Vague Patch Notes is a meta design column by Eliot Lefebvre. [Follow this column’s RSS feed]
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Vague Patch Notes: Everything in an MMORPG is time-limited
Today, I want to talk to you about an event that you can no longer participate in within Final Fantasy XIV. It's an event...
Vague Patch Notes: How widespread free-to-play impacted MMORPGs
In 2009, Dungeons & Dragons Online went free-to-play, which was a pretty big deal at the time. It was especially important to me, since...
Vague Patch Notes: Yes, tutorials are a good thing in MMORPGs
For those of you who haven't been reading the site for a while or just don't keep this in your head, I'm going to...
Vague Patch Notes: The stuff that has me excited about Stars Reach
Raph Koster is a smart guy. Not just an experienced one (he's that, too), but a smart one. The man knows his stuff front...
Vague Patch Notes: Many kinds of challenge and many kinds of fun in MMOs
Earlier this week, MOP's Bree and I were discussing my plans in Final Fantasy XIV as part of the Dawntrail early access launch. Now,...
Vague Patch Notes: Have a seat for your MMO
I could play Final Fantasy XIV on my PlayStation 5, but I don't want to. And as weird as it might sound, the reason...
Vague Patch Notes: Housing is really back in MMORPGs
I haven't really had anything to say about Guild Wars 2's upcoming Janthir Wilds expansion thus far because... well, I'm not our GW2 columnist,...
Vague Patch Notes: Chasing the metagame in MMOs isn’t the metagame at all
So a few weeks back, I did a column on what the metagame actually is in MMORPG, and then I discussed how noob traps...
Vague Patch Notes: Why do so many MMOs fail?
We talk a lot about MMOs that fail here on Massively Overpowered. I wrote a whole column about how our standards of success are...
Vague Patch Notes: Why I am no longer anticipating Blue Protocol
Last year, I was pretty jazzed about Blue Protocol. I've actually been pretty jazzed about it for a while, but last year it looked...
Vague Patch Notes: There is no one-and-done with MMOs
Last week's Vague Patch Notes column focused on the struggle of adding new things to MMORPGs forever and ever. I think it was a...
Vague Patch Notes: The problem with forever adding classes to MMOs
The second expansion for Final Fantasy XI, Chains of Promathia, launched to extremely mixed reception, and there was one overwhelming reason for that lack of...
Into the Super-verse: Why the resurrection of 20-year-old City of Heroes is worth celebrating, even if you don’t play
There's a certain poetry to the fact that this year, on the 20th anniversary of City of Heroes, we can all play the game...
Vague Patch Notes: When MMO designers build traps for players
So last week, I spent a whole lot of words talking about what "the meta" actually means when it comes to MMOs. Put very...
Vague Patch Notes: Getting meta in MMORPGs
This week, MOP's Chris ran afoul of the MMO meta when he was going through New World. Only he... didn't, not really. He ran...
Vague Patch Notes: Game preservation is way more complicated than it seems
Before I say anything with this week's article, I want to make something very, very clear right from the premise: As you have probably...
Vague Patch Notes: The limits of data in MMORPGs
Yesterday, I went on a rant about data. As you probably guessed from the various columns wherein I attempt to use data to analyze...
Vague Patch Notes: Why in the world do you want the Riot MMO to be a thing?
Let's make something clear right up front: If you came into this column eager to head for the comments section to say, "Well, I...
Vague Patch Notes: You might be the reason you no longer love this MMO
Despite its ubiquity in sitcoms throughout the '90s, I have never had a single relationship end with the other person saying, "It's not you,...
Vague Patch Notes: Sort your own MMO community, guy
One of the things I note is that every so often - not all the time, but every so often - something will just...
