Tag: Old School

Old School RuneScape Celebrates Five Years


Time flies when you’re grinding for that 99 skillcape, and nobody knows that more than the players of Old School RuneScape which this month reaches its five year anniversary. It’s hard to believe that five years ago we were talking about Old School RuneScape (which MMO Fallout for some reason consistently referred to as ‘OldScape’) as this small project that we had no idea if it would be popular enough to be sustainable, with the high end of the hopes being that Jagex could commit just enough personnel to make very small content updates and ban some bots. But just as luck would have it, the game exploded in popularity over the next year and drew in enough people that it receives regular content updates and rather massive, exclusive additions.

In 2015, MMO Fallout managed to snag an interview with Matthew Kemp, product manager for Old School RuneScape not long after Deadman Mode, the game’s hardcore spinoff, originally launched. Deadman mode, where players can kill each other virtually anywhere and can lose large amounts of their belongings on death, in turn spawned its own massively successful eSports spinoff in the form of seasonal Deadman tournaments, with winners taking home $10 grand in cold hard cash.

Senior Product Manager Matthew Kemp (the very same) had the following to say on Old School RuneScape’s coming year:

“2018 is a huge year for Old School, and not only because of these anniversary celebrations and the launch of the game’s own dedicated Twitch channel. We are currently in the middle of a pipeline of closed beta tests for Old School RuneScape on mobile, and already are getting some excellent feedback from those lucky enough to receive an invitation. In fact, the feedback so far has more than validated our decision to make the full game available on mobile platforms for new, returning and current players later in the year.”

Both Old School RuneScape and RuneScape 3 are in the process of being ported to mobile devices.

(Source: Jagex Press Release)

Old School RuneScape Launches Dragon Slayer II


Old School RuneScape is celebrating its fifth year with the revival of a classic in the form of Dragon Slayer II. The long awaited sequel to one of the first quests released for RuneScape, Dragon Slayer II is only for high level players that have completed a long list of requirements and are ready to go up against some challenging enemies. The quest also sees the launch of the Myths Guild, a questing guild only accessible to players with 200 quest points who complete the new Dragon Slayer quest.

While Dragon Quest II is for members only, free to play content related to the release is also out today in the form of a novice quest, the Corsair Curse, and the settlement Corsair Cove.

“More than 16 years after the original Dragon Slayer quest launched and gave players their toughest challenge, we’re giving them an even grander challenge to overcome with Dragon Slayer II, one of our most memorable adventures yet!” said Mathew Kemp, Senior Product Manager, Old School RuneScape. “2018 is a real milestone year for Old School RuneScape; in addition to celebrating our fifth anniversary next month, we’re of course looking forward to the launch of Old School on mobile platforms soon!”

(Source: Jagex Press Release)

Jagex Will Evaluate Employee/Clan Relationships


Jagex late last week responded via Reddit to recent allegations against a member of the staff. According to posts on the Old School RuneScape Reddit forum, players have accused one of Jagex’s employees of leaking insider information and giving unfair assistance to members of a clan that they just happened to be a part of. The clan itself has also been accused of using underhanded tactics in Old School’s Deadman Mode tournaments.

The announcement states that Jagex going forward will evaluate whether or not employees will be allowed to have direct involvement in competitive clans.

What is clear is that there’s more we can do to convince you of the integrity of the team, and to ease any fears of dishonesty. Firstly, we will be assessing whether or not direct involvement in any competitive clan is the right thing for an employee of Jagex. You all want a development team who play and enjoy Old School as much as you do, and whilst clans are integral to RuneScape, our participation within them is something we’ll have to review. We are committed to ensuring that no one player (or clan) is given any treatment that could be seen as preferential in any way.

(Source: Reddit)

Halloween Spooks Up RuneScape and Old School RuneScape This Week


Darkness falls across the land, the midnight hour is actually pretty far away. If you thought Halloween was over in RuneScape, you were severely mistaken. This week marks the release of two updates for RuneScape and its Old School counterpart, to conclude the Halloween festivities. Over on the RuneScape side of things, players will assist a ghost named Closure by hunting down helping ghosts into the afterlife.

Track down nine ghosts and help them cross to the other side, then collect their last moments in The Ghastly Grimoire in exchange for a ghost treat(containing a small XP lamp or star, a toffee apple or sugar skull and various bones and ashes), this year’s Hallowe’en emote (Ghost Story) and a Headless Rider cosmetic override.

