Category Archives: Housing

It’s now officially an expansion.

Posted on November 10, 2009 by SynCaine

Each Spotlight post on the DarkFall forums about the upcoming expansion (it’s now officially an expansion in my mind, given the bat-shit crazy amount of stuff included. I know MMO games with shorter feature lists than what has been mentioned … Continue reading →

Posted in Combat Systems, crafting, Darkfall Online, Housing, MMO design, Patch Notes, Ultima Online | 4 Comments

DarkFall’s version of EVE University

Posted on October 28, 2009 by SynCaine

As frequent readers here know, one of the reasons I greatly prefer a sandbox MMO over a themepark is the amount of control players have in shaping their game and the world around them. While that control is a double … Continue reading →

Posted in Darkfall Online, EVE Online, Housing | 13 Comments

What the MMORPG genre could (and should) be.

Posted on October 19, 2009 by SynCaine

Last Friday’s post, and the links in the comments to Raph Koster’s posts (here, here, and here) (Thanks Brian) about the old Ultima Online eco system have sparked some old memories of what got me interested in the MMORPG genre … Continue reading →

Posted in Combat Systems, crafting, Darkfall Online, EVE Online, Housing, MMO design, Rant, Ultima Online, World of Warcraft | 64 Comments

MMO fluff: What is it?

Posted on October 13, 2009 by SynCaine

One of the more common complaints about DarkFall from the players actually playing the game is the lack of ‘fluff’ content, and the upcoming expansion may seek to address this. One question I have is what exactly is fluff in … Continue reading →

Posted in crafting, Darkfall Online, EVE Online, Housing, MMO design, Patch Notes, PvP, Ultima Online, World of Warcraft | 22 Comments

Homeless in DarkFall, and back to DDO

Posted on October 5, 2009 by SynCaine

Considering I did not touch the computer all Sunday, a whole lot of gaming still happened this weekend. My clan in DarkFall making some poor siege-related decisions, my return to DDO, and some single-player gaming all happened. In DarkFall, the … Continue reading →

Posted in Combat Systems, Darkfall Online, DDO, Dungeons and Dragons Online, Housing, PvP, Random, Site update, The Casualties Guild | 10 Comments

Localized banking: Feature or hassle?

Posted on October 2, 2009 by SynCaine

Localized banking is something DarkFall originally had on its list of features, but at some point this was changed and now banking is global. On a recent preview of the October patch, the idea of localized banking was mentioned, and … Continue reading →

Posted in crafting, Darkfall Online, EVE Online, Housing, MMO design, Patch Notes, PvP, Warhammer Online, World of Warcraft | 33 Comments

Maybe it’s time to return to WoW?

Posted on August 31, 2009 by SynCaine

Well this past weekend I decided to resub to WoW and check out everything new, rolled up a hunter and I’m loving it! No I’m kidding, but seriously, is EVERYONE from the blog world back in WoW right now? Failbears … Continue reading →

Posted in Blood Bowl, Combat Systems, Darkfall Online, Housing, PvP, World of Warcraft | 44 Comments

Speaking of expansions that sounds good…

Posted on August 25, 2009 by SynCaine

Not all State of the Game posts are created equal. Even in the cesspool that is ForumFall (and I mean that in a good way, its entertaining stuff) this updates was well received, and for good reason. The way to … Continue reading →

Posted in Combat Systems, crafting, Darkfall Online, Housing, MMO design, Patch Notes, PvP, Warhammer Online, World of Warcraft | 24 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

My guild house > your guild house.

Posted on July 11, 2007 by SynCaine

Yesterdays post talked about player housing and some common issues with it. Today I’m going to attempt to break down the theory behind player housing; what makes it work, why it’s attractive, and what are some pitfalls to avoid.   … Continue reading →

Posted in Housing, Lord of the Rings Online, MMO design, World of Warcraft | 2 Comments