by Chris Noll on Aug 10, 2010
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As the Ten Ton Hammer crew settles into their next week of
content, SOE Fan Faire coverage remains the focal point. But what
really makes Fan Faire an event different from the rest? Find out today
in Loading...
R-E-S-P-E-C-T.
You vote with what you
view at Ten Ton Hammer, and the
result
is the Ten Ton Pulse (What
is The Pulse?).
Today's
top 5 Pulse results:
Biggest
movers this week:
Upcoming
Events
style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;">HOT!
Visit Ten
Ton Hammer's StarCraft II Guides
portal to gain that competitive multiplayer edge, or to read our Wings
of Liberty
single player campaign mission walkthroughs!
Ethec touched on the theme of Fan Faire yesterday, and after getting
back home and putting together some of the content we have for you this
week, my thoughts stay honed in on Vegas too. What was so different
about SOE Fan Faire than other events? Fan involvement.
To say SOE had their focus on hearing the players would be putting it
mildly. From the opening address to the closing night banquet the
overall theme was repeated: "We want your input." Smed said it himself
directly at the opening address, and virtually every panel for each of
SOE's games echoed the same message. In fact, there were several panels
dedicated solely to player feedback.
So was this all just blowing smoke? It would be hard to believe it was,
since the ears seemed genuinely sincere. But, as with anything, the
proof will be in the actions that follow suit.
A side effect of having an open forum for players is that it could turn
ugly. In fact, it came close several times as players lashed out at the
devs in some of the Q&A sessions. "When are you going to grow
some balls?" "Why do you hate the casual player?" "Do you even play the
game?" were some of the daggers thrown at some of the panels. But,
taking it in stride, good discussions came about as well. At a few of
the panels I attended personally notes were being jotted down as
developer and fan discussed areas of concern, potential aspects for
improvement, and the future of the game they all love.
This sort of summit is rarely seen in the gaming space. All too often
we'll see developing companies toss a question haphazardly onto the
forums and then let it die, ignoring the player response. Or sometimes
we'll see a devco have an annual meet & greet, inviting only a
small handful of community reps. Or, even worse, an online survey that
seems to disappear into the ether after you hit submit.
To be willing to stand in front of a (potentially angry) crowd "takes
some balls," to answer one of the players' questions. And similarly, on
the player side, to articulate your concerns well while maintaining a
level head can take a little self discipline too at times. In the end
though, at SOE Fan Faire dev and player were on even ground, and it
really was more of a meeting of the minds than it was a one sided
conversation. This sort of approach, as Ethec alluded to yesterday, can
very well lead to a successful and appreciated MMOG.
Are you being heard? Feeling ignored? Let us know in the forums.
From our
href="http://forums.tentonhammer.com/forumdisplay.php?f=3">Tavern
of the Ten Ton Hammer
DCUO vs Champions!
Our members are talking about superhero games--one fairly recent
arrival, Champions Online, and this year's up-and-coming festival of
tights, DC Universe Online. Will SOE kick Cryptic's ass when it
launches DC Universe Online this November? Lay your bets on the table
(I just left Vegas, so I'm in a betting mood)
href="http://forums.tentonhammer.com/showthread.php?t=52761">right
here in our forum.
==============================
Awesome Quotes from the
Epic Thread
"As long as DC Universe
doesn't suck it will blow CO out of the water."
-
href="http://forums.tentonhammer.com/showpost.php?p=438582&postcount=4">SirRobin
==============================
6 new and exclusive
Ten
Ton Hammer
features
today! 43 Ten Ton Hammer
features
in August! 859
in 2010!
style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">EXCLUSIVE!
Deployed - A Soldier Connects Across Star Wars Galaxies
href="http://tentonhammer.com/interviews/soldier-connects-across-Star-Wars-Galaxies">http://tentonhammer.com/interviews/soldier-connects-across-Star-Wars-Galaxies
How
deeply do the connections forged in a virtual space impact the real
lives of those who create them? An in game GM event imprinted a lasting
memory for US Army Major Thomas Wiktorek in Star Wars Galaxies just
before his deployment to Iraq in 2008. We were fortunate enough to
share Wiktorek's story with him and Jason Ryan, the SOE developer who
helped create it.
style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">HOT! SOE Fan
Faire 2010 Pool Party
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/events/fanfaire2010/pool-party-video">http://www.tentonhammer.com/events/fanfaire2010/pool-party-video
This
year, Ten Ton Hammer took a camera to the SOE Fan Faire 2010 Pool
Party. Watch the collision of free booze and gamers in Las Vegas as Ben
and Ethec conduct interviews poolside. They said that it was a
journalistic endeavor, but it might have more to do with free liquor
and gamer women in bikinis. What do you think? That being said, the
main topic was the upcoming changes to EverQuest and EverQuest 2. Just
pray that Ben doesnt go poolside in a speedo!
Personality and Immersion
in Guild Wars 2
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/gw2/features/previews/personality-and-immersion">http://www.tentonhammer.com/gw2/features/previews/personality-and-immersion
Guild
Wars 2 will have dialogue options with NPCs to develop your own
personality, in-depth voice acting, and an impressive soundscape all to
allow yourself to immerse into the game world. Yet, why haven't we seen
this trend in every other MMOGs, and is all of it a good thing? Find
out here at Ten Ton Hammer while we explore Personality and Immersion
in Guild Wars 2.
Microcosms Free-to-Play
is Here-to-Stay
http://www.tentonhammer.com/microcosms/2010/aug/32
Free-to-play
gaming has come under fire many times over the years, and while
criticism may have been warranted in the past that ship has since
sailed. Join Jason Medawky Bolton this week as he fires off a
rebuttal to some recent misguided assumptions about the fastest growing
segment in MMOGs.
WoW Weekly Report -
Changing Zones, Interfaces, and Classes All Covered in the WoW Weekly
Report
http://www.tentonhammer.com/wow/newsletter/issue79
The
WoW Weekly Report is our newsletter dedicated to giving you a
wrap-up
of the previous week in news, stories, and more. This week we were
lucky enough to get an exclusive look at the redesign of Darkshore. In
addition we looked at a few other zones that will also see changes, the
druid and rogue class talent changes, and the coming UI changes. In
addition to all our network content check out all the news regarding
World of Warcraft so you don't miss a thing. All this and more in our
WoW Weekly Report every Tuesday.
Five Ways To Conquer With
Kindness In EVE Online
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/eve/guides/politics/conquer_kindness">http://www.tentonhammer.com/eve/guides/politics/conquer_kindness
In this guide to EVE Online's corporate lifestyle Space Junkie writes
about the ways that kindness
and charity serve players better than self-interested misanthropy.
Thanks
for visiting the Ten Ton Hammer network!
- Benjamin J. de la Durantaye and the Ten Ton Hammer team