RuneScape Discussion

The articles in this edition's RuneScape Discussion address a variety of points. First, Sho Minamimoto looks at a number of recent changes to the game and price changes in Runescape's Economy: To Be Free, Or Not To Be Free. Does a company with $30m/pa profits really need to put up prices?  Next in If the Shoe Fits, Reens takes a look at fashion and how various outfits give different impressions as well as having some useful tips for any would-be Dark Lords! Thirdly, Henrique651 has a go at comparing the Whip and Godsword, pointing out the pros and cons of each weapon. Finally, Dr Skull asks whether PKers: Has their moment come?, exploring the possibilities of the upcoming PvP worlds that have been mentioned by Jagex.

Happy 'scaping!

-Neo Avatars

Runescape's Economy: To Be Free, Or Not To Be Free - By: Sho Minamimoto

The release of the new Runescape High Detail has brought forward an interesting problem that JaGex must come to face. As we all know, the Beta tests of Runescape HD has come to an end, and is open to both members and non-members of Runescape. The problem that I've come across in observations is the price raise of $.95 USD to the Runescape Membership Subscriptions. Seeing that JaGex has finally come to a decision on raising the price, I, for one, have foreseen that the price would've increased before the new Runescape HD; this raise would have came with the old graphic updates, Grand Exchange, and the Summoning Skill. Now the question comes up; should Runescape HD be available for non-members anymore? With that question said, I shall discuss why this has come to be.

Before everything in Runescape had started to change; with the graphic updates, new skills, and the Grand Exchange; Membership Subscriptions were $4.95 USD each month. Now, memberships gave access to new areas within the game, an extensive selection of quests, and new skills only available with membership. Over the past years as I have been playing throughout Runescape with a membership, generally, I thought it was a decent price. Still, there were some players that ranted about the price because they couldn't "afford" it. Other players without membership could see that with over 140 servers at the time, it seemed like a decent price to pay for all the extra features.

Now, as JaGex began working on the new graphics to improve the game, they planned to only upgrade the places that were both accessible to members and non-members. When the new graphics were completed and stopped for the new High Detail, we would have seen at least another $.95 USD rise in the Membership Subscriptions. This would be seen due to the graphics being improved in all 144 servers at the time. The next move JaGex made with the money from the subscriptions was to add another sixteen servers, with the loss of World 60. This would bring up the number of servers in Runescape up to 159, plus the four German servers that were add along with the new sixteen servers. Yet, JaGex could probably still afford those servers within the $4.95 USD subscription price.

The next big advance in the programming of Runescape was the Grand Exchange. Now, what most players don't understand is that the Grand Exchange looks more complicated than it does when you're actually using it. The ability to raise/lower prices and connect to all servers is very expensive. We could have easily seen yet another $.95 USD price raise, but no, JaGex was still confident in the $4.95 USD subscription price because of the new skill that would catch the eyes of players; that skill is Summoning. The ability to summon your own monster to aid you in battle and skills would certainly have caught non-members attention. But as we all know, not many players could afford the subscription price. The Grand Exchange still caught a hold on people because it was available for all players; non-member or member. This would have caused the problem we see now, but JaGex was confident enough not to raise the price.

Today, the Runescape High Detail is available for all players; with the option to use the old graphics. Now what causes a problem is where the Membership Subscription money is going towards. We all know that with the new price of $5.90 USD came to exist is because of the Runescape HD. But wait; can't members still use the old graphics too? Why should they pay extra for the new graphics if they still use the old ones? This is where the conclusion that JaGex should take; though it may be risky at the same time. When Runescape High Detail starts to run just like the old the graphics, JaGex should make Runescape HD members only, but, non-members should be left with the old graphics in exchange for some of the skills members have; this includes Thieving, Fletching, and Agility; and access to the whole world of Runescape, easy and medium member quests, skill capes, mini-games, most guilds, and items that were members only; excluding the items that aren't available due to the new restrictions.

Now this idea can certainly clear the smoke of the rants about members having too much privilege within the game, but still, having a few restrictions to skills and quests. It is as if the non-members would be getting a taste of what members have within the game, but not fully giving them everything for free. This also gives JaGex a new idea on how to charge members whenever new updates come to exist. But if JaGex came across financial difficulties, we could see Runescape being turned into a Pay-To-Play MMORPG. Yet, JaGex can clearly keep Runescape free to everyone and afford everything throughout time for the players' satisfaction. That, of course, is JaGex's main cause; to make sure all their players are satisfied with the game and play it for fun.

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If the Shoe Fits... - By: Reens

(...then it's probably not NEARLY as good as the shoe which you will be able to purchase in thirty levels.)

In many universes, fashion is directly proportionate to power. On most planes, people believe this to be symbolic - but they are wrong. A successful businessman must dress in the best attire he can afford. If he looks like a slob, then his clients will be offended, and his dealings with them (and the power that such dealings provide) are lessened. If a factory worker arrives at his place of employment in dress contravening the codes established there, he will be fired, and his economic power thusly diminished. If a valiant knight enters battle in a bathrobe, wielding a scrub-brush and singing humorous bath time gurgles, chances are that he will be run through and slain, thus completely robbing him of all his power to do anything at all.

