Category Archives: MMO design

Bucket of rage

Posted on June 20, 2012 by SynCaine

Random ranting incoming: One ‘awesome’ feature does not an MMO make. “TESO is a copy/paste puddle of fail, but feature X looks interesting”. A cute gimmick feature can make an iPhone game worth the buck and download. It won’t get people … Continue reading →

Posted in Asheron's Call, beta, Combat Systems, Dark Age of Camelot, Darkfall Online, EVE Online, Guild Wars, Lord of the Rings Online, MMO design, Random, Rant, SW:TOR, The Elder Scrolls Online, Ultima Online, Warhammer Online, World of Warcraft | 25 Comments

The early bashing of TESO, and what it might mean

Posted on June 18, 2012 by SynCaine

I find the defensive nature of the Elder Scroll MMO devs interesting. The game is not close to release, no one has seen it in action, let alone played it, yet already ‘fans’ are objecting and raising complaints, and the … Continue reading →

Posted in beta, MMO design, Random, SW:TOR, The Elder Scrolls Online, World of Warcraft | 22 Comments

EVE: Killer clowns

Posted on June 8, 2012 by SynCaine

With my EVE in-game time somewhat limited due to RL issues, last night was my first real experience with our new alliance, Surely Your Joking (ticker: HAHA). A workable chain of wormhole connections was available, and a good number of … Continue reading →

Posted in EVE Online, Inquisition Clan, MMO design, PvP | 11 Comments

Help a noob out

Posted on June 7, 2012 by SynCaine

TAGN has a fine overview of the latest expansion for LoTRO, and specifically the money Turbine is asking for it. $70 seems outrageous for an expansion, especially when you consider that certain MMOs give them out for ‘free’, but that’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Lord of the Rings Online, MMO design, RMT | 11 Comments

Out of the kiddy pool

Posted on June 4, 2012 by SynCaine

This weekend I made the decision to have INQ-E join a wormhole alliance and move into their C5. It was not an easy decision, but one that I ultimately think will benefit us in many ways. First some back story, … Continue reading →

Posted in Combat Systems, crafting, EVE Online, Inquisition Clan, MMO design, PvP | 27 Comments

My favorite genre is coming back!

Posted on May 30, 2012 by SynCaine

MMOs are a niche genre in gaming. They are games that require additional ‘work’ beyond just loading something up, and to really get the most out of them you have to put in that ‘work’ consistently. They can also be … Continue reading →

Posted in Darkfall Online, EQ2, EVE Online, Guild Wars, Mass Media, MMO design, Rant, Rift, SW:TOR, Ultima Online, World of Warcraft | 39 Comments

EVE: Two Inferno thoughts

Posted on May 23, 2012 by SynCaine

The new missile effects are amazing, and the new launcher graphics make the Tengu look like the beast it really is. I honestly can’t express just how good missile look now, and videos don’t really do the improvement justice. Seeming … Continue reading →

Posted in EVE Online, MMO design, Patch Notes | 7 Comments

EVE: Changing the influence bar

Posted on May 22, 2012 by SynCaine

Jester has two interesting posts up currently; this one is about his experiences with Incursions after their nerf, and today’s post is about a CSM townhall meeting and this quote in particular: Alekseyev Karrde > Some players have unrealistic expectactions … Continue reading →

Posted in crafting, EVE Online, MMO design, PvP, Rant | 10 Comments

EVE: ‘Winning’

Posted on May 21, 2012 by SynCaine

‘Winning’ in EVE means different things to different people. For null-sec leaders, controlling the most territory or fielding the most dominant fleet means everything. Having the right resources, far beyond simply having ISK, is critical. Quality FCs are held is … Continue reading →

Posted in EVE Online, MMO design | 18 Comments

EVE: (Not) Mining in a WH

Posted on May 11, 2012 by SynCaine

TAGN has a post about mining in EVE, which includes stats from CCP talking about where mining happens. Not surprisingly, high-sec is by far the most popular spot, and WH space the least productive. This got me thinking about WH … Continue reading →

Posted in crafting, EVE Online, Inquisition Clan, MMO design | 22 Comments