Welcome to your Wednesday Loading... You can read previously enjoyed editions of Loading... in the blog archive. (For the navigation impaired that means you click the link and then look in the right menu.)
The 484th edition of Loading... is brought to you by EBgames.com: The authority on gaming.
With Christmas a vague memory amidst the empty game boxes, manuals and Mountain Dew cans this video seemed somehow appropriate. I would have embedded the video, but WordPress strips out anything with the "embed" tag.
PS3 vs Wii
Now on to your regularly scheduled program.
My flight home from Vegas was substantially better than the flight there. The fact that it was 1.5 hours shorter may have had something to do with it. Having an empty seat beside me rather than being pulverized into the cabin of the plane by gigantasaurus rex didn't hurt either. Phil was my "row mate" and he didn't ask for a selt belt extender. I lost the office pool. I was sure he would ask for one just to bother me. He was off his game due to sleep deprivation.
My kids were happy to have me home, especially since I'm in charge of building all the toys on Christmas morning. Luckily for me my son received two starter packs and a booster pack for the World of Warcraft trading card game. We spent the day making up decks and trash talking rather than building toys.
The WoW TCG is actually entertaining. If there is enough interest I will whip up a little review. There is enough strategy to keep an adult thinking for a good long time and my son was able to pick it up in about 20 minutes. He was even building well designed decks in an afternoon. Hats off to the folks behind the game. I expected less than nothing and was pleasantly surprised by a well designed game that was a lot of fun to play. This opinion is from a non-TCG player. Your mileage may vary.
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Congratulations to the Canadian Junior Mens Hockey team on their win over Sweden yesterday. That makes 13 wins in a row and the third straight shutout in a row. Nice job boys!
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Words I never thought I would see strung together... "Beyonce nominated for a Golden Globe." This string of jibber jabber may even top "fun run" as the strangest combination of words ever.
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Hats off to the World of Warcraft and Final Fantasy XI development teams for breaking out the Christmas ban stick and smashing it over the heads of game exploiters and gold farmers. The Blizzard team closed 105,000 accounts. Many games don't have that many subscribers. If those 105,000 people were all paying $15 it is a $1,575,000 per month hit to Blizzard's wallet. Thank you Blizzard!
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Finally, the Vanguard community is kicking butt and taking names in the Ten Ton Wiki. The Vanguard main page has received almost as much traffic as the main page of the Wiki and has more than twice as many visits as the second place community, Lord of the Rings Online. World of Warcraft fans, Everquest 2 fans....where are you? The Vanguard folks are humiliating you.
Let me get you started with some links;
TenTonWiki
World of Warcraft Main Page
Dungeons and Dragons Online Main Page
EverQuest 2 Main Page
Vanguard: Saga of Heroes Main Page
Lord of the Rings Online Main Page
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I didn't receive very many predictions for 2007 from our readers, but our developer friends came through. I'll start passing on their fancy answers to you tomorrow.
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Did Christmas deliver all that you had expected?
Let me know, either in the comments section of the blog or in our forums!
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Guild Management has never been easier! Not sure what GuildPortal is, or what it can do for your Guild? Click here to read about what GuildPortal is, why it's the most imitated, and why people have been using us since October of 2001 to host their Guild web sites!
Exclusive TenTonHammer.com Content!
12.27.2006
Dungeons and Dragons Online: Brood of Flame Guide
"Revisiting Three Barrel Cove, Darkgolem brings you the second of the Fire Caves quests, The Brood of Flame."
Dungeons and Dragons Online: DDO Wish List
"Seeing how much the Dungeons & Dragons Online staff has done to fulfill the interests of DDO players, Ralsu makes a quick wish list for Santa on where to go from here!"
EverQuest 2: Looking Towards 2007
" As 2006 comes to and end, it's time to look forward at what 2007 has to offer the EverQuest II fanbase. What can we expect, and what are the things that we hope for? Savanja shares her thoughts and desires for the upcoming year, and as an added bonus, Coyote's top ten wish list for 2007!"
EverQuest 2: Tips For Frostfell Chefs
"Crafting master Niami Denmother from eq2traders has put together some helpful tips for you aspiring Frostfell chefs. Take a look at her guide to food and cooking goodness right here at Ten Ton Hammer."
