BioIce

Try not to rush straight into the portal after winning an altar. Doing that had me popping up in the guild lobby because some silly goose quit right at the moment I went in. :?

Hai dumdum Nice going :o you've been busy since I was gone.

Oh dear. Careful next time. I guess that turned you off from 5050s for a good long while. :twisted:

Quick screenie of failure, will add later:

Hai again, I added a "Pathfinder" section to the guide, can you tell me if that makes it any clear for you? :ohnoes:

Hai Dutchy! Nice to see you doing well. Iunno tho, I log in at a different time, itll be hard to catch each other, but hopefully :lol: Oooh, he took in a student? I wont hyt-snipe you when I see you btw. Im going to try and rework the images with a grid-mapped altar to make it easier to see where to stand and where the orbs should be. The topdown view is sorta slanted though so itll be hard to get right. I dont think Ill be able to make one for low detail, the screen is too puny and ive only played low a couple of times.

All I can really say about the repel wand is that its a bit like football. The English one, the one ppl call soccer. :lol: Though its fidgety to push the orb and walk after it, cant exactly run with the orb unless you got excellent click reflexes. *cough* Puu4 *cough* The repel tricks are altar specific and arent universal like the basic attract tricks, if you get what I mean. Adding a repel guide would be really image heavy.

So: I need to include an arrow pointing North, and I should bold things out more in pictures. The bolder color thing is a good idea, I'll do it when I get photoshop on this computer again. *scribbles these down in notes* Oh haiii - I put my pictures on tinypic, why are you having difficulties seeing the pictures? :shock:

Hai hai Oooh, good point. Hmm, I should get on it. *adds to coming soon list* *sneaks away*

To-do list: 1.) More specific positions and tricks for each altar without ever using the repel wand. 2.) Show the off-center scoring basics. (Priority!) 3.) Group the basics into one 'hidden' section. Divide the altars into their own individual sections. 4.) Some ideal team positions depending on the number of teammates while having randoms and fruitcakes. 5.) A few ways to get around barriers. :shock: (Not sure if I should include the use of the repel wand.) 6.) High detail and low detail graphics setup. (Might not include.) 7.) Change topic title to: Great Orb Project - The Attract Wand. :wall: 8.) Free up time from busy schedule in order to flesh out the guide. :ohnoes: :ohnoes: :ohnoes:

After a whole slew of 40s, new personal record with a team on green: 50. [hide=][/hide] Team was composed of Gota H8 Stds, Larrysw, Armeng90, and me. (And one other. forget the name, had lots of numbers. :ohnoes: )

54 orbs in air altar. Slowly getting closer to 60.

77 runecraft, yay.

Depending on how long it takes you to learn how to play, I'd say anywhere from four to six months. By playing P2P GOP, if you win all eight altars, 1000 tokens. F2P, 750 tokens. Have you factored in the experience you can get from crafting essence after each altar? :|

At last, at last! :ohnoes: We broke into the holy grail of GOP after finding an effective formation. My first 50+ score, 52 on air! \ Thank you Fract05, Setelima, Elstupido111, and the rest of the clan.

:oops: I had to clean the list. I'll keep your name in mind when you become active again. :

:| If you don't mind that it's f2p, amayadawn is a 50-50 cc.

:? These are the basics. Well, the altar trick is a bit of what veterans might know, but if beginners would just know the default positions - the four compass directions - and when to move around, it'd reduce the orb piling and hugging. I'm still not an effective user of the repel or barrier wands, so I really can't mention any tricks for those. :-# But if you're a fast clicker it's possible to attract, adjust your position, then repel an orb straight into the altar all close to within one second's time.

Setelima, a pure f2per, gets 99 fishing. (He's 7th in 99 rc.)

