Tip.It Times Tip.It Times - 10th March 2013

[tripsis]

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[Viv]

I thought it was the 11th birthday? But isn't it pretty obvious why it was in better shape then than now. There was much less competition in the free mmo market. They changed the game alot for the worse (imo). Many of the loyal players have grown up. While it gained lots of attention through miniclip/other game sites Idk if it has now. Also word of mouth. Many people around ages 12-18 started runescape around 2004-2007,(2006 here) Their game was simple and unique. Also I think since we know that it takes a bit to get a new acc. Microtransactions are similar to other mmos....There is really no reason to recommend others to the game. SO no wonder they have much less active members than back then. Personally I payed for a year on my main - anticipating the new skills but have been playing 07 alot.(damn u jagex)

 

Probably a smart move on there part to release 07. yea I think most of it is to escape eoc but the other part is nostalgia, other part is competition and starting fresh again. Competition when theres so many people @ 1b exp and money is everything = not fun. Starting fresh = fun. While I'm a bit disappointed that they allowed game to game trust trades its still funner to do levels vs 200m goals and stuff, for me at least.

 

Personally I didn't expect as many active players , nor did I expect to get so addicted myself. I thought most people would leave when they saw all the things they missed that were missing. Many convenience elements will be missed, such as bank updates and tab to talk.

But yea its not just eoc just the lack of appealing updates since maxing dungeoneering. Many of the top eoc players are previous top dungeoneers or efficiency players.

Ok this wasnt meant to be a rant but yea I really like the oldschool version.

[Dracae]

I have not been able to draw a conclusion on Jagex motivations.

It can very well be catering to shareholders by drawing in fast cash.. but does that explain all?

Lately Jagex has also been updating the map, the lore , quests etc. retconning some parts and generally making it better. The iffy story mentioned in the first article is getting a little less iffy.

Maybe Jagex willingness and ability to make big changes is a good sign?

I admit.. I have my doubts, but prefer to be optimistic.

[thejollyroger]

I thought it was the 11th birthday?

 

Hamtaro is counting from the RS2 beta, not from RS1 called "Classic."

 

But isn't it pretty obvious why it was in better shape then than now. There was much less competition in the free mmo market.

 

I remember Ash saying this specifically. There was Habbo Hotel and Maple Story, that I recall. A few free MMOs came along (Guild Wars comes to mind), but more common was established MMOs starting up free versions of their games, with limited features.

 

Many of the loyal players have grown up.

 

That's debatable, well, depending on how you define "grown up". Some of the most petty, drama-stirring players I have met have been my age or older (I'm 38). Plenty of my generation, Generation X, still wants to play games... the gaming market has changed drastically because of it. If adults aren't playing on games like Runescape-- they are playing crappy (IMHO) games on their smartphones, often by way of Facebook. (So yeah, I gave Jagex's "Login with Facebook" feature the stinkeye.)

 

While it gained lots of attention through miniclip/other game sites Idk if it has now.

 

Ah, the ghost of Miniclip will never die. Runescape had an earlier sponsor-- Real Arcade, at Real Networks. They gave them some of the best advertising... I honestly haven't seen better since 2003. Anyways, yes, Jagex is DESPERATELY trying to shed their casual gaming roots. They really do want to run with "the big boy" MMOs, but they haven't shed those reputations.

 

Also word of mouth. Many people around ages 12-18 started runescape around 2004-2007,(2006 here) Their game was simple and unique.

 

Hence we have a new crop of nostalgia-trippers that have no memory of the RS1/Classic rabid fans-- absolutely no clue that they are repeating a lot of history. Some things are different, but the arguments run so similar: "PKing was better" <insert early RS2, or RS1/Classic> "It was more simple" (Yeah, compared to RS2, RS1 *was* more simple!) and there's even a love for less detail. RS1 was very cartoony-looking... no, really, go look at some screenshots... either on the official site, or Wikia's RS Wiki. RS2 was... still kinda cartoony, in 3D.

 

There's comparisons to what the future would bring: the RS1 Bestiary showed some concept animations that were not too far off from what was put in to the RS2 beta.

Now we have a new HTML5 Bestiary that hints at what "RunescapeNEXT" might bring.

 

Also I think since we know that it takes a bit to get a new acc. Microtransactions are similar to other mmos....There is really no reason to recommend others to the game.

