Author: Runescape

We heard about of a really nice Christmassy idea from community member Will Miss It today. He wants to make a Community Christmas video featuring as many members of the RuneScape Community as possible.

It’s a lovely concept and something we’re really keen to help make happen. So, send us your super short video wishing your fellow Gielinorians a Merry Christmas  by December 20th and we’ll get them all over to Will Miss It so that he can make his great idea a reality. Your mini vids can be made with your phone camera, your webcam or anything else that able to capture that Christmas spirit. There’s already a queue of J-mods waiting to take part, so it would be great to get as many of you involved as possible!

Looking for an added personal touch to your newly acquired ship? Look no further than our Rename Your Ship competition in which we’ll be taking new ship names from the community and adding them into the game in the near future!

Our Winter Weekends continue, with double Dungeoneering XP and tokens being awarded for all completed floors. To top it off, we’re offering prizes to the top XP gainers who signup on our competition thread here.

You can find full details of how to get your message to Will Miss It, via us, over on a thread we’ve created, which you’ll find here.

It is the time of the year when days become shorter and nights seem to have made a deal with the sun. This is the time of bundle-up fashion, hot chocolate and Christmas surprises – not to mention all-out snowball fights! Simply put, it’s a time to be jolly.

For the next Players’ Gallery, we’d like you talented artists to bring some colour, warmth and good festive cheer to the winter season to make these chilly days more enjoyable. It could be your character preparing for a perilous adventure to the Land of Snow, an NPC snowball fight, or a RuneScape Christmas feast, so grab your pencils, pens and brushes and let the celebration of winter begin!

1. Updated World Activities

We’re updating the activity labels for many worlds to better reflect your interests and most popular activities. Mod Emilee has been running brainstorming workshops on the forums for the last month to gather ideas and feedback, and we think we’ve been able to accommodate the vast majority of your requests! We’re added a bunch of new activities and reducing the quantity of duplicates for the less popular activities. Of course, remember that the activity labels are just recommendations – you’re free to use the worlds however you wish!

2. Member/Free Player Distribution

Over the last few years, members have come to be a higher proportion of our player base. As such, we’re changing several previously free-to-play worlds to members’ worlds. Members should have the best possible experience, and we hope that this will allow members more breathing room and choice of worlds.

3. Server Load Balancing

We’ve re-examined which worlds are placed under heavier burden and are better configuring our server architecture around this. It should mean lower latency during busy periods.

We hope everyone can benefit from these changes, so please continue to give us your ideas and feedback on these topics on the forums.

FAQ

Are you removing any worlds?

No. We’re just relabelling or changing the configuration of existing worlds.

Is this because of the lag during the last Bonus XP Weekend?

In part, yes. The event really highlighted the need for us to better balance server load for events and peak times, and especially underscored the burden being placed on members’ worlds.

What else are you doing to address lag and server performance?

We’ve put renewed effort into code optimisation, and just in the past two months have improved script efficiency by around 20%, making “two-step lag” less likely to happen. We will continue to make these improvements in the future. We are also intending to update our server infrastructure again in the new year, to further improve performance.

Why did you switch some free worlds to members worlds?The majority of active players are members, and generally free worlds are less populated than their members’ equivalents. Also, we feel that those paying should get the best possible service and the most choice.

What about ___?

We’ve tried to fulfil as many requests as possible, but some activities haven’t had enough demand to warrant a specific label. Give us your feedback and we’ll make adjustments if there’s enough demand.

Why aren’t you adding any more skill total level worldsWe are still considering this. We aren’t yet decided on whether this is the right course of action, so we’re not making any such changes at this time.

We’ve relaunched our Recruit a Friend programme and now it’s better than ever! Here’s what you’ll get when one of your recruited friends becomes a member:

• You’ll earn yourself 30 days of membership free!
• When your recruited friend earns XP, you’ll receive an XP bonus!
• You’ll get a teamwork XP bonus whenever you and your recruited friend are on the same world and together!

Note that the XP bonuses mentioned above are given as increased XP gain, earned as you train your own skills, in the skills trained by your recruited friend.

Remember, you can recruit multiple friends and earn even more free membership and XP bonuses!

To get started, simply click here and click “Recruit Friends Now!” Once you’ve done so, your nominated friends will receive an email with details of how to get involved. There’s never been a better time to bring your friends to RuneScape, so start recruiting now!

Any questions? Check out our wiki page and FAQ here.

