thejollyroger

At one point, they had discussed this for Classic. Again, I reference Classic: I seem to remember that's what happened when RSC reopened-- I'm not sure about the last time they did it, but I'd heard claims at one point that those servers were bot-spammed. I have a lengthier reply to Dracae's Times article on this topic, here. Kudos if you keep up with my rambling.

Don't be too hard on yourself. The sentiment is still very valid, I think, even if the specific details aren't current. Here's what I thought was the REAL kicker of the article: Brilliant reference. I don't know if Silverion kept the archives for the old RS1/RSC section; it'd be rather helpful if we still have it. The analogy is VERY good and it'd be nice to have some hard references about how the Tip.It forums responded to the RS1 -> RS2 transition. I don't see a lot of people anymore here from the early days-- I'll try to remember as best I can. Interesting that you said "The best PKers of my clan had a bit of a problem adjusting". See, that's where the analogy is very apt. There were people that complained bitterly, comparing RS1/RSC pking to RS2 pking, i.e. that RS1 pking was supposedly superior. There were arguments concerning "catching"-- an old technique that if mastered, supposedly gave you the jump on another player. There were complaints about the new multi-way areas, and many complained about a change from player vs. player to player vs. pilejump, if that makes sense. I hope that summarizes the best parts because it did go on and on, of course. So many changes to this game were driven by actions and reactions to Player Killing, from the earliest PK-anywhere years, to Duelling first being introduced, to the Duel Arena, and so on. Of course there was a brief fling with the PK-anywhere concept with PK worlds... I really was amazed that it came back and then was shut down so quickly. Scrying pools in POHs made more sense with PK worlds, for one, and since I don't really do Player vs. Player stuff... I hope that means something. Excellent point. I'm among those that believe EOC was rushed, and that there are so many things in the game that are still broken because of it. Example: The Lunar spell Energy Transfer was removed from the visible Lunar spellbook, but it's still effectively there at Livid Farm. Because the special attack bar code was translated to Adrenaline, the Suqah attack on Pauline random event requires 50%+ Adrenaline. It's not impossible to get but seems odd that a non-combat minigame now requires a little combat, and in a very inconvenient fashion. Good examples with the Thok sagas: it IS very noticeable with Thok Your Block Off. I want to show support for the other Times articles, but I've rambled on enough as it is... maybe later. I think "War of the Clans" can use some writing improvement, but, please, I am glad that Tip.It is encouraging fan fiction more. Please keep writing, sacker3; I hope you will take my criticism as constructive and that you'll bring us more stories. Thanks.

I liked the ficitional article as well. It was quite refreshing to read the perspective of the Entrana priest, as it's rather a stark contrast to Jagex's "take the piss" mocking attitude they seem to have towards organized religion generally, but more especially Anglican history (I suspect they draw on such for the Church of Saradomin). As a writer-- I do understand good fiction draws on elements audiences are familiar with, but I am pleased when writing is more nuanced and avoids the same tired old clichés and stereotypes. Re: Pushing the Boundaries: An interesting follow-up to ¨HAPPY NEW… game?" And an interesting point about the lodestones, too. I wouldn't be surprised if many players gloss over the details. It's quite a far cry from when spell teleports could fail, back in RS1, and I seem to remember players walking (running wasn't there yet) from city to city. It also reminds me of the idea of the Australian walkabout approach to playing the game-- I think it was mentioned in a Times article or on the forums here-- I can't remember for sure. I still hold out hope that PoP is not all that Jagex has in mind for the Eastern Lands. I still dream that they might make a connection from Port Phasmatys, perhaps by way of Ak-Haranu (the bolt rack seller) and the ship with the broken ectofunctus. But I also hold on to the crazy hope that Jagex will give us more uses for ectotokens, too. I was hoping some solutions might be offered (this is my tired old "think like a developer" line). I'll leave it at that; it would have rounded out the piece very well. Runescape does have a few less-developed areas-- I don't see many players seeking out solitude JUST yet. If I remember right, Jagex wants to work more on the existing world, and if they're sticking to this, solutions will lie on what they should work over next... and make more relevant, and not just crowded.

