Scotaidh

I do not post all that often, though I do read ALL the articles in the Times. Also, I took a leave of absence from the game back in January, and only returned mid-September to semi-regular play. However, on this article: Tradition by Hamtaro, I would like to comment. I agree in part (parts?) with both Alg and PolarBearBlue with regards to "certain" content removal/retooling. I have been playing since the early part of 2001, and I recall when I first played Romeo & Juliet that the quest as a whole just did not feel right for Runescape. Thus, when it was removed, or I should say replaced, I did not have much to say in opposition...and still don't to be honest. There are times in any game when if something just doesn't fit with the overall scheme of things, you fix it as you (the game developer) deems to do so, in my opinion. HOWEVER, there are other times when removing original content to replace it just does not make "complete" sense to me whatsoever. Doric's Quest is one of those. For me, personally, and speaking ONLY from my own standpoint, there was no real need to remove the original Doric's Quest...rather, What's Mine Is Yours could have been integrated into IT as an expansion on the original (just MY opinion here). Sure, to many removing the original is all well and good, and I do NOT disagree with those players, per se, as I have no real sense of stagnating the game play by keeping things the "old way" ( I play Classic from time to time to relive old memories, but would NOT want the game today to be as it was back then). All I am saying is that "some" things do not require removing just to "fit in" with today's game. I am also NOT happy about the loss of Random Events, and find the response by the JMOD on the RS Forums to be totally baffling, in that they were removed because they "made no sense to keep." To me, such a response makes "no sense" because those Randoms WERE enjoyed not only by myself, but by many others as well; they made for a unique distraction from monotonous training...but that is just my two sense. The article was very interesting, Hamtaro....thank you.

@Tonypopps: If you're ever around when I am online, give me a shout. I'd be more than delighted to do some floors with you, regardless your ability. And so would members of my own clan. Cheers. :mrgreen:

Commenting on the FIRST ARTICLE: I found it a great read that really touched home with me. And, as I always say when posting, what I am commenting on is from MY OWN perspective, and not necessarily to be taken as written in stone....'tis just my opinion. Mid last year I joined a Clan that a "friend" was in, despite my reluctance to do so. This clan was run by high level PMODs, and very structured in the sense that certain scheduled events were MANDATORY with attendance from clan members. I had no problem with that, and participated in all the events that actually mattered to me, or held some aspect of interest geared towards me personally. I don't like a great many minigames, suffice to say. They had an offsite forum, and encouraged members to "speak their minds" so long as it was done maturely and respectfully. Therein lay the problem I encountered.... I am one who speaks out when I see something as being wrong, from MY perspective, and when I disagree with things in general, or specifically. When Free Trade was reintroduced, I had posted on this Clan's forum with respect to MY feelings on the matter...specifically that it would bring about mass Botting/Scamming, etc., and that I was opposed to it on the whole. I did so respectfully, even stating that I could understand Jagex's reasoning, though I strongly disagreed with it nonetheless. To make a longer story shorter...this clan's leaders expelled me from the clan, and told me to stay away from its members and clan chat...they actually sent me an email telling me all this. And THEIR reason for doing so? Because MY opinions were not inline with THEIRS, and thus I could not be a party to their clan since I was not "inline" with the leader's and "clan elder's" personal beliefs and opinions. This is the FIRST time I have spoken out about this clan's actions against me, but it seemed appropriate to me to do so, as this article made me recall how I felt when I was expelled from that group...and ONLY because I had a difference in opinion. Geesh. Anywho, I have also run into individual players that have tried to belittle me for playing the game as a form of entertainment to escape the real world, and went to great extremes, bordering harassment, to make their way of playing known to me...so much so that I have had to hop worlds to get away from them. I do my best to simply ignore them, and play the game the way that I want to and not according to "efficiency", what have you. I just want to have FUN, and play a GAME. I am not looking to excel, nor "be the best", nor anything of the kind. I offer advise when asked (mainly directing players to Tip.it to read through a guide, or use a calculator, et.al.), and if you ask my own clan mates, they will tell you, I am also generous in helping people. NEVER have I tried to "enforce" my own style of play on others...and I do not understand fully why others feel the "need" to do so to me with their ways of playing the game. I already KNOW, thanks to Tip.it, that there are more efficient ways of doing things, but that is just not...ME. So, kudos to the author. This was a fantastic article, and well said. Cheers! PS. Again, I am only speaking from MY perspective here. Thank you. :)

