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.

Stargate Worlds developers have released some new screenshots of the Praxis Commander and his 'covert ops' suit. Check out the screens by clicking below.

Stargate Worlds fans were surprised when news of the game's Studio Head & Executive Producer Dan Elggren leaving developer Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment surfaced online. According to a family blog post, Elggren joined recently revealed Gazillion Entertainment. Details after the jump.

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.

Last week, a couple of news stories hit the airwaves indicating trouble for Stargate Worlds developer Cheyenne Mountain and casting doubt about the game's development. In a press notice just released by Cheyenne Mountain's Senior Marketing Manager Kevin Balentine, these stories appear to be much ado about nothing. Find out what IS going on at Cheyenne Mountain and with Stargate Worlds by clicking below.

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.