Summary of Mod Mark's AMAA today

[Kimberly]

Source: http://www.reddit.co...at_jagex_games/

 

 

 

Now that the jokes are aside...

 

Teasers & stuff:

• New task set released in January - link
  
• There are changes planned down the line to make more skills worthwhile that reward the skill of the player - link
  
• We're not going to get a lot of sneaky info leaked about the new skills until release - link
  
• Two new skills might have a tenuous attachment to lore, might not be like Dungeoneering to Daemonheim though - link
  
• Zaros might be seen in the return of the gods storyline (not really a reveal, more like a confirmation) - link
  
• Noticeboard changes are incoming - link
  
• Teleporting in dungeons when your map is open will be fixed, no ETA - link
  
• Money-sink and and stopping player-run gambling coming in the future, coming early 2013 - link, link
  
• Not really a leak, but they plan to continue unique untradable items - link
  
• Varrock getting a graphical update soon - link
  
• Slug series has no plans of getting revamped (lol) - link
  
• Sagas getting fixed and he apologizes for the delay, first update in January ETA - link
  
• "Level Up My X" update not abandoned, still being worked on - link
  
• One of the new skills will be heavily involved with the new pocket slot released at the same time as Player owned ports - link
  
• There is something being developed for/around the Wilderness, no clear hints as to what - link
  
• 
  

Interesting points of discussion:

• While he is the lead designer, he might not have a say in what the content is used for, or whether or not it gets priced appropriately - link
  
• They feel like they've transitioned into the "nonkids game" realm enough and claim that the kids-game perspective might be tied to when people first joined the game - link
  
• "Id like to improve the GP earning potential of many aspects of the game. However, some activities will always remain XP focused, and I don't believe that all skills should generate the same amount of wealth." (Good on ya Mark.) - link
  
• 
  

Misc stuff:

• Unlikely to be international hires for the game design aspect of RS in the near future - link
  
• Mod mark really wants to keep the new skill under-wraps - link
  
• Mod Mark surprisingly didn't know that the make-x/production interface was obstructive - link
  
• 
  

 

Tried to get everything of substance Mod Mark replied to but that was a lot to sift through. I highly encourage you guys to read it too, it was pretty interesting. It was an AMAA though so a lot of things weren't answered; however he gave us a lot of good info, I think more than I originally expected.

 

The thing that interested me the most was that one of the new skills will make heavy use of the pocket slot and the new task set. I think it's pretty good that Mod Mark wants diverse skills and recognizes that not all skills will make money, something a large portion of RS tends to forget.

 

So what do you guys think about it? Happy he released an AMAA? Happy with what he answered/how he answered?

[RSBDavid]

I was hoping he would answer my question, oh well. Thanks for the recap Kimberly!

[Coconut Bodywash]

Just read through it, not really impressed with his level of responses.. He really should have ignored some of the ones where he just completely responded off-topicly or say he can't answer.(Could have atleast suggested who to get in touch with, or to say he'll personally look into it or give his own opinion on it..)

 

Idk.. it was kind of interesting to see him getting out onto reddit(<3) but not that much that we didn't already know was put on the table.

[IridiumBunny]

One I picked up: Bank boosters are coming to loyalty shop in 2013. That means 'coming weeks' means 5-17 months in Jagexland. I know I sound bitter but I have been looking forward to them for so long now...

[ACK]

I am looking forward for "Level Up My X", New "Task Set" and the "Two New Runescape Skills".

 

 

 

 

YES! I call them Runescape Skills, Because you don't see these skills in other games.

that's why Runescape so cool ? =]

[Kimberly]

YES! I call them Runescape Skills, Because you don't see these skills in other games.

that's why Runescape so cool ? =]

 

Why is it necessary to call them runescape skills instead of just "skills" when we're obviously talking about runescape? >_>'

[Stev]

I was hoping he would answer my question, oh well. Thanks for the recap Kimberly!

I too would be very curious about his reply to that question. ;).

