Category Archives: MMO design

The Trinity: Keeping the masses safe since 1999!

Posted on August 20, 2010 by SynCaine

This post by ‘I played WAR before anyone else did’ Richard Bartle (via KTR) brings up some interesting points, with the big take-away for me being that the MMO genre would be a lot cooler right now if Ultima Online … Continue reading →

Posted in Combat Systems, Darkfall Online, EVE Online, MMO design, Rant, Ultima Online, World of Warcraft | 23 Comments

Putting a value on money

Posted on August 19, 2010 by SynCaine

I came across a rather shocking thread on the League of Legends board a few days ago, one where the author was arguing that LoL is not really ‘free’ to play, because in order to play at the highest level … Continue reading →

Posted in Allods Online, MMO design, Random, Rant, World of Warcraft | 8 Comments

Sheep, and the numbers they don’t understand.

Posted on August 16, 2010 by SynCaine

I always get a chuckle when people misuse the “80% of EVE pilots never leave Empire” stat from CCP as some sort of indicator that even the majority of EVE players don’t like PvP. As anyone who has actually played … Continue reading →

Posted in EVE Online, MMO design, PvP, Rant, World of Warcraft | 14 Comments

The more things change…

Posted on August 13, 2010 by SynCaine

Which list is longer: The differences between LotRO, WAR, and Aion, or the similarities between UO, EQ1, and AC1? It’s a rhetorical question of course, but highlights a point I was getting at yesterday, and relates to a post over … Continue reading →

Posted in Aion, Asheron's Call, Lord of the Rings Online, MMO design, Rant, Ultima Online, Warhammer Online, World of Warcraft | 23 Comments

Is the MMO genre back to being a niche market?

Posted on August 12, 2010 by SynCaine

Anyone else seeing the irony of SOE making their next EQ game a WoW clone? My my how quickly things change, and am I the only one thinking SOE is going to find a new and creative way to screw … Continue reading →

Posted in Aion, Darkfall Online, EQ2, EVE Online, MMO design, Warhammer Online, World of Warcraft | 22 Comments

Massive update about Darkfall

Posted on August 6, 2010 by SynCaine

Tasos put out a very lengthy update on Darkfall’s upcoming plans, basically covering what is coming in the next expansion along with some of the other additions currently in the works. It’s a great read filled with a ton of … Continue reading →

Posted in Combat Systems, crafting, Darkfall Online, Housing, MMO design | 4 Comments

Darkfall Community Q&A2 Answers

Posted on August 4, 2010 by SynCaine

Paragus received answers to his community Q&A and has updated his MMORPG blog. A bit thin on solid details in some areas due no doubt to the DF2010 expansion not having its major details revealed just yet, but readers can … Continue reading →

Posted in Darkfall Online, Inquisition Clan, Mass Media, MMO design, Random | Comments Off on Darkfall Community Q&A2 Answers

Maintaining gaming momentum

Posted on July 30, 2010 by SynCaine

I find that momentum is a very important aspect to playing an MMO for a prolong length of time, and it’s also very difficult to maintain, especially when RL forces a break. It’s also something that is equally influenced by … Continue reading →

Posted in Darkfall Online, Inquisition Clan, MMO design, Random, Site update | 10 Comments

Another look into the future of Darkfall

Posted on July 29, 2010 by SynCaine

Some more info from my visit to Aventurine: The new, faster mount looks great. It has a sleek, horse/zebra/something look to it. No idea on its stats, but unless something has changed, it will arrive with the upcoming expansion. In … Continue reading →

Posted in crafting, Darkfall Online, MMO design | 21 Comments

RealID, SC2, F2P EQ2, and why LoL does F2P right

Posted on July 28, 2010 by SynCaine

Taking a quick break from the Darkfall-related posts today to cover a few different topics. I’ve got a cold that won’t go away, which could explain my overly positive view in things. Or that’s just me, Mr. glass-half-empty-and-whats-left-is-likely-terribly-anyway. You have … Continue reading →

Posted in DDO, EQ2, Inquisition Clan, MMO design, Patch Notes, PvP, Random, Rant, RMT | 13 Comments