Category Archives: MMO design

EVE retro server

Posted on October 31, 2011 by SynCaine

You know what an EVE retro server would look like? It would look like the game today, minus seven years of layers added to it. Sounds awesome right? Yea not so much. I point this out in jest because it … Continue reading →

Posted in EVE Online, MMO design | 3 Comments

More wipes please!

Posted on October 28, 2011 by SynCaine

I’m pretty sure our guild back in 2005/6 wiped more than 400 times in AQ40. Had BC not been announced, I know damn well we would have wiped a lot more in Nax40. We wiped on Onyxia, we wiped in … Continue reading →

Posted in MMO design, World of Warcraft | 55 Comments

Picking up what the Panda-man is selling

Posted on October 27, 2011 by SynCaine

First let me explain to anyone who did not play Warcraft 3, or has simply forgotten, where exactly the Pandarian character made an appearance: in bonus/side/secret missions. Missions that were not part of the lore for that game. The space … Continue reading →

Posted in MMO design, Warhammer Online, World of Warcraft | 18 Comments

EVE: Picking up right where I left off

Posted on October 25, 2011 by SynCaine

Returning to EVE has reminded me of some of the basic design differences between the game and most others in its genre. I think these points are taken for granted by EVE players, and are somewhat unknown aspects to non-EVE … Continue reading →

Posted in EVE Online, MMO design | 17 Comments

Mists of Pandaria is a great name

Posted on October 24, 2011 by SynCaine

On Friday I mentioned that it will be interesting to see how Blizzard and CCP differ in the next year when it comes to their flagship titles, but over the weekend, playing some EVE while thinking about Blizzard (I did … Continue reading →

Posted in Diablo 3, EVE Online, MMO design, Patch Notes, PvP, Rant, SW:TOR, Ultima Online, World of Warcraft | 31 Comments

My genre can beat up your genre

Posted on October 21, 2011 by SynCaine

I’m melting!!! Wait no, that’s a pretty level graph isn’t it? So if the sky is falling, and I’m stable, does that mean I’m crushing it as hard as you suspected? I guess it does right? Epeen measuring aside (did … Continue reading →

Posted in Darkfall Online, EVE Online, League of Legends, Lord of the Rings Online, Mass Media, MMO design, PvP, Rant, Rift, RMT, SW:TOR, Ultima Online, World of Warcraft | 12 Comments

What the CCP layoffs and refocus tell us

Posted on October 19, 2011 by SynCaine

Is it just me, or is this good news if you are an EVE player? Yes, it sucks for whoever got laid off, and it sucks for WoD fans, but aren’t all the recent issues around EVE due to the … Continue reading →

Posted in EVE Online, Mass Media, MMO design, Rant, World of Warcraft | 23 Comments

GW2: The pond with the fountain in the middle

Posted on October 18, 2011 by SynCaine

Good post from Ravious over at KTR about zone/world events in GW2, and what some of the possible scenarios might be. He in particular talks about failure scenarios; what might really happen should the players not be successful during a … Continue reading →

Posted in Darkfall Online, Guild Wars, MMO design, Rift | 21 Comments

These are not the customers you are looking for

Posted on October 14, 2011 by SynCaine

You know, if I knew absolutely nothing about SW:TOR, and I read/heard this presentation, I’d be absolutely pumped for whatever MMO Damion Schubert is talking about. Converting casuals into hardcore players, retaining those hardcore players, understanding the importance of such … Continue reading →

Posted in MMO design, Random, SW:TOR | 11 Comments

The 5%

Posted on October 7, 2011 by SynCaine

Note: If this post comes off as a little rambly, sorry. Lot of thoughts swirling in my head + a massive headache = not going to fully explain every last detail. Feel free to comment for clarifications. I linked to … Continue reading →

Posted in EVE Online, Mass Media, MMO design, Rant, SW:TOR, World of Warcraft | 14 Comments