Jagex VS Emergent Gameplay

[pault]

Emergent gameplay is when players manipulate gaming software in ways the original creator had not forseen or intended. For example, in Quake the rocket launcher does a great deal of damage, blasting enemies across the map. Clever players learned to rocket jump; by shooting a rocket at their feet they could propel themselves great distances (though injuring themselves significantly in the process).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Discovering emergent gameplay is quite possibly the most fun you can have in a game. Some games rely heavily on players to create their own innovations, for example Deus Ex, a shooter game which you could beat without ever killing an enemy if you had the creativity. In other games, like Quake, it happens quite by accident.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MMORPGs are a genre overflowing with emergent gameplay. It is important to realize that Runescape is not like many MMORPGs, in that it was originally a small project run by one (later two) people, and the gameplay was tweaked over a time in reaction to players ideas and requests. The world of Runescape made no attempt to mimic a working fantasy world. You can kill hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians in plain view of a guard, monsters drop relatively random items and reapper a few seconds after you kill them, and (most importantly) in Runescape nobody had knees.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

However, Runescape originally embraced the unreality of it's setting, featuring unpredictable and often humurous quests and NPCs who admit that Runescape is, in fact, a video game.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Interestingly enough, the lack of a developed setting allowed emergent gameplay to flourish. A great example of this is the Wilderness, and PVP in general. Players quickly realized that in the new Wilderness area their combat level mattered above anything else, and they quickly sought ways to keep their combat level down, such as giving up magic. Very soon clever players began creating new characters who didn't use magic at all, and soon enough players began giving up defence as well. People realized that with attack and strength alone they were better than players with attack, strength, defence, prayer, and magic, of the same combat level. Pure characters dominated the wilderness. Low level magic pures, prayer beasts, and other classes, completely player created, emerged.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In Runescape 2, Jagex modified the combat system to make it more "Balanced". They destroyed some of the most amazing emergent gameplay the world has ever seen when they shut down Runescape Classic shortly after RS2s release, because the "Balance" comes at the cost of creativity. The truth is that nobody could have predicted how the combat system of Runescape Classic evolved, Jagex did not forsee how pures would work and how Player Killing with a capable Pure character would become such a huge part of RSC, and quite possibly fuel it's success. Yet the hard work of creative gamers has been thrown away, giving way to the muddlesome, inexact, and utterly noob friendly RS2 Wilderness.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The wilderness continues to evolve, even in the bland world of RS2. Combat styles are used in combination with eachother, players quickswitch weapons when their opponent is at low health for the killing blow, and new types of pures such as a divine mage are now possible. Hopefully somebody will come up with something new, before Jagex decides it's "Unfair" to pwn.

[mchainmail]

very interesting read.

[Warned]

Nice story :)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another example of this could be skillers getting slayer levels without getting combat levels.

[azncool55]

Very Nice Read.

[no_username4]

You just dissed Jagex.

 

 

 

Just because you prefer the RSC style of wilderness, doesn't mean you have to bash Jagex for balancing it.

 

 

 

Thanks to RS2, it's now possible for anyone to pk in the wilderness, not just pures. Maybe you think you deserve all the worlds pwnage because you think you're better than everyone else. If that's the case, keep it to yourself.

 

 

 

On the plus side, it was a great read. You should be a tip.it guest writer.

[pault]

Just because you prefer the RSC style of wilderness, doesn't mean you have to bash Jagex for balancing it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I admit I am biased. I spent alot of time playing RSC.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yet I am not angry at Jagex for wanting to create a more balanced, accesible, and attractive game; rather I'm still a bit upset that they decided to shut down Runescape Classic, a game where players had the opportunity to shape the game world around them in so many more ways than they can in RS2.

[no_username4]

Ya. I used to play RSC until they made it p2p only. :evil:

[Sbrideau]

yeah... kinda right!

[Brinner]

 

Just because you prefer the RSC style of wilderness, doesn't mean you have to bash Jagex for balancing it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I admit I am biased. I spent alot of time playing RSC.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yet I am not angry at Jagex for wanting to create a more balanced, accesible, and attractive game; rather I'm still a bit upset that they decided to shut down Runescape Classic, a game where players had the opportunity to shape the game world around them in so many more ways than they can in RS2.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

yes it was bad that they closed down rsc....and i used to play it but then myaccount got hacked and i lost him a so i can play on classic ever again.. rsc is becoming a mere memmory

[la la la]

It was very interesting until you put your own views of runescape into it.

