Author Archives: SynCaine

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About SynCaine

Former hardcore raider turned casual gamer.

Bounty Hunter: The perfect class for solo players?

Posted on April 9, 2009 by SynCaine

The concept of a mercenary guild or individual bounty hunter has always interested MMO fans. The idea of taking contracts from the highest bidder, hunting down a target, and returning to collect your reward is something many fans dream about … Continue reading →

Posted in MMO design, PvP, SW:TOR | 18 Comments

When the DarkFall devs put some bite behind their bark

Posted on April 9, 2009 by SynCaine

Even before launch, Aventurine made it very clear they have a zero tolerance policy concerning issues with cheating or exploiting. Most took this as the usual ‘zero tolerance’ statements made by MMO devs since 1997 and UO, but we are … Continue reading →

Posted in Darkfall Online, MMO design | 7 Comments

DarkFall: Some answers to common questions.

Posted on April 8, 2009 by SynCaine

With DarkFall being so different from the now traditional MMOs, its only natural people are going to have a lot of questions. Since I post about the game rather frequently here, I figured I might as well try and address … Continue reading →

Posted in Darkfall Online | 16 Comments

DarkFall: Skill counts.

Posted on April 6, 2009 by SynCaine

Sorry for the lack of posts lately, a nice combo of a week off and DarkFall will do that. Hopefully things will return to a more normal posting schedule, but no promises. DarkFall has remained my primary focus, far surpassing … Continue reading →

Posted in Darkfall Online | 27 Comments

The path to the mass market.

Posted on April 2, 2009 by SynCaine

It would seem that the only way to attract a mass-market audience is to go casual. A rather simple concept right? WoW is huge because it aims at casual MMO fans (whoever that is), the Wii is dominating because it … Continue reading →

Posted in MMO design, World of Warcraft | 22 Comments

WoW tourists are good for the MMO industry

Posted on April 1, 2009 by SynCaine

There you go, April Fools.

Posted in Uncategorized | 14 Comments

WAR alts update.

Posted on March 31, 2009 by SynCaine

Having just reached tier 2 on our Choppa and Black Orc alts, now would be a good time for some initial thoughts on our second trip through the WAR leveling game. Both classes are radically different than our two previous … Continue reading →

Posted in Warhammer Online | 13 Comments

DarkFall PvE screenshots

Posted on March 29, 2009 by SynCaine

While DarkFall is a PvP game first and foremost, even our very PvP-focused guild is not out ganking 24/7.  A few of our members were exploring recently, and found a new dungeon we had not seen before. Gathering a group … Continue reading →

Posted in Combat Systems, Darkfall Online, MMO design | 10 Comments

Guess what this post is about? (hint: tourists)

Posted on March 27, 2009 by SynCaine

A day after unsuccessfully going with “Without WoW WAR would not have sold 300,000 copies” and claiming that WoW tourists are actually good for the industry, Tobold today decides to go the “WoW is just that much better” route to … Continue reading →

Posted in EVE Online, Lord of the Rings Online, MMO design, PvP, RvR, Warhammer Online, World of Warcraft | 62 Comments

Taking the Crusade of the Miserable on tour

Posted on March 26, 2009 by SynCaine

In an effort to bring our Crusade of the Miserable to distant lands, six Inquisition members set out last night on a trip across the world to visit the humans. No one in our group had ever gone that far … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 37 Comments