Extragorey

Some great articles this week. "House or Home?" really drove home how the "good ol' days" weren't necessarily good because of the game, but because of player circumstance. "You Don't Speak For Me" had some well-researched figures and statistical inference, explaining the mentality behind Jagex's perpetual downhill tumble... But really, it's not necessary to reference Google Calculator, lol. And the "Meddling with out minds?" article raised an interesting point about player communities... Though I would argue that Jagex are actually incapable of directly intervening with player behaviour. Because as a developer, the players are a rather enigmatic bunch. How individual updates will be received is usually unpredictable, with players sometimes creating emergent gameplay out of content intended for an entirely different purpose. Or, as the article describes, simply exploiting social structures to reach their chosen goal and then ditching the content. So with player behaviour being so unpredictable, Jagex ultimately have little control over it. They might want to increase player interactions, and implement a system designed to do so (see: Social Slayer). Or conversely, they might want to limit player interactions (for minors or muted players), giving us Quick Chat worlds, for example. But these systems won't necessarily be used as intended - they live or die by the playerbase's reception. Thus Jagex can implement whatever system or content they wish, but it still gives them no control over player behaviour.

ADVERTISER: Google Ad Services LANDING URL: http://www.googleadservices.com/pagead/aclk?sa=L&ai=CnAHP3z9pUNmwHYLWlAW1y4Fgx93PtQK_76LmJvPI9sIEEAEgtNzlHFCXt72HBWCloJWAmAGgAZHGouQDyAECqQInEnLSYFuFPqgDAcgD3QSqBH9P0OcjMz4njk4K8zPBsFjWpGs-VQAiWvTcz05oH0vGfTRcSbqt9xEzgKViLSoGLvo6WJ2cXaoPT0fNMHJw9S3xAOPHr5EGjhytyOkQV9m7DWqMPOOB-gMVa5BTgBSGFk0YGu31FnLT8ADZRA5SXxPhTbmnG-y9TXGdCBYkrG5XiAYBoAYC&num=1&cid=5Gidi3UuzWnOju5kjFjBq9_c&sig=AOD64_3XO1VvrohBoqULP3JIAVPpgO_POA&client=ca-pub-7006458855726751&adurl=http://www.rsorder.com&nm=4&nx=14&ny=465&mb=2 TYPE: Side Banner SITE: RSOrder.com MY LOCATION: Australia REASON: Selling RS gold and accounts

I agree; I too play Runescape for the experience. I hate grinding, and I'm the proud owner of a quest cape. Except I don't like the EoC because I find it too laggy to be viable; it really has no place in a browser-based game. Anyway, I thought the first article, by Ts_Stormrage, was very well-written and provided a nice recap of the dark road Jagex have been heading down since the loyalty shop and exclusive membership card promotions came about. I will also add that really, IVP are to blame, since it wasn't until Andrew Gower sold his shares in the company to Insight Venture Partners (giving them a controlling interest with 55% shares) that all these cash-grabbing initiatives came into play. Jagex employees have actually expressed their disapproval at the new direction of the company on the official forums (in polite terms as necessitated by their position), so I suppose you could infer that Jagex really aren't holding the reins anymore. (Reference: http://massively.joy...x-a-us-company/) And one last thing... "If you do take that extra step, if an XP item, a bag of GP, or even an untradeable non-cosmetic item is ever for sale directly, through whatever means, a new record for subscription cancellations will probably be set." So, "Buy membership for August and September and we'll give you 1M XP for FREE!" probably doesn't quite qualify, but it's damn close.

Well, I have to say I'm one of those people that have given up writing extensive thought-out posts on the RS official forums. But I think one of the main problems with the RS forums is actually their lack of community features. Sure, they're a lot better than they were originally or even a few years ago, but they're still missing what is quite possibly the most important forum feature ever conceived - quoting. If someone could quote your post - which would send a message to your inbox - then people would be encouraged to return to a post and discuss it further. You might actually have entire conversations taking place, instead of just hundreds of random unconnected posts in a single thread. I'm thinking of how The Escapist does it, which are the forums I use most regularly. But back on topic, I agree (as usual) with everything Ts_Stormrage said in his article. I'm also one of those players that plan to quit after reaching my current goal (99 crafting, and almost there) unless Jagex decides to suddenly turn around their marketing strategy. The reason I've stuck with them for so long is actually in large part due to the membership price increases (there's been at least 2 to my memory). Because I'm still paying the original $6 (AUD), unsubscribing would mean I'd be paying $9 if I ever resubbed. Substantial content updates are few and far between, especially in regards to challenging quests (which for me is the highlight of the game). As has been mentioned many times, the inclusion of microtransactions for the SoF directly violates the values which Jagex upheld for so long. And it's that, more than anything, that is pushing the game into a deep dark hole. If a developer suddenly decides to go against everything they've stood for and outright abuse their playerbase, it doesn't give the players any reason to stick around. (I am, of course, refering to the long-standing RWT rule (which was removed on the 6th of April just this year), which stated: "We don't want players to be able to buy their way to success in RuneScape. If we let players start doing this, it devalues RuneScape for others. We feel your status in real-life shouldn't affect your ability to be successful in RuneScape.")

