Monthly Archives: February 2008

Sandbox or Theme Park?

Posted on February 13, 2008 by SynCaine

During the recent posts about stories in MMOs, the topic of sandbox vs theme park MMOs came up, which got me thinking on which style I prefer and why. The first MMO that I played heavily was Ultima Online back … Continue reading →

Posted in EVE Online, MMO design, PvP, Ultima Online, World of Warcraft | 14 Comments

Less can be more; how Warhammer Online could benefit from fewer class options.

Posted on February 12, 2008 by SynCaine

News that Warhammer online might not ship with all classes ready to go at release is making the rounds, which got me thinking about the possible impact that might have on the game. As most know the current system is … Continue reading →

Posted in Combat Systems, MMO design, PvP, Warhammer Online, World of Warcraft | 1 Comment

Stories in our MMOs.

Posted on February 11, 2008 by SynCaine

Scott over at Pumping Irony (great name btw) has a post about storytelling in MMOs and why they generally fail. He breaks down the current problems, mostly that character development is really just attribute development, which I fully agree with. … Continue reading →

Posted in EVE Online, MMO design, The Witcher, Ultima Online, World of Warcraft | 3 Comments

The value of the blogging community.

Posted on February 11, 2008 by SynCaine

Darren made a nice plea over at his site for bloggers to get into the WAR beta, or at the very least Keen. I support that (both the bloggers part and the Keen part), and can’t really come up with … Continue reading →

Posted in Blogroll, EQ2, Pirates of the Burning Sea, Podcast, Site update | 7 Comments

Research might help

Posted on February 8, 2008 by SynCaine

It seems I’m a bit late to address this, but I think it’s important enough to talk about it here, late or not. A few days ago a Wired blog written by Earnest Cavalli commented on the January video clip … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 11 Comments

Back in the day…

Posted on February 7, 2008 by SynCaine

A quick but important note today, one that is long overdue. If you have never read WTFman.com, do yourself a favor and head on over. While I don’t agree with the site on all points, I still find it a … Continue reading →

Posted in PvP, Random, Ultima Online | Comments Off on Back in the day…

Collision Detection, a key to smart PvP?

Posted on February 5, 2008 by SynCaine

Ha, and just as I hit the ‘post’ button, something that I have been meaning to talk about pops into my head. Funny how that works… A long time ago, Mythic announced that Warhammer Online will feature collision detection. Now … Continue reading →

Posted in Combat Systems, MMO design, PvP, The Witcher, Warhammer Online | 12 Comments

Less RL, more MMO time please.

Posted on February 5, 2008 by SynCaine

It seems to be a slow day in the blog world date. Not much to entertain me, resulting in not much to entertain you, oh faithful readers. My gaming time has been randomly limited of late, and what time I … Continue reading →

Posted in EVE Online, PvP, The Witcher, World of Warcraft | 1 Comment

Because WSG games need to be a bit longer.

Posted on February 4, 2008 by SynCaine

From the PvP masterminds over at Blizzard: We’ve reached a point where we’re now confident that applying diminishing returns to honor is no longer necessary, and we’re currently planning to remove it with the 2.4 patch. Basically what they are … Continue reading →

Posted in PvP, World of Warcraft | 17 Comments

Podcasts for all!

Posted on February 4, 2008 by SynCaine

Both Witty Banter 2 (not to be confused with Witty Ranter, as some are known to do…) and SUWT 19 are up. Witty Banter is the previously mentioned podcast that I was a part of. SUWT 19 talks about two … Continue reading →

Posted in Podcast | Comments Off on Podcasts for all!