Tag: Runescape

Classic Servers: Another Developer "Gets It."


noedits

Private servers are a very stingy subject in the gaming press. Many developers don’t like to acknowledge them and, honestly, there is at least one of my contacts who will never return my emails after this article just for the act of referencing their existence. MMO Fallout does not condone private servers, nor do we allow them to be advertised in our comments section. I like to think that private servers can be an important tool for developers to gauge their audience’s expectations, however. Private servers that exist simply to cheat, to bypass a subscription, or gain accelerated experience/items will always exist, and those don’t offer much of a lesson outside of that some gamers are unwilling to invest the time or money.

As more developers are realizing, however, there is a great opportunity in classic servers. Jagex has not only maintained the original RuneScape Classic, but launched a version of 2007 RuneScape that remains updated thanks solely to the majority vote of its community. Sony Online Entertainment has, for a long time now, dabbled in classic and progression servers for Everquest. Ragnarok Online launched a classic server back in 2012, and NCSoft recently announced a classic server for Lineage II, at least the Korean version.

There are a million legitimate reasons why a developer wouldn’t want to create their own classic servers. A classic server would need some form of monetization, where a cash shop would risk driving away the target audience and a subscription would put the server in competition with those same private servers that operate for free. The developer could, however, capitalize on this very issue. A dedicated developer could offer stability and quality where many classic servers are at risk of shutting down at moment’s notice, operate on inferior server infrastructure, and are partially hand-built by the operator due to the inaccessible nature of certain MMO mechanics (server side operations).

Other developers refuse to create a classic server on the grounds that doing so would compromise their “artistic vision,” a belief that MMOs change with time and that introducing a classic server would be counter to that vision, or an admission that they made the wrong choice somewhere down the line. Further developers cite an unwillingness to risk splitting the community in half.

Happily, it appears that more developers are recognizing the potential for classic servers or those with alternate rulesets.

Jagex Steps Back On Multi-Logging Rule


scapefix

Jagex has altered their rules on multi-logging, or multiboxing as it is often known in other MMOs. Previously players have been restricted from logging into more than one account at the same time, as well as from transferring money or items between accounts. In a new announcement, Jagex has revealed that players are now allowed to log into multiple accounts over all versions of RuneScape, as well as trade wealth between them, providing that the items were not acquired via rule-breaking methods.

You are free to create as many accounts as you like and you are welcome to trade between your accounts just as you would with any other legitimate player. However, if any of your accounts obtained wealth by rule breaking activity for example macro use (botting) or real world trading (buying gold or items from 3rd parties) then all your accounts will be banned. Similarly, multi-logged accounts must not interact with each other to exploit gameplay mechanics, such as attempting to rig the result of a minigame.

Selling or sharing accounts is still against the rules.

(Source: RuneScape)

Jagex Details Possible Free To Play For OldSchool RuneScape


noedits

Old School RuneScape launched last year and continues its own track of development with a specialized team of developers. In the latest developer blog, Jagex discusses bot busting and free to play.Currently, Old School RuneScape is limited to players who have an active subscription to the main RuneScape game. Last year saw a limited free trial which Jagex acknowledges did not meet its mark as it did not see a significant increase in membership.

As part of an ongoing experiment in implementing free to play, new accounts starting May 27th will have trial access to Old School RuneScape for two weeks with a reminder that it may result in nothing changed.

The F2P journey that we are now all embarking upon will end two ways. If we find the right way to introduce F2P we will poll that method to you as a permanent addition to the game. However, you must also be prepared to accept that if we cannot find the right method, we can’t offer F2P as a permanent addition to Old School.

You can check out the entire dev blog at the link below.

(Source: RuneScape)

RuneScape Legacy Mode Detailed


scapefix

Back in February, Jagex revealed details on the upcoming Legacy Mode for RuneScape, aiming to bring back players who weren’t happy with the Evolution of Combat update. Legacy Mode allows players to enjoy the modern RuneScape with much of the old systems still in place, including bringing back the old combat system and special attacks.

Legacy Mode isn’t a complete return to 2011, but it does remove the combat bar and abilities and return the old interface and special attacks. XP rates and damage output won’t be exactly the same as you get in the live game. Servers will be formatted to work with both styles, with worlds specifically for legacy mode players.

Jagex hopes to implement Legacy Mode in several phases leading through the summer.

(Source: RuneScape)

The Average RuneScaper


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Jagex CEO Mark Gerhard posted an article on the RuneScape main website to discuss demographics and dispel a few myths about RuneScape this past weekend. According to the metrics, 84% of RuneScape’s population are male, and 90% of the overall population plays the game in English. The average RuneScape account was created in 2009 and has a total level of 1614, with only 1% of the population with an account worth at least one billion gold coins. Over half of the population plays out of North America.

The bot nuke in 2011 saw 95% of gold farming bots disappear overnight, although they managed to make their way back over the next couple of years. 2013’s round of anti-bot technology and the release of bonds (PLEX) have diminished to “almost rock bottom,” in the main game. Jagex is moving its sights over to Old School RuneScape to target bots. And speaking of old school, while the Evolution of Combat update saw an unreleased number of players part ways with the game, Jagex notes that a lot of those players returned to play on the Old School servers.