Gods and Heroes: To Solo, Or Not To Solo
"The solo player, myth or fact? It's hard to ignore there are some people that just like their solo play as much as some of us like our group/raiding. Should it be a valid playstyle? Kiara examines soloers and how they fit into the rest of the playerbase."
Gods and Heroes: The Importance Of Being Earnest
"We've all complained about quests from time to time. Whether it's sitting around for 3 hours waiting for something to spawn, or carrying [insert quest item] across the game because the person is too lazy to do it themselves (Hello? FedEx?). Join Kiara as she looks at what questing has to offer a player."
Lord of the Rings Online: 2006 In Review
"A look back at the progress LOTRO has made this year and a look to 2007."
Vanguard: Saga of Heroes - Year In Review
"Nobody writes a comprehensive review like our Zinn, so we called on him to take a look back at 2006 and the changes a year in development has wrought upon Vanguard: Saga of Heroes. From beta 2-4 to changes in combat mechanics and the death penalty, Zinn takes a look at how Vanguard has progressed, and how the community has reacted to it. Take a complete look at where Vanguard has been and where it's going in Zinn's year in review."
Warhammer Online: Zone Overview - Nordland
"Today we've thrown up our own location page for the newly announced starting zone of Nordland. In this zone new players of the Empire will be pitted against the marauding forces of Chaos in a battle for survival."
Warhammer Online: Career Overview - Chaos Zealot
"If you still hadn't seen it from the December newsletter, we have our own Class overview page for the Chaos Zealot up. This new class has very little information released on it thus far so it's mostly speculation at this point. Expect to see this page updated rather quickly as more information's released."
Warhammer Online: Career Overview - Empire Witch Hunter
"Today we here at TenTonHammer have put up our initial pages for the Witch Hunter & Knight of the Blazing Sun. These two newly announced Empire classes have raised quite a stir so we want you to be able to appreciate some glimpses of them just before the New Year."
Warhammer Online: Career Overview - Knight of the Blazing Sun
"If you want to be an armored tank, then this career is for you! Meant to be the typical "Knights in Shining Armor" of the Empire, the Knights of the Blazing Sun are decked out in heavy armor and go around beating things with their sword."
World of Warcraft: Topic of the Week
"Do you think Blizzard is doing enough to combat gold sellers? Think they are going too far or not far enough? Our latest topic of the week takes this rather popular topic into a new realm of discussion. Join us as we debate and discuss Blizzard's actions against gold sellers and what they can do to inhibit gold sellers even more."
World of Warcraft: Burning Crusade - Shattered Halls Gallery
"The Shattered Halls are an instance in the Hellfire Citadel in the Hellfire Peninsula. The instance is meant for level 69 and 70 characters and is the start of the end game instances in the Burning Crusade. Therei s a noticeable increase in difficulty from any of the instances that you will have completed previously. Both the trash MOBs and the bosses require tactics, planning and skill, so come prepared."
World of Warcraft: Updated Paladin Guide
"Our Paladin guide got an update this week with a completely updated basics, stats and credits page. Whether you are exploring class options, new to the class or an expert there should be something for you there now. As always comments, questions and submissions are always welcome, send them in through email or our Paladin Forum."
World of Warcraft: Getting Your Mount
"Need to get that mount at level 40 but have no idea how to gather up 100 gold? Don't worry! We've got just the guide for it now! Our latest pocket guide goes over some helpful tips and tricks at getting that mount at or near level 40."
World of Warcraft: Forum Roundup
"Once again we bring you official forum goodness to help you make it through the weekend! We've round up the hottest forum topics on the official WoW forums for your viewing pleasure. Without further ado, here's your Friday Forum Roundup!"
World of Warcraft: New Mage Builds
"We have just added several key Mage builds to our wiki. Have comments? Have more useful builds? Think you can make these better? Head over to the Wiki and check them out!"
World of Warcraft: Pocket Guide To Instances
"Instances can be a strange word to those who first venture into the world of Azeroth. We have a handy pocket guide to help you along!"
As always, thank you for visiting TenTonHammer.com.
- John "Boomjack" Hoskin