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Videos, interviews and commentary with the people who make the industry great; all the GDC Coverage you can eat is online.

• TenTonHammer.com’s GDC 2007 Coverage Portal

Cody “Micajah” Bye here, handling the typing for  today’s Loading… Ethec and I will be filling in as Boomjack tries to hijack more planes. I imagine he'll be bawling like a little girl by the time the customs agents are done with him. (Click here for background on Boomjack’s previous hijacking attempt.)

Throughout the MMO realm, I’ve found that there are a number of people - while very prevalent to the select few in the online gaming industry/press - are all but unknown to the outside public. These under-represented individuals all have one thing in common: They are legends in the industry, having designed and created games that have set the precedent for online gaming.

At Ten Ton Hammer, we find it hard to swallow that these folks are not heralded while there single-player counterparts (and some MMO developers) have taken up all the spotlight. To alleviate this injustice, I have begun gathering names of developers who served important roles in some of our earliest online games.

As I gather names, I will send these industry veterans a selection of questions relating to their previous achievements and how that has helped them in their current situation, whatever that may be. The articles should be fun, informative, and generally an interesting read to anyone interested in MMO history.

Kicking off the “Legends of the MMO Industry” series will be an interview I had with Raph Koster, who is more well-known than most MMO vets but still relatively obscure to the common man. With a resume that includes the development of MUD, serving as the lead designer for UO, and acting as the creative director for SWG, Raph certainly deserves his spot in the Legends series. In the article, Raph and I discuss how things have changed in the industry, what his past has done to help him create new products, and where he believes the industry is headed. 

If you know of any developers from the early days of MMO gaming, please email me their names and/or contact information. I anticipate that the list will continue to grow as the articles continue, and I look forward to the day when all of these men are household names to the general MMO community.

Also, if you're interested in working at Ten Ton Hammer, we are going to be accepting resumes until March 20th, so send in those credentials!
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Exclusive TenTonHammer.com Content!

03.14.2007

• Legends of the MMO Industry: An Interview with Raph Koster
  "Often in the MMO industry, we lose track of our roots and merely follow the latest and greatest in gaming. The Ten Ton Hammer team has made it a point to bring these crucial past players into the light. Today we present you an interview with Raph Koster, one of the integral members of the initial UO team and general MMO guru."
• World of Warcraft: Guide to "Opening the Dark Portal"
  "The Ten Ton Hammer team returns to the Caverns of Time for another romp through the history of World Of Warcraft, this time to the Opening of the Dark Portal. In this instance you are sent back to the Black Morass to protect Medivh in his attempt to open the Dark Portal. To do so, you must stop wave after wave of Infinite Dragonflight MOBs with little rest time in between. Read the guide to discover how level 68 and higher players can conquer this realm!"
• Vanguard: Saga of Heroes - House Hunters Guide
  "One feature that drew Changul, one of our staffers, to Vanguard was player housing. She takes readers through a photographic journey to buy land, build a home, and decorate for visitors."
• Vanguard: Saga of Heroes - Druid Spell List Updated
  "Sigil continues to make changes to spells and spell descriptions, and we continue to update our spell lists. Take a look at our druid spell list for all the latest information on what your favorite treehugging class can do."

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Real World News - You Can't Make This Up

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  Causes major arterial blockage.
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  Says officer tastes like chicken.
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  Waffle House employees still didn't get paid.
• Alligator Taken from Home
  It was eating chicken, too!

Vin Diesel Fact: Vin Diesel is the reincarnation of L. Ron Hubbard.

Thanks as always for visiting TenTonHammer.com

- Cody "Micajah" Bye

You can read previously enjoyed editions of Loading... in the blog archive.