[Ginger_Warrior]

Four things really stick out to me:

 

1) The focus on lore instead of XP rates and skill mastery in the new skills;

2) "There are changes planned down the line to make more skills worthwhile that reward the skill of the player"

3) Mentioning that people often value the XP rather than the finished item itself.

4) Admittance that GP earning potential needs to be improved.

 

When you bundle those four together, I think it indicates a desire to move the focus of the game away from RuneScape's six year long obsession with skillcapes, maxing and completionism.

[Kaida23]

3) Mentioning that people often value the XP rather than the finished item itself.

Please tell me he's not just realizing that now. <_<

 

Still, Ginger is right. Hopefully this does indicate their desire to refocus away from max xp and towards more enjoyable challenges (given people's reactions, PoP seems to be a good example of this).

[Demoli]

I honestly think they have been trying to move away from Skillcapes the Day they were implemented, It severely limited interaction between skillers and Combat carachters, since there was the extra incentive of prestige. Max Cape and Comp were also part of this move, but since they require such inane reqs i think SkillCapes did the most damage.

 

anyways, new Task set next month, thats great, expecting a necklace or a main weapon, probably a neck.

[Quorra]

Sounded like he didn't even know about the 50% loading problem.

[Hamtaro]

What is an AMAA? Is this some reddit thing?

[Ginger_Warrior]

Sounded like he didn't even know about the 50% loading problem.

I used a search engine to see what you meant by that just to make sure we're on the same page and one result I got was a bot site saying Jagex needs to "fix their shit". I wouldn't believe it if I hadn't seen it myself. For obvious reasons I won't provide an URL or details on what search engine I used.

 

Back to the issue, I'd be pretty disappointed if something like this was filled with questions on technical difficulties rather than the general direction he wants to take RuneScape. I wouldn't want a lead developer working on that sort of stuff; it's not what they're paid for.

 

Hopefully this does indicate their desire to refocus away from max xp and towards more enjoyable challenges (given people's reactions, PoP seems to be a good example of this).

If PoP is any sort of indication on what new RuneScape content will look like, then it's definitely a step in the right direction. I felt the same way about Dungeoneering in terms of what should define a 'skill' in RuneScape, although I wasn't playing when Dungoneering got released.

[Mojohaza1]

Very interesting to read, thanks for this :)

[Bxpprod]

What is an AMAA? Is this some reddit thing?

 

Ask Me (Almost) Anything. AMA's often appear on that hellhole, though I doubt it's only seen there.

[Hamtaro]

What is an AMAA? Is this some reddit thing?

 

Ask Me (Almost) Anything. AMA's often appear on that hellhole, though I doubt it's only seen there.

When did Q&A become "Ask Me (Almost) Anything"? That is terribly stupid.

[Kimberly]

What is an AMAA? Is this some reddit thing?

 

Ask Me (Almost) Anything. AMA's often appear on that hellhole, though I doubt it's only seen there.

When did Q&A become "Ask Me (Almost) Anything"? That is terribly stupid.

 

It's a reddit thing. If you're answering EVERY question, it's AMA. If you're only answering some questions (aka he was only answering questions relevant to a lead designer) it's an AMAA.

 

More descriptive actually than Jagex's typical Q&A and equally 'productive' with the added bonus of extra visibility on /r/runescape, /r/gaming, /r/ama, etc. If you're going to waste the lead designer's time, at least get some good advertisement out of it.

 

Don't mind it at all really -- reddit is vastly superior to the RSOF. No one should WANT a Q&A done on that shithole. No need to have a fit.

[Canada Crow]

He responded to my question saying that he would rather fight a KBD Sized Duck.

 

Considering some of the AMA's on /r/IAmA, his wasn't half bad.

[Hamtaro]

What is an AMAA? Is this some reddit thing?

 

Ask Me (Almost) Anything. AMA's often appear on that hellhole, though I doubt it's only seen there.

