Welcome to the 1,170th edition of Loading...
Loading... is the premier daily MMORPG news, coverage, and
commentary newsletter, only from Ten Ton Hammer.
We have word from NCSoft on efforts to improve server queue
times in today's newsletter, including some information on the new
servers going live this weekend. Also, we recently hosted a
contest for your best guesses as to what The Secret World symbols
revealed at the end of the closed-door presentaiton at PAX 2009 might
mean. The symbols and the winners' responses are in today's Loading...
Symbollic Logic, and we'll invite you to share your impressions too!
width="100%">
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
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/taxonomy/term/860">Champions
Online (UP 6)
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/taxonomy/term/254">Aion
Dungeons
& Dragons Online (down 2)
EverQuest
2 (down 1)
Biggest movers this past week:
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/taxonomy/term/39">The
Secret World (UP 6 to #16)
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/taxonomy/term/115">Age of
Conan (down 2 to #7)
Lord
of the Rings Online (down 1 to #8)
Recent
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)
Upcoming
Releases
9/22
-
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/taxonomy/term/177">Fallen
Earth (release date)
9/22
-
Aion
(release date)
10/9
-
Cities
XL (release date)
12/2
-
DOFUS 2.0
(release date)
Early 2010
-
APB
Important
Dates
10/1 -
10/3 -
href="http://fanfest.eveonline.com/">EVE Online FanFest
10/23 - 10/24
-
Hero-Con
Loading... Daily
High praise today to NCsoft for prompt action on the Aion server queues
issue. I was in the game after an entirely reasonable (for launch day)
20 minutes last night after NCsoft raised population caps.
Additionally, we received the following word from the good folks in
Seattle:
We did indeed see an initial rush on the first days
of Head Start which
resulted in longer than desired queue times for some of our servers,
and we are working around the clock to alleviate this. In fact, we are
happy to confirm we have increased our server caps and are adding an
additional server in both North America and Europe by this weekend, and
we will continue to evaluate adding additional servers.
That said, we do have alternate servers where players are experiencing
lower queue times. People can get a real-time update and select that
choice on our website at:
href="http://na.aiononline.com/livestatus/server/">http://na.aiononline.com/livestatus/server/
We continue to monitor issues closely and strive to address player
feedback quickly to ensure the best possible experience.
Many of the Aion folks I've talked to are willing to put up with a
little queuing now to have healthy server pops later, but here's to
NCsoft for addressing the issue boldly.
Shifting gears, last week I challenged the premium members to guess as
to the meaning of three symbols shown at the end of The Secret World
presentation at PAX 2009 (see the video
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/74239">here).
There were no right or
wrong answers; no one outside Funcom really knows, but what we do know
is that TSW draws heavily from real world history, folklore, and
mythology. Basically I was looking for the most interesting guess, and
the winners got some fun swag from the latest event and their name in
Loading... lights.
Here are the winners' responses:
src="http://images.tentonhammer.com/misc/Loading/newOpponent.jpg" />
"A New Opponent is a picture of a knot, and the kanji
for 'snake'.
The only mythology I can think of is the Snake tied in a knot -
Ouroboros - used by Gnostic and Hermetics. The most popular of the
hermetic orders are the Kaballah and Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn.
Golden Dawn would be interesting..." - Sodoshi
src="http://images.tentonhammer.com/misc/Loading/oldEnemy.jpg" />
"The second symbol could have something to do with
Norse mythology.
The symbol it self looks to be of a Viking war ship. The wolf head on
the sail could be for Fenrir the gigantic wolf?" - Necrotoxin
src="http://images.tentonhammer.com/misc/Loading/risingTide.jpg" />
"The rising tide of change I am a bit split on, half of
me wants to
say Atlantis, as it would have to rise from the sea and had the best
and brightest minds and collection of some of the finest nobles. If
that doesnt belong with secret societies then I don't know what would.
The other part of me wants to suggest the people changing from fearing
and accepting what is being handed shown to us. To be bold enough to
ask questions and delve deeper." - Anacche
Congrats to the winners! Have your own impressions of these
symbols? hts welcome in the
href="http://forums.tentonhammer.com/showthread.php?t=46540">Loading...
forum.
