Kirbyfreek33

This is purely in response to article 1: *CAUTION! VARIOUS QUEST SPOILERS!* Ever since I had done While Guthix Sleeps, I had become an advocate of questing without guides in order to enjoy the quest's story, puzzles and battles as much as possible. Along with this, I have noticed a similar "pattern" in many of the quests I do. While this doesn't mean the quest isn't as enjoyable, it does mean that I expect various things to happen at various times. The problem is that there isn't a whole lot else that I can think of other than puzzles or combat that can be a new category of tasks to do in quests that are still enjoyable, i.e. I don't want to have the quest simply telling me to make 10 super restore potions for no reason whatsoever. Since RuneScape is controlled entirely by the mouse, there isn't much that can be done in terms of non-combat "action segments" relying on quick thinking or reflexes. The quest can't rely on multi-human-player segments because there is always the possibility that the quester is alone (like me). Thus, puzzles and combat are really some of the only things that can be done in a quest that can be classified as "interesting" enough (at least in my opinion). I wouldn't mind going back and forth talking to people trying to deduce the solution to a problem from the clues the NPC's give, but that is under the category of a "puzzle" anyway. Part of the problem with the pattern is that a puzzle is a ridiculously broad category. Some things are obviously puzzles, such as EW parts 1 2 and 3, but others are not so obviously the usual "puzzles". A perfect, recent example is getting that *bleep* chimp ice over all of Gielinor without teleporting or using normal gnome gliders in Do No Evil. The only thing I had to solve was how to re-freeze it again, but the bulk of the task was schlepping it over the land. Does this mean that the task is a "puzzle" because I'm not fighting something? Because I had to learn how to freeze it even though that alone didn't complete the task? This may still be put in the category of "puzzle" anyway for reasons I don't understand. One of the reasons why we may feel that there are issues in terms of lack of ingenuity in a quest's general progression is that we are looking at it in general at all. Sure, we may perform similar *types* of tasks in each quest, but the beauty of RuneScape's quests is that we aren't doing the same thing in each one. While in quests of other MMOs, you simply kill X and return (or kill X for X items and return) meaning you are performing the same type of task (fight this thing in the same manner as everything else and go back), in RuneScape each puzzle is different, and each fight only shares a few similarities. To keep RuneScape's quests fresh, all that really needs to be done (in my opinion) from the perspective of the developers is to maybe switch up the order of the task categories, and include super-unique tasks like that chimp ice trek (though don't do that same one again, it'd be too soon to never have to do that again =P). Also, perhaps the puzzles and combat can be mixed. Imagine taking on a Tormented Demon while trying to create two primed elemental bars to smith into an elemental ballista bolt to pierce the demon's anti-death shield (so you can't simply kill it), while still distracting the demon enough with your fighting (i.e. not just doing one attack and running, actually having to damage it a bit) so the demon doesn't destroy your machinery, and you have to keep moving because the demon's attacks can cause small quakes around you which could also damage the machinery as well if they are subjected to too much at once. Also, the machinery is complicated enough that you need to periodically change around the settings on it to new ones so the machine can adapt to your changing environment. Now THAT is one heck of a quest task in my opinion. As players, it may be better also if we don't try to look at it in such a general manner, instead appreciating the different tasks we have to perform, instead of negatively looking at how they are all different ideas in the same category of task, when the category is very broad.