-If you're good enough, you won't exactly need a good team, as you can survive without one. -Look for people following each other or people looking like they know each other. Chances are, the group might like playing with each other(...) and they will be pretty good. Try looking at the west part of the guild in F2P, but I really don't know much about P2P. Good teams don't advertise. It's not like clan wars in w141. :| So it'll be hard to find a team unless you're invited or form your own. Going solo can be good for gaining experience in gameplay - just don't expect to get much in the way of tokens. When you're trying desperately to score you sometimes learn things in the heat of it. One way to avoid having others slow you down is to touch all the orbs in your line of sight. This is why I said speed is important. You must, must be quick in spotting orbs and pulling them in. People might consider this hogging or stealing, but it's one way to survive in a random team. Mind, this can be an inconvenience, as some of my teammates point out to me. :oops:

Wow :shock: How long did it take lol. (hrs/day) A while. :oops: Since a game is roughly 12 minutes long and I tend to win all six altars thanks to my team, I can net about 3750 tokens an hour. I usually get 10k tokens a day unless its the weekend, when I can reach up to 20k a day before I feel burnt out. Mind you, thats not 10k in one go. (That would be an utter grind. #-o ) I play a little bit in the morning then the evening. I'm on the lower end of the token count though. There are plenty of people with way more tokens than me.

I have reached a new level of no-lifing. :ohnoes:

What I'd like to know is if anyone found this of any use. #-o

Total of 25 levels gained from playing GOP! :ohnoes:

