Tip.it Times 24 January 2010

[Krazyboy6000]

Ya know i used to be able to spend like 4-5 hours in front of a game gear playing a game that where you can't save your progress and it takes about that long to finish. Now i have too many things to do, i play so many games that I can't be a master in any one of them. But one thing i wanted to say, and i know people have already said this, but some people just Can't ruin their life to play runescape all the time. I mean, if i chose to play runescape 12 hours a day, i would be failing my college class, missing my appointments, and really pissing off my parents because i would have no time to look for a job. Some people just don't automatically have the money to support themselves while playing runescape all the time, so some people really are lucky that they were born rich or have parents that let them live in their house without getting a job or having to do anything but play runescape.

 

Now im not saying that you can't be wealthy in a little bit of time, im just saying you can't get all 99's and complete all the quests in a little bit of time.

 

My display name is different now, for security purposes, just so you know, in case you wanted to look me up on the high scores. So, i think ill just re-register with my new name, and this will be my last post with this account.

[Earth_Poet]

First article seemed senseless to me; I didn't get the impression that the author really had all his facts in line.

 

The first half of the article discussed measures used in RuneScape to prevent RWT, a completely irrelevant point.

 

The middle bit seemed to be about Jagex's past policies, which were again related to RuneScape. The bank space for security key was a legitimate point made but it was unfortunately the only one.

 

And the author just seems not to know how war of legends works. You can buy items that will increase the rate at which you can build things and level up your skills. In order to take advantage of this you must be at your computer all day switching to building new things. You cannot buy more resources directly - they still cost gold, which you cannot buy. Meanwhile the free-to-play person simply sets up his building orders and leaves their computer. The difference is that the person using Jagex's service is spending more time AND money, and the other person is spending neither time NOR money. Point is: to take advantage of the stuff you buy you have to spend more time anyway, which will give anyone an advantage. Why haven't you written articles about how RS is not fair since not everyone can play for the exact same amount of time per day? And when it finally comes to battle in WoL, you cannot buy anything to help you out.

 

More stuff about RuneScape...then this:

 

Whether you choose to look at micro-transactions as a form of real-world trading or not, the only hair that’s really being split here is whose pocket the money ends up filling. And in the end, I guess that’s enough to convince anybody to abandon their beliefs.

 

This is utter nonsense. Jagex is publishing this game FOR another company (it isn't even in Java), and if you had played the game you would have seen that it is filled with small glitches and spelling errors that are typical of a newly made game. I'm not sure if Jagex bought the rights to the game outright or simply took a cut, but unless people start seriously using JCredits, I'm betting it's not Jagex's pockets that are filling up. Jagex has been asking players for months what kind of payment option they would prefer, and this whole article was written using ONE legitimate pretense - that the game does in fact support microtransactions.

 

 

I have no objections in readers disagreeing with the opinions presented in my article, but I have a feeling that you missed the purpose of the article completely. That's okay, too. I blame my inept ability as a writer. This wasn't an article about Runescape nor WoL. It was about Jagex's policies and philosophy.

 

The purpose of giving a brief history on the measures Jagex used to eliminate RWT from Runescape was to demonstrate the lengths Jagex was willing to go. They took enormous risks and changed the game. Then I directly quoted some of what Jagex told us in the past as their reasoning behind it. Not only was it about goldfarmers and fraud, but they claimed it was about creating fair gameplay. Now that they feel they've all but eliminated RWT from Runescape, Jagex seems to be slowly changing their point-of-view.

 

Next, I have played WoL quite a bit in fact. Yes, it takes time to build things, but someone who is cutting down their wait times will eventually gain significant resources faster on the backend. Additionally, you can buy free xp for your legends, as well as tokens and charms that will boost your army's attack and defense by 10%. Maybe I don't understand the game then, because those sound like in-game advantages to me, even things that can help you out in battle. Your counterpoint to this is you still have to take the time to play the game. Take two people playing for the exact same amount of time for one month. Person A has unlimited JCredits to spend on what they wish while Person B chooses to play for free. Which one will have the advantage? Why didn't I write an article about how Runescape is unfair for those reasons? Because that's the players putting in the work themselves, instead of Jagex selling it to them.

