Category Archives: MMO design

You can’t just DDO LoTRO

Posted on June 8, 2010 by SynCaine

Rumor has it something happened with Lord of the Rings Online that sparked some discussion? But before that, this is one the better recent DarkFall videos (really picks up at 30sec), be sure to check it out. Anyway, putting aside … Continue reading →

Posted in Darkfall Online, DDO, Lord of the Rings Online, MMO design | 22 Comments

MMO Basics: Making the ‘work’ parts enjoyable.

Posted on June 1, 2010 by SynCaine

Over the weekend in DarkFall I purchased a large amount of iron ingots and q1 hearts to finally get my bloodcrafting skill to 60+, which allows me to make bloodcrafted plate chests and helms. Now in addition to the skill … Continue reading →

Posted in Combat Systems, Darkfall Online, Fallout 3, MMO design, SW:TOR, World of Warcraft | 11 Comments

Guild Wars: Some plus and minus observations

Posted on May 28, 2010 by SynCaine

As Aria and I have been slowly (level 7 atm) making our way through Guild Wars NightFall, a few things jump out as talking point. I’m still having a good time overall with the game, Aria is 50/50 with it … Continue reading →

Posted in Combat Systems, Guild Wars, MMO design, Site update, Uncategorized | 10 Comments

MMO: It’s not a game

Posted on May 27, 2010 by SynCaine

First, it must be really fun to be this good at DarkFall. Quality stuff as always Umberto. Oh and don’t mind the creepy girl right at the beginning, this is an actual DF PvP vid of high quality. Personal jealousy … Continue reading →

Posted in Combat Systems, Darkfall Online, Mass Media, MMO design, PvP, Rant, RMT, SW:TOR, Uncategorized | 25 Comments

Character progression: Why SW:TOR is DOA

Posted on May 25, 2010 by SynCaine

The style and impact of character progression is an issue that every MMO must consider, and it’s an issue that far too often is misunderstood by many players (and devs for that matter). The concept of ‘the grind’ is heavily … Continue reading →

Posted in Darkfall Online, EVE Online, MMO design, SW:TOR, Uncategorized, World of Warcraft | 14 Comments

Defining dynamic

Posted on May 21, 2010 by SynCaine

Talk about dynamic events has been somewhat constant since ArenaNet shared information about the idea, with KTR posting some new comments, Tobold and Keen putting posts up, and on this blog I put my own thoughts down on the subject … Continue reading →

Posted in Guild Wars, MMO design, Uncategorized | 13 Comments

The not-so-dynamic events in GW2

Posted on May 20, 2010 by SynCaine

My original idea for today’s post was to take a pre-release description of Warhammer’s Public Quests, replace mentions of WAR with Guild Wars 2 and PQs with Dynamic Events. Then laziness kicked in, so you are just going to have … Continue reading →

Posted in Guild Wars, Mass Media, MMO design, Rant, Uncategorized, Warhammer Online | 10 Comments

Dragons, scarabs, and how to get the most out of DF PvE

Posted on May 19, 2010 by SynCaine

Two DarkFall PvE comments for today, the first about the Fire Dragon and the second about solo vs group farming. Blood, living out of Ghana, has easy access to the Ruby Fire Dragon and downs him often. So often in … Continue reading →

Posted in Combat Systems, Darkfall Online, MMO design, Uncategorized | 17 Comments

Bringing EVE’s Empire space to DarkFall

Posted on May 18, 2010 by SynCaine

The phrase “Play to Crush” from ShadowBane has an ironic history behind it. Before SB’s release, it was a rallying cry for the PvP ‘hardcore’, a declaration that all of those ‘soft’ features from other MMOs need not apply here. … Continue reading →

Posted in crafting, Darkfall Online, EVE Online, MMO design, PvP, Ultima Online, Uncategorized | 22 Comments

Community differences and evolution in a PvP world

Posted on May 17, 2010 by SynCaine

One major contrast I see between the player base in EVE and the one in DarkFall is permanence, alliance loyalty, and the ability to recover and continue the fight. As I was reading the 0.0 activity report in EON, I … Continue reading →

Posted in Darkfall Online, EVE Online, MMO design, PvP, Uncategorized | 21 Comments