Category Archives: Ultima Online

Looking back at 2010

Posted on December 17, 2010 by SynCaine

Prompted by Lum doing it, lets review my 2010 predictions and see how I do. I’m not sure when I’m going to do my 2011 predictions, but my guess is sometime next week. I’ve not really thought about 2011, but … Continue reading →

Posted in Aion, Darkfall Online, EVE Online, Fallen Earth, League of Legends, Random, Site update, Ultima Online, Warhammer Online, World of Warcraft | 7 Comments

“It seems much easier to make interesting, sandbox PvP content then it is to maintain and create PvE treadmill content”

Posted on November 30, 2010 by SynCaine

Every now and then you come across something shocking it’s just too hard to ignore. Today is one of those days. This is a comment from a post Keen made, waiting for WoW to embrace its PvP nature (pro-tip: HKO … Continue reading →

Posted in Age of Conan, Aion, Combat Systems, Dark Age of Camelot, Darkfall Online, DDO, EQ2, EVE Online, Lord of the Rings Online, MMO design, PvP, Rant, Ultima Online, Warhammer Online, World of Warcraft | 39 Comments

MMOs being niche, the non-issue?

Posted on November 12, 2010 by SynCaine

What hasn’t been conquered, still, is making alternate worlds accessible enough to broad audiences. Raph Koster over at his blog. I’d ask if this is really a problem that needs solving. I think this is one of the unfortunate side … Continue reading →

Posted in Asheron's Call, Darkfall Online, EQ2, EVE Online, Guild Wars, MMO design, SW:TOR, Ultima Online, Warhammer Online, World of Warcraft | 19 Comments

Darkfall, Blood Bowl, and UO vs WoW (sorta)

Posted on November 11, 2010 by SynCaine

Blood Bowl League Update: So it turns out if you set your league to 16 teams, you have to have 16 teams before you can start it, who knew? And since we only had 14 teams sign up, well, we … Continue reading →

Posted in Blood Bowl, Darkfall Online, MMO design, Ultima Online, World of Warcraft | 1 Comment

From UO to WoW: A look into the who and why

Posted on November 8, 2010 by SynCaine

Thursday Ob asked whether someone who enjoyed 1997 Ultima Online could enjoy 2010 WoW, which is a great question on many levels. First, it’s worthwhile to talk about the core differences between the two games in terms of enjoyment (obviously … Continue reading →

Posted in MMO design, Ultima Online, World of Warcraft | 32 Comments

PvP Hotspots

Posted on October 15, 2010 by SynCaine

If you build it, they will come. With sharp objects. And the intent to murder. That’s how PvP in MMOs works, yet so many attempts to create PvP hotspots fail. Too often the approach is to design something that is … Continue reading →

Posted in Combat Systems, Dark Age of Camelot, Darkfall Online, EVE Online, MMO design, PvP, RvR, Ultima Online, Warhammer Online, World of Warcraft | 16 Comments

Freedom or Profit

Posted on September 8, 2010 by SynCaine

Trusting your players is a risky move in an MMO. Accepting risky moves is often counterproductive to turning a profit, which is why the ‘safe’ choice when designing an MMO is to remove that potential risk and limit or eliminate … Continue reading →

Posted in Darkfall Online, EVE Online, MMO design, Ultima Online | 7 Comments

Breaking down failure is fail

Posted on August 30, 2010 by SynCaine

It’s funny how we (myself firmly included in this) react when an MMO fails. We always ask why, and break down what went wrong based on that specific title, focusing on key bullet points (haha, good one self). APB is … Continue reading →

Posted in EVE Online, MMO design, Random, Ultima Online, Vanguard, Warhammer Online, World of Warcraft | 10 Comments

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

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