Author Archives: SynCaine

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About SynCaine

Former hardcore raider turned casual gamer.

Options vs Momentum

Posted on June 13, 2011 by SynCaine

Whenever P2P vs F2P models get debated, the F2P crowd likes to point to the fact that most people will only pay one monthly sub at a time, which greatly limits how many games one can play in a given … Continue reading →

Posted in MMO design, Random, Rant, RMT | 5 Comments

Oh Bobby, you dumb gamer-hating puppet

Posted on June 9, 2011 by SynCaine

Linking to this because it’s hilarious. Only thing better would have been for the EA rep to inform Bobby’s aid that the BF3 demo is for gamers only, and that he is not ‘elite’ enough to see it. Sell that … Continue reading →

Posted in Mass Media, Random, Rant | 20 Comments

Tarnished brilliance

Posted on June 9, 2011 by SynCaine

I’ve written about this before, but for some strange reason (solar flare?) it’s on my mind again today, so here we go. I hate Atlantica Online. I mean I hate it in that “I love you, I hate you, oh … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantica Online, Combat Systems, MMO design, PvP, Rant, RMT | 11 Comments

Rift: How bad is the PvP?

Posted on June 8, 2011 by SynCaine

Rift PvP is bad. I don’t know if it’s historically “all time” bad, but it’s at least close. It has, more or less, nothing going for it. The warfronts are meh, the balance is off, and the entire end-game aspect … Continue reading →

Posted in Combat Systems, MMO design, PvP, Rift | 29 Comments

Rift: Today and tomorrow

Posted on June 7, 2011 by SynCaine

The release of the 1.3 update trailer seems like a pretty good time to give everyone here an update on my status with Rift, and the plans going forward. The 1.2 update, quite simply, killed 5 man dungeons for Inquisition. … Continue reading →

Posted in crafting, Darkfall Online, Inquisition Clan, MMO design, Patch Notes, Rift | 19 Comments

M&B:W PoP army issue

Posted on June 6, 2011 by SynCaine

I’ve been playing a good amount of Mount and Blade: Warband (PoP mod) lately, especially with the newest version of PoP having fixed my last crashing issue. The game is pretty damn epic with everything maxed out, battle size set … Continue reading →

Posted in Mount and Blade: Warband, Random, SW:TOR | 3 Comments

Consensual murder

Posted on June 3, 2011 by SynCaine

Is killing someone in a FFA PvP MMO a malicious act? Eliot Lefebvre’s Daily Grind post today asks if FFA PvP is a dealbreak in an MMO for people, and not surprisingly for most it is, but that one line … Continue reading →

Posted in Combat Systems, Darkfall Online, EVE Online, Mass Media, PvP, Ultima Online | 11 Comments

Delicious red drops of MMO community goodness

Posted on June 2, 2011 by SynCaine

What I object to is that in EVE the players with all the advantages are the leeches who pay nothing. In the F2P model the people who pay at least get some advantages over the people who leech. – Tobold … Continue reading →

Posted in Blogroll, EVE Online, MMO design, Rant, RMT, World of Warcraft | 24 Comments

The Settlers 7 review

Posted on May 31, 2011 by SynCaine

Last week I picked up The Settlers 7 when it was on sale from Steam. I think the sale dropped it down to $25 or so. Right as I hit buy I felt a bit of regret, as I was … Continue reading →

Posted in Random | 5 Comments

EVE explained, again, this time with vanity items included!

Posted on May 31, 2011 by SynCaine

I’ll give people that EVE is a complex game compared to other MMOs. But man, is it really that difficult to understand? It might be a game about spaceships, but it appears that some consider the mechanics on par with … Continue reading →

Posted in EVE Online, Lord of the Rings Online, MMO design, PvP, RMT | 25 Comments