Jump to content

Tip.It Times Presents: The True Meaning of RuneScape


Kiara_Kat

Recommended Posts

  • Replies 94
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

For me, I think that the community matters quite a lot to the reason why I'm still playing Runescape after I stopped playing RS for like... mmhhh... 3 months...

 

 

 

Well... For the past three months... I have finally stopped playing RS after playing RS for like 2 years continually... Probably I got too bored of RS and I switched to Maple Story... I was crazy about Maple for the three months... Spending money on the cards when I can't even bare to spent just a few dollars a month to be a member on RS but nevermind... ...

 

 

 

When I'm playing Maple... I can jolly well just don't talk for the whole day that I'm playing Maple unless I'm selling or buying stuffs... But yah... I have just a couple of friends playing in Maple so that explains the reasons why I hardly chat but it's different in RS... People chat whenever or wherever they are... Probably mainly because they don't have to keep on clicking or pressing the keys to move their characters... But I find players in RS much friendly or much chatty compared to Maple... But that means the chances of me being called a noob is higher... LOL -.-

 

 

 

But it's easy to dealt with when they called you noob... Just reply them with a "Who cares if I'm a noob?" and they have nothing to reply you with. :XD:

 

 

 

Another reason why I'm playing RS it's because it's much easier to level up in RS... Compared to Maple when you can just simply spent a few hours just to level up when you are around level 20+... Unlike RS when it only takes me 2 hours to level up from level 5+ to level 25 ::' Also there are much more ways to earn money in RS other than fighting and collecting the items that the monsters dropped like in Maple...

 

 

 

One last reason for me to keep on playing RS is that I knew lots of stuffs about RS... Especially the quests for the non-members thanks to Tip.it guide... Now I can simply do all the quests without referring to the guide unless I forgot some stuffs... :P

Link to comment
Share on other sites

From my own personal view I was a runescape player for a 13 months and enjoyed (I will never say against it) but now I play GW and am throughly loving it as well, though I still play runescape as well on and off (no lvling tho :P). I can make 3 observations from the differences in games:

 

 

 

1: the 'guilds' and 'alliances' aspect of GW can make it a very fun community within the game, this is similar to runescape clans and the community of clans within runescape would make the game far better if it was an official thing (ie updates). It would also be make great use of current skills (Construction - building a clan hall, Smithing - make different items for within the hall, Crafting - Icons, Statues, Capes, etc). Personally the main thing that put myself off being in a clan is that it was an unofficial thing.

 

 

 

2: Runescape is a *lot* more open for free speech and talking with people, you can be more open a lot of the time in RS and this can make the game more friendly, however you do get people who like to ruin things for others (ie people going around calling others 'noobs').

 

 

 

3: RS is a lot more grinding based, hit a tree, get a log, wait, get a log... etc... however when done with friends and with interaction with others goes this can be made fun... however on your own it can get boring.

 

 

 

However for those comparing the games, saying one is better then the other, I believe is quite wrong. Each has its own unique aspects which make the games what they are. This is why though runescape may be inferior graphically and for gameplay style in some respects, this does not matter, it make it what it is. (besides 2D can be fun :D ).

 

 

 

So I tip my hat to the writer of this article and say well done =D>

Ex- Full time Runescape player, Lover of Castle Wars

Malachi_Kaso.png

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'd like to point out an error:

 

 

 

If the Gaia mentioned therein is the same one I'm thinking of (Gaia Online: forum site with a gold system and some games, customizable avatars, etc etc), it's definitely not one of those "on your own" games, as mentioned in the article. I mean it's a forum site. A giant forum, one of the largest in the world. Forums are places to talk and share ideas. It's got games on the side and a town thing, but those are on the side. If there was no community on Gaia, there would be no Gaia at all. And I play on there more than I play RS. :P

 

 

 

Otherwise, this is a good article but I'd have to disagree on the community bit. I joined because an acquaintance showed it to me, then he stopped playing and I kept going. In fact I've kept my chat off for weeks on end because at times I really can't stand the community in the game.

