P_E_N_N_Y

I don't think it matters, people only used climbing boots because they were a cheap disposable strength bonus, when addy boots are 70k cheaper, and rune boots are less than 10k more for +13 or so defence, i just think jagex have just upped the value of the junk in the rs economy.

Have you ever tried to get a flag back from a level 138 with curses and a steel titan (just for example) and 5 other level 138's barraging you? It's not a cake walk and you insult a lot of mid-level people who have committed the horrible crime of joining the team that just didn't happen to have a clan of 138's. I play Castlewars for fun not for the rewards and even before this update I was annoyed with the system for rewards and the flag dropping system. I can't enjoy a game if I'm not really being given a fair chance to win. Sure it's a 50/50 chance I could be on the same team as the 138's and I could even join their team on purpose but then I'm not having fun. I'm just as bad as they are. Just playing to win. Edit: The Castlewars bracelet only works if the person is holding your team's standard. In other words it doesn't help with people holding their own flag. Why are you playing it then if being on either team isn't fun? Castle wars has been around for a long time, much longer than most people who play now, and it's one of the few remaining parts of runescape that isn't controlled and moderated in every possible way. Having it level balanced as well would make it impossible for any decent level clans, or even just groups of friends, to play on the same side. And if someone has taken their flag and dropped it for them to pick up, they've invested ungodly amounts of time training, and simply brought more people along than you... then they deserve to win and you deserve to lose. Every part of runescape is slowly being "averaged out" with things like fixed prices, when a bunch of people who've gained godlike strength can't group together and slaughter the masses anywhere anymore it will get a LOT more boring, whats the point in training or even doing anything in the game if it doesn't make you a higher authority in that skill than other people?

Indeed there is always the problem of updates being judged too soon, especially major ones, but the only thing about dungeoneering that can't really be accurately defined at the moment is how much xp per hour you'll get once people move up to the higher levels. By the time i'd reached level 30 (mainly solo dungeons) i'd used the full breadth of all my skills through 15 floors and as it stands there's no different high level content or advancements in the skill (except different boss fights) just random floor after random floor, so i see no reason why the skill can't be judged as fairly as any other right now as long as people have actually tried it. I personally like it, but people who don't and are upset DO have the right to be, after all isn't it our money paying the content developers salaries? The argument of "if you don't like it don't play it" is always the first, and it's something i used to believe for a long time as well, and it's true for the majority of activities in the game i'd say, but when such hype has been built up over such a small (compared to other skills) and relatively meaningless addition to the rest the of the game then whether this credo still holds true or not... it's still quite a kick in the teeth. However big the total area of every room may be you're still just going through pretty much the same floor after floor after floor, with a lick of paint now and then.

I liked both, the first said before anything else that they weren't saying anything new so i don't know what you guys are so stressed out about, it was a nice summary, and i thought of a few ideas regarding the second and what some people have said, - Dungeoneering being generally combat based but not providing people a way to make money like that is something i hadn't thought of, but its still in its infancy of course, that would be a good update when the skill is tweaked and ironed out next like summoning was. - The author can't assume to know how we all feel, but you can't deny there was major criticism about this "skill". Hate is too strong a word though, because although its one of the greatest pieces of content recently, a new skill is the ultimate update and needs to be something so immense that it revolutionizes the game down to its very core, the next tier of weapons and a couple of handy trinkets are NOT worthy of a whole new skill, even less so than the weaker skills recently like hunter and construction (they managed to introduce new aspects to the game at least). I feel that people are more let-down by it than hateful of it, its a truly awesome game/activity but the sorriest excuse and release of a skill i've ever seen, and i'm a grumpy RS classic vet. Hey, it could always get better though. - The only WoW rip-off is the way they're flaunting title page at the moment, "Runescape, Dungeons of Daemonheim" like it's a whole new expansion, I quite liked RS for not buying into stuff like that, but oh well. Anyway, raids or randomly generated dungeons whatever you want to called them aren't new, randomly generated gameplay was around long before RS and WoW were even being made. I'm sure everyone remembers worms, simple and fun but there were also more developed examples even back then. There was a game for the sega saturn called Virtual Hydlide that, whilst being uglier than the lovechild of general graardor a gluttonous behemoth, was a completely randomly generated game every time you played it, dunegon layouts, monsters, item locations, everything, and this was back in 1995. - It may be a bit like left 4 dead but it reminds me more of classic. With all the different skills people can specialise in dungeoneering is pretty much the ultimate teamwork game, it really brings you back to when people were just starting out and had to focus on the basic things like making the best armour not just that they can wear, but that they can FIND. All other minigames either restrict or mess around with such fun and essential roles to the point where its a seperate reality to RS, this now is only contained in a dungeon, but it's player ingenuity and skill given free rein to accomplish the task of conquering the dungeon, its really just a smaller version of the game which relies on pure self-sufficency, something which many players have dreamed of experiencing (self-sufficency being something i pride myself on, my lowest stat being 66) Also, runescape has evolved from pretty much just a world of combat, but i agree skills shouldn't need combat to be trained. And having to leave shouldn't be a problem for anyone, since the annoying long process of actually getting out of the damn place ensures you get xp for the progress you made in the dungeon, which is quite a fair amount from what i've seen.