 

As for the last remarks, I know the game's rights are owned by another company, but Jagex is still publishing it, and apparently supporting it. It's on a Jagex host site with Jmods offering customer support. And since I HAVE played the game, I have experienced the glitches and rollbacks, yet what does that have to do with anything? Then you end with telling me your best guesses (What happened to getting our facts straight?) on the partnership of Jagex and WoL. Whatever the exact relationship is, Jagex has put their name on this game, and that means their credibility is on the line as well. Whether or not you believe comparing RS to WoL is like comparing apples to oranges is irrelevant. It's the company's policies that are under question. That final statement that you quoted from the article is directly responding to this statement Jagex made on the WoL FAQ page in their forums:

 

Aren't you real world trading?

 

No of course we’re not! The problem with real world trading is that when it is done by a third party it goes hand in hand with account theft, credit card fraud and other criminal activities. Micro-transactions are nothing to do with RWT and are being dealt with by ourselves so you can be sure it is safe and secure. Micro-transactions allow you to spend money to improve/speed up certain elements of the game if you so wish, but if not, you can play for free!

 

I read that as the only difference Jagex sees today is that RWT was wrong was because they weren't the ones in charge of it. That was the whole purpose of the article, comparing what Jagex used to say vs what they are slowly telling us now.

[PereGrin]

The first Article made a point, it seems that jagex is sending mixed messages about RWT. For people who think that RWT and micro-transactions are totally different, you are wrong. Micro-transactios are actually RWT(Real World Trading) but you buy from the company. Actually, the only difference is your money ends up in the company's pockets, not another person's pockets who is farming gold from the game to sell. Well and the other difference of spelling........................... You can buy a rolex off the streets from a guy in a trench coat, or you can buy it from a licensed dealer. Either way, you get the rolex and somebody gets the money.

 

I will quit runescape the day jagex adds micro-transactions to the game.

[Sir_Squab]

The first Article made a point, it seems that jagex is sending mixed messages about RWT. For people who think that RWT and micro-transactions are totally different, you are wrong. Micro-transactios are actually RWT(Real World Trading) but you buy from the company. Actually, the only difference is your money ends up in the company's pockets, not another person's pockets who is farming gold from the game to sell. Well and the other difference of spelling........................... You can buy a rolex off the streets from a guy in a trench coat, or you can buy it from a licensed dealer. Either way, you get the rolex and somebody gets the money.

 

I will quit runescape the day jagex adds micro-transactions to the game.

 

Again, back to my comment, and lack of source, that Jagex has stated that they are not 100% against paying for in-game advantages, or items, but just that RuneScape is not a game that will happen is. They may make a new game, 100% of their own, with micro-transactions, but that game will have micro-transactions from the start. They made the choice many many moons ago that RUNESCAPE, not Jagex, was going to have none of that.

 

War of legends isn't a real time strategy game...

 

It may be strategical and in real time but that does not mean it is real time strategy.

 

Much like in halo you play the role of a super soldier turning a war around that does not make halo a role playing game.

Or the inclusion of chess in runescape does not make runescape turn based.

 

Excuse me for asking, but how does a real-time game with strategy not count as a real-time strategy game?

[xxshady]

The first Article made a point, it seems that jagex is sending mixed messages about RWT. For people who think that RWT and micro-transactions are totally different, you are wrong. Micro-transactios are actually RWT(Real World Trading) but you buy from the company. Actually, the only difference is your money ends up in the company's pockets, not another person's pockets who is farming gold from the game to sell. Well and the other difference of spelling........................... You can buy a rolex off the streets from a guy in a trench coat, or you can buy it from a licensed dealer. Either way, you get the rolex and somebody gets the money.

 

I will quit runescape the day jagex adds micro-transactions to the game.

 

You are saying that Micro Transactions and RWT are no different except for the fact that in Micro-Transactions the money is going to the company that made the game.

 

Uh... HELLO, THATS THE WHOLE DIFFERENCE. Next thing you are going to say that us paying membership for more quests and skills is the same as RWT? Get real

[Troacctid]

The first Article made a point, it seems that jagex is sending mixed messages about RWT. For people who think that RWT and micro-transactions are totally different, you are wrong. Micro-transactios are actually RWT(Real World Trading) but you buy from the company. Actually, the only difference is your money ends up in the company's pockets, not another person's pockets who is farming gold from the game to sell. Well and the other difference of spelling........................... You can buy a rolex off the streets from a guy in a trench coat, or you can buy it from a licensed dealer. Either way, you get the rolex and somebody gets the money.