re: "Why Runescape Has A Future..." High time, indeed. Please continue this more positive tone, but not just for devil's advocate purposes. There are players that have put Runescape on mobile devices already. But I do remember MMG saying that the switch to HTML5 (ditching the Java applet, I assume-- the applet, NOT the code) is how Jagex will be making RS available to mobile devices. They'd been working on such with FunOrb already, bit of a shame that FunOrb game apps didn't make more of a showing (not everyone is super enamored with Angry Birds and silly Facebook games). re: How Much Is Too Much? Interesting how the pendulum swings the other way, now. I can still remember how Gugge suggested that existing content, namely cities, get some reworks. Maybe we got this in spades? Players haven't done "one-stop skilling" in cities for a long time, and perhaps the Lodestone Network further aggravated this. However: I still love the Burgh De Rott fishing pier for shark fishing... granted, mostly for Daily Challenges. It's separate enough from Temple Trekking that I'm not terribly distracted. I still like the Coal Trucks for gathering some of my own coal (especially with Achievement Task bennies). But I was always a player that sought out obscure niches, and I still do a lot of self-sufficient/subsistence playing. I've been in at least two clans/communities that used Yanille for non-combat training events (mostly bankstandable ones). I still love my POH, and I know a fair few number of players that have theirs there as well and still hold house parties. That said, I agree Yanille needs a little bit more love, but I hardly consider it just a space-filler. I do agree with the sentiment about portals. I am still hoping, however, that Jagex will allow us to repair the the broken mini-ectofunctus in ghost ship in Port Phasmatys, and that it will be an alternate gateway to some new Eastern Lands content. They may never give me a further use to my hoarded ectotokens, but they can't tease me with Ak Haranu simply selling bolt racks forever!

Both articles: The Tip.It community is starting to look forward to future RS updates (with a measure of anticipation) instead of nostalgic lament for the past (and a short-termed memory at that). Keep rolling on this momentum.

I'm not going to pull any punches. It's not just you-- this site (the forums, to be more specific) has been pulling negative for a while. Or rather, it's been a strong tone for far too long. I don't think it started out that way; maybe you don't know who binyam is, but I believe him when he told me the Times was his idea although he didn't get much credit for it. He struck me as a fairly easy-going guy, not a malcontent. I admit I'm being a bit cowardly as this isn't my main persona. But I'm going to say it, flat out, that the Times as a whole needs to move on somewhat. I think Jagex already has. Remember "Biased banning raises eyebrows"? WOW. I was on Staff when that hit, and I remember quite well that Andrew Gower took that pretty personally, and yes, he did threaten a lawsuit (which he recanted on). I don't think he was wholly unjustified; remember the encrypted thumb drives he later promoted? It's a legitimate corporate technology, but players practically crucified him right there on the RSOF, because his incentive dared to suggest microtransaction/RTW-- buy the thumb drive, get some bank space. So then later he sells his shares, makes a R & D company, and people here are wrung their hands "Andrew, you're abandoning us" and the Times can't get off the "Yelps and SoF is dishonorable microtransactions, Jagex lies, Jagex breaks our trust" spiral... ...six year history right there, but...geez, what does the whiny bunch in Runescape want? Seriously, kids, I swear, you'll get jobs, you'll get more life experience, and this stuff will all seem like creampuffs and powdered sugar. Your employer, your acquaintances, maybe your family will pull worse crap than this, but the world goes on. Pardon my tired, trite, cliché expression, but it is just a game, and having serious fun is okay, but if complaining and moaning-- even under the pretense of reporting the complaining and moaning of others, gets tiresome. My life is already pretty stressful without worrying over a game I'm playing to unwind and relax by. Love/hate relationship going here. I came to the forums in 2004 but was using the site guides when I started in 2003. Had to pull back after a while, speaking of the lawsuit thing and all the dirty politics that brought out... wow, I can still remember how w13 and Zybez/RuneScape Community jumped on that mess ("Jagex is talking about Tip.It in their news release, we're not like that", something to that effect), thought it was a rabbit punch then, I still think it's a low blow now. Jagex obviously is turning a blind eye now, they're big enough that it's so much chicken feed, but would you prefer another indirect backhand? Zybez/RSC was right, it was Tip.It leaking passwords (I trust my sources), the users did need to cowboy up and get serious about password security, but... c'mon, if you read this far, I think you should feel sick. Muckraking may get you some short-term attention, but in the long-term, it's already bitten you (Tip.It collectively, I mean), I was there, I tell you, it's a bad plan.