Shayalyn's Epic Thread of
the Day
From our
href="http://forums.tentonhammer.com/forumdisplay.php?f=548">SW:
TOR Class Discussion Thread
style="font-weight: normal;">Bounty Huntards
This thread
caught my eye today and made me smile.AngryBeaver is concerned that
a bit of World of Warcraft may spill over into Star Wars: The
Old
Republic."Bounty Huntards," he says. "Anyone else a little worried
about that happening?"
Head on over to today's
href="http://forums.tentonhammer.com/showthread.php?t=46449">epic
thread for LOLs and...whatever hexaliciousness is.
==============================
Awesome Quotes from the
Epic Thread
"You had to go there
didn't you Beaver, just couldn't resist could you. I call shotgun on
Beaver's Hexaliciousness."
- OneEyeRed
==============================
Have you spotted an Epic Thread on our forums?
href="http://forums.tentonhammer.com/showthread.php?t=32559">Tell
us!
7 new Ten Ton Hammer MMOG features today! 64
in
September! 1,016 in
2009!
Today's New MMO Coverage and Features
Champions
Online; Skin That Build #3
The character creation system of Champions Online is a robust and
amazing tool that allows users to make just about anything their
imagination can come up with. But often times, if youre anything like
me, you might not know where to start. Thats why we at Ten Ton Hammer
have done some of the thinking for you. We've got the winner's of last
week's competition and a brand new hero for you all to dress up in Skin
That Build #3.
Exclusive
Fallen Earth Box Art Wallpaper
Fallen Earth recently launched the world into apocalypse and Ten Ton
Hammer has received some exclusive images of the re-worked artwork for
the Fallen Earth box art. This new wallpaper shows some of the
devastation seen in Fallen Earth and some of the people that rise from
the chaos.
Aion
Launch Video
Aion is here! Boasting the biggest MMO game launch of the year, Aion
launched this Tuesday. So while you're waiting on server queues (which
was also addressed today), grab some popcorn and watch Aion's all-new
CGI trailer, tailored specially for launch day.
Ten
Ton Hammer's Aion Screenshot Contest
Aion is the latest eastern MMORPG that has made its way west to win
over players of North America, Europe, and the Oceanic regions. Along
with compelling storyline, engaging player versus player combat, this
game also boasts a character creation process that goes far beyond most
other games on the market! We know fans have some creative skills when
it comes to making your characters (yeah, we've spotted you in game
Obama!) and now is your chance to show them off to win some great
prizes, including codes for in-game items and 12 first edition Aion
comic books!
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/aion/guides/new/graphicsguide">Guide
to Aion Graphic Settings
If you are one of the many Aion players out there who is running a
mediocre machine then you might be left dealing with cruddy graphics or
terrible frame rates. How can you get the best graphics without costly
upgrades? We have a few tips that might help you out!
Gamers
Gone Wild - Are Women Objectified in MMOGs?
No matter where you look these days it seems someone is offended about
something and political correctness advocates seem to be lurking around
every corner waiting to pounce on the next slip up. Gaming hasn't been
able escape this social spotlight and tends to attract controversy like
moths to a flame. While most of these complaints amount to little more
than grandstanding, the cry that women are treated as objects is one
that seems to have a little more substance than most. Join Medawky as
he dives into this subject and tries to separate the fact from the
fiction in "Gamers Gone Wild - Are Women Objectified in MMOGs"
World
of Warcraft: The Saturation of End Game Raiding
A new patch arrived this week and in true World of Warcraft fashion a
new host of epics, and a new raid boss, were introduced. While most
players thrill at the idea of new content (even if it is recycled) and
shiny new purples, some feel that there is far too much and that most
is too easy to obtain. Join Medawky this week as he explores the
current state of WoW raiding and the players that the raiding
landscape.
Hottest Content:
Ten
Ton Hammer's Aion Screenshot Contest
Aion
Launch Video
Aion
New Player Portal
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/aion/guides/new/graphicsguide">Guide
to Aion Graphic Settings
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/74677">
Ten
Ton Hammer's Aion FAQ
Champions
Online - First Impressions
Gamers
Gone Wild - Are Women Objectified in MMOGs?
Forever
Fantasy: The Philosophy Behind Dragon Age: Origins
Champions
Online: Queer Eye for the Superhero Guy #3
Exclusive
Fallen Earth Box Art Wallpaper
Thanks for visiting the Ten Ton Hammer network!
- Jeff "Ethec" Woleslagle and the Ten Ton Hammer team