DESIGN
Like any other gamer, I've been dreaming up ideas and brainstorming since I started the hobby, but I never became passionated about it until 1999. I was a part of the Heaven Gaming community for Age of Empires 2, what is still of the highest quality forums I've been apart of. Sandy Peterson, the notable developer of Ensemble Studious, was very active on the forums. During the development of The Conquerers expansion pack, he'd often ask for suggestions on game design. This chance to actually make my opinion known, albeit amonst hundreds of others, fully intrigued me. And to be excitment, two of my ideas were implemented: Achieving the nomadic theme of the Huns by removing the Housing requirment for them, and also adding a mounted monk unit. Now truth be told, I have no idea if the developers got those two ideas from my forum post. But that, and the fact that it could of just been coincidence, didn't matter. The inspiration I drew from that and the respect I had grown for Sandy Peterson had sparked a fire inside of me.

This archive sadly only dates back a couple years, and is only a tiny fraction of the work I've done. Most notably missing is Shadowbane, I was extremely active in design discussions or making major suggestions for well over an entire year before even I got into beta. Most every single online game I've ever played though, and even some console games, could have atleast a couple articles if I had started collecting earlier.

I love games with a high sense of immersion and realism, emphasis on politics and conflict, and how factions interact with themselves and each other through combat situations of all sorts (PvM and PvP) as well as an economical aspect. I believe content and supported events are key to keeping a game fresh. I am a massive supporter of stats and ranking in almost any competitive aspect of a game but I've also grown wary of their side effects. I want MM RPGs to one day be about simply adventure and that experience, and to have that adventure truely emulate a campaign of Dungeons & Dragons or a Forgotten Realms novel. The emphasis put on stats and ladders can also ruin that, so it's something I regularly debate and try to balance in brainstorms. Lastly I like what many people term as "veteraness". I like games with soft caps that let you level to 70, even if there is no statistical difference from Lv60. I like games that give cosmetic rewards after you play for 4 years, that let you record how many beasts you've killed, message boards with creation dates, post counts, and other systems.

General

Supporting an Immersive Enviroment
Potential of PvP Instancing

World of Warcraft

Crafting a World of War
Unique Practically, Not Technically
World Defense
PvP Tank

Vanguard

Putting Adventure First
Streamlined Community
Caravans
Tanking as a Protector