Category Archives: MMO design

AA: Housing the way it should be done

Posted on September 25, 2014 by SynCaine

If you ask any well-informed MMO player what two games have/had the best housing in the genre, the answer will be UO and SWG. It’s those two titles by a landslide, with basically everyone else in a distant, forgettable pile. … Continue reading →

Posted in ArcheAge, Housing, MMO design | 16 Comments

Why we all need AA to be successful

Posted on September 24, 2014 by SynCaine

I should have a “specific to me” post about my ArcheAge experience when I’m around level 30 (currently 23), but today I want to talk more ‘big picture’ about the game and the genre, because I think a lot of … Continue reading →

Posted in ArcheAge, Final Fantasy XIV, MMO design, RMT, World of Warcraft | 35 Comments

Can we close the book on ‘accessibility’ now?

Posted on September 18, 2014 by SynCaine

File this as example 164,239 of “difficulty is good for everyone, faceroll is bad”: EVE Burner missions killing people make them enjoyable. This is pretty good timing too, given that Blizzard just confirmed example 164,238 (WotLK, the ‘accessible’ age, was … Continue reading →

Posted in Clash of Clans, EVE Online, MMO design, Random, Rant, World of Warcraft | 18 Comments

Subtraction by addition

Posted on September 3, 2014 by SynCaine

One of the lazier strawmen in MMO blogging land is to dismiss the success of an older MMO by stating that fewer people play it today. I’m sure you have read some version of “If UO did so many things … Continue reading →

Posted in Dark Age of Camelot, Darkfall Online, DDO, EQ2, EVE Online, Lord of the Rings Online, MMO design, Ultima Online | 6 Comments

FFXIV: Removing the alt hurdle

Posted on August 19, 2014 by SynCaine

One thing that annoys me about a lot of MMOs is “add it for the bullet” features. Basically stuff like crafting, PvP, ‘exploration’, etc tacked on when they don’t fit just so the back of the box (or in modern … Continue reading →

Posted in Final Fantasy XIV, MMO design | 1 Comment

Cash shop item creation clarification

Posted on August 11, 2014 by SynCaine

This somewhat jumped out at me about Pathfinder planning to sell in-game items, and how some argued that because said items are tradable in-game, the system is basically the same as PLEX. Spoiler alert: it’s not. Not even close. The … Continue reading →

Posted in EVE Online, MMO design, Pathfinder Online, Rant, RMT | 10 Comments

Final Fantasy XIV: Initial impressions

Posted on August 6, 2014 by SynCaine

My wife and I recently started playing Final Fantasy XIV, in part because it’s been a long while since we played an MMO together, and also because her chain-playing LoL ranked games isn’t healthy for anyone. Currently we are level … Continue reading →

Posted in Final Fantasy XIV, Guild Wars, MMO design, The Elder Scrolls Online, Warhammer Online | 29 Comments

What happened to all those WoW-babies?

Posted on August 4, 2014 by SynCaine

TAGN, in a post about the closing of Vanguard, brings back a theory that was pretty popular around the 2006(ish) timeframe; mainly that those who played WoW would ‘grow up’ to eventually play a ‘real MMO’. Let’s revisit that theory … Continue reading →

Posted in Clash of Clans, EVE Online, League of Legends, Lord of the Rings Online, MMO design, Pathfinder Online, Rift, Star Citizen, SW:TOR, The Elder Scrolls Online, Warhammer Online, World of Warcraft | 8 Comments

Sandbox end-game: Why keep playing long-term?

Posted on July 21, 2014 by SynCaine

Let’s talk PvP sandbox MMO end-game today. One of my outstanding questions from the whole Warhammer Online saga is in a perfect world, what was the end-game for that MMO? I mean we know it was to raid the other … Continue reading →

Posted in Darkfall Online, EVE Online, MMO design, Pathfinder Online, Warhammer Online | 9 Comments

CU: Finally something of note

Posted on July 17, 2014 by SynCaine

CSE, makers of Camelot Unchained, have been releasing a lot of info of late about the game and the ideas behind it. So far nothing has jumped out at me as terrible ala “The 4th pillar”, but at the same … Continue reading →

Posted in Camelot Unchained, Mass Media, MMO design | 7 Comments