 

 

 

Examples include the standard beggars and spammers, as well as people who randomly follow me and demand that I give them the gem I just stole from the Ardougne market (and won't leave me alone for at least twenty minutes), people who stand in the banks claiming it's their birthday and rubbing it into everyone's faces to get free stuff, and people who won't stop yelling at me just because I tried to stop an argument. And of course, the irritating people who assume that, just because my character is female, I'm automatically their girlfriend. I seem to have the misfortune of running into those people a lot.

 

 

 

But yeah. The community is what keeps a lot of people in the game, but there's an ugly side to the community as well. That's what makes people leave the game, although the number of people leaving is not as high as the number of people coming in. That's why a lot of people turn a blind eye. ._.;;

Lythiaren.gif
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The community....

 

 

 

Well, I have not been to play WoW, or any other online game. One main reason is....Money. I don't have the money for WoW. I am poor, and iin my current income, RS fits perfectly as at home entertainment.

 

 

 

I have met a world full of people through RS as well. So, I agree with the fact that it is the community that makes RS great! Outside of that, I am not sure how accurate the article is becuase I have not played anything other than RS. Therefore, I really can't compare with other games. Furthermore, with the advancement of game consoles, I am sure that you can "play" with other players online. To what extent, that I don't know. Same chat system, again, unknown by me. But I do enjoy the "RS Community," which is what I think the main point the author was trying to sell. Aside from tip it, there are other places on the net where I tallk about rs with fellow gamers. Some of my "good" friends I met through RS as well. So, in that sense, that is the true reason behind me continuing to play rs. Stimulating discussion!! Thanks for the read.

~A lil mage goes a long way~

Link to comment
Share on other sites

"Did you know...

 

 

 

......that if you're F2P, the key to Melzar's maze is non-recoverable after finishing the Dragon Slayer quest? So if you want to enter the maze again, be sure to keep your key. If you're P2P, you can buy another key to the maze, but you have to finish the Legends Quest first!"

 

 

 

If you are free to play you can easily retrieve the key to melzar's maze again if you lose/drop it. Just speak to Oziach again and say that you lost the key, and woila! You have the key again.

The free to play world is filled with many weirdos and very many macroers.... Report all macroers!! ....please!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This article is made of 100% truth. I bought Guild Wars over five months ago, and I'm still coming back to play here at least once every other day. The community here is that good.

Crocodile hunter-Rest in Peace

"Theres NOT a country in the world that Bush would not get BOOO'd at ....even if Bush went to Antarctica the penguins would demonstrate."-Darknovae, NS Forum

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Oh great, we finally had decent articles back in motion and then get fed this....

 

 

 

"This java-based game is not quite up to par with other online games such as WoW or GW, which take pc gaming to a whole new level."

 

 

 

And on what basis would that be?

 

Graphics? Hardly, because WoW's suck

 

Gameplay? Nope, GW's level cap is pathetic, ,

 

I'm sorry to be rude, but Play GW before making any more ignorant comments like that, the level 20 skill cap is what makes the game, personnal skill not how much time you spend grinding. But I do agree with you, WoW's graphics to suck.

 

 

 

Edit: Sorry for the double post, I meant to edit it.

Crocodile hunter-Rest in Peace

"Theres NOT a country in the world that Bush would not get BOOO'd at ....even if Bush went to Antarctica the penguins would demonstrate."-Darknovae, NS Forum

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Runescape is such a great game because of its depth in the gameplay. A couple months ago, a couple of my friends and I bought guild wars to try it out. The weekend I got it, I had reached level 20 and gotten halfway through the game. Also, there was nothing you could do in the game but quests and kill things. Yeah, you could kill seperate monsters or farm their drops for dyes, but it was ALL related to combat. Within two weeks, I was completely bored of the game, even though I hadn't even beaten it yet. I have been playing RS for over a year (after coming break from a really long break) and never felt the boredom I felt after two weeks of guild wars.

lalalasig2.png

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Runescape is such a great game because of its depth in the gameplay. A couple months ago, a couple of my friends and I bought guild wars to try it out. The weekend I got it, I had reached level 20 and gotten halfway through the game. Also, there was nothing you could do in the game but quests and kill things. Yeah, you could kill seperate monsters or farm their drops for dyes, but it was ALL related to combat. Within two weeks, I was completely bored of the game, even though I hadn't even beaten it yet. I have been playing RS for over a year (after coming break from a really long break) and never felt the boredom I felt after two weeks of guild wars.