 

I will quit runescape the day jagex adds micro-transactions to the game.

 

You are saying that Micro Transactions and RWT are no different except for the fact that in Micro-Transactions the money is going to the company that made the game.

 

Uh... HELLO, THATS THE WHOLE DIFFERENCE. Next thing you are going to say that us paying membership for more quests and skills is the same as RWT? Get real

One important difference is that (with the exception of Dungeon Assault on FunOrb) members have to give up their advantages to interact with nonmembers.

[jettrider]

I have no objections in readers disagreeing with the opinions presented in my article, but I have a feeling that you missed the purpose of the article completely. That's okay, too. I blame my inept ability as a writer. This wasn't an article about Runescape nor WoL. It was about Jagex's policies and philosophy.

 

The purpose of giving a brief history on the measures Jagex used to eliminate RWT from Runescape was to demonstrate the lengths Jagex was willing to go. They took enormous risks and changed the game. Then I directly quoted some of what Jagex told us in the past as their reasoning behind it. Not only was it about goldfarmers and fraud, but they claimed it was about creating fair gameplay. Now that they feel they've all but eliminated RWT from Runescape, Jagex seems to be slowly changing their point-of-view.

 

Next, I have played WoL quite a bit in fact. Yes, it takes time to build things, but someone who is cutting down their wait times will eventually gain significant resources faster on the backend. Additionally, you can buy free xp for your legends, as well as tokens and charms that will boost your army's attack and defense by 10%. Maybe I don't understand the game then, because those sound like in-game advantages to me, even things that can help you out in battle. Your counterpoint to this is you still have to take the time to play the game. Take two people playing for the exact same amount of time for one month. Person A has unlimited JCredits to spend on what they wish while Person B chooses to play for free. Which one will have the advantage? Why didn't I write an article about how Runescape is unfair for those reasons? Because that's the players putting in the work themselves, instead of Jagex selling it to them.

 

As for the last remarks, I know the game's rights are owned by another company, but Jagex is still publishing it, and apparently supporting it. It's on a Jagex host site with Jmods offering customer support. And since I HAVE played the game, I have experienced the glitches and rollbacks, yet what does that have to do with anything? Then you end with telling me your best guesses (What happened to getting our facts straight?) on the partnership of Jagex and WoL. Whatever the exact relationship is, Jagex has put their name on this game, and that means their credibility is on the line as well. Whether or not you believe comparing RS to WoL is like comparing apples to oranges is irrelevant. It's the company's policies that are under question. That final statement that you quoted from the article is directly responding to this statement Jagex made on the WoL FAQ page in their forums:

 

Aren't you real world trading?

 

No of course we’re not! The problem with real world trading is that when it is done by a third party it goes hand in hand with account theft, credit card fraud and other criminal activities. Micro-transactions are nothing to do with RWT and are being dealt with by ourselves so you can be sure it is safe and secure. Micro-transactions allow you to spend money to improve/speed up certain elements of the game if you so wish, but if not, you can play for free!

 

I read that as the only difference Jagex sees today is that RWT was wrong was because they weren't the ones in charge of it. That was the whole purpose of the article, comparing what Jagex used to say vs what they are slowly telling us now.

 

Didn't actually expect to get a response (especially of that caliber) - maybe I should have been a bit more polite. Oh well, damage has been done.

Anyway, I apologize for sending any wrong messages across. I'm glad that being slightly inflammatory actually got me a response for once. I think I can get back to the topic now without anything more.

 

 

I think it is important to consider Jagex as not your average company. They are basically a one-product company that is desperately trying to expand while keeping the company alive by pumping updates into that one product. I am a very avid funorb player (front page orb points) and I can say that FunOrb has definitely been some testing grounds. One of the perks of the smaller community is that Mod Korpz (the head of FunOrb, kind of like a mix between Mod MMG/Mod Mark for RuneScape but still under MMG) posts topics and asks for feedback. One of these was the concept of microtransactions and if players would want to do so. FunOrb has one poster game - Arcanists - as well as several others (most people don't know other FunOrb games so I won't name them) with fairly stable player bases, and a bunch of underplayed games. The interest was to see if people who had not subscribed to FunOrb (it is very easy for f2p to access forums on funorb) would subscribe if they paid a lower cost JUST for Arcanists, or if people would prefer a pay-per-game rate over a monthly rate.