@Blyaunte: I can empathize some on what you are saying. Once upon a time, if I got fed up with the macro users, I would simply retreat to my "fortress of solitude", or in Runescape terminology the Brimhaven Dungeon to kill Red Dragons. It was one of the few places I liked that was virtually free of bots....but, alas, that was then and not now. it used to be that one could surely expect bots at the lower resources places, like Ess Mines, specific Coal/Iron/Gold deposits, or lower level combat areas like the Hobgoblins west of the C rafting Guild...but nowadays, the cheats are running amok EVERYWHERE and without thought, nor concern, about getting caught. And all the while, Jagex just seems to make it even easier for them to get away with it....refer to recent Clan Citadel update regarding Alching/Fletching. So, now, macro users can just form a clan, create a Citadel, and bot away on at least those two Skills to their heart's content without EVER being concerned with getting reported by legit, albeit angry, players of the game. Thank you, Jagex, for your great insight....I say. @XShdaowXx: I know where you are coming from with your comment directed at me. Nowadays, the ONLY thing that keeps me playing RuneScape are the personal goals I set for myself, and once I have achieved those, adios. And most of the gaming friends I have play either Perfect World, Call Of Duty, WoW, or League Of Legends these days too. Which still begs the questions I put forth, but allows for a bit of insight in that most of us, I think, just play Runescape either because we still have some friends there or personal goals we would like to reach, or out of hope for a better future...because many of us have devoted a great deal of time into out characters, and I for one WILL be sad the day I quit because of that aspect alone. But, hey, that's just me I am speaking about here..... :-)

Just my own thoughts: Maybe I am a bit "old school" as well when it comes to MMORPG's as well. I have always understood such types of sandbox games to REQUIRE a player to devote time to his character in order to build it to a respectable, albeit desired, level of skill mastery. In fact, all the MMORPG's I have sampled over time have this SAME aspect of them....TIME. To me, that is the whole point of playing them, to spend time developing your character so that you can have certain "bragging rights" about a particular skill, etcetera, and how you developed your character based on the parameters of the game. In my view, ONLY, I do not see the point of playing a MMORPG if you are not willing to sacrifice the time in the developing of your character....that is what other "types" of faster paced leveling games are for to me. I do not hold just Jagex responsible for the "vocalized", apparent, decline of the game play. After all, one cannot argue that it is the PLAYERS that make or break a particular game, and not just the developers. I have played other games that simply did not appeal to me based solely on their communities, and I am confident that there are many of you reading this that have come across the same. A game can have "so-so" graphics, what have you, and yet are a joy to play in your spare time just because the game's community if fun, friendly, and helpful. Then there are those that have HD graphics, awesome weapons/armors, and yet fall short of drawing in a massive player base solely due to having a rude, downright hostile community environment which turns off the "newbs" right from the start. I guess what it all boils down to for me is that I continue playing RuneScape because of my own personal goals within the game. I used to love interacting with the community back in circa 2001-2005, but those days are long past now and I firmly believe will never return. Why? Because many have grown up, taken on demanding jobs, college, families...and no longer have the available time to play online games anymore. Plus, many players from back then are accustomed to a different "style" of play wherein one "works" hard for his character's recognition. So that leaves the community with the "new" style of player...the ones that want instant gratification, instant mega-wealth, instant recognition as a "skiller" as opposed to the "veteran" player that came up with the game when there were no "boosts" or "easy" ways to come by fame; where one put in the time to develop his/her character. And so we have the "cheaters" of the game that try to make up for the actual years of play a veteran has devoted to his character by macroing his way to fame...but that leads me back to thinking: Why play a MMORPG sandbox game in the first place if you cannot devote the time to a character that they require? Why not just play those "faster" type games instead? I don't know if those questions will ever be properly addressed.... RuneScape to me became famous not because of the constant updates, or the fancy gear, or even for the Skill "boosts" or alluring "program benefits" introduced into the game. It became famous because of the community, in my view. And it will be the community that dictates where the game will go...because, in the end, if the community dwindles, the developers will effect changes to regrow it, and keep us staying at our keyboards day in and day out. Good, or bad, that is the way of the game world: No players means no game. Happy Scaping, folks. PS. This is only MY viewpoint...biased as it may be. :P

