to obtain, and mostly worthless in PVE. PvP Gear will never be as powerful as equivalent raid equipment. This is because PvP Gear sacrifices a large amount of stats to bolster stamina and resilience.

I'm sure many of you WoW players have joined a raid with a 359 AIL player, only to find out that he is loaded up in PvP Gear and doing less damage than the tank. Isn't this infuriating? At the very least you've probably run a random heroic with a player who snuck in wearing PvP equipment.

This is just one more advantage GearScore has over AIL. GearScore drops drastically when equipping PvP Gear, to emulate the drop in performance the equipment provides. In addition, we have a separate PvP GearScore value that allows you to see how your gear holds up in PvP play.



But the proof is in the screenshots. Check them out at PlayerScore.com today, and start finding your own reasons why PlayerScore is WoW's most downloaded addon.
Real World News

From the Bypassing-The-TSA-Dept. –

Snails Migrate By Being Eaten



From the Save-The-Planet-Dept. –

Cats Are Bad For The Environment



From the Large-Package-Delivered-Overnight-Dept.  –

Wilt Chamberlain Postage Stamp

Bruce Campbell Fact of the Day

Bruce Campbell can ignore the “Don’t Try This At Home” warning.      



Connect with Reloading...

Find us on Facebook


TenTonHammer.com

 
 © 2011 Ten Ton Hammer  


Last Updated: Mar 13, 2016

About The Author

Jeff joined the Ten Ton Hammer team in 2004 covering EverQuest II, and he's had his hands on just about every PC online and multiplayer game he could since.

Comments