SportsGuy's blog -> Membership, the 65+ plateau, and beyond

[SportsGuy]

...and then there was Jad.

 

I received a task from Kuradal and he offered to "update" it for me. I now have to kill just enough Volcanic creatures (280 of them) to kill the behemoth of the fiery caves. Sigh.

 

It's not a task I'm excited about. I've got a mental block on my ability to take on that task, especially since I'm not particularly adept at "prayer switching" and in addition, Jagex recently changed the timing that prayer takes effect upon switching on.

 

I've managed to make a few gains in some special areas of skill that have paid dividends. Most notably, my combat skills have advanced to Level 117.

 

[hide=Combat Level 117!][/hide]

 

Oh, you noticed that nice 1900 total for skill levels, huh? Yeah, not too shabby! In the meantime, I'm going to start practicing switching prayers and see if I can take on the big guy for a nice Slayer point bonus...oh, and that fire cape that's missing from my cape rack!

 

Awesome blog... GL with your goals

 

Thanks! Good luck with yours as well!

[Ice_and_Spec]

Glad to see your still around, used to love reading your blog a few months ago before I took a break, I would always be eager for you to make a new post, since they're such a good read ;) good luck with taking on Jad, go get that hawt cape! :thumbsup:

[SportsGuy]

I still haven't attempted to take on Jad. It just doesn't interest me. Instead, I've focused more on getting levels here and there, making sure I make my daily and weekly task runs and making money on some of the resources I've been collecting. I'm not savvy enough to monitor the Grand Exchange, but I suppose I should start taking it into account.

 

I reached Level 70 in all skill except Summoning. I'm waiting on that one, since there isn't really anything terribly interesting for me between 68 and 70 and since it takes so long to level it. I did manage to collect a nice amount of Guthix tears this week. It was the first time in a long time I managed to get over 160. I'm within a few thousand experience of Level 69, but the Familiarisation Distraction and Diversion released this week hasn't been terribly helpful. I started keeping a log of my rewards, since they're clearly not lucrative. A link to that thread can be found in my signature or here.

 

I spent my points from hunting penguins and the polar bear this week on Hunter and Construction (the two most recent '70' skills). I really should focus on Smithing and Mining again soon, but I thought the former was getting an update in the near future. Maybe I was wrong about the estimated time of arrival.

 

The big news has been the gains I've been able to make thanks to Managing Thy Kingdom - in Cooking.

 

[hide=I can cook Manta Rays!][/hide]

 

Yep. I'm only two levels from being able to cook everything in the game and that's after the latest update to the skill, the one that added Rocktails. I guess that's not too shabby!

 

Speaking of which, a couple of weeks back I lost my Slayer helm, but this week I was able to upgrade my new one. I bought a Hexcrest and Focus sight on the Grand Exchange before the items rose to unreasonable heights and now have a FULL helm. I don't know how much difference it will make, but perhaps it will make the helmet beneficial while facing Jad...if I ever get around to the try!

 

Glad to see your still around, used to love reading your blog a few months ago before I took a break, I would always be eager for you to make a new post, since they're such a good read good luck with taking on Jad, go get that hawt cape!

 

Thanks so much! I'm sorry I haven't been too active here. Nothing much happened worth writing about in my opinion, but now I'm back at it. I'm hoping they continue to put out weekly updates to keep me coming back!

[SportsGuy]

The bonus XP weekend came and went and I managed to squeeze a couple of Agility levels, a level in Cooking, and several thousand experience points in some other random levels which will come in handy. In all, I think it was a nice gesture by Jagex, but poorly executed.

 

First, they came out with a statement saying they messed up with some calculations, but why they didn't "make it up" to us in some other small way, I don't know. A tome of experience or genie lamp or even just extending the time one day further into the week would have sufficed. As it happened, I struggled to make it from 2.7 down to 1.1 without neglecting my obligations in real life.

 

RuneScape has definitely lost a little bit of "shine" for me. It could be that I've got very few interesting goals (and only two quests) left. It might be that the updates give me an impression that Jagex doesn't actually have long term plans for the game and I'm wasting my time. Maybe it's something else I'm not considering.

 

In any case, I've gotten no closer to finishing the Elite Ardougne achievements diary, no progress on my current Slayer task and Fire cape attempt (though they are one and the same), and very little new and exciting repeatable content.

 

Right now, I pretty much log on and make my daily runs to collect free resources. It's looking like Cooking will be my first skill cape, when it seems that a few months back I was so sure it would be Farming or Woodcutting. Cooking is one of the few things that I can do while doing other things.

 

I've become involved in my War of Legends account, even starting a second one (I thought I'd join my own alliance - twice - but I got stuck on another server!). I saw that Tip.It has a Lord of the Rings Online site and started a 10-day trial account and LOVED that game and the challenge. The graphics are stunning, but a little too much for my little old machine. I will wait until I get a new computer to attempt that game, but I did like that it has an option for a lifetime account subscription.