 

That's cause it's a PvP game in truth =] The PvE is just a side benefit, the real stuff is in the arenas and halls. Although I don't know why you would find even the PvE boring, it doesn't matter. The point is that the whole game revolves around the player, and not his level. Also I suggest you play Factions first, fun starts sooner there. If you played Prophecies, that's the longest and most drawn out of the three.

 

 

 

Edit: As for all-combat, no skilling. That is a sad thing that seems to happen more and more often in RPG's. One thing I miss about Ultima and my DM's D&D campaign...but at least we have RS for that.

Crocodile hunter-Rest in Peace

"Theres NOT a country in the world that Bush would not get BOOO'd at ....even if Bush went to Antarctica the penguins would demonstrate."-Darknovae, NS Forum

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I agree that for many people this game is for the interactions with other players.

 

 

 

For me though I play because it is a sandbox, I can do (Nearly) anything I want. I can go from cooking to fletching to melee combat to ranged without any penalty. Every other game I've played you can change what you do, but it costs a lot of money, or you can't change at all. In this game I can do whatever I want whenever.

 

 

 

One day I can be a pirate, a moment later I can become a powerful wizard, the next a ninja-monkey! Speaking of I need to go to mos le'harmless and see if I can kill a pirate monkey for bones and make it into a pirate monkey greegree...

 

 

 

I am limited in this game by my imagination and effort. Granted the question sometimes is asked, "Well, what do you do after you get level 99 in everything?" Well... first off that is a long way off for me, lol. But even then the point of RPGs is to MAKE your own fun.

 

 

 

For example, one day I decided I was going to make a TON of redberry pies. I took all of my pies and went to catherby, stood in the bank and gave out free pies. I was the pie-man! It was fun to watch a bunch of people run up and ask for pies, not because they are expensive and rare (far from it! lol), but for the RP aspect of eating a delicious fresh-baked redberry pie!

 

 

 

I don't need tons of freinds and lots of interaction, just some. If I was the only person on a server or in the game, I'd still play. :mrgreen:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'd like to strongly object to the comment the people on Bots just don't care about the game. For those who don't know, bots consists a team of 1-8 people fighting either through a level or against each other. I personally think that bots has a better community because you're probably going to become friends, given that you're working together, and trying to be selfish and get everything will only get you kicked from the room to go somewhere else. Plus there are obviously less annoying people on bots, because if someone's annoying you, you can kick them from the room.

P2P forever!... Or at least 'til <insert excuse here> happens

Falterflame.png

98% of people have signatures with made up statistics in them. If you're one of the 2% that doesn't, copy this and add it to your signature.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I didn't want to spend my time reading all the 4 pages, but anyway:

 

 

 

It's a pretty good article, although I think the writer has forgotten one important thing:

 

 

 

The ability to worldswitch. That makes a BIG difference. Simply because you could hardly make friends with someone who doesn't play on your server.

ltjemightyro9.png

Retired.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I enjoyed and agreed with this author up until he/she started to bash other smaller online communities. I would like to explain these communities better since he/she apparently has no idea what they're talking about!

 

 

 

Gaia: A forum-based Role Playing community. There would be no Gaia without other people to RP with. It's acually impossible to do anything worth while (in my opinion) by yourself.

 

 

 

Battleon: Well actually, that's just the name of the site. They have two very popular games: Adventure Quest and Dragon Quest. Before I go on, yes these two games can be played completely by yourself. BUT there is a huge community the revolves around the forums. There you can talk about you most challenging fight, talk with the staff, even boast about your greatness.

 

 

 

Bots: I have not played this one so I am not at liberty to talk about it.

 

 

 

 

 

Another thing that bothered me is the comment about Jagex not advertising. Yes, Battleon.com advertises to a lot of places but Runescape is advertised almost as much. The way RS is advertised is much different though. Instead of banner ads and the like, RS is advertised through gaming portals.

