Category Archives: World of Warcraft

Passing MMO judgment

Posted on December 1, 2009 by SynCaine

I few days ago a wrote a post about why I believe Warhammer Online failed to live up to it’s potential/hype, and Tobold took the following line and ran (out of context) with it: Because unless you are a believer … Continue reading →

Posted in Aion, beta, Combat Systems, Console Gaming, crafting, Darkfall Online, DDO, Dungeons and Dragons Online, Fallen Earth, Mass Media, MMO design, PvP, Rant, Warhammer Online, World of Warcraft | 76 Comments

Mark Jacobs should have listened to his own blog.

Posted on November 27, 2009 by SynCaine

File this one under “Dark Humor”, but Mark Jacob’s (former Warhammer Online lead designer) now-dead blog was called “Online Games Are a Niche Market”, a title that at the time was used as a joke because Mark believed MMOs had … Continue reading →

Posted in Aion, EVE Online, Lord of the Rings Online, Mass Media, MMO design, Warhammer Online, World of Warcraft | 33 Comments

What caused Warhammer Online to fail?

Posted on November 26, 2009 by SynCaine

Today Tobold is asking why Warhammer Online failed to live up to it’s mega-title expectations (expectations that I was grossly wrong about as well), give readers either the choice that WotLK killed it (tourists) or that WAR was just a … Continue reading →

Posted in Aion, Darkfall Online, Fallen Earth, Mass Media, MMO design, RvR, Warhammer Online, World of Warcraft | 39 Comments

Life Evolution in the sandbox

Posted on November 24, 2009 by SynCaine

Pacing and gameplay evolution are very important and at times overlooked factors in any MMO. The actions and motivations of a day one player are very different than those of a two year veteran, and good game design takes that … Continue reading →

Posted in Age of Conan, Aion, Combat Systems, crafting, Darkfall Online, EVE Online, MMO design, Patch Notes, PvP, Ultima Online, Warhammer Online, World of Warcraft | 20 Comments

Are you sure that’s really an expansion?

Posted on November 20, 2009 by SynCaine

In the comments of a previous DarkFall-related post here, the question of whether the next update should be considered a patch or expansion was brought up. Now I’ve already written what pushed the update from patch to expansion for me … Continue reading →

Posted in Combat Systems, Darkfall Online, EVE Online, Housing, MMO design, Patch Notes, PvP, World of Warcraft | 26 Comments

Speaking of getting paid…

Posted on November 17, 2009 by SynCaine

I find it funny people are wondering who would pay $20 for a gold guide when people are freely spending $10 (or more if you gotta-catch-em-all) for a pet, one that will ultimately provide less entertainment per dollar than said … Continue reading →

Posted in MMO design, Patch Notes, Rant, RMT, World of Warcraft | 10 Comments

Enjoying the Dragon Age themepark, minus the sub fee.

Posted on November 13, 2009 by SynCaine

Having read a fair amount of reviews and impressions of Dragon Age, I’m a bit confused by the complaint by some that it’s too linear, or not ‘sandbox’ enough. I view those statements the same way I view “Aion is … Continue reading →

Posted in Darkfall Online, MMO design, PvP, Random, World of Warcraft | 18 Comments

And this little piggie went to market

Posted on November 10, 2009 by SynCaine

I’ve written before that to most game companies, the only real voice a gamer has is his money. Word-of-mouth, positive/negative buzz, petitions, blog or forum posts; none of these count nearly as much as you making the decision to pay … Continue reading →

Posted in Aion, Console Gaming, Mass Media, MMO design, Random, Rant, World of Warcraft | 15 Comments

How many WoW pets does it take to forget China?

Posted on November 5, 2009 by SynCaine

I guess when the government shuts you out, it’s time to sell some fluff in the pasture. And when the market smacks your stock around the bean counters demand action, and what better way then to charge for Barbie accessories, … Continue reading →

Posted in Rant, RMT, World of Warcraft | 15 Comments

What the MMORPG genre could (and should) be.

Posted on October 19, 2009 by SynCaine

Last Friday’s post, and the links in the comments to Raph Koster’s posts (here, here, and here) (Thanks Brian) about the old Ultima Online eco system have sparked some old memories of what got me interested in the MMORPG genre … Continue reading →

Posted in Combat Systems, crafting, Darkfall Online, EVE Online, Housing, MMO design, Rant, Ultima Online, World of Warcraft | 64 Comments