“It’s impossible to downplay the significance of this update,” stated Mark Ogilvie, RuneScape’s lead designer.  “A rework of the combat system has been the most requested update from our community, and thousands of man hours have gone into developing a more fluid, interactive and tactical combat system. The Evolution of Combat update will fundamentally change the way people play and view RuneScape forever.”

Due to the game-changing nature of the release, RuneScape members will have the opportunity to be among the first to trial the new system with a limited access closed beta; the first in the game’s history. Beta registration will open to all RuneScape members on 1st June in preparation for the first beta entry on 26th June. The beta will run from 26th June until September and will allow testers the exclusive chance to preview the expansion before the rest of the world.

Through the Evolution of Combat, RuneScape has undergone the most significant change in its 11-year history. Rumours and speculation have been rife among the RuneScape community as players have tried to guess just what this exciting new content will contain. With the developers promising a totally revolutionary change to the game – upping the level of immersion and player involvement while, critically, retaining the features and overall charm that have made the browser-based adventure so popular – players have been rushing to sign up for the chance to take part.

“The Evolution of Combat update is the biggest change we’ve ever made in RuneScape’s long history and we’re incredibly excited to finally let our players take part.” commented Mark Ogilvie, RuneScape’s Lead Designer. “We really wanted to make our conflict game play more about the actual art of combat, so we’ve added amazing abilities which will give the player a wealth of choices to use in PvE and PvP combat, and the way those abilities relate to each other will bring a completely new sense of tactical depth to the game. We’ve also made huge improvements to the look and sound of combat, meaning the entire game has become a far more gritty, visceral and adrenaline pumping experience. ”

Speaking about the beta, Mark Ogilvie continued, “We have always valued the views and feedback our community which is why we are so excited to be launching this game-changing update with a members’ beta. By introducing this update with a limited-access beta, we are able to interact with our community in a completely new way and offer our members the chance to try the new features first, helping to shape the future of one of the most important elements of the game. I know players won’t want to miss out on the chance to take part in this exclusive opportunity, so be sure to register your interest when registration opens on 1st June.”

Gunbound first reached America in 2006 and Europe in 2007. The game has steadily increased its list of mobiles which now come in all shapes and sizes. The frog mobile shoots a green slime that either rolls forward or backwards upon landing, the venerable ‘Boomer’ shoots a boomerang which is difficult to aim but deadly in the hands of a master.

What makes the Gunbound so attractive to both new and old gamers? Like all great games, Gunbound is easy to learn but difficult to master. Newbies can play the game among themselves and laugh as they continue to miss one another or get in lucky shots. Experts enjoy the game for its infinite variety and skill-based gameplay. Onlookers may think you’re playing a childish game but anyone whose experienced Gunbound knows that it is a deep and rewarding experience.

Nexon’s 2D side-scrolling MMORPG has an addictive effect on Western gamers. Originally designed to appeal to young Korean gamers, MapleStory has attracted a much older audience in America. Middle school and High school students across the nation play MapleStory, many going so far as to spend money in the game’s optional micro-transaction funded shop. Major news stations have even covered the game and how some players steal from their own parents to flash out their online avatars.

Neopets was released in 1999 and purchased by Viacom in 2005. New Neopets, mini-games and regions have been added to the world of Neopia over time. Today, the interface is much improved and even new spin-off sites like PetPet Park are in the works. The number of activities possible in Neopets set it apart from most MMORPGs, browser based or otherwise. Where else can you buy stocks one moment, run a small shop the next, and start a stamp or trading card collection afterward?

Retired players should consider returning, with all the new additions and the recent tie-in with Nickelodeon the Neopets experience has been completely revamped. It’s easier to customize your pet, simple paint brushes are more accessible but there’s still plenty of motivation to amass millions of Neopoints!

Most online PC gamers have played Ragnarok Online in the past. Whether its on the official Gravity servers or one of thousands of private servers, we’ve all experienced the unique blend of 3D graphics and 2D sprites. Based on Norse mythology, Ragnarok Online won gamers over with a great musical score and simple gameplay. The large class choice and ability to advance into more specialized professions kept RO interesting for many grind sessions.

About RuneScape

RuneScape is a massively-multiplayer online game developed and published by Jagex Games Studio, the 2009 Golden Joystick Awards “UK Developer of the Year”. The game is set in a fantasy world of warring races, ravaged landscapes and sinister powers. RuneScape is free-to-play and can be accessed on almost any PC with an internet connection.