Great Orb Project: The Attract Wand Table of Contents: 1. Introduction 2. Basic Positions ;) 3. Tricks :shock: 4. Pathfinder (Quick and Dirty Overview) :oops: 5. The Great Divide (September 2 2009 Update) [Priority] :ohnoes: 6. Fruitcakes (How Not To Play) :wall: 7. Misc. :twisted: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Introduction [hide=Welcome!]Hello. In this guide I will assume you already know how to get inside the runecrafting guild, what the wands are for, and that runecrafting robes do give a boost to your levels during the minigame - not to mention they are one of the best sets of free-to-play mage robes. If you have not managed to read the official Runescape GoP guide (http://www.runescape.com/kbase/guid/the_great_orb_project) on how to get started, then please do so before browsing this work. The Great Orb Project is a simple game at heart, but for a beginner eager and willing to learn it can be frustrating to play. (Hence why I'm doing this, I'm finally taking pity. Yes, I'm cold. Brrr. :ohnoes: ) In a game against regulars or veterans speed above all else is important. Every second - half-second really - makes the difference from scoring the holy grail of 60+ or the legendary 50+ on air, to pulling your hair out because the team just couldn't reach that grade A score of 40, much less the usual 30. I'm no expert in repelling or defence, so I can only show you how to use the attract wand. Which, in some cases, is much faster than repel.[/hide] ;) Basic Positions [hide=Where to Stand] Note: Yellow dots are the ideal player positions. A good deal of the game is knowing where to stand. The centers/middle spots of the altar is key, as shown highlighted in pink below: I am the one in yellow robes standing south. (Note: the two standing west would get the orbs stuck had I not clicked first.) When I have to move around the altar, I will always stand in the middle. If I have to move away from the middle because the orb is too far, I bring the orb in close then decide on which of the four spots it is best to pull the orb inside the altar. Consider the middle spots as the default position of a scorer. Standing in the four compass directions, otherwise known as the cardinal directions, is best for beginners and veterans alike, as the man in the stripy red cape shows below: [/hide] :shock: Tricks [hide=Mouse Reflex Skills] Note: The character is where you are standing. Yellow dots are the ideal player positions. Red dots are orb locations. Important tips: [*:2n96rb24]Timing is important. [*:2n96rb24]Orbs move at least two squares. [*:2n96rb24]Don't ignore the pulses - the tiny green or yellow dots flying into your wand, as they can help you time when an orb is in position. [*:2n96rb24]Click the ground or the altar itself to keep from moving or to stop moving! [*:2n96rb24]Always keep your distance from an orb. (If I ever find you hugging an orb I will take away your blanky and your teddy bear. :shame: ) i. The Basic Tricks Below are two basic tricks that aren't that difficult to master. These, along with the next sub-section of intermediate tricks, are universal. This just means you can do it from any side of the altar if an obstacle isn't blocking the way. IMPORTANT NOTE: These tricks as of 2nd of September, 2009, are now dependent on your direction. That basically means if it works while you're standing north it might not work while you're standing south. Regulars, please see the Great Divide section. The Cornershot: Step 1: Stand behind a rock. Step 2: Click on the orb and pull until it is inside the altar. Step back one-two squares, then click again to score. The Altar Trick or The Pillar Shot: Here we have what I dubbed the altar-trick involving an orb behind the pillar. Note that this only works when the orb is one square away from or is right behind the pillar. At two or more squares away, it will be you who will be pulled from your position. Step 1: Stand at a middle area of the altar. Step 2: Click on the orb once then click on the altar, fast. (Note: the orb here is one square away from behind the pillar.) This prevents you from moving away from the middle. Others choose to click on the ground beneath them, but in a crowded game this may be a hindrance i.e. clicking on an imp, a dropped rune, or the wrong orb. When done correctly the orb will move between the pillars and a final click on the orb will score it. Step 3: Click the orb again to score. ii. Intermediate Tricks The Orb Steal: The following trick is handy for saving time moving around to the other side of the altar. It's simply an intermediate form of the altar trick. (I call this the Orb Steal because I've stolen from several partners this way when they were too slow to score it the normal way. Feel free to use your own names, these aren't anything but my own names for them.) The orb is three squares away from the big pillar. (Or four squares away if you look at this that way, including the square the orb is floating on.) Click and pull. If you find yourself moving, click the altar or the ground to stay where you are. When the orb has moved behind the pillar, simply do the altar trick. The next tricks are all off-the-center, meaning the basic position of standing in the center zones of the altar are ignored at the start. These are more difficult to do due to its combination with the basic tricks and judging the distance. The Longshot: The orb is four squares away from the little rock. Stand back from the center at this angle. The orb may pull you towards it. Either allow it to do so, or move to the center of the altar when you find yourself moving, where you can do the altar trick and thus score. Orb-to-the-Wall Shot: The orb is two squares away from the big pillar. (Or three squares, including the square the orb is on.) Stand off-center here: Pull the orb until it is behind the pillar, then move back to the center and score using the altar trick. There are other tricks, and like the tricks mentioned above they all depend knowing where to stand and so can only be gained through experience. Each altar is different, and each one has certain spots where orbs are easier to pull. And while these tricks are all neat and handy, do remember that the Great Orb Project is a team game. One individual can make all the difference, but teams should not allow themselves to depend on the work of that person alone.