RU_Insane

Yeah. IMO, it's good to know that they at least acknowledge the need for a safe alternative. It's too little, too late to continue with the heavy-handed tactics Jagex have used in response thus far.

Follows is information from the Future of RuneScape Q & A which more or less corroborates the chat transcript I posted. It's also from Mod Mark, and he is lead content developer, so I don't see why doubt should be cast on this possibility any longer. Gambling alternatives are a reality now (emphasis mine): Take from that what you will. We've had confirmation since last week. :P

Aww yeah! I'm in that screenshot! :D Congratulations on your cape again. :3>

Bumping this for the inevitable discussion today. :) Hope the mods don't mind.

Thanks for the feedback! :D

Task: 317 Maple Shortbows Reward: 50K fletch xp, challenge bag and a spin on SOF. Not bad :P

In response to the Meddling article: Players self-organize in particular ways, given that the material conditions to do so exist. I think it's pretty explicit when Jagex intends to influence player behavior in a meaningful way. Look at the recent attempts to strangle third-party gambling; that didn't go over well. Can't it be said that most updates are, in the grand scheme, a protracted effort to influence game-play and hence user behavior? In what direction isn't always clear, though. Sometimes the updates don't function as intended, because the target group finds new, creative uses for them (i.e. emergent gaming and dicing). The problem, I agree, is with Jagex fixing things that aren't broken, or failing when they are. Both outcomes can be seen as attempts to influence behavior. Though for the first outcome, it could also be filler content offered as an alternative to mainstream gameplay. In this case, it's not so much "influencing" as it is trying to spice up game-experience, but being too out of touch with the population to do it effectively. This is the probably the reason why social Slayer didn't have as large an impact as it could've.

Some additional commentary for You Don't Speak For Me: My point isn't to say that there isn't a threshold at which we cease playing the game. It's merely that packing your things and leaving isn't an appropriate response to every negatively received update. This is defeatism, what I'm arguing against. Quality of game experience is subjective and reliant on the particular user interacting with the game. It follows that each player threshold is subjective, though there are clear common threads strung through each one. If an update or set of updates greatly interrupts your normal playing experience, by all means, pack up and leave. But don't criticize the others who decide to ride out the rocky road; their grievances are no less legitimate than yours. They simply have different ways of resolving them (i.e. constructive criticism). Just in case this wasn't clear in the article.

Dat whip. :3>

It's not a kangaroo court when evidence exists that they've botted. :P

Phishers really need to improve their tactics. -.- Sad thing is this is probably more than enough to get the average rs player to fall for it. True. :P And funny thing is that most legit Jagex e-mail goes to my spam inbox anyway. When I clicked on a password change notification, for example. I was like, did I really request this e-mail? Then I'm like, oh yeah, I did. :P

Fishing fail. Header spoofing, same "final warning" and same case number. Derp. Let's examine the contents. Commentary in bold: Phishers really need to improve their tactics. -.-

Hi! :) I'm level 67 Ranged, and I want to train it to level 70. I've heard that chinning skeletons at Ape Atoll is a great source of XP for 85+ ranged, but I want to know if it can work well for those below 70. How many red chinchompas should I buy, to get 70 Ranged in a timely manner? How much is the XP rate/hr for sub-70 rangers? Thanks in advance! RU

They started rolling out the updates. The botwatch system is in a state of passive learning, improving its detection as the days roll by. The anti-bot updates will be ready for a full roll-out next week :)

I could really use this to level my ranged. :D

I imagine Jagex would be concerned with the laundering of what is essentially their property, especially if that unreported revenue can be seized and redirected to corporate funds (is that possible?). Why wouldn't they pursue action if RWT has ballooned to this point? They took down iBot and RSBuddy, can't they take down the other major players?

Beautifully written. I think you and I essentially agree on social potential. My earlier comment expanded on that. I think that the deterioration in the social experience witnessed recently, specifically in RuneScape, can be partly ascribed to updates which incentivize the limiting of social interactions to the bare minimum required for the task. And this is perhaps true of all popular MMOs which rely on producing high-level content to remain profitable (this is where the phenomenon seems to be concentrated, due to the nature of such content). Par for the course, anonymity plays a role in this social disconnect as well, as it mitigates responsibility for actions which would normally be held accountable. I think that as a phenomenon, a degree of social seclusion seems to be an inevitable stage in an MMO's player's development, as he obtains access to higher level content et al. We should take care not to idealize social interaction to the point where we see disconnect as being inherently harmful, and take care to avoid prioritizing idealistic solutions to problems (as a general guideline. I'm not accusing you of that). The player attitude toward efficiency is a product of the material conditions found within the game. Someone just had to take advantage of it. It's a trivial point -- all major trends are started in some way by the players. This is largely seen in dicing and other forms of emergent gaming. It was to be expected, especially as the game progressed in terms of content offered, thereby encouraging efficient game-play. I don't think that players should be held responsible for its perceived failures, as it appears to be a systemic quality, not an individual one. Just because RuneScape wasn't intended to focus on grinding in its inception does not mean it couldn't have progressed to this point. If anything, I think the general attitude toward efficiency (among other hot topics) demonstrates that players can approach the game in both a positive and negative manner. I think it's a balancing act between seclusion and socializing, as you brought up with your example. We have the potential to interact positively with others. It's up to us, on an individual level, to judge how our actions affect others and follow up on them accordingly -- positive or negative.

Thanks to both of the above users! :) I'm waiting to receive my 350K xp lamp at the end of September, as I didn't subscribe early enough to receive the other reward. I think it'll work the same way, so that's a relief. :P

Sorry for the double post, but I have a question (otherwise I don't think it will be noticed). Can you use the lowest leveled XP lamp on a skill below level 30? As per the above, I'm hoping to obtain 52 Summ thru bypassing the level reqs this way.

nice, now get 99 I'm fine with 70 for now. :P

Mm. I thought so too, naturally. :P

I obtained 70 prayer :)

Heh. Given Jagex's track record so far, I'm inclined to think it's the latter. But I hope it's the former. Most likely a way to chose your color. That'd be the smart thing anyways but RU_Insane hit the nail on the head. That's brilliant. So simple, yet effective. :D

Kind of a stupid question, but if you die and lose your stuff in Beta, do you lose it in the real game too?

I really want Botany Bay to come out this week. :( I hope it does :)