Behind The Scenes - August 2013

[HunterDexter]

Knew they were going to merge Solomon's and the loyalty store. Well, that's pretty nice I guess. Does this mean that the loyalty store outfits will now become cosmetic overrides? You can't buy every item with loyalty points, though, so I suspect that companions, gear sets, bank boosters, achievement banners (the big-buys) won't be able to be purchased with loyalty points. Still, this marks a pretty huge step forward for Jagex and I think it's a really nice move. I'm worried that the increase in points per month is because loyalty purchase rates are going to be very high though to keep the incentive to buy runecoins there.

 

The idea of siphoning the Anima Mundi really...makes me...concerned. But it's hardly fair to judge an entire skill off a few paragraphs, so I'll just have to wait and reserve judgement. but come on really I always sort of thought that divination would just be the gathering portion, and the second skill for making the pocket slot items. Since that doesn't seem to be the case, I wonder then what we're going to do with the energy. Is it just going to be a divine version of Construction? Completely frustrating that it's been pushed off to 2014, likely not to be released until mid-year as Divination was. Still, it was always a bit of starry eyed optimism to hope for two skills in one year, I suppose.

 

With it being 3 years since the last skill release, it kind of reminds me of the infamous whiteboard we saw from one of the runefest videos where we saw something about the interfaces on the whiteboard, and just how long they must've been working on NIS alone (if that was for the NIS, that is). Crazy.

 

Anyway, I'm off to find out the terms of the sig bet I lost oh so long ago when we were speculating on the Black Knight Fortress rework.

 

Keep whining, please.

 

You're utterly right. After the push back of the summoning rework, divination, html5 beta, new skill, not to mention all the delays prior to that from the eoc, smithing rework, etc it is completely and utterly unjustified to be upset in the slightest. Really, anyone who gets upset is clearly a neanderthal who has no desire to simply accept the reality of today's world. Shame on them. Shame on their family.

 

...Laid it on a bit thick there, but you get the point. It's understandably a surprise to the average player, even if we could've guessed that it'd be delayed after the delay with the HTML5 beta.

 

About the loyalty store and Solomon merging, you've read it wrong, the loyalty store stuff will not all be gotten via runecoins, not the other way round. :P

 

Also, on the Anima Mundi thing, we are going to get released power of Guthix and leaking Anima Mundi power. We are offering it back to the Anima Mundi, so acctually, we are saving Gielinor, instead of influencing it badly. :)

[Kimberly]

About the loyalty store and Solomon merging, you've read it wrong, the loyalty store stuff will not all be gotten via runecoins, not the other way round. :P

 

I mentioned nothing about buying loyalty store items with runecoins. I was talking about this:

 

Not only will this keep your cosmetic items in one place and accessible through the Customisation Interface, but you'll also be able to buy many of the items currently available on Solomon's Store with your loyalty points!

 

Many, but not all...which is why I said I think armor packs, achievement banners, and other big-price items likely won't be buyable with loyalty points. That was the only reference I made about loyalty points purchasing Solomon store items.

 

Also, on the Anima Mundi thing, we are going to get released power of Guthix and leaking Anima Mundi power. We are offering it back to the Anima Mundi, so acctually, we are saving Gielinor, instead of influencing it badly. :)

 

Saving it how, by taking away its life force and making it into objects? That's assuming the anima mundi is a renewable resource. Otherwise, it'd likely be hurting things lore wise, can't imagine the Elder Gods who created Gielinor would be too happy with that. And Guthix's dispersed energy almost certainly seems like a finite source, since it came from one being. The planet is "wounded" so to speak and this is its life force oozing out. Wouldn't it make more sense to stop the bleeding rather than taking that blood and using it to make something that helps you poop out dragonstones faster? <_<'

 

I'm sure it'll all be cleared up in the lore, just sounds...weird and illogical so far.

[Quasar]

Inb4 you can't buy keepsake keys

[Nobody]

Divination is P2P......figures.

 

Why would the people who pay to support the ongoing development and maintenance of the game not reap the benefits of it?

 

EDIT: failed grammar

Edited August 1, 2013 by Nobody

[Emaxganis]

Anyone care to explain what Anima Mundi is to those of us who dont care much about the lore :P ?

 

Lets see how the skill goes, seems I will be able to train it while working , heh

[HunterDexter]

About the loyalty store and Solomon merging, you've read it wrong, the loyalty store stuff will not all be gotten via runecoins, not the other way round. :P

 

I mentioned nothing about buying loyalty store items with runecoins. I was talking about this:

 

Not only will this keep your cosmetic items in one place and accessible through the Customisation Interface, but you'll also be able to buy many of the items currently available on Solomon's Store with your loyalty points!

 

Many, but not all...which is why I said I think armor packs, achievement banners, and other big-price items likely won't be buyable with loyalty points. That was the only reference I made about loyalty points purchasing Solomon store items.

