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While stumbling about the Interweb yesterday in search of a muse I came across a blog entry titled, "Vanguard's Fatal Character Flaw". (Read it here) The author, Wilhelm2451, not be confused with Space 1999 or Lonelygirl15 (*Sound*) *Sound* may be on to something.
As much as it sends my creepy-meter into the Rosie O'Donnell zone he is probably right that not being able to create a "hot" female character in Vanguard is going to hurt the game. Let's face it, how many female characters in MMOs are played by males? Answer: most of them.

If you run around EverQuest 2 or World of Warcraft for long you are going to see a large number of female characters. Few to none of them will be Dwarfs or Halflings or any of the other "ugly" races.

If you have played The Burning Crusade you probably agree that the Draenei race has better racials and a better starting area than the Blood Elves. The Draenei also happen to be part of the Alliance, the faction that was the overwhelmingly favourite player choice. The Draenei can be warriors, one of the most popular classes, while the Blood Elves do not have that option. The Blood Elves are the prettier race however, and there is the kicker. The Blood Elves are far more popular than the Draenei on every server that I have checked.

The majority of players would rather play a pretty character than an ugly one. I guess that makes sense, in some odd and disturbing way, but I personally find the Blood Elf males far too feminine. The Draenei are to me, the preferred choice, but because they are Alliance faction I don't play them.

What are your thoughts on this genderiffic matter?
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I almost forgot to thank the helpful few who have posted and fought for a Ten Ton Hammer entry in Wikipedia. It appears that unless outside sources start writing about TTH in a "non-trivial" manner that the entry will be deleted. I guess we had better call CNN, the BBC. Britney Spears and Simon Cowell to get some publicity.

Talk to me, either in the comments section of the blog or in our forums!
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Exclusive TenTonHammer.com Content!
01.24.2007

• Dungeons and Dragons Online: Spell Point Conservation
  "Had to say that phrase all too often? Darkgolem brings us a way to cut our conjurations and trim our transmutations with his new guide to Spell Point Conservation, Conservationis Magica!"
• Gods and Heroes: Interview With Stieg Hedlund
  "Nicole Hamlett recently sat down with developer legend Stieg Hedlund (who's currently heading up Gods & Heroes) to discuss Perpetual Entertainment's cross-platform MMO set in classical times. Stieg puts the record straight on the question on everyone's lips: whether the late November layoffs of thirty artists forced the subsequent release date slip - but also addresses a number of more cheerful issues related to the game's development."
• Lord of the Rings Online: Beta Giveaway Continues
  "LotroSource@TenTonHammer is thrilled to give it's members 10 more Lord of the Rings o­nline beta passes today! Are you o­n this list? Why not? It's easy to get o­n!"
• Lord of the Rings Online: In Game Advertising
  "There's no easy way to say this… ingame ads are here and they're only going to get more prevalent. There are racing games that contextually place billboard ads according to the players' web traffic habits, there are plans to make interactive items ingame, like a can of Sprite on a table that a player can "drink". Some ingame art like graffiti can change according to advertisers demands. Even now, Google is courting with companies like AdScape Media to put their own brand of personalized, customized and targeted advertisements inside our games. I have seen the future and it is full of ads."
• Vanguard: Saga of Heroes - Quick Guide To Starting Statistics
  "Stop agonizing over all of the math to figure out racial bonuses and figure out which race will make the ultimate killing machine out of your rogue. Let our new quick reference charts guide you instead. With a glance, you'll be able to spot the maximum potential for your class and decide which race is best for you!"
• Vanguard: Saga of Heroes - Spawn Maps
  "Vanguard community member Sypher Bloodthorn has submitted some new detailed maps that will be a major asset to any Vanguard player."
• Warhammer Online: Karaz A Karak
  "Today we present the last location of the Dwarf/Greenskin conflict; Karaz A Karak; the Dwarf Capital city. With our own TenTonThought as well as associated images you can get a feel for the concept behind the Dwarf capital city."
• Wahammer Online: Location Overview Update
  "Today we've updated our Location Overview page to include links and information on the two recently added zones of Karak Eight Peaks & Karaz A Karak. If you're looking for information on the two main capitals of the Greenskin and Dwarf forces then look no further then our Location page."
• World of Warcraft: New Paladin Guide
  "Our Paladin guide got its turn to be refreshed with a completely new easier to follow main page. Also over the past few weeks several sections have been completely redone, so if you haven't visited it in a while or are a new paladin with the Burning Crusade, now is a good time to check it out."

Hot Content

• Vanguard: Saga of Heroes - Spawn Maps
• Lord of the Rings Online: Beta Giveaway Continues
• Gods and Heroes: Interview With Stieg Hedlund
• World of Warcraft: Scryers vs Aldors
• World of Warcraft: Hellfire Ramparts Guide
• World of Warcraft: Making Money In Outland
• Vanguard: Saga of Heroes - Interview With Nick Parkinson
• World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade First Impressions

Real World News - You Can't Make This Up

• Scientists Optimistic On Bionic Eyes [Thanks Matt]
  All hail our robotic peeping-Tom overlords!
• Women of WoW [Thanks Matt]
  Blood Elves starring Lindsay Lohan
• CIA Recruiting Through FaceBook
  All hail J! Hall hail J!
• Hijacker Armed With Inhaler
  Taken down by two cats and a dog.

Vin Diesel Fact: Vin Diesel can hide from his own shadow.

Thanks as always for visiting TenTonHammer.com
- John "Boomjack" Hoskin