design
EverQuest Next challenges players to design buildings for Halas
One of the cooler parts of the EverQuest Next development process is that it's not happening behind closed doors; players have already had the...
Wisdom of Nym: Final Fantasy XIV’s expansion endgame, three weeks in
As of this writing, I haven't yet cleared Alexander. I've had other things to do, and while it might mean I'm ultimately one week...
How Neverwinter designs the critters that wreck you
Neverwinter has an advantage in terms of enemy design, since years of Dungeons & Dragons have given it huge amounts of material to work...
Skyforge will finalize open beta after this week’s test
Skyforge has entered its final beta test, which means that open beta and soft launch is just around the corner. If you've been watching...
WoW Factor: What the flight changes portend for WoW’s future
Did anyone else get flashbacks to the Xbox One launch with World of Warcraft's flying announcement? I pictured a lot of arm-folding and sulking...
Das Tal demos skill-based combat and posts Kickstarter FAQ
What does skill-based combat mean to you? We can't tell you that, but we can tell you what it means to the makers of...
Heroes of the Storm devs talk Kael’Thas and character design
Wondering how Blizzard's developers choose from the studio's incredible roster of characters and then crafted those selections into Heroes of the Storm's champions? Then...
How Star Trek Online constructs its new pilot ships
The newest ships in Star Trek Online are all based around making players feel like that piloting specialization was a good expenditure of time...
Did you know Diablo III was once planned as an MMO?
It's indisputable that World of Warcraft took a lot of nods from online Diablo II when it first launched. Sometimes, it almost seems as...
Worlds Adrift dev blog shows early character designs
Want to get a glimpse behind the curtain of character design and development in the MMO industry? The latest Worlds Adrift dev blog may...
Eternal Crusade updates players on design goals and founder packs
The melee combat in Warhammer 40,000: Eternal Crusade has gone through several revisions, and it's going to go through several more. The latest State...
A first look at Ghost in the Shell Online in action
Now that we know that Ghost in the Shell Online will definitely be coming to Western shores, there's all the reason in the world...
WoW Factor: Flying ruined everything and shouldn’t be removed
Allowing flying mounts in World of Warcraft was a terrible mistake that should never have been corrected.
For those not up on their history, here's...
Worlds Adrift explains why it can’t disable PvP
Worlds Adrift has updated its website with a new design-focused blog that sheds quite a bit of light on how the game will play....
WoW Factor: The design slide from start to present
After more than a decade of operation, a curious thing has happened to World of Warcraft: It's circled back around on an awful lot...
PAX East 2015: A chat with SOTA’s Richard Garriott
Richard Garriott casts a long shadow in the MMO industry, with Ultima Online serving as the first fully graphical MMO and ushering in the genre...
The Secret World Q&A covers mission design secrets
Do you ever wonder just what goes into making one of The Secret World's hand-crafted missions? The dev team opened up about the process...
Behind the scenes of Armored Warfare
At first glance, Armored Warfare definitely looks like a World of Tanks clone. That's not by accident, either. A recent article highlights the genesis...
The Soapbox: Facing an industry of change
Right now I believe that we are on a threshold of change in the MMO industry, and it feels a little uncertain and a...
Wisdom of Nym: Final Fantasy XIV endures
Don't call it a comeback; I've been here for years.
Last week, I wrote a farewell, and I wasn't happy to be doing so. I...
