Welcome to the 1,169th edition of Loading...
Loading... is the premier daily MMORPG news, coverage, and
commentary newsletter, only from Ten Ton Hammer.
I'd like to say that we have some awesome Aion launch day tips
and insights for you (and we do on the
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/aion/guides/new">Aion
community site), but mostly we're still waiting in the queue.
So are many of you by the sound of it. So while we have a few hours,
let's take a look at what the server stats page can tell us about how
the head start impacted the game and what NCsoft could possibly do to
get us into the game a little faster. For that and more, check out
Loading... Queue Queue, n00b!
The Pulse
You vote with what you view at Ten Ton Hammer, and the
result is the Ten Ton Pulse (
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/thepulse/" target="_blank">What
is The Pulse?).
Here's today's top 5 Pulse results:
-
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/taxonomy/term/41"
target="_blank">World of Warcraft - Dungeons
& Dragons Online - href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/taxonomy/term/254">Aion
-
EverQuest
2 -
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/taxonomy/term/115">Age of
Conan (UP 1)
Biggest movers this past week:
MMO Releases
-
8/25
- CrimeCraft
(release date) - 9/1 -
Champions
Online (release date) - 9/9
- Dungeons
& Dragons Online Unlimited (release date) - 9/15
- Runes
of Magic "The Elven Prophecy" (expansion)
Releases
Important
Dates
- 10/1 -
10/3 - href="http://fanfest.eveonline.com/">EVE Online FanFest - 10/23 - 10/24
- Hero-Con
Loading... Daily
Last night I improved my server ranking in Aion in just minutes. Using
my daeva-like powers of patience I went from 1703rd to 1649th in the
queue, with only two hours longer to wait. Wait times will probably
escalate as the game goes live today, but it's really not as big a
problem as some are making it out to be. Just have your kid
/ longsuffering spouse / mailman log you in a couple hours
before you get home from work. Or, with the incredible 5-8 hour queues
we're seeing today, maybe you'd better log in before you go to work
tomorrow morning.
As
href="http://na.aiononline.com/board/notices/view?articleID=109&page=">this
notice portends, Aion has some special challenges to
complicate the queue. I don't quite get the phrase "we need to promote
characters on these [low population] servers" - will my Asmod on
Yustiel make private while my Elyos on Lumiel is still peeling
potatoes? I haven't encountered any reason to shift servers other than
the natural disincentive to wait in server queues.
But it's not just a matter of total server populations. This same post
notes that the server queue is doing race balancing too, to ensure that
nearly equal numbers of Elyos and Asmodians are in the game at the same
time. So, given the
href="http://na.aiononline.com/livestatus/server/">server
stats, Elyos on just about all servers are a little more
likely to move up the queue faster, but Asmods have more Legions
(guilds) available to them and seem to be leveling faster. Take that as
your launch day tip from Loading. I am encouraged to see that
the pop caps will be raised as race balance evens out, but
with 97-99 percent of the playerbase under 20 and thus mostly
ineligable for PvP, I'm not sure why race balance factors in quite yet.
The server stats page also reveals some interesting insight into class
selection. The class split is remarkably similar across all servers,
with Spiritmaster and (surprisingly) Ranger classes the least favored
classes, and the Cleric, Gladiator, Templar, and Sorceror the
most popular. The Aion team wanted to make the Cleric a genuinely
attractive option rather than a healbot and they've apparently
succeeded. Fewer are opting for ranged support, and the pet class is
least popular at all. It'll be interesting to see how this plays out in
the coming weeks.
The number one issue contributing to server queues in many players'
minds, and I think it's a valid point, are player-vendors. Basically,
you can convert your player into an NPC vendor and step away from the
game while your character sells items at fixed prices. It's a very
Asian game mechanic, and with the auctionhouse already live and the
thousands lined up to play, it's wholly unnecessary. If
NCsoft cannot or will not suspend the practice at least until the
server queues cool down a bit, players should be logged off after five
or so minutes of inactivity. That would allow you to set up shop during
a bio break, but not camp a server spot for long periods of time.
What else would you like to see NCsoft do to minimize server queues?
Your
thoughts welcome in the
href="http://forums.tentonhammer.com/showthread.php?t=46503">Loading...
forum.
style="font-weight: bold;">Shayalyn's Epic Thread of
the Day
From our
href="http://forums.tentonhammer.com/forumdisplay.php?f=589">Aion
General Discussion forum
style="font-weight: normal;">Still sitting and waiting!!!