Really liked the first article, although i disagree with it a bit and about the point of the firecape requirement. Partly because even without getting the cape you still need a gargantuan amount of slayer points AND you'll be doing a considerable amount of damage less every hit. I think the need for high level requirements is pretty much proven fact now, but you need to the right KIND of requirements, namely skill requirements. Having to have completed a minigame like that might be great for some, but frustrating to others, and with the fight pits being arguably the most difficult minigame/boss they could have picked Jagex really didn't edge into this kind of shift gently. The requirement for something high level needs to be a high level in that skill, which is what its there for, OR something that directly relates to the skill, one of the great things about runescape/MMO's in my opinion is that you can simply go for your favoured aspect of a skill/activity or do multiple things that compliment each other - the moment i'm forced to play a minigame i hate or level/quest somewhere i truly don't enjoy to carry on with my favourite skill is the moment my interest in the game will start to wane. EDIT: Oh, and perfect representation is near impossible, in real life not just runescape, gathering opinion through word of mouth is a step backward from just having a poll open to everyone on the front page.

The second article was really good, but i completely disagree with it, The best potion gives you an INCREDIBLE advantage over other players, much more than a godsword or dragon claws, and just seems impossible to balance correctly into the system. Adding herby to your combat level wouldn't be right for just the one lvl 96 item. And things like fishing would only affect your combat performance if food was untradeable.

You state things like "as long as the computer and the real world can be balanced" and "if used properly." I think the point of the article is showing what happens if you DON'T use it properly. Not saying it always happens....but for some people, internet cuts into school/work time, eating time, sleeping time....And when that happens, and when you dream and get withdrawals from not playing, I'm pretty sure your addicted. But there is a difference between playing a lot of RS and being addicted to it and having it even get in the way of jobs and school and RL friends, etc. I agree, kudos to you 8112204 for being able to play normally, but it's not that way for everyone, Also wanna point out that addiction of the mind is every bit the same as a physical addiction, maybe not as dangerous, but addictive nonetheless, the experiments and stuff that defined addiction (i think) are dragging on in years, MMORPG's and social networking with millions of people from your room weren't around for them to test on rats

The first one was alright i guess, it didn't blow me away but i've never heard of this skippylist thing before so i'm probably missing something. I think the addiction article was brilliant, it's definately the best i've ever read on the subject and i can relate although in a slightly different way. When i was in my younger teenage years i had very irregular internet access so the addiction could never take proper hold of me until i was a little older and had my own laptop (though i had plenty of withdrawals) I never let it detriment my real life until i finished school though, i was having trouble finding a job so i had plenty of free time and runescape was there slowly dragging me in, i was playing all day every day - living out my childhood fantasy that all of my friends used to be into, and i really did become the "nerd-who-lives-in-his-parents-basement" i distanced myself from pretty much everyone i knew, started sleeping during the day, and basically revolved my whole life around runescape until i moved and got a job. I'm not too sure where i'm going with this, just wanted to add my 2 cents, i think the runeddiction comes for us all at some point, usually when we're younger like the author was, or like i would have been but it came out later. Some of us can overcome it from the start, some can't. Although i don't think ignoring the game altogether is overcoming it - you have to learn to integrate it with your life or be generally uninterested in playing it anymore otherwise you're just putting it off. I collapsed several times from tiredness and sometimes i was sitting in the same place for upwards of 6 hours, but now i'm confident that i can either play all day long or only for a few minutes and it wouldn't affect me either way.

