Behind the Scenes - November 2013

[Quyneax]

None of the improvements seem worthy of a place outside the patch notes, apart from the coinshare changes. The D&D tracker is likewise a small update, and the Barrows overhaul rewards are meagre, considering that the Brothers use all three attack styles and that shields are rarely useful (now, t90 defenders for all styles, that would be a real update). It would have been better to release the KK as boss for t90 shields/defenders, Vorago for t90 (dw) weapons and this new Barrows for t90 armour, or a similar arrangement.

 

On the whole, it seems that Jagex should just switch to a once-a-month update schedule. It would more closely match the real rate of updates and it would make the BTS nice and straightforward.

[Yoko Kurama]

 

We were also owed a quest for this month (they said one quest per month for the rest of the year). So much for that.

 

 

 

 

 

I hope they degrade to nothing

If the melee power armor doesn't degrade to nothing, it'll wreak havoc on the economy.

 

That and it would completely defeat the purpose of EOC

 

 

EoC is already ruined. With bosses that most of the intended target audience can't do, billions of GP needed for things like T90 Mage, while T90 is super cheap, and very little for players to be able to do to obtain money for T90 stuff -- it's not much left to ruin.

 

If they can fix this CS, then perhaps there will be some hope left as we will all be able to do things like Vorago then.

I think everyone greatly overestimates the value of T90 mage. If you can make the armor itself, it costs about 80m for a set. And 60 hours of combat is a long while. Sure, it's not viable for slayer/training, but it's very likely you'll make more than 80m during that 60 hours if you use it for bossing.

 

And Vorago really isn't nearly as hard as people make it out be. Meeting the gear requirements is difficult, as you need either full Virtus, Torva+Drygores, or Pernix/Ascension Bow to do it. But actually killing him is not all that difficult, once you get the strategy down. And with seismics entering GE price and the future changes to CS, many more people are going to be doing Vorago in the near future.

 

 

 

It's not a matter of T90 mage being the best. That's beside the point. The point is that EoC was supposed to balance the three combat styles and make them equally available. This is one of the reasons why rune requirements (pre-EoC you needed bloods for most spells) were done to make spells cheap.

 

The point about Vorago is not that he is hard. I don't mind that. The problem is that with the way the loot mechanics are currently in place, most people can't do Vorago. We don't all have 7-9 friends that are on RS at the same time as we are willing to do Vorago. That means we need to do forum teams. But we can't do forum teams because the CS price is completely unreflective of the market value. That means we need to do LS or FFA+S. Good luck trying to get forum strangers to hand you the splits. You could try to get your own LS Wand, but with teams consisting of several people (and forum teams are usually masses), that would take forever as well (you have to compete against dozens of people). 

 

That's the problem. As I said earlier, if they fix the CS then it's all good, if not, it will suck as it does now.

[Ambler]

Forum teams for vorago aren't as bad as people make out, and I know of 2 people that have been rollbacked after scamming wands/orbs in FFA split teams, most people do split nowdays.

[Yoko Kurama]

Forum teams for vorago aren't as bad as people make out, and I know of 2 people that have been rollbacked after scamming wands/orbs in FFA split teams, most people do split nowdays.

 

Usually rollbacks happen to people who have audience with J-Mods. Most of the time, the perps get away with it.

[Omali]

D&D Tracker: Thank [bleep]. I hate how much of a pain it is to track D&D's right now.

Buckets of Improvements: Generally never a bad thing. I'm expecting Jagex to "accidentally" change the game's font to something painfully unreadable only to fix it the next day, like they usually do with these kitchen sink updates.

Barrows: Coolio Jones. Not really interested since I don't do group content.

Solomon: Same old garbage.

 

Either way, looks like a good month.

[Alg]

 

Forum teams for vorago aren't as bad as people make out, and I know of 2 people that have been rollbacked after scamming wands/orbs in FFA split teams, most people do split nowdays.

Usually rollbacks happen to people who have audience with J-Mods. Most of the time, the perps get away with it.

*insert rant about how these people tend to get more support than the moderator community*

[Bxpprod]

DND Tracker - finally. FINALLY.

Barrows brothers - looking forward to it

 

 

None of the improvements seem worthy of a place outside the patch notes, apart from the coinshare changes. The D&D tracker is likewise a small update, and the Barrows overhaul rewards are meagre, considering that the Brothers use all three attack styles and that shields are rarely useful (now, t90 defenders for all styles, that would be a real update). It would have been better to release the KK as boss for t90 shields/defenders, Vorago for t90 (dw) weapons and this new Barrows for t90 armour, or a similar arrangement.