You can find the full article along with some handy charts at the list below.

(Source: RuneScape)

MMOrning Shots: Sleepy Time


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Today’s MMOrning Shot comes to us from RuneScape where our beloved adventurer is in danger of being eaten by a gigantic dragon. You know, you guys go ahead. I think I left the TV on at home, and I’m not wearing my shoes with the proper insoles for this adventure.

Check out a new MMOrning Shot every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Submit your own at contact@mmofallout.com.

Jagex Raises Money Through SpecialEffect Charity


scapefix

Jagex has revealed the results of their 24 hour gaming marathon for SpecialEffect’s Gameblast weekend. The event, which saw staff and members of the community playing RuneScape and Ace of Spades for a full day, resulted in a total of nearly eighty thousand dollars raised for charity. In addition, RuneScape once again opened its Well of Goodwill, where players can donate in-game bonds and goods that are converted into real money to be donated. To top off the event, Jagex also donated 50% of the profits from Ace of Spades sales to SpecialEffect.

Jane Ryan, Head of RuneScape Community Management, expressed the company’s delight in the good will of its community.

“It’s been a crazy 24 hours; we’ve seen staff rise to the occasion and take on all kinds of challenges in the name of charity.  The generosity of our players is both touching and gratifying and we can’t wait to do it all again next year!”

SpecialEffect is a charity dedicated to helping people with disabilities. Find out more about the charity at http://www.specialeffect.org.uk/

(Source: Jagex Press Release)

Rolling Back Evolution of Combat: One Patch at a Time


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Fundamentally changing an MMO’s combat system post-launch is a daunting and risky task. As much as there is the opportunity to bring in new customers and reinvigorate the old, a game also stands to alienate its existing user base. Like it or not, people are generally averse to change, especially when it comes in one lump sum and after the previous system had been in place for so long. RuneScape’s Evolution of Combat radically changed the way players engage in combat, and not everyone was happy about the increased demand for attention.

Since its launch, Jagex has been rolling back certain features and making accommodations to appease fans of the older system. The Momentum ability was introduced and automates much of the new combat system without requiring a whole lot more input from the player than the old system asked for. Old School servers brought back RuneScape as it was in 2007 and then subsequently updated in a different direction to the main game. Momentum is useful for most aspects aside from the powerful bosses, but continues to be tweaked over time.

In a recent news post, Jagex revealed that the weapon-specific specials would be reintroduced as abilities to bring back value to weapons that had lost value since the update. This week Jagex added a new poll asking players if they would like to see a legacy mode, bringing back the old combat system and interface. The legacy mode would not replace Evolution of Combat, the two would exist side by side.

Turning on Legacy Mode will change your gameplay to be like the old combat system, circa 2012. This includes things like special attacks, no action bar, no abilities and type-to-chat. It will have the old interface layout, with combat info and buttons around the mini map, with the old side-panels in the lower right, plus an option for the old fixed-window interface layout.

At the time that this article is published, the legacy poll leans heavily toward implementation. The goal is to have both versions working on the same servers with players able to fight each other between modes, but not everything is set in stone. Should legacy mode be voted in, which is all but confirmed based on the poll results so far, players will have the opportunity to beta test the feature and tweak it to their enjoyment.

Jagex, for their part, has said that legacy mode is a way for them to open up their game to a wider base, including those who quit due to Evolution of Combat. The company stands by its previous statement that Evolution of Combat is not up for vote and players will not be given the option to remove it entirely.

(Source: Legacy FAQ)

MMOrning Shots: Battle of Keldagrim


battle

Today’s MMOrning Shot comes to us from RuneScape. I took this screenshot during the quest Blood Runs Deep, where you uncover a plot by the race of sea creatures pictured above to take over the world (or at least a sizable portion of it). Upon returning to the port village of Keldagrim, you find its militia locked in battle. What follows is a very long and drawn out fight.

MMOrning Shots shows off interesting games and locales, and can be seen here at MMO Fallout every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. To submit your own MMOrning Shot, send an email to contact@mmofallout.com.

RuneScape Beta Introduces Combat Tweaks


scapefix

A news post has appeared on the RuneScape website detailing large updates coming to the game’s Evolution of Combat system. Currently in beta testing, the updates include adding weapon-specific special attacks back into the game as abilities. Also on the table is a function to queue abilities, action bar setups, quickly change loadouts, as well as multiple smaller changes.

These are some of the larger features we’re working on, but there are plenty of smaller improvements coming up too. With these changes, we hope Evolution of Combat will be more appealing to all types of players, adding more depth for experts, while making it more accessible to those just starting out. But that’ll be for you to decide.

Players interested in testing out the upcoming changes and giving their feedback can log in to the RuneScape beta servers, which you can find on the main website. The combat beta does not affect your progress in the live game.

(Source: RuneScape)