When did Q&A become "Ask Me (Almost) Anything"? That is terribly stupid.

More descriptive actually than Jagex's typical Q&A and equally 'productive' with the added bonus of extra visibility on /r/runescape, /r/gaming, /r/ama, etc. If you're going to waste the lead designer's time, at least get some good advertisement out of it.

"Oh, excellent. reddit kids are exactly what RuneScape needs." - Nobody Ever

 

 

[Kimberly]

What is an AMAA? Is this some reddit thing?

 

Ask Me (Almost) Anything. AMA's often appear on that hellhole, though I doubt it's only seen there.

When did Q&A become "Ask Me (Almost) Anything"? That is terribly stupid.

More descriptive actually than Jagex's typical Q&A and equally 'productive' with the added bonus of extra visibility on /r/runescape, /r/gaming, /r/ama, etc. If you're going to waste the lead designer's time, at least get some good advertisement out of it.

"Oh, excellent. reddit kids are exactly what RuneScape needs." - Nobody Ever

 

 

 

I get it, you hate reddit but I'm not exactly talking about the shittier subreddits out there (/r/atheism, /r/funny, etc)

 

Regardless the community there (/r/scape, /r/runescape) is a slightly more tolerable community than the RSOF collective...But what I was mostly referring to was the fact that the rsof is absolutely horrible for any exchange of information due to their board's poor functionality.

[Will H]

I wouldn't dismiss Reddit, although it is pretty intolerable if you don't have an account and keep to the default settings. There are some small communities on there that are pretty great.

 

Also, some Reddit lingo:

 

1. AMA = Ask Me Anything, a Question and Answer thread focused on a participating person or group of people. AMAA means "Ask Me Almost Anything". The titles traditionally start with "IAmA" or "IAm". Ignore the lack of spaces, it's like a tradition for AMAs.

2. Subreddit = The equivalent of a subforum on Reddit, of which there are thousands. All of them start with "/r/" and can vary wildly. Anybody can create a new subreddit if the name isn't taken up already. The most popular ones are viewable on the default page (as in, what you see if you don't have an account), but the larger ones are generally worse than the smaller ones. Exceptions include /r/askreddit, /r/IAmA, and /r/askscience. My favourites include /r/britishproblems and /r/SubredditDrama.

3. Upvote/downvote = Reddit uses a fairly unique system where all threads and comments can be voted on regarding on whether everyone else thinks the post is good or not, which then pushes the post upward or downwards on the page. "Upvoting" means clicking on the upwards arrow, and increasing the score by 1 and the post's visibility. "Downvoting" means clicking on the downwards arrow, reducing visibility and reducing the score by 1. Each user can vote once on each post, and a sufficiently downvoted post hides it from view (although you can still toggle to see them).

4. Karma = Your "score", the sum of all of the upvotes and downvotes of all of your posts.

 

There's loads more, but I think those ones will get you by.

[Hamtaro]

Regardless the community there (/r/scape, /r/runescape) is a slightly more tolerable community than the RSOF collective...But what I was mostly referring to was the fact that the rsof is absolutely horrible for any exchange of information due to their board's poor functionality.

Agreed. I've been to r/runescape before. It's better than the RSOF perhaps, but r/gaming is by far worse.

 

I wouldn't dismiss Reddit, although it is pretty intolerable if you don't have an account and keep to the default settings. There are some small communities on there that are pretty great.

 

Also, some Reddit lingo:

 

1. AMA = Ask Me Anything, a Question and Answer thread focused on a participating person or group of people. AMAA means "Ask Me Almost Anything". The titles traditionally start with "IAmA" or "IAm". Ignore the lack of spaces, it's like a tradition for AMAs.

2. Subreddit = The equivalent of a subforum on Reddit, of which there are thousands. All of them start with "/r/" and can vary wildly. Anybody can create a new subreddit if the name isn't taken up already. The most popular ones are viewable on the default page (as in, what you see if you don't have an account), but the larger ones are generally worse than the smaller ones. Exceptions include /r/askreddit, /r/IAmA, and /r/askscience. My favourites include /r/britishproblems and /r/SubredditDrama.