RuneScape currently holds the Guinness World Record for the most popular free MMORPG and has been played by over 150 million people worldwide since it was first launched in 2001, making RuneScape the most successful browser-based game in history.

Hard as it may be to believe, not everyone in the Land of Snow is full of Christmas cheer. The Queen of Snow’s neighbour, Ebenezer Scourge, isn’t known for his goodwill or for his love of a good party, but that’s nothing to worry about. Nothing’s going to go wrong. I’m quite sure that this year we’ll have a quiet Christmas. I’m almost certain that there’ll be no kidnapping, ghosts of Christmas past, magical curses or vigilante snow imps.

Adventurers with the impish cunning to see this one through will be richly rewarded with a dramatic new emote, a fiendish costume, and not to mention a tasty-looking and festive wieldable item.

Christmas time has come round again and the Queen of Snow has invited guests to her realm for one of her legendary Christmas feasts, and perhaps a snowball fight or two. Hop into one of the Christmas cupboards in Varrock, Falador or Draynor to join in the festivities along with Santa Claus, Jack Frost, and an entourage of guests from across RuneScape.

Welcome to Free for All, a weekly column highlighting the world of Free to Play/Freemium games! The new generation of free-to-play games are not only of the same quality as many “standard” MMOs, but they give players a chance to try them out before they ever spend a dime (if they choose to). I am going to try to make sense out of the masses with this column, so wish me luck and thanks for reading!

There really is no difference in allowing your players free unlimited access to a limited amount of content, and allowing your players that same limited access to a heftier amount of content, with the option to add on. The “velvet rope” is a great way to hook the player, without making them feel rushed. Often, after playing through a 14 day trial and being faced with the purchase of a digital copy of the game (50 dollars) as well as with a monthly fee (15 dollars) and paying for any expansions (instead of getting them for free which is the practice in most velvet rope games), I decide to take my time and money elsewhere.

But if that trial had been unlimited, I would have had even more time to build my character, to forge relationships and to explore the world. Essentially, I could play to the same limit but on my schedule. This allows players who work many hours, have children or are generally busy to enjoy the game with the option to buy.

So, if you look at most popular “freemium” games, you will see a very successful pricing option. But, is it truly “free” or just a subscription game under a different title? It is a little of both, it seems — somewhere squarely in the middle. And developers are noticing! In an older interview, Kingsisle’s Todd Coleman gave some insight into how this model works for Wizard101:

“Free-to-play is a very different model from retail boxes, WoW may be an exception to this, but you come out and day 1, you get all these sales. And that is effectively the highest number users you’re going to have, because the next day, you start losing and you bleed and you bleed and you bleed and, eventually, you put an expansion pack out and then hope that pops up a whole new curve like the last one, only a little higher or at least equal to it.

So, you’re fighting a war of attrition the entire time. FTP is not like that, at least it hasn’t been for us. Every day we get more people coming in, and the game is sticking up or keeping a pretty good chunk of them. So our loyal fan base of subscribers grows, our number of people spending micro payments and buying areas one by one by one, that’s growing. And then the number of peak players grows and then the number of free trial players grows. And then, we still have people that signed on back in September when we first launched that are just deciding now to become subscribers. I mean, it’s crazy. It’s a very, very different model.

NPD releases this survey annually since 2008, and they also show us the trend of the former WoW players’ choice. In 2008 Runescape, a game that is said to be the second most popular online game, gathered 20% of the players who had left WoW, but the number dropped drastically in the following two years to around 10%. Where did they go? They went to DDO! It seems that DDO’s F2P option did work well.

Welcome to Free for All, a weekly column highlighting the world of Free to Play/Freemium games! The new generation of free-to-play games are not only of the same quality as many “standard” MMOs, but they give players a chance to try them out before they ever spend a dime (if they choose to). I am going to try to make sense out of the masses with this column, so wish me luck and thanks for reading!

Freemium is one of those rare hybrid terms that is used to describe some games in the MMO market. Yet, what does it mean? I prefer to use the term “velvet rope”, because it places a good picture in your head as to how the game might work.

I decided to examine what the term means, and what it might say to a potential player. The best way for me to do this is to look at some “freemium” games that not only do it well, but are some of the most successful games out there, regardless of subscription model.