 

Point is, RuneScape, FunOrb, and now Jagex's other projects are all hugely separate ventures. RuneScape is almost too complicated for Jagex to handle case by case anymore (removal of customer support) and therefore any changes with have to be broad, sweeping ones: ie removal of trade. The problem with the form of RWT that was happening in RuneScape was that it was costing Jagex money. This is actually a complicated issue when you consider that they were just losing the membership fees from the gold farmers, but that's another discussion. Jagex was losing real money while having the rules they set in place (those rules that prevented them from making money) broken. Creating fair gameplay was just the reason given for the lack of a Jagex store for ingame items - as far as I can tell, it had nothing to do with the whole fraud issue, which was the whole reason for the removal of free trade. I do remember reading in a dev diary that "another solution would have been to sell the items ourselves," but in reality, someone will always undercut Jagex's price and make money, leading back to the RWT in terms of third parties, leading back to fraud, leading to still having the trade removal. Then all of a sudden we have microtransactions and free trade was removed anyway.

 

I won't argue that players can't get an advantage in WoL through buying advantages. I still don't feel that this is analogous to RWT in RuneScape, however. The point I made about it not affecting battle, by the way, was aimed towards the battles once the troops were already decided. You can buy some better troops rather than earning them more slowly, but they won't actually be any better in a fight. To add on to that, a player using JCredits still has to theoretically log on more often, if not for longer, to take advantage of the JCredits. As a basic example, a free player and a player with unlimited JCredits both set a 2 hour building project going. The player with JCredits uses the item that reduces building time by one hour. They still have to log on before the other player to take advantage of that JCredit. I know that not all items will align with this perfectly, and that it will inevitably be possible to log on the same amount and yet get ahead (especially with buildings that take longer than a day). I just tried to say that I trust Jagex to get this right - paying gives you some advantage but doesn't destroy the game concepts. It's like buying membership on RuneScape. You can either spend a long time making low amounts of money on f2p - say, by mining coal - and then buy cowhides to get 99 crafting. By buying membership, you can make the same amount of money as you made by mining coal all day by just doing a couple farming runs and doing the daily things like Manage Thy Kingdom, then get even more money with something like runecrafting higher leveled runes than were available on f2p. Then you can buy 99 crafting with a more cost efficient AND faster method like battlestaves+dragonhides. All this still takes time though, and if you get p2p with no skills and level 1 crafting you can still be beaten by a f2p player with a head start. If WoL makes it far, the player base should be large enough so that there is someone at every level to fight with. At that point, it is little more than a RuneScape type game - and I must admit that in general, paying gives you better options.

 

In essence Jagex is trying a different payment option for the same kind of system. They've talked about it on FunOrb and I believe they are legitimately testing to see which brings in more revenue and player satisfaction. After all, if no one is willing to pay for a feature, no one is enjoying that feature. I just reacted badly to the whole concept of Jagex accepting RWT now that they are getting the money. It's kind of like what xxshady said but in a different tone. I feel that microtransactions are more comparable to paying for membership than to flat out cheating with a third party. Consider: what other kind of system Jagex should have used? A flat membership rate would mean that you would get all these trinkets for free, which wouldn't work at all, or that now you would be able to pay for them in an in-game currency, which is rather pointless if you can't buy that currency outright. A one-time buy wouldn't make sense considering that they are trying to promote a new game which isn't theirs. It's hard to get the hang of a game like WoL in a limited time trial because the game really only starts once you level up enough for PvP combat.

 

I would look at Jagex in terms of its whole host of different products. There's a game with a free version and a membership option. There's a site of a collection of games, some of which are completely free and some of which have p2p elements, which has a subscription fee for all but is looking at a pay-per-game strategy in addition to that monthly rate. Finally, there's this fairly large persistent-world game being published by a different company - what can you expect them to do except try out a new payment strategy that makes sense? The whole idea of paying to get an advantage in the game is quite common elsewhere, and Jagex is testing the waters as best they can without compromising the policy they set for RuneScape. F2P and P2P players go on the same highscore list in RuneScape, just as f2p and "p2p" players go in the same environment in WoL.

