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TTH guide to the Bane weapons facility
So you find yourself at the 30-ish level in Tabula Rasa, and you feel like hitting the scum sucking Bane right where it hurts. Try bringing down the Casso Weapons Facility then, the Bane's primary manufacturing facility for Energy Weapons. Located on the planet Arieki in the southwestern region known as the Mires, this high priority military target is especially valuable to the Bane. Going Rambo on this place will benefit the AFS for some time.But doing so ain't easy, and having the assistance of TTH's eloquent Tabula Rasa guides (in this case their Energy Weapons Center Guide) will increase the odds for success. Some of the more interesting nuggets o' knowledge in this guide include the time needed to run the instance (less than an hour, half thatif you're running with a group full of barbarians). During the mission ("It's All In the Timing") given to you by Sgt. Wolfe you'll have to time your movement through a maze of Death Star-like plasma reactors, otherwise you'll roast like a marshmallow left over an open flame too long. Once you get the timing down though, you can draw the mindless Bane in and watch them get incinerated. Good stuff!For the whole briefing be sure to check out the guide, and help put a dent in the Bane's fight against humanity!
TTH guide to the Ojasa Colony
As with all of TenTonHammer's guides, the latest one for Tabula Rasa's Ojasa Colony (located on the planet Arieki) is an invaluable tool in taking on the nasty Atta. Each one is filled with helpful tidbits like navigations tips (The geography is basically four quasi-circular areas that are interconnected via tunnels) and combat tips (never crouch or stand still when fighting Atta up close. They have a nasty melee attack that can be avoided if you are always on the move) that will get you through the toughest missions.I've been hooked on TR since beta, and I was fortunate enough to score the world exclusive review for this epic, sci-fi MMO. The more time I put into the game the more I enjoy it. Thankfully, I'm also finding as more and more of these helpful guides are made, the more intrigued (some would say obsessed - semantics) I become by this game.These guides, usually created out of a fan's passion for a particular game, really epitomize what massive multiplayer games are all about - teaming up, cooperating and sharing... all for the greater good. TenTonHammer has a ton of guides for a plethora of games, so be sure to check them out if you need a helping hand.
TTH interviews April "CuppaJo" Burba - again
Ten Ton drops "the Hammer" on Tabula Rasa's Community Coordinator April "CuppaJo" Burba again, this time they bombard her with a slew of questions regarding what players can expect from the Bane bashing game in '08. April's very honest answers (a trademark from her CoH days) might shock and amaze you as she dazzles them with a lot of new information.For instance, she readily admits that TRs end game needs work and players need more of a reason to move beyond level 30. Ironically, she even fesses up about an issue that seems to be gaining some serious traction - not just in TR, but within the industry as a whole: players don't feel special enough. A host of PvP and Clan changes are being worked on. New areas on the TR website will be added where players can access competition ladders and compare their characters (i.e., see how many PvP kills a player has, how fast someone completed a mission, what kind of loot they have, and more). She states that attribute points need to be tweaked because the way a player currently specs out their character doesn't affect them as much as it should. Uh, can you believe a game official actually admitted to that? Additionally, the ethical choices that players are faced with (which I really enjoy) will become much more meaningful. We don't want to give everything away (like the juicy tidbit about an upcoming contest regarding something very special - oops!)... so before I spill all the beans, hop on over to TTH's latest Q&A already!
TTH resource-gathering guide: Lone-Lands
Compared to the last zone we examined in the TTH Lord of the Rings Online resource gathering series, for the bountiful Bree-Land, the Lone-Lands really fail to impress. In general, it's simply not a great place to do your harvesting. However, there are a few redeeming qualities that may cause you to visit the zone. For example, the Lone-Lands guide asserts that there is no better area in the game to get your medium hides than the back areas of Midgewater Pass. Also, the tier 3 resources here are widespread, and the zone is one of the main sources of these materials for lower level characters who can't go much further, but aren't having luck harvesting for them in earlier areas. To gleam what value you can out of this often frustrating area, check out the rest of the guide for the usual table and detailed look at individual portions of the zone.
TTH resource gathering guide: Bree-Land
In this next installment of TenTonHammer's Lord of the Rings Online resource collecting guides, the focus shifts to Bree-Land, which contains tier 1, 2 and even tier 3 materials. The guide informs us that Bree-Land is a veritable gold mine (so to speak) when it comes to finding tier 1 and 2 resources, but although it does contain some tier 3 nodes, it is best to think of these as a nice bonus rather than to visit the zone particularly to find them. There are once again some notes explaining different areas in-depth, but here are the real pro tips: for tier 2 resources, head to the Eastern Bree-Fields, and for tier 1, the Midgewater Marshes have what you need. Of course, on most resource runs you'll need to hit more than just a single area, especially when you're not the only one out there collecting, so check out the Bree-Land guide for another handy table and the rest of the hints for harvesting there.
