Category Archives: MMO design

I’m going to post about server transfers, again

Posted on May 24, 2011 by SynCaine

If nothing else, Trion wins the “talk about us” battle. I still don’t see how this is, in any way, something to be proud of or celebrated. Its server transfers for a themepark people. Tell me if this sounds familiar: … Continue reading →

Posted in MMO design, Patch Notes, Rant, Rift, RMT, World of Warcraft | 10 Comments

Rift: Post-1.2 expert difficulty

Posted on May 19, 2011 by SynCaine

Random thought based off an instance run in Rift last night: the easier the content, the worse you play, the worse you feel, spiral downward of doom. T2 dungeons in Rift are now pretty damn easy, and in a somewhat … Continue reading →

Posted in MMO design, Patch Notes, Rant, Rift | 10 Comments

EverQuest: The first themepark

Posted on May 16, 2011 by SynCaine

I will say this upfront so we are all on the same page, the definition of a sandbox/themepark is more opinion than science. It’s more general approach than X+Y=Z. Its shades of gray, and themeparks can have sandbox features, just … Continue reading →

Posted in Darkfall Online, EQ2, EVE Online, MMO design, Ultima Online | 15 Comments

Single server time, soon?

Posted on May 13, 2011 by SynCaine

My Raptr name is Syncaine. Feel free to buddy me. That is all… for now. Is technology ever going to get to the point where we no longer need shards for an MMO? If yes, will design shift to accommodate … Continue reading →

Posted in Blogroll, MMO design, Random, SW:TOR | 15 Comments

Celebrating 12 years of themepark hate

Posted on May 12, 2011 by SynCaine

My enjoyment of virtual worlds goes back to Ultima Online, in large part because I loved the sRPG Ultima games, growing up on Ultima V and always being jealous of a friend who had a PC and had Ultima VI … Continue reading →

Posted in Age of Conan, Asheron's Call, Dark Age of Camelot, Darkfall Online, EQ2, EVE Online, Inquisition Clan, Lord of the Rings Online, MMO design, Random, Rant, Rift, Ultima Online, Warhammer Online, World of Warcraft | 36 Comments

Difficulty settings, not tiers

Posted on May 11, 2011 by SynCaine

While plenty of forum posters are not happy about the expert dungeon nerfs (which, I must admit, I find somewhat surprising), the more I think about it the more I realize this is not an issue of making the current … Continue reading →

Posted in MMO design, Rift | 20 Comments

Rift 1.2 patch: day after

Posted on May 11, 2011 by SynCaine

One night into 1.2, here is the good, average, and bad. The good: The weekly crafting rift quest is well designed. The rifts themselves are new, look good, and are pretty damn easy (you can duo them at worst, most … Continue reading →

Posted in crafting, Inquisition Clan, MMO design, Patch Notes, Rift | 17 Comments

Little Billy and his trophy

Posted on May 5, 2011 by SynCaine

I’m not a fan of the “everyone is a winner” approach, be it Little League Baseball or MMOs. Handing out a trophy just for showing up is, to me, silly at best. I don’t care that little Billy is 6 … Continue reading →

Posted in Darkfall Online, MMO design, Rant, Rift, World of Warcraft | 26 Comments

Is faster always better?

Posted on May 4, 2011 by SynCaine

Currently in Rift to zone into a dungeon one member of the group has to actually travel to the portal. Is this meaningful travel? Is it nice that only one person has to do it or a pain just for … Continue reading →

Posted in MMO design, Rift, World of Warcraft | 31 Comments

Fun Builds: Not that fun in end-game content

Posted on May 3, 2011 by SynCaine

A guildmate who shall remain nameless (Obmar) recently discovered that he had not upgraded his dps-based skills in Rift since, oh, level 5. In essence, he was gimping his damage output by a solid 50% or more. This was noticeable … Continue reading →

Posted in Inquisition Clan, MMO design, Rift, World of Warcraft | 16 Comments