Category Archives: MMO design

And maybe still a bit harder…

Posted on December 26, 2007 by SynCaine

More thoughts on PvP, bear with me. Gear is important in an MMO, as it not only allows our characters to grow in power, but also gives us something to work towards and look forward to. This applies whether you … Continue reading →

Posted in MMO design, PvP, World of Warcraft | 11 Comments

So try harder…

Posted on December 26, 2007 by SynCaine

More PvP talky talk, only a bit more ranty this time! Tobold made a post today talking about Raph’s PvP post, to which I responded to back here. Yes, confusing blog interlinking at its best here folks. Tobold for some … Continue reading →

Posted in Dark Age of Camelot, EVE Online, MMO design, PvP, Warhammer Online, World of Warcraft | 16 Comments

Re-tooling raiding content; let the casuals play too.

Posted on December 19, 2007 by SynCaine

Damion over at Zen of Design made a great post about why Blizzard continues to make raiding content. It’s a well though out article backed up by some good data about raider numbers and exactly why level 70s need content … Continue reading →

Posted in MMO design, World of Warcraft | 4 Comments

PvP, better than MMO purgatory.

Posted on December 13, 2007 by SynCaine

Lum over at Brokentoys has an interesting post up about PvP, and his thoughts on how to do it right. It’s a great read, even if you don’t particularly care for PvP yourself. As with any very debatable topic, I … Continue reading →

Posted in Dark Age of Camelot, EVE Online, MMO design, PvP, Ultima Online, Warhammer Online, World of Warcraft | 3 Comments

Sifting through the junk.

Posted on December 10, 2007 by SynCaine

Try as I might, I just can’t get into Pirates of the Burning Sea. Having taken a break since the close of beta, I logged in this weekend to find my old character wiped, and had to start from scratch. … Continue reading →

Posted in MMO design, Pirates of the Burning Sea, World of Warcraft | 7 Comments

When less is more, a lesson learned.

Posted on December 7, 2007 by SynCaine

The upcoming release of Pirates of the Burning Seas has highlighted some interesting discussion points about MMOs and the importance of certain features. As is often the case, it is not until we see both sides that we realize how … Continue reading →

Posted in Combat Systems, EVE Online, MMO design, Pirates of the Burning Sea | 5 Comments

Pirates of the Instanced Sea, mini-game madness.

Posted on December 4, 2007 by SynCaine

Now that the PotBS NDA is officially down (oops…) plenty of opinions are popping up around the blogosphere, most along the lines of ‘fun game, but not the usual addiction you get from a new MMO’, and I completely agree … Continue reading →

Posted in Combat Systems, DDO, EVE Online, MMO design, Pirates of the Burning Sea, World of Warcraft | 7 Comments

More quality EVE talk, this time with copy/paste action.

Posted on November 28, 2007 by SynCaine

An excellent comment by Letrange was made on the ‘Gauntlet‘ post, and I feel it deserves it’s very own entry. I basically agree with him/her 100%, and the comment really brings up some key points about EVE. I think his/her … Continue reading →

Posted in Combat Systems, EVE Online, MMO design | 6 Comments

More PotBS talk. The game is FUN!

Posted on November 23, 2007 by SynCaine

Seems the PotBS stress test to beta access is indeed true. I was able to log on last night and play on the beta server, which was a nice surprise. After a little more time with the game, this time … Continue reading →

Posted in MMO design, Pirates of the Burning Sea | 7 Comments

6 hours of PotBS.

Posted on November 19, 2007 by SynCaine

PotBS had its second stress test this weekend, and I was actually able to get in this time and give the game a shot, and it only took 12 hours of patching, thanks SOE… Download issue aside, and I don’t … Continue reading →

Posted in MMO design, Pirates of the Burning Sea | 7 Comments