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World of Warcraft Adding Faction Change Option2009-09-26 00:00:00Blizzard is preparing "a new service" that will allow World of Warcraft players to change their character's faction from Alliance to Horde or vice versa, the developer has revealed.
"The basic idea is that players will be able to use the service to transform an existing character into a roughly equivalent character of the opposing faction on the same realm," the studio wrote, noting "there's still much work to do and many details to iron out."
"Players who ended up creating and leveling up characters on the opposite factions from their friends have been ask...
China's The9 boosts staff at Beijing branch2009-09-23 00:00:00By Sophie Taylor
SHANGHAI, July 11 (Reuters) - Major Chinese online game operator The9 Ltd. (NCTY.O) hopes to more than triple staff at its Beijing branch by the end of the year, its chief executive said on Wednesday, to meet strong demand for its games.
The9, which has 1,200 staff in Shanghai, aims to build up its team in the recently established Beijing to focus on operations, Zhu Jun told Reuters in an interview on the sidelines of ChinaJoy, China's biggest video game conference.
"In Beijing we currently have about 30-40 people there, by the end of the year we hope to have 200 people," said Zhu.
The9, which competes with NetEase.com (NTES.O) and Shanda Interactive Entertainment (SNDA.O), distributes and operates the popular "World of Warcraft" in China for Blizzard Entertainment, a division of Vivendi Games that is in turn a unit of French media giant Vivendi (VIV.PA).
The9 also licenses titles such as "H...
Trogdor The Banninator2009-09-19 00:00:00Welcome to the 601st Edition of Loading... If you aren't reading this in your e-mail, you could be. Sign up.
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Are you looking for the latest industry headlines? Look no further.
Daily Column
New MMOG Articles at TenTonHammer Today
Hot Content
Real World News - You Can't Make This Up
1. Daily Column
Conspiracy theorists, tinfoil hat wearers and religious zealots will intrigued to know that our announcement of the Vanguard server mergers is the 666th article to be posted on our Vanguard site.
Yesterday I touched on micro-payments versus monthly subscriptions. A number of people weighed in via the blog comment and as always seems to be the case the introverted crowd that you are filled my inbox with opinions.
Developers don't write to me. They write to Garrett. Here is what he received.
"It will greatly affect the MMO market in the years to come. As most all western MMO games today are designed to cater for monthly subscriptions you will from now on see more and more games created to cater for virtual item sales. This will mean direct integration into the games themselves, different gameplay structure, different distribution structure and by changing that, exposing the users to a different kind of experience. It seems the trend is quite clear in Asia, that this is the direction it will and must go, and now it also seems more and more western companies are ready to pick up the ball. We have some interesting years ahead, that is for sure;)" -Jrgen Tharaldsen, Product Director - Funcom
Funcom are the folks behind Age of Conan, DreamFall and Anarchy Online.
There is still time to make your voice heard...or your words read.
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It shouldn't be a secret that I believe the secondary market is a problem for games like World of Warcraft and EverQuest 2. A blogger who I have never bumped into before has an interesting article up with a Gold Farmer that is feeling the hurt after the recent WoW bannings. Go Blizz.. ban 'em all.
You can read the interview here.
Comment in the blog (now with direct link goodness) or email me directly.
2. New MMOG Articles At Ten Ton Hammer Today
Blog: Clutch Time"Ralsu brings us an extended metaphor linking the importance of SOE's execution with server merges to baseball."
Blog: Of Conflicting Super Heroes"Cryptic Studios is currently working on two MMOGs in the same genre, City of Heroes and Marvel Universe Online. Will the studio be able to keep both titles afloat ...
Why Buy a WOW Character?2009-09-17 00:00:00There are a number of reasons to buy WOW characters instead of starting at level one and trying to level up on your own. While playing World of Warcraft is very fun, the first level can be very boring and tedious. Even after you make it to a decent level, the odds that you will have a great set of armor or weapons will be slim. If you want to avoid all the tediousness of the World of Warcraft and just get down to playing the game the way it was meant to be played you should buy World or Warcraft accounts.
Here are some of the things people consider when deciding to buy a WOW character:
1) Look to buy a WOW character that comes with epic weapons. These are hard to get in game and if you buy a WOW character with an epic weapon it is much easier.
2) Buy WOW characters with a full set of armor. If a characte...
World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King Announced2009-09-11 00:00:00World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King has been announced as the second World of Warcraft expansion pack at this year's BlizzCon.
The new expansion will be set in Northrend, a harsh and frozen continent under the sway of the Lich King, an undead demigod created when its spirit merged with the human betrayer Arthas Menethil. The Howling Fjord, in south-east Northrend, will be the expansion's first zone,...
Tips for Winning World of Warcraft's Stranglethorn Vale Fishing Extravaganza2009-09-07 00:00:00One of the first things that most Protection Paladins acquire in their quest to become well geared is the Libram of Repentance. This Libram, available from the original Badge of Justice vendor in Shattrath for 15 Badges, provides approximately 5.3% chance to block when Holy Shield is activated.
For a fresh level 70, this is a huge boost to a Tankadin's avoidance. While gearing up to tank bosses in Karazhan and beyond, this is almost a necessity if you want to reach Uncrushable status.
There are, however, times that this Libram becomes less useful. Let's explore a few situations and see whether another Libram would serve you better.
Tanking Karazhan for the First Time
Let's sa...
How to Get a Cheap Website For Your Business2009-09-03 00:00:00Back around 2000 during the frothy days of the internet bubble, I had a friend who paid some freewheeling young geeks over a thousand dollars to produce a nonfunctioning internet commerce, website. The website never made it online. It was a common tale, shared by businesses that were desperate to join the internet revolution. Those days are long gone! For the millions of businesses that don't already have a website, now is the perfect time to get a cheap website. Websites are Cheaper Than Ever Websites are cheaper than ever. There are ads on Craigslist for companies that produce websites - starting at around $199.00. For that price the web designer, will quickly insert text and photos onto a pre-made template. A good template can give the website a clean professional look. If you need original art work, graphics, copy, or internet commerce, the cost will be higher. Most of these companies are small yet legitimate website designers. Check out their client lists, testimonials, and website samples, before hiring anyone. Considering the high cost of print ads, and the low monthly cost of maintaining your site, once it has been created, it's definitely a bargain.
Supplement Your Print Ads
Use your website to supplement your print ads. I've seen too many websites that use the exact same copy the company used in their print ads. They are not taking advantage of the unlimited space available on websites. Now that you're fre...
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