editorial
Vague Patch Notes: The MMO world you don’t control
Last week in Vague Patch Notes, I attempted to lay out my thesis for what it means when we say MMOs require other people....
Stick and Rudder: On CitizenCon day two, Star Citizen talked MMO design and full 1.0 release
Sure, we've had one day of CitizenCon, but what about second day? The weekend event for the 12 year-old sci-fi sandbox Star Citizen has...
Stick and Rudder: Star Citizen talks tools, gear, social features, and Squadron 42 at CitizenCon day one
It's that time of year again for fans and followers of Star Citizen to come together in-person and digitally to see what's next in...
Design Mockument: How might we build a Stormlight Archive MMORPG?
So when I was talking with MOP editor Bree a while back, I mentioned how one of my early ideas for the most recent...
Vague Patch Notes: MMOs rely on other people – but what does that really mean?
Now that we're done with Leveling Month in Vague Patch Notes, is there another topic I can turn into a month-and-change of column topics?...
Four Winds: Looking back at the early Throne and Liberty journey from the vantage of endgame
In the last edition of Four Winds, I found myself cautiously enjoying Throne and Liberty. The game had its hooks in me. I found an engaging game...
Vague Patch Notes: What is good meaningful leveling in MMORPGs?
All right. So we are here at long last, at the end of Leveling Month, although it's actually more like Month And A Bit....
Vague Patch Notes: The dark side of meaningful MMO leveling
We've been in Leveling Month over here in Vague Patch Notes, and I had intended for this particular column to close off that discussion...
Four Winds: Throne & Liberty’s opening hours were fun AF, but I’m still on my guard
After what feels like an absolute eternity, Throne and Liberty is finally here. In my younger, less jaded years, I'd feel excited and elated...
Massively on the Go: Pokemon Go’s October outlook offers more tricks than treats
It's almost October, and that means Halloween in Pokemon Go, where the tricks are expected and the treats come with bugs, no matter how...
Why I Play: Satisfactory scratches my MMO crafting itch
My first real exposure to Satisfactory was long, long before playing it or even being more than peripherally aware of it, because I really...
Vague Patch Notes: When leveling too quickly becomes a problem in MMORPGs
Last week, I talked about how slow leveling design could become a problem. In that piece (and the one before it - it's become...
Progress Bar: Nightingale’s Realms Rebuilt update is a strong step in the right direction
As most of you fine readers likely know, I was something of a fan of Nightingale. I enjoyed the previews I was a part...
Massively on the Go: Pokemon GO’s Max Battles’ rollout shows Niantic is stuck in 2019
The Pokemon Go's fall 2024 seasonal update, Max Out, has brought players a new feature: Max Battles. Max Raid Battles were the Pokemon series' first mainline...
Vague Patch Notes: When slow leveling is a problem in MMORPGs
Last week in Vague Patch Notes, I talked about leveling. At the very end of the column, I mentioned that slow leveling or fast...
Vague Patch Notes: Leveling in MMORPGs is cool because it’s finite
No matter what you do, leveling in an MMORPG is going to be too fast. It's also going to be slow. It is the...
Stick and Rudder: Elite Dangerous’ Type-8 Update engineering revamp saved the game
While the latest content update to Elite: Dangerous was called the Type-8 Update, what it really should have been called is the Engineering Reborn...
First Impressions: The War Within breathes new life into World of Warcraft
After being mostly disappointed with Dragonflight, I was wondering if my decision to return to World of Warcraft for the Worldsoul Saga was a...
Casually Classic: The five World of Warcraft mods I use as a non-modder playing The War Within
Generally, I don't use mods for MMORPGs. Or most video games. It's not that I take some high-minded principled stand against them; I have...
Massively on the Go: Pokemon GO’s Max Out season brings a little hype back
The Pokemon Go fall seasonal update, coming September 3rd, is called Max Out, and if you haven't kept up with the main series of...
