Tip.it Times Presents: A Time of War

[Turtlefemm]

Hi all!

 

 

 

This week's provoking Tip.it Times article is about "Times of War" by stormveritas. It gives us a look at struggle that

 

 

 

balanced and non-combat players have in a game leaning to combat.

 

 

 

>>>A Time of War<<<

[Singh]

kool

[All_Is_Great]

I agree with what the author wrote, I started playing about 5 years ago, on and off, and have gone through 2 accounts prior to this one. The change that god wars has brought didnt really affect me, but i have seen how it affected other people. Eg. in pvp, all you did was 2 ags specs, and if your lucky, you k0, otherwise you run. This was even worse than ddsspec 4 times to k0. The game has changed alot, but i think we have to move on. :P

[Agent1777]

Good read.

[Bouwzie]

kool

 

 

 

Idiot.

 

 

 

On topic:

 

 

 

Combat is indeed the most important thing in the game now, and I, as a skiller, have only lost money on herblore, crafting and other skills that are extremely expensive now. I used to make money by making super sets, but that was killed with the removal of PVP. But even the saradomin brews and super restores (the most used pots in the GWD) are only to be made with huge losses. Only way herblore is cheap now is by farming herbs, and that is tedious and slow. (Not as slow as fighting for herbs though). Overall, a good read.

[Flodder450]

Good read! :thumbsup:

 

Its true,non-combat characters are dying.

 

it was the same when i started (started easter 2006)

 

either you had to have good/decent/high combat stats or good/decent/high non-combat stats to make money fast :D

[brunokiller]

Maybe make something like pyramid plunder but with items much more expensive than a sceptre?

[oldyoung]

good read

 

 

 

ye alot of my freinds were skillers and there quickly turning into pures and ive made more money from slayer and a couple nice clues (guthix plate and str ammy(t)) than ive done from any non combat skills.

 

 

 

even house tabs are magic exp how i use to make money so ye skillers are in a rough patch :wall:

[Mylez]

A very good read, however,

 

 

 

"Are balanced and non-combat players a dying breed?"

 

 

 

No. I'm a balanced player, and something of a skiller. I don't enjoy PvP and generally don't enjoy combat besides slayer.

 

I'm happier than I ever have been on Runescape, I think since the death of PK'ing and such, Runescape has been a much happier place for skillers and players like myself you just set out to enjoy the game.

 

 

 

Also, there seems to be many more players like myself than PK'ers and pures, they went along time ago (despite coming back more recently).

 

 

 

I'm sure many egotistical PK'ers won't agree with me, and I'm sure some skillers wont agree with me but this is my opinion based on my time in Runescape (2004 - present) ;)

[3rkid]

Okay I read it...

 

 

 

I have to say yes on the last question "Are balanced and non-combat players a dying breed?" The combat level to total level ratio of the AVERAGE Runescape player has declined significantly, take me for example, I would like to train my pathetic total level but like it said in the article, you LOSE money training skills. I'm too poor to train my non-combat skills so I train combat instead. It's basically free/cheap and it's quite fun imo.

 

 

 

I'm still waiting to get 90 attack and defence.

 

 

 

Summary: I'm a poor combat nub, if I had some real money I'd train my pathetic total level.

[Mylez]

-Reserved-

 

 

 

^ LOL, no need to reserve really, this thread is highly unlikely to get locked, and there's no real need to get your say on the front page/top few posts :|

[3rkid]

-Reserved-

 

 

 

^ LOL, no need to reserve really, this thread is highly unlikely to get locked, and there's no real need to get your say on the front page/top few posts :|

 

 

 

There had to be that one annoying person that has to quote my reserve right before I edit it with my response.

 

 

 

 

 

:cry:

[Tim_Tam_Tan_Tien]

Good read :thumbsup:

 

 

 

although the did you know was kind've interesting, it wasn't like...usefull? like the TSA's did you knows are.

[auntyali9]

Good one Stormy. I read and actually understood it.

 

 

 

There are still a few pure skillers out there and I'd love to hear what they think and how changes have affected them.

[krugtheorc]

What i found funny is that this pertains exclusively to P2P members and not F2P. Sure, we've always been at a disadvangage for making profit from certain skills (for example, smithing exclusively, having to just make bars to turn a profit) but combat has always been an elusive money maker, with our highest drop being a rune square shield. Before, the only real reason to train combat was to get to the point of fighting these monsters or player vs player.

