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Tip.It Times: 23 Aug 2009


n_odie

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On the first article: While I can understand the dissatisfaction some feel with this year's updates, I've been fairly pleased with the recent changes in philosophy. It's high time Jagex started fixing old content instead of churning out lame new minigames once a month. And it's high time every new quest advanced existing stories. And stuff. So I disagree.

 

This.

 

 

 

And also:

 

And I wish Jagex could give us SOME sort of timeline on new updates. Tell us about some of the updates; specifically start of the month updates, because then you can say you expect it to come out in say september, and then if it gets delayed you still have till the end of the month. Or maybe if you have a big MA update planned to come out in 3 months, say it's planned for the next 6 months, and update that info if something comes in 3 months later?

 

 

 

Also, yeah, why is the QA team on such a tight timeline that forces them to prioritize what bugs they fix if Jagex got rid of the BTS to prevent that in the first place? I semi agree with the "Wake Up" article about deadlines and such; but then again, they DID say it was an upgrade year; as someone pointed out they are updating old code so they can make better upgrades, and I also FREAKING LOVE all the quest storyline continuations.

 

 

 

Development Diaries ;) ;)

 

They can't give that for every update, it removes the fun of surprise. But they are there for a reason.

 

The hints they give in postbags (C.E. riddles and such) are enough of a clue on what updates are to follow. Ppl without patience want a timeline appearantly. I, on the otherhand, prefer to be surprised by them, and i don't mind waiting a couple of weeks, because I understand and respect the time that is put into developing/testing/fixing any update.

 

 

 

Learn to enjoy what you have, putting up higher and higher expectations will only make you more disgruntled.

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and I also FREAKING LOVE all the quest storyline continuations.

 

 

 

We know that there is going to be a new dwarf quest, and that there is going to be a new fairy quest, but none of this has come out yet. They finished up the goblin series earlier this year, and had a new Arrav quest. That's all I can recall. We've been hearing about some of these quest storylines once again being picked up, and I suppose I would retract some of my statements if any of that content had actually been released yet, but it hasn't.

 

 

 

I strongly disagree with "Wake up!"

 

 

 

The author clearly has gotten too high of expectations solely based on the year of 2007 and 2008. And as a poster before me mentioned, NOT ALL updates Jagex is working on will be put on the front page, e.g. the game engine thing.

 

 

 

And '06 and '05... My complaint was not about Jagex failing to put everything on the front page, but what was making the front page. Andrew wrote a blog about rewriting the game engine. Programmers might find that more interesting, but it doesn't mean a whole lot to somebody like me. That's stuff, if done right, players won't even notice.

 

 

 

And I'd say Jagex did a reasonably good job in churning out some new content while fixing things up and all in all making the game more streamlined.

 

 

 

The last tweet that I read from Jagex said this week would once again have no updates. But fair enough, there's nothing wrong with dissenting opinions.

 

 

 

The author also made it seem like the only thing a game should have is big updates and new skills.

 

 

 

That isn't what I said in the article. I said I appreciated all of the small upgrades we've gotten, but it could've have been done at the same time as writing "big" updates and new skills.

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My only problem with the WOW article is when he says the graphics in WOW win in all accounts... I guess he never compared RSHD textures to some of the flat pentagons of WOW. Take a look at their trees too... bleh :|

 

 

 

The only way they're better is somehow you get a better viewing aspect in WOW, stuff is bigger but at the same time the distance you can see is greater. This could be done in RuneScape, but it would mean longer loading times when moving to a new section of the world.

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I agree with Wake Up; 2009 has been a rather boring year to play RS. The only reason I'm still a member is because if I stopped resubscribing would cost $6, and my funorb membership would go up to $3 so it wouldn't save much money. Sure, stuff like the summoning update has been helpful, the Arrav quest was fun while it lasted, but it makes for a pretty dry game when that's all you get. We did get MA, which I will concede probably took a very long time, but it doesn't seem to be that fun of a game to me (admittedly I only played it when 4 player slug it out was the only option). Are upgrades necessary? Absolutely. Is it a good idea to devote an entire year to doing them? ...

 

 

 

To the WoW article, I've heard such mixed opinions of WoW I don't think I would ever play it. I am definitely a casual gamer; I have no plans to pay $15 for something so life-consuming. This year I don't know if I'll even be able to play RS because of school. Quests are probably my favorite thing in RS, WoW pretty much doesn't have them, but damn the last one of any importance we got was 8 months ago.