I can back up what they're saying; I have been given credit and I have worked with the Crew. (Just not under this name; I have my reasons for semi-anonymity-- long story.) If you'd already done this, well, I'd understand. But I'm guessing you haven't, so, do what they suggest, make some contributions, and then if that doesn't go well... of course that's another matter entirely. Personally I use Wikia's RS Wiki most of the time but Tip.It is still tops for Treasure Trails, and I like the calculator interfaces. I especially worked with KS_Jeppe for a bit (yeah, the girl that started Runehead) so I can really appreciate how some of the website is structured, and yes, some of her stuff (and Michael West's) is still being used to a certain extent. It's clean and easy to reference. There's probably a few other things I'm forgetting, but hey, really, I think a majority of players reference a variety of fansites, even if they've got one or two particular favorites.

First-- Ts_Stormrage: yellow journalism. It should be noted that Kübler-Ross has her critics. Basically, they charge that not everyone experiences grief by way of these five stages. By the same token, I agree with you that not all players will respond (or already are responding) to the EoC this way, nor will they be limited by outright rejection or outright acceptance. That hasn't been my experience, anyways. I would say that the vocal part of the Runescape community seems to have a very short memory. Does anyone remember the vocal few that preferred RS1 (now called RSC)? They did have a presence, once. There were quite a few assertions about how its system of PKing showed superior displays of skill, with catching and such. There were sentiments that the early graphics were appealing precisely because they were cartoonish. Then there was the statement that RS1 had a better community, with less immaturity-- and that just wasn't my experience at all, really. So this whole "bring back Runescape 2006"... it's happened before. Really. They must be so loud at the moment (especially on YouTube) that few are remembering. I was a part of the RS2 beta but I missed this one (for EoC), because I switched to Linux a few years back. In short, Linux users can't access beta worlds from web browsers, so a separate client is needed. I can't get it to work for some reason and as I'm a reasonably busy disabled father of two, I just didn't have the time to mess with it. Sure, I had some initial objections but I figured I'd just wait until things went live (and enjoy the existing game in the meantime). Just as I no longer wish to go back to RS1 and revisit some repetitive stress injuries (like repeatedly clicking on Mining rocks or Fishing spots), I do figure that the EoC will bring some fresh approaches to combat. And geez... I can't count the number of suggestions I've made or commented on-- some of them here-- that have been implemented! Remember the "if every noob had his way, everyone would be running around with grenades and flamethrowers..." and then we got salamanders and chinchompas? C'mon, kids, start paying attention! You've actually gotten a LOT of things you wanted. The Real ET: I'm still amazed that so many MMO'ers keep forgetting over and over and over that Runescape appeals to a very wide range of gaming styles. For starters, there's all the players that thoroughly enjoy organizing their banks and inventories (while they play!) I can still remember the *real* Kathy Corkat (a.k.a. Mrs_Chrystler, LickyKat?) spending hours with Mod Ash on Construction, or hours with battlefield scenarios at a citadel, telling me it was her new toy from Mod Ash. Then there's the players I've met that love all the puzzles (one I met got really excited that I said sudoku was in the game by way of Rogue Trader and rune puzzle boxes at Ali Morrisane's). Then there are the questers (which I consider myself a part of)... it goes on. I still thought Mod Ash's biting satire of some Runescape players in Carnillian Rising was hilarious. Pegged quite a few I know, I think. But mostly I'm 38 years old and I really couldn't care less about what people think of Runescape... I'm playing it and if the teenagers and twentysomethings want to give me lip about it... phht, forget them. They aren't worth my time. Already friends and acquaintances tried very valiantly to convert me to World of Warcraft. Don't have the money (yes, really) and I'm just not interested. If I had the money, it'd be more arcade controllers or full-on arcade cabinet restoration. Wife used to play, plays other stuff that honestly is easier to make fun of in some ways, but hey, she enjoys it and likewise she's really not too concerned about what others have to say about it.