TTH resource gathering guide: Ered Luin
Ahh, Ered Luin. Not a bad harvesting zone, not really a good one either -- just average. The next in the series of the Lord of the Rings Online resource guides at TenTonHammer examines the fairly ordinary Ered Luin. Although it doesn't really shine for any particular resource, if you happen to be there anyway (for example, if you're leveling a character there) there is no reason that you shouldn't know a little more about where to find what you're looking for.The guide's resource chart for Ered Luin shows that only one area scores an "Excellent" rating for any material, and that is Light Hides at the Vale of the Thrain. The Lowlands, north of Gondamon, also has a decent supply of Rowan wood. Apart from these exceptions, most other parts of the zone rate as "Fair" for each resource type -- but don't expect to find tier 2 materials in any great number. The full guide has some notes for each area, so take a look if you are thinking of hitting up Ered Luin for resources.
TTH features in-depth LotRO resource gathering guide for The Shire
There's an odd feeling of satisfaction that comes from a really productive resource-gathering run -- knowing that you've spent your time at maximum efficiency and have picked up what you need to break into a new tradeskill tier, and can retire to the crafting area for the simple combines. Well, TenTonHammer can help streamline this process, with a series of resource gathering tutorials for Lord of the Rings Online that joins their other guides, and we'll first have a look at The Shire.The guide is more than just fluff, with a resource chart that rates each area of The Shire's usefulness for any particular material that you wish to harvest. You will find both tier 1 and 2 resources in this zone, and the guide has a breakdown of various areas with some specific tips as well -- for example, Rushock Bog is supposedly the best place in The Shire to harvest ore, whereas the southern Shire areas are just very poor for resources in general, so steer clear. The full guide contains other tips that will fill your bags to the brim with useful materials in no time, so have a look before your next resource run.
Documentary shows our Second Skin
Ten Ton Hammer has posted part 1 of their great Q&A with the folks at Pure West Documentaries, the company behind Second Skin. What is Second Skin? A documentary film about us... the players of the very subject matter you come to Massively to read about. It's a film that tells the tale of real-life players - your co-workers, your wife, boss, or even the girl next door - living within the virtual worlds of MMOs as someone - or some thing - else.The interview asks a lot of very interesting questions and is absolutely worth the time to read. The film has been in the making for two years and was just recently finished. It's due to make it's debut at the South by Southwest Film Festival in March 2008. This is not a shockumentary or a slam film. The guys at Pure West are, like us, gamers who set out to put together a film that walks the tight rope between showing both the negative (of which we hear about all too often) and positive (which we hardly ever hear about) sides of this growing phenomena.Peter Schieffelin Brauer, producer of the film says: Certainly we hear a lot about the negative aspects. But I think one thing we found was really important was to really give both sides a voice. Of course, I'm a gamer, I care about the gamer's voice a lot more, but if I don't come out and acknowledge the other side, no one's going to listen to me.This statement in and of itself speaks to the legitimacy of the filmmakers. I know I'll be buying a ticket when this film hits my local metroplex.
Ten Ton Hammer Tabula Rasa Dev Forum Q&A #3
With all the new Tabula Rasa info released last week, Ten Ton Hammer jumped into the fray and gave their forum posters another opportunity to ask the TR folks questions about the future of this magnificent Sci-Fi MMO. Community Manager April "CuppaJo" Burba (former CommMan for NCsoft's other hit property, City of Heroes), came back with some rather intriguing answers. Of particular interest was the comment that for the foreseeable future every new patch will not only include bug fixes, but also some kind of new content (i.e., new areas). Another question posed was whether or not there had been any thought to given player's the ability to further customize their weapons by allowing them to paint them. Burba's reply was that it has been added to the "giant list of possible updates," but absolutely no time line was set for its release.For the rest of the Q&A check out the Ten Ton Hammer forums.
Age of Conan's Assassin class is stealthy, badass
Ten Ton Hammer has published the fourth in its series of "class interviews" with Funcom. Previously it spoke with the Age of Conan devs about the Dark Templar, the Guardian, and the Conqueror. This time it's the Assassin.You can read the interview for all the details, but the gist of it is: Asassins use stealth and quick bursts of high damage melee attacks in tandem with poison and debuffs to fell opponents quickly. As a counter-balance to their extraordinary offensive capabilities, they are very weak in terms of defenses. They wear thin silk armor because it allows them to move freely and silently.So the class is about 90% the same as the Rogue class in games like World of Warcraft. Unfortunately, "Assassins do it from behind" just doesn't have the same ring to it. Check out our Age of Conan interview and video footage, and our gallery of new artwork!
