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Daily Column
New MMOG Articles at TenTonHammer Today
Hot Content
Real World News - You Can't Make This Up
1. Daily Column
I'm jet-setting off to the surface of the Sun, currently called Arizona this weekend. There may or may not be a Loading... on Monday and Tuesday. If you are upset about missing Loading... (in the event I am unable to deliver the column) please contact our customer service department. Turn down your sound if you are at work. These guys are loud.
On the topic of loud, Vanguard: Saga of Heroes has received more press regarding its sale than it did regarding its launch. F13 prank called Brad McQuaid in the middle of the night and in Stephen Colbert style asked questions that nobody expected to be answered, but somehow were. Enjoy the interview. I'm weeping inside. Please make this story go away and let's get on with reintroducing the game to the players.
Customer service is rarely an easy task as our customer service department have proven. Now for a moment imagine if you will being one of the people tasked with dealing with the cesspit of humanity that inhabits the official World of Warcraft forums.
Basement dwellers and mouth-breathers that more often use the phrase, "Mom, my keyboard is sticky again" than "Thank you", are the denizens that generate the most posts. Living their self-imposed exiles in the subterranean war-rooms beneath their mothers' living rooms they perch like vultures attacking anything that moves in the WoW message forums.
One CM, Tseric, moved a lot, and frequently threw as much venom back at the vultures as they threw at him. I enjoyed finding a thread where he participated as I knew it would deliver a straight from the hip, honest answer.
Last week, in an early morning barrage Tseric really let loose with comments that we unusually forthcoming even for him. When dealing with one especially belligerent individual who had taken the charming nickname of 'SaltyFetus' he came out with,
"Understand that this moment will be fleeting, and that there is a hard crash of self-esteem to follow. You'll try to feed it again, and fill the void, but it will never be enough. You've backpeddled into the troll excuse. You have no point. You have no meaning. You have no significance. You will be forgotten. Godspeed."
My personal favourite Tseric quote however was,
"Have you ever had the guts to provide an accountable venue for yourself on the internet? GG, anonyomous [sic]. At least I step up"
This one hit home. I receive less hate-mail than I used to, but I still eyeball between 25 and 100 pieces of vitriol a month, yet through some freak of nature, none of them ever have a real name attached and they always seem to come from a Yahoo, Gmail or Hotmail account. It's uncanny how that seems to work out.Then yesterday this post from Eyonix,
"Tseric is now pursuing other opportunities and we wish him the best in his future endeavors."
As Tseric wrote so often, "LOL, Wut?" Good luck wherever you end up Tseric. You will be missed in the WoW community.
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I have been meaning to ask this question again and was even prompted by our C.E.O. more than once, so before I find myself following Tseric into the great beyond I thought I had better throw it out there...
How many of you would like to get together with some of the TTH staff and perhaps a developer or two for dinner and a round-table discussion? We would set it up to coincide with an event that we are attending, perhaps ComicCon in San Diego. It wouldn't be huge and it wouldn't be flashy, but it would be fun.
What say you?
Comment in the blog (now with direct link goodness) or email me directly.
2. New MMOG Articles At Ten Ton Hammer Today
OGDC: Auto Assault Post-Mortem With Scott Brown
"In the flagitiously named session "Dissecting Our Baby" at OGDC 2007, NetDevil President Scott Brown and Producer Hermann Peterscheck discussed the challenges of their innovative yet commercially disappointing flagship MMO, Auto Assault, before and after launch. Included with the talk were some suggested guidelines when entering into a partnership with a publisher as well as best practices for MMO design studios. A must-read for anyone interested in the evolution of MMO design and production."
OGDC: EVE Online Interview With Peter Gollan
"In his last interview of OGDC '07, Cody "Micajah" Bye met up with CCP's North American Marketing Director, Peter Gollan, to discuss the future of EVE and if CCP has hired all 100 new employees yet. Micajah has penned their candid conversation into an article for you to enjoy! "
Blog: Blizzard's Next Title
"Over at "Heal Plz" Xerin takes our first of a two part look at what could be Blizzard's next game. This section takes a look at the Starcraft franchise and how it could be turned into either a sequel to the massive award winning RTS or an MMORPG of its own. Watch out soon for more discussion on what Blizzard's next title could be! "
Blog: A Healthy Lifestyle
"Gamers - and Americans in general - are not healthy. We're overweight and sickly. Micajah does not have all the answers, but he does have some little suggestions for gamers to help them lose those unwanted pounds."
