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Are you looking for the latest industry headlines? Look no further.
11 new MMOG articles today. For those of you keeping score that's 104 pieces of MMOG entertainment so far in October. No other network comes close.
EA Mythic closed the Warhammer Online beta, Slashdot told the world that we know and visitors rushed here faster than cats with their tails on fire. Every cloud has its silver lining, except perhaps for those cats. Mark Jacobs posted the reasons for the shutdown on F13.
"It's really simple. We got lots and lots of data (some great, some good, some not so good) and we are going to act on what we got. That's one reason we started beta as early as we did so we could gather that data now, not later, when we have a chance to fix/change/improve things. As an FYI, the tools we are using now I would have killed for with DAoC, if we had then what we have now, a lot of dumb stuff would not have happened. In terms of possible reasons (raised here) for the delay:1) Making it more like WoW: Nope, if anything the exact opposite is true.
2) That we are yanking out whole systems: Nope, we are adding new systems (as planned) and balancing the existing systems. Here's a shocking bit of news, the game isn't balanced yet. Thanks to the tools we have now, we are able to identify what is messed up and we can now fix it ahead of time, as opposed to the past. Trying to fix these things while we have lots of beta testers running around is not conducive to getting a game out on schedule.
3) In terms of whether this move was EA-induced: Not a chance. They have not been involved in the design of the game at all and still aren't so I can't blame them for this.
4) That it was caused by lots of people fleeing Mythic: Umm, no. Last I looked all the key members of the *Warhammer* team are still there and very few people have left that team to go elsewhere. People come and go, probably at a higher rate than when we were independent but we are also a heck of a lot bigger than we were in those days.
5) That we are now on a death march: Hardly. If you look at most of the great games that have been done by other developers, they usually are delayed or a date isn't announced as early as we did with WAR or DAoC. If we were putting this game in "turnaround" mode, then it's time to play taps. For now, we are simply taking a break from the beta testers so we can focus on the game with as few distractions (inaccurate or conflicting reports, build/debug/test time before a version goes to the players, etc.) as possible for the next couple of months. This is a critical time in our development cycle and we want to make sure that we are doing it the right way."
- Mark Jacobs
Then again, perhaps silver linings are rare. Perpetual Entertainment, who after years of development and enormous investment have canceled Gods and Heroes: Rome Rising. I guess today's unveiling of our new GnH site isn't exactly opportune. How's that for timing? Pack it up lads. I truly enjoyed my opportunities to chat with Stieg Hedlund, Chris McKibbin and the rest of the Perpetual team. Though I'm sure I'll be seeing them frequently as we cover industry events I'll always have a soft-spot for Gods and Heroes.
Is closing the Warhammer Online beta a good idea. How do you feel about the cancellation of Gods and Heroes? Do tell!
Comments, questions or naughty pictures? Hit the blog or hit my mailbox. --Boomjack
2. New MMOG Articles At Ten Ton Hammer Today
- Lord of the Rings Online: Woodpecker Recipe Guide Tier 1-3
- MixMaster Online: In Game Contest Screenshots
- Tabula Rasa: Pre-Launch Q&A With April Burba
- Tabula Rasa: Dev Diary - Control Points
- Tabula Rasa: Torcastra Prison Video
- Tabula Rasa: Mission Design - A Look at Content Creation in Tabula Rasa
- Vanguard: Coterie Infineum Sanctuary Guide #3
- Vanguard: Poll - Better Reason To Pick A Race?
- Warhammer Online: The Different Types of RvR
- World of Warcraft: Gaining Favor - A Guide To Reputation
- World of Warcraft: Gruul's Lair Guide Updated
3. Hot Content - What our readers viewed the most yesterday! Did you miss anything?
- Comics: Listing
- Warhammer Online: Beta Servers Closed For Two Months
- Comics: Borat Plays WoW
- Ten Ton Hammer Gallery
- Comics: My Little Pwny
- World of Warcraft Overview
- Comics: Frozen Sword
- Comics: WoW In 5 Years
- Comics: Not A Spammer
- Comics: Forum Troll
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Eatery To Keep 'Naked Lunch' On Menu [Thanks Martuk]
Bikini Bagels, Gitch-Kabobs and Birthday Suit Bruschetta also available. -
One Person, One Vote
Unless you are a lawmaker in Texas. -
US Man Seeks Change For $1 Million Note [Thanks Mikes and John]
Suspect is bald. He was last seen running from the store with his pinky finger to his mouth. -
Goat-Free Roads Made Me Speed [Thanks John]
It really gets slow when the Goat-Plows come out to clean the roads in the fall.
Thanks as always for visiting TenTonHammer.com
- John "Boomjack" Hoskin and the Ten Ton Hammer Team