The quest includes five ghost stories from members of the community.

Over at Old School RuneScape, players are already taking part in their event. Adventurers will be enlisted to assist the Grim Reaper and head down to Sapphire Lagoon to stop the hockey mask wearing villain Jonas. Players will get their hands on a spooky mask and new skin shade as well as previous years’ Halloween items.

(RuneScape, Old School)

Jagex Disqualifies Deadman Winner Over Cheating


The Autumn Deadman tournament survivor has been disqualified after it was discovered that they were cheating. In a post on the official website, Jagex discussed criticism surrounding the latest Deadman final regarding certain disqualifications. What isn’t in question, however, is that the latest winner was cheating by using a bot farm to boost their account.

The last survivor of the final has been disqualified. A standard subsequent investigation into the winner of the tournament took place and the winner was responsible for the creation of a bot farm. Naturally all accounts linked to this botting activity have now been banned. This then raises the question of what to do with the prize money. At the moment we’re discussing what to do with it. A few ideas we have at the moment are another charitable donation, dispersing the money among the finalists, or carrying it over to the next season (or a combination of all of these).

In the same post, Jagex has promised to provide guides for players to avoid DDoS attacks which have become more common in Deadman mode, as well as tackling issues of cheating that naturally crop up in an event where $10,000+ of real money is on the line.

Deadman is a hardcore mode for Old School RuneScape that trades higher experience rates for open pvp and higher loot risk on death. Deadman Seasonal is a time-limited event where players race to level their accounts, with the 2,000 highest level players going on to a last man standing tournament, with the winner taking home $10,000 in prizes. The latest Deadman Seasonal tournament ended at Runefest 2017 this month.

(Source: RuneScape)

Fossil Island Comes To Old School RuneScape


Old School RuneScape this week saw the launch of Fossil Island, a new batch of content for the retro RuneScape. Fossil Island opens up a ton of new content, including the much awaited launch of skeletal wyverns. You can collect fossils, take part in one of several new skilling locations, and uncover new artifacts to fill the expanded Varrok museum.

“Fossil Island has been something of a myth in RuneScape and the community for a long time,” said Mathew Kemp, senior product manager, Old School RuneScape. “The first design documents were drafted more than a decade ago, so we were really pleased the Old School RuneScape community voted so overwhelmingly and backed its development and release into the game.”

More on the update can be found at the link below.

(Source: RuneScape)

Jagex Announces RuneScape For Mobile Devices


Jagex has officially announced the death of productivity today, as the company revealed plans to bring its two editions of RuneScape to mobile platforms, allowing millions of players to mine coal from the comfort of wherever they feel like. In a press release sent out today, the RuneScape developer revealed that both Old School and standard RuneScape will hit iOS and Android platforms, with Old School coming first during the winter months and RuneScape to follow later on.

Both versions will be cross platform, allowing you to continue where you left off on the PC. COO Phil Mansell commented that Jagex is quite excited to bring a much requested feature to the community.

“We believe in taking our games to wherever our players want them; recent player surveys showed an overwhelming 90% of active players and 64% of former players telling us of their very high intent-to-play on mobile. Our innovative approach to mobile is also evidence of our ambitions in the mobile sector, and a further indication of our investment in extending the RuneScape franchise to additional devices and territories.”

Players can head over to the official website and sign up to beta test the release.

(Source: Jagex Press Release)

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)

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)

Snapshots: Unsurprising Racism Edition


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If you caught our coverage of RuneScape’s latest ban controversy, you probably made a mental note of Jagex’s statement that a player was permanently banned for dressing up as a KKK member. Some of you may have wondered how it is possible to dress up like a klan member on RuneScape. Well, here’s your answer.

The outfit is apparently a combination of desert robes, a gnome hat, and a noose wand. Why does RuneScape have an equippable noose? For catching Kebbits, a part of the game’s hunter skill. Jagex, for their part, are generally quick to ban players for wearing such attire.

Less surprising is that players actively seek out these outfits, look in any corner of the internet and you’ll find a legion of desperate attention-seekers acting out and being as edgy as possible to get their fifteen minutes, with the genuinely racist members sprinkled somewhere in the crowd. Even less so the people who brazenly, and unconvincingly, attempt to play the ignorant card like they don’t understand why such conduct is looked down on.

(Credit for the image: NPC_2006 on Reddit)