You should have seen them prior to 2009 :P They were alot less upfront and generally very secretive of their intentions. I would say they are relatively transparent towards MOST of their intentions, nowadays :) I started playing in 2001. And, the way I see it, they were just the opposite --- at least until somewhere around 2007. They used to post not only what update was forthcoming, but also why. And they used to be a lot more concise on their reasoning for doing something, take for instance the removal of the "old" Wilderness where they stated they were doing so to prevent RWT. credit fraud, and rampant botting. They then reinstate it all back, yet their "reason" falls short of the mark (for me) because they now claim they can deal sufficiently with the problems that first caused the removal...yet many of us can attest that macroing, RWT, and such are just as bad, if not more so, than they were back when everything was taken away. I am only using this as an example because it is so prominent, but there are other, more subtle situations...like why they need to make more News Posts last year for the Golden Joystick Award voting than the year previous (posts that came off sounding like they were begging for votes to some of us)....and why the need for an "incentive" item to perhaps get them the votes this year (those voting maybe anticipating another item for complying). Then there are, from my own perspective, their reasoning behind the Rule Changes for botting. Their "referendum" fiasco which initially began as a pure farce from my viewpoint, and then turned into a somewhat "biased" vote (which had, of course, far fewer votes than the first system) which coupled free trade with pvp, rather than splitting it to actually best gauge the RS Community's views more accurately (at least that is the way I fell about it). There are still mre, but some of them can be attributed to "conspiracy theory" rather than anything more concrete, but I believe I have gotten my point across, I hope. And this doesn't truly say anyting about their real "intentions" since the best anyone can hope for from directly questioning Jagex about a specific matter is something whipped up by their PR Spin Doctors...or you just get referred to a rule, or subsection that has relatively nothing to do with what you are asking in the first place....at least it seems that way to me, and a lot of others I talk to ingame. I actually cringe whenever I hear a Jagex employee comment that they did a certain something or other because they are "in touch" with their community and are doing so for the majority of said. One has to wonder if they are being honest, or are talking on behalf of the spin doctors...you know? But I respect your view as well. I look at things differently than others, and it may very well be that you are more correct than I am in this instance. So, please, take no offense at what I am saying, as I am offering none. Cheers.

You weren't the only one to see the flagstaff as a bought item, and some people may have just gone out to get the flagstaff, but I'm not too bothered without the stats. Just like how they're marketing the katana as getting membership with 'added benefits', getting a runefest ticket is like getting a ticket with 'added benefits'. I'm not measuring you up to critical view, just responding to your viewpoints as I perceive them. I'm hardly the most cut-throat poster on these forums, some people thrive on arguing in detail (I don't), but it only takes a moment to correct someone if they've mistaken what you've said. Acting sorry for yourself doesn't garner any sympathy. If I've interpreted you incorrectly then I'm sorry, but I'm only reading what you wrote. There's been a lot of positive feedback on my article this week so the chance to discuss the article with someone who doesn't agree is something I felt like *shrug*. Discussion is no fun if everyone agrees. No problem there, I do not feel the least bit sorry for expressing my opinion. I may have carried some added baggage into the conversation from being 'knit picked' about expressing an "opinion". For that, a;one, apologies. I thought the article was a great read. It gave me me reason to reply. However, I should have been more concise with how I expressed my opinion, since it gave more than just you a definite misunderstanding of what I was saying. I do not agree, totally, with Jagex allowing an item with stats to be bought as part of a "promotional" campaign. However, I do not totally disagree with it either. I simply think that Jagex should be more "upfront" with the playerbase as a whole, rather than how they have been acting of late. They are now claiming that this Katana "might" be available to more peoples in the future. But who is to really say? The way "I" see things progressing, Jagex is simply "testing the waters" for something new in development. For instance, perhaps their own "store" like so many other games have in existence. And, this little stunt of their's is somehow a way to gauge the proverbial audience, so to speak. Kind of like how they had their "referendum". I noticed that they tied together the Wilderness AND Free Trade as one item...so if you wanted free trade, you HAD to have the Wilderness as well. It is no surprise so many voted "yes", at least to me it is no surprise. I, for one, wanted free trading brought back, not necessarily the Wilderness PvP aspect. And, yes, while the Flagstaff bears no stats, this Katana has stats of an Iron 2h. Not a great item for the added cost, imo. But, correct, this is not the "main" point, but rather it being a microtransaction which Jagex declared they do not want to indulge in, yet seem to have changed their view yet once again, this time in favor of who knows what.... And the ONLY reason I call this matter a minute one, is because of the ever growing Macro problem plaguing the game since free trade was reinstated. Most people I talk with no longer even care about it, claiming it keeps prices low, etc., and that players should not care about it since Jagex seems oblivious to stop it anyway. So, yes, I do not make this "microtransaction" fiasco a priority. But that is just MY way of prioritising gameplay for ME. Not for anyone else, and least of all for you. True, this could indeed lead to far worse things to come. And, sonce it is Jagex we are talking about, it most likely will. But I would rather "buy" items from a legit played game, than have to struggle to get such from a game littered with botted accounts that make more ingame currency than I can with my one account during regular play. See what I mean, or do I need to explain more.? EDIT: I recall the stunt they did with Runefest 2010, wherein people bought the tickets and received a Flagstaff, but as it turned out, they became free and monies were refunded. This sort of reminds me of that. What if they are just seeing the response? Maybe planning something totally unsuspected at the moment...like the way they emphatically proclaimed NO Wilderness Return for so long, and then suddenly did a complete turnabout.....

