Category Archives: MMO design

Dear Trion: Entry #1

Posted on January 31, 2011 by SynCaine

Dear Trion:, Add a ‘quest item’ hotbar button to the default UI. Anytime I have an item that I need to use during a quest, it goes into that slot. Nothing else can be placed there. The slot should be … Continue reading →

Posted in beta, MMO design, Rift | 31 Comments

Crafting sucks

Posted on January 28, 2011 by SynCaine

I think I spend a good hour or more last night getting the water entrance to my new structure in Minecraft ‘just right’. That activity involved placing and deleting dirt squares repeatedly. Finally it’s now a waterfall that only has … Continue reading →

Posted in Console Gaming, crafting, MMO design, Random, Rant, Ultima Online | 6 Comments

Non-factors raging again? Good thing we can easily replace them!

Posted on January 27, 2011 by SynCaine

I don’t always agree with Tobold, as we generally approach MMO games from two very different viewpoints, along with having different writing styles, but I’m in total agreement with the basis for this post and the ones before it, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Combat Systems, MMO design, Rant, World of Warcraft | 58 Comments

Quick notes from Rift beta 5

Posted on January 26, 2011 by SynCaine

Aria and I put in some time with the Rift 5 beta last night and enjoyed ourselves. The Guardian starting area is IMO much better than that of the Defiant in terms of feeling MMO-ish rather than super on-rails. After … Continue reading →

Posted in beta, MMO design, Rift | 12 Comments

Massively goes EG, I go Tobold.

Posted on January 5, 2011 by SynCaine

I apologize for the “All Warband All The Time” interruption, but I think this is worth posting about. Massively did a quick impressions piece about Rift, which includes Jef playing it for an hour, and the comments explode with people … Continue reading →

Posted in beta, Mass Media, MMO design, Rift, World of Warcraft | 20 Comments

Rift Review (EG Style)

Posted on December 29, 2010 by SynCaine

Two days, two ‘reviews’ :snicker:, I spoil you guys! I like the graphic style of Rift. It’s high fantasy, but it has enough of those little details to not make it totally forgettable. Bonus points for all the graphical options … Continue reading →

Posted in beta, MMO design, Rift | 86 Comments

MMO PvP: Never fair and balanced

Posted on December 29, 2010 by SynCaine

Comment that caught my attention over at Massively, from Jef’s excellent Soapbox piece about RP and FFA PvP: “It isn’t PVP because it is never fair and balanced.” A lot of layers to that one line. For starters, what defines … Continue reading →

Posted in Combat Systems, Darkfall Online, EVE Online, Mass Media, MMO design, PvP | 19 Comments

WoW slain by Blizzard. Time to pick up the crown.

Posted on December 27, 2010 by SynCaine

Since about 2006 people have been predicting that the next big MMO would be a ‘WoW killer’ pre-release. Those people were all wrong, every assassination attempt has failed, and WoW still sits on the throne. Until Cata that is. Now … Continue reading →

Posted in MMO design, Rift, World of Warcraft | 41 Comments

Rift’s biggest issue? The hype

Posted on December 23, 2010 by SynCaine

Has anyone seen anyone post about Rift? So hard to get info about that game… I kid, and of course, I myself wrote about it yesterday, so pot kettle black blablabla. Head over to Virgin Worlds to find the latest … Continue reading →

Posted in beta, Mass Media, MMO design, Rant, Rift | 16 Comments

Rift talky talk

Posted on December 22, 2010 by SynCaine

The Rift NDA is down, Syp has a nice write-up. As expected, the rift system is WAR’s PQ system but more. I think the make or break for Rift will be just how big that ‘more’ really is. Opinions about … Continue reading →

Posted in beta, Darkfall Online, MMO design, PvP, Rift, Warhammer Online | 7 Comments