3. Upvote/downvote = Reddit uses a fairly unique system where all threads and comments can be voted on regarding on whether everyone else thinks the post is good or not, which then pushes the post upward or downwards on the page. "Upvoting" means clicking on the upwards arrow, and increasing the score by 1 and the post's visibility. "Downvoting" means clicking on the downwards arrow, reducing visibility and reducing the score by 1. Each user can vote once on each post, and a sufficiently downvoted post hides it from view (although you can still toggle to see them).

4. Karma = Your "score", the sum of all of the upvotes and downvotes of all of your posts.

 

There's loads more, but I think those ones will get you by.

I know what a subreddit is and I know there are many that would make most seasoned internet users shudder. I'm also well familiar with the system they use to censor dissenting opinions. That's why Tip.It is vastly superior to r/runescape or r/gaming for any logical discussion that includes differing opinions. Don't agree with their hivemind? le downboats xD. Don't agree here? You have the opportunity to defend yourself without your posts being instantly buried.

[Zantareous]

Protip: add ?context=# to the end of the URL for context of the parent (where # is a number of how much context in the thread you want to show). :)

 

 

Vague responses as always, haha ><

[Will H]

I wouldn't dismiss Reddit, although it is pretty intolerable if you don't have an account and keep to the default settings. There are some small communities on there that are pretty great.

 

Also, some Reddit lingo:

 

1. AMA = Ask Me Anything, a Question and Answer thread focused on a participating person or group of people. AMAA means "Ask Me Almost Anything". The titles traditionally start with "IAmA" or "IAm". Ignore the lack of spaces, it's like a tradition for AMAs.

2. Subreddit = The equivalent of a subforum on Reddit, of which there are thousands. All of them start with "/r/" and can vary wildly. Anybody can create a new subreddit if the name isn't taken up already. The most popular ones are viewable on the default page (as in, what you see if you don't have an account), but the larger ones are generally worse than the smaller ones. Exceptions include /r/askreddit, /r/IAmA, and /r/askscience. My favourites include /r/britishproblems and /r/SubredditDrama.

3. Upvote/downvote = Reddit uses a fairly unique system where all threads and comments can be voted on regarding on whether everyone else thinks the post is good or not, which then pushes the post upward or downwards on the page. "Upvoting" means clicking on the upwards arrow, and increasing the score by 1 and the post's visibility. "Downvoting" means clicking on the downwards arrow, reducing visibility and reducing the score by 1. Each user can vote once on each post, and a sufficiently downvoted post hides it from view (although you can still toggle to see them).

4. Karma = Your "score", the sum of all of the upvotes and downvotes of all of your posts.

 

There's loads more, but I think those ones will get you by.

I know what a subreddit is and I know there are many that would make most seasoned internet users shudder. I'm also well familiar with the system they use to censor dissenting opinions. That's why Tip.It is vastly superior to r/runescape or r/gaming for any logical discussion that includes differing opinions. Don't agree with their hivemind? le downboats xD. Don't agree here? You have the opportunity to defend yourself without your posts being instantly buried.

 

I apologise, I wasn't trying to direct it at you (though I failed), I'm trying to give people a background of what Reddit is to people in general, because the way it works is unusual. Also, I'm a little bit fond of it. All I'm saying (to you this time) is that there are good and bad things about the site, and the system has advantages, though I can't see them applying to Tip.It.

 

Okay, let's head back on topic. I think the most interesting thing is this one, regarding the use of pocket slots in the second new skill. These skills have to link to the rest of the game somehow.

[@Dan3HitU]

I've said this for years after I actually got to know Mark well, they should have given the HoR (Head of RuneScape) job to him, he has so many exceptional ideas, I'm surprised he hasn't sailed the boat to WoW like a few staff members have.