Niklas examines a lesser-broached subject in multiplayer games: the curse of skill.
The Curse of Skill In Multiplayer Games
Beyond the Trinity: What DAoC Can Teach MMOs About Character Roles
Drawing on the design of AD&D, MMOs have seemingly taken up the Holy Trinity of Tank, Damage and Healing throughout its history. Niklas takes a look at an older MMO, Dark Age of Camelot, and how this Trinity can teach us more about character roles.
How Game Analytics Can Help MMOs
If you’ve ever spent time poring over the animated timeline in Civilization 3 or watched your mission track in a flight simulator such as DCS or Microsoft Flight Simulator, you know precisely the appeal of this premise. Understanding data in games is known as game analytics: leveraging data to improve the design and development (or playing!) of video games. Given their massive scope, longevity, and competitive nature, game analytics is particularly useful for MMOs. Let’s look at why MMOs are goo
Dark Age of Camelot Turns 20! Why Do People Still Play It?
It’s the fall of 2001. Mythic Entertainment launches their first MMORPG with no prior experience – Dark Age of Camelot. Twenty years later it’s still a popular MMO among players yearning for those older MMOs. Niklas takes us through why people are still playing this fan-favorite MMO.
The Old Guard vs The New Generation: The Evolution Of The MMO
The world has changed. You can feel it in the water. You can feel it in the earth. You can smell it in the air. The old school of MMOs are making way for a new breed, and much that once was is lost, for none now live who remember it. Well, not really, but for some of us MMO old timers, this new generation of MMOs is just… well, different than what we’re used to.
DAoC: Phoenix Falling – The Life And Death Of A Free Shard
On Saturday, July 24, 2021, the long-running and highly popular Dark Age of Camelot freeshard Phoenix was announced to be closing by the end of August. In a Phoenix forum post titled "The Sky Is Really Falling This Time", gruenesschaf, one of the creators behind the freeshard, explained the reasoning behind the decision and the remaining timeline for the server. Eventually, gruenesschaf explained in a rather fatalistic fashion, every online game–freeshard or not–reaches a point after the hype
Shareholder or Chump: Developer-Player Relations For MMOs
What do MMO companies owe their subscribers? Niklas explores developer and player relationships, especially in the context of Dark Age of Camelot’s developer Broadsword and its subscribers.
All Together Now – Promoting Group In MMOs
Niklas dives into the idea of grouping and how integral it is to online world design in MMOs, looking back on the genre’s history, as well as some of the games that are defining its future.
Why Asymmetry In MMO Design Can Be A Beautiful thing
Niklas breaks down MMO game design, specifically why the asymmetry of how some MMOs are built can be, in the end, a very beautiful thing.
See You In Fifteen: Realm Vs Realm Combat In Dark Age Of Camelot
Niklas is back with another Dark Age of Camelot column, this time focusing on the realm versus realm combat in the MMORPG.