Tip.it Times 31 January 2010

[MistressGlo]

RE: Runescape Dinosaur

 

I agree with the majority of this article. It seems like these days there is so much offered to Clans and groups that players who like to just play the game and not be involved with the clan or group thing do not have many updates geared toward them. I am a loner because I like to work on skills and whatever I am doing on my time frame and not someone else's. I am not unsociable and I do talk to people who are around where ever I happen to be. I know there are a lot of players who do enjoy the group/clan stuff, but I also think there are quite a few players that play the way I do. It is because I can play RS my own way that I enjoy it so much. There have been some good updates for those of us who play alone like the diaries. It just seems like lately that the majority of updates have been geared to clan/groups. I know many of you do not agree with me, but I will say this if I wanted something like WOW then that is what I would be playing.

[mara_planter]

I, too, am a skiller/quester who doesn't participate in the Jagex-sponsored community activities, but I have a completely different perspective than Me_Hate_Libs.

 

I play 1-2 hours/day, and I feel like I am falling behind in taking advantage of the game content that has recently been introduced.

 

I am impressed with the number of small improvements that Jagex has made recently that make my skilling experience better, such as making the first click on pineapples "Use" instead of "Eat", or the ability to race through the gates between Al Kharid and Lumbridge without conversing with the guards. With the introduction of Notes and Objectives, I've got in-game ways to plan and track my progress.

 

Jagex has said they have been spending time making improvements to the less visible aspects of the game, such as the game engine, that will result in future game play improvements. As a former software engineer, I can completely sympathize with how much work goes into the less obvious enhancements to a body of code that supports the more visible enhancements. It is very frustrating when customers give their accolades only to those updates that provide immediate gratification.

 

I don't spend a lot of time on the Official Forums, but It does seem like Jagex staff have begun spending more time observing what is posted there and responding to posts. Although there is development lag time, I am seeing suggestions made in the forums incorporated into the game.

 

I don't have time to make Machinima videos, but I enjoy viewing what others produce, and am impressed with the creativity I see there. I will benefit from Jagex enhancements that support Machinima by the additional hours I spend watching videos and reflecting on the time I spend in the actual game. I appreciate player use of Machinima to create videos that offer tips about how to use various features of the game.

 

I don't belong to a clan, but I enjoy joining a clan chat to hunt penguins.

 

I can access Tip.it, but many of the younger players are limited by parental controls on their computers to in-game features. I applaud Jagex's efforts to give them the ability to access the accumulated wisdom of the RS community, and to have organized events to attend. I wish more "dinosaurs" would consider some community service time to help these younger players, and to recognize that they themselves have been helped by the kindness of strangers.

 

I disagree strenuously that the perspective of the author is mature. Part of maturity is recognizing that you are not the center of the universe. Rants are something mature people indulge in, not something they are proud of.

[Earth_Poet]

I, too, am a skiller/quester who doesn't participate in the Jagex-sponsored community activities, but I have a completely different perspective than Me_Hate_Libs.

 

I play 1-2 hours/day, and I feel like I am falling behind in taking advantage of the game content that has recently been introduced.

 

I am impressed with the number of small improvements that Jagex has made recently that make my skilling experience better, such as making the first click on pineapples "Use" instead of "Eat", or the ability to race through the gates between Al Kharid and Lumbridge without conversing with the guards. With the introduction of Notes and Objectives, I've got in-game ways to plan and track my progress.

 

Jagex has said they have been spending time making improvements to the less visible aspects of the game, such as the game engine, that will result in future game play improvements. As a former software engineer, I can completely sympathize with how much work goes into the less obvious enhancements to a body of code that supports the more visible enhancements. It is very frustrating when customers give their accolades only to those updates that provide immediate gratification.

 

I understand that sometimes even the smallest of improvements can take a lot of time to develop, but you're responding from the perspective of the employee, not a customer. How or why would you expect gamers to applaud an update that has no immediate effect on their gameplay, unless you are seeking some form of self-gratification? It may seem short-sighted, but all a gamer can do is comment on what's in front of him, especially with a company who enjoys keeping most things a surprise.

 

I don't have time to make Machinima videos, but I enjoy viewing what others produce, and am impressed with the creativity I see there. I will benefit from Jagex enhancements that support Machinima by the additional hours I spend watching videos and reflecting on the time I spend in the actual game. I appreciate player use of Machinima to create videos that offer tips about how to use various features of the game.

 

Here's my opinions on the Orb. Why go through so much trouble creating an object that you have to carry around with you, and cater it to a minor percentage of the population? Instead, why not simply create a first-person option, which would seem roughly the same effect, and it becomes something the whole community could enjoy? I think that's the point that is being made. Why not make an update that everyone can benefit from directly in the game? It could've been a huge universal update, but ended up something a handful of players might find useful while the rest of the community treats it as a novelty item for 15 minutes before moving on.