[/hide] :oops: Pathfinder (Quick and Dirty Overview) [hide=Positions]The following is a bare-bones summary of everything so far. Red dots are orb locations. Yellow dots are the basic positions. My character is the starting player position to do the trick. In other words, you should be where you see the character/player avatar standing. (With the exception of the first Basic Positions screenshot outlining the ideal player positions.) I added the compass to give readers a sense of direction. Note: to stall moving or being dragged to the orb, you must click the ground on where you're standing or the altar. IMPORTANT NOTE: These tricks as of 2nd of September, 2009, are now dependent on your direction. That basically means if it works while you're standing north it might not work while you're standing south. Regulars, please see the Great Divide section. The Basic Positions: Basic Tricks: Intermediate Tricks: [/hide] :ohnoes: The Great Divide (Sept-02-09 Minigame Changes) [hide=The Magnetic Fields of a GoP Magnet]Prior to the date of the update, which stopped players from being able to throw barriers, the advanced fundamental rule that orbs always move from east to west wasn't really very obvious. With the change, this rule has become extremely important as to why old techniques don't work for one side of the altar. The orb stubbornly refuses to move from west to east using the old techniques. This is all because of what I'm going to call the Great Divide. The Great Divide is a line that runs right down the middle of the north and south arches. (It resembles the two halves of a human brain, or the magnetic field lines of a bar magnet. Yes it's weiiiird.) This line separates the new ways and the old ways. Orb spawns to the west require new techniques. The east spawns require the old techniques. Basically any orb west of the dividing line involve new ways. This is why, if you stood south, you have to do the new techniques to get western spawns, but are forced to do the old ways when spawns are eastern. Any orbs in the bluish area requires new techniques. Orbs to the east in the sepia-toned area require the old techniques. I will attempt to show below the new techniques for getting west-spawned orbs. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * White dot is where you stand. Yellow dots are the key positions from previous lessons. Red dots are the locations of orb spawns. IMPORTANT NOTE: You only need to click once to score these orbs. You do not need to click the ground, click the altar, or break your control from the orb at all. Just click the orb once and let it do the rest. The new techniques have the advantage of not requiring to orb-altar-orb, as many veteran players are used to. For an alternate and a more in-depth guide on the basics of why the orbs behave this way, please see this guide by Andy: http://forum.tip.it/topic/248793-great-orb-project-new-angles/ Coming soon: at least three (four?) diagonal positions for getting orbs near the portal and the trick to yanking out the orb behind the pillar. This can mirror the northwestern spawns.[/hide] :wall: Fruitcakes (How Not To Play) [hide=Failure]Below is a small collection of screenshots on the delicate yet malodorous matter of failure. Yellow orb will be stuck. The fruitcake in the green barrier is yet another example. Yellow orb stuck again at south area. The one west will make it in faster, but the player is taking too long to do it. Orb hugging behind pillar. The lone green orb nearby could be attracted faster if the player on it pulled from inside the altar instead of standing beside that rock. The classic case of a piling problem. Dear children, please don't do this ingame: An epic case of a piling problem on green! :lol: One can hope that they improve. :lol:[/hide] :twisted: Misc. [hide=You'll Never Take Me Alive!]i. Terms Regular - a player who comes to the guild often. Veteran - experienced and skilled in at least one aspect of the minigame. Professional - can defend and attract orbs extremely well. Saboteur - a "sabber" is someone who deliberately makes their team lose. Crasher - a player who may or may not be experienced that raids 50-50 games just for the sake of it. Break! - an order to destroy your wand to leave the game. Glitch/glitching - to destroy your wand at the last second without getting a penalty, this can be considered illegal by Jagex. During crowded hours this also gives a high chance of getting the invisible barrier glitch, where barriers from a previous forfeited game are in the altar and can't be broken since they're invisible. Co-ordination - teamwork at it's finest, "co-ord" is positioning yourself in such a way that you complement your partner or team to score orbs faster, i.e. east-west positions. Hugging/Holding - making an orb "stuck" due to it being in front of the attracting player's face, or "stuck" because the player is on the wrong spot to score it. Taps - another term used for the pulse emitted from the orb to the wand. An advanced reflex skill. Solo - to play alone, or to act as though one were playing alone. 1 vs 1 - a duel between two guild players. Other variations of this such as 2 vs 2 exist. A/D - Attack/Defend. One player attacks, another player defends. Stacking - to pile an entire team with good players who may not necessarily be friends while packing the opposite team with newbies. Also a term for two people standing on one ideal position. ]50/50 - a form of rigging games by halving tokens earned between the teams. 100/0 also falls under this as an advanced form of rigging. Fruitcake - fumbles, stumbles, and makes a complete mess of things. A polite way of calling someone a gop noob. ii. Fun Stuff Shields - From what I've heard, wooden shields inside the guild were started by a player named Garry61, who gave them to his friends as something like badges of honor. It spread from there. Another common one are trainee shields. Over time you will see a variety of different shields in the guild. This may or may not mean the people know each other. I don't recommend playing with a shield since it'll add weight and thus you'll lose run energy faster. Tactics - Find these out on your own. A common one is the east-west pairing on air altar. You'll hear people saying, "I'll take east!" or "I'll stand west." Some tricks that were once slow to do are much faster with a partner covering your back. Another is feeding, a bucket brigade tactic which can be useful in ferrying cluster spawns of orbs in big altars if done properly. iii. Rigged Games These come in two flavors now: 50-50 and 100-0. Both are ways to split tokens between teams, and both are good places for beginners to practice in. These rigged games happen for numerous reasons: greed, inability to play well, bad internet connection, and overcrowding in the main worlds. There are also games where people deliberately sabotage another team to make their friends win. These games are rare. If you find yourself losing in the main worlds you can usually attribute it to your teammates' inability to play well or yourself. Don't be quick to jump to conclusions that "clans" are out to get you.[/hide] This concludes my guide on using the attract wand. Thank you for reading! ~ Bio Ice / Pinata Sabre ~ Rollcall/Credits:[hide=]*drumroll* Fated to Die Rokiolo25 Elstupido111 (Stripy red cape) Kc Luvs U 0mb0 Chiranp Astral Glow Extremebeij4 Killer!@#%!!^ (Sorry, I can't remember the cereal numbers!) Worm Brain Sees All1 Setelima Gota H8 Stds Aljedo Sir Kurity With thanks to Shy Yellow, Sad Hollow, Thor 313, and Xx Skilaxx for essence bombing the air altar since I couldn't make a good grid map. And to all my friends active or retired whom I haven't mentioned, that have been with me through interesting times in the guild, you know who you are, and you know my problems with having limited space in my friends list. :oops: (Yes, I can hear you all screaming, "GET MEMBERS ALREADY!") Thank you for playing with or against me![/hide]