Ten Ton Hammer Headlines

2v2 Back in For Season 7 - Ten Ton Hammer

Medeor — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 13:32:31 -0400

The Fans Have Spoken 2v2 is Back

Returning before they ever left, 2v2 PvP Arena teams will still be counting towards gear rewards. The furor over losing the 2v2s was fairly loud so it appears that Blizzard is compromising:

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Loading... Risk & Reward - Ten Ton Hammer

Ethec — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 12:59:34 -0400

#1,114 - How games and game communities are actively punishing the grind.

Good games reward initiative and punish complacency. Some MMORPGs get this formula backwards, punishing initiative and rewarding boring activities, which is why these MMORPGs are typically not...

SW:TOR - The Madalorians Return and "Threat of Peace Enters" Act 2 - Ten Ton Hammer

Martuk — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 12:51:38 -0400

The Mandalorians have returned to confront the Jedi Order.

Star Wars: The Old Republic's comic "Threat of Peace" has just entered act 2 and the storyline is continuing on as the march to beta and launch continues. On the frontlines of the battle for ...

WoW: Basic Primer to WoW Machinima - Ten Ton Hammer

Xerin — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 02:30:52 -0400

Ready to make WoW Movie History?

Ever dreamed of making movies or filming your guild's raid in World of Warcraft? Well now you can. David "Xerin" Piner comes in to give the very basics on the art of movie making in virtual worlds...

The Agency: Fan Faire 2009 Report - Ten Ton Hammer

Dalmarus — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 02:10:22 -0400

The Agency Fan Faire 2009 discussion panel.

The Agency is Sony Online Entertainment's upcoming action spy game and Dalmarus was on hand for the recent discussion panel held at Fan Faire 2009. See why this game nabbed his interest out of...

EVE Online Banker Embezzled Billions of Kredits - Ten Ton Hammer

Savanja — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 02:07:28 -0400

Ebank corp steals from players for real life gain.

With a major economy slump happening all over the world, what would you do to make a few bucks? Reuters broke the news today that a major EVE Online bank corporation embezzled billions of kredits...

SOE's Latest Podcast Recaps Fan Faire - Ten Ton Hammer

Savanja — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 01:43:40 -0400

Catch up with the SOE Team at Fan Faire!

Step back in time for the 66th SOE podcast, recorded during Fan Faire! Catch the event highlights, listen in on the latest gaming news, and check out Fan Faire interviews with some of the...

13 Things to Know Before Playing Aion - Ten Ton Hammer

Ethec — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 01:07:15 -0400

Jump start your journey to the Tower of Eternity!

If you're jumping into Aion for the first time this weekend, you'll find it's different than other MMORPGs you might have played in more ways than one. Ten Ton Hammer has compiled a quick list of...

Jade Dynasty Crafting Developer Journal - Ten Ton Hammer

Ralsu — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 01:06:38 -0400

Exclusive Scoop on Crafting in Jade Dynasty

Perfect World Entertainment was nice enough to share a developer journal about the crafting system in Jade Dynasty exclusively with Ten Ton Hammer. The unedited journal entry includes six...

The Dilemma of Level vs Skill - How Old Became New Again - Ten Ton Hammer

Martuk — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 21:44:22 -0400

The reasons why skill point progression systems are becoming popular ten years after their introduction.

Since MMORPGs became a mainstream medium, players have debated the two primary methods of advancement. Which is better? Is it the level-based system that is so dominate in today's MMORPGs or the...

WoW: 3.2 PTR - Raid Lockout Extensions! - Ten Ton Hammer

Medawky — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 19:30:28 -0400

Raid Lockout Timers Can Be Extended By One Week on the PTR

A new change to the PTR allows raid lockout timers to be extended an extra seven days. Good news for groups working on a new kill or if your raid is interrupted by unforeseen AFKs!

Thanks to...

WoW Glory of the Ulduar Raider Reward Changes - Ten Ton Hammer

Mem — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 19:26:32 -0400

Rewards..... What RewardsBlizzard has announced that they will be removing the proto-drake rewards for the normal and heroic Glory of the Ulduar Raider achievements at an unknown future date.

The rusted...

