BlizzCon 2008: Boomjack's Convention Impressions - Ten Ton Hammer

Cody Bye — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 14:25:06 -0400

Is there a price tag on fanaticism? What will a person spend to prove that they are a true fan? Without a doubt, that question can probably be answered by one of the 15,000 individuals that crowded into the Anaheim Convention Center this last weekend for BlizzCon 2008. Ten Ton Hammer's very own John "Boomjack" Hoskin was in the middle of that seething crowd, and he makes his own judgment on the entire event, which includes a dog-humping analogy. Intrigued? Read on!

BlizzCon stretches the full height, width and depth of the game fanaticism spectrum. 15,000 tickets at $100 each is 1.5 million dollars. The convention center, the setup staff, the equipment all the staff hours spent planning surely don't equate to that much, or do they? Perhaps they do, but even so, one astute fan who stood in line at the store for over two and a half hours deduced that if each person rolling through the store spent $100 that Blizz was receiving approximately $30,000 an hour from souvenir sales.

To read the rest of Boomjack's BlizzCon impressions, click here!

Ten Ton Hammer's WAR Guild of the Week: 10/13/08 - 10/17/08 - Ten Ton Hammer

Brokain — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 12:38:16 -0400

And with the 6th member, they created guild... and it was good

Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning has a little something for everyone. Public Quests, a solid story line, RvR that's getting some rave reviews, but even with all this it can become a bit tedious if you're all by yourself. This is where the importance of guilds come in. Guilds for many people are more than just a way to get better loot. They're an online group of friends that over time become more like a family than a guild. How do you choose a guild that's right for you though? To help you out with that, Ten Ton Hammer gives you the Guild of the Week! An overview of the many different guilds that make up WAR and make it great. Each week we'll feature a new guild and give you the information you need that will put you on the path to finding a guild that fits your playstyle and needs. This week, we introduce Calamitous Intent, Ten Ton Hammer's WAR Guild of the Week for 10/13/08 - 10/17/08.

Loading... It Ain't Opera - Ten Ton Hammer

Ethec — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 11:22:53 -0400

Loading... today brings you a new batch of Diablo III interviews and a hilarious opinion piece on the BlizzCon event - World of LineCraft - along with yet another improbable way of looking at last weekend's premier event.

This plus the usual daily goodness is all here in the latest edition of Loading... It Ain't Opera.

Diablo III Exclusive Video Dev Q&A: New D3 Questions - Ten Ton Hammer

Ethec — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 08:47:35 -0400

This Ten Ton Hammer video interview sees Ten Ton Hammer's Garrett Fuller asking a number of the general Diablo 3 questions we brought with us to BlizzCon 2008.

Lead World Designer Leonard Boyarsky and Production Director Ray Gresko tackle questions like where is Diablo 3 at in the development process, the new role of Tyrael (a guardian angel that defied heaven's mandate to stay out of human affairs in Diablo 2), and the concept of runic powers - runes which fit into
sockets to modify existing abilities.

Check out part one of our Diablo III video interview series from BlizzCon 2008, only at Ten Ton Hammer!

Diablo III Exclusive Video Dev Q&A: The Wizard Class - Ten Ton Hammer

Ethec — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 08:35:28 -0400

This Ten Ton Hammer video interview focuses on the single biggest Diablo 3 announcement of BlizzCon 2008, the Wizard class reveal. The spiritual successor to Diablo 2's sorceress, the wizard is the classic back-line nuker with a few surprising twists.

Lead World Designer Leonard Boyarsky discusses her compelling and distinct personality (as with all D3 classes) within the game, while Production Director Ray Gresko weighs in on her skills and abilities. See it all in The Wizard: Part 2 of our Diablo III video interview series!

BlizzCon 2008: WoW Classes Panel - Ten Ton Hammer

Xerin — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 06:03:35 -0400

Class changes inc!

There wouldn't be World of Warcraft if it wasn't for its nine (soon to be ten) classes. At BlizzCon '08 in sunny Anaheim, California Blizzard's Tom Chilton and Greg Street got together with the fans and told them what's coming for their favorite classes. We sat in on the panel and have brought back all of the juicy tidbits of knowledge. So if you play World of Warcraft then there is no reason for you not to read this. Find out whats happening to your class and everyone elses in the near future and why straight from Blizzard's mouth.