TTH posts a guide for crossers of the Trestlebridge
A few weeks ago, Ten Ton Hammer wrote up a guide to the quests of the Forsaken Inn - a level 15-25 hotspot in The Lord of the Rings Online. It was a good resource for players in that level range. After the Forsaken Inn, the two most common places to go are Ost Guruth and Trestlebridge. So it makes sense that TTH has chosen Trestlebridge as the spot for its next quest guide.Trestlebridge divides the wild and dangerous northern lands of the North Downs, Evendim, and even Angmar from the idyllic farm lands surrounding Bree. Put another way, it's where the bad guys start meaning business! The guide lists the rewards, objectives, and locations of every quest in the region. Next step: Esteldin!
Tabula Rasa soon to usher in the Holidays
In a hot from the front lines communique, the fine folks at TenTonHammer are reporting that Tabula Rasa's first holiday extravaganza is on the test server. The tone of the post suggests that Garriott and Company are trying to be politically correct as they head towards their first yearly holiday event. Maybe a little too PC perhaps? The event is being called a "Seasonal Holiday Observance." Note the use of the word "holiday" as opposed to any verbiage that directly connects it to "Christmas." Or is that their intent at all?We've seen this growing trend of calling Christmas something else in the United States in order to appeal to as many ethnic groups as possible. Frankly, I believe most of the time it's nothing more than pure marketing hogwash. In this case however it actually works because in the scheme of Tabula Rasa's fictional lore the last remnants of humanity is truly a conglomeration of whoever could make it off the planet before the vile Bane nuked into oblivion. It really is nothing more than a rag-tag group of humans where race, color, creed and religion have all become insignificant in the scheme of things (an alien invasion and total destruction of Earth).Furthermore, TenTonHammer reports the appearance of Festive Seasonal Holiday Observance Flora (not "Christmas" trees) throughout many of the zones (i.e. the Twin Pillars Outpost, Foreas Base, Gangus Outpost, and Fort Virgil to name a few). Plus, a one Sergeant Santa (very cute!) is tossing out Secular Head Dressings (not "Christmas" hats). No firm date has been given as to when we should expect to see the S.H.O. on live servers, but as stealthy as that ole Kris Kringle and his flying gift-giving mobile is... you'd be wise to keep an eye peeled to TR's website. It may drop at any moment.
Yo ho yo ho a Pirate's (of the Caribbean) life for me
Disney's free to download and play Pirates of the Caribbean Online launched with little to no fanfare; odd given the media-centric world we live in. Apparently, the lack of an advertising blitz was intentional. In an interview with Ten Ton Hammer, Disney Online VP Mike Goslin said they wanted it that way in order to be certain the game was in working order when the masses started pouring in. With the recent release to DVD of Disney's third PotC movie, and the Christmas season now in full swing, expect to see an explosion of ads enticing folks to come live the pirate life.Mike explained that Disney is devoted to making PotC Online a long term success for all ages, giving parents the peace of mind that their kids won't be exposed to malevolent oddities (the game is rated E10+) while not limiting things for older players. They appear to have succeeded since the game world is always rife with players. For parents, one controversial aspect might be the voodoo abilities. Goslin boils it down by saying that every pirate has access to them once players get hold of a voodoo doll or staff. Players must dart in and tag an enemy, then run out of melee range to use it by poking the doll, setting it on fire, etc. Having used voodoo myself, these powers play no differently than magic in WoW, and add a great deal of fun to the game.While hardcore gamers might shun this peglegged casual MMO - don't. I've been sailing the High Seas since beta, and PotC Online is a fantastically fun, easy to learn game that allows players to romp through the one of a kind world that Walt Disney created in 1967. If you were a child of that era like I was (I'm dating myself), long before the advent of digital, lifelike MMOs, amusement park rides such as Pirates of the Caribbean at Disneyland in Southern California was as close to "virtual reality" as we'd ever seen. The recent trilogy of movies expanded on that wonderful childhood experience, and the new online games serves to continue the same wide-eyed tradition. There appears to be a firm commitment to make this a solid, long running game. With a considerable amount of new content already planned for the year, and since free is free... right now is the perfect time to hop aboard. Arrr, matey!
TTH guides you through the Deeds of Evendim
Ten Ton Hammer's series of Deed guides for The Lord of the Rings Online continues with a guide to the Deeds of Evendim. Their guides to the North Downs, Ered Luin, and Angmar were all great, and this one's just as helpful.Titles you can earn in Evendim include Slayer of the Gauredain, Enemy of the Giants, Bane of the Kergrim, Keeper of Mysteries, and more. Of course you can get all sorts of helpful traits as well.Evendim was added to LotRO's world in Book 9 and is home to Annuminas, the former capitol of Arnor (the western sister to Gondor). Now it's populated by all sorts of unpleasant northern terrors such as the Gauredain.
