pixieslayer

Years ago, when Runescape first started, there wasn't even a way to see your combat level. You could only see the stats. Therefore, there was never anyone walking around asking your combat level, but your fighting stats instead. Eventually the wilderness came out, and people could finally have others read them their combat levels. Shortly after that, in your skills menu, your combat level was displayed for you to see. Nowadays, as you all know, everyone can see your combat level. Sorry for the history lesson, but I wanted to show that ever since Runescape began, people were judging others by combat stats. The reason for it? Green means you have a high chance of defeating an enemy Yellow means you have a medium chance of defeating an enemy Red means you have a low chance of defeating an enemy These were the descriptions of the colors you saw when you moused over a monster. I believe these were in the combat guide when Runescape started... may still be... I haven't checked. Anyways, if you don't understand the point I am getting at, it is that combat level has always shown you can defeat another player easily or they could beat you. Now I know a lot of you are gonna say well a level 40 can beat a level 50 sometimes, but that isn't my point. Seeing that someone is green to that person tells them that they can defeat that someone which makes them think they are better than that someone. This gives that lower level person the title "noob" to the higher level person. Okay, I am done with that part of the speech, now my point. Being able to defeat someone or something makes that person think they are higher up in the chain. This is why so much emphasis is put on combat. You cannot defeat a person by cooking lobster while they are still learning how to cook. You cannot defeat someone by smithing better armour. But when you think about it, food helps you to defeat someone, and armour and weapons help you defeat people. Fishing and cooking get you food to heal, mining and smithing supply armour and weapons for fighting, herblaw provides potions to make you more powerful or heal you, fletching and runecrafting both provide equipment for magic and ranging as mining and smithing do for melee, and crafting provides items that can boost weapons power and accuracy and such. What I am saying is that in a very clear way, nearly all of the other stats reflect your combat and ability to defeat someone else. By having a higher combat level your other levels which revolve around combat are presumed to be high, whether they are or not. So when you think about it, naturally, when you have a higher combat level, your other stats will be assumed high, and when you have a lower combat level, your other stats will be assumed low. I agree that combat is not what people should be judged on, but it is because the other stats CAN play a role in what your combat level is, that combat levels are what people are judged on. Every stat is a piece that, when all put together, gives you a combat level. It is as simple as that. Some people hate it, others like it. As long as the other skills are only playing little pieces in your combat level, combat levels will always be the way people are judged.

Or when you are unarmed and being attacked by a level 120 River Troll while wearing your Santa Hat... (Yup... I just about died because I hit backspace :P)

This has happened to me before too but not as often as everyone else and I am also sure it isn't a virus because it has happened to me from several computers. I would type a message in Runescape and then realize I messed up and I would hit backspace on my keyboard and it acted as though I was clicking the Back button.