It was a fairly good read, I agree with you on most topics and with the final B-.

I'd give it a C+...

 

 

 

Most of the updates were great, but the last month's updates lowered it 2 letter grades.

And yet another amazing article from QNN. =D>

Absolutely great article, Qeltar. I wanted to stop reading, but just couldnt. Very well anazlyzed and I agree with nearly every letter grade given.

 

Most of your issues seem to be with my high ratings for expensive, powerful items. I realize that they aren't for everyone, but for those who can afford them they are extremely useful.

 

 

 

What's wrong with there being expensive items in the game? It gives something tangible and useful for people to spend their money on, instead of blowing it all on inefficient skill training or bidding up the prices on useless paper hats.

 

 

 

Yeah true. I really need to do something with that pile of coins sitting in the bank... #-o Currently I'm blowing 30M on 94 Magic

 

 

 

 

The DFS is a fantastic piece of gear as it provides dragon protection, huge defence bonuses, a big +7 strength and an offensive weapon to boot! The DFS discharge isn't something you use all the time, but it is certainly useful in some situations, like at the Barrows. And it doesn't even count as an attack.

 

Yeah I definitely agree! I love my DFS - I have said this before and I will say it again: it is much more than just a shield. But at the same time, I don't consider it perfect. I always cringe when I use magic attacks while equipping the DFS; I hate the -10 magic bonus.

 

 

 

 

As for the godsword.. I have extensively tested and there are few situations where Veracs is better. Plus, you can use the GS with better body armor (the brassard is poor in that regard) or even with dragonhides.

 

I'll just go ahead and trust you on this, but not without mentioning my frustration at losing to many a lower-leveled Veracer in duels...

 

For situations in which all 3 styles are enabled, I prefer Brassard due to its smaller slash penalty (-25 compared to Torag) and magic bonus (+24 compared to Torag). (The effectiveness of Brassard while maging, though, is questionable; it rarely hits through pray and Karil).

 

 

 

 

The Saradomin godsword is the single best weapon in the game. You really don't seem to realize what the SGS can do. Can purple sweets restore 400+ HP and the equivalent of 6 or more doses of prayer pot in an hour? I don't think so. They don't restore prayer, they take forever to use and they're very expensive.

 

I haven't tested SGS, true, but its effectiveness is limited to melee duels and monster hunting. It's a very powerful weapon, but I would hesitate to call it the best weapon.

 

As for its healing capabilities:

 

It will reasonably heal 360 HP an hour and 180 Prayer an hour, assuming your average hit is 30. (30 * 2 * 60 / 5 = 720 damage an hour) This is equal to 18 sharks and 2 full-dose prayer potions, or approximately 25K worth in items. Very little for an item you are paying your special bar and an additional 40M on. (It will take 1600 hours of combat to make up for it) I would rather spend the time banking (assuming that I can)

 

With that said, I am actually considering buying one, because, yes -- my main problem with it is the cost, and for me that is no problem.

 

 

 

 

The SGS spec even works in no-food, no-potion duels.

 

 

 

The Zamorak special has only two uses: freezing flagholders in CW, and the "spec+hally" trick in duels. That's it.

 

 

 

Hmm. Spec+hally trick is quite useful for duels, perhaps even more useful than ~30 HP every 5 minutes. I win consistently with the spec+hally trick, given the special is pulled off.

 

 

 

I have beaten a lvl 126 with SGS, and lvl 125 with AGS using farcasting melee (they didn't know how to catch me as I attacked) -- don't look down on it.

 

 

 

 

The Armadyl armor is the best in the game, even better than third age -- of COURSE it's expensive. :)

 

:-w I'll give you that one, but remember - the difference between it and Karil is negligible, and for an additional 40M. Plus the legs just look plain disgusting.

Mithril Dragons - Grade: A+

 

 

 

While these dragons suffered from poor QA in their first few days, they were quickly tweaked and are now a great example of what a high-level monster should be like. They are challenging, while rewarding those who rise to that challenge with the chance for a great high-level drop (the dragon full helm or draconic visage) and even some good routine (You mean Runite :P) drops. Plus they also drop chewed bones, which can be used for pyre ships to give you XP bonuses in a variety of ways. A great update.

 

 

 

A little mistake I found. I am not done reading all of it, but, I decided I might want to write that down before I forget about it. More to come.

Mithril Dragons - Grade: A+

 

 

 

While these dragons suffered from poor QA in their first few days, they were quickly tweaked and are now a great example of what a high-level monster should be like. They are challenging, while rewarding those who rise to that challenge with the chance for a great high-level drop (the dragon full helm or draconic visage) and even some good routine (You mean Runite :P) drops. Plus they also drop chewed bones, which can be used for pyre ships to give you XP bonuses in a variety of ways. A great update.

