[DevBlog] Bonus XP Weekend: Second Helping

[Mil]

http://services.runescape.com/m=devblog/view_post.ws?post_id=101

What exactly is a Bonus XP Weekend?

As the name implies, there will be the opportunity to gain extra XP for standard training activities over the course of the Bonus XP Weekend.

 

 

When will this be happening?

The event will begin at 12:00PM BST (noon) on Friday 3rd September and will run until the end of Monday 6th September. These times are a rough estimate, but we will put a newspost out as soon as the event starts.

 

 

I don't use BST (or GMT)! Tell me what time this will be in my country.

Please use the handy and helpful Time Conversion Thread to work out the time of the event in your region.

 

 

How does the bonus XP work?

When you log in over the course of the Bonus XP Weekend, you will receive a multiplier on any standard training activity you perform as you play. This multiplier will begin at 2.7x what you would usually earn for any "normal training" activities (see list below), and will decrease every thirty minutes of game time until it reaches 1.1x, at which it will remain for the rest of the Bonus XP Weekend.

 

Here is what the multiplier will be for each thirty minutes of in-game time:

 

 

• 0-30 minutes: 2.7x
• 30-60minutes: 2.55x
• 60-90 minutes: 2.4x
• 90-120 minutes: 2.25x
• 120-150 minutes: 2.1x
• 150-180 minutes: 2.0x
• 180-210 minutes: 1.9x
• 210-240 minutes: 1.8x
• 240-270 minutes: 1.7x
• 270-300 minutes: 1.6x
• 300-330 minutes: 1.5x
• 330-360 minutes: 1.45x
• 360-390 minutes: 1.4x
• 390-420 minutes: 1.35x
• 420-450 minutes: 1.3x
• 450-480 minutes: 1.25x
• 480-510 minutes: 1.2x
• 510-540 minutes: 1.175x
• 540-570 minutes: 1.15
• 570-600 minutes: 1.25x

Your bonus XP rate will NOT decrease when you are not logged into the game, so do not feel pressured to play continuously. The XP button next to the mini-map will change to an XP+ button for the duration of the weekend, so you be able to keep track of all the extra XP that you are earning.

 

 

What activities will earn me bonus XP?

Normal training activities will earn you the bonus XP. Every fight, log cut or hunter trap you lay will grant you a multiple of the XP it would normally give. Typical training activities for each skill (not an exhaustive list):

 

 

• Attack and Strength - melee combat
• Ranged - ranged combat, Circus
• Magic - magic combat and other spell casting (e.g. enchanting jewellery, alchemy, teleporting), Circus
• Defence and Hitpoints - from all forms of combat
• Agility - completing courses, using shortcuts, Circus
• Construction - building furniture in your POH
• Cooking - cooking food on range/fire/spit
• Crafting - crafting pots, armour, jewellery, battlestaves, blowing glass
• Dungeoneering - completing dungeons
• Farming - weeding, planting/harvesting crops, checking tree health (even on trees grown before Bonus XP Weekend)
• Firemaking - lighting fires, burning evil tree roots, lighting beacons, burning shades
• Fishing - catching fish
• Fletching - fletching bows/arrows/crossbows/bolts, etc
• Herblore - cleaning herbs, mixing potions (including finishing off unfinished potions)
• Hunter - setting/checking traps, butterfly/bird/impling catching, falconry
• Mining - mining ores/gems, mining shooting stars
• Prayer - burying bones, burning shades
• Runecrafting - crafting runes at any altar (including ZMI/Ourania Altar), combination runes, crafting tiaras
• Slayer - doing Slayer tasks
• Smithing - smelting ores, smithing metal bars
• Summoning - infusing pouches, summoning familiars*
• Thieving - pickpocketing, thieving from chests/stalls, Pyramid Plunder
• Woodcutting - cutting trees/evil trees

*Due to the nature of how the Summoning skill is trained, we have decided that it will receive only a flat multiplier of 1.1x for these activities over the course of this entire Bonus XP Weekend.

 

 

What activities will NOT earn me bonus XP?

• Quest XP rewards
• Items/locations that already give bonus XP (e.g. ancient effigies, genie lamps, tomes of experience, goldsmithing gloves, Ectofuntus, POH altars, etc)
• XP rewards at the end of activities/distractions (e.g. Tears of Guthix, Soul Wars, Pest Control, jade vine, skeletal horror, giving sq'irk juice to Osman, etc)
• Anything which allows points to be exchanged for XP (e.g. Dungeoneering tokens, Penguin Points, Brimhaven Agility Arena tickets, Slayer incentives, Mrs Winkin's World of Seeds shop from Vinesweeper, etc)
• Any XP earned through the Assist system

Can I use my clay items, Penance horn, brawling gloves, etc, to add to my bonus XP?

These items will not work during the weekend as the effects of the Bonus XP Weekend will override any other items or areas that enhance XP rates. The item will not degrade when used during the bonus XP weekend. This includes clay items, Penance horns, brawling gloves, flame gloves/ring of fire, Fishing/Runecrafting/dragon slayer gloves and POH altars.