In RuneScape, of course, the same holds true. Without powerful armor with which to gird themselves, warriors would be swiftly overwhelmed by the mighty beasts they must slay. No one, after all, could possibly withstand a single blast of dragonfire without some form of protection. Obviously, comfortable and light tee shirts are not about to save anyone from such a ravening inferno.

Therefore, master smiths have often designed armor on the basic premise of 'living is good' - and as with all clothes, living in really cool-looking pwnage-owning ZOMG armor is really good. While on some worlds, awesome-looking does not always mean awesome-protection (A note to all would-be Dark Lords: Huge metal horns on your helmet will only make walking difficult), RuneScape's system is fairly direct. Simply compare the serviceable but mundane Iron Plate armor to the towering, glowing, shining, shocking beauty of the Dragon armor. If you fail to spot a difference, then you are clearly comparing the wrong armor.

Still, one wonders just how to determine how 'cool' an armor appears. The Third Age Armor, while clearly far more sparkly and glowy than any of the Barrow's armor, falls short of them in terms of attack and defense. While the Steel armor appears to be a direct combination of the Bronze and the Iron, neither of the latter armors generally prove superior to it. Obviously, 'awesome' is quite objective, and comes in different forms. Overly-ornate armor are not better than simple armor; but by the same token, a tasteful but dull plate is not superior to the 'beaming with radiance' look.

In the interest of locating the happy medium at which supreme and ultimate power lieth (for completely honest and scientific reasons), I decided to look at the clothing of the most powerful monsters of RuneScape. It wasn't easy - many of them turned out to be howling juggernauts, with absolutely no sense of real fashion. Even the ones who had visibly tried to co-ordinate were not much help. I was sadly forced to conclude that the end of the world would come before I managed to complete my goal.

... and it did! As I watched Zamorak prepare to end all life in RuneScape, I was fortunate enough to take note of his attire. A suit!

Indeed, some of Zammy's most powerful lieutenants wore extremely stylish suits. Armadyl wore a suit (Accentuated with sunglasses, which he wore all the time. He even wore sunglasses at night!), Marimbo wore a suit, Armadyl wore Marimbo's suit, which would be weird were it not for the fact that he was also wearing Marimbo's body at the time. All of them also wore power like a cloak. (Ikov did not wear a suit, but it can be safely assumed that this was because his wings would have been in the way. He clearly wished he had a suit.)

Even Guthix, a rather powerful visitor from another world, was bedecked in a swanky getup. I'm not about to argue with the gods of two worlds - suits are clearly haute fashion.

Sadly, RuneScape itself does not appear to house any tailors capable of creating even a tuxedo. I am forced to conclude that the power suits confer upon their wearer is so vast that only gods and well-prepared multiplanar travelers can afford to equip one. Ultimate power and style (and most fancy dinner parties) are forever beyond the means of the average RuneScapians. Still, keep this advice in mind: should you ever discover that your crazy uncle's old wardrobe is a magical portal to another world (RuneScape is generally located behind the vests), do not forget to bring a sports coat.

This message brought to you in part by SWANK'D: Superior Warriors Are Not Krudely Dressed

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Whip Vs. Godsword - By: Henrique651

On 26th January 2005, Jagex announced the new slayer skill. But what does this have to do with the article? Well, one of the items we are discussing, in case you don't know, is dropped by a very peculiar monster: The Abyssal Demon. This citizen of the abyss (may his abyssalness grow ever ever what?) drops the abyssal whip.

The Abyssal Whip (or the whip as it is commonly known) was, ever since its implementation in runescape, the weapon of choice for melee combat. At first, party hats were traded for it, but after things calmed down a bit, it wasn't worth nearly as much: Around the 4 - 5 million gold pieces mark. As time passed, it became even cheaper, resulting in its current price: 1.5 - 1.7 million gold pieces.

With this fairly low price for a weapon which was (and might still be? You'll have to read to find on) the best weapon that existed for melee combat, people got used to training their combat by using it. One thing it doesn't have, though, is a way to train strength (apart from the controlled style which isn't very popular). This disadvantage could easily be solved by buying a Dragon Scimitar, which would only cost 100K. Problem solved, and everyone was happy.

This balance, however, was disrupted by the introduction of a new weapon: The Godsword. This weapon, introduced to the game on August 28th of 2007, would contest the Abyssal Whip's dominance as the best melee weapon that existed. But which is better? The Godsword or the Abyssal Whip? Bear with me in my journey to discover which weapon is better.

Before getting into the realm of analysis, let's have an overview of both weapons:

The Abyssal Whip

Pic. 1: A player wearing an Abyssal Whip

Abyssal Whip's Pros:

High speed: The Abyssal Whip is one of, if not the fastest weapon in the game. Due to this ability, it can ditch out large amounts of damage relatively easily.

Does Not Degrade: Unlike Barrows items, the whip doesn't degrade.

One Handed: One of the biggest advantages of the whip over the godsword: It requires only one hand to be wielded, meaning one can use things such as the dragonfire shield to boost it's stats. It also is needed to be have a one-handed weapon to fight Dragons, Wyverns, and the such.