 

 

 

A little mistake I found. I am not done reading all of it, but, I decided I might want to write that down before I forget about it. More to come.

 

 

 

I think he means good drops on a regular basis.

#-o

 

 

 

Routine... Runite... Wow, that was bad :XD:

 

 

 

I will leave it there just because it is kind of funny :P

 

 

 

I guess the first & last letter thing is true...

 

 

 

You forgot to mention the Revenants can hit very high almost constantly, and, on F2P their highest hit is a 30ish but, our main food only heals 12 hp.

 

 

 

With Pkers, if you could kill one of them, you could get whatever they were using. You could walk away with some nice loot. With Revenants however, you only walk away with some measly amount of coins, or, rarely a glory or some dragon items (And, those items conveniently happen to be P2P only).

I would give RS 2007 an A or B grade simply because of all the high level updates(mostly God Wars) and how much I made off them.

 

 

 

Dark Bow: Was between 88 and 89 Slayer when behind the scenes came out. Because of it, I no lifed Slayer and got 90 3 days before the bow. Got 5 Bows the first 4 days while mining Runite during my trips. Made about 30m and used it and my other money to finance 84-99 Prayer at pre Piety bone prices.

 

 

 

Visage and D Full: I didn't get either but Mith Drags were still a great update

 

 

 

God Wars: Best update EVER! 50-70% of my current bank value is because of this update. I've soloed 450+ bosses getting the 200-250m of drops written in my sig. Not to mention Bandos Tassets at W6 and 62 Dragon Boots. It made me more powerful with Bandos/Armadyl armor and the SGS owns for Slayer.

Thanks for the replies, everyone. And of course I expect many people to agree and some to disagree, all par for the course.

 

 

 

Artificial: Thanks, but I'm not in favor of PKing as it was before returning to the game. I'd rather Jagex fix up the new minigames.

 

 

 

I thought you might not want the Wilderness restored, but I'm just curious if you think the idea could float.

Another nice piece of work. While I haven't always agreed with your opinions, there's no denying the great effort you put into your writings and in this case, I think your final analysis of the areas you covered was right on.

 

 

 

It's refreshing to spend 30 minutes or so reading the material and not feel like the time has been wasted. Thanks again

Shortcut Keys (June 26)

 

 

 

Grade: B+

 

 

 

On this date, Jagex announced that it had made significant game engine changes to better support future updates, and also implemented function keys to allow players to quickly shift between interface screens. Many people really appreciated this new feature, while a few hated it because they found it confusing. I like the concept but just canÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ã¢ââ¬Å¾Ã¢t get in the habit of using it; IÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ã¢ââ¬Å¾Ã¢m too accustomed to the mouse.

 

 

 

 

I was looking for this and couldn't find anything on it. Would you clue me in to what this is please?

You never cease to amaze me. This was not only a great read, but one of the most unbiased articles I've seen in a while. You made some great points. Gotta agree with most everything. Thanks for the time killer qeltar.

Just one point that could be my memory playing up just as easily as being a mustake on your part. The section about log-in screen music. As far as i can recall runescape has had music on its log in screen since the change over from classic. What they did add was a mute button that allowed you to turn the music off (although you did need to press it each time you came to a log in screen). I am pretty sure this was added this year or possibly last, as I said my memory plays up, I have been playing so long now updates just seem a blur.

 

 

 

With that in mind perhaps that grade needs reconsidering.

 

 

 

A great read though, thumbs up and happy new year to you!

I'm giving the year a C. Some updates I didn't like, but had no problem with most of them.

their was negatives this year? okay okay, so halloween and christmas werent that great. but still... cmon.

their was negatives this year? okay okay, so halloween and christmas werent that great. but still... cmon.

 

 

 

I especially agree that christmas wasn't good. You didn't even have to work for your reward.

gr8,unbiased coverage of a very problematic/controversial year.

 

nice job (as always) and grats on the DFH.

Thanks again to everyone for their kind words and feedback. Just replying to a few points here...

 

 

 

 

Yeah true. I really need to do something with that pile of coins sitting in the bank... #-o Currently I'm blowing 30M on 94 Magic

 

 

Ah, see, I virtually never waste money on training, so it makes it easier to afford good gear. :D

 

 

But at the same time, I don't consider it perfect. I always cringe when I use magic attacks while equipping the DFS; I hate the -10 magic bonus.

 

 

Why would you use magic attacks wearing melee armor? It's not intended for that purpose.

 

 

I'll just go ahead and trust you on this, but not without mentioning my frustration at losing to many a lower-leveled Veracer in duels...