 

 

I'm not around that weekend. Will I be able to use my quota another time?

No. The bonus XP effects will only be available over this weekend.

 

 

Why is this members-only?

Future bonus XP events may well be opened up to free players as well, but we're waiting to see how this one works before making that decision.

 

 

But what if I don't want to play for the whole weekend?

The ideal time for training with bonus XP is during your first few hours of in-game time over the weekend - the diminishing returns means that once you've played for more than 10 hours you will no longer be getting a significant advantage in your training. The exception to this is Summoning, which will receive only a flat multiplier of 1.1x over the course of this entire Bonus XP Weekend.

 

 

Don't you think this cheapens training?/I already have 99 in all skills.

We think this is an update which appeals to a wide spectrum of players - from people who have just started out and will welcome a boost, to mid-level players striving for a goal, to high-level players training their last few skills, and even to those maxed-out players who are aiming for the 200 million mark in a skill. As everyone is being given the same opportunity, and that the significant benefit only lasts for ten hours, we do not feel it cheapens anything.

 

 

Isn't this going to ruin the economy?

As was the case with the last Bonus XP Weekend, we found that ten hours of increased XP had no more or less influence on the economy than any other new way of training skills. We do expect prices for certain items to rise in the run-up to this weekend, but to then naturally level out afterward. This is one of the reasons we are giving plenty of advance warning.

 

 

What will you do to stop merchant clans, etc, taking advantage of this knowledge?

To effectively manipulate a price you need a unique item that doesn't usually have a lot of variation in value. We're expecting demand to go up for certain items in the run-up to this update, but this isn't something which can be set by a single agenda as the economy as a whole is going to be up.

 

 

Who developed this? Who will answer my questions?

Mod Fnord was the original technical developer for this project, and Mod Maylea and Mod Knox will be around to answer questions. Any further questions that we haven't covered will be edited into this blog entry in time for the Bonus XP Weekend. We'll be monitoring the forums in the run-up to this event, but please be aware we can't always give personal answers to questions immediately.

[jsboutin2]

Cool info, no real difference except for summon...

 

 

# 540-570 minutes: 1.15

# 570-600 minutes: 1.25x

 

Typo there?

 

EDIT: Oh, and I just saw that goldsmithing gauntlets weren't mentionned. I hope this one isn't a typo :thumbsup:

[Ronan]

# 540-570 minutes: 1.15

# 570-600 minutes: 1.25x

 

Typo there?

Heh, yea - noticed that too. ;)

 

Yea, bit more information than the forum-thread, but nothing major.

[Racheya]

Still no answer on if you get extra Dungoneering tokens with the xp...

[Shinobu_Sensui]

Awesome more players will know who don't read forums or listen to friends =D well for me if i want to start a armor collection and sell my herb collection.

[Obtaurian]

They don't believe that XP weekends affect the economy? I'm convinced -- Jagex employees do not play Runescape.

[Shinobu_Sensui]

They don't believe that XP weekends affect the economy? I'm convinced -- Jagex employees do not play Runescape.

 

I always thought that myself. I don't even like bonus exp weekends makes the game more easier for newbies. Solution:remove bonus exp week or jagex.

[Jabawoki13]

Still no answer on if you get extra Dungoneering tokens with the xp...

 

You do not get bonus tokens

 

Hey there:

 

1. Is summoning 10% throughout the whole weekend? (that way we can level other skills first whilst the xp rate is higher and summoning will always stay at 10%)

-----

That's right.

 

 

2. Will the Summoning xp rate drop from 10% over a period of time?

------

No. It will remain stable at that for the entirety of the event.

 

3. Are all other skills still available? i know Prayer at a POH altar was not allowed in the last bonus weekend.

-------

All other skills will be available, with the same restrictions as last time..

 

 

4. Does the xp stack with other xp boosting items, for example: Stealing Creation items, Brawling Gloves.

-------------

No stacking. Same as last time

 

5. In dungeoneering, do you get double tokens as well as xp?

----------

Nope. You get bonus XP, not bonus Tokens.

 

 

6. Pro Scaper asks: is the xp rate still going to be 2.7x to start off with and slowly go down to 1.1x?

-------

The details will be coming out real soon now.

 

Thanks for the questions.

 

Mod Fnord

 

Quick find code: 234-235-655-61561335

[Nifflin]

# 540-570 minutes: 1.15

# 570-600 minutes: 1.25x

 

Typo there?

Heh' date=' yea - noticed that too. ;)

 

[/quote']

 

Considering the lack of accurate math last time, this doesn't bode well at all.

[Zaaps1]

Who developed this? Who will answer my questions?

Mod Fnord was the original technical developer for this project, and Mod Maylea and Mod Knox will be around to answer questions.

 

And the ranters have received their targets.

[Obtaurian]

Who developed this? Who will answer my questions?

Mod Fnord was the original technical developer for this project, and Mod Maylea and Mod Knox will be around to answer questions.

 

And the ranters have received their targets.

 

Mod Fnord? He's the guy who always gives [cabbage] answers to questions during Q&A's. I'm not at all surprised that he's the main developer.