Ts_Stormrage: I'll bet donuts to dollars that, somewhere, Duke Freedom is laughing. I do have to concede that he's right. There are many, many adult players who spend many microtransactions on games. Saw plenty of people my age and older do it on Facebook without batting an eye, on games that were easily more banal. I myself will laugh even harder if RS players ragequit in their stubborn youthful idealism to be replaced by adults that really don't give a crap. Yeah, news flash: at least the ones I talked to really aren't that worked up about it. On a more serious note, a friend of mine asked some questions, got a reply from MMG himself if I remember right, saying that the Loyalty Programme would be connected over to retired SoF rewards (so they could be obtained over time, not just merely by chance) and also that Loyalty Points would be converted to RuneCoin at some point. Jagex usually doesn't tell players stuff (that I recall) that isn't meant to be discussed but I guess it's worth waiting for an official announcement. Still, just mentioning the Loyalty Programme makes me scoff all over again, listening to kids cry about how it was so unfair (having to quit to focus on school, etc.)... sorry kids, the adults with steady incomes get to beat you there again too. Seriously, though, thinking more over the horrid recoils over just the game card promos gives me convulsions. Such whining when kids used to have to look at mall gift cards or other less desirable payment options. I mean, really, the news media is starting to cut you Millenials a break, saying you're optimistic and hard-working, and then I come 'round places like here and figure plenty are still acting like spoiled, entitled, whiny ingrates. Guess what, kids, when you get real responsibilities-- a career (not a job), a house, maybe some kids-- all this whining over the fairness of a game is going to seem like creampuff stuff to the concerns and labor all the other stuff I listed brings. You'll likely be an office jockey to a company that does everything you thought Jagex did unfairly, and then probably more. Edwin: qeltar had a great article called "Don't Resent My Toilet". Some of us really don't want to go back to training methods that risk RSIs (repetitive stress injuries). Dunno where you'd find that article since he closed Truthscape down. Maybe he's still lurking around here and he'll say more about it. Oh, and of course I would hope that while the Order of Cabbage has had a quiet decline, that they still stand as a shining example of players that had tons of fun fooling around which often had no effect on progress in the game except maybe some laughs and goodwill in the community. The article is still a negative observation and it tells us nothing really new-- that people eventually figure that stuff needs to get done and games are just a fun way of killing time, which is as it should be. sacker3: good on you... the Times hasn't had enough fictional work lately, I take it you'll have more with "Part" in the title.

