Virtual Anglers

Loading... is brought to you today by Dungeons and Dragons Online: Stormreach

Thanks to Skorpious of the Thunderhorn server I was pointed to a couple of movies depicting how to make a gold farmer's life a nightmare, well, more of a nightmare than living in China and playing World of Warcraft 20 hours per day. For first time readers, I would have a tougher time supporting gold farmers than Star Jones would have passing up an all-you-can-eat buffet. Unfortunately, ironically and unthinkably it is being hosted on a site that promotes gold farming. Insert boggle here. That said, I have contacted the guys who made it and offered to host it here, gold-free. I'm not positive that the guy being berated in the film is actually a gold farmer. It could just as easily be a player who just likes to solo (points at himself) and doesn't have any bind on pickup items. Nonetheless, the commentary in the movie is amusing, possibly because it is carried out with a British accent that would sound jocular no matter the circumstance. [Note: the movie is also hosted on FileFront. Go get it!]

On Friday I posted my top 10 list of most anticipated games. Thanks to the readers who posted publicly with their lists. I know how hard it is to come out of the MMOG anticipation closet, as apparently does Tom Cruise. Congratulations to the folks who took the first step by posting your lists in the comments of the Loading... blog. Thanks also to the dozen or so shy types who e-mailed me their lists. It was splendid to see The Chronicles of Spellborn in so many lists.

It's a long weekend here in Canada. This is what we call a "Civic" holiday, appaently named after a small car produced by Honda and driven by 72% of the Canadian population. Honda is a Japanese company and we all know that the Japanese love fish. In order to celebrate properly our family launched the boat and went in search of these elusive denizens of the deep, plying the waters of Lake Ontario like Roy Schneider and Richard Dreyfuss in Jaws. I'm expecting the normal barrage of requests for worms on hooks from kids as they reel in the tiniest perch and bass that one could imagine. Instead my son, holding on to a two-foot long "Tigger" fishing pole like a hobo would a ham sandwich hooks into a 13-pound freshwater drum. I was sure he had simply hooked the bottom until I heard the line go screeching out. In reels Tigger...out screeches the line. In reels Tigger again....out goes the line again. Luckily for us, the wonderful thing about Tiggers is that they are flouncy, bouncy, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun....and they don't give up. 20-25 minutes later he's reeling this huge (for our part of the lake) fish up to the boat. It was a great time!

Segway to fishing in video games. Why do people do it? I don't get it? I can't even come up with one reason to fish in a MMOG that sounds remotely like fun.

Are you a virtual angler? Enlighten me as to why!

Make your mark. Mark your territory. Post a comment. If you are shy you can E-Mail me.
Every good guild needs a home. A home free of gold ads, secondary market farmers. Look no further than GuildPortal.com.