[Will H]

I'm fed up with Jagex right now. They need to stop playing games with the economy. Just because it can handle one change at a time to one or two skills, doesn't mean it can handle the equivalent of nearly every skill getting a big update at the same time. It's flawed logic.

[Bows]

I'm fed up with Jagex right now. They need to stop playing games with the economy. Just because it can handle one change at a time to one or two skills, doesn't mean it can handle the equivalent of nearly every skill getting a big update at the same time. It's flawed logic.

 

I wholeheartedly agree. I also agree with Morningrise, they don't play Runescape.

[Rhonda]

Now I have a better idea of how many teak logs to chop.

[Great_one]

max time i'll be able to play during weekend: 2 hours

 

haveing 8k pots ready to mix: priceless

[Shinobu_Sensui]

IMO if they really want to have bonus exp weekends release then randomly without telling people at all, if they complain they should be happy for some free exp. Or what i think is better remove bonus exp weekends.

[Golvellius]

10 hours of straight Rcing at ZMI. :ohnoes:

[GottaGetDownOnfriday]

Still no answer on if you get extra Dungoneering tokens with the xp...

 

 

 

@KingSora354 You will get more XP for completing a Dungeon during #BXpW but not bonus tokens. [Ajd]

 

 

There ya go! :P

[Bassy]

Still no answer on if you get extra Dungoneering tokens with the xp...

 

 

 

@KingSora354 You will get more XP for completing a Dungeon during #BXpW but not bonus tokens. [Ajd]

 

 

There ya go! :P

 

Don't they know the only real reason we're training Dungeoneering is for the rewards? So basically this weekend is for Herblore or Runecrafting, and I'm being totally honest in that I feel this better be the last XP weekend.

 

I would normally be training Herblore like I have been for a while, but since this "does not affect the economy" and yet I still can't buy any potion ingredients, I guess I'm just going to Runecraft or simply waste the time away.

[Big_Stingman]

Makes sense that you don't get double tokens. You don't get double runes from runecrafting, or double logs from woodcutting.

 

Personally, I am going to train skills that I hate, starting with agility. I can always just make more money and level con/herb later.

[sumondskull6]

Still no answer on if you get extra Dungoneering tokens with the xp...

 

 

 

@KingSora354 You will get more XP for completing a Dungeon during #BXpW but not bonus tokens. [Ajd]

 

 

There ya go! :P

 

I think that's BS, since you get your tokens based on how much exp you get.

Tokens - These tokens can be exchanged with the reward trader on the surface of Daemonheim. Tokens are calculated at the rate of 1 token for every 10 Dungeoneering XP

We should still get 1/10 tokens/exp.

[xpx]

Still no answer on if you get extra Dungoneering tokens with the xp...

 

 

 

@KingSora354 You will get more XP for completing a Dungeon during #BXpW but not bonus tokens. [Ajd]

 

 

There ya go! :P

 

Don't they know the only real reason we're training Dungeoneering is for the rewards? So basically this weekend is for Herblore or Runecrafting, and I'm being totally honest in that I feel this better be the last XP weekend.

 

I would normally be training Herblore like I have been for a while, but since this "does not affect the economy" and yet I still can't buy any potion ingredients, I guess I'm just going to Runecraft or simply waste the time away.

It's your own fault for not preparing for the weekend, everyone had the same opportunities so if other people could think ahead, so should you have done. And really, jagex are right about the weekends not substantially affecting the economy- the only visible effects this has on the economy are some quite minor price fluctuations leading up to the weekend and people burning their money away, nothing major in terms of average economic fluctuations. The economy would be seriously affected if both merchants and players themselves only hoarded skill-specific raw goods between the weekends thus raising the prices even on average, but we haven't seen any of that yet. Players having higher levels can't really be considered for economic effect.

[UserOnRS]

Do you think it'd work this time to log out just before the minute passes to refresh it for more xp? That's what some people did for summoning last time to use up all their charms on the maximun xp. I don't think it'd be against the rules as people use that for herblore (if it still works :P).

 

I'm also wondering if cashing in a large task at the sawmill works (most likely not :P). If it does it'd be a nice way to start with circus and a farm run too.

 

Dungeoneering isn't worth it IMO as it'd take more than half an hour to complete a dungeon when you could have got more xp doing something else. I'll be training RuneCrafting mostly as I don't have much money to spend on herb this time. :(

[sumondskull6]

Makes sense that you don't get double tokens. You don't get double runes from runecrafting, or double logs from woodcutting.

 

Personally, I am going to train skills that I hate, starting with agility. I can always just make more money and level con/herb later.

It doesn't make make sense, actually. You're supposed to get tokens based on 10% of your exp, in this case, you'll be getting 1/27, 1/25.5, 1/24, etc etc. I realize it's double 'EXP' weekend, but you get your tokens based on a percentage of you're exp regardless.

[Maddy]

I knew another bonus wknd would come soon or later. I was stocking my 1k overload materials 2 months ago. I guess it's worth it..haha..