Re: The Ghost of Holiday Events Past Gonna be upfront-- I don't like the international assumption that "American" means the United States. Yes, I agree, the article was biased that way. But I would imagine that there are some Canadians that would like some independent consideration other than "the country that was another British colony". darthaddict, I think, fairly pointed out that Canadians observe a day of thanks, albeit in October. A day of thanks is originally a British idea even if many Commonwealth nations don't typically observe it. That said... Jagex probably is focusing on the US a bit much. Maybe I expect too much because maybe there's more English-speaking players in the Western Hemisphere, but I'm still boggled there's not yet official support for the Spanish language. It's my secondary language and I know the players are there. I don't expect Jagex to give consideration to Latin American holidays, however. They are proudly British... I just want them to give customer support to Latin American players. I could go on about how the UK seems ignorant of Latin America but that is quite another argument and deserves much more fair and diplomatic discussion. Re: A Lifetime Habit I simply smiled. My daughter was only a year old in 2003, when I began as well. Today I find out she sneakily made a FunOrb account and was talking to strangers without her parents' permission. I've met many adult players in RS and I've also seen many fade out because of increased responsibilities. I'm finding the same having a house of my own for about a year now. But I hold on, still believing that I can set down Runescape much quicker than most any other MMO my friends play. Well, okay, I do like Single Player options, but, y'know... Re: He's Glissinda the Troll Ah yes, the Miniclip blame never really does go away, although Jagex started with Real Network's RealArcade... and Real made them some pretty sweet ads that I think are still unmatched for a starting company. In other words, Miniclip may have raised RS's profile, but immaturity did exist before. I married into a gamer family, and my wife is in her mid-40s. She and her father played in the old wargaming days when D&D was still in its first edition. Although neither of her folks go to cons anymore or actively play many games... let me say this, between her mother and she, oh I am *very* aware of the gaming market aimed at women and it's not even the ones Hawks mentions. It's the time management, the puzzles, some of the "casual" market. They both have dabbled in the prose-based side that seems to be so little known, that writer's circle creation that morphed into freeform online and subsets with fanfic and all that. Fanboys just need to own up that fangirls are there, stereotypes-- anime, fanfic, horror (vampires, werewolves, etc.)-- or not-- and all the squick and squee that comes with it. Lots of it extends WAY off the pixelated screen. Some prefer to slug it out in the supposedly "guy" domains and some have been doing their own thing for a long time whether people acknowledge it or not. I've known many of all stripes and quite a few in RS that don't even consider themselves gamers otherwise. Blah, blah... I blather on but my presence here is rare. Kudos if you know who I am, but probably a bit better if you don't.

Linux ultimately traces back to UNIX, which is older than dirt. UNIX and BSD were around before Bill Gates was a twinkle in his mother's eye. Hence the saying "Linux is a flavor of UNIX". Ubuntu and OpenSUSE are a few of the most user-friendly distros out there right now. I think Ubuntu gets more press because the community is a little more extensive; however, as others have said, there are Linux fanboys and disgruntled ex-Windows users, and so it's not always the welcoming community some say it is. Right now I'm using Ubuntu 8.04. I'm thinking about moving to Linux Mint, which is based on Ubuntu but is a little more polished. Some of the downsides: Proprietary software and drivers was mentioned. Sound output is a mess right now; I can say if you've got a Soundblaster Live! sound card, you're good to go; otherwise you may have some problems. *cough*Pulse Audio needs some work*cough* Support for Nvidia and ATI cards seem pretty decent. Ubuntu is a Debian derivative. Software packages often have to be bundled specifically for Debian. Upsides, of course-- free, free, free. I'm very poor and I do my own repair/maintenance on my system. I used a lot of open source software on Windows and it made my transition MUCH easier.

Well, you know what, I find that to be incredibly offensive. This is my wish: That presentations of the gay community were no longer sanitized or filtered. All of the life should be shown- the ghettos, the emotional hunger, the seedy side of 'the hunt' as I call it, the infidelity, and so forth. The obsession with youthfulness and good looks. The father hunger that echoes in every 'Boy' and every 'Dad'. I have been there. Right there. And I chose to walk away. Don't tell me it's impossible, because it's really not. It is a long and often lonely road. Many gay individuals have denounced myself and others sojourning with me as traitorous and homophobic. We are neither. For us, we found the lifestyle lacking for us, and that it was not what we wanted. On the other hand, it is difficult to remain comfortable in religious settings. Although some of us may have abandoned mainstream religion at some time, yes, many of us decided to go back. We face the fear of congregations. Beneath the anger and perhaps even hatred, there is fear... for it is the root of such emotions. They are afraid for their children. They are afraid for themselves. We would that they did not perceive us as a threat. I find it saddening when 'induced homosexuality' and 'bisexuality' are used to explain away our little successes. It is a total invalidation of all we have suffered, and struggled and fought for. My wife used to work for a volunteer organization that provided services to HIV+ individuals, including those dying with AIDS-related complications. She has been well trained in this area. It remains a primary focus of the community, regardless of where the disease started or whom it currently affects. The virus is spread by transmission of bodily fluids and blood, particularly the latter. The fact that certain behaviors are high risk is indisputable. I have no problem with those who are genuinely happy. But we made our decision, too, and we would ask that our decision be respected.