Runic Power is designed to let a Death Knight build up energy by using abilities and then unleash something cool. In the same light the various diseases that a Death Knight can use will act as a sort of pseudo combo point system. These mechanics allow the Death Knight to be a little bit unique and have somewhat of a different play style. It was mentioned that there will be a learning curve that makes the class easy to play but hard to master.

BlizzCon 2008: WoW Classes Panel is a must read.

WoW: PvP Changes in Patch 3.0.2 - Ten Ton Hammer

DarkFact — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 02:56:59 -0400

WoW: PvP Changes in Patch 3.0.2

We have added a new article, detailing all of the PvP changes that have happened with today's Patch, 3.0.2 - from Talent changes to new Arenas to new Honor items, and the end of Arena Season 4, visit our latest guide to see the full list of changes and how they affect World of Warcraft's PvP game!

You may have noticed that there are new items available for those who have been saving up their honor points. These items are some great options for those who have been on the fence of buying upgrades so they can level better, and come in the form of Trinkets and Capes for different Melee and Spellcasters

To view our latest article, click here!

To discuss this in our forums, click here!

WAR: Introduction to Keep Sieges & Battlefield Objectives - Ten Ton Hammer

mattlow — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 23:56:31 -0400

So you have played a few Scenarios and you have a basic understanding of your Class and your role in RvR, but you want more. You want to play with the big boys, you want open world PvP, and you want opposing players to wet their pants at the mere mention of your name. In short... you want to capture a Keep! Sounds great, but there is only one problem. You don't know how. Not to worry, future warlord. Ten Ton Hammer has you covered with our first look at Keeps and open world PvP in Warhammer. We have the tips and tricks to keep your assault from failing and how to defend your keep if it is under attack, be it from bloodthirsty gobbos or insurance salesmen!

In the first part of our two part article on Keep warfare, we will look at the basic strategy of Keep warfare and specifics for the offense in taking a Keep.

If you are not working on the Ram, stand back! Enemy players will be dropping Boiling Oil down on the Ram, if you aren't a Tank, you don't want to take that hit; it will kill you quickly. Stand back and man the Catapults or Ballista, and take out the Boiling Oil pot, or any other siege weapons the enemy is using against you. If you aren't manning any of the siege weapons, it's your job to keep enemy players and guards off the Ram, and Healers should heal anyone hurt from Boiling Oil.

Introduction to Keep Sieges & Battlefield Objectives

Stargate Worlds Closed Beta Combat Screenshots - Ten Ton Hammer

Cody Bye — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 22:44:59 -0400

Stargate Worlds has been a large focus here at Ten Ton Hammer over the last few weeks. With our Stargate Worlds beta key promotion running full force, the entire staff has been eager to see the latest media from this upcoming sci-fi game. On the eve of Closed Beta, Ten Ton Hammer is happy to showcase eight new screenshots from the combat of SGW. Enjoy!

You can view all the new Stargate Worlds screenshots by clicking here!

BlizzCon 2008: World of Linecraft - Ten Ton Hammer

Cody Bye — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 22:24:31 -0400

When you go to any sort of fan convention, you are almost always faced with a variety of lines. Want to listen to your favorite author speak? Wait in line. Trying to get to the bathroom? Wait in line. However, at BlizzCon 2008, those lines took on a life of their own. Ten Ton Hammer's Jay "Medeor" Johnson was right in the heart of it, and he's given us his own humorous take on this phenomena.

I should never underestimate a group of people that have the kind of fortitude to run the same instance one hundred times for a rare drop. Those same people got in line for the BlizzCon store when the doors opened. A few of my friends were nuts enough to PUG and jump into that line. Like a raid, it was two and a half hours later, and they emerged cranky and punch drunk, but piled high with BCon loot (I didn't tell them that they could get the same loot from the auction house/webstore).

You can read the rest of the BlizzCon editorial by clicking here!