Category Archives: MMO design

GW2: Exploration content done right

Posted on September 4, 2012 by SynCaine

The exploration achievement content has been the highlight of GW2 for me so far. For those who might not be aware, every zone (I believe) has one achievement that is accomplished by finding a ‘hidden’ location. This location is not … Continue reading →

Posted in Guild Wars, MMO design | 17 Comments

Someone at Funcom said something smart :hellfreeze:

Posted on August 31, 2012 by SynCaine

It might very well all be PR BS, but I like what Tørnquist from Funcom said about The Secret World: “We’re not going to play it safe,” Tørnquist assures players. “We won’t be introducing classes or levels, elves or dwarves, … Continue reading →

Posted in Mass Media, MMO design, Random | 9 Comments

GW2: Dead Centaurs

Posted on August 30, 2012 by SynCaine

One of the nice things about being in the initial wave of WAR players was seeing all of the PQs played out more or less as intended. Only the newbie zone PQs were heavily zerged, and even then at least … Continue reading →

Posted in EVE Online, Guild Wars, MMO design, Rant, Ultima Online, Warhammer Online | 35 Comments

GW2: Scalefail

Posted on August 29, 2012 by SynCaine

Anet is selling that once you hit 80, you can still go back to all areas of the game and enjoy the content as intended because you scale down to it. I’m not buying that. For starters you have more … Continue reading →

Posted in Guild Wars, MMO design | 25 Comments

GW2: Entertain me once, get $60. Entertain me twice, get $15

Posted on August 28, 2012 by SynCaine

Lack of progression is the second biggest killer of MMOs (progression you can’t be bothered with being number one), which is why I’ve always maintained that GW2 will live or die by how successful WvW is (and to a lesser … Continue reading →

Posted in Guild Wars, MMO design | 20 Comments

The death of Guild Wars 2

Posted on August 24, 2012 by SynCaine

Tonight Guild Wars 2: The Dream dies, to be replaced by Guild Wars 2: The Reality, and for many the best MMO ever will cease to exist. Fear not, the cycle of life in MMO land will go on, and the next … Continue reading →

Posted in beta, Guild Wars, Mass Media, MMO design, Warhammer Online | 65 Comments

EVE: Wormhole space, and how it can be used

Posted on August 20, 2012 by SynCaine

Having now experience wormhole (WH) space from a C1 to a C6, I’d like to talk a bit about the design behind them, and how players have adapted. Out of all MMO content, I think WH space in EVE is … Continue reading →

Posted in EVE Online, MMO design, PvP | 18 Comments

How much would you pay for your niche?

Posted on August 15, 2012 by SynCaine

Shadowrun succeeded in its Kickstarter initiative. Congrats to them. 6000+ backers is a solid amount. $500k+ raised is like… one mission in Tortanic. Good stuff. Can I ask who the 27 people are that gave more than $1,000? Those have … Continue reading →

Posted in MMO design, Random | 10 Comments

GW2: Retention fails

Posted on August 14, 2012 by SynCaine

My retention post about GW2 had some interesting if not unsurprising responses. Perhaps the MOST surprising (but not really) part was how varied the ‘why’ explanations were. The easiest justification was that GW2 will have fluff to ‘grind’, and since … Continue reading →

Posted in Combat Systems, Guild Wars, MMO design | 55 Comments

GW2: Retention issue?

Posted on August 10, 2012 by SynCaine

There has been some expressed concern over GW2’s long-term appeal. I think the concern is somewhat valid. With no item chase, no long-term leveling progression, and no real ‘point’ beyond moving your server up in the standings (which will only … Continue reading →

Posted in Guild Wars, MMO design | 30 Comments