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[self-congratulation] I'm just seriously glad that the resentment of the "upgrayedd" year has gone mainstream. I've been critical of it for months. I was totally ahead of the curve. Yay me. ::' [/self-congratulation]

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[self-congratulation] I'm just seriously glad that the resentment of the "upgrayedd" year has gone mainstream. I've been critical of it for months. I was totally ahead of the curve. Yay me. ::' [/self-congratulation]

 

 

 

That or most people only bother posting it on relevant topics, L

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I usually only talked about it on relevant topics, or unless the thread had gone off topic on that subject. I didn't mention it in every post just to get it in there. Well, not all the time. Sometimes my frustration would boil over a little.

 

 

 

Luckily I have a whole week free to come up with ways to complain. Not like I'm busy enjoying an update or anything. :roll:

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I've been playing WoW for 6 months now and it's nothing like Runescape. I don't why people continually compare the two they are completely different games. While they're the two "biggest" MMORPGs that's the only thing they have in common.

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I personally thought that the wake up article was a rant of a jaded player. There has been mobilising armies, bounty worlds, Tracking, running update, multiple quests and soul wars! True this year has been full of fixing, but it has not been a boring year. Only without the BTS progress is harder to track. I am sure that just because they don't post their deadlines any more does not mean that they don't exist.

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I personally thought that the wake up article was a rant of a jaded player. There has been mobilising armies, bounty worlds, Tracking, running update, multiple quests and soul wars! True this year has been full of fixing, but it has not been a boring year. Only without the BTS progress is harder to track. I am sure that just because they don't post their deadlines any more does not mean that they don't exist.

 

 

 

MA sucked. No other way to put it.

 

Bounty worlds are weak at best and a total mess at worst.

 

Tracking was a needed and deserving upgrade.

 

Rest was a good update, though wasn't a big one. Was big in the impact sense, not in the size sense.

 

Quests have all been short. Way too short.

 

Soul Wars had an overly basic concept and an unoriginal one at that.

 

 

 

2009 will be considered a low point in Runescape when all is said and done.

 

 

 

-edit- Quelmotz, have Jagex ever done anything that you disagreed with or criticized?

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2009 year updates- I think people take this game a bit too seriously sometimes. $6 is nothing for entertainment for a whole month, and I believe for that small amount of money the game is progressing just fine. Be happy that they even update stuff, or even try to make it better. Lol. That being said, I take every update with a grain of salt. Some updates make some happy, while making others mad. That's the good thing about RS. You can be a skiller, quester, pker, or combination of each. Keep doing the updates jagex.... eventually one will come out to please each and every one of us. :) -If not, atleast you are trying.-

 

 

 

WOW- Let's be honest if we can. WOW is probably the best game out on the market currently. Period. Graphics, content, support, and popularity. I myself played for 6 months, and really enjoyed it. $15 a month doesn't seem too bad if you have a job. :) Problem is, you have to have a fairly decent computer (2g+ memory min.) to actually somewhat enjoy the graphics and fluidity of the game. Though to me, after trying every class and race, and skill... it gets extremely boring. Also, if you want to be a competent player, you basically have to play it hours on end constantly. (Enjoy sunlight much?)

 

On the other hand, RS is a little slower paced, and to be honest, I rather enjoy the more laid back approach. Guess that's why after 3 years of playing, I still enjoy logging on.

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2009 year updates- I think people take this game a bit too seriously sometimes. $6 is nothing for entertainment for a whole month, and I believe for that small amount of money the game is progressing just fine. Be happy that they even update stuff, or even try to make it better. Lol. That being said, I take every update with a grain of salt. Some updates make some happy, while making others mad. That's the good thing about RS. You can be a skiller, quester, pker, or combination of each. Keep doing the updates jagex.... eventually one will come out to please each and every one of us. :) -If not, atleast you are trying.-

 

 

 

WOW- Let's be honest if we can. WOW is probably the best game out on the market currently. Period. Graphics, content, support, and popularity. I myself played for 6 months, and really enjoyed it. $15 a month doesn't seem too bad if you have a job. :) Problem is, you have to have a fairly decent computer (2g+ memory min.) to actually somewhat enjoy the graphics and fluidity of the game. Though to me, after trying every class and race, and skill... it gets extremely boring. Also, if you want to be a competent player, you basically have to play it hours on end constantly. On the other hand, RS is a little slower paced, and to be honest, I rather enjoy the more laid back approach. Guess that's why after 3 years of playing, I still am doing so.

 

 

 

Well yes, I like Runescape because I can be a good player *and* have a life. With WoW, that's just plain impossible.

