Category Archives: MMO design

Rift: -Insert dramatic quitting title here-

Posted on June 23, 2011 by SynCaine

Rift patch 1.3 is out, along with the ‘new’ world event. Phase one has, more or less, the same exact daily quests as the previous event. And the one before it. Collect stuff around Sanctum, travel to a zone to … Continue reading →

Posted in MMO design, Patch Notes, Rant, Rift | 32 Comments

‘Accessibility’ killed Rift

Posted on June 16, 2011 by SynCaine

Some very perceptive readers have picked up on the fact that Rift has somewhat fallen out of favor with me. It might have been my post about patch 1.2. I did drop a few hints there. Patch 1.2 brought the … Continue reading →

Posted in Inquisition Clan, MMO design, Patch Notes, Rant, Rift, World of Warcraft | 42 Comments

Oh how topical

Posted on June 15, 2011 by SynCaine

Breaking news: CPP > others. I know, I’m shocked. Literally the first time this has happened, ever. Silly mega-niche hardcore PvP devs and their crazy ideas. Any bets how Bobby ‘borrows’ and screws this up? My bet is “pay to … Continue reading →

Posted in EVE Online, MMO design, RMT | 29 Comments

Options vs Momentum

Posted on June 13, 2011 by SynCaine

Whenever P2P vs F2P models get debated, the F2P crowd likes to point to the fact that most people will only pay one monthly sub at a time, which greatly limits how many games one can play in a given … Continue reading →

Posted in MMO design, Random, Rant, RMT | 5 Comments

Tarnished brilliance

Posted on June 9, 2011 by SynCaine

I’ve written about this before, but for some strange reason (solar flare?) it’s on my mind again today, so here we go. I hate Atlantica Online. I mean I hate it in that “I love you, I hate you, oh … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantica Online, Combat Systems, MMO design, PvP, Rant, RMT | 11 Comments

Rift: How bad is the PvP?

Posted on June 8, 2011 by SynCaine

Rift PvP is bad. I don’t know if it’s historically “all time” bad, but it’s at least close. It has, more or less, nothing going for it. The warfronts are meh, the balance is off, and the entire end-game aspect … Continue reading →

Posted in Combat Systems, MMO design, PvP, Rift | 29 Comments

Rift: Today and tomorrow

Posted on June 7, 2011 by SynCaine

The release of the 1.3 update trailer seems like a pretty good time to give everyone here an update on my status with Rift, and the plans going forward. The 1.2 update, quite simply, killed 5 man dungeons for Inquisition. … Continue reading →

Posted in crafting, Darkfall Online, Inquisition Clan, MMO design, Patch Notes, Rift | 19 Comments

Delicious red drops of MMO community goodness

Posted on June 2, 2011 by SynCaine

What I object to is that in EVE the players with all the advantages are the leeches who pay nothing. In the F2P model the people who pay at least get some advantages over the people who leech. – Tobold … Continue reading →

Posted in Blogroll, EVE Online, MMO design, Rant, RMT, World of Warcraft | 24 Comments

EVE explained, again, this time with vanity items included!

Posted on May 31, 2011 by SynCaine

I’ll give people that EVE is a complex game compared to other MMOs. But man, is it really that difficult to understand? It might be a game about spaceships, but it appears that some consider the mechanics on par with … Continue reading →

Posted in EVE Online, Lord of the Rings Online, MMO design, PvP, RMT | 25 Comments

CCP does something better than the rest of the genre, again

Posted on May 27, 2011 by SynCaine

This time showing everyone how to do a cash shop right. As someone who can relate, it’s tough always being right.

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