Dungeons and Dragons Online: The Necromancer
"The Bastion is a paladin who's protective aura is very powerful indeed. With his ability to protect himself and his allies, and strong saves, he is defensive force any party can appreciate. Find out how to make one with Darkgolem's new build, The Bastion!"
Everquest 2: The Level Cap Protest
"In this week's installment of EQ2 Humor by Coyote, learn all about the new voice of Norrath. Hear of those who dare to stand up against the obvious misguided decisions of the unseen faces that shape our world. They are the proud. They are the STRONG! They are...the R.E.T.A.R.D's? You'll have to read more to find out what it all means, but I promise, it is hilarious!"
Everquest 2: Wondrous Wizard Class Guide Part 2
"The Wondrous Wizard Class Guide is now complete! Get great advice on how to play this amazing class, check out the comprehensive spell list, and the achievement points guides for both the wizard and sorcerer lines. No matter your skill level as wizard, you are sure to find some helpful tidbits in this guide, so please check it out!"
Vanguard: Saga of Heroes - The Blame Game
"Sony Online Entertainment announced the acquisition of Vanguard: Saga of Heroes earlier this week. Who's to blame for the downfall of Sigil Games Online? In this week's newsletter and blog, Shayalyn examines the blame game. Is Sigil innocent? Is SOE evil? Check out Shay's Treehouse to get her take."
Vanguard: Saga of Heroes - Staff Profiles
"We've updated our staff page to reflect the changes in our personnel and to let you learn more about our newest Class Specialists."
Vanguard: Saga of Heroes - Blood Mage Spell List 1-25
"Ten Ton Hammer Community member Velan has submitted updates for the first 25 levels of Blood Mage spells."
Wiki: Aion, Xiah and The Realm Online Updated
"New wiki updates: Aion information was revamped and images were added, Voyage Century Online and Xiah's images were added, and The Realm Online's information was expanded considerably."
World of Warcraft : Playing WoW....Naked Continued
"The second and final part of our "Playing WoW... Naked" interview is now up! If you ever wanted to challenge yourself or read about someone trying something pretty difficult then give this interview a look at. If you've already read part one then head on out to read part two! If you haven't even read part one yet, whatcha waiting for? Get to reading!"
World of Warcraft: All About Heroic Mode Difficulty
"We've got a new guide out now that is the start of our coverage on heroic mode instances. This guide covers all of the basics about heroic instances, including what you need to enter, when they reset, and much more! Stay tuned as we start explaining the differences between normal and heroic for every 5-man instance out there!"
3. Hot Content
OGDC: Auto Assault Post-Mortem With Scott Brown
OGDC: EVE Online Interview With Peter Gollan
Pirates of the Burning Sea: Video Interview With John Scott Tynes
OGDC: An Analysis Of Video Game Writers
OGDC: How Developers Use Public Relations To Build A Brand
Gods and Heroes: Rome Rising - Video Interview With Chris McKibbin, Executive Producer
OGDC: Stargate Worlds Interview With Joe Ybarra - Part 2
OGDC: Interview With NetDevil
OGDC: Interview With Monty Sharma of Vivox
OGDC: Interview - SOE's Alan Crosby on Community and Vanguard
OGDC: Stargate Worlds Interview With Joe Ybarra
4. Real World News
'Bow Wow Vows' To Give Dogs A Chance To Marry [Thanks Matt]
Howly Muttrimony?
Google Can Legally Show Porn Thumbnails [Thanks Matt]
As can thousands (millions?) of other sites.
Man Crushed By Flying Cow
That will happen when pigs fly you say?
Thanks as always for visiting TenTonHammer.com
John "Boomjack" Hoskin