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Design Mockument: Alternate trinities in MMORPGs and the challenge of other roles
The trinity has been a truism of MMO design now for about as long as it wasn't. I came up during the small times...
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....
MMO Hype Train: Is Corepunk really ready for prime time?
Whenever I'm looking at a new MMORPG, there are two important hurdles it must cross to be of interest to me. The first is...
Perfect Ten: 2024’s MMO soundtrack themes ranked from worst to best
Try not to whip your head around all suspicious-like to check out the past 10 months, but 2024 has been a bonanza for MMO...
Choose My Adventure: The final push to level cap in Throne & Liberty
This is probably one of the few times in my personal history with Choose My Adventure when I hit the level cap in the...
Wisdom of Nym: The dark side of role quests in Final Fantasy XIV
I haven't been shy talking about liking the role quests that are currently available in Dawntrail. Indeed, I think that Final Fantasy XIV has...
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...
LOTRO Legendarium: The rise and fall and rise of Mines of Moria
With Lord of the Rings Online's Angmar and Mordor progression servers looking forward to entering the first expansion sometime in December, thoughts have once...
Fight or Kite: Dungeonborne gives Elder Scrolls vibes with a hint of battle royale
Over the past couple of weeks, my gaming time hasn't been amenable to long sessions thanks to work travel, but I was prepared: I've...
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?...
Perfect Ten: Ranking the top 10 cities in Final Fantasy XIV
I can't speak for my fellow writer Justin (he apparently doesn't want to install the mind-probe that would make this really easy to find...
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...
Vitae Aeternum: New World Aeternum leaves veterans, casuals, and PC players behind
The time has finally come. New World's semi-relaunch under the New World: Aeternum banner is here. Regular readers of this column will recall that...
Choose My Adventure: The steady climb upward in Throne & Liberty levels and power
I've finally gotten to a point of reasonable comfort in Throne and Liberty. I've definitely settled on my weapons, obviously. I'm starting to get...
MMO Hype Train: Concern for the fragile labor and delivery of Pantheon
Welcome to MMO Hype Train, a new column here at Massively OP! In this space, I'll be channeling my excitement, speculation, and curiosity about...
Not So Massively: Songs of Silence is a stylish blend of multiplayer 4X and auto-battler
Considering I don't even do that it often, you'd be surprised how often I find interesting games just by scrolling through Steam's home page....
Wisdom of Nym: Final Fantasy XIV’s DPS jobs need a balance pass post-Dawntrail
Balance at the start of a new expansion is always really hard. It's not impossible, but the Final Fantasy XIV team has an uphill...
LOTRO Legendarium: Should all LOTRO expansions include ‘special systems?’
It's been an exciting week for Lord of the Rings Online as full details and testing for this fall's expansion, Legacy of Morgoth, arrived...
