Author Archives: SynCaine

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About SynCaine

Former hardcore raider turned casual gamer.

GW2: Pre-80 vs post-80

Posted on September 26, 2012 by SynCaine

How can you spot if someone has reached the level cap in GW2? Ask if they still like the game. While for some time now themeparks have been two different games, the leveling aspect and the ‘end-game’, the change in … Continue reading →

Posted in Guild Wars, MMO design, Rant | 51 Comments

EVE: Learning curve

Posted on September 25, 2012 by SynCaine

The above is a little old (PotBS…) but is still often used. EVE, compared to most MMOs, is indeed a tough game to get into and stick with. However in terms of tutorials and explaining the basics of a very … Continue reading →

Posted in EVE Online, MMO design | 23 Comments

UO turns 15

Posted on September 25, 2012 by SynCaine

Good read from Raph about the early days of UO, which recently turned 15 years old. Which is likely older than the average age of today’s WoW players. Which is scary in many ways.

Posted in Ultima Online, World of Warcraft | Comments Off on UO turns 15

GW2: One step forward, two steps back for the genre

Posted on September 24, 2012 by SynCaine

Keen has a report card out for GW2, and while I think the grades are a bit high, I agree overall with his assessment. In short, GW2 is a good game, but a month in its pretty clear GW2 is … Continue reading →

Posted in Combat Systems, Guild Wars, MMO design, PvP, Rant, RMT, RvR | 65 Comments

GW2: End-game woes

Posted on September 21, 2012 by SynCaine

Remember that ultra-casual MMO that just came out? Hey turns out more people queue up for the PvP in that game than the number of people who raided in WoW (by % of the population). Who could have predicted that? … Continue reading →

Posted in Guild Wars, PvP, Rant | 36 Comments

DF:UW – Totally fresh

Posted on September 19, 2012 by SynCaine

Let’s assume AV does not hold any kind of beta for DF:UW. This would mean that everyone would be blind on day one of go-live in terms of locations, tactics, builds, and just general game info. The mass confusion and … Continue reading →

Posted in beta, Darkfall Online | 8 Comments

Darkfall Unholy War: The what and the why

Posted on September 19, 2012 by SynCaine

It would seem the recent Darkfall: Unholy War (DF:UW) announcement has caused some confusion, so consider this my public service in attempting to clear some things up. Note that most of this is just personal speculation based on what AV … Continue reading →

Posted in beta, Combat Systems, Darkfall Online, MMO design, PvP | 5 Comments

GW2: Another voice of the WvW problems

Posted on September 18, 2012 by SynCaine

INQ co-leader Maggnus wrote a good post on the current WvW problems. I agree 100%.

Posted in Guild Wars, MMO design, PvP | 9 Comments

DarkFall 2 is actually going to happen?

Posted on September 18, 2012 by SynCaine

Save me from the meh AV, save me. Second honeymoon to Greece time! PS: Tasos looking jacked huh?

Posted in Darkfall Online | 22 Comments

GW2: Broken Jack of Trades

Posted on September 17, 2012 by SynCaine

GW2 has a serious identity crisis. Is it an ultra-casual MMO that rewards everyone for everything? Is it an e-sport title for competitive 5v5 teams? Is it an updated DAoC focused on RvR? Is it a WoW clone, or the … Continue reading →

Posted in Combat Systems, crafting, Guild Wars, MMO design, PvP, Rant, RMT | 15 Comments