 

Even if you are completely adamant about the paying for an advantage point (which is almost a matter of opinion if you think about it), it shouldn't affect your opinion of Jagex as a company. Each product is kept separate, and at the end of the day, how much you pay or don't pay on WoL doesn't affect your account on RuneScape. Whether you pay a monthly subscription or a pay-per-game fee on FunOrb, it doesn't affect your scores in the games you choose to play. Jagex has a unique policy in all of its products with a similar theme: paying means more variety and possibly faster training, but not outright levels. The whole RWT removal issue was (unless I've missed some overarching theme or counterargument) irrelevant to the payment options.

 

TL/DR:

-It's my opinion that WoL's system of paying for an advantage is more similar to membership fees than to buying gold from a third party.

-Even if you believe differently, it should not affect your view of Jagex as a company; along with their fair gaming policy they have also instituted a pretty strong policy of keeping their products separate. Different branches of Jagex exploring different payment options does not affect the values that the people working with RuneScape are using, yet they still have the fair play idea.

[Umoria]

The first article was not much of fun, or interesting to read.

I doubt Jagex made a 180- degrees turn on RWT, but tried something else.

A lot of MMORPGs use the benefits of real money, and buying stuff with that. So why not try it yourself?

 

The second article is true. I took multiple breaks. So I don't have stats over 90, don't have a godsword etc.

But moneymaking involves some unpopulair actions every now and then. Things as making dragon leather, pieshells, chopping yews/magics.

And some people don't like to work hard (without getting exp) for money.

 

Ah well, moneymaking is a discussion on RS that never ends.

[Earth_Poet]

@jettrider

 

I didn't intentionally single you out to pick on you or anything. No hard feelings I hope. I expected a bit of disagreement, as I think there are valid points to be made on both sides of the argument. I just like to know why people are disagreeing with me. Your second reply was excellent, and I certainly have a better understanding of your position now.

 

I must admit that I've only played on FunOrb a couple of times, but it seemed to be a similar format to something like Pogo where the accomplishments made in one game do not transfer over to any of the other games. If this is the case, I wouldn't see how paying exclusively for 'Arcanists' would give that player any advantages in the game. Correct me if I'm wrong.

 

After the paper-thin explanation Jagex gave about micro-transactions, I used their own words and actions in the past with Runescape to illustrate a comparison to RWT. It's crucial to note that this is a matter of opinion. If you insist no comparison exists, then my argument is irrelevant to you. While these games have their own separate identities, they are still fostered by one company: Jagex. I have a hard time compartmentalizing them into each game. I do feel that what they've said to us in the past has some bearing on their future games, otherwise how do we know what to expect? I know this is an extreme example, but what if Nickelodeon decided to start publishing smut films after what their consumers have come to expect from their name all of these years? If what they said was just a reason for lacking their own shop at the time, then that means they were just shoveling excuses at us to gain sympathy. I don't think it's as cynical as that. I believe, similar to what you explained, that at some point the business grew and they began to rethink their philosophy.

 

In Runescape, members have access to more areas, equipment, and training methods. However, members tend to compete with other members, while F2P competes with its own community. They may unfortunately share the same hi-scores list, but they don't share the same battlefield. If a member chooses to enter a F2P server, they must play by F2P rules. That means any members items and areas are locked. In WoL, there is no separation. If I'm buying JCredits, then I'm expecting an advantage over free players. And if I'm not getting an advantage, then I'm going to be complaining. Eventually, I'll quit buying JCredits. So if Jagex does plan to make money off of JCredits, then I'm not buying any argument that says they won't give you any tactical advantage. Especially when you're in the same arena as free players. It would be more comparable to membership in Runescape....if I could use my d claws in a F2P world.

 

In the end, it is a matter of opinion. I do view this payment method as comparable to buying gp from a third party, because, even as Jagex seemed to have implied, the only difference is you are buying it from Jagex instead. This was a longer response than I expected to write, but I do thank you for debating with me. Now I have to go check my resources. (Geez...whose the real hypocrite here? :grin: )

[Troacctid]

In Runescape, members have access to more areas, equipment, and training methods. However, members tend to compete with other members, while F2P competes with its own community. They may unfortunately share the same hi-scores list, but they don't share the same battlefield. If a member chooses to enter a F2P server, they must play by F2P rules. That means any members items and areas are locked. In WoL, there is no separation. If I'm buying JCredits, then I'm expecting an advantage over free players. And if I'm not getting an advantage, then I'm going to be complaining. Eventually, I'll quit buying JCredits. So if Jagex does plan to make money off of JCredits, then I'm not buying any argument that says they won't give you any tactical advantage. Especially when you're in the same arena as free players. It would be more comparable to membership in Runescape....if I could use my d claws in a F2P world.