On the whole, it seems that Jagex should just switch to a once-a-month update schedule. It would more closely match the real rate of updates and it would make the BTS nice and straightforward.

You know that won't fly. We will go from

 

'OMG WHY IS THERE ONLY 2 UPDATES THIS MONTH THIS IS A TRAVEST JAGEX IS KILL RUNESCAPE IS KILL THANKS SOF'

 

To

 

'OMG THEY ARE ONLY DOING ONE UPDATE  A MONTH (likely many games) THIS IS A TRAVESTY RS IS DYING AND THEY KNOW IT THANKS SOF'

[strilmus]

question: are defenders really any useful, even at their own tier?

[Hedgehog]

question: are defenders really any useful, even at their own tier?

Useful is a bit of a broad word. I guess I could find a few uses for one, but they're not ideal for standard slayer.

 

That said, if higher tiers can be obtained via achievement, then they would have a very good niche, in that poor players could have 3/4 of the dps of a rich player.

[Ulysses]

Mostly disappointing month to me...no quest?!?

 

Coinshare changes could really go either way..but do hope they can rectify the current problem.

 

They mentioned 'groups of four adventurers' for the new Barrows challenge, hope they will make appropriate adjustments for solo, duo and trio possibilities by scaling hitpoints, damage and related NPC tactics.

[Maxingmck]

Mostly disappointing month to me...no quest?!?

 

Coinshare changes could really go either way..but do hope they can rectify the current problem.

 

They mentioned 'groups of four adventurers' for the new Barrows challenge, hope they will make appropriate adjustments for solo, duo and trio possibilities by scaling hitpoints, damage and related NPC tactics.

Like they did with dg? If so, dont expect it to be as viable in any way

[Unknown_Warrior]

The bucket of improvements could be nice, as long as they're plenty. I bet I'm not the only one who tends to speed through the main article and focus on the 'In Other News' segment first on other updates.

[Urza285]

You know the more I look at it I don't understand why t90 gear doesn't degrade like barrows. I mean both the new sirenic and seismic degrade to dust... why can't they be sets 'mounted' on other pieces such as ganodermic?

[Hedgehog]

You know the more I look at it I don't understand why t90 gear doesn't degrade like barrows. I mean both the new sirenic and seismic degrade to dust... why can't they be sets 'mounted' on other pieces such as ganodermic?

Because it doesn't really make a difference

[Urza285]

 

 

You know the more I look at it I don't understand why t90 gear doesn't degrade like barrows. I mean both the new sirenic and seismic degrade to dust... why can't they be sets 'mounted' on other pieces such as ganodermic?

Because it doesn't really make a difference

And you are right... but knowing your item won't be completely destroyed for some reason makes more sense. I mean I guess in light of the durability hits gear takes I feel I should be more protective of it. But regardless if its destroyed or completely degraded it doesn't matter.

[Sy_Accursed]

 

Mostly disappointing month to me...no quest?!?

 

Coinshare changes could really go either way..but do hope they can rectify the current problem.

 

They mentioned 'groups of four adventurers' for the new Barrows challenge, hope they will make appropriate adjustments for solo, duo and trio possibilities by scaling hitpoints, damage and related NPC tactics.

Like they did with dg? If so, dont expect it to be as viable in any way

 

The way they've said it implies that it is made for four people and that you cannot do it with any more or any less people in the group.

[V O R K]

 

Hoorah for a one content update month.

 

Seriously though, no wonder they've been publicising Barrows so much, it's the only update they have to talk about.

Or if you're like me and can't play content for maxed billionaires, a no-content update month! Yay!

 

 

Stop being so lazy, it took me six months to get to max cash and I can barely play. Why does everyone expect to get everything handed to them? Boohoo it's a lot of money, yeah DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. Not everything in life can be fast, can't live with the grind? Quit :shrug:

 

Shame that the armour probably won't have a set effect.

[Tim]

...there's no way you got max cash that quick with those skills. :\

[V O R K]

I'm glad I don't lack creativity, there's a plethora of methods. Skilling for max cash? No thanks.

[Quyneax]

Given that six months is enough time to get 99 in a couple of combat skills, I think it shows that seismic is way overpriced. It's only level 90 equipment after all.

 

 

question: are defenders really any useful, even at their own tier?

Useful is a bit of a broad word. I guess I could find a few uses for one, but they're not ideal for standard slayer.

 

That said, if higher tiers can be obtained via achievement, then they would have a very good niche, in that poor players could have 3/4 of the dps of a rich player.

 

This, I was sort of assuming that defenders would be updates to be able to use some shield and dual wield abilities (for example Bash, Revenge, Reflect + all DW abilities).

[Th e Doctor]

I would love a guide to max cash in 6 months... I really just need to learn to flip again.