WoW - Ulduar Yogg Changes - Ten Ton Hammer

Stow — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 18:53:47 -0400

As if keeping your sanity wasn't painful enough, Blizzard is making some changes to how low you have to be to be afflicted by Malady of the Mind. If the missile speed is the problem, why not just...

Rise of the Lich King Stein Summer Promotion - Ten Ton Hammer

Xerin — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 17:12:37 -0400

Need a Stein for your gamer fuel?

I have no personal experience with these Steins, but they have to be the perfect thing to drink your gamer fuel out of. Currently they have a 20% off sale running for an unknown period of time on...

Laguna Art Museum Exhibit on World of Warcraft - Ten Ton Hammer

Xerin — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 17:08:24 -0400

WoW art on display.

Laguna Art Museum has a new World of Warcraft exhibit that's all about the art in WoW. Admission starts at $30 USD and goes from June 14th to October 4th, 2009. There are three levels of with a...

Warlock Q&A - Ten Ton Hammer

Xerin — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 17:02:02 -0400

Warlock Q&A Time, Soulshatter cooldown decreased soon?

Lots of new and good Warlock information is coming down from Blizzard as part of their class FAQ series. Soulshatter is going down to 3 minutes, circle isn't going to remove stuns, Fel Domination...

Faction Change Q&A - Ten Ton Hammer

Xerin — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 16:49:16 -0400

You get to pick your race.

Well we just recently heard about faction changing and now the Q&A is out. You will get a pick of your face as long as it works for your class. The rest of the questions? Come back to us later.

Q....

VG Dev Letter Updates on Fan Faire and Pantheon - Ten Ton Hammer

Savanja — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 16:36:03 -0400

Find out what the VG team is working on next!

Now that Fan Faire is over, Vanguard developers are getting back into the swing of things with bug squashing and future updates. Silius, VG's Lead Game Designer, updates the players on what they...

Sins of a Solar Spymaster #18: Defending Allah’s Sacred Domains - Ten Ton Hammer

The Mittani — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 12:45:10 -0400

Empire space may not be as safe as you think Even while the most recent war in EVE Online was nearing its conclusion, many of New Eden’s inhabitants remained relatively unaffected by the events playing out in 0.0 space. All of that is...

Loading... Skill vs. Level - Ten Ton Hammer

Ethec — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 12:34:50 -0400

#1,113 - Which approach offers better opportunities for long-term fun?

Skill-based versus level-based - which character development system offers more opportunity for long-term fun? A level-based game guarantees you some progress for your time, while skill-based...

Tales of Pirates Security Awareness - Ten Ton Hammer

Martuk — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 09:34:19 -0400

IGG warns about scammers in Tales of Pirates

Tales of Pirates maker IGG wants to help protect players from scammers by educating them on what to look out for. Many of the warned about tactics are old scammer classics and there are still a...

Cryptic Launches New Champions Online Video Page - Ten Ton Hammer

Martuk — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 08:58:35 -0400

Find all the Champions Online videos in one place.

Your job of finding videos for Champions Online just got a bit easier. Cryptic Studios has added a new video page to the official Champions Online website that contains all the videos released by...

China Bans RMT! Not Quite... - Ten Ton Hammer

Martuk — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 08:16:01 -0400

China's virtual crackdown may not affect gold farmers after all.

China may not have banned gold farming after all. The news circulated earlier this week that China had put in place new laws that would deal a major blow to gold farming in the region. However,...

Aion Launch Party Sweepstakes - Ten Ton Hammer

Martuk — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 07:14:29 -0400

Win a trip to Aion's launch party and PAX. Untitled Document

NCsoft will be kicking off a new contest for their upcoming MMORPG, Aion to coincide with this weekend's beta test. The contest begins today, July 2, 2009, and...

Gangland Gankage - A CrimeCraft Hands-On Preview - Ten Ton Hammer

Ethec — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:45:15 -0400

A look at how Vogster seeks to make CrimeCraft a gangland game for all gamers.

Seeking to take the best elements from two genres, CrimeCraft combines the persistent world, social nature, and loot from MMORPGs and combines it with the intense action of a shooter. We met with...