Exclusive new TenTonHammer.com Content!
Let us entertain you or at the very least waste some of your time at work.08.07.2006 Exclusive Content Dungeons and Dragons Online : Patching It Up
"All games have growing pains. Some even start out in need of repair. Lady Sirse takes a look at Dungeons and Dragons Online to see what changes have come and gone in the game and if they have helped or not!" EverQuest 2: Game Update Of Terror
"Game (Live) Updates can be awfully terrifying, especially in the wake of major updates the shake the world of players everywhere! Savanja takes a walk through Game Update #26 to show everyone that not all GUs are scary!" EverQuest 2: Updates - Bane Or Blessing?
"There are many of us who love "patch day" around the forums, mainly because it brings forth all the angry posters we can poke at. What do these updates do, besides nerf and add content? Do they make the game better, and why does Kiara squeak when they mention new clothing options?" Vanguard: Saga of Heroes - When What's Missing Becomes What's Next
"Talk about patches and expansions--that's the common thread running through this Monday's content across the Ten Ton Hammer network. But since Vanguard: Saga of Heroes is still in development, Shayalyn has opted to talk about what's missing (or likely to be missing) from Vanguard at launch, and what might become the stuff of updates and expansion packs. Will Vanguard's developers, Sigil Games Online, hold a hard line in support of death penalties, corpse runs, group-centered play, and no instant travel? Shayalyn shares her best guesses. Oh, and if you've found a missing Berzerker, please take him to the Customer Service desk." Warhammer Online: Patching It Up
"Ratboy discusses the direction of Warhammer Online and its chances of surviving as a PvP-centric game in the current industry." World of Warcraft: PvP Survival Guide
"PvP servers provide a wealth of extra entertainment in the world of leveling up but at the same time can add unneeded frustration to the process. That's why we've compiled tons of tips and tricks to surviving player vs. player combat on the PvP servers. Never fall victim again to some Rogue improperly named Legolasee!" World of Warcraft: Where To Adventure Guide
"Continuing on my quest to update every entry in our where to adventure guide I come to the mid range zones and instances on Kalimdor. Today sees Ashenvale, Thousand Needles, Stonetalon Mountains, Blackfathom Depths and Razorfen Kraul updated." World of Warcraft: Patching It Up
"Game updates come and go, the heated debate of one patch slowly simmers down as the next update arrives onto player's plates. Each game update provides tons of new things for players to do, from new enemies to slay to new things to blame for someone's defeat. That's why this week we take a look at the various updates in World of Warcraft's history, highlighting the ups and downs of major update milestones." Vin Diesel Fact of the Day - Vin Diesel pities Mr. T. Now on to the real world. You can't make this stuff up. Voice Chat Comes To Online Games [Thanks Matt]
Next newsflash from Wired: You can play games on the Internet. Nation Of Cameroon Squats .com Space [Thanks Matt]
GNP quadruples thanks to Google Ads for v1AgarA and C1Al1s. Major Alaskan Oilfield Shutting Down [Thanks Matt]
Gas prices now expected to be higher than Courtney Love. Rabies Shots Urged For Girl Scouts [Thanks Matt]
Wild-eyed, foaming at the mouth, cookie-selling tots are coming to a neighbourhood near you. In Iraq It's Legal To Shoot Gays [Thanks Matt]
Suicide bombers await first showing of Brokeback Mountain.

As always, thanks for visiting TenTonHammer.com,
-- John "Boomjack" Hoskin

Loading... was brought to you today by Dungeons and Dragons Online: Stormreach

<br /> <script language="JavaScript" type="text/javascript"><br /> document.write('<a xhref="http://clk.atdmt.com/TUR/go/mstrgtur0040000044tur/direct/01/" mce_href="http://clk.atdmt.com/TUR/go/mstrgtur0040000044tur/direct/01/" target="_blank"><img xsrc="http://view.atdmt.com/TUR/view/mstrgtur0040000044tur/direct/01/" mce_src="http://view.atdmt.com/TUR/view/mstrgtur0040000044tur/direct/01/" /></a>');<br /> </script><noscript><a xhref="http://clk.atdmt.com/TUR/go/mstrgtur0040000044tur/direct/01/" mce_href="http://clk.atdmt.com/TUR/go/mstrgtur0040000044tur/direct/01/" target="_blank"><img border="0" xsrc="http://view.atdmt.com/TUR/view/mstrgtur0040000044tur/direct/01/" mce_src="http://view.atdmt.com/TUR/view/mstrgtur0040000044tur/direct/01/" /></a></noscript><br /> <script language="JavaScript" type="text/javascript"><br /> document.write('<a xhref="http://clk.atdmt.com/TUR/go/mstrgtur0040000044tur/direct/01/" mce_href="http://clk.atdmt.com/TUR/go/mstrgtur0040000044tur/direct/01/" target="_blank"><img xsrc="http://view.atdmt.com/TUR/view/mstrgtur0040000044tur/direct/01/" mce_src="http://view.atdmt.com/TUR/view/mstrgtur0040000044tur/direct/01/" /></a>');<br /> </script><noscript><a xhref="http://clk.atdmt.com/TUR/go/mstrgtur0040000044tur/direct/01/" mce_href="http://clk.atdmt.com/TUR/go/mstrgtur0040000044tur/direct/01/" target="_blank"><img border="0" xsrc="http://view.atdmt.com/TUR/view/mstrgtur0040000044tur/direct/01/" mce_src="http://view.atdmt.com/TUR/view/mstrgtur0040000044tur/direct/01/" /></a></noscript>