game design
The Daily Grind: Is it possible for an MMORPG to offer an optional sub that isn’t pay-to-win?
Last week, in the comments under the Bless optional subscription brouhaha article, I made an offhand comment that apparently got MOP commenter Sally's gears...
EVE Evolved: Getting new players to stick with EVE Online
EVE Online has the odd distinction of being one of the most impenetrable MMOs on the market today and yet also one of the...
BioWare’s Anthem will let you be ‘the hero of your story’ even in multiplayer
What began as a general vision statement for BioWare quickly turned into a treatise on how the studio is going to handle Anthem's multiplayer...
No word on when Fortnite will be arriving for Android, but the game is getting an Avengers: Infinity War promotion
Won't you help Android users sneak out of work or class with their phones to play Fortnite? Right now, you can play the game...
Massively Overthinking: The state of modern MMORPG raiding
Massively OP reader Sorrior recently sent in a question about raiding, a topic we haven't discussed in a while.
"I have noticed raiding tends to...
EVE Evolved: Getting ready for EVE Online’s Abyssal revolution
If you've seen the news recently coming out of EVE Fanfest 2018, you've probably heard of EVE Online's upcoming expansion: Into the Abyss. Pockets...
PUBG Corp’s infringement lawsuit against NetEase may not be completely ridiculous after all
Last week, we wrote about how PUBG Corp is suing NetEase (and NetEase is threatening to sue everyone) over alleged copyright infringement in regard...
Perfect Ten: Why trend-chasing doesn’t work at all for online games
Video games have always been a remarkably insular field; that's the nature of development. Someone produces Super Mario Bros, and a few years later...
Choose My Adventure: Warframe in review
It's funny how presentation problems can have such a huge impact on the same product.
Warframe, as a game, is almost crippled by its lack...
EVE Evolved: Get ready for EVE Fanfest 2018!
There's just a week and a half to go before EVE Fanfest 2018, the biggest event in the EVE Online social calendar. The event kicks...
GDC 2018: Ready Player One Now, billion person gaming, and mitigating abuse
It's no surprise that Ready Player One was constantly being referenced at GDC 2018, especially in VR, AR, and MMO panels. It's not just because of...
GDC 2018: Exploring SpatialOS with Improbable CCO Bill Roper
SpatialOS: You've probably been seeing this name pop up more and more in the MMO sphere. Worlds Adrift, Mavericks, Fractured, Seed, MetaWorld, and Identity are just some of the titles we've...
MMO Mechanics: The Fair Play Alliance and mechanising fairness
News of over 30 gaming companies taking a united stand against unfairness and toxicity in online game communities sprung out of GDC 2018 a...
EVE Evolved: What pushes EVE Online players to breaking point?
How many times have you read the comments on an EVE Online article and found someone talking about an experience they had that turned...
Monster Hunter World’s first patch is all about balance adjustments for weaponry
The first major patch for Monster Hunter World is arriving on March 16th, and thankfully it will include a new monster to fight in...
How DDO’s Mists of Ravenloft went from concept art to game design
By now, Dungeons and Dragons Online's Mists of Ravenloft has seen a few turns of the full moon and settled into its niche in...
Sci-fi MMORPG Project C announced with Thief and Half-Life 2 devs at the helm
Let us make an already interesting MMO news day a bit more so, shall we? How about the introduction of a brand-new, full-fledged MMORPG...
EVE Evolved: EVE Online’s March balance update has players excited
The EVE Online community came down pretty hard on CCP Games at the start of the year, with podcasts, blogs, and the Council of...
Wakfu targets the Huppermage for its next update
One of the hardest things to change in game design are elements that work but could be working better. The Huppermage in Wakfu serves...
Wisdom of Nym: Actual mechanical issues for jobs in Final Fantasy XIV, part one
There are a lot of people who are quick to complain about issues with their personal favorite jobs in Final Fantasy XIV. No matter...