That's a very interesting thought, and it would probably work, although i don't think it should. It would be possible to preserve the state of the game with cheaper materials and such but then where would it stop? The game should be allowed to run its course and although it might take a long time, eventually it will work itself out naturally. They were both good articles, although i think he was being a bit too morbid about how skilling is dead. Herblore is dead - but no skill is as bad as herblore. I despise scabarites too =P

"No pic no proof" I'd assume it's pretty obvious that that's just because us men are all pervs lol. Really though i think it's just exaggerated the number of fake female characters that are out there by guys who are looking for gfs in world 1 lumbridge castle or just meet the occasional freak playing a female character. Honestly i've made more female friends that i now talk to out of the game than i have male. Oh, and don't forget lilyuffie88 (assuming she is actually a girl) imo the greatest player ever, 3 99's in range hp and prayer that lasted for YEARS after she stopped.

I feel gutted for you, but this is why jagex shake their finger at people using all these different programs outside of RS - it's COMPLETELY your own fault

People pay more for smaller attack bonuses (robin hat/rangers boots over archer helm/snakeskin) so unless these amulets are an extremely common rare drop then i don't see the price going down to 300-400k ever

Thats ok, I knew from the get-go that this article would relate to MAYBE half the readers, I still thought that it should be written and published :)... Eww.. I just wrote a lengthy reply and then closed it after previewing.. :wall: Summary: Hidden charges = credit card fees. Here, it's included in the price of subscription. Security issue is not with jagex having your details, it's the transmission. Malicious software can steal your details, and more machines are infected than most people realise. (google botnet statistics, for example) There's no guarantee you'll get your money back. Banks might not their reputation tarnished, but they're equally reluctant to just let go of money. It's actually 2 pounds a year - Credit card = 3.5 per month -> 42 per year. Wallie = 4.5 per month -> 54 per year OR 39.99 per year outright. Absolutely correct (although in my calculations I used Euro's, and just wait, one day the brits will switch)... Buying with a whole year with Wallie instead of 12 seperate months costs you 12 pounds less then credit card (which can only be bought monthly) I'm in a Euro country too, although i still pay in pounds because it's cheaper, i didn't check the wallie prices in euros but in pounds you only save 2 pounds a year instead of using a credit card subscription that you can cancel or re-instate at your leisure. Living in the middle of nowhere i NEED my credit card to get stuff online, so if my details are gonna get stolen, it' not just gonna be because of rs. EDIT - oops, i just read that back, i meant to say 2 pounds a year in the first post lol sorry, i was thinking 17 pence a month

Credit/debit card is the best way by far, you stay a member continously until you decide to cancel and the only 'hidden charges' you'd encounter would be interest, which anyone with a credit card would have their own plan already of dealing with, personally i pay mine off every month and pay nothing extra. Banks are also not blind, stupid, or completely unwillingly to protect their customers money from suspicious activity (contrary to popular opinion) it's no more risky giving your details to Jagex than it is losing your prepaid card on the way home or getting mugged. On the new rates you only save 2 pounds a month using Wallie on a yearly rate over a credit card, so i really don't see how that's the best option, if i get bored for a while i want to be able to not play knowing i'm not wasting money on membership i'm not using, and the author said it himself sometimes you'd have something left over, would it work out the same or more expensive then? The second article was good though, seriously that lumbridge guide is such a damn noob! has he never heard of falador?? I think i'm in quite a good position, i never discovered Tip.it for years, so i got used to doing my own research, checking distances on the map, and checking how much xp i got from things, which shouldn't be hard even for new players really. After you've played for as long as i have though, running all the way back to a bank just to pick up a hammer an NPC decides it needs for a quest really loses its novelty, i always check quest guides (if they're out) just to see if there's any particular items i need to bring along, it's not really a spoiler in my opinion, just saving time.

I really hate people who do things like that on a secondary account and expect not to be banned on their main. If people wish to indulge in cyber-terrorism then THEY are the ones accountable, not their character

Remind me to come crash your world sometime... Since you so freely disregard the laudable concept of the unwritten codes of conduct, surely you should also disregard a misguided concept of rights. All a combat level (or indeed total level) counts for is an indicator of wasted time. If in fact, you are a pleasant person to talk to, that is worth far more than meaningless levels (which in my experience tend to lean more towards pest control/soul wars levels now anyway). I will happily accredit a lvl 3 character with more respect than a 138 if they are decent folk. Levels are the most abysmal reckoning of a person's value, skill, and personality that I have ever come across, and I can say this freely as a high levelled player who enjoys the game for the sake of it. Yes, I have wasted many hours of my own time in levelling, but I don't expect respect for that, or some Darwinian status of dominance. Do I respect Gertjaars just because he could give me a worthy fight at any given slayer location? No. Do I respect Zezima because he's turned his back on No.1 after many years to study for a real career? Yes. Bring it on then, I have nothing to say on the subject, everyone knows the brilliance of an MMORPG is that you can play however you like. I never said that levels increase the value of the player, but i play to actually play, being social is second to me.

