mechanics
The Daily Grind: Which MMOs have the best combat feedback?
I'm quite fond of 20XX, but I really hate the upgrades you can pick up in the game that eliminate hit stun. Sure, it...
Jeff Kaplan chimes in on the power of Overwatch’s bird-watching robot and metagame balance
Do you think Overwatch has made Bastion too powerful? The good news is that yes, Jeff Kaplan agrees with you, as he's outright said...
Crowfall introduces the winged Fae Assassin
The next archetype hitting Crowfall should be familiar to anyone who traditionally enjoys sneaking up behind enemies and backstabbing their heads off, regardless of...
MMO Mechanics: 2017’s take on the sandbox MMO
I am finding it hard to believe that we are two months into 2017 already, especially since I've had so many pressing Guild Chat...
The Daily Grind: What form of balance is best for MMOs?
I've been thinking about balance a lot. We all say that we'd like a balanced game, but there are a lot of different potential...
Crowfall details the mechanics of death, resurrection, and swapping characters
You will die while playing Crowfall. That's pretty much inevitable. But you will also never die in Crowfall, because you are not your character;...
Wisdom of Nym: First impressions of Final Fantasy XIV’s patch 3.5, part one
I can't think of the last time I've played through a patch of Final Fantasy XIV as quickly as I played through patch 3.5....
A new engine remake is coming for Age of Wushu
If you had to make a list of the game that currently look the worst due to their engines preventing any better looks, you...
MMO Mechanics: 2016’s MMORPG mechanics in review
The holiday season is finally upon us: My decorations are resurrected from their dark corner of my storage closets once more, Jack Frost is...
MMO Mechanics: Enhancing MMORPGs with experiential learning mechanics
Ever since I considered the responses to a Massively Overthinking article in which a developer asked if a prestige system to encourage replaying an...
The Daily Grind: What MMO would you like with a different game’s combat engine?
There are things I really like about The Secret World; the combat has never been one of them. However, if I could somehow mix...
DC Universe Online is overhauling its stats completely
Stats are a big deal in MMOs. Those little numbers that we try to make go higher are a big part of what makes...
MMO Mechanics: No Man’s Sky is mechanically genius (an ode to procedural generation)
No Man's Sky has been on my hotly anticipated list for so long, and you might remember that it has had particular mention in a...
MMO Mechanics: Creating engaging crafting mechanics
I'm currently bogged down in an over-the-shoulder crafting blur, vicariously depleting gold and recommending several YouTube-approved crazy material gathering runs as I get my...
MMO Mechanics: Zonation and scaling mechanics in MMORPGs
The recent E3 hubub about The Elder Scrolls Online new level syncing mechanics being extended has got me thinking all about the mechanics behind zones in MMOs,...
Check out Crowfall’s Druid in action
The Druid in Crowfall borrows a bit of a trick from the Ranger insofar as she uses more than one ability tray. In her...
RIFT offers a quick guide to making the most of minions
Are you making the most of your minions in RIFT? You really should. Minions are a lightweight way to get a little more out...
MMO Mechanics: Innovating mechanics to refresh Guild Wars 2
I usually keep MMO Mechanics quite general by looking at several games as examples to highlight my point regarding the mechanics of choice in each article,...
Star Citizen on power, insurance, and minimum viable products
Do you have a problem in your life with an increasingly skeptical car insurance provider? The first time you bring in your car covered...
MMO Mechanics: MMORPG expansions vs. sequels
The recent news about EverQuest Next's cancellation has renewed the debate about whether or not MMOs should get sequels, which have given me plenty...
