Vin DiE3el returns

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1. Daily Column

The 620th edition of Loading... comes to you on 7/11. They used to call me 7/11 when I played hockey. Why? I was always open! Ba dum bum.

So far the lineup I'm scheduled to see isn't going to cause the Earth to move. I have some great interviews, but nothing has jumped out at me yet as a real shocker unless perhaps this game will be rememberd as the hit of the show. If you are looking for Extra information from this E3 you may be Extra disappointed. The return of Vin DiE3el seemed somehow appropriate though, so be prepared.

The E3 flight was uneventful, which is an oddity for me. As often happens when traveling to these kinds of events I was seated next to another writer on the plane. He was easy to pick out, his fingers callused and worn from countless hours of tip-tappy-tap-tapping out articles on his laptop for you to enjoy at none other than Ars Technica. I was fortunate to site beside Frank Caron and though his "in-flight entertainment system" didn't work on the way to L.A. leaving Frank staring at a touch screen that taunted him for five hours by displaying the message "press here to begin" without actually ever allowing him to begin, he kept a smile on his face. If Frank's packing habits have been something you have always wondered about then click here.

Phil "Ralphabetsoup" Comeau wasn't quite a lucky as I. He arrived in LAX, but his bags didn't. Never fear, United Airlines threw the bags on the wrong plane, but at least it was arriving in LAX 20 minutes after the one he was on. A hop, skip and a jump to Terminal 7 and I was reunited with Phil and eventually he with his luggage. I of course tried the old "Do you have a sleeping bag?" gag on him, but wiley Phil was up to the task.

While we're discussing tasks, let's get back to our loyal reader Medeor and his task of visiting the WSVG and telling the world about. Today, installment #2, Medeor Talks PVP,

"Sights and Sounds of a PvP Tournament, and Shadowing a Holy PriestA World of Warcraft tournament of 3v3 PvP has about as much to do with the game as my sedan has to NASCAR. Somewhere in the NASCAR vehicle is a real car but that is like saying somewhere inside of a french fry is a potato - they are all distant cousins. The same is true for a real PvP match. The pvp "game" is not about quests and character development; itâs all about stomping on your opponent. For those like me who are new to watching real PvP, it is fast and frenetic, which is a very big change from the RPG roots of MMOs. I guess there wouldn't be a big draw for watching a 3v3 leveling match where you get bonus points for increasing your herbalism skills - anyone up for watching paint dry?

First of all, I must say that I was remiss in not discussing the winners for the WSVG 3v3 tournament in my previous post. Pandemic took the honors with Insurrection and Mob Turtleforce bringing in 2nd and 3rd respectively. The MOB Godfather is a truly passionate gamer - if you have a chance to watch one of the MOB matches, put in your earplugs.

From my discussions with Bob of Rupture - the team behind the custom UI used at WSVG WoW events - and my discussions with the SK Gaming team, I picked up a lot of insight into the mind set and strategies within a pvp tournament. My main source of information was the SK team, as I sat with them during the tournament semi-finals. I won't give all of their secrets away, but I will share what I took as some highlights and insights from the pvp elites.

Rapid Fire Question and answers:

Q: When is the last time you guys did a quest?

A: Quest?

[MI] These guys are all pvp all the time. I looked up their armory gear/specs and my machine almost left me it had such envy for their uber pvp gear.

Q: What is different about this tournament than other tournaments in which you have played?

A: This is 3v3, Europe is mostly 5v5 (SK Gaming won the European 5v5 Tournament).

[MI] The SK team brought 3 players, where most teams had 5 and you are allowed to switch out players between the 2nd and 4th game - the matches are best of 5. Having some bench strength is a definite advantage. It is critical to have options and reactions to what other teams throw at you - you may need a holy priest or a shadow priest depending on the match up - or as they say "the other teamâs comp" as in the other team's composition.

Q: What UI do you usually use, what kind of Mods, etc?

A: We typically use the standard game UI because most tournaments preclude the use of any mods.

[MI]WSVG is different since they use a more TV friendly UI created by Rupture. The SK team felt that the inclusion of the enemy spell casting notification (a part of Rupture) was more of an "easy" button over here in America. Per Stefan, "in Europe you have to turn to watch the enemy hands instead of the machine telling you what they are doing behind you."