Unwritten rules are just that, unwritten. While discipline and respect is nice it will always bend to force and survival of the fittest, i'm a free player atm and at cockroach soldiers i'm usually about 30 combat levels above everyone else. If there is a free monster i'll keep to myself, but when there's one between us i think nothing of "stealing" the kill because i earned the right to by training my combat more than them. I'm not a jerk about it, and i'll live and let live as much as possible, but in the end it's just my right as a higher level to get the lions share People need to stop complaining about kill steals and either: A. Train higher than them B. Steal/half-kill/be a jerk back C. Swallow your pride and hop, if you're against a superior foe don't let stubborn pride take it's toll on your xp and drops (or in this case, homework lol). Don't let what someone who has to call out "boots" thinks interfere with your own enjoyment.

The first article was good, i think RS is just an established system now that people are just used to a couple hours of boring training to do a great quest or something similar, but i think the second was a little silly, A: If your character controls you, in any game, you REALLY need to get out more. I don't mean to flame but i think the very concept of your character developing of it's own accord is utterly ridiculous. You made it, you control it, B: While names with 6 or 7 numbers in certainly are a little excessive and will probably be regretted later, 1 or 2 certainly aren't that big of a deal in my opinion and try and make a new account without a number these days - it really is almost impossible, but of course, it's a matter of personal opinion only But it's still a very good and well written article, i just don't agree with it.

Uh, isn't that exactly what he's saying? banks/lenders doing things they shouldn't? lol

Not really. I've used both for about a month each, and statistically I'm hitting far more 20's with the scimmy, while I never hit a 20 with the whip, even with pots. And still, you guys haven't explained why such a MASSIVE price difference. You are quite simply, a noob or lying, d scim is +66 str while the whip is +82, the only way you'll have been able to hit 20's with the scim and not the whip is if you've actually raised your str a few levels since you've used a whip

The scientific article, i'm sorry to say, just seems like a complete waste of time, i couldn't even finish it, That some want to play as efficiently as possible and that some play for fun is common knowledge, i would expect that even the most casual player would have some idea that stringing their bows would get them more cost effective experience at the price of taking a little longer, personally i don't see the point in analyzing every single step when you'll always arrive at the same conlusion that more time = more xp and/or more cash

I agree that username-hogging is worth dealing with, a friend of mine made a bunch of stupid accounts like "ler" it must take up so much space for jagex with millions of unused accounts, 6 months isn't long enough of a cut-off time to erase a whole account though, i thought it was pretty harsh even blocking people's access to RSC after 6 months, i could only play in holidays when that happened so i lost it forever, I'd say give people just over a full year to log on before deleting the account (if you can't get on at any point in the year then it shouldn't matter a whole lot to you) but the names becoming available for others to use i think is debatable, what about all the people that were friends with the name before, how would that work?

I never paid much attention to the highscores 5 years ago, zezima would obviously be the most famous in recent times, although i think in ages past lilyuffie88 had a much greater feat in having number 1 prayer, ranged AND hp with far more xp than anyone else... even for years after she stopped playing

That's very interesting, i never thought of it like that - but a 20GB hard drive for a multi-million international company, even a Terabyte drive... that's really not that expensive is it? lol

Wow, chaosfox just saved me about 10 minutes of typing =P Although multiplayer content is nice, it should always be strictly optional, i'm sure everyone has heard more people complaining about those parts of heroes and shield of arrav than praising them, I've played since classic also, but the limit of 200 friends has always been enough for me as i would imagine it would be for the majority of players, although asking for an increase after all these years isn't unreasonable but 700? seriously? unless you're part of a clan or something no average person would ever have anything close to that many acquaintances in the game The main point i wanted to expand on though was about being discouraged from taking a friendship outside RS... i know first-hand how dangerous it can be, it's so easy to be deceived online no matter how much you think yourself as a great judge of character - i went to america to meet a family who i met via RS and they were some of the most wonderful people i've ever met, i also met someone not so great and ended up in a LOT of trouble... since it's easy enough to give out some of your details the message i believe jagex is trying to give is that it's nothing whatsoever to do with them, which is quite right