"5 Questions" with JMods - Long read [Facebook]

[Mil]

Click here to go to the Facebook note.

 

 

 

[hide=RuneScape Facebook Note]

Remember that occasional facebook Q&A feature we sometimes do called "5 Questions"? What do you mean 'no'? Oh you do? Good.

 

 

 

Well, in case you do need a reminder of what's it's all about, read on.

 

 

 

We asked for a volunteer to ask us 5 questions in exchange for answering 5 of our questions. We had a lot of really interesting responses from you all, making the choice really hard. We short-listed and short-listed again until finally, we selected Andrew Lubaroff to answer and ask the questions this time.

 

 

 

Andrew's post (which you can find here) made for great reading, so we were sure he'd come up with some interesting questions and he certainly didn't disappoint! In fact, we thought we should share some of his questions with lots of different mods - the more the merrier!

 

 

 

First off are our questions for Andrew and then afterwards you can find out what Jagex mods think about such topics as the meaning of life, the best way to placate the Kalphite Queen and what their RuneScape characters would be thinking right now.

 

 

 

Many thanks are due to Andrew for his great questions and answers. We hope you enjoy reading the responses!

 

 

 

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Jagex: Your post suggests that you are a very active forum user. What, if any, changes would you like to see made to the RuneScape official forums to improve the user experience?

 

 

 

Andrew: There are the basic suggestions that many people have been asking for for quite a while such as the ability to use BBCode, have automatic signatures, avatars, and adjustable clocks depending on your time zone.

 

 

 

It would also be really neat to have some sort of Development Diary or Behind the Scenes article that's all about forum development.

 

 

 

Jagex: What made you decide to switch from being a free player to a member? With all the recent changes that have been made, what makes you continue with your membership?

 

 

 

Andrew: I remember watching my cousins play right after they became members. I was soooooo jealous because they had access to all of these items, quests, and areas that I had never even heard of. I begged and begged my parents to let me become a member and, right after we had moved they agreed.

 

 

 

I'm still a member because RuneScape is plain awesome and because I have made so many great friends over the years. PKing and unbalanced trade may be gone, but we have Soul Wars, Clan Wars, BH/PK worlds, 1337 graphics (ftw!!), and so much more!

 

 

 

As for the friends aspect, I have formed many close bonds with people over the game and the forums as well as from the clan I was in for almost two years. I can't imagine cancelling my membership and leaving them.

 

 

 

Jagex: What has been your favourite update or event in RuneScape so far, and why?

 

 

 

Andrew: The release of the Construction skill along with Player Owned Houses has and always will be my favorite update. I remember staring at the computer with my mouth open wide as I saw the update titled "PLAYER OWNED HOUSES".

 

 

 

I love training Construction and customizing my house because it allows me to bring out my creative side in an MMORPG. There are so many different rooms and furniture to build. I also like the occasional house party every now and then. ^^

 

 

 

Jagex: You've met a few J-Mods in your time. What are your feelings about J-Mods in the game, do they add to your playing experience or detract from it?

 

 

Andrew: They definitely add to my playing experience. I have never heard anything negative from a J-Mod, whether it be on the forums or in-game. They have helped to sort out misunderstandings I had, attended in-game events with me, and even participated in singing a well known Rick Astley song. ;)

 

 

 

Jagex: As part of a weird temporal shift in time, space and dimensionality (probably a real word) you suddenly find yourself on the banks of the River Lum.

 

The ducks are quacking, the sun is shining, and in the distance you can hear the sound of an Ork in a fight.

 

You are a real person, alone in the, somehow, real environment of the MMORPG you know so well.

 

What's the first place you go to and why?

 

 

 

Andrew: Dancing for money pl0x? Just kidding XD.. I'd run over to the Party Room and challenge Party Pete to a break dancing contest just for the fun of it.

 

 

 

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Andrew: What is your favorite memory of working at Jagex. What made it "stand out" from all the other memories?

 

 

 

For myself it would have to be the second wave of player responses that we got when we put in all of the game changes at the start of last year. We knew that we were taking away a lot of content that people legitimately enjoyed, and that it would upset a lot of people to see it go.