[Alg]

Stop being so lazy, it took me six months to get to max cash and I can barely play. Why does everyone expect to get everything handed to them? Boohoo it's a lot of money, yeah DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. Not everything in life can be fast, can't live with the grind? Quit :shrug:

 

Shame that the armour probably won't have a set effect.

After hearing this for close to eight years, I'm sick of it. If I'm lazy now, it's because someone has been moving the goal posts whenever I came close to reaching them, and I just don't want to bother anymore. Get decent (for the time) moneymaking skills? Here's GWD. Get the stats for that? Here are extremes, curses, and Nex. Started getting 70s? The goal is now 99. Got a few 99s? You have to max. I'm imagining that if I ever maxed, they'd increase the cap to 120 the very next day. I've even started to get close to ports armor, except that now there's T90 power armor that's better in every way, and I got soul split the day after they nerfed it. So tell me, how long until I can stop grinding and start playing?

 

I think I've spent my entire career as a mid- to upper-mid level player, and I'm expected to be glad that they're now openly widening the gap between the top of the high scores and everyone else (If not blatantly fighting attempts to close it). It's not even about levels anymore, it's about blatant pandering, and I feel like this community is so out of touch that they have no idea what it looks like to someone who isn't up there: while everyone else is playing with their new toys, I'm stuck with things that haven't been updated since their release. Feel free to ignore this like you've all done with everyone else who's tried to tackle the same issue.

 

For what it's worth, I've had very little 'handed to me'. Perhaps that's why this is such a thing for me - I usually hear this from people who get things handed to them on a regular basis, whether it's donations to help them get back on their feet after a loss/return or just being lucky at the right time.

 

Or I can leave and let you guys think that this sort of thing is alright. I'm probably one of the last people that's openly against it, so... Whichever you prefer. :-P

[Lord Zophar]

I would love a guide to max cash in 6 months... I really just need to learn to flip again.

Step 1: Make the right friends

 

Step 2: Go vorago

 

Step 3: Have insane luck, get multiple wand drops

 

Step 4: ????

 

Step 5: Profit!

 

 

 

 

Not that this is realistic for the vast majority of players. They lack the skills, the gear, and more importantly, the connections to do Vorago without getting ripped off.

[Yoko Kurama]

 

 

Hoorah for a one content update month.

 

Seriously though, no wonder they've been publicising Barrows so much, it's the only update they have to talk about.

Or if you're like me and can't play content for maxed billionaires, a no-content update month! Yay!

 

 

Stop being so lazy, it took me six months to get to max cash and I can barely play. Why does everyone expect to get everything handed to them? Boohoo it's a lot of money, yeah DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. Not everything in life can be fast, can't live with the grind? Quit :shrug:

 

Shame that the armour probably won't have a set effect.

 

 

Stop being a shortsighted boor. I have played the game for several years, and I have had billions over the years, and I am perfectly aware that my money was purely due to luck and/or unconventional and unusual things that most people shouldn't have to do. It's not about handouts. Runescape is a game that belongs to the community, and we have a right to say what we think should be its nature: how much time is reasonable and unreasonable for people to obtain certain things. We have a right to say that expecting people to spend thousands of hours, or playing with GE mechanics for months is not really how people should make money. And by and large that's how most Runescape players feel. Things shouldn't be easy, but nor should they be ridiculously hard. It's called balance, having a fun and enjoyable game, and a healthy game that doesn't place ridiculous expectations on players.

 

If you don't like this view, maybe you should be the one who quits and/or stops being a boor. I can't say I have seen anyone more self-absorbed than that post of yours -- you are not the centre of the universe, it's about accommodating as many players as possible rather than telling them all to "just do what I did to make money or STFU". "If I can do it in 6 months, then all of you need to do be able to do it in 6 months too!" No. Or we can just tell Jagex to make a more reasonable game. 

[Sy_Accursed]

I also agree with the idea that it is by no means 'expecting everything to be handed to them' if people find the prices pushing in to billions ridiculous.

 

I am by no means the best money maker in the world, but I do ok and my account is now approaching 10 years with near maxed stats. I've done my fair share of money making over the years, but I've never been a merchant or hugely in to pvm so I simply don't get to rake in billions with no effort. It took a concerted effort to save up for expensive skills and decent gear; and even now I'm nowhere near max gear really.

 

I dislike the element of the game where to really make money you either have to do masses of research and get deep into merching and price watching or be forced in to facing top end pvm regardless of how you enjoy it - especially as most of the top end to be done well requires you have the stupidly expensive gear in the first place. It's unbalanced and prices as a whole are distorted by too much gold being around.