Stupidest? I dunno about 'stupid'-- everything you guys have listed could be on a reality TV show. My 'stupidest' thing can't be repeated on this forum. I knew someone who swallowed a watch for a website. It wound up getting stuck in her throat and she had trouble breathing and eating. I'm not sure if she's had it surgerically removed yet.

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C:\PROGRA~1\MSNMES~1\MSGRAP~1.DLL O18 - Protocol: msnim - {828030A1-22C1-4009-854F-8E305202313F} - C:\PROGRA~1\MSNMES~1\MSGRAP~1.DLL O20 - Winlogon Notify: WgaLogon - C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\WgaLogon.dll O21 - SSODL: WPDShServiceObj - {AAA288BA-9A4C-45B0-95D7-94D524869DB5} - C:\WINDOWS\system32\WPDShServiceObj.dll O23 - Service: AVG7 Alert Manager Server (Avg7Alrt) - GRISOFT, s.r.o. - C:\PROGRA~1\Grisoft\AVGFRE~1\avgamsvr[Caution: Executable File] O23 - Service: AVG7 Update Service (Avg7UpdSvc) - GRISOFT, s.r.o. - C:\PROGRA~1\Grisoft\AVGFRE~1\avgupsvc[Caution: Executable File] O23 - Service: AVG E-mail Scanner (AVGEMS) - GRISOFT, s.r.o. - C:\PROGRA~1\Grisoft\AVGFRE~1\avgemc[Caution: Executable File] O23 - Service: C-DillaCdaC11BA - C-Dilla Ltd - C:\WINDOWS\system32\drivers\CDAC11BA[Caution: Executable File] O23 - Service: InstallDriver Table Manager (IDriverT) - Macrovision Corporation - C:\Program Files\Common Files\InstallShield\Driver\11\Intel 32\IDriverT[Caution: Executable File] O23 - Service: NVIDIA Display Driver Service (NVSvc) - NVIDIA Corporation - C:\WINDOWS\System32\nvsvc32[Caution: Executable File] I'm beginning to believe things are restricted at the ISP level. Thoughts?

To the detractors: I'm going to have to agree with Doc here and some others in that the game takes some skill. I've had problems at level 80ish or so getting zeal-- I figure when I go back, I'll get some better weapons, use the stat boosting prayers, maybe quaff a super set if I'm in some really fast games, etc. The frustration goes both ways. I tend to hit 0's on the portals although I sometimes manage to poison them, though, because I use a dds-- *waits for comments on how it's a noobish weapon for training*. So... I concentrate a little more on spinners. You know how frustrating it is when some hi lev decides to kill them for you instead? It *is* about teamwork... everybody decides beforehand where they're going to be most effective, and then heads out. So some higher-levs decided to split off and form their own groups, and then make websites to better coordinate their efforts? So what? I bet you'd be cheesed when people shout orders but don't seem to do the work, or the idiot who keeps leaving the door open... on purpose, or people fight to get their 50 points and then do nothing. Wouldn't you try to form your own group to avoid that? You take some chances when you go with a random group of people. There is nothing that says some lower-leveled players can't get their higher-level friends together for a group and then decide they'll fight spinners or protect the Void Knight. Heck, mid-level rangers can stick around to kill the monsters ranging the Knight... It's a popular mini-game, so naturally there's going to be some peeps that decide things are unfair or that the Editor was unfair. Aside from Castle Wars, the Duel Arena, and Tears of Guthix, many other mini-games haven't been popular. People stopped going to the Blast Furnace in groups because it could be done solo very profitably. (But I still gathered some groups there a few times and had a good time.) The Rat Pits... is anyone playing that mini-game? The Magic Training Arena? Besides the few that decided to get part or full Infinity, is anyone playing it anymore, to get anything else? I could be dead wrong about the popularity of those mini-games, but I would imagine people would complain if they were popular. Don't get me started on what I thought when I saw a 'Let F2P play Castle Wars' thread...