 

 

 

However, we also knew that we didn't have a choice about it due to the abuse by gold farmers and all the associated problems, so we were ready and prepared for 'weathering the storm' of angry players.

 

 

 

What we weren't ready for was the number of people who, after we explained why we had made the changes, were contacting us and going "ahhh, that makes sense now" and then started actively supporting our choices. I know that they didn't make as much noise as those who were aggrieved by the changes but there were a lot of them and it really showed how pleasant and cool a player base we do have.

 

 

 

There is nothing quite like being in Draynor on your JMod, trying to explain your actions to 100 angry PKers and having just as many people PMing you to say "thanks for keeping the game alive with those changes".

 

Mod Ajd

 

 

 

My favourite memory would be the first time I was able to go in game on my J-Mod account and just spend some time chatting nonsense with whoever happened to be around. There were a few of us who were new to J-Modding, so we stuck together and tried to help each other out. I felt a mixture of nerves and excitement as well as feeling really privileged.

 

 

 

In game, our noobish antics were pretty funny and we couldn't stop laughing at ourselves and each other. I don't think the players had any idea what to make of us at first but of course they were very understanding and very kind to us.

 

 

 

It's certainly a unique thing to be able to do and I'll always be forever grateful that I had the chance to do it. That's why it stands out for me as being the most memorable thing during my working time at Jagex.

 

 

 

Sadly I don't get the chance to do any J-Modding at the moment as I've so many other projects on the go, but hopefully one day I'll be able to do it again.

 

Mod Zapp

 

 

 

Andrew: There are a lot of players that feel that there is a divide between Jagex Moderators and players. How can you break this "divide"?

 

 

 

Oooh a toughie! This is the question we'd all love to have the answer to. I think that a lot of the recent changes we've made are heading us in the right direction and we've received a lot of positive comments from players about how they love that Jagex is reaching out to them more and listening to them.

 

 

 

Of course, we've always been very interested in what our players want but haven't had the means to let them know that we are listening.

 

 

 

So basically we need more communication, more contact with players and fan sites and a lot more J-Mod presence in game - just to be there if players want to come and find us and have a chat. There are lots of things in the pipeline that will help us achieve this. Unfortunately, I can't give anything away but essentially we want to help our players more and we've got a number of ideas for how we can do this.

 

Mod Zapp

 

 

 

Andrew: The Wise Old Man appears out of nowhere and tells you that you now have two options: you can either attend a private RuneScape disco party with all of the NPCs or discover the meaning of life (don't tell anyone that people don't wear enough hats! :P). Which do you choose and why?

 

 

 

I would choose the disco party with no hesitation. The opportunity to do the Electric Slide with the TzTok Jad might only come around once in a lifetime. Bring me my dragon flares!

 

Mod Jon H

 

 

 

This one is easy! I believe that life is what you make it, and time is short so you should be sure to have fun and get to know others while you can! Therefore I would, without question, party with all the NPCs. Imagine Bob, the Lumbridge Guide, Advisor Ghrim, everyone all to yourself! The party would definitely be an evening to remember. I'd bring a long a couple of Dirty Blasts to be sure!

 

Mod Fran

 

 

 

The meaning of life, obviously! Imagine how much more interesting and amazing we could make RuneScape if when you reach level 99 in all skills and all quests completed, you get told the meaning of life?

 

 

 

Of course, I can imagine the forums being full of, Srsly, worst answer EVER, and the like.. Hmm.

 

Mod Knox

 

 

 

Id be the meaning of life at the Party!

 

Mod Nexus

 

 

 

PAAAARTAAY! I already know the answer to life, and a disco party is the perfect opportunity to show off my new afro wig.

 

Mod Nancy

 

 

 

Discover the meaning of life. That way, I can have both all the RuneScape NPCs would be fighting over invitations to attend the disco of the billionaire that just wrote a book detailing the meaning of life.

 

 

 

I can see it now me in a giant chair shaped like a brain, the sandwich lady poledancing (tastefully and dressed, mind) around a giant baguette, and the drunken dwarf stopping all the peasants of RuneScape bothering me with dodgy kebabs and projectile vomiting. Beeee-autiful.

