Author Archives: SynCaine

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About SynCaine

Former hardcore raider turned casual gamer.

A message for Tobold

Posted on January 23, 2009 by SynCaine

Dear Tobold, If you make one more QQ post, I will be forced to cancel my account and stop reading your blog. I did not sign up to read about your emotions or personal opinions, I just want (whatever the … Continue reading →

Posted in Blogroll, Random, Rant | 5 Comments

Man, I’m glad I’m not playing THAT game.

Posted on January 22, 2009 by SynCaine

Dear Warhammer fans, We know the recent patch was a bit of a letdown, but please let us explain. We have a lot going on around here, and we are still new to this MMO thing. We also don’t have … Continue reading →

Posted in Patch Notes, Rant, World of Warcraft | 19 Comments

Slayers, Darkness Falls, and other ‘big news’ for Warhammer Online.

Posted on January 20, 2009 by SynCaine

There is a lot of news and information concerning Warhammer Online right now, and I’m not quite sure what to comment on. Now that the ‘new game’ shine has worn off, I can’t help but think what WAR will be … Continue reading →

Posted in MMO design, RvR, Warhammer Online | 7 Comments

WoW tourists attack DarkFall.

Posted on January 15, 2009 by SynCaine

Let’s pretend this press release about Darkfall is being honest, and not just painting a delay in a positive light. I know, it’s a stretch, but “zomg vaporware lulz” posts have been done and bring little to the table. Thanks … Continue reading →

Posted in beta, Darkfall Online, Rant, World of Warcraft | 24 Comments

The endless sandbox vs the safe theme park.

Posted on January 14, 2009 by SynCaine

MMOs are designed without a ‘game over’ screen, and one of the major appeals of the genre is that the player, rather than the game, determines when you are done. No matter how much you loved Final Fantasy 7, at … Continue reading →

Posted in EVE Online, MMO design, Ultima Online, World of Warcraft | 31 Comments

Blogging meh, and should Mythic stop listening to you?

Posted on January 13, 2009 by SynCaine

RL is kicking my ass lately, can’t exactly focus fully on a blog post. I’ve written about five different posts today, all which have been scrapped due to them not exactly saying much of anything. The one that came closest … Continue reading →

Posted in beta, Site update, Warhammer Online | 11 Comments

DIKU defined, the old formula for an MMO.

Posted on January 12, 2009 by SynCaine

Raph Koster has an amazing write-up of what defines a DIKU mud, and how some of the bigger MMOs (EQ, WoW) are direct descendents. My first limited experience with an MMO was Neverwinter Nights on AOL, and my first true … Continue reading →

Posted in Asheron's Call, Combat Systems, Darkfall Online, EVE Online, MMO design, PvP, Ultima Online, Warhammer Online, World of Warcraft | 3 Comments

A few more Atlantica Online design discussion points.

Posted on January 12, 2009 by SynCaine

I want to follow up on my previous post about Atlantica Online and some of the good things it does, as there are indeed a few more systems I think are worth pointing out. I’m currently level 52 in AO, … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantica Online, MMO design, Warhammer Online, World of Warcraft | 18 Comments

The details make the game, why Atlantica Online keeps the grind interesting.

Posted on January 9, 2009 by SynCaine

One of the main reasons I keep playing Atlantica Online is that the game is constantly surprising me. I really was not expecting much from AO when I downloaded it, and I think those low expectations have actually allowed me … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantica Online, MMO design | 20 Comments

WotLK to level 100?

Posted on January 8, 2009 by SynCaine

I might be way off base here (not the first time), but am I the only one who thinks Blizzard would be better off focusing on a leveling game rather than an end-game with WoW? Reading forums and blogs, I … Continue reading →

Posted in MMO design, World of Warcraft | 19 Comments