[pault]

It was very interesting until you put your own views of runescape into it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm sorry my opinion has to come into the matter, but it must. I truly believe that Jagex threw away a huge amount of player invested time and effort by shutting down RSC, and destroyed one of the greatest examples of emergent gameplay in video game history.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I don't dislike Runescape2, I understand it's a completely different game that appeals to a much wider audience, but there is no comparing player killing in Runescape 2 to player killing in RSC. The world of Runescape Classic was forged by Andrew Gower and the players themselves, the world of RS2 was created by Andrew Gower and a corporate machine who had to guarantee that it made a large amount of money. The opportunity to manipulate the game world and have an impact on its future is still there, but it grows smaller every day.

[lagatag]

It's sad I know, but Jagex is a company and if most people are noobs, Jagex will concentrate on keeping the noobs happy. I personally have quit rs, its just not worth it without a membership and even then the only day you really play is normally monday,or whenever Jagex feels like updating.

[Bobthefishy]

You just dissed Jagex.

 

 

 

Just because you prefer the RSC style of wilderness, doesn't mean you have to bash Jagex for balancing it.

 

 

 

Thanks to RS2, it's now possible for anyone to pk in the wilderness, not just pures. Maybe you think you deserve all the worlds pwnage because you think you're better than everyone else. If that's the case, keep it to yourself.

 

 

 

On the plus side, it was a great read. You should be a tip.it guest writer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

He wasn't really dissing Jagex, even if he is I'm sure he isn't doing it on purpose, it's his oppinion. You really don't have to be rude just because he felt that the RSC wilderness and combat level system was better than the RS2 system.

[swampjedi]

Very well written, and I agree - to an extent.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

With as many players as RS has, Jagex can't afford to let people improvise too much.

[no_username4]

 

You just dissed Jagex.

 

 

 

Just because you prefer the RSC style of wilderness, doesn't mean you have to bash Jagex for balancing it.

 

 

 

Thanks to RS2, it's now possible for anyone to pk in the wilderness, not just pures. Maybe you think you deserve all the worlds pwnage because you think you're better than everyone else. If that's the case, keep it to yourself.

 

 

 

On the plus side, it was a great read. You should be a tip.it guest writer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

He wasn't really dissing Jagex, even if he is I'm sure he isn't doing it on purpose, it's his oppinion. You really don't have to be rude just because he felt that the RSC wilderness and combat level system was better than the RS2 system.

 

 

 

Oh ya, he dissed em alright.

 

 

 

Yet the hard work of creative gamers has been thrown away, giving way to the muddlesome, inexact, and utterly noob friendly RS2 Wilderness.

 

 

 

Hopefully somebody will come up with something new, before Jagex decides it's "Unfair" to pwn.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pault: You should seriously rewrite the ending and submit it to the times. Well, you could not change it, but I wouldn't take an article with that closing.

[SwreeTak]

Long read :shock:

 

 

 

But really nice written! Myself I don't care so much about all those pure rules, because I train all my levels. But I think that this have learned alot of Tiffer Pk:ers alot of new stuff. Really nice!

[Kewl_Sabre]

I agree completely. I still enjoy playing RSC... I'm one of the very few who still can.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I think that Jagex has done a fairly good job of balancing the pking system on RS2. That being said, had they not made it absolute crap it wouldn't need to be balanced in the first place.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If there ever is an RS3, the PKing system should be the first thing they revamp. In fact, why wait. I can't think of a much better Christmas present.

[who_ryan]

i also think you should be awriter for tip.it that was pretty good

[Smackapotato]

Very well writen and interesting read.

[Stilev]

althought it was quiet interesting the bias part really lowered the qualilty i think, but i cant write that good to start with :XD:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

you do bring i good point about the pures btw

[THEDEEPPKER]

vry nice post! ARE you a part time journalist? jk =D> =D>

[darkblade986]

There are several other examples I can think of at the moment with regards to that...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

#Intentionally dieing as to get a free trip to Lumbridge or Falador.

 

 

 

#Dropping Naptha Barrels to lower your HP for Dharoking

 

 

 

#Getting arrested by Shantay to get teleported to Port Sarim.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That's all I got right now with regards to that...

[FooK-A-Ji]

Well.. dunno when it went wrong, but the guards used to interrupt you if u attacked another player in towns where guards were. used to have a few friends to take guards while concentrating on the victim.