 

Mod Liono

 

 

 

Id attend the RuneScape disco party for sure. Think of all of the people youd meet! I could talk to King Arthur about the holy grail, Summer about life after death, Tolna about... Well, Im not sure exactly, but that would be one interesting conversation. Let alone a chance to pick the brain of the Chaos Elemental... And Id finally be able to talk to Sithaph, Strisath and Sakirth to discover what theyre planning...

 

Mod Easty

 

 

 

The meaning of life is always going to be an anticlimax, so Id go for the party. There would have to be some ground rules though: no mind control, no bloodsucking, no global domination and no bad guitar playing.

 

 

 

With everyone in one room, theres also the possibility of fights starting, so Id have to unleash the secret weapons: Twister, a ball pit and the hits of Queen. You cant lose.

 

Mod Osborne

 

 

 

Andrew: What is your RuneScape character thinking right now? Maybe they are annoyed because they just died or excited because they just completed a hard quest.

 

 

My RuneScape character is currently wondering why he has such a nice cat basket in his house when he doesnt actually have a cat.

 

Mod Jon H

 

 

 

My player account:

 

I should imagine that my RuneScape avatar is thinking a range of things along the lines of:

 

10 levels in 2 days? I'm shattered!

 

Loitering by the spinning wheel in Lumbridge Castle is certainly an eye opener. Oh, how the other half live..

 

Now what do you suppose she expects me to do when she's at work, she could have left me somewhere more entertaining like the G.E.

 

When do you think she's coming to get that crafting XP, it's desperately needed in my levels race.

 

I wonder if she'll notice if I change my outfit and get back in exactly the same spot....

 

 

 

My JMod account:

 

So many questions all at the same time, it's a good job that I can (talk/type) at 60wpm.

 

What should I wear today? The choices are infinite.

 

Who do you think I'll see today? Better keep a look out as there are plenty of great players about.

 

Mod Fran

 

 

 

Im currently starting again on a new account, so my RuneScape character is amazed at how he is being constantly beaten up by Goblins, half his size. Hes also concerned at just how dull Romeo is and is wondering if there is any food available other than seafood.

 

Mod Knox

 

 

 

Run, run, run, rest... run, run, run, listen to some awesome music... run, run, run, rest... I should train my agility more!

 

Mod Nexus

 

 

 

My character is probably severely annoyed that she's been butterfly catching for the last month. Once and in a while is fun, but constantly must be a strain on anyone's nerves. I'm betting the butterflies are pretty annoyed too, being trapped in jars for so long.

 

Mod Nancy

 

 

 

Test character: Blue cubes and orange floors. This is how the world should be.

 

Live character: Blue cubes and orange floors. I wish the world was more like my dreams... (you've seen placeholder graphics in one of the dev diaries right?)

 

Mod Liono

 

 

 

He is amazed at the fact that it took him a good 4 years since his birth to discover how to sit on the floor. It seems so simple now!

 

Mod Easty

 

 

 

Well, I can tell you that I have just finished Summers End. It wasnt pretty. After dying roughly a trillion times, I would imagine that my character is spending his rest time by researching player/avatar divorce proceedings and whether or not he gets to keep the player-owned house.

 

Mod Osborne

 

 

 

Andrew: The Kalphite Queen is angry and demands that you pay tribute or suffer the fate of re-spawning a thousand times in Lumbridge. What do you give her to make her happy and why?

 

 

 

I would give her a tribute to the greatest song in the world. Not the greatest song in the world just a tribute.

 

Mod Jon H

 

 

 

This is a tough one, if I was on my player account I would want to prevent the Lumbridge tragedy so I would give her a pretty locked chest to keep her Gout Tubers safe from thieving visits, at present they are dropped all about her lair.

 

 

 

On my JMod account I would actually give her a bottle of Insect Repellent to offend her so that she comes to Lumbridge. Before she arrives I would enlist help from other JMods to make sure all players can battle safely during her reign of terror good drops and awesome XP for all!