I do understand that Runefest is exclusive, hell, it's exclusive to those who can afford the rather expensive ticket prices, cost of travel and accommodation in London. I live in England and it could end up costing me £300 (guesstimate) to go to RuneFest - money I simply shouldn't waste. Whether or not you care is an entirely personal decision. The thing with the Flagstaff and holiday events, which are exclusive either to money or chance, is that they have NO STATS. I didn't care about the flagstaff because of this, having one ingame doesn't make a difference (frankly, I've never even seen someone be impressed by one, so it really is pointless). The thing about Vanity Items is that they are exclusive WITH stats. Yeah, it's their company, the same company that has for years claimed that micro transactions will never come to the game. Vanity Items are a prelude to this, I promise you. If they'd never denied microtransactions then it wouldn't be as bad of a thing, but they're lying to us. Also, if you read the times often you'd know we cover more 'serious' issues often. We've talked about bots until we're blue in the face. Firstly, I do read the Times...every issue for the past couple years. I never intended to sound like I was faulting the Times, but rather others that I have doings with in the game itself. Sorry I was not implicitly clear on this part. I should have said RS COmmunity, rather than simply saying community given that the Tip.It community and Rs community are two different entities. I guess I was hoping it would have been understood, but I see I was wrong. And. yes, I agree with you on microtransactions, but Jagex changes their minds like some people change the channel on the television, like their once firm stance on the Wilderness returning, or their staunch stance on Botting, etc. I hope I am making myself clear about this so as to not cause further misunderstanding. I do know there is a "difference" between the items I spoke of, but for me (ONLY), I saw the Flagstaff as a bought item, only available to a limited amount of people that literally "paid" for a ticket, and it was THAT aspect I was referring to, not the part about stats, but more to the point the part about an item being limited to those that "bought" or could "buy" it. NO other inference did I mean to make here. Yes, I am aware the Flagstaff has no stats, but I believe I pointed that out. I said "something like this" to infer that Jagex has indeed pulled certain "stunts" in the past for money/favour/rating (et.al.), and this Katana is not unlike those (though not EXACTLY the same, mind you). Again, I was not aware I had to be so precise when expressing a personal opinion so as to measure up to critical view. I will, however, take note should I ever decide to express a personal opinion in the future, for sure. And, I agree, that perhaps, indeed, this Katana is a prelude to what is to come. Like many online games being played today, maybe one day Jagex might even open their own "store" for buying items, and whatnot, just to stop some from getting scammed by buying them on other, more dubious sites. And I say this ONLY as a matter of personal thought/belief/opinion...NOT as some sort of fact or statement of truth, etc. Okay? As I said, in the future, should I feel the need to express a personal opinion about something I read, I will either be far more precise and particualar in how I word it, as though I were submitting a paper for grading, or I simply will keep my opinion to myself. Apologies for not being a literary scholar of sorts, and for any misunderstanding.