Ah, server queues. Loading... touched on the issue
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/74615">yesterday,
and today I'm offering up a thread for everyone who wants to discuss
Aion's long server wait times. Are server queues a bad thing?
Will
they be Aion's downfall, as some have suggested? Or are they simply a
sign of a game that everyone wants to play? And will things even out
eventually after the launch furor dies down?
For now, we're
looking at multiple-hour wait times to log into Aion's servers during
prime time. How are you handling the frustration? Share your thoughts
and tips in today's
href="http://forums.tentonhammer.com/showthread.php?t=46472">epic
thread.
==============================
Awesome Quotes from the
Epic Thread
"While the server queues
and
semi-launch issues seem to be an issue now, it'll prolly work out to be
good in the long run. Best to not open up too many servers; ending up
with horrible population issues like WAR did, and have to close most of
them."
- Khalus
==============================
Have you spotted an Epic Thread on our forums?
href="http://forums.tentonhammer.com/showthread.php?t=32559">Tell
us!
6 new Ten Ton Hammer MMOG features today! 57
in
September! 1,009 in
2009!
Today's New MMO Coverage and Features
-
Champions
Online - First Impressions
Champions Online, the new superhero MMOG on the block, launched earlier
this month and has drawn the attention of MMOG gamers everywhere. We
recently got the chance to take a look at Champions Online and this
week we're offering our view on the game and what it offers gamers
looking to enjoy the superhero genre and the ongoing issue of gimmick
infringement. -
Ten
Ton Hammer's Aion FAQ
For anyone embarking on a new MMOG journey, the most important quest of
all will often be finding the best source of information for all the
burning questions that accompany those first few steps into the
unknown. Or perhaps you're simply trying to decide if the newest title
to grace store shelves and digital retailer lists holds the key to your
next great gaming adventure. For those of you seeking knowledge as you
prepare to dive into the turbulent skies of Aion, Ten Ton Hammer may
just have the answers you seek. Our Aion FAQ is packed with information
on system specs, PvPvE and everything in between so be sure to check it
out. -
APB:
When Worlds Collide - Are MMOGs Ready For GTA Players?
While many games have attempted to break us from the bonds of our
fantasy environs, few have ultimately succeeded. Luckily for us
however, the developers haven't given up and several new titles promise
to break the cycle of disappointment. One of the most unconventional of
these up and comers is All Points Bulletin, a persistent world cops vs
robbers game with a twist, that is the brain child of Grand Theft Auto
creator David Jones. Join Medawky this week as he looks at the
differences and similarities between these two flavors of games and the
people that play them. -
World
of Warcraft: Trial of the Crusader - Anub'arak Strategy
With the 3.2 patch to the World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King
Blizzard opened up yet another raid instance for players. Over the past
month Byron "Messiah" Mudry has walked everyone through the first 4
bosses in the raid. The fifth and final encounter in the Trial of the
Crusader raid is a visit to our old friend from the Azjolnerub
instance, Anubarak. The fight is fun and interesting, while
maintaining much of the same flavour as the encounter with Anubarak
from the instance. Join Byron "Messiah" Mudry as he teaches you how to
defeat this giant bug. -
Champions
Online Comic: Zeroes - "A Guide to Popularity"
Champions Online is based entirely off of superheroes. The big, the
bad, and the bold all share Millennium City as their home. But what
about the less than average caped crusaders? Who will tell their story?
This week we've got a new player's guide to being the coolest kid on
the block... by way of super-fashion. -
Gates
of Andaron Teaser Trailer
The Gates of Andaron is a Free to Play Fantasy MMO game published by
GameForge. The premise is a classic battle between two factions in an
all out war. Time to get off the fence and pick a side. Watch the
teaser vid, click the link, and Choose Your Destiny.
Hottest Content:
- Aion
New Player Portal - Ten
Ton Hammer's Aion FAQ - Champions
Online - First Impressions - Forever
Fantasy: The Philosophy Behind Dragon Age: Origins - Champions
Online: Queer Eye for the Superhero Guy #3 - APB:
When Worlds Collide - Are MMOGs Ready For GTA Players? - RvR
Fixes and Patch 1.32: An Exclusive Interview With Warhammer
Online Producer Josh Drescher - EVE
Online Sins of the Solar Spymaster #27 - The Five Types of
Alliance Leaders - World
of Warcraft - Getting into the Perfect Guild -
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/wow/guides/seasonal/brewfest">World
of Warcraft - Brewfest 2009 Guide - World
of Warcraft - The myth of the indispensible UI Mod
Thanks for 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 Aion Game Page.