 

Mod Fran

 

 

 

A large jar of peanut butter. If she cant talk (due to the stickiness of the peanut butter), then she wont be able to attack me, or order minions to attack me. Plus, if Im lucky she may turn out to be allergic and the peanuts will finish her off!

 

Mod Knox

 

 

 

Two cows and a boxing ring, so she can be entertained by two cows fighting. Get it?

 

Mod Nexus

 

 

 

I'd give her a coupon to the Ogre mud bath Oo'glog. Considering how many eggs that poor queen must lay, I'd say she could use a break from child rearing. I think she'd enjoy getting her claws painted and soaking in a mud bath. I'm not sure the Wise Old Man will appreciate the company, though.

 

Mod Nancy

 

 

 

Id give her two thumbs-up, reminding her of my opposable thumb-possessing evolutionary superiority and open up a giant can of Raid in her sorry Kalphite face!

 

Mod Liono

 

 

 

Re-spawning a thousand times in Lumbridge wouldnt be too bad, Im likely to be approaching around 1000 re-spawns soon! Though Id give her what every queen needs... A Kalphite King.

 

 

 

Id introduce her to one of her lowliest servants, just a simple worker. Id make him toughen up a bit (she seems to be into tough guys) by training on some goblins, take him to the Falador hairdresser, get him some new threads from Varrock... Hed be gorgeous in no time.

 

Mod Easty

 

 

 

Theres only one woman who changes more times than the Kalphite Queen, and thats Madonna. So, I would get the KQ the Immaculate Collection, and wed get the drones and workers doing the Vogue dance. Strike a pose...

 

Mod Osborne

 

 

 

From the comments:

 

 

 

As for the Tenacious D reference...knowing Mod Jon H, most likely XD

 

Mod Zapp[/hide]

[magzar]

Utterly useless.

[Sy_Accursed]

You get the chance to ask Jagex 5 questions and you ask that rubbish?

 

 

 

Utter fail, the first question didnt give a huge insight to anything we wanna know but least is a legitimate questions.

 

 

 

And jagex clearly used it as a great market research oppourtunity, but 3/5 (if not 4/5) questions asked to Jagex are just utterly pointless made up rubbish, we learn nothing by reading the responses so it jsut an utter waste of time.

[darksonic45]

Utterly useless.

 

You get the chance to ask Jagex 5 questions and you ask that rubbish?

 

 

 

Utter fail, the first question didnt give a huge insight to anything we wanna know but least is a legitimate questions.

 

 

 

And jagex clearly used it as a great market research oppourtunity, but 3/5 (if not 4/5) questions asked to Jagex are just utterly pointless made up rubbish, we learn nothing by reading the responses so it jsut an utter waste of time.

 

 

 

Obviously Jagex isn't going to choose the player who asks the questions concerning the future or the questions that actually matter since it wouldn't really be an interesting interview if all they said is "No comment" or "I'm not allowed to talk about that"

 

 

 

They chose the questions that have no real use to players, they chose the "what if" and the opinion and answered them.

[Racheya]

I found it quite entertaining hearing about what they think their character is thinking.

 

 

 

Still there would be no point asking content questions because you never get more than a 'watch this space' or 'can't say'. Understandable of course.

[TheXxzlx2]

Dunno, I liked the questions, they were better then some interviews in the past. :

[adimadaru]

Nice read on a thursday night. Actually like the questions, made them give funny answers wich are always better then the ones they'd give on future content related questions.

[magzar]

There are so many valid questions that could be asked, and answered. These questions were absolute [cabbage].

 

 

 

Why not ask what the mods think of certain aspects of the game, or what they would like to see in the future, or really anything actually relevant? I don't give a damn what they think their character is thinking. Also, mod Fran sounds like the biggest kiss [wagon] in the history of.....well, history.

[Esper_Jones]

Nice questions, and interesting concept.

 

 

 

To all that are whining that there weren't any hints about future updates - grow up. It's the fun questions that they were looking for, and the fun questions that were going to be answered. And after such a positive reaction, they might do it again!

[sa121]

 

[hide=RuneScape Facebook Note]

 

 

 

Discover the meaning of life. That way, I can have both all the RuneScape NPCs would be fighting over invitations to attend the disco of the billionaire that just wrote a book detailing the meaning of life.

