by Jeff Woleslagle on Apr 30, 2009
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:
World of Warcraft Aion: The Tower of Eternity EverQuest 2 Age of Conan Lord of the Rings Online (UP 3 - Why?)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.
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Awesome Quote from the Epic Thread
Nothing too epic yet. Go make history!
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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 ChangeReal World News
Girl beats off muggers with marching band batonThanks for reading and visiting the Ten Ton Hammer network!
-- Jeff "Ethec" Woleslagle and the Ten Ton Hammer team