Category Archives: Asheron’s Call

MMOs being niche, the non-issue?

Posted on November 12, 2010 by SynCaine

What hasn’t been conquered, still, is making alternate worlds accessible enough to broad audiences. Raph Koster over at his blog. I’d ask if this is really a problem that needs solving. I think this is one of the unfortunate side … Continue reading →

Posted in Asheron's Call, Darkfall Online, EQ2, EVE Online, Guild Wars, MMO design, SW:TOR, Ultima Online, Warhammer Online, World of Warcraft | 19 Comments

The more things change…

Posted on August 13, 2010 by SynCaine

Which list is longer: The differences between LotRO, WAR, and Aion, or the similarities between UO, EQ1, and AC1? It’s a rhetorical question of course, but highlights a point I was getting at yesterday, and relates to a post over … Continue reading →

Posted in Aion, Asheron's Call, Lord of the Rings Online, MMO design, Rant, Ultima Online, Warhammer Online, World of Warcraft | 23 Comments

Why all but 330k people should hate EVE

Posted on May 14, 2010 by SynCaine

I’m starting to really hate EVE Online. I’m starting to hate it because it makes all other MMOs look like crude kids toys, like silly side activities you dabble in before getting back to the ‘real’ game. It makes events … Continue reading →

Posted in Asheron's Call, Combat Systems, crafting, Darkfall Online, EVE Online, Guild Wars, MMO design, Rant, RMT, Site update, Ultima Online, Uncategorized, World of Warcraft | 36 Comments

PvP Systems: FFA vs Faction

Posted on March 26, 2010 by SynCaine

Coppertopper previously asked my opinion on FFA PvP versus set faction PvP, and today seems like a good day to throw out my opinions on the topic and also see what everyone else thinks. Examples of FFA PvP include Ultima … Continue reading →

Posted in Aion, Asheron's Call, Combat Systems, Dark Age of Camelot, Darkfall Online, EVE Online, MMO design, PvP, RvR, Ultima Online, Warhammer Online, World of Warcraft | 11 Comments

What is Realm Pride?

Posted on January 8, 2010 by SynCaine

In the land of MMO PvP setups, we know for sure that one style, freeform PvP, works. We also know that another style, pre-set PvP, has worked, but has also has a history of failure. The one major example of … Continue reading →

Posted in Aion, Asheron's Call, Combat Systems, Dark Age of Camelot, Darkfall Online, EVE Online, MMO design, PvP, RvR, Ultima Online, Warhammer Online, World of Warcraft | 28 Comments

DarkFall Community Publisher update

Posted on November 23, 2009 by SynCaine

With the DarkFall Community Publisher initiative a week old, here are some initial thoughts: The link itself gets clicked quite often here, more so (on average) than any other link. Whether this is due to placement, the link being an … Continue reading →

Posted in Asheron's Call, Darkfall Online, Mass Media, MMO design, Patch Notes, Site update, Ultima Online | 9 Comments

What’s that monthly fee really buying you?

Posted on October 9, 2009 by SynCaine

Two different yet related items have sparked this post about why we pay a monthly fee; the upcoming release of Cities XL and Tobold’s re-review of WoW. Cities XL because some are questioning why they would need to pay monthly … Continue reading →

Posted in Asheron's Call, Civilization Series, Console Gaming, Darkfall Online, EQ2, EVE Online, Lord of the Rings Online, MMO design, Patch Notes, Rant, Ultima Online, World of Warcraft | 36 Comments

Bring back the gimps!

Posted on July 7, 2009 by SynCaine

At some point during the transition from MMORPG to just MMO, the ability to create a ‘gimped’ character was removed. In UO you could hit the skill cap and have a horrible character. In AC you could spend all your … Continue reading →

Posted in Asheron's Call, DDO, Dungeons and Dragons Online, EVE Online, MMO design, Ultima Online, Warhammer Online, World of Warcraft | 30 Comments

WAR: The casual PvP MMO

Posted on June 4, 2009 by SynCaine

Playing WAR again after having played DarkFall is changing my mind about what WAR might be all about. Pre-release, WAR was being positioned as a great RvR game with a lot of great ideas. (ToK, PQs, Scenarios) While I think … Continue reading →

Posted in Asheron's Call, Combat Systems, Dark Age of Camelot, Darkfall Online, MMO design, PvP, RvR, Ultima Online, Warhammer Online, World of Warcraft | 23 Comments

Storms, tourist, and failure: The MMO market

Posted on February 6, 2009 by SynCaine

2009 is not 2004, yet after reading this post over at TAGN, it sure seems that way. Let’s define the environment WoW launched in first, because John’s recount seems to have forgotten a few minor details. 1) EQ2 launched just … Continue reading →

Posted in Asheron's Call, Console Gaming, Dark Age of Camelot, EQ2, Lord of the Rings Online, MMO design, Rant, Ultima Online, Warhammer Online, World of Warcraft | 49 Comments