 

Am I growing out of Gielinor? Probably a little, but never completely. RuneScape will always be my first real foray into MMORPG-dom and I will certainly still have a membership and log in for my daily resources...until Jagex releases something spectacular, like a new quest or the upcoming skill.

 

All I have to say is...it better be good!

[SportsGuy]

I have been quite uninterested in RuneScape lately. I know Jagex has been updating the game with an interesting variety of content, but none of it interests me. The one I have liked the most, I've actually played the least (Fish Flingers).

 

I don't know when they'll end up releasing something that gets me back to the level of play I was before, but for the time being, I'll continue to check in for daily/weekly experience and resources. It's not extremely enjoyable, but it's not mind-numbingly boring to me (yet).

[SportsGuy]

Some people love the new mini...activi...skill, called Dungeoneering. I do not.

 

First, it doesn't really seem to fit with the game. It's not like the rest of RuneScape, but some of the rewards require you to get involved, not just with the game, but with other players. I am not amused.

 

I'm not complaining, but I am not happy with the way the game is being directed. I understand it from a marketing (business model) point of view, but it's not what I like and not what I signed up for. I wish I could be more specific while voicing my displeasure, but I simply have lost interest in playing the game as it is now. I still log on occasion, but my focus has always been on questing (individually, I might add) and since I finish the quests on the day they get released, playing more than once a week is rare. In fact, I used to log in each day to keep my Managing Thy Kingdom reputation at 100%, but I don't even do that anymore. I don't visit the circus (even for the free experience!) and I don't do anything other than Tears of Guthix, Penguin Hide & Seek, and defeating the Skeletal Horror.

 

It's a little sad, especially since this basically means that my money and time spent on this game since I began a membership (well, even just playing it F2P, I suppose) has been a waste. Perhaps there will be more opportunities for me to enjoy this game, but as of right now (and indeed after reading several of the "end game" type comments on the RSOF and the Tip.It Times most recent release) I don't think that will happen.

 

In the meantime, I'll focus more on Lord of the Rings Online...something I discovered from an alternate site of Tip.It...something that's geared to a more adult/mature gaming audience.

 

Just in case you're wondering, that doesn't mean inappropriate comment. It is a graphically superior storyline driven MMORPG set in Middle-Earth. It's worth your time.

 

I can't say that much for RuneScape anymore with any conviction.

[SportsGuy]

I'm almost completely uninterested in the game now. I used to play quite frequently, but my interest has totally changed from grinding levels (which is all this game offers) to something completely different. I just can't be bothered with even the daily activities I didn't mind doing. Now...it's too tedious.

 

I still subscribe to the game and hope that things change and there is some exciting new content, but I think I've 'out-leveled' the new content coming out. I could see how a newer player would love some of the new stuff they've been releasing, because the dearth of options for training and playing and unlocking were what hooked me into buying a membership so long ago (well, that and the cheaper price if I locked in a membership at a "forever" rate).

 

Oh, well. I guess that's just the way it goes.

[SportsGuy]

It's the end of an era.

 

I had thought this time would come later on, when I got married, perhaps. It's happening this month.

 

I canceled my subscription to RuneScape. The game doesn't draw me to play anymore. The updates seem geared to things that I don't care for at all. There is another game that takes up all my time. The $5 a month fee doesn't seem low enough for me to pay without having played in the last month. $60 a year is actually too expensive for me, considering I might not play for months at a time.

 

Will I regret it? Maybe, but the option always exists for me to purchase cards at a local store if I think I need an RS fix. It was my first MMORPG. This site was the first place I came across (well, maybe Sal's was) to find information about my new obsession. It's actually been visited more often in the last 30 days than I have the actual RS site.

 

I'll always be thankful for Jagex feeding me a distraction over the past two years or so. I learned how petty some people can be and how gracious others were. I learned that working on a website doesn't mean you'll see a smaller percentage of the former, but you'll actually meet rather less of the latter. I learned that putting all your time into a game doesn't mean much when you can't really see any fruitful work at the end.

 

I'm moving things around to be able to enjoy myself in F2P, but I can't imagine that I'll play much if at all. I'd give things away if I had any real reason to do so. I'd actually rather "take it with me" and deprive the rest of RuneScape's newer players from that which I have. In that case, I'll be going for gold in these last few days, selling off things I can't use and trying to make space for stuff I'd like to have in the event that I do want to play here and there without a subscription. I doubt that would be the case, especially considering the lack of options for skill players in F2P. There are options, to be sure, but none of the ones that make playing worthwhile.

 

So that's it, I suppose. No one will be crying or missing me, of that I am certain. I imagine that if RuneScape changes their ways and goes back to quest content, I'll consider coming back. If not, then this will indeed be my final post!

 

Good luck RuneScapers and Tipiters!

[SwreeTak]

Good luck in real life :)