 

 

Duels are far too much dependent on luck, like all combat.

 

 

I haven't tested SGS, true, but its effectiveness is limited to melee duels and monster hunting. It's a very powerful weapon, but I would hesitate to call it the best weapon.

 

 

Um... "melee duels and monster hunting" is a very big chunk of this game. lol

 

 

 

What weapon would you say is better, overall, for tough opponents? And it's not a whip, that's for sure (too weak.)

 

 

It will reasonably heal 360 HP an hour and 180 Prayer an hour, assuming your average hit is 30. (30 * 2 * 60 / 5 = 720 damage an hour) This is equal to 18 sharks and 2 full-dose prayer potions, or approximately 25K worth in items.

 

 

It's not the raw value of the items that matters, it's the fact that they are there automatically and don't take up any space.

 

 

 

Consider.. a tuna costs 100 gp and a lobster 200 gp. why do people pay double for 2 extra HP? Same with monkfish versus sharks versus mantas.

 

 

Very little for an item you are paying your special bar and an additional 40M on. (It will take 1600 hours of combat to make up for it) I would rather spend the time banking (assuming that I can)

 

 

Time is money.

 

 

Hmm. Spec+hally trick is quite useful for duels, perhaps even more useful than ~30 HP every 5 minutes. I win consistently with the spec+hally trick, given the special is pulled off.

 

 

Depends on the duel. In an armor-on duel it is very hard to get a consistent hit with the ZGS and so the spec is wasted.

 

 

 

In a food-off, potions-off duel the SGS is fantastic.

 

 

:-w I'll give you that one, but remember - the difference between it and Karil is negligible, and for an additional 40M. Plus the legs just look plain disgusting.

 

 

 

Let's look at the numbers.

 

 

 

Full Armadyl: +63 Ranged attack, +82 Slash defence, +120 Magic defence, +3 Prayer

 

 

 

Karils top and bottom with robin hood hat: +55 Ranged attack, +68 Slash defence, +104 Magic defence, 0 Prayer

 

 

 

You seriously consider an additional +8 Ranged attack and a whopping +16 extra magic defence "negligible"? Not me! :) And the prayer bonus is nice too.

TruthScape 2007 Report Card - Grade: A-

 

 

Ah, one article from TruthScape that I completely ate through. There's certain grades I disagree with, but your opinions are well written and explained, so I see no problem with them. The only qualm I have is the few grades you given just by heresay, I do hope that you will return to these small holes and fill them through personal research or guest commentaries.

As usual, excellent work. It was well written, and I agreed with the great majority of the analyses you gave (a somewhat unusual stance for me in regards to your opinion-based articles :P ). I'm also glad to see that time for consideration has helped moderate the rather harsh views that it feels like you greet every other update with :P .

 

 

 

You will notice that yesterday I sent you an e-mail through your site, regarding a correction with the times you cite for growing Jade Vines (somehow I neglected to realize that you would post a discussion here too, like you always do #-o ). Basically, the gist of it comes down to:

 

 

 

Jade Vines need 16-20 (~18) hours to grow from a seed to the "check-health" state.

 

Jade Vines need 3-4 hours to grow from the "check-health" state to the wild state.

 

The sum of these times is under 24 hours, and so you can grow, kill, and replant your vine daily.

 

 

 

I have proofs for these, but I'm too lazy to retype them here as well :P . If you need to check yourself, though, it's not a particularly tough test.

 

 

 

Having read the rest of your article by now, I would also like to comment on a few other aspects of it too, but I don't currently have the time. Hopefully I'll get my trebuchet to work right fast enough that I can do so today (physics class projects are awesome :) ).

 

 

 

Keep up the good work :) .

 

 

Yeah true. I really need to do something with that pile of coins sitting in the bank... #-o Currently I'm blowing 30M on 94 Magic

 

 

Ah, see, I virtually never waste money on training, so it makes it easier to afford good gear. :D

 

Yeah, I found out another way to get alching for free, and plus I'll be dueling more (means more time to alch), so I dropped that 30M method and bought an SGS. So far I am mildly impressed :D

 

 

 

 

But at the same time, I don't consider it perfect. I always cringe when I use magic attacks while equipping the DFS; I hate the -10 magic bonus.

 

 

Why would you use magic attacks wearing melee armor? It's not intended for that purpose.

 

Say, barraging in CW, when 10 meleers are on you? +75 Slash is huge :P

 

 

 

 

 

I'll just go ahead and trust you on this, but not without mentioning my frustration at losing to many a lower-leveled Veracer in duels...

 

[

 

Duels are far too much dependent on luck, like all combat.