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Maybe it's just me in a bad mood, but I didn't like either one (didn't give fictional a chance this week either, sorry). The DYK was really good though, nice! =)

 

 

 

Wake Up!: It was just a meaningless rant to me.

 

"Few updates have the ability to revolutionize the fundamental game strategy in RuneScape like a new skill." - Which is exactly the reason why they are released so seldomly.

 

"All of the upgrades this year have made our tasks easier" - No. Stupid generalization.

 

"Apparently, that new skill Ive been asking for is in the pipeline, along with just about every other thing ever asked for. Is the pipeline clogged?" - That's upgrade year for you. Did they ever say they intended to hire more staff in order to cope with upgrade year? No. Of course other updates take longer when their developers are busy fixing bugs and coding new add-on tools.

 

 

 

WoW for a Month: What's the point of comparing if the comparison is completely biased? Clearly the writer is one who prefers combat. That's okay, but you could still mention what a skiller would find enjoyable in the game. You didn't even try production skills?

 

The conclusion is very inconclusive. Although you mention personal preference (which should be the last line, for clarity), you then carry on talking about the costs. Basically it implies that everyone would prefer WoW to RS, it all comes down to money - rich players play WoW, poor play RS. What about rich players who love quests more than anything, would WoW still be worth their time?

 

"there is much less to learn in RuneScape" - I don't know if this is true and I've never played WoW, but I doubt someone with nearly 14m total experience could know that for a fact. There are *many* things to know in this game if you want to make the most out of it.

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On the first article: While I can understand the dissatisfaction some feel with this year's updates, I've been fairly pleased with the recent changes in philosophy. It's high time Jagex started fixing old content instead of churning out lame new minigames once a month. And it's high time every new quest advanced existing stories. And stuff. So I disagree.

 

This.

 

 

 

And also:

 

And I wish Jagex could give us SOME sort of timeline on new updates. Tell us about some of the updates; specifically start of the month updates, because then you can say you expect it to come out in say september, and then if it gets delayed you still have till the end of the month. Or maybe if you have a big MA update planned to come out in 3 months, say it's planned for the next 6 months, and update that info if something comes in 3 months later?

 

 

 

Also, yeah, why is the QA team on such a tight timeline that forces them to prioritize what bugs they fix if Jagex got rid of the BTS to prevent that in the first place? I semi agree with the "Wake Up" article about deadlines and such; but then again, they DID say it was an upgrade year; as someone pointed out they are updating old code so they can make better upgrades, and I also FREAKING LOVE all the quest storyline continuations.

 

 

 

Development Diaries ;) ;)

 

They can't give that for every update, it removes the fun of surprise. But they are there for a reason.

 

The hints they give in postbags (C.E. riddles and such) are enough of a clue on what updates are to follow. Ppl without patience want a timeline appearantly. I, on the otherhand, prefer to be surprised by them, and i don't mind waiting a couple of weeks, because I understand and respect the time that is put into developing/testing/fixing any update.

 

 

 

Learn to enjoy what you have, putting up higher and higher expectations will only make you more disgruntled.

 

 

 

The problem is, just because the Chaos E says something is coming out, it doesn't mean it's coming out even within the next freaking year...

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Buying spins make you a bad person...don't do it. It's like buying nukes for North Korea.

Well if it bothers you that the game is more fun now, then you can go cry in a corner. :shame:

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The only thing wrong with it is the lack of a percentage for when you need to stroke it.

 


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[hide=]

On the first article: While I can understand the dissatisfaction some feel with this year's updates, I've been fairly pleased with the recent changes in philosophy. It's high time Jagex started fixing old content instead of churning out lame new minigames once a month. And it's high time every new quest advanced existing stories. And stuff. So I disagree.

 

This.

 

 

 

And also:

 

And I wish Jagex could give us SOME sort of timeline on new updates. Tell us about some of the updates; specifically start of the month updates, because then you can say you expect it to come out in say september, and then if it gets delayed you still have till the end of the month. Or maybe if you have a big MA update planned to come out in 3 months, say it's planned for the next 6 months, and update that info if something comes in 3 months later?

 

 

 

Also, yeah, why is the QA team on such a tight timeline that forces them to prioritize what bugs they fix if Jagex got rid of the BTS to prevent that in the first place? I semi agree with the "Wake Up" article about deadlines and such; but then again, they DID say it was an upgrade year; as someone pointed out they are updating old code so they can make better upgrades, and I also FREAKING LOVE all the quest storyline continuations.