The "Stumped No More" article was quite interesting. I personally try to be a "nice guy" online, but I find it's often a resolution that requires cooperation. If someone is simply not making an effort to be respectful - ie, being unabashedly rude or just plain trolling - then trying to maintain that nice-guy facade becomes a futile effort. But a good point was raised about real life parallels - 'anonymous' people in real-life (people on the street or in another public place whom you don't personally know) are frequently just as disrespectful as anonymous Runescape players. And I'm sure those same anonymous real-life people act much more agreeably around people who THEY know. Abuse of anonymity, then, is not just limited to the internet. But granted, it's probably more commonplace on the internet given you can't enact an immediate physical response, such as a violent shove out of the way.

The "Sequel of Fortune" really resounded with me, as I've written similar things myself. Something I posted on the Runescape forums, about Jagex's micro transactions for the lotto system that is the "Squeal of Fortune". "Naturally the team and I are saddened that some players are upset about free spins and some also dont like the ability to also purchase additional spins, however, the reality is 90% of our members are enjoying the Squeal of Fortune on a daily basis and over 70% of our free players utilise the Squeal of Fortune daily too - making it some of the most widely appreciated content release to date. The majority of our players also continue to take advantage of the many free ways to earn extra spins, so its certainly here to stay." - Mark Gerhard, http://services.runescape.com/m=news/sof-feedback-response Really, Jagex? You add a lotto system into the game and just because almost everyone USES it you think they endorse it? Imagine if you gave every single player a free 10k XP in a skill of their choice every single day - all they had to do was click a box that pops up when they log in. Almost every single player would use it - but don't kid yourself into thinking that anyone approves of the idea. And oh wait, you already DID do that. And you think that just because people are doing Evil Trees and Penguins that they like getting SoF tickets? That content was popular long before the SoF ever existed! I am absolutely disgusted with you, Jagex, for so blindly misconstruing supposed data in favour of your own delusions of grandeur through micro transactions. More than the all-too-common ability to purchase ingame lotto tickets with real world money, players appreciate developer integrity and respect for the community. You, Jagex, have failed in both regards. Additionally, if someone were to do the SoF a great number of times and record the total net worth and total XP gain, they could calculate the average amount of wealth and XP gained from each spin. That much is basic probability. Now, however large those numbers are - whether it's 100XP or 2k XP, or 100GP or 2k GP - it's still an amount that can be bought for real money. And THAT is the exploitation - buying ingame money and XP for real world money. It's an exploitation because of the statements Jagex have been making for years - and that have mysteriously disappeared from everywhere - that a player's success in real life should have no bearing on their success in the game. THAT is what made Runescape special to many players. Face it, Jagex, your MMO can't compare to most other MMOs - it has good questlines, but nearly everything else has been done better in other games. Especially since the monthly subsciption cost for RS is nearly that of most mainstream MMOs. What made (and if you have any sense left, will continue to make) Runescape special is the integrity that Jagex have always shown when it comes to micro-transactions. If you value your remaining player base, Jagex, I suggest you stay true to that past integrity and drop this foolish cloak-and-daggers scheme to give Runescape its debut to real-world trading. ------------- And another point by Blazer19 that I strongly agree with: I've said this before and I'll say it again--one of my biggest problems with the SoF update is that it is outright lazy and a slap in the face of all players, especially veterans. Out of nowhere, this update was thrust into our faces with no real explanation or back story. This goblin with tons of stuff wants us to spin a wheel and give us things each and every day without any effort on our part. That's it. We didn't have to find him, never learned anything about where he came from, nothing. He's just available--somewhere in the ether--at all times. One of my favorite things about Runescape has always been the quests and storylines. They span huge territories, time spans, and a multitude of races and provide me and many others great enjoyment. We know that JaGex has the ability to fit pieces of the game together seamlessly, but in this instance it seems like the storyline writers were kept in the dark while others put this update together. As devoted players, we can all see the SoF update for what it is--a new method to gain money for JaGex, thinly veiled as a fun "minigame". With his post, Mod Mark tried to defend the money-driven, lazy scheme known as the SoF, but I for one took it as yet another slap in the face to the dedicated players. My first point of dissent is when he proclaims that JaGex has "succeeded" in making content that enhances the playing experience without undermining it. While it is nice to get free trinkets and XP, the SoF has no effect on my playing experience. I use it because I would be at a disadvantage not to, but if it were gone tomorrow I wouldn't bat an eye. And when it comes to what makes the game truly special--NO ONE can put a definition on that. We all play for different reasons, and while the SoF may not undermine one person's experience, it could undermine another's. ----------- Admittedly, I come across as something of an idealist, but hey, that's just who I am.