 

I'm just saying that the advantage is slight :-k, where many still exaggerate it to "ZOMG I BEAT A GS WITH VERACZ LULZ"

 

 

 

 

 

I haven't tested SGS, true, but its effectiveness is limited to melee duels and monster hunting. It's a very powerful weapon, but I would hesitate to call it the best weapon.

 

 

Um... "melee duels and monster hunting" is a very big chunk of this game. lol

 

Oh yeah, I forgot PKing was dead :-w. But let's not forget Clan wars, Castle wars, etc... Plus not all monster hunting involves melee. Now that I have an SGS, though, I will put it to use...

 

 

 

 

 

It will reasonably heal 360 HP an hour and 180 Prayer an hour, assuming your average hit is 30. (30 * 2 * 60 / 5 = 720 damage an hour) This is equal to 18 sharks and 2 full-dose prayer potions, or approximately 25K worth in items.

 

 

It's not the raw value of the items that matters, it's the fact that they are there automatically and don't take up any space.

 

 

 

Consider.. a tuna costs 100 gp and a lobster 200 gp. why do people pay double for 2 extra HP? Same with monkfish versus sharks versus mantas.

 

See below, since the main advantage is saving you invent space

 

 

 

 

 

Very little for an item you are paying your special bar and an additional 40M on. (It will take 1600 hours of combat to make up for it) I would rather spend the time banking (assuming that I can)

 

 

Time is money.

 

Reasonable, but hey -- aren't you the one who saves money skilling? :D

 

 

 

 

 

Hmm. Spec+hally trick is quite useful for duels, perhaps even more useful than ~30 HP every 5 minutes. I win consistently with the spec+hally trick, given the special is pulled off.

 

 

Depends on the duel. In an armor-on duel it is very hard to get a consistent hit with the ZGS and so the spec is wasted.

 

 

 

In a food-off, potions-off duel the SGS is fantastic.

 

Same thing with SGS... the special needs to hit in order to work.

 

 

 

 

 

:-w I'll give you that one, but remember - the difference between it and Karil is negligible, and for an additional 40M. Plus the legs just look plain disgusting.

 

 

 

Let's look at the numbers.

 

 

 

Full Armadyl: +63 Ranged attack, +82 Slash defence, +120 Magic defence, +3 Prayer

 

 

 

Karils top and bottom with robin hood hat: +55 Ranged attack, +68 Slash defence, +104 Magic defence, 0 Prayer

 

 

 

You seriously consider an additional +8 Ranged attack and a whopping +16 extra magic defence "negligible"? Not me! :) And the prayer bonus is nice too.

 

+16 defense won't save you from a level 99 barrager, let's just put it that way :(

 

+8 Ranged attack can be made up by using Ranger boots or Archer Ring. Heck, with the 40M you're paying, even using diamond(e) 100% of the time seems reasonable.

Hmm I agree with nearly all of it. There were some great updates but the bad and medicore ones canceled them out.

 

 

 

Great read btw.

Thank you, Qeltar, for your wonderful writing.

 

 

 

I've been reading your articles for some time, and find them quite insightful. You tend to have opinions similar or the same as mine on subjects I have enough info to make an actual opinion (I'm only a mid-level player), so I suppose that makes them less likely to be criticized by me :XD: .

 

 

 

On topic, the article was well written, and well-informed as far as I could know, and I appreciate the time and thought that must go into something like this.

 

I am of the same mind when it comes to the honesty of JaGEx with its customers. It's deplorable to release content under false pretenses, and when I became aware of their ulterior motives when the whole anti-RWT thing really emerged, I was pretty irked (understatement).

 

 

 

I'd probably factor the disappointments more strongly in the overall grade of the year, maybe to a c/c+. That being said, I have high hopes for JaGEx and Runescape this year. It can't hurt to be optimistic, right?

 

 

 

Well, I look forward to more of your work.

 

Let's look at the numbers.

 

 

 

Full Armadyl: +63 Ranged attack, +82 Slash defence, +120 Magic defence, +3 Prayer

 

 

 

Karils top and bottom with robin hood hat: +55 Ranged attack, +68 Slash defence, +104 Magic defence, 0 Prayer

 

 

 

You seriously consider an additional +8 Ranged attack and a whopping +16 extra magic defence "negligible"? Not me! :) And the prayer bonus is nice too.

 

+16 defense won't save you from a level 99 barrager, let's just put it that way :(

 

+8 Ranged attack can be made up by using Ranger boots or Archer Ring. Heck, with the 40M you're paying, even using diamond(e) 100% of the time seems reasonable.

 

 

 

That's a rather bizarre counterargument... ranger boots and archer rings can be used *with* the Armadyl armor. That's the entire point.

 

 

 

Thanks for the other replies too!