by Chris Noll on Apr 27, 2010
Loading... is the premier daily
MMOG news and commentary
newsletter, only from Ten Ton Hammer.
Two anniversaries are celebrated this week. One on its first,
another on its third. What makes these games worth celebrating? Check
it out in Loading...
Happy Anniversary.
You vote with what you
view at Ten Ton Hammer, and the
result
is the Ten Ton Pulse (
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is The Pulse?).
Here
are today's top 5 Pulse results:
Biggest
movers today:
Upcoming
Events
This week
style="font-style: italic;">Free Realms
celebrates its first birthday. This free-to-play game from Sony Online
Entertainment kind of took the world by surprise last year. We knew the
game was coming, and we kinda' knew what it was about, but what we
didn't know was how successful it would be in such a short period of
time.
I attended John Smedley's keynote at GDC VCON last month. VCON was an
all day event, presented by Live Gamer. It was an exploration
of how free-to-play games and virtual goods have changed the market
drastically. Anyway, keynotes were given by Dave Perry of Gaikai.com,
Nanea Reeves of EA and, of course, Smed of SOE.
Now we didn't report much from that particular event at GDC because it
really wasn't a panel for gamers. It was a business panel discussing
microtransactions and tricks and tips to making a successful game of
the type. When Smed took the stage he walked us through how the
marketplace in Free
Realms has evolved and the amount of thought that went
into the entire process. Frankly, I was impressed. I hadn't given it
much thought until that day but as Smed was outlining the processes
that they have gone through with that game in particular, it was hard
not to be appreciative. Buttons are placed in specific areas for
specific reasons. Prices and products are thought out to a science and
adjusted accordingly. Heck, they even had sessions where they monitored
where players' eyes were going and made the appropriate tweaks. This
game wasn't haphazardly thrown together. It was, and still is,
carefully thought out, planned, re-planned, adjusted, tweaked, and
modified to maximize both player enjoyment and the microtransactions
that support it.
So I did gain a whole lot more appreciation for SOE's free-to-play
adroitness from that keynote. And I'm glad to see their efforts are
paying off as Free
Realms
href="http://www.freerealms.com/article/detail.action?articleId=1280">celebrates
its first birthday. Happy birthday, FR, and congrats SOE.
Someone else is celebrating their birthday this week too. A game that
needs no introduction,
style="font-style: italic;">The Lord of the Rings Online
launched three years ago and continues to grow strong,
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/83711">celebrating
its third anniversary this week.
Turbine has gained a lot of news time over the past year mainly due to
their ingenious work with
style="font-style: italic;">Dungeons and Dragons Online:
Eberron Unlimited. But it's time to once again
take a look at their other hit title, LotRO, and celebrate the good
times. According to Jim Crowley, President and CEO of Turbine, Inc.
"The game's player base grew over 15% over the past year..." which in
itself is reason enough to celebrate. In such a tough market when a
game is able to continue to grow at that pace even in its third year,
something was done very right.
Congratulations Turbine and LotRO players. You deserve a party-filled
week in Middle-earth. Drop on by the forums to wish Free Realms and
LotRO a happy birthday!
11 new Ten Ton Hammer articles! 98 Ten Ton Hammer
features
in April! 457
in 2010!
FEATURED MEDIA
End of Nations Dev Diary Video #1: What is an MMORTS?
http://www.tentonhammer.com/end_of_nations/video/devdiary1
In
the first End of Nations dev diary video, Petroglyph's Mike Legg, Ted
Morris, Steve Copeland, and Trion's Gary Wagner tag team to tell fans
what MMORTS means to them. You'll also get the flavor of the End of
Nations story, what a 24/7 global environment means to the game and
especially the endgame, the fundamentals of co-operative and solo play
in this six minute, chock-fully-of-gameplay-video dev diary #1 for End
of Nations - What Is An MMORTS?
Rift: Planes of Telara Dev Diary Video #1: Telara - Nexus of
the Planes
http://www.tentonhammer.com/rift/video/devdiary1
Senior
Designer Simon Finch calls Rift: Planes of Telara an "RPG MMO with a
twist, meaning that players will encounter the familiar and the
unfamiliar." That twist could mean anything from the game's unique
class system, where players will absorb the souls of their enemies to
customize their classes, or the rifts concept, which is perhaps the
next stage in the evolution of the public quests. Or maybe it means a
constantly progressing storyline, rich graphics, or all of the above.
Join Chief Creative Officer Scott Hartsman, Senior Designer Simon
Finch, and Art Director Darren Pattenden to learn a little more about
all of these potential twists in the first Rift: Planes of Telara dev
diary video: Telara - Nexus of the Planes.