Exclusive Aion Screenshots - The Asmodian Tour: Part II - Ten Ton Hammer

Dalmarus — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:06:16 -0400

Taking a closer look at the Aion
The next Aion closed beta event is coming up this weekend and Dalmarus is here to whet your appetite in anticipation. Check out the second part of his Asmodian tour with this new set of...

Summertime Gaming – Recent Releases - Ten Ton Hammer

Savanja — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 23:32:17 -0400

Waiting on the fall new releases? Give these games a look while you wait!

Still looking for something to play this summer? We've already touched upon the golden oldies of MMO gaming and the free-to-play hidden gems now we are going to check out the newer releases that...

Comic: Geeked - "Critical Hit to the Ego" - Ten Ton Hammer

JoBildo — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 22:47:37 -0400

Skill does not beat Level...Ten Ton Hammer's very own satirical webcomic on all things Geek is back once again with a lesson for all those players whose ego often outreaches their true ability... or level:

Geeked -...

WoW: Blizzard Trademarks "Cataclysm", Is This The Next WoW Xpac? - Ten Ton Hammer

Medawky — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 20:58:54 -0400

Is The Next WoW Xpac Centered Around The Malestrom?Blizzard filed for a new trademark "Catacylsm" on Jun 26th according to the US Patent and TM office. The filing can be found here. Most likely this is for the next xpac that many anticipate...

WoW Guide: Healing in a Raid - Ten Ton Hammer

Yadiera — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 20:27:11 -0400

Keep your target alive.

A guide for many holy priests who have never been to a raid before. Yadiera breaks down the different roles for a healer, Main Tank Healing, Off Tank Healing, Raid Healing and Floaters. What...

EVE Apocrypha 1.5 to be Mini-Expansion - Ten Ton Hammer

Savanja — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 16:21:49 -0400

Get winter expansion news and the highlights of 1.5 update

EVE Online's winter expansion is still some time away but it looks like developers are working hard on it at this moment!

In this recent dev blog, Torfi Frans details on the Apocrypha 1.5...

WoW PTR 3.2.0 Changes for the Hunter - Ten Ton Hammer

Mem — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 13:58:21 -0400

WoW PTR Patch 3.2.0 Nerf or Buff for the HunterEarlier this month Blizzard released the official WoW Patch 3.2 PTR Notes which will introduce a new 5, 10, and 25 man instance, as well as a new 40 man battleground. Along with these new...

Loading... Spell(re)born - Ten Ton Hammer

Ethec — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 12:22:37 -0400

#1,112 - Does tCoS deserve its F2P fate so soon after launch?Yesterday, Acclaim Games announced that The Chronicles of Spellborn, released just three months ago, will undergo a period of re-development and become a micro-transaction driven game. In the...

Massively Speaks with Sparkplay Media's CEO About Earth Eternal - Ten Ton Hammer

Martuk — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 11:10:14 -0400

Earth Eternal's target demographic slightly higher than that of Fusion Fall and Free Realms.

Sparkplay Media's upcoming MMORPG, Earth Eternal, is a fantasy-based game that will set itself apart from other fantasy games by offering a different kind of fantasy option. Where many fantasy...

YS Online: The Call of Solum Enters Open Beta - Ten Ton Hammer

Martuk — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 10:42:49 -0400

YS Online will not wipe characters of open beta.

YS Online: The Call of Solum has entered its open beta testing phase. The game is still only available for territories found on this list. If you're not on that list, chances are you'll be IP...

WoW: Current Druid Changes for Patch 3.2 PTR - Ten Ton Hammer

Medawky — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 22:45:45 -0400

The Winds of Change Blow Strong, Do They Make Us Stronger, Or are We Being Hit With the Nerf Bat?The winds of change are blowing again in the World of Warcraft! Join Medawky as he explores what these changes could mean to the Druids of Azeroth.

Overall the current changes being seen...

Ten Ton Hammer E3 2009 Awards - Ten Ton Hammer

Ethec — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 21:39:54 -0400

The best from the best MMOGs at this year's Electronics Entertainment Expo.

E3 Awards are a time-honored tradition, and while we're proud to present our picks for the best of the best at this year's event (and it was by no means an easy set of choices to make), we've...