You didn't appear to address the problem in your opening statement. It appeared as though you made an analogy between attending RuneFest being exclusive to British people (which isn't very accurate, by the way) to purchasing GameStop RuneScape membership card being exclusive to Americans. The analogy is weak because you're comparing two very different things - RuneFest was a real life activity, a convention, so it's obvious that there would be location constraints, whereas a RuneScape membership card is merely a card that would give an account membership, which should have no location constraints thus should be purchasable anywhere. I do understand why you made the comparison, but it's a flawed reason. Even if they were similar things, what would that change? It doesn't justify the fact that JaGex is being discriminatory, albeit little 'unfair' advantage has yet to be given. The reason people are annoyed about Vanity items is not because it provides some sort of unfair advantage, but it's because of the hypocritical stance that JaGex appears to have, contradicting their own principles in the process. It's a worrying trend that may actually prove to be game-changing in the future, and people are annoyed at how JaGex appears to shifting towards permitting micro-transactions whilst enforcing the no real world trading rule. We acknowledge that JaGex is a firm that operates on profit, but to operate successfully, they shouldn't alienate their player-base. If the community rejects the change in attitude of JaGex, then it would be irrational for them to not revise their views. Addressing the last point you made - I don't think you really got the point. The point was - The change in attitude of JaGex, which seems hypocritical at best, coupled with the fact that the trend may prove to be more damaging in the future, is what appears to anger players. Although there are other serious issues, it doesn't necessarily mean that they should ignore less significant issues like these, as over time, it may become far worse than it already is. I was merely expressing my opinion...NOT submitting a school paper for grading and such. If you don't like my opinion, fine with me. I fail to see any need to dissect it like you did UNLESS you feel that only YOUR opinions matter and thus should be allowed to be posted here. As far as I read, all views/posts/opinions were welcome on this forum. So, if you do not like mine...IGNORE IT in the future. Sound fair ??? I'm not aspiring to be any sort of writer, or win any kind of literary award. I am just saying how I see things from my own perspective. For me it is not just about microtransactions, but about splitting the game community into those that "can" and those that "cannot" as is the case with Runefest....like with last years speech about the most loyal and devote being those that were in attendence, etc. I don;t really go in for much on microtransactions because I play other games where such things are commonplace, and bought right from the game itself via a "store". So, forgive me for making my own analogy fit to how "I" felt, and not how "you" believe it should have been portrayed, but it is MY opinions that I was stating....true? I also understood the article, and did NOT disagree with the author on his views (nor did I even give a hint that I disagreed with the article). I simply stated how I saw things from MY point of view alone...in accordance with stating my opinion of this recent fiasco or sorts (the Katana). I agree with Jagex alienating its playerbase, but I believe they have been doing this for some time now; this is not the first, imo only. I was not making "any points" at all, I was merely expressing my own opinions...which I clearly stated in my dialogue. Thus, a dissection is rather moot given that I am not looking to be perfect in my writings. Sorry to disappoint.

RE: Seriously, Jagex? Vanity Items? I am not sure I can properly comment on this article without raising my blood pressure just a bit. I noticed a great many people are bent out of shape simply because this so called "vanity" item is available only to those in America who buy the card via GameStop. Well, to wit, isn't Runefest most exclusive to those in the England surrounds...? Don;t get me wrong, I am sure there are many from various locales around the globe that have attended the last one, and will do so again....BUT, speaking for myself, I will never be able to attend one unless they brought it to North America, no matter how much I would love to just to get the chance to meet some of the developers of the game alone. So, speaking only for myself...I do not really care about items like this being bought via a pay card from a store. Games all over the net do things like this, and also console games as well. It is no different than Jagex saying "give us a monetary donation and we will give you a fancy item/weapon/armor in the game." They did something like this for the first Runefest with the Flagstaff of Festivities (albeit without any stats, but still a 'bought' item available only to a select peoples). I say if this is how they want to make their money....it's their company. Mayb if they can make money in like mannerisms, they will stop allowing member account Botting to be so rampant just to get a monthly subscription (yea, I know, cheap shot on my part, but go figure). I do not see the reason for such an uprising over something as minute an issue as a "vanity" item, when there are far more SERIOUS issues to rise up against Jagex about --- and yet the Community would rather berate them for this, rather than those others.....isn't that a bit 'vain' ??? Just my own opinion... :mellow:

