Tag: Jagex

MMOments: RuneScape Menaphos Details


Menaphos is the first expansion to RuneScape, a series of massive updates that are set to release every three months. While the content drops on the live servers today, MMO Fallout was invited to preview some of the changes last week, and the new content looks pretty exciting. As I have mentioned in previous update teasers, it’s been a while since Menaphos was first revealed to the public: Twelve years in fact, it’s like Boyhood but with a lot less growing up and a lot more angry desert deities. The city of Menaphos was first added to the map on April 26, 2005.

But players couldn’t get in. While its sister city Sophanem became available, Menaphos immediately closed its doors to outsiders amid rumors of corrupt leadership and stayed that way, for twelve years. In that time, players have come in contact with numerous desert deities, learned new magics, and assisted in god-tier sibling rivalries. Now, the cruel Pharaoh has reopened the doors and adventurers are flooding in to see what secrets the city holds.

You may be asking at this point: How is RuneScape sixteen years old and is only releasing its first expansion now? For the better part of that time, Jagex has been releasing content updates on a weekly basis with various major updates every year to add in new skills, update the game engine, and more. Last year Jagex polled players on whether they would like to continue the current system of trickling updates out on a weekly basis or release major content packs every three months. Players chose the latter, and here we are.

Content in Menaphos is targeted towards mid to high level players, although most players will find something to do after completing the three pre-requisite quests. The city itself is divided into four areas, with access to everything from a Grand Exchange, new skilling areas, a merchant area to steal from, and more. Each of the four areas has its own reputation system, and while it is possible for the more dedicated gamer to maximize his rank in all four areas, Jagex told me during the preview that it will take some time and most players will just focus on one or two factions.

The centerpiece to Menaphos is the giant pyramid around which the city goes about its daily life. Inside that tomb you can find the Grand Library which will be comprised of stories submitted to Jagex by the player base. As massive as the library is, we were told that so many players had submitted quality stories that Jagex is having a hard time fitting them into the game!

Shifting Tombs is a randomized dungeon crawler with procedurally generated tombs and monsters. Players have a set amount of time to plunder the dungeon, gathering as much loot as possible while still making it to the end and escaping within the time limit. Personally, I’m looking forward to meeting Krondis, the alligator goddess of life and pleasure. Krondis, as with much of the rest of the city, has been corrupted and is currently hoarding the treasures for herself, but we’ll see if that can be changed.

The city is full of lush trees and vibrant colors, a rather stark contrast to the other desert areas. Every area has its own stylistic theme, from the extravagance of the imperial sector to the downtrodden workers district. A big piece of the Menaphos update is that the Slayer skill is having its level cap increased to 120 along with new content to fill in that level gap. You can check out the update details on the launch page here.

Players can also get in on a free weekend beginning on June 9th, allowing free players to enjoy all member content throughout the weekend until the 12th.

Old School RuneScape Launches The Inferno


RuneScape just got more challenging, as Jagex today launched The Inferno, the most difficult PvE content to date. Deep in the depths of  Mor Ul Rek, players will be tasked with taking on waves of monsters and challenges, fighting their way through increasingly powerful enemies for the golden ticket: The infernal cape. The cape is so difficult that Jagex has put up a special reward: The first person to beat final boss TzKal- Zuk will win an all expense paid trip to Runefest, as well as lifetime membership and a real life version of the infernal cape.

“Every piece of content that goes into Old School RuneScape is voted on by the players. Back in March we polled the Inferno to our loyal player base, and they clearly were not afraid of a challenge, with 84% deciding they wanted to have it as part of our game. Our goal for this content is to make even the veterans of Old School RuneScape quake with fear” said Mathew Kemp, Senior Product Manager, Old School RuneScape.

You won’t be able to just pop in and start fighting toward that cape. The infernal cape requires that players beat the Fight Caves and have already won the fire cape.

(Source: RuneScape press release)

Jagex Teams Up With Improbable For SpatialOS Technology


Jagex today announced that it has entered into a partnership with Improbable. Founded in 2012 by Herman Narula (photograph above), Improbable brings forward its SpatialOS technology which claims to allow developers to create more permanent online worlds with smaller teams. As an example, SpatialOS can manage the state of the world down to the individual item, allowing players to drop items on the floor and (theoretically) have them sit there for years without the need for the server to clean itself up.

Acting CEO Phil Mansell had the following to say about SpatialOS:

“As a studio, we have online gaming at heart and we’ve always looked for technology that can help to deliver the best possible experience for our players. We’re looking forward to working with Improbable and discovering the advancements the SpatialOS platform can bring to multiplayer gaming.”

The extent of SpatialOS’s implementation will have to be seen.

(Source: Jagex press release)

Jagex Lifts Lid On ‘The Shifting Tombs,’ For Menaphos


RuneScape’s first expansion Menaphos: The Golden City doesn’t come out for another month, and Jagex has revealed the first mini-game coming along with the desert city: The Shifting Tombs. Playable alone or with a group, The Shifting Tombs is a fast-paced skilling activity for mid to high level players launching alongside the expansion. Adventurers will navigate through procedurally generated catacombs with the goal of gathering as much loot as humanly possible and cleaning the corruption that has spread through the city.