In response to Pimp my Minigame!, I disagree quite wholeheartedly with the idea that Conquest in The Void Stares Back was "extremely forced and way out of place". The only part that felt out of place during that segment in my opinion was that the floor was conveniently decorated in a checkered pattern. In my opinion, it would make sense that *name hidden* would send splatters after you because their area of effect would most likely do the most damage, and that your party would hide in a small cavern that the splatters' explosions would block, leaving Savant to send in a Void Conquest squad. Also, the reasons for being forced to move in a turn-based manner also make sense; the Void Knights know the pests have a variety of different threats, so they wouldn't blindly charge in, instead standing their ground. Also, if the commorb worked in a similar way to a trickle-charge cell phone, the idea that you would only be able to issue one order at a time makes sense too. In my opinion, the Conquest segment was definitely not an "absurd situation that led to a simulated match of the minigame’s basic rules and operations", given that #1 the Void Knights had created Conquest as preparation to defend against a pest threat in the first place, which is why they would be readily available, and #2 that the party wouldn't just let the pests through the portal into the Kinshra's basement, hence having to use the earlier-mentioned Conquest squad to defend the portal. I felt that the Conquest section was a fitting interlude to allow *name hidden* to tie up *name hidden* and *verb hidden* *name hidden* in order to *verb hidden* *noun hidden*, giving urgency to *name hidden* to charge mindlessly through a door. As for Conquest having "all the popularity of a fart in a space-suit", I once again disagree as I have seen many players playing Conquest for one reason or another (though people like insulting me when I just have fun messing around with "Kirby's Stupid Tactic Hour"), as it can be a welcome alternative to running after portals in Pest Control for points, and there are still plenty of people who play Pest Control as well *cough*Heart Unit*cough*. Also, while I don't like Soul Wars, I wouldn't call it horrific, as I have seen many players who enjoy it for its actual gameplay or its rewards, even if there are some people that just sit near the entrance and attack barricades to keep their activity bar up for relatively work-free experience. As for the Barbarian Assault tutorial being in the easy fremennik achievement diary, it is perfectly understandable for it to be there, as the tutorial isn't that long to go through, and there are STILL players who should go through it in order to know what they're doing in the game (though it seems most players finally actually watched it instead of skipping through the whole thing). One game of Soul Wars isn't really a problem for a quest (and while yes, Nomad was hard, that doesn't mean he has "tested the limits of players’ collective patience", given how I have seen many forum posts), even if it didn't make that much sense compared to Conquest in The Void Stares Back. Also, Nomad's Requiem is most likely a prequel to something else, hence there being not a whole lot of sense in the plot thus far. Soul Wars, Conquest, Pest Control, and Barbarian Assault are by no means "underused" in my opinon, and forcing a player to go through one game or a tutorial of these fun minigames is not much of an ordeal to go through, if you consider it an ordeal at all. I've also noticed some contradictions, or at least, strange absences, in this article... If it is a problem for an easy achievement diary to make you look at a tutorial, and if it is a problem to have a Grandmaster quest require you to play a game of Conquest both in and out of the quest, why is it no issue for you to get halfway through wave-wise in the Fight Caves, which is definitely a minigame; or to have to complete it entirely for the Elite diary? Is it purely because this is something that "any player" could handle since it is primarily just "kill these things over and over", holding much similarity to normal grinding, not needing an ulterior objective like in the previously mentioned minigames? Or is it just because the author doesn't think the Fight Caves is at all an ordeal to do? I have completed the Fight Caves, but I would not like to go through them again, as I have found them too pressure-filled and not enough actual fun, and I don't care that much about re-gaining Fire Capes. If the author considers Pest Control and Soul Wars "underused", why has the author not mentioned content that at least to me appears much more underused such as Trouble Brewing? I love playing TB for fun, but not many players (comparatively) play it due to its lack of up-to-date rewards and no real incentive to win, since winning does not garner you anything extra. I was surprised that this minigame was not mentioned. Requiring Temple Trekking to get ONE type of second ingredient for Summoning is hardly a crime in my opinion, especially given that the familiar that this charm would summon is the one that gives the MOST experience out of any of the Summoning familiars, which helps to (but admittedly doesn't completely IMO given how rare nail beast events are) balance out the time taken doing Temple Trekking and Burgh de Rott Ramble. I believe there is quite a bias in this article, and I disagree with most of what the author has written. However, even with the bias and my disagreement, I found the article to be pretty well-written anyway, and I disagree with the poster 2 posts above who appears to imply that this article is not of very good quality. It simply offers a different perspective, though it admittedly would be nice if the author could draw attention to the article being his or her opinion a bit more.

First, about the RuneFest thread: I totally agree with everything you said, because RuneFest was spectacular! =D I wish I had known you were having dinner with Indy and Caz, I might have tried to find some way to barge in, I needed something to do for the last few hours before the night-before party. And I can fully support the fact that he was there, as I'll show a picture of some of us on the London Eye... There is way too much stuff to say about RuneFest for me to try to add any myself, I'll be typing for hours =P. But I agree completely with the achievements v. fun article. Just today, I had an argument with another person as to why I liked using herbicide and upgrading my Dungeoneering class ring, and all he said was "enjoy failing" because I wasn't getting the most money or herblore experience for my time. For me, however, I just like doing those things.