Author Archives: SynCaine

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About SynCaine

Former hardcore raider turned casual gamer.

DDO: Too fast?

Posted on October 22, 2009 by SynCaine

Am I the only one who thinks DDO would be a better game if everything inside a dungeon was at 50% speed? I think they have a great combat system, one that is both a little action hack-n-slash and also … Continue reading →

Posted in Combat Systems, DDO, MMO design | 13 Comments

Shocking! Asian grind game is grindy

Posted on October 21, 2009 by SynCaine

This is rather amussing. Damn NCSoft for tricking everyone into believe this Asian import with a year+ record of well documented grinding would be a grind. Those bastards. (Bonus points for kicking those with high-end rigs in the nuts once … Continue reading →

Posted in Aion, beta | 15 Comments

More DarkFall expansion details

Posted on October 21, 2009 by SynCaine

The bad news about the next DarkFall expansion/patch is that is has been delayed until mid-November. The good news is we have some more info about what it will contain. Clicky here to read the Spotlight piece and all the … Continue reading →

Posted in Combat Systems, crafting, Darkfall Online, MMO design, Patch Notes | 3 Comments

Dealing with the undesirables of any MMO community.

Posted on October 20, 2009 by SynCaine

Yesterday’s post was about the theory/dream of a persistent world with a reactive ecosystem, among other features. One of the very valid arguments against this setup is the possibility of the players themselves not playing nice and ruining everything. It’s … Continue reading →

Posted in MMO design | 42 Comments

What the MMORPG genre could (and should) be.

Posted on October 19, 2009 by SynCaine

Last Friday’s post, and the links in the comments to Raph Koster’s posts (here, here, and here) (Thanks Brian) about the old Ultima Online eco system have sparked some old memories of what got me interested in the MMORPG genre … Continue reading →

Posted in Combat Systems, crafting, Darkfall Online, EVE Online, Housing, MMO design, Rant, Ultima Online, World of Warcraft | 64 Comments

What buying Aion says about you

Posted on October 16, 2009 by SynCaine

The MMO genre has many unique aspects that separate it from other gaming genres, with perhaps the ability of fans to shape future content being among the greatest. Everyone has at least some idea of their perfect game, and while … Continue reading →

Posted in Aion, beta, Darkfall Online, EVE Online, MMO design, Rant, Ultima Online, World of Warcraft | 51 Comments

Get to know Aventurine

Posted on October 15, 2009 by SynCaine

Aventurine has launched their company website, and it’s actually worth taking a look at. From the initial page, with it’s “slow for the short bus kids” statements, to the different pictures of DarkFall-branded sports cars, to gems like: Note: It’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Darkfall Online, Mass Media, MMO design, Random, Site update | 1 Comment

DarkFall: Attack on Aradoth

Posted on October 14, 2009 by SynCaine

DarkFall is really testing my writing ability lately, as it’s getting harder and harder to write posts without just typing “it was awesome” over and over. For the good of the blogosphere, I’ll try my best yet again today. After … Continue reading →

Posted in Combat Systems, Darkfall Online, PvP | 6 Comments

MMO fluff: What is it?

Posted on October 13, 2009 by SynCaine

One of the more common complaints about DarkFall from the players actually playing the game is the lack of ‘fluff’ content, and the upcoming expansion may seek to address this. One question I have is what exactly is fluff in … Continue reading →

Posted in crafting, Darkfall Online, EVE Online, Housing, MMO design, Patch Notes, PvP, Ultima Online, World of Warcraft | 22 Comments

Science proves why DarkFall > WoW.

Posted on October 12, 2009 by SynCaine

Science talks about videogames and how they might affect your brain. The TLDR version as provided by my fiancé: WoW = easy = dumb brain DarkFall = hard = smart brain She’s a keeper.

Posted in Console Gaming, Darkfall Online, Mass Media, MMO design, Random, World of Warcraft | 6 Comments