 

 

 

Development Diaries ;) ;)

 

They can't give that for every update, it removes the fun of surprise. But they are there for a reason.

 

The hints they give in postbags (C.E. riddles and such) are enough of a clue on what updates are to follow. Ppl without patience want a timeline appearantly. I, on the otherhand, prefer to be surprised by them, and i don't mind waiting a couple of weeks, because I understand and respect the time that is put into developing/testing/fixing any update.

 

 

 

Learn to enjoy what you have, putting up higher and higher expectations will only make you more disgruntled.

 

 

 

The problem is, just because the Chaos E says something is coming out, it doesn't mean it's coming out even within the next freaking year...

[/hide]

 

There's no guarantee that the updates are coming soon, but it does give a view on what they're working on.

 

The last C.E riddles were one (or two) weeks before the rag and bone man sequel was released...

 

In my opinion having updates like last year and the year before puts alot of stress on the developers, and on every aspect in Jagex HQ. It doesn't matter how many updates they launch a week, bc player want that number of updates to be consistent...Ooooh unless a new skill comes out, then they're willing to wait a couple of weeks.

 

I'm not so widely familiar with other MMORPG's, but i do think that RS is at the top involving updates rate.

 

To some ppl that's just not enough.

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I agree with the first one. I was so sick and tired of waiting that I canceled my subscription to Runescape. And next week is ANOTHER no update week? Gee wilikers, I hope it's something big like Fur and Seek!

 

 

 

The second article... I get where you're coming from. I play WoW and I feel it's better than what you described, but you bring up many good points.

If the CORPORAL beast is this hard, imagine how hard a GENERAL or COLONEL beast would be. a corporal is not even an admirable rank in armies that use that ranking system.

 

Yeah, it is a pking minigame, so any arguments anybody makes will probably be biased.

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The thing is, at the moment Jagex seem to use the excuse that they are making big updates which pushes others back, and they focus their efforts on that etc. Much like MA, i would say that was the reason for alot of weeks having no updates. But in the past, having massive updates haven't hindered them at all. I hate to say it, but it could be they are losing their touch.

 

 

 

And to show that that is only a new thing, i'll show you the Fight caves update, and the month before and after. This was how much better and flowing the updates seemed back in 05'.

 

 

 

07-Nov-2005 - Waterbirth Island - deeper, darker, deadlier! Dag Kings Boss monster

 

31-Oct-2005 - Rum Deal Med sized quest

 

31-Oct-2005 - Halloween Update!! Holiday event(on same day as the above quest!)

 

24-Oct-2005 - Mogres, Lizards, Pet Fish, Potions and Potatoes! Brought us sara brews and tuna tata's

 

17-Oct-2005 - Mourning's Ends Pt II Even now known as a massively challenging quest

 

17-Oct-2005 - Wanted! Med sized quest

 

04-Oct-2005 - TzHaar Fight Caves Central main big update

 

26-Sep-2005 - A Tail of Two Cats Med Sized quest

 

26-Sep-2005 - TzHaar reworks and mage arena changes Small reworks

 

26-Sep-2005 - Port Sarim, Rimmington and Thurgo's Peninsula Small Graphics update, also on same day as above two updates!

 

19-Sep-2005 - Security feature - Bank PIN Small but massively crucial security addition

 

19-Sep-2005 - Massive minigame - Fight Pits Large update, new area, minigame and Obsideon items

 

12-Sep-2005 - Cook-X Well...

 

06-Sep-2005 - New shortcuts and prayers Small update

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As you can see, back in 05, Large scale updates and game changing features were almost a weekly occurance. And sometimes there would be two large updates in one week. I personally think i'd faint if that happened now. I would also guess that Jagex had a much much smaller staff team back then. I can say that yes, Runescape's code has become much more complex, and the textures and graphics the game has now no doubt take much longer to code and create, but That's what hiring new staff and training the older ones is for. I wouldn't expect to stand in line at a fast food store for half an hour because the new burger they sell is too complicated for the staff to make.

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I agree with the Wake up! article, but there have been some larger updates, but still nothing to compare with some of the big updates from 2-3 years ago. But the thing is, after 8 years of runescape, is there much more that can be done which is new and fresh?

 

 

 

Ultima Online is turning 12 this year, and is releasing its 8th expansion pack.

 

Everquest turned 10 this year and is releasing its 16th expansion pack.

 

 

 

Both games continue have strong communities despite being over a decade old, I think Runescape has a long way to go before they're out of ideas.