 

 

 

 

 

Oh and one more thing: I know that the last paragraph was making a point but PLEASE don't over do it! Right now I have a $200 graphics card, but I did not need to purchase it to play WoW or any other MMO for that matter. And the 1.5GB of RAM I have? That's mostly for RTS's: my 512MB was fine for most MMO's. MMO's as a rule do not require as much as other computer games mostly because of it's gameplay being completely on the internet. As an example I will use the minimum and recommended specs on WoW: TBC.

 

 

 

Minimum: 800MHz processor, 512MB RAM, 32MB 3D graphics card (NVIDIA GeForce 2 class or above), Broadband internet

 

 

 

Recommended: 1.5GHz processor, 1GB RAM, 64MB 3D graphics card (NVIDIA GeForce FX 5700 or above), Broadband internet

 

 

 

So that's a $100 graphics card with $50-$100 RAM. Besides, if you play any non-internet games on your computer you would meet these already.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

yeah i cant agree with he/she because i keep playing due to my friends, i think that if they all quit runescape i will quit too.

 

 

 

Yesterday when i was pking, i just found a old friend of mine pking , my team was atking him and i was like "omfg off him you idiots" after they off him, we were talking and we went to train and talk about what happened in this 2 years...i felt so happy to find him :thumbsup:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You say RS doesn't advertise?

 

 

 

http://www.miniclip.com

 

 

 

RS was the top game in that site for a long time. That's probably how so many kiddos play it now. They visit miniclip looking for a passtime game and stumble upon RS.

 

 

 

And about the community, RS has one of the worse communities (at least on F2P). A new player arrives in lumbridge and what does he find? People selling accounts, cursing and generally breaking the rules. I've played a game, Ryzom, wich had the best community a game can possibly have. Everyone was very courteous and willing to help. I barely logged in the game for my first time and about 3 people VOLUNTEERED to help me. Now that's the spirit every game should have.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Oh great, we finally had decent articles back in motion and then get fed this....

 

 

 

"This java-based game is not quite up to par with other online games such as WoW or GW, which take pc gaming to a whole new level."

 

 

 

And on what basis would that be?

 

Graphics? Hardly, because WoW's suck

 

Gameplay? Nope, GW's level cap is pathetic, ,

 

I'm sorry to be rude, but Play GW before making any more ignorant comments like that, the level 20 skill cap is what makes the game, personnal skill not how much time you spend grinding. But I do agree with you, WoW's graphics to suck.

 

 

 

Edit: Sorry for the double post, I meant to edit it.

 

 

 

 

 

Yeah....that's the part I hate. I like the grinding, personal skill is fine and all but without the grinding to go with it it's just not the same.

randy_1009.png
Link to comment
Share on other sites

This Article is true. almost scary to think about, but even so, it's still true... I play runescape, both for the fun of the game, but also for exidment of being with other Runescapers. on runescape i have met 7 people from the town that i live in (or from very nearby), people that i would never have meet if either i or they haven't been playing runescape. and futhermore one of the things that speaks to me the most, is that the game doesn't require that much to run, and therefore i can play it almosst everywere i can get my hands near a PC that is connected to the Internet...

A new study shows that 98% of teenagers listen to emo music. The other 2% have stayed straight gangster. If your apparantly the 0% who still listens to rock, put this in your signature.

b]

http://img80.imageshack.us/img80/1499/banksig2qn4.gif[/img]

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What do you mean?

 

 

 

"We all know RuneScape isnÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ã¢ââ¬Å¾Ã¢t the best game around. This java-based game is not quite up to par with other online games such as WoW or GW"

 

 

 

For your information, :shame: no we dont "all know" that runescape isnt the best.

 

 

 

I think it is the best by far, i have played WoW (up to level 12 boring) and Guildwars, runescape beats them both. -.-

 

 

 

Runescapes quests are all different, well planned, funny and witty.