Champions Online Release Latest Screenshots - Ten Ton Hammer

Savanja — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 19:39:19 -0400

Catch up with how the game is progressing in beta!Cryptic has released the latest screenshots of Champions Online! These images depict heroes and their powers hard at work zapping the bad guys and ridding the virtual world of evil and...

WoW Guide: Tank Gear for the Leveling Warrior - Ten Ton Hammer

Metrem — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 19:21:15 -0400

Shiny Loots for the Leveling Protection Warrior.

There was a lot added with Wrath of the Lich King. As you're leveling your protection warrior in for tanking, you might not be aware of some loot that can be around the corner to help your...

STO Dev Chat Details Bridge Crews - Ten Ton Hammer

Savanja — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 18:39:34 -0400

The players ask the questions and the devs answer!

Cryptic recently opened questions up for Star Trek Online's bridge crew feature. The fans asked some great questions and the developers shared some very detailed information on how bridge crews...

Aion Archetype Preview - The Warrior - Ten Ton Hammer

Martuk — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 18:22:27 -0400

Aion's tanking class takes the spotlight.

This week Ten Ton Hammer takes a look at the warrior archetype, Aion's heavy tank class. If you enjoy standing toe to toe with your enemies and taking just as many hits to the face as you give...

Faction Changes Coming Soon - Ten Ton Hammer

Messiah — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 17:22:55 -0400

Finally a way to escape the Alliance!

Tired of being a filthy animal? Tired of being a lazy good for nothing human? Coming soon you will no longer be stuck with your faction, meaning you will be able to switch from one race to...

Spellborn Works Declares Bankruptcy - Ten Ton Hammer

Savanja — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 16:39:03 -0400

The Chronicles of Spellborn to go to free-to-play.

Spellborn Works B.V. has announced today that they have declared bankruptcy lending a large amount of uncertainty for the future of The Chronicles of Spellborn MMOG.

It seems that the current...

EverQuest Opens New Ruleset Server! - Ten Ton Hammer

Savanja — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 15:59:40 -0400

Skip the low level grind on this new EQ server!

Decided by community vote, EverQuest has opened today a new specialized server for players to enjoy. The winning server type allows players to play a new character starting at level 51 with 50...

WoW - The Ten Commandments of Rogues - Ten Ton Hammer

Stow — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 15:16:05 -0400

The long-awaited sequel to the Eightfold Path for Discipline Priests!

If you ever thought about playing a rogue, or about how one should be played, there are some simple rules that should be followed. In our next WoW Rogue Article, Stow takes a lighter look on the...

New Everquest and Everquest 2 Expansions Announced at SOE Fan Fair - Ten Ton Hammer

Martuk — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:09:32 -0400

Everquest expansions set to expand both games.

The Everquest series will be getting two more expansions soon. Sony Online Entertainment announced at this year's SOE Fan Faire that Everquest will be receiving its 16th expansion titled "

City of Heroes Issue 15: Anniversary Update Releases - Ten Ton Hammer

Martuk — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 09:36:59 -0400

CoH gets some juicy new content.

City of Heroes recently got its Issue 15: Anniversary update for players to enjoy. The update brings a lot of new features to the game such as new costume change emotes, over 20 new character...

WoW Weekly Report - The Overpull for 6/29/09 - Ten Ton Hammer

Medeor — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 03:06:44 -0400

Horde and Alliance Sitting in a Tree

This week continues the recent trend of big news and compelling game changes. Compelling in both ways - good and shall we say, interesting? This week an elite US Guild gets a ban hammer for a Yogg...

Aion Archetype Preview - The Scout - Ten Ton Hammer

Savanja — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 00:16:57 -0400

Get the scoop on the finer points of the Aion scout!

Aion's Scout archetype is all about melee action, impressive damage, and useful utilities all combined into one stealthy bundle of raw skill. During Aion's preview weekend, Savanja got a chance...

DDO Unlimited Hands-On Tour - The Favored Soul and Item Store - Ten Ton Hammer

Cody Bye — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 22:25:11 -0400

Is DDO Unlimited's store worth Turbine's effort?The realm of free-to-play massively multiplayer online gaming has long been a place of undiscovered treasures for Western development teams. Recently, the Ten Ton Hammer team had the outstanding...