 

I can access Tip.it, but many of the younger players are limited by parental controls on their computers to in-game features. I applaud Jagex's efforts to give them the ability to access the accumulated wisdom of the RS community, and to have organized events to attend. I wish more "dinosaurs" would consider some community service time to help these younger players, and to recognize that they themselves have been helped by the kindness of strangers.

 

It can't be easy to wag your finger at other players for not putting in community service when you began your post by explaining you don't participate either. Is it because you only play 1-2 hours a day? I understand. That's my excuse, too.

[mara_planter]

I, too, am a skiller/quester who doesn't participate in the Jagex-sponsored community activities, but I have a completely different perspective than Me_Hate_Libs.

 

I play 1-2 hours/day, and I feel like I am falling behind in taking advantage of the game content that has recently been introduced.

 

I am impressed with the number of small improvements that Jagex has made recently that make my skilling experience better, such as making the first click on pineapples "Use" instead of "Eat", or the ability to race through the gates between Al Kharid and Lumbridge without conversing with the guards. With the introduction of Notes and Objectives, I've got in-game ways to plan and track my progress.

 

Jagex has said they have been spending time making improvements to the less visible aspects of the game, such as the game engine, that will result in future game play improvements. As a former software engineer, I can completely sympathize with how much work goes into the less obvious enhancements to a body of code that supports the more visible enhancements. It is very frustrating when customers give their accolades only to those updates that provide immediate gratification.

 

I understand that sometimes even the smallest of improvements can take a lot of time to develop, but you're responding from the perspective of the employee, not a customer. How or why would you expect gamers to applaud an update that has no immediate effect on their gameplay, unless you are seeking some form of self-gratification? It may seem short-sighted, but all a gamer can do is comment on what's in front of him, especially with a company who enjoys keeping most things a surprise.

 

I have worked with customers who understand the difference between instant gratification and delayed gratification. They are much easier to work with/for that the ones who only understand visible results, and the products I produced for the former were generally superior to those I produced for customers who valued flash over substance. It is in YOUR best interest to acknowledge/tolerate/support those things that benefit the game in the long run.

 

 

I don't have time to make Machinima videos, but I enjoy viewing what others produce, and am impressed with the creativity I see there. I will benefit from Jagex enhancements that support Machinima by the additional hours I spend watching videos and reflecting on the time I spend in the actual game. I appreciate player use of Machinima to create videos that offer tips about how to use various features of the game.

 

Here's my opinions on the Orb. Why go through so much trouble creating an object that you have to carry around with you, and cater it to a minor percentage of the population? Instead, why not simply create a first-person option, which would seem roughly the same effect, and it becomes something the whole community could enjoy? I think that's the point that is being made. Why not make an update that everyone can benefit from directly in the game? It could've been a huge universal update, but ended up something a handful of players might find useful while the rest of the community treats it as a novelty item for 15 minutes before moving on.

 

I don't know what "the Orb" is, and I don't know why Jagex chose that particular way to implement Machinima support. It could be bad, it could be good, it could be mediocre. What I object to is the idea that Jagex should not provide Machinima support.

 

 

I can access Tip.it, but many of the younger players are limited by parental controls on their computers to in-game features. I applaud Jagex's efforts to give them the ability to access the accumulated wisdom of the RS community, and to have organized events to attend. I wish more "dinosaurs" would consider some community service time to help these younger players, and to recognize that they themselves have been helped by the kindness of strangers.

 

It can't be easy to wag your finger at other players for not putting in community service when you began your post by explaining you don't participate either. Is it because you only play 1-2 hours a day? I understand. That's my excuse, too.

 

First of all, community service and participation in Jagex-sponsored events are not the same thing. I don't participate in "official events"; I do provide "community service."

 

Community service doesn't have to be through an organization. Whenever I log on, there are usually younger less experienced players who need help. Sometimes they're already on my friends list, sometimes they're strangers asking for help. (Sometimes they're just obviously floundering.) Sometimes they need an item, sometimes advice, sometimesan older person to look up something for them at a fansite like Tip.it. Anyone like me who responds to those requests is not only helping the player, but helping him/herself by building a stronger RS community. When you help other people, you get to see their perspective, and how their needs and wants might not be exactly the same as yours. You start to care about whether the game works for someone other than yourself.

 

The article was originally a post on the official RS forums. "Dinosaurs" are perfectly welcome not to become involved in any community, but it seems ironic when they use a tool that Jagex provides to support the existence of communities to tear down Jagex's efforts to build communities.

 

I have a sister, and I have two kids. I have seen sibling rivalry from both sides. There is often the feeling that Mom is playing favorites. It is only very young children who feel that the parent would be justified in ignoring the needs of a sibling, which is essentially what the article is advocating. The green-eyed monster called Jealousy has visited all of us, but we are better human beings for trying to overcome it, rather than indulging in it.