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Jagex hasn't fixed anything this year that needed fixing badly (see "Biggest 5 Problems in RuneScape").

 

 

 

The only replayable updates were bad. Soul Wars has become a new PC, with about as much fun in it, and Mobilising Armies made me feel more disappointed in Jagex than any other update.

 

 

 

The Q&As and Developer Diaries haven't told me anything I've wanted to know, and any time Mod MMG has been asked an important questions, he answers with "we are aware" or "we are working on it" meaning "we don't care and it's not a priority."

 

 

 

I quit RuneScape this year. Coincidence?

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The thing is, at the moment Jagex seem to use the excuse that they are making big updates which pushes others back, and they focus their efforts on that etc. Much like MA, i would say that was the reason for alot of weeks having no updates. But in the past, having massive updates haven't hindered them at all. I hate to say it, but it could be they are losing their touch.

 

 

 

And to show that that is only a new thing, i'll show you the Fight caves update, and the month before and after. This was how much better and flowing the updates seemed back in 05'.

 

 

 

07-Nov-2005 - Waterbirth Island - deeper, darker, deadlier! Dag Kings Boss monster

 

31-Oct-2005 - Rum Deal Med sized quest

 

31-Oct-2005 - Halloween Update!! Holiday event(on same day as the above quest!)

 

24-Oct-2005 - Mogres, Lizards, Pet Fish, Potions and Potatoes! Brought us sara brews and tuna tata's

 

17-Oct-2005 - Mourning's Ends Pt II Even now known as a massively challenging quest

 

17-Oct-2005 - Wanted! Med sized quest

 

04-Oct-2005 - TzHaar Fight Caves Central main big update

 

26-Sep-2005 - A Tail of Two Cats Med Sized quest

 

26-Sep-2005 - TzHaar reworks and mage arena changes Small reworks

 

26-Sep-2005 - Port Sarim, Rimmington and Thurgo's Peninsula Small Graphics update, also on same day as above two updates!

 

19-Sep-2005 - Security feature - Bank PIN Small but massively crucial security addition

 

19-Sep-2005 - Massive minigame - Fight Pits Large update, new area, minigame and Obsideon items

 

12-Sep-2005 - Cook-X Well...

 

06-Sep-2005 - New shortcuts and prayers Small update

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As you can see, back in 05, Large scale updates and game changing features were almost a weekly occurance. And sometimes there would be two large updates in one week. I personally think i'd faint if that happened now. I would also guess that Jagex had a much much smaller staff team back then. I can say that yes, Runescape's code has become much more complex, and the textures and graphics the game has now no doubt take much longer to code and create, but That's what hiring new staff and training the older ones is for. I wouldn't expect to stand in line at a fast food store for half an hour because the new burger they sell is too complicated for the staff to make.

 

 

 

You know, this is exactly the thing that the "Wake Up" article needed. Although, we should cut them some slack as they are updating the code....Just some.

 

 

 

Also, unless you have actually done programming stuff, it's hard to say how big an update truly is. Is working with old code to create more of the same, as in more monsters and areas? I got the impression MA is in a sense a bigger update then many of those because they need new code. But really, I have no idea. I would like to see someone who does. Also, updates are probably harder now because there's much more code needed for graphics in HD.....Maybe. I don't know, do you?

 

 

 

*stops speculating about how hard updates are because I have no clue*

Squab unleashes Megiddo! Completed all quests and hard diaries. 75+ Skiller. (At one point.) 2000+ total. 99 Magic.
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my difinition of noob is i dont like u, either u are better then me or u are worst them me

Buying spins make you a bad person...don't do it. It's like buying nukes for North Korea.

Well if it bothers you that the game is more fun now, then you can go cry in a corner. :shame:

your article was the equivalent of a circumcized porcupine

The only thing wrong with it is the lack of a percentage for when you need to stroke it.

 


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You know, this is exactly the thing that the "Wake Up" article needed. Although, we should cut them some slack as they are updating the code....Just some.

 

 

 

Also, unless you have actually done programming stuff, it's hard to say how big an update truly is. Is working with old code to create more of the same, as in more monsters and areas? I got the impression MA is in a sense a bigger update then many of those because they need new code. But really, I have no idea. I would like to see someone who does. Also, updates are probably harder now because there's much more code needed for graphics in HD.....Maybe. I don't know, do you?

 

 

 

*stops speculating about how hard updates are because I have no clue*

 

 

 

Okay. I'll bite.

