Jim Moreno shares his list of the five most crucial tools for any MMORPG to support roleplaying.
Videos
Movies taken of, or released by MMOs.
Jim Moreno finishes his look at how to RP using magic with some handy links from around the web.
In this week's RoleCraft, Jim Moreno looks at the actual act of casting the spell itself.
In this week's RoleCraft, we'll look at how a spellcaster puts their magic to good use in the world of roleplay.
This week in RoleCraft, we look at how players can work the mystical arts of magic into their RP.
Jim Moreno looks at how roleplayers can create a character who is in the military.
Felicia Day's MMOG-focused comedy series is great at getting laughs, but can it also teach us things about roleplaying in online worlds?
A collection of the finest RP links from around the Internet.
Morale is a very real aspect of warfare. Historical battles are as often won through moral superiority as physical strength. Rules that account for morale loss (and less frequently, morale gain) are very common in military computer, miniature, and board games yet have been largely neglected for games where a player controls a single avatar.
As long as player action sequences are the driving force behind special maneuvers, MMOs will be nothing but a numbers game. The key to break this cycle is to focus on responses to the enemy's actions.
How much of an MMO is button smashing and how much involves actual skill? This installment is an investigation of how armor choices and shield employment can yield more combat decisions.
I like stats as much as the next person (probably more), but when warfare is boiled down to raw probabilities, battlefield skill disappears. The building of the best stat base becomes much more important than any sort of tactical competency. Instead of seeking a skill based work-around, games come up with new statistical probabilities.
In this installment, Jonathan Steinhauer looks at the last MMO class archetypes, the Healer, and why this role at least is solidly developed.
The archetypal concept of the tank assumes that PvE opponents have the mental capacity of cattle. Instead of a monster intelligently attacking what would make his enemy most vulnerable (the Healer) or what is the greatest actual threat (the DPS), it attacks the one opponent that isthe smallest real threat and the hardest to kill: the Rodeo Clown... er Tank.
In this week's RoleCraft, Jim Moreno looks at the issue of player housing in MMOGs and how it can shape one's roleplay experience.
Starting a new series on the archetypal MMO classes, Jonathan Steinhauer begins by looking at DPS and the issue of hitting versus damaging.
This week on RoleCraft, Jim Moreno looks into how roleplayers can prepare for an adventure - Research, Plan, Go!
In this edition of RoleCraft, Jim Moreno wonders about a crucial element in tabletop gaming missing from the MMO - the Dungeon-Master.
In this installment, Jonathan Steinhauer takes a look at the weapons of fantasy MMOs and how they have all become identical.
Watch G4TV's The MMO Report: Thursday, March 5 for the latest news and updates on your favorite MMORPGs.
This week on The MMO Report, Casey talks about how Tabula Rasa shut down this past Saturday; how the Swedes named World of Warcraft the cocaine of video games; and how all the drama going down in EVE Online has actually made their playerbase larger.
Last night, the MMO universe lost one of its own as Tabula Rasa's AFS warriors stormed back to Earth for the final epic battle in New York's shattered streets. The battle was tough, but the fighters won, and the game was over. Thanks to the live team for the final stand and goodbye Tabula Rasa, we hardly knew you...
That's right, Tabula Rasa will be in its final day of operation tomorrow and the developers are making sure it's a day to remember for all the loyal fans. Full list of events after the jump.
On this week's RoleCraft, Jim Moreno wonders how exactly one can define roleplaying in an MMO due to the absence of a key player in tabletop RPing - the Dungeon Master.
Jonathan Steinhauer takes a look at roleplaying and why he has such a hard time fitting it into the MMO genre.
Korean MMO giant NCsoft released this week its 2008 fiscal year results, reporting a 5% sales increase and a sharp 40% net income decline from '07 results, even with a 15% decrease in operating costs. Any mention to Tabula Rasa is of course missing from the report.
In this week's RoleCraft, Jim Moreno tries his hand at role-writing, telling the story of one particular Blood Elf in the World of Warcraft.
The much awaited PAU mechs have been deployment onto Tabula Rasa's test servers, and they will be rocking the battlefield in the game's final days. Pics and details after the jump.
In this week's RoleCraft, Jim Moreno tackles Blizzard's recent debacle with the RP-PvE realm, Wyrmrest Accord.
Game designers face many challenges, and one of the largest of these is balance. Yet curiously, one facet that seems to garner a much smaller degree is the economy. That isn't to say MMO economics don't get a great deal of attention but as they stand the balance is more reminiscent of a band-aid than any real resolution.
NCsoft announced that all Tabula Rasa's servers will be merged into a single server before the shutdown, uniting all AFS recruits against the eventual Bane menace. Details after the jump.
TenTonHammer.com delves into the events that shaped Tabula Rasa and its players, and maps a detailed timeline leading all the way to the eventual shutdown. Read it here.
NCsoft Europe's ex-CTO Adam Martin blogged about his close-up experience with Tabula Rasa's prolonged development and analyzing the reasons that led to the eventual demise. Link after the jump.
This week in RoleCraft, Jim Moreno looks back at the RP scene in one of the very first MMOs: Ultima Online
In many of my recent articles, I've proceeded from the assumption that real life comparisons with games are a logical and natural concept. Apparently, I am mistaken. I have been told that the game is fantasy or sci-fi and that means it's not supposed to be real. Yet one of the great strengths of the genres is their link with the human experience.
A look back at the RoleCraft articles for the year of 2008.