Access to the tombs requires a minimum of level 50 in Agility, Construction, Crafting, Divination, Dungeoneering, Prayer, Runecrafting, Thieving, with better rates unlocked at levels 70 and 90.

(Source: Jagex Press Release)

 

RuneScape’s First Expansion Hits June 5th


RuneScape is set to shake things up with the launch of Menaphos: The Golden City of June 5th. The update takes players to the lost city of Menaphos, an area first hinted at over a decade ago and finally opened to the public. Players won’t find themselves so easily welcomed by the citizens of Menaphos, and instead must work to increase their reputation among the city and go from outsider to exalted. The update brings with it an ever-changing network of tombs to plunder, new quests, a new slayer dungeon, as well as an increased slayer level cap: 120 from 99.

“RuneScape has always been underpinned with the telling of great stories and quests, and launching RuneScape Expansions – beginning with Menaphos: The Golden City – allows us to do that in an entirely new way,” said David Osborne, Lead Designer, RuneScape. “We’re working hard to ensure this gleaming metropolis eclipses the Menaphos that’s been in the imagination of our many millions of players for more than a decade, and we can’t wait to share more details over the coming weeks before the gates open.”

Menaphos is the first piece of content to be released under RuneScape’s new content system, focusing on massive expansions every three months. You can find the new trailer on the official Youtube channel, or below on this page.

(Source: Jagex Press Release)

Watch The Full RuneScape Documentary


Jagex has released the RuneScape 15 Years of Adventure documentary, showing how far the game has come since it was developed by Andrew Gower in his parent’s kitchen. The entire documentary is nearly an hour and a half and includes a wealth of information and interviews. Check it out above.

Jagex Reports Double Digit Growth In 2016


Things are looking up for Jagex, as the UK developer announced that revenues hit double digit growth for the second year. In a press release sent out today, Jagex unveiled their 2016 annual revenues, announcing a 28% increase to £74.4 million. Growth was driven due to the release of NXT, a new game client for RuneScape 3, while Old School RuneScape similarly saw major growth partially due to the eSports aspect of the annual Deadman tournament.

Acting CEO Phil Mansell had the following to say:

“2016 saw RuneScape celebrate its 15th anniversary and we placed a razor focus on evolving and growing both RuneScape and Old School RuneScape. Through investment in big ticket content, technology, marketing and strengthening the relationship we enjoy with millions of players that form our deeply-engaged community, the team delivered landmark performance by growing active users, conversion rates and subscribers.”

(Source: Jagex press release)

Get Lucky in RuneScape: Jagex Overhauls Luck Mechanic


Call it what you want, luck is a big factor in MMORPG’s. You can pray to RNGesus all you want, but at the end of the day you’re still beholden to that invisible spinning wheel landing on the items you need to make the big bucks. It’s the difference between going home a billionaire and heading home in a digital body bag. With today’s update to RuneScape, Jagex is retooling how your character’s luck is determined.

Luck-enhancing items now fall on one of four tiers. Tiers 1-3 affect content specific to certain level ranges. Tier 4 affects content of all levels, along with some extra benefits of its own.

Your luck rises with one of four rings, as well as through various other items. To check out the entire list of changes, click on the link below for this week’s patch notes.

(Source: RuneScape)

Snapshots: RuneScape Agents of Fury


Today’s Snapshots comes from RuneScape where players are once again playing a limited time resource gathering event. For the next two weeks, skilling activities will yield Zamorakian Emblems, which can be traded in to the envoys of Avernic general Nymora in return for rewards including pieces of the Furies Agent outfit. You can see the full outfit constructed above. The full outfit requires ten days worth of resources, so get cracking!

Old School RuneScape Celebrates Four Year Anniversary


It’s been four years since Jagex unveiled Old School RuneScape, the retro spinoff of the popular MMORPG that brought gamers back to the days of 2007, complete with graphics, combat system, and all. Since then, the game has seen countless updates, all dictated and voted on by a majority of the community. The mode itself has spun off into the hardcore Deadman Mode which plowed head first into the eSports scene with successful tournaments, rewarding thousands of dollars in real cash to its winners.

“This year is a double anniversary for Old School RuneScape; not only does the game celebrate its fourth birthday, but it’s also the 10th anniversary of the ‘snapshot’ server we used to bring Old School to life,” said Mathew Kemp, producer, Old School RuneScape. “Old School’s growing player base and its impact in the competitive sector is an impressive testament to the remarkable appeal of the game and shows it’s come a long way in the last decade. But however far Old School has come, it’ll always be rooted in 2007 for us.”

To celebrate, Jagex is rolling out presents in the form of new servers and a birthday bash with exclusive items. Other updates rolled out with the festivities include 12 new servers and several quality of life improvements (see link below).

(Source: RuneScape)