 

Also, on the Anima Mundi thing, we are going to get released power of Guthix and leaking Anima Mundi power. We are offering it back to the Anima Mundi, so acctually, we are saving Gielinor, instead of influencing it badly. :)

 

Saving it how, by taking away its life force and making it into objects? That's assuming the anima mundi is a renewable resource. Otherwise, it'd likely be hurting things lore wise, can't imagine the Elder Gods who created Gielinor would be too happy with that. And Guthix's dispersed energy almost certainly seems like a finite source, since it came from one being. The planet is "wounded" so to speak and this is its life force oozing out. Wouldn't it make more sense to stop the bleeding rather than taking that blood and using it to make something that helps you poop out dragonstones faster? <_<'

 

I'm sure it'll all be cleared up in the lore, just sounds...weird and illogical so far.

 

Sorry, I was talking about this piece. :P

 

You'll also be able to treat yourself to a selection of Loyalty Store items with Runecoins, if you wish, although auras and higher-tier Loyalty Store cosmetics will remain exclusively as loyalty point items.

 

Hmmm, I just hope we take the residual powers, and not the Anima Mundi itself. :s Otherwise as a Guardian of Guthix, we are not meant to level this skill. :s

But it does say we can offer stuff back to the Anima Mundi. I hope it will all make sense. :P

[Blyaunte]

I hope divination isn't too fast a skill.

 

I just hope it's not Runecrafting redux ... <_<

 

New quest is always nice, shame they are replacing a classic though.

 

I don't get why they're replacing an old (classic) quest with an up-to-date one. I suppose the reason is likely to be “quality control” – and it’s probably premature of me to judge at this point, but why not simply make it an entire new quest and let us enjoy both of them?

 

Not that I mind, really – I’ve just always enjoyed doing quests and would rather see “more” of them than “less”, as it were … :unsure:

 

Keep whining, please.

 

I WISH TO WHINGE ABOUT YOUR CONSTANT WHINGING ABOUT PEOPLE WHINGING IN EVERY THREAD.

He’s probably pining for the fjords … :unsure:

[Blutters]

Am I the only one who read the BTS from bottom to top? :P

Of course I'm excited for the new skill, but not nearly as excited as an alternative to microtransactions and a quest where it actually matters that I'm a Zamorakian! Also look at that ceremonial black armor override. Mmmhmm!

It's probably because I kinda hate training the current skills, lol. I don't wanna knock it til I try it but Divination is sounding like RuneSpan, at least as far as it's trained. And I'm not even all 90+ in the existing skills yet!

[Binary Mage]

And now for the month I've been waiting for since the beginning of time, it seems like. :P Too tired to put my thoughts into coherent paragraphs so I'll just list them

• Interesting that Divination is a members skill. We never really got any hints either way as far as I could tell. A members-only gathering skill is going to be neat--since I wouldn't really count Hunter as equivalent to, say, Woodcutting or Fishing in the way that Divination seems to be. Generally skills with such basic gathering methods are split between F2P and P2P--but I'm guessing that the crazy rewards that we will get evolves it into something a bit more than a basic skill.
  
• 
  
• More Guthix Memories--wonder if we are going to be getting a deluge of information about the Naragi homeworld and the First Age from those.
  
• 
  
• Seems like Divination item rewards will work like I expected them to--pocket-slot buff items that passively benefit things you're doing. Really excited for these, there's a huge amount of potential for a new market of items.
  
• 
  
• I am genuinely intrigued about the soon-to-be-revealed gathering logistics changes brought by Divination. I'm guessing it's something along the lines of either craftable teleport items to take you to gathering locations or new areas that require certain amounts of energy to enter. That, or it's a completely out-there and interesting system, like perhaps something that lets you transmute Divine Energy into high-level resources from other gathering skills. I guess we'll see soon enough
  
• 
  
• I hope that giving cosmetic overrides as quest rewards is a new trend. I can't count how many recent quests have given me some sort of cosmetic armor or weapon, only for me to never use it because they take up a million bank spaces with little to no benefit on my part. Oh what I would do for a Cosmetic version of the Tower Robes
  
• 
  
• Very interesting to see our first quest with Sixth Age implications as far as factions and choices go. I imagine this will be the first quest that also makes use of our Emissaries choice as well. Black Knights' Fortress was always a kind of weird quest, and I'm excited to see something new with lots of Sixth Age story potential take its place.
  
• 
  
• The Loyalty Shop rework is nowhere near what I expected--in a good way. It's great that they are deciding to combine the Loyalty Shop and SGS together in a way that lets us use the money we've already given them through Membership to buy a majority of the rewards. The extent as to how they do this will determine if it completely shuts up the micro-transaction-haters or just puts a muffler over them for a little bit. I just hope that there's a good enough amount of new rewards to keep me interested :P
  
• 
  
• I imagine the Loyalty Shop will now let you buy Keepsake Keys with Loyalty Points, solely because I spent $5 on the SGS for some keepsake keys for the very first time yesterday and that would be just my luck. :(
  

Overall a pretty exciting month. I wonder which of these updates will be out the week of my birthday--I sincerely hope Divination. :D Would definitely be my favorite birthday present.

[Krampell]

Inb4 you can't buy keepsake keys

That's the first thing that comes to mind.