Interesting articles. Gotta say though, addendum to part of the article "Gameplay Immersion": "It means that I wasn't that nerdy boy clicking away at his computer. No, I was the fierce knight, donning my armor and exploring a vast world in search of adventure. With a flourish, my sword pierces the foul creature and it leaves behind a shiny pair of platelegs for me to use!" It means not having a popup every day upon logging in advertising stuff happening in "Mad May". It means not having some random disembodied pixie-goblin screaming "extra spin for the win!" and other things at you when you're happily chopping away at an evil tree. It means being able to keep your proverbial door open on your private chat without getting spammed by RWT gold website advertisements several times a minute. I mean, face it: Jagex have been steadily adding in things that will happily break any immersion you tried to pretend you had. I was very apprehensive of the SoF popup when it was first added, but now with the "Mad May" thing it looks like they plan on doing it a lot more. I'm REALLY not a fan of advertisements that I pay a monthly fee not to get. And I too am a quest junkie; proud owner of a quest cape since early 2009. Still waiting for Prifddinas. And that mysterious island the Varrock Museum discovered... Though I admit, the Mahjarrat questline has been a nice distraction.

"The Internet and Arguments" was a very interesting read. I agree with most of it... Regarding "proof", though, say someone makes a general claim like "This game is really popular, heaps of people play it", referring to a very obscure title from 1995 or so... Well, it seems only logical they provide proof if they want you to believe it. It's not that hard to find a positive review if you try - and the person on the receiving end isn't going to because they couldn't care less. So yeah, I think asking for proof in some scenarios is perfectly reasonable. Also... One has to wonder... If all of those points make you a bad debater, what exactly does it take to be a really good debater? I shudder to think...

Only read the "Ten Years" article; great nostalgic feeling. While I've only been playing on and off since 2004-ish (just after RS2 was released, anyway) I can still relate to most of the article. Looking back and thinking "I remember when there was no wilderness ditch", or "To think, we used to stand around outside Falador east bank using chat effects to buy and sell items." I remember the day farming came out there were hundreds of people at every patch... It made training the skill much more fun. :thumbsup: And while I've never fallen for a scam, I do remember being quite annoyed when I accidentally LOW-alched my dragon halberd and lost 200k from it. To think, now I pay 500k just so my gravestone looks a bit cooler; and I haven't even died in months (outside of the wilderness). So, great nostalgic article; I love ones like that. :shades:

So far hawkxs and Jonanananas are the only ones who have commented on (or maybe even read) my article! <_< But really, I don't blame you guys, I never read the fictional articles either. I originally wrote it for the AoG story competition a while back, but I changed it round a bit and submitted it after it didn't win. ;) Still, I hope you enjoy it, and detailed combat descriptions are (unfortunately) what I do best.

I read the article about food, and WOW there are a LOT of expressions relating to food in there! It's a very well written article, one of the best I've read on Tip.It - as to whether or not I support it, I think it's a very valid argument. The food that heals the most in the least bites should be the hardest to make - no matter what your level in cooking or fishing. Also, I think the game would benefit from a system like that used in Dragon Age. For those who haven't played that, the higher your magic attribute, the more health poultices heal. So in Runescape, I reckon food should heal different amount depending on your Cooking skill - but still relative to the food, of course. For example, with 1 Cooking, a shark might heal 17 HP. With 99 Cooking, it would heal 21. And anywhere between it would scale appropriately. In this way you still maintain the "good" foods as good foods, but also gain a benefit in having a high skill level, and not just being rich enough to buy a tonne of sharks and tuna potatoes.

When obtaining the pieces of the dead wizard, I've found that the frogs (level 66) in the maze seem to drop the pieces more than anything else. There's a frog just west of the eagle platform and down two levels. You might want to add this observation to the quest guide.

Whoops. Sorry, you're right. I must have been very tired when I made that post. :oops:

The summoning calculator has a minor but confusing typo. It says that Spirit Terrorbirds are available at level 56, when they are actually available at 52. It's not a problem with the calculator itself, as I have 51 summoning and for 52 as my goal it has the level 56 terrorbird highlighted in yellow as if it thinks it's 52. So it's just a minor typo. :)