PREVIEW
HOT!
Microcosms: Reinventing The Wheel An Alganon Re-Launch Sneak Peak
http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/83781
A
couple weeks back we asked if it was possible for an MMOG to get a
second change to make a first impression, and judging from our forum
responses the verdict was split 50/50. In an effort to gain better
perspective and give a more educated opinion on the future of Alganon,
Ten Ton Hammers Jason Medawky Bolton sat down with the games Lead
Customer Service GM (among numerous other titles), Steven Kasparek, for
a one-on-one play session and tour of the new client. Join us as we put
the game through its paces in this exclusive early look.
EQ2: New Halas - Tour of the Frozen Wonderland
http://www.tentonhammer.com/eq2/images/newhalas
One
of the player's favorite EverQuest starting zones is finally making it
into EverQuest II. It isn't the Halas of old but this frozen wonderland
holds it's own charm, excitement, and danger. Taking on 20 levels of
new player fun, Ten Ton Hammer has ventured to these new lands and have
put together a tour complete with screenshots and descriptions that
lead you from the first startling steps to the victorious entrance into
the grand new city. Be one of the first to see the new lands in our
complete tour of New Halas!
FEATURES & GUIDES
Sins of a Solar Spymaster #43 - Rethinking Profit in EVE
http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/83793
EVE
Online has one of the most detailed economy operations of any MMOG and
making isk, the game's currency, can be a tricky thing at times. Some
players choose to measure their earnings using the isk/hr scale, but
The Mittani believes this a sorely ineffective method and has a few
tips for EVE players on how to earn their isk with minimal effort in
this week's Sins of a Solar Spymaster #43 - Rethinking Profit in EVE.
Flying The Raven In EVE Online
http://www.tentonhammer.com/eve/guides/ships/raven
Flying
the Raven is the gateway for most players into the world of level four
missions. In this guide Space Junkie teaches us a thing or two about
flying this ship.
StarCraft II - The Protoss Forces, part I
http://www.tentonhammer.com/starcraft2/guides/protossunits
Everything
you once loved about the Protoss army is back in StarCraft II. Zealots
charge into the fray, ripping up targets left and right. Dark Templar
are still slipping behind enemy lines and assassinating unsuspecting
workers. High Templar unleash Psionic Storms with 10000% better
graphics than the iconic lightning effect of our RTS
childhood. Now imagine that there are even more fun things to
torture your opponents with... and smile as you see what the new
Protoss forces bring to complement your favorites.
Cats that Play WoW and Bad People Too - WoW Weekly Report
http://www.tentonhammer.com/wow/newsletter/issue64
The
WoW Weekly Report - The Overpull arrives again this week with another
look at the previous week. This week's editorial looks at cats that
play WoW, why WoW is truly the sequel to Pokemon, and why your
character is a terrible person
Your Daily Bread - WoW Fishing, Cooking, and Jewelcrafting
Quests
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/wow/guides/professions/NorthrendDailies">http://www.tentonhammer.com/wow/guides/professions/NorthrendDailies
Daily
Quests are one of the best sources of income in World of Warcraft.
However, completing these quests can sometimes prove to be difficult
and a little confusing. Where exactly can you find a Bloodtooth Frenzy,
and why are you stealing Half Full Wine Glasses from across the city?
We here at Ten Ton Hammer realize that you the player work hard for
your in game money and so to help you on your way this week Mem
provides short explanations of the Northrend Daily Quests.
WoW Cataclysm to Redefine Raid Progression
http://www.tentonhammer.com/wow/cataclysm/raid_changes
Blizzard
just released a lot of new information on the direction they want to
take raiding in World of Warcraft when Cataclysm is released.
Nethaera's huge post on the official forums goes into a lot of detail
around Blizzard's plans. Join Byron "Messiah" Mudry as he looks over
the changes and describes some of the potential ramifications of those
changes for both casual and hardcore raiders alike.
Beginners Guide: Gear and Stats
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/wow/guides/newbie/gear_and_stats">http://www.tentonhammer.com/wow/guides/newbie/gear_and_stats
When
you first start playing World of Warcraft there is a lot to learn, and
one of the items that confuses many new players is gear. If you're a
new player, do you know what a purple is? Do you know how much Attack
Power equals a point of DPS gain? Do you know which stats are best for
you? All this and more is explained in this guide to gear for
new
players.
Today's
Hottest Articles, Guides, and Features
Thanks
for visiting the Ten Ton Hammer network!
- Benjamin J. de la Durantaye
and
the Ten Ton Hammer team