Lobby Improvements and Offline Messaging

[Zaaps1]

Introduction

 

http://services.runescape.com/m=news/newsitem.ws?id=2712&allcat=true

From today, when logging into the game, you will notice that the Welcome Screen has been replaced with what we’re calling the RuneScape Lobby.

 

There are several things you can do in the lobby before you enter the game. You can see which worlds your friends are playing on; you can chat to friends or enter a Clan Chat; you can switch worlds and set your favourites; and you can change your display options. The lobby adds no additional clicks to getting into the game.

 

When logging out of the game, you will re-enter the lobby and stay logged in for up to an hour (though you can fully log out by clicking on the ‘X’ at the top-right of the lobby). As you don't need to enter your password to go from the lobby into the game, this should make things much more convenient when you want to change worlds or take a short break.

 

In light of this update, an interesting opportunity presents itself to achieve a suggestion long desired by players, offline messaging.

 

The lobby allows you to talk with your friends or in a clan chat even when you are not actually in the game. The only prerequisite is that you be logged in. Before I suggest the update, let me first suggest some improvements to the current system, and in turn, before I do that, let me address some problems with the current system.

 

 

Current Concerns

 

1) As I'm sure you've all experienced, the auto-join feature for clan chats has been working a little slowly since this update

2) You cannot tell in-game, apart from your friends list or clan chat list, when a player leaves the lobby to join the game, and vice-versa

3) The lobby menu does not alert you of private or clan messages if you are on a different tab

4) Typing private messages is awkward due to the text box's central placing and emphasis.

 

Now, let me offer solutions to these.

 

1) I do not know the coding, so all I have to say is that this be looked into by Jagex, if they have not done so already. Nothing much I can say here.

2) A tricky thing to handle. This problem will not present itself, however, if a few later suggestions are implemented. Read on.

3) Similar to how the tabs in the in-game chat box highlight, have the tabs in the friends tab and clan chat tab also highlight or flash when you get a message

4) Make private messages typed the same way as in game, or the same way as in multiplayer funorb games (displayed at bottom of chatbox in 1 line, Typing Message to Zaaps1: or something to that effect).

 

 

Other useful updates

 

Now here are some improvements that would make the lobby feature much more useful.

 

1) If you join a clan chat in the lobby, you automatically log into that clan chat when you join the game. When you leave the game and were logged into a clan chat, you remain logged in in the lobby.

2) When you switch worlds, normal lobby functions do not disable

3) Private messages and clan chat messages from the lobby and in-game carry over (so if you sent me a message in-game, but then I logged, I'd be able to see and reply to it in the lobby, and vice-versa.

4) [Tab] responding to PMs in the lobby, no matter which tab you are in

5) Pressing the / key automatically takes you to the clan chat tab

 

This all makes using the lobby much more helpful. There is no break in conversation between the lobby and in-game. In fact, problem #2 mentioned above ceases to exist since you can message people anytime they are logged in and they will get the message. Only one "log-in" message is necessary to send to friends since only one type of logging exists. In addition, conversing in the lobby itself is instantly more streamlined.

 

 

Offline Messaging

 

But what about the offline messaging I promised?

 

Well this can be added in a few ways. What I think is best is that a new tab be made for the player's Jagex inbox. This would include messages from Jagex, prioritized and made significant, and also messages from other players, which are more basic in appearance. Think about how Forum Mods/Jagex Mods' posts look like on the forums compared to a normal player's post on the RSOF. Something big like that.

 

This also eliminates the need for a player to exist the current screen to check messages by Jagex, which is quite honestly a huge hassle and I don't even bother reading any Jagex mails anymore. True it doesn't take long, but when I log in, I log in to play the game, not to be reminded that I have an unread message by Jagex. By sticking it onto the lobby, a player can quickly check Jagex's messages when they are logged out to go, or when they are logging in they can catch up with friends.

 

To prevent spam, a player may send 1 message to another player each time that player logs out, but that message can be editted until the player opens it. Here's what I mean. You log out at 12:30. At 1:30, I suddenly get level 99 Sailing. I am ecstatic at my achievement, and I MUST tell everyone I know. So I go to my friends' list, right-click your name, and under the "Quick-Response" option there is a "Send Mail" option (only exists for offline players). Here I can type out a normal private message, which you will receive in your lobby when you log in. Now, I can no longer use the Send Mail option to you until you log in then log out again, perhaps later that day.

 

However, 30 minutes later I suddenly achieve level 95 prayer! I've been working on it so long, that I need to tell everyone I know in my joy. But I can't send you another message until you log in! No sweat, I simply go to my lobby, go to the mail tab, select the message I previously sent you, then edit it. I can edit that same message however many times as my little heart desires until you log in and/or read that message.

 

Later you log in, read my messages, exhume my legendary accomplishments, and log in to congratulate me. After much reactive conversing, you must log out. However, afterward I managed to snag a 3rd Age Platebody from a clue I randomly decided to do! What a fantastic day for me! I can now use the "Send Mail" option again, since you have logged out again. If I proceed to get an Elysian from FFA Corp, I could edit my message using the lobby tab. Of course, you can also Send Mail in the lobby tab. There is no need to be logged in.

 

If a player appears offline to you, your message will still be sent, but it will not be delivered until your recipient actually logs out.

 

Privacy of the messaging system is the same as your current Friends List setting (On, Off, or Friends).

 

 

Conclusion

 

So to recap on my proposed updates to the lobby:

 

- Similar to how the tabs in the in-game chat box highlight, have the tabs in the friends tab and clan chat tab also highlight or flash when you get a message

- Make private messages typed the same way as in game, or the same way as in multiplayer funorb games (displayed at bottom of chatbox in 1 line, Typing Message to Zaaps1: or something to that effect).

- If you join a clan chat in the lobby, you automatically log into that clan chat when you join the game. When you leave the game and were logged into a clan chat, you remain logged in in the lobby.

- When you switch worlds, normal lobby functions do not disable

- Private messages and clan chat messages from the lobby and in-game carry over (so if you sent me a message in-game, but then I logged, I'd be able to see and reply to it in the lobby, and vice-versa.

- [Tab] responding to PMs in the lobby, no matter which tab you are in

- Pressing the / key automatically takes you to the clan chat tab

- An offline messaging system

 

Questions? Comments? Concerns?

[Maxingmck]

Yeah

[Ronan]

Sounds like a very viable system, can't see any negatives from the initial reading of it - lots of 'perfecting' upgrades to the lobby which is always good!

 

I'm presuming that you'd propose some sort of character limit on the sent offline message?

[Zaaps1]

Yes a character limit that's the same as the current in-game one (if you notice, if you keep typing the same character eventually you will stop; there is already a character limit).

 

Thanks for the posts.

[Zaaps1]

bump

[Boris5000]

Offline messaging will be hard to do... But all the other suggestions sound great. I think they have sorted out the auto-join on the CC now as I now join it immediatly from entering game worlds; you might have to test this though.

 

Although, if there was a way to use the Ingame inbox which seems to be attached with the lobby (then offline messaging could work through that means), they can called it RunePost Express or something cheesy...

[Zaaps1]

Lol, no doubt they will :P

 

Thanks for your post :)

[quelmotz]

Full support.

 

Very well thought out idea.

[Zaaps1]

Thanks Quel!