 

 

 

I can see it now me in a giant chair shaped like a brain, the sandwich lady poledancing (tastefully and dressed, mind) around a giant baguette, and the drunken dwarf stopping all the peasants of RuneScape bothering me with dodgy kebabs and projectile vomiting. Beeee-autiful.

 

Mod Liono

 

 

 

I would give her a tribute to the greatest song in the world. Not the greatest song in the world just a tribute.

 

Mod Jon H[/hide]

 

 

 

I quoted & bolded two of the comments I found the funniest. :lol: ANyways, I enjoyed it; I don't really mind not knowing whats gonna happen in the future; as someone also said they'd probably only be able to say "I can't answer that" to any of the more interesting questions, so this works. Interesting to see a J-Mods view on things vs a players.

[hexacyanide]

Lol calm down guys, it was a fun read. xD

[Omali]

There are so many valid questions that could be asked, and answered. These questions were absolute [cabbage].

 

 

 

Why not ask what the mods think of certain aspects of the game, or what they would like to see in the future, or really anything actually relevant?

 

 

 

Because the instant a Jmod started with "I'd like to see-" you'd immediately see; OMG IZ A HINT DER MAKIN DIS ST0FF! followed, five months later, QWTF JADGAX SED DEYD PUT DIZ ST0FF INDO DUH GAEM. OMG DEY LIDE!!!!!ONE1KLJ12LKJ31

 

 

 

I don't give a damn what they think their character is thinking

 

 

 

Then don't read it. It's a casual Q&A, not a "Hey, let's bilk as much info out of Jmods as we can towards future updates"...and A. Also;

 

 

 

Two cows and a boxing ring, so she can be entertained by two cows fighting. Get it?

 

Mod Nexus

 

 

 

Next skill is Cow Boxing. You heard it here first.

[magzar]

Nice questions, and interesting concept.

 

 

 

To all that are whining that there weren't any hints about future updates - grow up. It's the fun questions that they were looking for, and the fun questions that were going to be answered. And after such a positive reaction, they might do it again!

 

 

 

No one here is whining about there not being hints about future content. The general complaint is that the questions were all completely irrelevant in the grand scheme of things. Sure they may have been just for fun, but they gave one player the chance to ask questions, and that player couldn't ask a single question that the general Runescape population really wants an answer to?

 

 

 

@ Omali, while I agree that some idiots would think they were hinting at future content, it really can't be avoided. I would personally enjoy reading about ideas J-mods have running through their heads more than the mundane and totally asinine questions in this "interview."

[strilmus]

Don't you get it? This stuff IS what J-mods have running through their heads. Why do you think nothing ever gets done around here?

 

 

 

On a more serious note, it would be pretty cool if they somehow put an alternate realm into the game where the NPCs were forced to attend a party with each other in it.

[dirk4slayer]

I would give her a tribute to the greatest song in the world. Not the greatest song in the world just a tribute.

 

Mod Jon H

 

 

TENACIOUS D :thumbsup: :ohnoes: :thumbup:

[XxTearGodxX]

What a waste of time, I'm glad I didn't participate and waste my time posting on their Facebook about why I should be picked.

[haggisoflife]

Can't say I was impressed with the questions that Andrew guy asked but the responses were kinda cute :) The last session they did (http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=95162977587) was more insightful, but that was due to the person not asking the same damn silly question 3 times.

 

 

 

IMO they just had bad luck with who they picked, noones fault.

[Infi]

You get the chance to ask Jagex 5 questions and you ask that rubbish?

 

 

 

Utter fail, the first question didnt give a huge insight to anything we wanna know but least is a legitimate questions.

 

 

 

And jagex clearly used it as a great market research oppourtunity, but 3/5 (if not 4/5) questions asked to Jagex are just utterly pointless made up rubbish, we learn nothing by reading the responses so it jsut an utter waste of time.

 

You have to remember Facebook is not going to be a legitimate medium where we found out ground breaking questions, rather they're using it for more publicity.

[Omali]

What a waste of time, I'm glad I didn't participate and waste my time posting on their Facebook about why I should be picked.

