Loading... If There's a Warrior Heaven...

Welcome to the 1,069th Edition of Loading...

Loading... is the premier daily MMORPG news and commentary newsletter, only from Ten Ton Hammer.

Few topics get MMO gamers going like the death penalty, and Warrior Epic (which entered CBT yesterday) has a totally new take on the post-death experience. Unlike what we learned in Sunday School, you'll have a choice to make after you die in Warrior Epic. Is this a fun, possibly revolutionary new feature, or yet another rung down on the death penalty disappointment ladder? We'll discuss this and link you in to our Free Realms Anonymous group in today's Epic Thread, plus offer a number of great new Ten Ton Hammer articles and features in today's Loading... If There's a Warrior Heaven...!

Coyote is back in a big way at Ten Ton Hammer, and his daily column explores all things geeky with Coyote's trademark humor. Catch his daily column at It's all Geek to Me.

The Pulse

First, you vote with what you view at Ten Ton Hammer, and the result is the Ten Ton Hammer Pulse (What is Pulse?). Here's the top 5 this week:

And here are the biggest movers in the Top 20 this week:

City of Villains (UP 16 to #10)
City of Heroes (UP 9 to #15)
Free Realms (UP 4 to #13)

Loading... Daily

When WoW and EverQuest 2 were launched about four and a half years ago (has it been that long?), I remember that the death penalty or as we used to say: lack thereof, was a pretty hot topic. WoW making you schlepp back to your corpse in unassailable spirit form to grab your stuff, not to mention the durability damage, seems harsh compared to most of the games released these days - where a death penalty is really more of a travel penalty, if that. For example, DC Universe Online's idea of a "knockout" seems like the ultimate vanillatizing of the death experience in an online game. But superheroes can't die, at least in the headscratcher of the DC timeline, so I guess it works.

But I suppose it was only a matter of time before some game would figure out how death could somehow work to your benefit, and that day is almost upon us with Warrior Epic, which just entered CBT yesterday. Death is actually a centerpiece of the Warrior Epic experience, which seems Warrior Epicky in its own right. And I quote (from the press release):

One of the most unique aspects of Warrior Epic is the death system. Instead of penalizing players for their fallen warriors, Warrior Epic opens new and strategic options for players. The game's unique Warrior Spirits System enables fallen warriors to not only be revived at any time at their hall, but also to be transformed into Spirits that can be bound to weapons and equipment to increase and open weapon abilities and stats, or they can be called out to inflict massive damage depending on player needs.

I'm reserving judgment on this, because if you're level cap death incarnate warrior disappears into the ether and you reawake to find yourself at level one with a flame-spitting demon head of Ra spear whose clickable effect is earthquakes and famine, this might be the coolest alt system ever. It's all about the execution, but I guess I'm still fairly old school: there should be some kind of trade off. I'd hate to see any game degrade itself into "death farming," where you find the closest place to your hall or resurrection to get yourself loaded up with spirits. Death should never be pure benefit in any game. The initial excitement over Darkfall and the idea of permadeath in other games shows that game designers may be better off going the other way entirely.

Are you happy about the recent trends in death penalty? What do you think about the Warrior Epic's "Spirits" concept? Your opinions are welcome in the Loading... forum, or feel free to email me.

Shayalyn's Epic Thread of the Day

From our Free Realms Forum

Free Realms Anonymous

Today I thought I'd select a little thread from our new Free Realms Forum. Seems Ten Ton Hammer's own Eric "Dalmarus" Campbell is ready to become a founding member of Free Realms Anonymous.

"I'm not sure exactly how or when it happened," he admits, "but I've found myself
spending a (possibly) unhealthy amount of time with the game so far.
It's not that I have anything against being obsessed with a game but,
you see...it's a game for (don't kill me) 'kids n' chicks,' not
former Marines. Seriously!"

Poor Eric. Won't you please think of the jarheads and go tell them it's okay
to be a little bit addicted to a game that features jobs like cooking
and pet training? I mean, it's also got kart racing and demo derby!
Confess your own Free Realms obsession (or lack thereof) here.

==============================
Awesome Quote from the Epic Thread

Nothing too epic yet. Go make history!

==============================

Have you spotted an Epic Thread on our forums? Tell us!

5 new MMOG hand-crafted articles today! 138 in April! 524 in 2009!

New MMOG Articles At Ten Ton Hammer Today [Thanks Phil Comeau for links and Real World News]

Premium Content: Running the Marathon - Funcom's Journey of Change

Ten Ton Hammer had a recent chance to talk to both Premium Members and Funcom representatives to take this epic tale of how the company has grown from Anarchy Online to Age of Conan and all they have learned in the process to help them unveil The Secret World in the most exciting fashion. Players weigh in on the early issues with Conan as well as mention its strong improvements over the course of the year. Funcom's Craig Morrison and Erling Ellingson give insight from inside the company as to what they have learned from the past and what they look forward to in the future.
Comic: Geeked - "Right to Protest"

Ten Ton Hammer's very own satirical webcomic on all things geek-related is celebrating the launch of Free Realms with -- wait, a protest? Okay then, well at least he has a solid reason... sort of.
Free Realms to Become Everybody's Second Subscription?

When Danny "Ralsu" Gourley got an urge to compete against another player in a hand of the Free Realms Trading Card Game, he realized that every minigame in Sony Online Entertainment's recently-released title promotes rivalry and competition. As he pondered that design element and the episodic play of the game, he latched onto the idea that SOE may achieved something no one has even tried to do before.
DC Universe Online: Travel in DCUO - Do Superheroes Carpool?

Super heroes need to do super things and that includes menial tasks like grocery shopping or a daily commute to and from crime fighting. How exactly is future MMO game DC Universe Online going to handle this all important mechanic? Should Batman have to take the subway and is teleportation really a viable option? We take a look at travel powers including what other games use and even a few new suggestions.
World of Warcraft: UI Addons and Mods for the Druid

It is often said that necessity is the mother of invention. Few games have necessitated inventions the way WoW has. With its fast paced action, over saturation of information and numbers flying at you at warp speed, it is often helpful to have addons to help extrapolate the important bits.

Hot Content - Or, what I took a fancy to:

Real World News

Girl beats off muggers with marching band baton

I don't see how that would be arousing AT ALL, but I guess there's a kink for everyone out there.
Mice attack war veteran in nursing home

French owners of the establishment are being accused of not taking the situation souris-ously.
Missouri man appears in BBC documentary on people that have sex with cars

He says it's easier than it looks, but I'm thinking his parts Mustang a little afterwards.

Thanks for reading and visiting the Ten Ton Hammer network!

-- Jeff "Ethec" Woleslagle and the Ten Ton Hammer team

To read the latest guides, news, and features you can visit our Warrior Epic Game Page.

Last Updated: Mar 13, 2016

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