 

WoW and GW have quests like "get me 10 bones and ill give you a new sword" Which took about as much imagination as a lamppost. :-k

 

 

 

Runescape is more popular and keeps growing because it is the most well thought out and put together game around.

tifsbti6oi.gif
Link to comment
Share on other sites

thedudesam has a very valid point

 

 

 

".... RuneScape isnÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ã¢ââ¬Å¾Ã¢t the best game around. This java-based game is not quite up to par with other online games such as WoW or GW"

 

 

 

For your information, no we dont "all know" that runescape isnt the best. "

 

 

 

if we didnt think runescape was the best game for us why would we play?it may not have the most superior graphics, but graphics dont make a game

sometimes there are days when i really want to hit you..... this is one of those days

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I love articles like this, that question what goes into making a successful MMO.

 

 

 

I'll touch on a few, from the original article, and from some of the replies. Plus I'll add a couple of my own.

 

 

 

1) Most important is the critical mass in an online community. Critical mass = huge. RS has 30K to 200+K online concurrently, all the time, 24/7. There is always someone to interact with. For better or worse, you are never alone. And that does seem to satisfy some basic human need. Even if the community has undesirable elements.

 

 

 

Critical mass is achieved in a few ways:

 

 

 

a) The basic game is free, and the free players can and do interact with the paying ones. Nice synergy there.

 

 

 

B) The entire game plays together in one truly massive planet-wide server, across all nationalities and borders. All the 100+ or so worlds are merely channels that you can freely switch between. Contrast this with other MMOs of even much smaller populations that still choose to subdivide their game into multiple servers which avatars cannot cross.

 

 

 

c) The game is platform independant, runs in a browser, on a computer with relatively modest specs. It has no huge client download and no CD. In short, it's fast & easy to get up and running. There are a minimum of barriers to entry.

 

 

 

d) The game is updated regularly and the member's option is reasonably well priced, compared to the alternatives. The ad sponsored version has no time limit. Both the member's and non-member's versions are well integrated into a complete whole. All in all, a well thought out design.

 

 

 

e) The overall design philosphy: K.I.S.S. Heck, it works. The system is simple. Anyone can be up and playing in minutes, no complicated builds or game mechanics to break your head over. And if you don't like killing monsters, there are plenty of other skills that you can do, instead.

 

 

 

f) Reliability. The servers are always up. None of this 5 hour maintenance, or multi-day downtime (or constant d/c) so common with other MMOs. The servers go down for about 5 minutes, once a week, for the weekly update. All other maintenance is handled seemlessly in the background. Even if a cluster of world channels should go down, there are always plenty of alternate worlds for players to switch, and the overall game remains running.

 

 

 

g) Avatars with any effort put into them aren't usually deleted from the server, despite claims to the contrary. You can leave for months, and then come back to pick right up where you left off.

 

 

 

2) Runescape seems more of a "world" than a "game". Instead of game-like quests and levels being the primary motivators, runescape is more economy and skills based. One feature of RS, is the enormous quantity of raw materials needed to advance many skills. More raw materials than most players would ever wish to collect on their own. There is a huge commodities-based economy that built up to satisfy this skilling desire within the game. This add lots of depth to the playing experience. Another economic metagame is the accumulation of holiday rares, either for enjoyment, pompous display, or investment. These two main economic drivers (skills & rares) often interact, for even more fun and profit.

 

 

 

3) There is a lot to do. Quests. Skills. Mini-games. Pking. Staking. Pure builds. Merchanting. POH. Holiday events. Cabbage picking. Player-run events (bronze wildy battles, marriages, etc.). With the size of the game, multiplied by the size of the community, the stuff to do here just boggles the mind. It's a lot like real life that way. If you're the sort of person that usually keeps busy in the real world, you'll have no trouble finding stuff to keep you occupied in the RS world, IMO.

 

 

 

4) The "fantasy fiction effect". I hear claims that folks are partial to swords, spells, and dragons. I personally doubt this. Any immersive world has the potential to capture a large user base. It just needs to appeal on a basic, powerful level. In their own fields of entertainment, Neopets, Pokemon, Star Trek, Star Wars, The Matrix, Dracula and Harry Potter all did quite well without being traditional medieval fantasy franchises. Of course, WoW, Everquest, Ultima Online, LOTR, Tolkien, and D&D also did very well, but there is plenty of room for lots of other successful competing fantasy themes, too.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.