 

 

 

Well if Jagex recognized you from here, I'm sure they'd have a Shamwow set up to catch your tears as you ask them dutifully why they hate their player base.

[Sy_Accursed]

You get the chance to ask Jagex 5 questions and you ask that rubbish?

 

 

 

Utter fail, the first question didnt give a huge insight to anything we wanna know but least is a legitimate questions.

 

 

 

And jagex clearly used it as a great market research oppourtunity, but 3/5 (if not 4/5) questions asked to Jagex are just utterly pointless made up rubbish, we learn nothing by reading the responses so it jsut an utter waste of time.

 

You have to remember Facebook is not going to be a legitimate medium where we found out ground breaking questions, rather they're using it for more publicity.

 

 

 

 

 

I never said they had to be ground breaking or w/e

 

 

 

Just not moronically stupid that in the grand scheme of things doesnt tell us anything about Jagex other than they are humans

[magzar]

You get the chance to ask Jagex 5 questions and you ask that rubbish?

 

 

 

Utter fail, the first question didnt give a huge insight to anything we wanna know but least is a legitimate questions.

 

 

 

And jagex clearly used it as a great market research oppourtunity, but 3/5 (if not 4/5) questions asked to Jagex are just utterly pointless made up rubbish, we learn nothing by reading the responses so it jsut an utter waste of time.

 

You have to remember Facebook is not going to be a legitimate medium where we found out ground breaking questions, rather they're using it for more publicity.

 

 

 

 

 

I never said they had to be ground breaking or w/e

 

 

 

Just not moronically stupid that in the grand scheme of things doesnt tell us anything about Jagex other than they are humans

 

 

 

I agree, these questions would be cute little fun things to ask players, but given a chance to ask J-mods 5 questions? They're absolute [cabbage].

[Omali]

You get the chance to ask Jagex 5 questions and you ask that rubbish?

 

 

 

Utter fail, the first question didnt give a huge insight to anything we wanna know but least is a legitimate questions.

 

 

 

And jagex clearly used it as a great market research oppourtunity, but 3/5 (if not 4/5) questions asked to Jagex are just utterly pointless made up rubbish, we learn nothing by reading the responses so it jsut an utter waste of time.

 

You have to remember Facebook is not going to be a legitimate medium where we found out ground breaking questions, rather they're using it for more publicity.

 

 

 

 

 

I never said they had to be ground breaking or w/e

 

 

 

Just not moronically stupid that in the grand scheme of things doesnt tell us anything about Jagex other than they are humans

 

 

 

Then harass Andrew. It's not like Jagex picked from his questions, he was given the chance to ask five questions; obviously he wanted to ask these rather than risk wasting it on a "we can't comment" in regards to future updates.

[Ravenkana]

You get the chance to ask Jagex 5 questions and you ask that rubbish?

 

 

 

Utter fail, the first question didnt give a huge insight to anything we wanna know but least is a legitimate questions.

 

 

 

And jagex clearly used it as a great market research oppourtunity, but 3/5 (if not 4/5) questions asked to Jagex are just utterly pointless made up rubbish, we learn nothing by reading the responses so it jsut an utter waste of time.

 

You have to remember Facebook is not going to be a legitimate medium where we found out ground breaking questions, rather they're using it for more publicity.

 

 

 

 

 

I never said they had to be ground breaking or w/e

 

 

 

Just not moronically stupid that in the grand scheme of things doesnt tell us anything about Jagex other than they are humans

 

 

 

Then harass Andrew. It's not like Jagex picked from his questions, he was given the chance to ask five questions; obviously he wanted to ask these rather than risk wasting it on a "we can't comment" in regards to future updates.

Or he's eleven years old and the typical Runescape customer...

[Guest User]

Didn't do much for me. Should I have even read it? The chance to ask Jagex five questions is like being granted three wishes... and wishing for dirt.

[jimmy_jim]

They were some fun questions. I don't see why everyone's complaining about them? Why ask questions like "What's the next update?" Where all they can say is "We've got a few under development."

 

 

 

I found the one where Andrew asked what their RuneScape avatars were thinking pretty cool :)