Raph Koster

If you missed the STARS REACH trailer, here’s another link to it! #mmo #mmorpg #sandbox youtube.com/watch?v=ZRd5xi…

As usual I have signed all the copies of my books at the @Official_GDC bookstore!

@Stretchedwiener The context of the original quote is that the game system didn’t make you cry, the story did. We’ve known for centuries that stories can make you cry. ;)

"Game designer Raph Koster feels that Floyd's death is "cheating" because it occurs in a cut scene." From Wiki - really @raphkoster ?

When Floyd died, I cried.

@MadisonRaeGun I’m trying to bring back the vibe with Stars Reach!

I wouldcry tears of joy if STAR WARS GALAXIES ever came back (pre-CU patch btw). This game was magnificent; before WoW defined the MMO genre as a theme park ride, MMOs were weird and open and esoteric. SWG had player housing, playing neighborhoods, bars, communities. I miss it 😔

@liminal_warmth @rebelempiricist Well, some have. But yeah, this is very much not a hot take… but there’s this odd perception I’ve seen esp on Reddit that WoW classic and EQ are sandboxes, that WoW was a small scrappy project (!)… so I get where you are coming from.

@rebelempiricist They've never read Raph's treatises.

Hot take: By Raph Koster's definitions, WoW has always been a theme park by design with the rough edges of gritty world simulation sanded down, so continually moving in the direction of mass market appeal was a foregone conclusion at the outset

@RGTreasure All depends on scheduling… can you drop me a line via my website maybe?

@raphkoster Raph, would you consider coming on our Podcast and talking games?

Recommended posts, 2017-2025: It's been over five years since the last time I gathered up recommended posts in one place and added them to the menu above. I figured I was due. As usual this will include talks and interviews as well as articles. raphkoster.com/2025/11/26/rec…

JustaMirage has once again impressed the dev team with his construction of a helicopter.

My last and final tweet <3 telegra.ph/The-last-messa…

@akspad I have become convinced that if you are an inhabitant of a preferential attachment network, you only ever want to live in ones with a certain degree of connectivity. Put another way: flat or steep power laws both suck to live in. Midrange is best. :)

Interesting read by @raphkoster - a practical example of when a power law can be detrimental to an otherwise reasonable system. raphkoster.com/2017/09/22/310…

Today I came across a project that rebuilt all of Tatooine from SWG in VRChat, and another that is recreating all of UO as a Valheim mod. Kind of wild to see.

Holiday 🎄 Fireside Chat 🔥with Raph Join us for a delightfully festive and exciting Holiday Fireside Chat, with Carneros, Frommy, Leric, and our special guest, Raph! youtu.be/827I344-VXY

@zimbatsu @patrick_oshag Aww thanks. I assume you meant raphkoster.com/2025/11/26/rec… :)

@patrick_oshag A great summary of past writings of @raphkoster if you want to dig into everything games - there are incredible posts for weeks of reading.

Best thing you’ve read lately? Any topic

I never posted widely about the public health simulator design I wrote as Covid was shutting down the world. Until now. raphkoster.com/2025/11/16/loo…

Today we reveal our Stars Reach development roadmap. More than a timeline, this is a full-featured living document. Click on individual cards for more information. Watch as cards move between categories as development progresses. We want your feedback. starsreach.com/roadmap/

This update went up today. Can't wait to see what people do!

Stars Reach’s latest patch adds Star Wars Galaxies-esque player cities to the alpha 🔗 massivelyop.com/2025/11/13/sta… #StarsReach #StarWarsGalaxies #MMORPG @RaphKoster @playstarsreach

In Stars Reach, every action or interaction with the planet affects its environment, fauna, flora, and players who play and live in it. But not everybody likes what you do… youtu.be/nq92JvBVmoM

@Kappische Got me! I am sure they are all POD and just scraped off of quote websites.

@raphkoster I can’t imagine anyone buying that. Who would pay that amount of money?

This is unexpected. Not one, but three versions, and of course I am far from the only author whose quotes are for sale on canvas prints. Looks like three different manufacturers, and no, I do not get a cut. Fair use, I assume :D