Yeah, this is actually a significant issue in Dungeon Assault, it's just that nobody plays Dungeon Assault. :-s

[Earth_Poet]

BTW, that was a really good article troacctid. I laughed and found it entertaining from beginning to end. I absolutely agree, too. Though I am still keeping an eye out for that enchanted sushi.

[Troacctid]

BTW, that was a really good article troacctid. I laughed and found it entertaining from beginning to end. I absolutely agree, too. Though I am still keeping an eye out for that enchanted sushi.

So far all my attempts to use seaweed with raw fish have been unsuccessful, even with Pollniveachian hot sauce as a topping. It's probably because we don't have rice, although even if we did, I'm not sure what sort of enchantment it would require to make it worth 20m xp.

[whosyourpk]

About the first article. Jagex has created realm of runescape to earn money, not to let others earn it, but they can't say it becouse they'd lose some players. It wouldn't be nice to hear "all we want is your cash, you can enjoy the game"

 

Regarding the 2nd article it's true. If you spent time earning money you earn it, if you spent time having fun in castle wars you have it. The only things that change are ways of making money. Before G.E. it was hard to sell 5 logs, 7 iron ores or 2 bowstrings, now it's easy peasy

[atestarossa]

 

However, setting that aside, I find it's usually more appropriate to discuss time spent on Runescape separately from time spent outside of Runescape; that is, character development ought to be measured based on the time displayed in the Adventurer's Log, not the age of the account. Under that criterion, real-life situations more or less become a non-issue.

 

Oh, and the existence of limited moneymakers, particularly Miscellania and farming, takes off a lot of the pressure to spend hours grinding for money. I've made the vast majority of my fortune that way--it probably takes less time out of your day than, say, checking your Facebook or channel surfing would. You could spend half an hour a day online and still be richer than somebody who spends hours but doesn't bother increasing their wealth.

 

You make a very good point, and it almost takes the time aspect out of this. But I want to make a little comment on these limited moneymakers.

 

I do some of these; in particular farming, and they are good. Farming makes at least 1500k per hour of effort, and others are at 1000k+ without problems. Thing is, this might make them look as so good that you must do them.

But if I should do all of these, and they would all be the best gp/h I could get, I wouldn't have time for anything else. I have tried. Doing all of them can take well over an hour, leaving you do start on a new farming round.

 

For me at least, I make the choice of not doing all of these. But this is still dependent on my ready time. (and I do not agree fully that we dispose our 24 hours freely. We live in a society, which takes it's demands, as well as our natural demands like food/shelter etc. that needs to be secured.)

 

But I think, in whole. I agree with you. As long as you don't put too much weight on the choice of it. I believe knowledge is the most important factor in this. And time, to a degree (which you have proven to be less than I first thought) But if you "have" sufficient of these two factors. Then all you are left with, is the choice.

[Zachneap]

 

War of legends isn't a real time strategy game...

 

It may be strategical and in real time but that does not mean it is real time strategy.

 

Much like in halo you play the role of a super soldier turning a war around that does not make halo a role playing game.

Or the inclusion of chess in runescape does not make runescape turn based.

 

Excuse me for asking, but how does a real-time game with strategy not count as a real-time strategy game?

The real time strategy game genre is another thing of its own. Wol May be in real time but its more of a simulation game. simcity is more closely related to Wol than Aoe. I must admit that i have only beaten the tutorial but from what i've heard it plays out like evony.

 

Its not because it can't be a real time strategy. Its strategic alright but if it was in that genre it would mean alot of other things were true.

 

Look at why halo isn't a role playing game.(rpg) Why isn't mlb 2011 an rpg, You can play as your own person. Sports games are Rts's too, they are real time and require strategy.

[sees_all1]

I enjoyed both articles, thanks for the reads.

[Returnofmic]

The first article was allright, since it doesn't interest me too much. (Inb4 omfg u play rs dis does affect u@@!!one!)

