Makoto_the_Phoenix

I felt like I was listening to a political spinster rather than getting anything beneficial out of that FAQ. I mean seriously, who would find this satisfactory? There's more "gems" in there, but really? Is this the best they could come up with? Mod Emilee is a nice person, why'd they lead her out like a sheep to the slaughter... [EDIT] I also notice the word "popular" there. I mean, I noticed it before, but damn, what kind of world are they living in where this sort of decision is popular?

Hey, I was one of those (proof: [qfc]25-26-99-61985129[/qfc]). I'm no masochist; I knew to get the hell out and dodge when drama/politics showed up. Then when I felt like speech and opinions were constrained I split. -.- I joined both P/FMod teams for similar reasons to OTM. </offtopic>

It's a reason that I left the teams. The atmosphere is that you represent Jagex, so you can't speak out against them in public. It's mind-boggling how they think they can preserve something when they attack their largest supporter base.

Even if they did, that shouldn't mean that a shred of logic won't prevail...no wait, maybe it does...

That is the thing, no one becomes a member in this game without going through f2p 1st. If jagex truly wanted to remove inactive accts from the list, they can just do so by login date - perhaps also have a "full vs active" hiscores going on. That's just it. They have that information as to when you logged in, why not use it!?

Miles ahead of ya, buddy. ;)

What does it inconvenience? - Major clans who have a substantial F2P base - Third party stat trackers - Dynamic signatures - Pures People are free to draw whatever conclusions they wish about F2P's state (I know I have), but ultimately, inconveniencing the community is the major reason for the fallout.

It kinda does, but you have to have an eye geared to seeing the $ in RuneScape anyway.

That would be a huge mistake and cost them pretty much any new people who might be interested in the game. If there's no free game (or at the very least a demo), then people will simply try another game that has one. No one is going to start paying a monthly fee for a game they've never played. I never said it wasn't a mistake. I just can't see any uplifting trend out of the situation at the moment. It'd be a horrible move, there's no denying that, but I'm really not sure what other options they'd have beyond this.

The numbers have been horribly low since the Bot Nuke (which isn't surprising), but the bigger issue is that Jagex hasn't shown interest in keeping the F2P fanbase they have. Where do I see these numbers leading? To about another month of research and a gamble with a strictly P2P business model.

You act like you've never played the game without paying for it. At one point, we all did. It's also been the case that Jagex has denied that F2P was a glorified demo. Those words used to have weight, but more or less they're getting trampled over. Although truth be told, if Jagex went to an all-subscription model, I'm not sure what the difference would be...

I'm reminded of "Chutes and Ladders". They've made a huge climb to the near top, but then manage to get to the same slide that puts 'em back at square one every single time. :| Let's not get too far ahead of ourselves here, this is not anywhere near as game-changing so as to nullify the good work with bots, dicing and RWTing that's been done recently. Yes, this is an extremely poor idea that should be scrapped straight away, but it's not on the same scale. Hyberbole is only going to make us look irrational to Jagex, which is giving them enough reason for them to ignore us. Mm, fair enough.

No. Highscores lite will stay available, maybe we could use that? If HSL is still available, I have some Python code that could go towards such a goal. One would just need to know how to program in Python to work it. :P Whatya waiting for mate :P Sent. Check your inbox. ;)

No. Highscores lite will stay available, maybe we could use that? If HSL is still available, I have some Python code that could go towards such a goal. One would just need to know how to program in Python to work it. :P

I'm reminded of "Chutes and Ladders". They've made a huge climb to the near top, but then manage to get to the same slide that puts 'em back at square one every single time. :|

I think the only consolation prize is that Jagex (with their new site update) isn't spouting nonsense about it being "the world's largest free MMO" anymore. At least, I didn't notice any of that.

It's a shame, it's a shame, it's a shame... They really haven't given much for F2P to be thankful for. Quite the opposite - they're taking everything else away. I am truly disgusted by this sudden move, as it shows two things: They never cared for F2P, and they are seriously hurting for cash. This is something that has been in the game, for all, since the beginning. The only reason they would take it away now is if they're smarting for cash. And it's only going to hurt more, now.

It looks really nice. The fonts appear a bit wonky on Linux, but I suspect that's a matter of font selection and not much else. I'm a bit surprised there isn't a mobile option. I do use the site when I'm on my smartphone, and having that as an option (especially for lower bandwidth) would be advantageous.

Doesn't justify the action, though. Bro, this is tip.it forums, not RSOF Thank you for that exceedingly ironic post. We are entitled to basic human rights (life liberty property), unfortunately being able to view your highscores from a game is not included in that. If you have a problem with a free service being provided to you then do no partake in said service. To all those saying Jagex doesn't know what they are doing, you have to look at the end game. There are things that will happen. 1. Some people leave, those people have had f2p long enough that they probably were never going to get members, 2. People who really care about there highscores get members. Jagex really has nothing to lose and they have the potential for profit. Actually, Jagex has a whole lot to lose from this. They lose a lot of publicity and potential revenue from future Members, and actual paying Members that disagree with this move could easily rescind their membership. Not to mention, I can't think of any free game that forces you to pay to show how good you're doing, unless it's a completely paid-for game. You'll come to realize it in time, that this move is absolutely indefensible. I'm mostly agreeing with the damage it's doing to fansites. What exactly did Jagex have in mind when they wanted to bond with fansites? I hope this wasn't their idea of the three E's (Embrace, Extend, and Extinguish) that I wouldn't doubt they wanted to pursue four years ago. It just seems like too much collateral damage for no substantial gain. Who really benefits from this?

It may be. But Javascript trickery need not apply.

