Category Archives: Dark Age of Camelot

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

MMO growth after release in the post-WoW market

Posted on February 5, 2009 by SynCaine

Whenever you debate a topic concerning MMOs, it’s a safe bet someone is going to bring up EVE and show you a counter-example to whatever you are trying to say. Impact PvP does not work: EVE. Complex economies are impossible … Continue reading →

Posted in Dark Age of Camelot, DDO, EQ2, EVE Online, Lord of the Rings Online, MMO design, Ultima Online, Warhammer Online, World of Warcraft | 19 Comments

300k, has Mythic pulled a Failcom and Flagshipped WAR?

Posted on February 4, 2009 by SynCaine

Remember back in the summer of 2008 we were all making WAR subscriber predictions, and we figured they would be in the range of 1-100 million, depending on how high your fanboy rating was? Everyone reasoned that if WoW can … Continue reading →

Posted in Age of Conan, Dark Age of Camelot, EQ2, EVE Online, Lord of the Rings Online, Warhammer Online, World of Warcraft | 29 Comments

Bashing some 40s: the role of scenarios in WAR.

Posted on January 6, 2009 by SynCaine

With the holiday season over, things are getting back to normal with WAR, specifically meaning more CoW members are back online. While overall WAR is a great MMO, it’s very average when played solo for extended periods of time, so … Continue reading →

Posted in Dark Age of Camelot, MMO design, PvP, RvR, Warhammer Online | 9 Comments

Darkness Falls in Warhammer, full map inside!

Posted on December 23, 2008 by SynCaine

The idea of adding a Darkness Falls(DF)-like dungeon to Warhammer Online has been floating around since beta, and has even been hinted at by Mythic themselves. DF was a HUGE success in Dark Age of Camelot, and combined PvE and … Continue reading →

Posted in Dark Age of Camelot, MMO design, RvR, Warhammer Online | 11 Comments

2008 sure looks a lot like 2004 in MMO land.

Posted on October 20, 2008 by SynCaine

If you were given a budget of $500 million, a proven veteran dev team, a stable and established engine, 4+ years, and the worlds largest feedback group; what kind of MMO could you make? Would your list of highlights include … Continue reading →

Posted in Age of Conan, Combat Systems, Dark Age of Camelot, EQ2, EVE Online, Housing, MMO design, PvP, Rant, RvR, Warhammer Online, World of Warcraft | 27 Comments

“Dude, that game is so 2004”, and other WAR comments.

Posted on September 8, 2008 by SynCaine

Reading some of the early Open Beta feedback, one thing struck me as a bit curious, and I wanted to write about it here in the hopes that someone can explain it to me. Why is 2008 so different from … Continue reading →

Posted in Age of Conan, beta, Combat Systems, Dark Age of Camelot, EQ2, MMO design, PvP, Ultima Online, Warhammer Online, World of Warcraft | 21 Comments

Not WoW burnout, MMO burnout.

Posted on August 26, 2008 by SynCaine

Darren has released Shut Up. We’re Talking #32, and the podcast focuses on Warhammer Online and the recent back and forth debate about the game and its place in MMO land. It’s a great show and well worth a listen. … Continue reading →

Posted in Combat Systems, Console Gaming, Dark Age of Camelot, MMO design, Podcast, Warhammer Online, World of Warcraft | 21 Comments

End-game content is not the ONLY content.

Posted on July 30, 2008 by SynCaine

Tobold, MMOCrunch and Random Battle are three blogs which have recently talked about solo vs group play in an MMO, and everyone brings some good points to the table. One major issue during the leveling process is that far too … Continue reading →

Posted in Age of Conan, Asheron's Call, Dark Age of Camelot, Lord of the Rings Online, MMO design, PvP, Ultima Online, Warhammer Online, World of Warcraft | 12 Comments