 

Oh c'mon. Again, there are plenty of adults playing stupid Facebook games that will easily spend you under the table for these "microtransactions", without breaking a sweat. I saw it. I hope Duke Freedom is out there somewhere, laughing his fool head off. He's right, of course, that the kids will cry "unfair" while plenty of players their parents age will spend a small hobby's worth without blinking an eye.

 

Don't get me wrong-- I do find Whelps... err, Yelps annoying. It's a pity, I think, that Jagex dismantled random events (some bits survive) and then essentially dumped those rewards on the wheel. We did get Evil Trees and Star Sprites that superceded the Ent and Mining Golem randoms, but they didn't do more with the others... although Mr. Mordaut (the dragon teacher) got a voice for the Gielinor Games. HOWEVER... Solomon's is a success, and why shouldn't it be? Even the most idealistic, hard-nosed players I know... they have trouble denouncing cosmetic microtransactions. A few of them buy up the new outfits and animations as amuses them. I think if we'd gotten just Solomon's but not SoF, more players would be harder pressed to complain. I mean, really now. Again... I don't know if they are all adults, but they are buying up Solomon stuff like mad. I see it all over the place. I bought Samurai Cooking myself, and if a player has a problem with that... phhtt, whatever. $5 that says, "Gee, I like what the devs did here, more please."

 

Probably a smart move on there part to release 07. yea I think most of it is to escape eoc but the other part is nostalgia, other part is competition and starting fresh again.

 

Maybe. MMG has talked about the possibility of secondary accounts tied to a main. I never ever understood secondary/"noob" accounts, really, and they've been around since the beginning. Why would I say this? Oh, I remember when Uloveme traded something to me on a "noob" account-- Uloveme3 or something like that. I'll be amazed if many people remember who she was. Or Lilyuffie33. Or S1acker, for that matter. But no. This community's got a short memory, and doesn't remember most of the old ranked players. Except maybe Peter Zezima... who I hope has given another Peter... Albosky, that is, a kick in the pants by now.

 

Nostalgia? Hah. What nostalgia? Oh, I know it's out there, but there's enough of the community that's not running around making YouTube videos saying "This is my childhood!" I've already explained myself... Runescape came along at a hard time in my life. At best, my kids are amused BY THE CURRENT GAME. Not 07, but that EoC version far too many are whining about.

 

I wish qeltar was still here. "Don't Resent My Toilet" comes to mind. The site was called Truthscape, but is known as Roonscoop.com now, slowly rusting away because he ditched the game and the site completely. Still apt, though. I mean, really... I like the new skilling interfaces. Why any of you would want to go back to risks of repetitive stress injuries (RSIs) is beyond me, but just wait. Just wait 'til you get tennis elbow (you can get it using the mouse too much), or digital eye strain, maybe even beginnings of carpal tunnel. I've had a few RSIs... they are NOT fun.

 

Personally I didn't expect as many active players , nor did I expect to get so addicted myself. I thought most people would leave when they saw all the things they missed that were missing. Many convenience elements will be missed, such as bank updates and tab to talk.

 

I take the long view... Runescape is there for me when I want it. Granted, I'm running pure Linux at the moment, and well, Steam has problems. Gaming really is pretty sparse save for silly FPS stuff and museum pieces (old games that were ported over and saved for "nostalgia") Maybe one day I'll finally get a multiboot with Windows working, but... I actually get real work done now.

 

But yea its not just eoc just the lack of appealing updates since maxing dungeoneering. Many of the top eoc players are previous top dungeoneers or efficiency players.

 

*groan* Bored players, that's what the argument is there, and it's... boring. Really, has the Order of Cabbage faded from the community consciousness here? Maybe they outlived their F2P purpose, especially since the remaining people I know went on to membership. They really were amazing, though... doing so much with so little and having a blast. I suspect Blackbane is still jamming in his band, or something.

 

Take a break. A long one. I did. Plenty, plenty, plenty of others, right here did.... or moved on. I can still remember how huge swiftymcvae's account sellout was. *grumble grumble* Whatever.

 

Y'all got a short memory. I'm cursed to have a very long one, especially of all the crap here.

[Dracae]

I remember Qeltar and "Don't Resent My Toilet".

