evergreen
WoW Factor: The pros and cons of deterministic gear systems
One of the big changes that's hit World of Warcraft over the years is in regard to deterministic gear systems. In the original launch version...
Vague Patch Notes: The difficult value of MMOs
If given the option, I would probably get a lifetime subscription to Final Fantasy XIV. But the key word there is probably, and this is a...
Vague Patch Notes: What makes MMO leveling feel good?
A shine of light, a sound effect, a screen graphic. Sometimes you get more fanfare than elsewhere. In Final Fantasy XIV, the game's victory fanfare...
Perfect Ten: The 10 types of MMO loot I’m always thrilled to get
Loot's not something that I see discussed much these days among MMO players. It's probably because loot's been around since the beginning of online...
Vague Patch Notes: In defense of easy fun, in MMOs and elsewhere
I don't play video games to be challenged. I play them to have fun.
This isn't to say that these are inherently separate propositions. People...
Perfect Ten: The 10 tiers of MMO system complexity
MMOs can be complicated things, as I am pretty sure we have discussed on multiple occasions now. There are no known means to prevent...
The Game Archaeologist: Free Realms
Its very name was a declaration of rebellion against the status quo. In an era that had yet to shift from a subscription-only model...
Vague Patch Notes: Yes, Virginia, that counts as an MMO
There is a particular comment we get on a semi-regular basis, and it is always wrong. It shows up on a wide variety of...
A look back at the MMO and gaming science topics of 2020
It's now become a long-running tradition on Massively OP to track science-related and science-adjacent stories that touch on the MMORPG world, but this past...
Perfect Ten: The top MMOs to watch in 2021
"MMOs are dead!" "MMOs are dying!" "We didn't get any good MMO releases this past year!"
While I won't argue with the last one there,...
Vague Patch Notes: Don’t be the MMO beta defense squad
Every week, I have to think about betas. I have to think a lot about betas, in fact. More than I ever wanted to...
End-of-Year Eleven: The MMOs with the most uncertain futures in 2021
All right, let's do this one more time. Yes, it's that time when we look ahead to the next year and ask which games...
Why I Play: Elite Dangerous is the space sandbox we’ve been looking for
Elite: Dangerous was not on my radar when it appeared on the scene back in 2014. I had already spent my money buying a...
MMO dev and astronaut Richard Garriott smuggled the ashes of Star Trek’s James Doohan to the ISS
While we all know very well the story of Richard Garriott's $30 million ticket on board a rocket to visit the International Space Station...
The Game Archaeologist: Seven ways EverQuest reshaped MMO history
To many veteran MMO players, the opening horns of EverQuest's score are enough to trigger vivid memories, violent hallucinations, and an unstoppable desire to...
Vague Patch Notes: The verbs of MMOs
Even if you don't like crafting, you should care if your MMO of choice has meaningful crafting. And you should especially care if it...
The Game Archaeologist’s ultimate MMO archives v4.0
By far, my favorite column to write here at Massively OP (and the one that always takes the longest) is The Game Archaeologist. I've...
Vague Patch Notes: Defining the vague mass that is the MMO community
The community is important when it comes to talking about an MMO. This is an established fact; I wrote an entire column about how...
The Soapbox: Pet battles are one of the best things WoW ever did (which is why I’ve never played one)
Pokemon first burst onto the scene when I was in elementary school. I've always been lukewarm at best toward anime and "cute" things, so...
Massively Overthinking: MMO cash shop confessions
Do you ever pick up a drink absentmindedly, thinking it's going to be something, but it's actually something totally different that you hate? You...