Now that is something I just don't get. Why do some countries drive on the right, and some on the less. In theory, there is no better reason to drive one way rather than the other. They just did that to confuse us? I can tell you why. Early on, the U.S. was looking to differentiate itself from England, so other practices were introduced. Driving on the left side was done so a coachman's gun hand was closer to any highwaymen he had to shoot (while sitting on the right side). But the U.S. associated it with being English, so we began driving on the right side of the road. Another example is the adoption of Sinterklaas, which was corrupted in English to Santa Claus. I remember a Dutch user saying something to the effect of "well, we have this guy that's just like Santa but his name is Sinterklaas." Same person, although many details are different as the U.S. collected an amalgam of Christmas and Yule traditions in Europe. Anyway, Sinterklaas was not Father Christmas, so there you go. Correct. I don't remember when the liter (yes, I'm American, that's how we spell it) was introduced, but yes, it's been used quite extensively. I remember when soda came in the 2 liter bottle-- evidently, the soda companies didn't think gallon jugs of soda was marketable or profitable. Gradually, the 1 liter bottle was introduced as a 'bigger' version of the 16 oz. can and the 20 oz. bottle. I could be getting all my facts wrong, but that's how I remember it. The biggest resistance to metric in my opinion has been food. I know that there are measuring spoons where sizes based on and including the teaspoon and tablespoon have metric equivalents written on them. But so many recipes call for gram measurements, which may not convert directly to cups. Is it possible to use 130g, 96g, 35g, and 32g versions of 1, 3/4, 1/2, and 1/4 cups? I haven't seen any recipes using grams where that seemed like that would work very well. Yes, there would be a steep learning curve, and realistically, it would have to be done gradually in order to not be financially devastating to the government. Locals resisted last time? I doubt they'd change their stance now...

No they don't. I got a confirmatin from Jagex that ROW boosts TRADEABLE rare drops. That's why it makes it harder to get heads, clues and defenders. You're saying a ROW decreases these chances because they are non-tradeable drops? Or does it just increase the tradeable ones (half keys from caskets, etc.) having no effect on the trophies?

I am curious as to whether or not ring of wealth improves these odds at all. (ROW haters need not reply.)

Host your picture on a hosting site such as Imageshack, then copy the link (usually direct link is easiest) to the post in image tags.

According to the price guide I'm using, nats and laws are about equal in price: 300-330 gp for nats and 300-350gp for laws. Nats have always been in very high demand, and they are much, much easier to sell in massive bulk amounts. If there is still sufficient demand for Construction, nats may go up. I'll have to ask Duke or another master merchant if they [bleep]ed with the initial rush.

Sorry for bumping a dead topic-- I wonder if it caused seizures for some people.

Great article as always, Duke. I'm a bit tired and didn't follow all of it (aside from not being very well-read in mathematics), but it was a very good read and well researched. The f2p factor has always had me thinking. First of all, for the short-term, there are money-making opportunities for f2p: chopping oaks, making soft clay, making steel nails; and to a lesser extent, smithing steel bars (iron bars wouldn't be very feasible). As far as f2p spending their cash, well, there's two tiers. The first would be to figure out how much gp f2p puts into the p2p economy-- pure essence runes, god armor, trimmed armor, etc. Then I would try to figure out the ratio of f2p migrating to p2p, compared to the numbers of new players coming into f2p, daily. Are the p2p updates a significant incentive yet, especially Construction? This all may be highly insignificant but it is what I am wondering.