Through the Evolution of Combat, RuneScape has undergone the most significant change in its 11-year history. Rumours and speculation have been rife among the RuneScape community as players have tried to guess just what this exciting new content will contain. With the developers promising a totally revolutionary change to the game – upping the level of immersion and player involvement while, critically, retaining the features and overall charm that have made the browser-based adventure so popular – players have been rushing to sign up for the chance to take part.

RuneScape is the world’s most popular free-to-play massively multiplayer online adventure game (as recognised by Guinness World Records), from multiple award-winning independent British development studio Jagex. Set in a richly detailed, medieval fantasy world, RuneScape’s traditional storytelling proudly draws its inspiration from classic role-playing games. RuneScape delivers a contemporary, innovative and original experience for millions of players across the globe every day. RuneScape offers a fully featured free-to-play game, with a popular subscription option of even greater scale and ambition, both running directly within almost any computer’s browser.

Thanks to its character-class-free skill system and elective gameplay, there are no limits to the hero players can become, no quest you cannot complete and no requirement to collaborate with others or face them in player-versus-player combat unless you so choose. RuneScape’s distinctive role-playing style rewards players who think strategically and play smartly. Its witty, intelligent tone, finely balanced gameplay, epic questing and myriad in-world diversions combine to create a game that has earned its place as the most popular free-to-play massively multiplayer online game of all time and continues to push the boundaries of online role-playing games.

About Jagex

Jagex is a multi-award winning online games developer based in Cambridge, England. Jagex specialises in the development of high quality browser-based games with supporting platform and technology. Jagex is also the largest independent games developer and publisher in the UK.

Jagex has a long-standing reputation for creating the world’s best online games and for developing hugely popular, high quality, accessible, free-to-play games and for providing an unbeatable community experience for millions of players around the world. Jagex has developed and self-published over 40 online titles, including the world’s most popular free multiplayer online game, RuneScape.com.

“The Evolution of Combat update is the biggest change we’ve ever made in RuneScape’s long history and we’re incredibly excited to finally let our players take part.” commented Mark Ogilvie, RuneScape’s Lead Designer. “We really wanted to make our conflict game play more about the actual art of combat, so we’ve added amazing abilities which will give the player a wealth of choices to use in PvE and PvP combat, and the way those abilities relate to each other will bring a completely new sense of tactical depth to the game. We’ve also made huge improvements to the look and sound of combat, meaning the entire game has become a far more gritty, visceral and adrenaline pumping experience. “

The Evolution of Combat update includes a host of new features designed to add even more excitement and skill to the game. These features include the ability to dual wield weapons; the introduction of action bars; new abilities which unlock as the battle progresses and the new adrenaline bar fills; the ability to cast buffs and weaknesses on your allies and opponents respectively; the ability to produce critical hits and – finally – a whole host of new character animations.

Ogilvie continued,”The entire update has been built to play to RuneScape’s strengths and has been designed to refocus combat to be more about player skill, encourage variety in combat equipment and to make combat more enjoyable and challenging. This will revolutionise the way the game is played, making the experience ultimately more rewarding, while not diverting from the essential heart of the game which has made RuneScape so hugely popular for millions around the world.”

Jagex, makers of the world’s most popular free-to-play MMORPG – RuneScape, today announced the opening of their highly anticipated Combat Beta, Evolution of Combat. An elite band of 50,000 testers have been carefully selected from the hundreds of thousands of players who applied for access to the Beta, and have been granted the unique opportunity to shape the development of this colossal update before anyone else.

Through the Evolution of Combat, RuneScape has undergone the most significant change in its 11-year history. Rumours and speculation have been rife among the RuneScape community as players have tried to guess just what this exciting new content will contain. With the developers promising a totally revolutionary change to the game – upping the level of immersion and player involvement while, critically, retaining the features and overall charm that have made the browser-based adventure so popular – players have been rushing to sign up for the chance to take part.

“The Evolution of Combat update is the biggest change we’ve ever made in RuneScape’s long history and we’re incredibly excited to finally let our players take part.” commented Mark Ogilvie, RuneScape’s Lead Designer. “We really wanted to make our conflict game play more about the actual art of combat, so we’ve added amazing abilities which will give the player a wealth of choices to use in PvE and PvP combat, and the way those abilities relate to each other will bring a completely new sense of tactical depth to the game. We’ve also made huge improvements to the look and sound of combat, meaning the entire game has become a far more gritty, visceral and adrenaline pumping experience. “