Q: How many hours a day/week do you play?

A: 3-6 hours a day, and more prior to a tournament..."a lot more"

Q: I notice some players wear headphones, how do you hear the game and your team in amongst all of the crowd noise?

A: We speak in Swedish.

[MI] This sheds some new light on why we in the U.S. need to learn foreign languages, like Swedish.

Q: Do you use a lot of macros?

A: Not really, there are typically 3-6 macros but there are a lot of key bindings.

[MI] If you watch the people playing, you'll see them use the mouse for movement, and their left hand flying all over the keyboard as they sequence their attacks and responses from the keys. I didn't see anyone with their hand hovering over the WASD keys. I have one key binding that announces I need a bio break, yet another reason I won't make it in the PvP tourneys.

Q: What kind of equipment do you use of your own and how much is provided?

A: Keyboards, mice and headphones can typically be brought in by the competitors. The screens and PCs are provided.

[MI] In this case the PCs were Dell XPS laptops using what appeared to be 19" lcd monitors. I did hear some grumbling about playing on laptops, but it didn't seem to really affect the play. We played in the XPSs out on the floor and they looked awesome to me. The monitors though, that seemed like cruel and usual punishment. Why would these guys be on anything smaller than 22 inch monitors?

The SK team brought a pretty straight forward lineup of Priest/Warrior/Mage. The two groups I watched in the semifinal and the two eventual finalists both included a rogue. From this extensive investigation, I believe that rogues should be nerfed."

Thanks Medeor for your witty retelling of the story of WSVG Dallas.

Tomorrow E3 starts for real and this year I just don't know what to expect. Wish me luck!

Vin DiE3el Fact: Vin DiE3el became a vegetarian not because he loves animals, but because he hates plants.

Comment in the blog (now with direct link goodness) or email me directly.

2. New MMOG Articles At Ten Ton Hammer Today

Op/Ed: What To Do With Aging MMO Classics
"While newer MMORPGs seem to die off with increasing rapidity, several of the category's tried and true names are headed for graphical rebirth. Is a facelift all that's needed? What can be done for some of the industry's other hangers-on. Read what Cody "Micajah" Bye addresses these questions and more in his latest editorial. "
Cryptic Studios: Thomas Foss and Serdar Copur on Cryptic's Zone Design Tools
"During a recent visit to Cryptic Studios, we were privileged to see a demo of Cryptic's scratch-made environment design toolset, which is currently being upgraded for use in an unannounced MMORPG project. Level Design Lead Thomas Foss, Producer Serdar Copur, and Environment Artist Nick Duguid were our tour guides as we see an entire zone come to life in less than 15 minutes. "
Dungeons and Dragons Online: Custom Build - Mage Slayer
"The elite corps of House Deneith who's abilities are focussed to the destruction of spell casters are the deadly Deneith Mage Slayers. Highly resistant to magic, able to take the damage a spell caster can dish out, and with the ability to protect themselves from arcane spells, the Mage Slayer is a deadly enemy for any caster. Learn how to make one with Darkgolem's new build, the Mage Slayer!"
Jumpgate Evolution: Interview With Darren Klein
"In our latest interview with NetDevil, we speak with Darrin Klein, Art Director of the coming revamp for the original space simulation MMO, Jumpgate Evolution. We herd many oohs and ahhs over the sheer beauty of the visuals in NetDevil's planned revamp during a brief demo of the game at the recent Net Devil new site opening in Louisville, Colorado, and were excited to talk with Darrin about what kind of pains NetDevil is taking to restore NetDevil's first MMO to graphical prominence."
Vanguard: Bard Skills List Updated
"We have updated our list of Bard skills for levels 1-25. Included now are the instrument types!"
World of Warcraft: Patch 2.1.3 Direct Download
"We now have patch 2.1.3 available for direct download. By direct, we really mean it! No registration, no queues, no lines, no wait, and no other gimmick to make you wait! So hurry on, get the patch, and get right back into the game! The patch notes are also available, if you'd like to see what has changed!"

3. Hot Content

4. Real World News

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Thanks as always for visiting TenTonHammer.com

John "Boomjack" Hoskin

Last Updated: Mar 13, 2016

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