It, like part of this article and many others told a simple truth, with not so simple consequences:

A game, like Runescape will always evolve, it has to, or die and players will always complain about this.

[thejollyroger]

I remember Qeltar and "Don't Resent My Toilet".

It, like part of this article and many others told a simple truth, with not so simple consequences:

A game, like Runescape will always evolve, it has to, or die and players will always complain about this.

 

It's a shame he's moved on... he was one of the more mature voices in the player community.

[Saradomin_Mage]

I remember Qeltar and "Don't Resent My Toilet".

It, like part of this article and many others told a simple truth, with not so simple consequences:

A game, like Runescape will always evolve, it has to, or die and players will always complain about this.

 

It's a shame he's moved on... he was one of the more mature voices in the player community.

I've seen Qeltar on the OSRS forums.

[thejollyroger]

I remember Qeltar and "Don't Resent My Toilet".

It, like part of this article and many others told a simple truth, with not so simple consequences:

A game, like Runescape will always evolve, it has to, or die and players will always complain about this.

 

It's a shame he's moved on... he was one of the more mature voices in the player community.

I've seen Qeltar on the OSRS forums.

 

Care to elaborate?

 

I'm sorry to announce that effective immediately, I will be ceasing work on RuneScoop. I am also "retiring" from the world of RuneScape in general.

That's what he said on the RuneScoop (TruthScape) site on August 14, 2010.

 

I'm going to guess he was keeping in touch. It would seem antithetical to "Don't Resent My Toilet" for him to come back and really be active in "Old School" RS. I'd expect him *maybe* at to say a few words on how EoC wasn't implemented well (still, even). It would seem odd for him to favor the August 2007 snapshot against the recent development of interfaces.

 

So please, do tell.

[Saradomin_Mage]

I've seen Qeltar on the OSRS forums.

 

Care to elaborate?

http://[Use Quick Find Code]/users.ws?searchname=Qeltar&lookup=view

[Alg]

I've seen Qeltar on the OSRS forums.

 

Care to elaborate?

http://services.rune...tar&lookup=view

And also this, with his opinions on the current game explored here.

[thejollyroger]

I've seen Qeltar on the OSRS forums.

 

Care to elaborate?

http://services.rune...tar&lookup=view

And also this, with his opinions on the current game explored here.

 

Intriguing. I hadn't expected him to be so pro-'07. But I'm guessing his circumstances are quite, quite different from mine. I'll sum up:

1. Don't really have the time, money, patience to successfully set up Windows again. I'm productive as I like to be on Linux. That means, however that...

2. ...I don't really have many other game options to go to (it would take too long to explain why I'm frustrated with Steam on Linux).

3. There's not really anything I missed or want to go back to on '07... maybe a bit of how F2P quests looked for RS2, but that's about it. Not really something that draws me back.

4. I really do have real-life things that demand my time and energy, so I wasn't interested in a redo. Time for games is pretty limited.

 

I know Esper Jones from elsewhere, can't remember exactly, but nice guy from what I do remember. His point-by-point discussions with qeltar, man, that's the best I've read in a long, long time.

 

If I understand it right, qeltar's main gripes were D&Ds and to a minor extent the flurry of updates-- too much to keep up with. I agree with Esper, though-- the game doesn't NEED a rush to keep up with everything. And the SoF... well, this is my opinion: keep Solomon's, ditch SoF for something in-game. Something that is like the old Random Events, and can be done a limited amount of times. OR... make something that is Manage Thy Kingdom/Player-Owned Ports like.

 

He makes an interesting case for the old unidentified herb code, but I'm waiting for him to explain how returning to that doesn't stop the return to scams.

 

Now, him coming back to OSR from DDO... oh wow. Wow. Wow. I could spew a projectile stream of doctoral dissertations on how broken D&D version 3.5 is, which is its basis. (I played a lot of Neverwinter Nights 1 because Bioware was nice enough to release a Linux client, but ugh, ugh, the mechanics at high levels...) My wife and I are from the old, old wargaming school with the dice and the character sheets (pen and paper/tabletop RPGs, y'know?)... I will leave it at that and mercifully spare you the rest.

 

Congratulations, though, if you manage to figure out who I am and find out what I did say on Ars Technica. Ha ha ha...