nas275

Absolutely fantastic first article, one of the best articles in a while which really got me thinking, about both my interactions with other players and the state of the game. You summed it up perfectly: Jagex have become more and more 'laid-back' over the years and particularly since MMG came to power, much more business-orientated. I'm a firm believer that Runescape only survives because it has that firm community of loyal members who don't just play it because they enjoy it, they play it because it means something special to them (why else would people put themselves through the agony of getting a level 99?) And the more and more Jagex become the classic money-hungry company and shy away from their traditional values, the more the game will turn into an average MMO and it'll have lost that special meaning which keeps many players playing. I'm an optimist: I think this game still has great potential and life in it yet. But fast forward 5 years, what will Runescape have become? To say it's going downhill isn't exactly true, but if Jagex carry on with the attitude they've had lately they'll struggle to keep it going. And if Runescape falls, so will Stellar Dawn, War of Legends and whatever other games they're planning. But yeah, awesome article :) -------------------------- And the second article was great too! My attitude towards bots has often been 'there's no point reporting them, they'll just carry on...' But maybe reporting them is worthwhile... Jagex are going to face massive challenges over the next few months anyhow. Both excellent articles anyway :P

Hi :) I quite enjoyed the first article, it was a nice summary of the last couple of years in Runescape. I can't say the same for the second article though. Firstly I just want to say: I love Dungeoneering. It's definitely my favourite update of the last 12 months. However, you've completely ignored the majority of Runescape players when you say it's unpopular; far from it. I spend a huge amount of time on the RSOF (I'm an FMod there) and although there have been many complaints about it, there have been hundreds less than with some of the other updates this year (Strykewyms and Constitution come to mind). Nearly everyone I know absolutely loves it, and the general feeling seems to be one of popularity, not rejection. In case you needed more proof, the number of people playing Runescape at one time hit the 200k mark today for only the second time in the last year (the other time was during the Bonus XP weekend). This is because of the new skill. I know many people say it's a minigame, and I can see why. However, I think I know what Jagex were thinking when they made it a skill instead. Runescape revolves around skilling; that is an undeniable fact. However, most skilling is just grinding; people nearly always choose the boring way to play instead of what is fun in the game (as highlighted in last week's Times. By making this a skill (and therefore a core piece of content) they're trying to change the focus of the game from boring grinding to more interesting ways of playing. Also, it's far too big to be a minigame. No minigame compares to the size of Dungeoneering. Plus, when you ask what can it offer the game, have you seen the rewards? Like Slayer it offers new weapons, as well as a whole load of other useful items. They're also releasing a new batch of rewards soon, as well as making the prices more realistic. I'd call this the most useful single skill in terms of helping train other skills, apart from perhaps Summoning. And it completely baffles me when people call it repetitive; compare it to other skills, and it's one of the least repetitive and most varied in the game! So I love it, and I am certain the people who hate it are in the minority ;)

The first article was interesting; I don't particularly like the idea of a bronze crown though. I think the forums work quite well already. The second article is the reason I'm replying: I agree completely. It's a game, we play it for FUN, 'nuff said. I hate grinding when it's not enjoyable (who actually enjoys clicking the same three rocks 50000 times, or doing the exact same clicking patterns tens of thousands of times for Fletching and Firemaking?) That's why I'm over the moon about Dungeoneering: finally, a skill that is all about fun, and can't be 'grinded'. I think this is a major change in attitudes on Jagex's part - the fact that they've decided to make a fun piece of content which would normally be a minigame into a skill shows they're focusing more on fun ways to train instead of grinding. I hope they release more 'fun' ways to train all skills. D&D's are a start. I don't mind a bit of grinding, but the amount in Runescape makes many skills seem not worthwhile. I don't mind if the new 'fun content' is 10 or 20% slower - that leaves grinding open as an option, but means there is a fun alternative. To support what the article says - I just completed this week's poll. Seen the results? Q: 'When deciding to train your skills, what factor is generally most important to you? ' How much money you will make/lose - 31% (7983 votes) XP gain rate - 28% (7293 votes) How fun you find it - 28% (7187 votes) Fun doesn't come second, it seems. Fun comes third!

I enjoyed the first article, it made a good point. People seem to forget when they're rude or insulting on Runescape, it's no different to saying the same thing to a stranger in real life. It's always nice when people try to bring a bit more kindness into the game :) The second article annoyed me a bit (even ignoring the fact it's not called the Grand orb project :P) It seemed to ignore one of the main things about Castle Wars: it's fun. Yes, it doesn't give XP, but is that the only purpose of Runescape? Castle Wars is entertaining, and doesn't have the same problems other minigames have (freeloaders for example). But I agree, it needs an update to rewards - which I think it's getting, I'm sure I read somewhere they had plans to make some small improvements to it... And I don't think people will rant about that ;) But I agree, Stealing Creation is a masterpiece; I've played it 40 or 50 times and still don't get bored of it :)

(First time I ever posted on these forums - I have 2k+ posts on the Jagex Runescape forums but never been on here :P) I'd just like to say, they were two of the best articles on Runescape I have EVER read. Finally, some truths from someone who clearly has a deep understanding of the game (even more so that a lot of Jagex, I bet :P) And the solutions to EP-farming and inflation were, to put it simply, great. I'm still split about whether the new extreme potions are overpowered, I can't make my mind up :P Anyway, Jagex put a link to these articles on their Twitter; hopefully that means a few Mods will read it. Plus the Twitter hint for next week's update talks about the 'marketplace', hopefully changes to the economy and PVP drops. So it's looking good :D And thanks for some great articles; I'm going to make sure I read all the tip.it ones from now on :D