 

 

 

First and foremost, they're not just updating the code, they're refactoring the entire engine [source]. It's been rehashed a lot this past week and a half that refactoring is one of the most complicated things any programmer or team of programmers has to do, and for RuneScape, has become absolutely necessary. Refactoring also means that they're adding support for new stuff, so things like randomly-generated scenarios for groups or multidimensional combat may become possible.

 

 

 

With that out of the way, and even without ever seeing a single line of their in-house code, I would imagine that the creation of new areas, such as Morytania, Priffnidas, and so forth requires less new code than most; chances are they have a way to generate cities and landscapes without much work on the developers' part. New updates or things that they want to do differently than the norm (example: Temple of Light/Construction) require new code, and in many cases, it's these projects that not only take a lot of time, but are susceptible to break a lot more quickly. [Case in point: Construction. Not only did the game engine get updated twice to support it, it still had a lot of gaping errors. Not that I'm pointing my finger at them for that, though. Just saying.] That being said, in 2004, the biggest minigame we had was probably Castle Wars. This was a new piece of code since nothing had existed that allowed multiple players to play "capture the flag", and it needed plenty of tweaks throughout the years to fix gaping holes.

 

 

 

So I'll wrap up here. It's probably not that difficult to get new updates out of the door, but you sure don't want to be thinking about extending on to your 1896 Victorian house without making sure that the wiring and pipes are all up to date.

 

 

 

Also, if you haven't really noticed, the new graphics don't take much time. They're prepped images of each type of surface, and simply called on by the client at a later date when required. At least, that's my working theory.

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First Article: Hmmm, I do have to agree that this year has been one long line of small updates and PvP fixes, you can't underestimate the importance of pking in Runescape. A large sum of the players play the PvP side of the game, and with this broken they could see a decline in membership. They really do have to shift it around a bit though. I'm sick of looking at the front page of the runescape website, and the main article is about FunOrb :|

 

 

 

Second Article: Honestly, don't even bother comparing WoW to Runescape. Although the majority of people who play WoW after Runescape will stick to WoW (I almost did), this is either due to addiction or excitement. I played for three months, played really hardcore. Got 100K gold, epic gear, went bg's at least once a day for 3+ hours with my guild and non-stop raided. So in all, I racked about 6-7 hours game time a day. Pretty sad. My advice is, stick to Runescape. Better yet, get Guild Wars if you want to try something new. It isn't dangerously addicting, but is really fun to pass the time.

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You know, this is exactly the thing that the "Wake Up" article needed. Although, we should cut them some slack as they are updating the code....Just some.

 

 

 

Also, unless you have actually done programming stuff, it's hard to say how big an update truly is. Is working with old code to create more of the same, as in more monsters and areas? I got the impression MA is in a sense a bigger update then many of those because they need new code. But really, I have no idea. I would like to see someone who does. Also, updates are probably harder now because there's much more code needed for graphics in HD.....Maybe. I don't know, do you?

 

 

 

*stops speculating about how hard updates are because I have no clue*

 

 

 

Okay. I'll bite.

 

 

 

First and foremost, they're not just updating the code, they're refactoring the entire engine [source]. It's been rehashed a lot this past week and a half that refactoring is one of the most complicated things any programmer or team of programmers has to do, and for RuneScape, has become absolutely necessary. Refactoring also means that they're adding support for new stuff, so things like randomly-generated scenarios for groups or multidimensional combat may become possible.

 

 

 

With that out of the way, and even without ever seeing a single line of their in-house code, I would imagine that the creation of new areas, such as Morytania, Priffnidas, and so forth requires less new code than most; chances are they have a way to generate cities and landscapes without much work on the developers' part. New updates or things that they want to do differently than the norm (example: Temple of Light/Construction) require new code, and in many cases, it's these projects that not only take a lot of time, but are susceptible to break a lot more quickly. [Case in point: Construction. Not only did the game engine get updated twice to support it, it still had a lot of gaping errors. Not that I'm pointing my finger at them for that, though. Just saying.] That being said, in 2004, the biggest minigame we had was probably Castle Wars. This was a new piece of code since nothing had existed that allowed multiple players to play "capture the flag", and it needed plenty of tweaks throughout the years to fix gaping holes.

 

 

 

Fixing "gaping holes" is perfectly fine, but whatever changes they made to the engine to allow (Im)mobilising

 

Armies to come out were a waste of a time. If MA is the type of content they can churn out with those upgrades I don't want them to keep working on those particular aspects (selecting multiple units, camera view, etc) of the engine; instead, they should work on something fun, like a replayable minigame or a completely new skill/game aspect.

2496 Completionist

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