Category Archives: MMO design

Bring back the gimps!

Posted on July 7, 2009 by SynCaine

At some point during the transition from MMORPG to just MMO, the ability to create a ‘gimped’ character was removed. In UO you could hit the skill cap and have a horrible character. In AC you could spend all your … Continue reading →

Posted in Asheron's Call, DDO, Dungeons and Dragons Online, EVE Online, MMO design, Ultima Online, Warhammer Online, World of Warcraft | 30 Comments

Gamer Bob says: MMOs suck.

Posted on June 30, 2009 by SynCaine

People often credit WoW’s success because, in part, it’s a little bit of everything for everyone (in theory at least), and while that’s a great way to get into the genre, if you really want to focus on any one … Continue reading →

Posted in Darkfall Online, DDO, EVE Online, FreeRealms, Lord of the Rings Online, MMO design, PvP, Warhammer Online, World of Warcraft | 45 Comments

Quick reactions to all the latest MMO-related happenings

Posted on June 25, 2009 by SynCaine

Too many MMO-related topics flying around in my head and it’s going to take some time to sort it all out. DarkFall: Aside from feeling like a euro in regards to the whole NA deal, the big ‘expansion’ patch is … Continue reading →

Posted in Aion, Darkfall Online, DDO, MMO design, RvR, The Casualties Guild, Warhammer Online | 20 Comments

Second year of blogging is in the books!

Posted on June 22, 2009 by SynCaine

Ding, two years of blogging done! I’m going to try and follow the format I used in my previous yearly review in order to make the comparison a bit easier. Like last year, the overall ‘Blog Stats” are up first. … Continue reading →

Posted in Darkfall Online, DDO, EQ2, EVE Online, iPhone, Mass Media, MMO design, PvP, RMT, RvR, Site update, Warhammer Online, World of Warcraft | 15 Comments

Why do we still force alts to re-grind, and what about the new guy?

Posted on June 17, 2009 by SynCaine

Starting with the genre’s second major title, EQ1, the solution to raising the level cap without increasing the gap new players must cross to join their friends has been to reduce the time it takes to go from 1 to … Continue reading →

Posted in EQ2, EVE Online, Lord of the Rings Online, MMO design, Warhammer Online, World of Warcraft | 43 Comments

Why your MMO is dying, and EVE is still growing

Posted on June 11, 2009 by SynCaine

EVE Online has a mile-long list of unique features that set it apart from all other MMOs, including being the only MMO with a constant and ever-increasing player base. WoW grew faster and bigger than any MMO before or after … Continue reading →

Posted in Darkfall Online, EVE Online, MMO design, PvP, Ultima Online, World of Warcraft | 34 Comments

Subscription vs RMT: Who will save the poor noobs with no time to play?

Posted on June 10, 2009 by SynCaine

It seems it’s been too long since everyone’s second favorite topic (hardcore vs casual being #1), RMT, has been discussed. Tobold has two posts about it and recently DDO went F2P. As readers here know, I’m not a huge fan … Continue reading →

Posted in Atlantica Online, Darkfall Online, DDO, MMO design, Rant, Ultima Online, Warhammer Online, World of Warcraft | 14 Comments

The lost DarkFall EuroGamer review is found!

Posted on June 9, 2009 by SynCaine

Beau from Spouse Agro found the missing 8.5 hours of the EuroGamer review, and for great justice has posted it. For anyone looking for a good breakdown of what DarkFall is all about, especially from the perspective of someone who … Continue reading →

Posted in Darkfall Online, EVE Online, Mass Media, MMO design, PvP | 8 Comments

WAR: The casual PvP MMO

Posted on June 4, 2009 by SynCaine

Playing WAR again after having played DarkFall is changing my mind about what WAR might be all about. Pre-release, WAR was being positioned as a great RvR game with a lot of great ideas. (ToK, PQs, Scenarios) While I think … Continue reading →

Posted in Asheron's Call, Combat Systems, Dark Age of Camelot, Darkfall Online, MMO design, PvP, RvR, Ultima Online, Warhammer Online, World of Warcraft | 23 Comments

Phasing out ‘multiplayer’ in MMOs

Posted on June 3, 2009 by SynCaine

Tobold has a post up today talking about direct and indirect social interactions in MMO games. It’s a good read with interesting points, but is a somewhat odd topic to be discussing in a genre with Massive and Multiplayer in … Continue reading →

Posted in Combat Systems, Darkfall Online, Mass Media, MMO design, PvP, World of Warcraft | 24 Comments