As you all know, Jagex made the hiscores a members-only feature last November over the objections of the community. As a result, many third-party rank-based features (such as dynamic signatures and the F2P hiscore list on Tip.It) could no longer work properly.

 

However, I have an idea that could help restore the functionality to such features - at least to the users that want them. As it is no longer possible to get the hiscores of non-members from the RuneScape website, the only other way is to use a program to grab the data from the game while it's running. I can think of two possible approaches for doing this:

 

The memory scanning approach

 

Since the EXP for each skill is shown to the player, it has to be located in the user's computer's memory somewhere. If we could find out the memory addresses of these values, then we could write a program to read the memory addresses in question. As long as our program doesn't interact with the game directly - and it shouldn't because it's merely collecting data - it should not be against Jagex's rules.

 

The OCR approach

 

If the first approach isn't plausible, the other idea is to use an OCR program. To save their hiscore, the user would hover their mouse over all of their skills, and the EXP values would be read in by the program. The downside for this approach is that it would be a little awkward, and that the data could be faked (say, by a program that emulates the RuneScape skills panel).

 

The user would enter their username into the program so it knows who it is tracking. Once the progam has collected the EXP values, it would send the data to an unofficial hiscore server. Has anyone ever thought of something like this?

Those both are pretty easy to cheat.

The first idea is probably against the TOS.

Stats are stored on their servers, so you wouldn't be able to find them on someone's computer.

Can you still create a clan with 4 inactive accounts and a ftp-er and track via clan hischores?

Stats are stored on their servers, so you wouldn't be able to find them on someone's computer.

 

I was thinking about extracting them from the player's computer's memory while the game is running.

Stats are stored on their servers, so you wouldn't be able to find them on someone's computer.

 

I was thinking about extracting them from the player's computer's memory while the game is running.

They're not stored on the player's computer's memory.

Stats are stored on their servers, so you wouldn't be able to find them on someone's computer.

 

I was thinking about extracting them from the player's computer's memory while the game is running.

They're not stored on the player's computer's memory.

 

I don't think you understand. There is a local copy of the stats stored in RAM. How else do you suppose the game could tell you your skill levels in the stat window?

Stats are stored on their servers, so you wouldn't be able to find them on someone's computer.

 

I was thinking about extracting them from the player's computer's memory while the game is running.

They're not stored on the player's computer's memory.

 

If the stats are to be displayed to the player (e.g., when they go to their stats menu), then they have to be cached in the computer's memory somehow. That is, unless Jagex converts them to image format before sending them to the client.

Stats are stored on their servers, so you wouldn't be able to find them on someone's computer.

 

I was thinking about extracting them from the player's computer's memory while the game is running.

They're not stored on the player's computer's memory.

 

I don't think you understand. There is a local copy of the stats stored in RAM. How else do you suppose the game could tell you your skill levels in the stat window?

 

It is all server side. Anything that is client side is purely a graphical image. If your stats were client side, it might be possible to edit them.

Seems people don't know how the RuneScape client works... Not like it's not unexpected.

 

The RuneScape client is a dumb client, obviously. But it still has to store a local copy of the data needed to render everything. This includes stats, NPC/player/item positions, their health and tons of other similar data. Obviously this data is only a local copy, and editing it would have no purpose.

 

To say that it just sends an image irks me, especially when stated in an assertive tone. If the game just sent an image, how is it possible to do the following..?

 

 

That image shows the potential of client-side changes. Obviously there are not 100s of people in steel armor, and it has no bearing on what other people see, but it goes to show that it is possible to edit data that the client makes use of.

 

Furthermore, if it "just sends an image," why would some people have FPS drops and others not? Why would they have safe mode, software, DirectX, and OpenGL renderers? Sheesh, if you don't know what you're talking about...

^ That is also how people fake dupe items. So it looks like they have max cash/rares etc but its only on their screen.

If those options would be possible I think Jagex would somehow block it, because they don't want us to have hiscores. They want money, not respect, so I personally wouldn't waste my time on this :unsure:.

Or you could just buy members.

Or you could just buy members.

 

Or not. :thumbup:

Can you still create a clan with 4 inactive accounts and a ftp-er and track via clan hischores?

Can you still create a clan with 4 inactive accounts and a ftp-er and track via clan hischores?

 

Its not perfect. It appears to show clan xp, but if there was no one else gaining any xp ever in the clan, you can track all gains since clan start.

It also lists the total xp of everyone combined under "Clan Stats." So a free player and 4 players with the 1k and change hitpoints experience could hypothetically do it.

Yes, that's what I was referring to. But only as long as the 4 other members never gain xp.

You could invite a friend, instruct them not to gain any xp for that interval, and then have that friend invite 4 fresh accounts you just made, and have the friend leave. I think this would be legitimate.

Yep :) That would work.