Warhammer beta will resume any day now
An EA Mythic representative responded to complaints that the North American Beta Center for Warhammer Online is down, saying, "the Beta Center is currently down for maintenance getting it ready to go for when we kick Beta back into gear next month."He also said they'll be bringing in many new testers, and that as soon as that's done and "everything is in tip-top shape," the Warhammer Online beta will resume! So, if you're already in the beta, just sit tight; you'll be back in the RvR action any day now. If you've submitted a beta application but haven't been invited in so far, cross your fingers and keep an eye on that e-mail inbox! You might get some hands-on time with the game this coming month![Via Ten Ton Hammer]
Richard Bartle, Jessica Mulligan impart industry wisdom
There are few (if any) names more prestigious in the culture of online games development than those of Richard Bartle and Jessica Mulligan. Bartle was one of the original creators of MUDs (out of which MMORPGs were born), and is a leading theorist on the subject. Mulligan is also an experienced developer and consultant in the field. Both of them spoke at the 2007 EVE Online Fanfest, and Ten Ton Hammer pulled them aside for an interview.It would be impossible to list here all the interesting points they made in the two-page interview, of course, but topics worth highlighting included investor behavior and the problems the American industry faces with regards to finding and utilizing creative talent. If you're interested in the business side of the industry, it's worth a read.Both Bartle and Mulligan had a lot of praise for CCP and EVE Online. For example, Mulligan essentially said the future belongs to games like EVE that take chances and serve a medium-sized, more niche-like player-base, and Bartle suggested that CCP's next game could do very well.
Ten Ton Hammer demystifies the Forsaken Inn
If you're nearing level 20 in The Lord of the Rings Online, it will be nigh impossible to avoid spending some time with the Forsaken Inn as your base of operations. The inn's prominence in LotRO is surprising since it's a place that only appeared in a single line of the literature of J.R.R. Tolkien.Since every freep in all of Middle-earth inevitably spends at least a little time at the Forsaken Inn, Ten Ton Hammer decided it would be a great idea to catalog every single quest connected to the place. Their new Forsaken Inn Quest Guide not only lists all the quests, but their levels and objectives. In some cases, there's even information on how to complete the objectives.So if you're planning a journey down the Great East Road, the guide will be a good thing to bring with you.
Ten Ton Hammer's guide to EQ2's pantheon of deities
Both EverQuest and EverQuest II let players choose deities for their characters. This feature's primary purpose in the first EverQuest was facilitation of role-playing, but in EQ2 a player's choice of deity (a feature added in the Echoes of Faydwer expansion) has gameplay implications as well. It's a really cool idea which was born in the old text MUD days but which finds only rare application in modern games.For those who play EQ2 and want to explore Norrath's vast pantheon of deities, Ten Ton Hammer has a terrific guide. It lists all the deities with descriptions and lists of their alignments, the quests you can do in their names, and the miracles they'll grant you.Walk with Mithaniel Marr, my friend.
Lorebook entry looks at the heart of evil in LotRO
Carn Dûm -- the seat of evil in western Middle-earth. 'Twas in this fortress that the Witch-king of Angmar reigned as an oppressor of men, elves, dwarves, and hobbits alike until he was chased off by two heroes. It's home to evil men, orcs, trolls, and some evils that do not sleep. In other words, it's awesome, and you can read all about it in Turbine's new official Lorebook entry.Carn Dûm is one of the places that Turbine has expanded beyond what was contained in the books. While Angmar (of which Carn Dûm is a part) was, as the entry says, "only mentioned in passing in J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings," Turbine has filled in the gaps with their own bits of gameplay and lore in The Lord of the Rings Online. The entry also utilizes the Google-based map of Middle-earth that Jeffrey Steefel was talking about in the Ten Ton Hammer interview we covered yesterday.
Turbine talks Korean LotRO, Book 11, Book 12, and more
There's a lot of buzz going for The Lord of the Rings Online. Book 11 was recently released, and it was the game's biggest update so far. Book 12 is in the works. Most importantly from a big-picture standpoint, Turbine has secured deals to launch the game in the Korean and Chinese markets.Turbine's Jeffrey Steefel and Adam Mersky talk to Ten Ton Hammer about all these things and more in a new interview. The Korean launch looks like it might go very well, and it appears that Book 12 will be all about "customization." We've already picked up some details about new options for player housing, but that's only the beginning. Players will soon be able to change their characters' hair at a barber shop.Book 12 will also introduce some sort of system that will allow players to "maintain what they present outwardly to the other players and modify their stats in two different channels," meaning a player will have options if he or she really wants that new piece of armor that has great stats but that looks ridiculously out of place on his or her character.Cool! No details yet on how exactly that will work, though.