FIRST @ All_Blogs: Correct, it is not the "fllor" but rather the Boss at the End. And, sorry, but it is not Shadow-forger Ihlakhizan, but instead Bal'lak the Pummeller that I have yet to get past. I have talked about this with a few people I know ingame, but they travel in a group and have defeated this menace already...their suggestions along with those from Tip.It are intelligent enough, they just don't seem to work for me in a solo setting. SECOND @ Saradomin_ Mage: I am aware of what Jagex has "said" about rebalancing Solo Dungeons, but that is neither here nor there, and can only be taken at face value, as Jagex is fond of saying many things and doing quite the opposite. As far as a Solo Guide being different from a group guide, there would be, imo only, many aspects that would differ between the two. Skill Doors for one have a better chance to be opened with a group as opposed to a soloist. Even at my own high levels, I have found it necessary to result to Herblore in order to boost to get there....and that involved opening yet another page to look up what I needed, etc. Also, as mentioned, are the "roles" which obviously do not exist for soloists, thus some other "strategies" could be listed within a Solo Guide, such as Dungeon Size, etc. As for the "fundamental" aspects, of course they would be similar, but that can be said of a great many things, and yet there exists strategies for such other things that describe grouping as opposed to soloing. I guess what I am really trying to say is that the "methodologies" are what differ, and thus could be used to help enhance the play for soloists like myself.

I appreciate the reply. It would be of great benefit should the Tip.It team e able to supply the site with a "solo" guide, as I am pretty sure it would be a first. While I do enjoy breaking up the monotony of regular play by taking on a few Dungeons, I have never been able to find a proper group to participate with in this "skill", so I have been Dungeoneering 99% of the time as a Soloist. Unfortunately, there is very little information devoted to this aspect despite the fact that Jagex made Dungeons to be traversed by single players as well as groups of players. Because of this, I have not been able to get above F30 as a soloist and have been scouring various sites hoping to acquire pertinent information to assist me in trying to get further. Unfortunately, no other site seems to have taken any initiative, nor interest, in providing help for those of us who solo Dungeons. Everyone seems more oriented in giving advice and whatnot to those who do the "skill" in groups --- something that I find bias (imo only), as those of us who enjoy doing Dungeons alone are drastically disadvantaged and not looked upon in the same light as groups of adventurers. It like Jagex says we can enjoy Dungeoneering as a solo adventurer...yet they devote all their attention to those who do them in groups. Leaving us soloists to fend for ourselves, overlooked, under appreciated, and not happy about it. Hopefully, someone viewing this thread that has information for us solo players will reply with perhaps a link or two. We who solo NEED guides too. Cheers. :smile:

What is Too Much? Featured Article by Evaluate Edited by Last_to_Kn0w For me, personally, I consider "too much" to be when the game ceases to be any sort of fun at all in playing. It has been 10-years now, and I can still find a few things to do within the lands of Gielinor that continue to entertain me enough to keep returning. When those things are no longer of any personal value to me, then I will simply make a permanent move to another game such as PWI --- where I play a part time character now. That is my own definition of too much. As far as such items as capes (et.al.), they do not matter to me. I do not play Castle Wars, and have no interest, I also do not like Conquest, nor Pest Control, Questing...nor a lot of other things offered within the game construct. Given that "uniqueness" about me and my character, I know full well that I will never acquire many items in the game, and that is okay with me. But when the FUN is gone --- well, that aspect DOES matter. Nice article. Thanks ! :thumbsup:

Is there any decent Guides available for Solo Dungeoneering ?? If so, can someone direct me, please ? Also, is there any chance of Tip.It also supplying us with such Guide info like they currently do for "group" Dungeoneering ???? Thanks, and apologies if this is in the wrong forum.

Personally, I no longer waste my time "discussing" Macro Users. It is what it is, and that is that. I tend to overlook any threads related to "bot talk" as I have just grown too dang tired of talking about a matter that Jagex seems oblivious to rectify (imo only). So, I say one or two major threads and can all the small ones.