 

The second article was fantastic. Well written, to the point, and funny <3: Great read.

[Boeg3]

Completely agree with the second article. While luck affects some things such as drops, you have the choice to be there and have that luck. How much I level up is based solely on my motivation and all I have to do is put a bit of effort in.

 

As for the first article (Going a little backwards here :P) I understand what the author is trying to say but I personally have no problem with it. As long as it stays out of Runescape I think it's perfectly fine to have in other games they publish. Besides they have to make money someway and I just can't see how membership for War of Legends would work.

 

I agree with every single sentence, word, letter, dot... in this quote

[Asmodeous4]

First article was definitely an interesting read, provoked some thoughts.

Second article, well, I completely agreed with it. You are who you choose to be. Very well written and entertaining.

Two very good articles from the Tip.It Times. Thanks for the read.

[Perakp]

Both were very well written articles, but the idea in the second one was so old that I preferred the first one because it was fresh.

 

I think Wol would be a better game without the micro-transactions. In the long run players who continuously use j-creds will totally dominate the game over those that don't. But obviously jagex thinks this is in the spirit of this particular game.

On the other hand, I don't think jagex has many other choices here. It would be very difficult to break the game to f2p and p2p servers (who would pay for the p2p if it only offered little more than the f2p version) I wouldn't enjoy looking at ads all the time and making the game totally p2p would go against jagex's business plan even more dramatically.

 

There are other problems with j-creds as well, namely that you need them to upgrade your alliance. This could lead to situations in which people pay to upgrade their alliance just to be kicked soon after. This mechanic also ensures that more people will need to buy them, if they wish to compete. Also using the market trader takes credit, an option the free players don't have.

 

Something Jagex could implement in Rs is a kind of Grand-RWT-exchange, in which players could auction their items for real money, and Jagex took a set % from each completed trade. Obviously they don't have anything against people paying for in-game advantages anymore, so why not allow it when it can be done safely, and when there is a buck or two to be made.

[aspeeder]

Excellent Tip.It times this week =D>

I really hadn't heard of the new "strategy" game so the fact that the article gave a lot of background was perfect for me. The second article was one of the best I've read in a long time; Troacctid, you really have a talent for writing <3: .

[xlippsx]

1st article should have just said: Jagex learned their lesson.

2nd article was awesome and very well written.

[evilgeneral4]

I agree with the second article. I will admit I've been that guy to say lucky to the guy with the fishing skillcape. It is my fault I don't have it, and this article really puts it in that perspective. I like fooling around but having fun. I won't necessarily start working my buns off to get those 99's but it's something I'll think about it next time.

[Kalafai]

I've been playing War of Legends, and I facepalm at this artical.

 

Buying JCredits appears to be no more beneficial than getting members in runescape for the single reason of faster cash and levels for your f2p experience.

[iProN00bi]

the 2nd article made an interesting point, but I have to disagree for the most part. The article acts like luck is just a minor part of the game, when it plays a major role in player sucess, both in game and from real life. Monster hunting, barrows runs, and even slayer all depend greatly on luck in determining how much money a person makes from these activities. Sure its a choice to play a game of chance, but that doesn't mean its the players fault that the some other guy got a godsword hilt from GW and they did not.

 

Then there are outside factors beyond time that affect a person's success in rs, like money to be a member, I spend my first few years playing rs as f2p because I was younger and lacked the personal income to become a member. That wasn't really a choice for me.

Then there's factors like connection and the specs of the computer is using. Take fishing for example. Fishing can be quite boring to level up or power level to 99, making it seem crazy to spend that much time doing it all at once. But with a good computer and decent connection, you can split screen and do other things like watch videos, or, in my case talk on forums, making it ten times easier to fish so much without getting bored. But if you were like me a few years ago with a mediocre computer far away from a tv, it requires a will of steel to sit there, doing nothing else but watch yourself fish. Hardly fair.

 

Now I know some of these situations were specific, but I'm sure there are plenty of others that affect a person's ability to level up or make money in rs. I'm not saying its Entirely luck based like the people calling author lucky for having 99 fishing. But to say that being successful in rs is a choice is a ridiculous exaggeration on the other side of the spectrum. And yes I felt so strongly on this that I made an account solely to comment on the article XD