<facepalm> If you've ever PKed before in F2P, or wanted to check up on the stats of someone who claimed to have such-and-such skill, or you were a pure F2Per and proud to show it, you'd only begin to understand the degree of fail in both Jagex's decision and your statement.

It's like...it's like they really, really dislike F2P all of a sudden. :S Why remove the highscores for them? Inactive accounts is a bit of a weak excuse - they can link the last date logged in to your highscores and say, 'if you haven't logged in in X days, you'll not appear in the highscores anymore'. I'm also not that thrilled about their new design. But meh, I can't pass judgment on it just yet. Truth be told now, I'm not sure what Jagex is even. [EDIT] I totally forgot about this. Wiki? Doesn't this kind of mean they're hugging fansites with one arm and stabbing them in the back? Not sure I agree with this strategy either, but at least Tip.It has a glowing community that I can always lean on (so I won't leave).

Ok, your main point is that F2P is an early showcase for the game. But, your article said things like this: "F2P is an under-served fanbase. There hasn't been much new content for them in quite a while, and what they do have isn't exactly entertaining....It isn't a cheap solution: start investing into the free version of the game. Offering updates that help balance gameplay in F2P, or alternative ways of training skills, could entice more players to stick around, allowing them to enjoy the game they're playing." This is asking for more content for long-term F2P players, and has little to do with your paragraph above about early showcasing, except that it contradicts it. I don't see a contradiction. F2P is both an early showcase for the game and under-served. If there is disinterest in the early game by a lack of more interesting content, then there will be less players overall. If the early showcase for the game is so boring that there's nothing better to do than cheat, then there's the problem. That's all I'm getting at, really.

That's a strange example, I literally don't know a single person IRL who still buys CDs, and every CD store I used to frequent when I was but a lad has closed down. If that's your counterexample, I don't think you'll win many people over. Your second paragraph sounds exactly like the current situation with Runescape, so while I can't disagree with it, it doesn't really go anywhere. Here's the central issue. It's Jagex's game, they're trying to give the proper amount of attention to F2P to maximize their profits over time. If they were considering changing it, which should they give more attention to--the small % of RS players who are devoted enough to RS to write long forum posts or editorials, but not devoted enough to spend 5 quid a month; or scientifically conducted market research? And if they were conducting said market research, would they conduct tests like adding in special weekends only for members to see how many F2P players converted for it? Hmm...unless you have another theory for the double weekend we just had, than that they're taking advantage of the low numbers of bots to conduct market research with fewer confounds. Here's the literal version of it: If I offer a good for free, I'm afraid that no one will purchase anything. I used CDs as a convenient example - there was a report by Mike Masnick of Techdirt that regarded Trent Reznor, who offered his music for free, but also charged for "something extra" - CDs, vinyl, apparel, signed collectors editions, etc. Now, the reason I used that is simple - it's a very similar "paradox", even though the industries are different. If a company offers something for free, the company fears it won't be able to make money off of it. Depending on how good the product is, they may have a point. However, RuneScape's still a venerable game, and the F2P version entertained myself for years before I plopped down close to $300 over seven years for the paid version. So, I wouldn't put it past Jagex to reinvigorate a sustainable product. My argument isn't that F2P should get something for nothing, but that F2P is an early showcase for the game. If this showcase looks shoddy or doesn't appeal to other players, then I'd argue that there's little point for them to stay. What's worse - there's even less incentive for them to play legitimately.

First, thanks for some of the comments in regards to my first article in the Times. The article may be a bit rough around the eges, and some of you may disagree, and that's fine - this post is only to nudge folks in the general direction of my mindset. But why RWT if the game is i) engaging and ii) fun to play? I'm arguing the point that, just maybe F2P isn't as engaging as folks, or even Jagex, think it is. If it were more engaging, would there be less RWT? It's an open-ended question, and it's one worth exploring. Not only is it possible to argue such, but I've seen that argument thousands of times on the official forums. Moreover, I've seen J-Mods make that exact argument many times there as well, usually in reply to someone saying some subset of what was contained in Friday's article. More germanely perhaps; "Or worse - the same community that gave Jagex widespread success will turn their back, and find more compelling games to play." Did that already occur? I haven't been f2p for a long time, but based on those foggy recollections, I'd say yes. Can't say it seems like Jagex cares, either. To Skeptic: Yes, it's perfectly possible to argue this. However, the argument doesn't hold much merit. It's the same argument that says, 'If I offer a CD for download, then no one will want to buy the CD.' If you offer something that people can enjoy for free, then offer a little extra on top of that for a fee, then people would be fine with paying for the extra content. To delapaz: Did it occur? It's tough to jump to conclusions (or rather, avoid doing such). The bot nuke sure did leave Jagex's active player count lower than ever before, and it's always been a fact that F2P accounts outnumbered Members by a very large margin. Perhaps players that were really dissatisfied with Jagex's actions to this point really meant it? First, I appreciate and respect your opinion. However, try not to look at it in such a light that says, "Give F2P *". I'd like you to approach this argument from the "illegitimate access" point of view. If a person's needs aren't being met for any particular good, then they have three choices - either voice their opinion about it, gain illegitimate access to content, or leave. My argument is that, if they choose to leave, then Jagex would have missed a golden opportunity in regaining its large F2P fanbase. If they choose to gain illegitimate access to the content (i.e. botting/RWT), then they are not only robbing themselves of gameplay, but also robbing Jagex of gameplay value, perception, and revenue. I feel that, if Jagex really wanted to gain the trust of the F2P community again, updating it with content that makes RWT/botting less fruitful would be the right direction. Lastly, I realize that Jagex is a company, and profits do matter. However, if that's all that Jagex should be focused on, wouldn't it have been better to close F2P years ago and go strictly paid, just to avoid all of this nonsense?