Skills or pseudo-skills? The dungeoneering effect

[Atonisk]

With the release of dungeoneering, which more resembles a mini-game than a traditional skill, we finally have a skill that really touches virtually every other skill in RS and yet ironically (perhaps because of its mini-game resemblance) seems to have relatively little impact on the game outside of itself. In some ways, the limited impact on the outside game puts D'eering on par with things like thieving.

 

Every since pyramid plunder came out, I've personally been enamored with the idea of having skills primarily trained through full mini-games where the rewards are minor content unlocks outside of the game. On many levels, d'eering is a rough fulfillment of that wish; however, at the same time, it really doesn't feel like a skill because almost everything relating to the skill is still mostly tied just into that one mini-game area (whereas something like thieving offers minor benefits like the ability to access certain areas in RS that would otherwise be literally locked off from a player).

 

Generally, your most popular skills have been things with a broad application (such as the combat skills), anything that makes money (fishing, wc'ing), and things that are easy to train. The most unpopular skills are usually the things that have a limited application (thieving, firemaking) or are hard to train. D'eering would really seem to fall more into that unpopular camp, but early reaction to D'eering seems to be *mostly* positive. Although it really doesn't have much to do with the general game, it's a fairly fun mini-game. So I was wondering how many people feel that Jagex should design more "pseudo-skills" where the skill itself is closely tied into a specific mini-game or two versus giving us more general skills which have a somewhat wider variety of training (like hunting).

 

(Also, just as a general aside, D'eering itself seems like that long-promised "randomly generated (group) quest system" that Jagex announced plans of back in either 2004 or 2005. However, at the time, the proposal seemed like just a plain event/minigame. The decision to make it into a skill seems to be intended to draw greater involvement from a wider player-base, as many skillers have a habit of avoiding non-exp-based mini-games.)

[Nexaduro]

An effective, thoughtful summary. That explains many peoples feelings on the new skill, I believe.

[mister_moocky]

Calling it a skill is a mistake. It doesn't fit in with any of the other skills, and as you said, is restricted to a small area. It doesn't use the same 1-99 system as other skills; why Jagex would release this skill's cap at 120 yet go out of their way to avoid increasing hp I don't now. It's a minigame, a big one yes,but a minigame none the less.

[quelmotz]

I think it was meant to be expanded upon later on. Unlike summoning, it doesn't start with as much content. Maybe Jagex somehow ran out of originality or just wanted to rush the skill out to please the crowds.

[Will H]

I think it was meant to be expanded upon later on. Unlike summoning, it doesn't start with as much content. Maybe Jagex somehow ran out of originality or just wanted to rush the skill out to please the crowds.

 

If you look at it engine wise, they've put a lot of effort into making something that's huge and completely new to the game, but finished with only a single chunk of content. I imagine that it won't be long before we see another dungeon that's equally awesome, but completely different, using the same engine.

[Wachiru]

More likely, an expansion on this dungeon....as Thok said, "There are more then Demons in here"

 

I'd say we'll have more levels in this dungeon....

 

On the subject of skill or minigame....It's too early to tell....I've played at every chance I could, getting impressive token rewards, and I still have yet to get any sort of reward, it's too early to tell what sort of "effect" dungeoneering will have on say....PVP, or any other aspect....

 

I like this bonecrusher thing, free exp whenever I go fire-giant hunting! =)

 

--Wachiru

[i_m_darkness]

I assume content will be added over time that has dungeoneering requirements. I'm thinking along the lines of getting deeper into existing dungeons in the game etc