Author Archives: SynCaine

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About SynCaine

Former hardcore raider turned casual gamer.

Darkfall: Unholy Wars – End of beta and the plan going forward

Posted on April 15, 2013 by SynCaine

Originally I was going to chronicle the DF:UW beta from day one to close, but a lot of what I had down no longer applies, and after re-reading it, it was honestly not that interesting. Instead, I’ll just type up … Continue reading →

Posted in beta, Combat Systems, Darkfall Online, Inquisition Clan, MMO design, PvP | 15 Comments

TESO looking great on all fronts!

Posted on April 15, 2013 by SynCaine

Darkfall post coming in a bit, but I need to post this first. The Elder Scrolls Online video leak disaster. The video has already been removed from Youtube (if someone has a working link, please post a comment), but the … Continue reading →

Posted in beta, Mass Media, The Elder Scrolls Online | 6 Comments

Camelot Unchained: Concerns based on MJ’s history

Posted on April 9, 2013 by SynCaine

As previously mentioned, the Camelot Unchained kickstarter is up and running, but as of now I’ve not contributed due to a few concerns that I want to cover today. First and foremost, the total removal of PvE raises some doubts. … Continue reading →

Posted in Camelot Unchained, Dark Age of Camelot, MMO design, PvP, Rant, RvR | 41 Comments

Darkfall: Unholy Wars is coming April 16th. Probably.

Posted on April 4, 2013 by SynCaine

Darkfall: Unholy Wars has a release date (again) – April 16th. More here when the NDA is down.  

Posted in Darkfall Online | 12 Comments

Going small

Posted on April 2, 2013 by SynCaine

Edit: Camelot Unchained kickstarter is live today, which is relevant to today’s topic. I’ve not donated yet, but more on that in a different post. After the WAR bubble burst, one of the many complaints was a lack of population … Continue reading →

Posted in Camelot Unchained, MMO design, Warhammer Online | 15 Comments

The Tortanic band is still playing everyone!

Posted on March 29, 2013 by SynCaine

There is a lot that can be said about this piece from Massively about SW:TOR, but it’s Friday so I’ll just get right to the good stuff: Based on BioWare’s pre-launch metrics, the team expected players to get through the … Continue reading →

Posted in Random, Rant, SW:TOR | 15 Comments

Devilish details

Posted on March 27, 2013 by SynCaine

Yesterday’s post got some interesting replies, not the least of which is this post over at KTR. It got me wondering if I just over-focus on some things, or if other MMO players don’t see them or don’t care about … Continue reading →

Posted in Asheron's Call, beta, Combat Systems, Darkfall Online, MMO design | 38 Comments

DF:UW – The brilliance of the prowess system

Posted on March 25, 2013 by SynCaine

The appeal of a “use and improve” system to character progression is easy to understand, in part because it mimics real life. Want to get better at something? Do it (practice). Unfortunately sometimes being ‘realistic’ does not work in the … Continue reading →

Posted in beta, Combat Systems, crafting, Darkfall Online, MMO design, PvP | 48 Comments

Eador: Masters of a Broken World pre-order

Posted on March 25, 2013 by SynCaine

If you like deep TBS, this will likely be the best $20 you spend this year. The title being available on GoG.com is a pretty sweet bonus as well.

Posted in Eador | Comments Off on Eador: Masters of a Broken World pre-order

Graphics creating gameplay

Posted on March 20, 2013 by SynCaine

I find this post from City State (Camelot Unchained) mostly on point. It’s a good read, and I want to focus on one line in particular: “There’s not a tradeoff between graphics and gameplay when the graphics are the gameplay.” … Continue reading →

Posted in Camelot Unchained, Darkfall Online, MMO design | 8 Comments