 

 

 

So now, it's gotten to a point where the f2p skillers have taken the place of the gold farmers, gladly willing to mine, cut, smith, and cook to get the raw materials for p2p so they can fletch, hunt, and construct, for a good profit due to the newfound demand (for example, limpwrut root at 947gp med price today)

[Mylez]

What i found funny is that this pertains exclusively to P2P members and not F2P. Sure, we've always been at a disadvangage for making profit from certain skills (for example, smithing exclusively, having to just make bars to turn a profit) but combat has always been an elusive money maker, with our highest drop being a rune square shield. Before, the only real reason to train combat was to get to the point of fighting these monsters or player vs player.

 

 

 

So now, it's gotten to a point where the f2p skillers have taken the place of the gold farmers, gladly willing to mine, cut, smith, and cook to get the raw materials for p2p so they can fletch, hunt, and construct, for a good profit due to the newfound demand (for example, limpwrut root at 947gp med price today)

 

 

 

Not so much a new found demand.

 

 

 

The demand was always there however, the supply dropped when free-trading was removed. Meaning prices for certain raw perishables went through the roof.

 

F2P players are doing the right thing by keeping the market steady with constant fishing/mining/woodcutting etc. ;)

[Earth_Poet]

I think this article made me see something I never thought about before. Now that I think about it I've been training combat lots more this year than before. Good article.

 

 

 

On the DYK: Fortunato also happened to be a wine expert in Poe's story, and since he's the wine seller in RS I'm thinking that's why he was really named that. Not really an impressive find...this is Freshman English 101 stuff, and how does it help players?

[cat666]

Brilliant article and I agree 100%

 

 

 

It's so one-sided I train combat in order to fund other skills and it shouldn't be like that!

[tintin113]

This was a good read and he brings up a good point. I remember, when I got to 92 fletching, that I could actually make a profit from it, and people would buy yew longs just to alch them to get mage xp. The old unofficial fletching guild in Yanille is long gone now along with so many other skills. Although I actually prefer the combat side of RS, I prefered being able to dip in and out of skilling to make a bit of money and talk to other skillers at the same time.

 

 

 

However, I really think that with the new PvP feature there will be an increased demand for various things that have been in recession for some time now. However to think that people will be able to make money from fletching yew longs again is a bit far fetched.

 

 

 

With PvP:

 

Sharks will probably go up even more, along with potions and rune armour. Combat runes will go up, but the rise of laws/nats/cosmics etc is questionable. I beleive that due to the power of rune crossbows now, bolts will go up more than arrows, and shield will become more useful for rangers.

 

 

 

I really wish we could get back to that (not perfect but good enough) equilibrium between killers and skillers that there was before all the RWT updates, and can only hope that PvP will restore that slightly.

[psvstef]

yes good read ;)

 

 

 

oh,and i agree with cat666 :P

[MaLuttus]

Good article...

 

 

 

Is there a skill that still makes good money?

[psvstef]

farming and hunting i think :)

[pokemama]

EXCELLENT article, I can't praise it enough! Super subject, very well considered and treated.

 

 

 

Although the GE and removal of gold farmers have definitely been the major factors in the death of skilling profits, there is one other influence - the introduction of skill capes long before December 2007.

 

 

 

Some players decided to "buy" their 99 capes by powering through tons of raw materials, driving demand up. Prices of raw materials were already beginning to approach the value of finished products six months before the Big Changes.

 

 

 

When the GE came, 99s (and other high levels) flooded the market from their stashes of finished products. The abolition of the gold farmer supply of raw materials finished off the profit margins for skillers.

 

 

 

It is expected that the return of PvP will raise demand for potions and food. Not sure whether it will help in terms of armour (metal and dragon) and other stuff. We'll have to wait and see.

[cat666]

Good article...

 

 

 

Is there a skill that still makes good money?

 

 

 

Any gathering skill (primary) still does, mining, woodcutting, fishing being the main 3. Any making skill (secondary skill) does not.

[BabyPunchers]

Pretty good article. I'm sure farming makes good money still though. :thumbup: