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Are you looking for the latest industry headlines? Look no further.

1. Daily Column
2. New MMOG Articles at TenTonHammer Today
3. Hot Content
4. Real World News - You Can't Make This Up

1. Daily Column

8 more wins until the Stanley Cup parade in Sabreland.

After tallying the votes for the Bling vs Bling Free newsletter there isn't much doubt which one you folks prefer. Bling Free it is. I have become the 7UP of MMOG news.

Our main site is under construction at the moment. Don't let the "ugly ducking" phase scare you away.

Now that we have shed the extra Bling from the blog and newsletter I need to ask you another question regarding timing. I generally write this column in the morning of the day that you read it. By generally I mean "always". Sometimes this column is written in its entirety in less than 20 minutes. Most days it takes 30 minutes. Some days it takes an hour.

You receive the newsletter in your inbox sometime after 10am Eastern or you stop by the blog after you get to work and get settled in to read it on company time. Whatever the case, unlike your morning newspaper it isn't there when you wake up unless you live on the Left Coast of North America.

Would you prefer a longer column with some actual research involved delivered to your inbox in the wee hours of the morning or is the current timing of delivery just peachy? Do tell.

On Friday I stole a great column idea from Cody and posted my list of 10 Untapped MMOG Properties. Coming in with a bullet at #2, as announced by Casey Kasem was Starcraft. The next day the good folks at CVG posted this news bit announcing that a StarCraft MMO was in the works.

Blizzard had let the cat partially out of the bag earlier when they let the world know that they would be making a StarCraft announcement on May 19th in Korea. My guess was that it would be the unveiling of the next StarCraft real-time-strategy title. Apparently, at least according to the rumour and speculation, I was wrong.

It's unclear how StarCraft will affect the MMOG industry. It has a high bar to leap if it wishes to exceed the success of its older brother WarCraft. Will you play StarCraft Online? Can Blizzard actually eat up more of the market? Do tell.

Blizzard appears intent on adhering the WarCraft name on as many products as possible. The most recent product, or is it a service... is a VISA card with a WoW character on it. First question, does it work on Tuesdays? Second, will a person who plays a Human accept a VISA with a Blood Elf on it? Will anyone accept a VISA with a Blood Elf on it? Third, how long will it take for some bright light to buy gold with the card?

Will you be flashing your Troll VISA any time soon?

Vote, rank, share, comment or email me directly.

2. New MMOG Articles At Ten Ton Hammer Today

• Blog: Salvaging Your Old PC
  "Finding a home for an old computer can be a difficult and daunting task, especially when your computer is in parts. Micajah asks for the help of the Ten Ton Hammer community in finding the best way to dispose of his old relic."
• Blog: Top That!
  "Ralsu waxes poetic about how work satisfies needs and gives us a lot of psycho-babble."
• Dungeons and Dragons Online: The Incantrix
  "Yeah, anyone can do a fireball.. but can you do a heightened, enlarged, empowered, maximized, quickened fireball.. without using up your entire spell point pool? The Incantrix can, and to know how, read Darkgolem's guide to the mistress of metamagic, the Incantrix!
• EverQuest 2: The Rebirth of Neriak
  "Neriak is coming! Neriak is coming! If you hadn't heard, the next big game update will be including a new race, city, and starting zone. This is all now on test, so Savanja made her way in to explore this great new and free content. Read up on what to expect when you make your very first Arasai, and what you might stumble into within the walls of Neriak. This is a spoiler with plenty of screenshots!
• Fallen Earth: Interview With Wes Platt
  "Fallen Earth, a new post-apocalyptic MMO title from Icarus Studios, is set to break new ground in the MMORPG genre by presenting a not-to-futuristic setting rather than our typical fantasy/sci-fi sandboxes. Wes Platt is one of the developers contributing to this world, writing and plotting out the make-up of a society that lives in the Grand Canyon. Ten Ton Hammer sat down with Wes to hear how he came into his position and what it's like to work on the "lore" of a next-gen 3D MMORPG."
• Gods and Heroes - Gladiator Preview
  "After scouring the web, the second class preview is up! This time, we're taking a look at the Gladiator."
• Lord of the Rings Online: Hunter Guide
  "The Comprehensive Hunter's Guide has been updated to include legendary traits, and walkthroughs of the three class quests."
• Lord of the Rings Online: Prospector and Tailor Recipes
  "Crafting guides section has been updated to include recipes for the Tailor and the Prospector!"
• Vanguard: Saga of Heroes - Sorcerer Bug List For May
  "Ten Ton Hammer Sorcerer Class Specialist Grimore Valentine has produced a list of bugs and issues for Sigil's development team."
• Vanguard: Saga of Heroes - United Races of Thestra Armour
  "Vanguard's Armor Project adds United Races of Thestra Armour"
• Vanguard: Saga of Heroes - Forged Infineum Plate Armour
  "Vanguard's Armor Project adds Heavy Infineum Plate mail "
• Vanguard: Saga of Heroes - Ten Ton Armour Project - Mangled Hide Armour
  "The Armor Project keeps rolling along with a look at some crafted newbie level armor. We've got both the Kojan and Thestran style screenshots plus sample stats."
• Warhammer Online: Locations Overview
  "Today we've updated our Locations Overview page to include information on all currently listed WAR locations. Every
  location is now divided based off faction and conflict, as well as basic information at the top area has been expanded upon detailing more about the conflicts"
• Warhammer Online: State of the Game Address
  "For those of you who missed Mark Jacobs' announcement in this months newsletter we've reposted it on the site. So if you need an update on WAR, here it is."
• Warhammer Online: Empire Overview
  "To go along with the recently released zone of Talabecland we've updated the Empire page to include information on this new location as well as some updates to our class guides. Go check it out right away!"
• Warhammer Online: Talabecland Overview
  "We are full of updates tonight! Just a minor update to our Talabecland page. It now has a TenTonThought associated with it. Just a small summary of the area itself for your consumption"
• World of Warcraft: Horde Leveling Guide 60-70
  "Today we continue our Horde 60-70 leveling guide with the exploration of Nagrand and levels 65-67. So if your looking for the fastest way to level, check it out."
• World of Warcraft: Hunters, Still The End Game Black Sheep
  "Messiah looks at the current state of hunters at the end game and why they are still being ignored. I ignore the fact that most people find someone that want to spend more time alone with an animal instead of another person, creepy."
• World of Warcraft: Fill That Bubble! Contest Winners Announced!
  "Our "Fill That Bubble!" contest has come to a close with two winners chosen. Congratulations to CrazieJimbo and Xarien who both win a full set of the "Sunwell Trilogy" manga from TOKYOPOP! Keep your eyes peeled for more exciting contests in the future."
• World of Warcraft: Alliance Leveling Guide
  "Our Alliance Leveling Guide (aimed at levels 60-70) has been updated to get you through to level 62! Join us as we take you step by step on the most efficient and quick way to get your toon level 62.
• World of Warcraft: Warrior Equipment Guide
  "The Warrior Guide's equipment section has been completely re-written to provide tons of new and helpful information. This will allow you to find all the best gear for your character, regardless of build or play style!"
• World of Warcraft: Rogue Poisons
  "We've got a new guide that covers all of the details on those sly Rogues and their poison ability. We've got the intell on how to take out the quests, on what poisons are best, and what poison does what. So if you're looking at how to take out someone in a sneaky fashion then take a look at our guide!"

3. Hot Content

• EverQuest 2: The Rebirth of Neriak
• Lord of the Rings Online: Guide For Veteran MMO Players
• Tabula Rasa: Closed Beta Begins
• Colony Studios: Interview With Mike Wallis, CEO
• Vanguard: Saga of Heroes - Ten Ton Monster Project

4. Real World News

• Chuck Norris Defends Christianity [Thanks Matt]
  ...with a round-house kick to the head.
• MADD Award Winner Charged With DUI
  She was smashed and not the car.
• Scientists Find Virus Deadly To Fireants
  Cancer, heart-disease....we'll get to those eventually.

Thanks as always for visiting TenTonHammer.com

John "Boomjack" Hoskin