I'd be surprised if you actually could.

 

Anyway so far that update sounds nice, finally you can get cosmetics that don't cost you money. (Yes I get it, you have to be member to get loyality points, but still)

[Wkw]

I hope that with the new items for the pocket slot, activating when they need to, they tweak scrimshaws so you don't need to turn them off.

[Arceus]

I thought it was going to be a free skill. But fine, I'll just keep training Dungeoneering...

[Platinum_Myr]

I'm curious what will and won't be purchasable with both runecoins or loyalty points. I am also curious to see how item recolors fit into the new interface...

 

Maybe they'll even update the colors we have available? (please? please? please?!)

 

Divination sounds good. (Please dear Runescape Gods do not let any bonus xp of any kind (lamps, pendants, etc) be used in the skill till at least one person is 99!!!?!) I just really want to see a real competition for a bit on the high scores that isn't based on who shelled out more cash.

 

Ofcourse most of my friends will still beat me since they will be using pendants they saved up for them. I decided not to save my pendants because meh.

[PolarBearBlue]

Anyone care to explain what Anima Mundi is to those of us who dont care much about the lore :P ?

 

Lets see how the skill goes, seems I will be able to train it while working , heh

 

Anima Mundi is the life force that connects all living things. It is the "soul" of the world and the world cannot live without it. The idea of Anima Mundi isn't unique to Runescape either. But in Runescape is implied that Seren, goddess of the elves, is a divine aspect of Anima Mundi.

 

As for the new skill and new quest, I'm really hoping they let us back out of our BoL choice and go neutral. I really don't support either god and I don't want the quest the reflect either god. I really hope they don't butcher it and allow players to show that despite teaming with Saradomin or Zamorak in BoL, we lie with someone else.

 

As for the new skill, I am really geeked about learn about more Guthix memories. The memories we got so far just isn't enough for me so I'm excited to learn more. But... there is only a few gathering skills I actually enjoy. So I hope they'll be a little more creative about this, because as easy as Runespan is, I'm not sure we'll enjoy another skill like it.

[V O R K]

Yeah... I hated regular RC, came back and hated Runespan... ugh

 

Oh well can't be prejudiced about something that isn't there yet, I hope it's good fun. (read: €€€)

[PolarBearBlue]

Tbf no-one even really whined about the delay, everyone was very accepting the only negative was my point about how they dealt with telling us.

 

I agree. I would be more accepting of the delays and wait if Jagex was just more transparent. We know managing this game is very difficult. If you have to delay the second skill to get more time to make it good then let us know.

[kamil1210]

new skill - ok

quest - ok

shops - ok

[ilovecuttingyews]

Divination is P2P......figures.

Why would the people who pay to support the ongoing development and maintenance of the game not reap the benefits of it?

EDIT: failed grammar

Oh I agree with that. It's just that there has been a lot of talk of jagex saying one of the two skills would be in part f2p and it would have made sense to have been the gathering skill. I haven't seen a primary source for that so it may well be false.

[Alg]

a quest where it actually matters that I'm a Zamorakian!

As long as it takes your emissary choice into account as well. If someone in the quest asks my character why a card-carrying follower of Armadyl (who chose to protect Guthix) sided with Zamorak, only to work against him in this quest... =P~

 

You know, I'm starting to think Alg the character is stupid neutral. Her loyalties change by the hour.

[J35u5_M4]

Lol at the second skill being delayed, o well, I'd rather have it delayed and be ready than released before its time.

Bit sad it's not a double bill like with Arianne and Ozan's quests, but oh well, quests sounds good though.

Divination has me worried it'll be a grindfest like skilling at BoL. But we'll see about that soon enough...

[Fallstar]

Lol at the second skill being delayed, o well, I'd rather have it delayed and be ready than released before its time.

Bit sad it's not a double bill like with Arianne and Ozan's quests, but oh well, quests sounds good though.

Divination has me worried it'll be a grindfest like skilling at BoL. But we'll see about that soon enough...

 

BoL isn't a grindfest, have you seen how AFK it is?

 

Divination should be far more grindy than that.

[J35u5_M4]

Lol at the second skill being delayed, o well, I'd rather have it delayed and be ready than released before its time.

Bit sad it's not a double bill like with Arianne and Ozan's quests, but oh well, quests sounds good though.

Divination has me worried it'll be a grindfest like skilling at BoL. But we'll see about that soon enough...

 

BoL isn't a grindfest, have you seen how AFK it is?

 

Divination should be far more grindy than that.

 

Doesn't matter how AFK it is, it's like saying mining/fishing aren't grindy

[HunterDexter]

Have you tried getting the shards? Well, it is very intensive, fighting over some rare shards.

[Howlin0001]

Any date set for the release of Divination? I'm thinking it might be next tuesday or wednesday?

[Leik]

Any date set for the release of Divination? I'm thinking it might be next tuesday or wednesday?

Well, they said 4 weeks after RS3, and it's only been like what, just over a week? But Divi being the first item in the BTS, I have no idea.