Cheap: The Abyssal Whip is cheap compared to the Godsword.

Common: The Abyssal Whip is a very common weapon.

Abyssal Whip's Cons:

No Prayer Bonus: The Abyssal Whip has no Prayer Bonus, and compared to a weapon like the Godsword, which has a +8 one, it is a major drawback.

Useless Special Attack: The Abyssal Whip's special is basically useless.

Low Protection Value: The Abyssal Whip's protection value is relatively low, meaning there is a higher chance you'll lose it when you die.

Boredom: Compared to a weapon such as the Godsword, which is certainly more enthrilling, the Abyssal Whip becomes kind of boring.

No Crush Bonus: This is another major drawback of the Abyssal Whip, since this makes it so that monsters such as waterfiends can't be killed effectively with a whip, and making the Godsword more versatile for certain situations.

Inability to train Strength: This must be one of the worst faults of the Abyssal Whip: It can't be used train the Strength skill without using the Controlled type of attack which is 3 times slower than the normal Strength training, even though it also gives the same amount of exp gained in Strength to Attack and Defence.

The Godsword

Pic 2: A player (Lakerkobe) wearing a Godsword. Thanks Lakerkobe for the picture.

High Damage: The Godsword's hits are of overwhelming power, giving it knockout abilities for Player vs Player and Player vs Monster. An example would be the Giant Mole: Hit 40's and it won't have much more time to hide from you.

Whooping Prayer Bonus: The Godsword has a amazing prayer bonus (+8) making it one of the best weapons for fighting when prayer is involved.

Doesn't Degrade: The Godsword, unlike the Barrows Items, does not degrade.

Varied and Useful Special Attacks: The Godsword not only has 4 different specials depending on the hilt that is attached to it, but they are all very useful.

High Protection Value: The Godsword has a very high protection value, making it as such that you won't lose it if you die (unless you're skulled, of course).

Fun: Lets face it, we all are wanting to hit very high. It is a very fun weapon to use.

Two-Handed: One of the worst aspects of The Godsword is it's requirement to be two-handed, ruling it out of some combat situations such as fighting Dragons.

Slowness: The Godsword is a relatively slow weapon. It is faster than the other two-handed swords but it is slow compared to a speed demon like the Abyssal Whip.

Expensive: The Godsword is a very expensive item, ranging from the 30 milions to the 100 milions mark.

Rare: The Godsword is still a relatively rare weapon in the game.

What you have all been waiting for. And the answer is...

The Godsword. As far as I've been able to determine, the Godsword is better than the Abyssal Whip in a great deal of situations, being equal in some and being worst in almost none; It's specials are much more effective and useful, plus in general it is able to deal more damage than the Abyssal Whip. This weapon is, without a doubt, better than the Abyssal Whip.

Although for those of you who either do not have enough cash to buy a Godsword, or simply prefer the Abyssal Whip, do not despair; For both weapons are very close to each other in results (With the Abyssal Whip having the aid of either a Rune Defender or a Dragonfire Shield) and as such will not be of great impact to you if you continue to use your whip.

Until next time, dear readers.

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PKers: Has Their Moment Come? - By: Dr Skull

Has the moment for all PKers finally come? Back to like it was in RSC? They day where a world is solely meant for PKing is on the horizon.

This is a PKers dream come true since the destruction of the wilderness. This is the same thing, but now it's not just in a small percentage of the Runescape world, but in 99% of the Runescape, with most people thinking Lumbridge and Banks being safe. Although, is this worth it? Because Jagex is staying away from RWT, they need to make a way so you can't get all of the items from the corpse of the person you just killed. This means the same risk as before, but less profits.

"High rewards for kills. To avoid any RWT issues, the reward for a successful kill will be generated by the game, similar to when you kill a monster at the moment. We're creating generous drop tables based on factors like your levels and the impressiveness of the kill." ~Jagex

But according to Jagex, these "tables" will make it so you get a good reward for killing your opponent, making PKing once again profitable.

"These drop tables will include "PvP world specific" items like XP-modifying gear, lvl 70+ equipment and new, glorious, short-term but hard hitting gear. These will once again make PKing a viable source of income." ~Jagex

So either they're contradicting themselves, or I'm going crazy. (And I hope it's not the latter) The only answer I can come up with, is from the first quote, " We're creating generous drop tables based on factors like your levels and the impressiveness of the kill." The first part of this can either hurt or help you, depending on what your levels are. If all of your skills are lower than, say 40, does that mean you won't get as good reward as say, someone will all skills higher than 70? Or is it based on what your skills vs your opponents skills are?

Now, as for the "impressiveness of the kill", the first thing I thought of, was if your opponent just stood there and didn't fight back, you would get a lousy reward, but if you are both fighting, eating, using pots, and running all over the world, then yeah, you'd probably get a decent drop. The easy thing for a RWT would be for them to stand there while their buyer attacked them. The RWT probably doesn't want to be here long getting killed, so he won't bother to attack back. But if he was smart, he could possibly "trick" the system into thinking it was an impressive battle, when yet really the RWT will lose in the end, so the person who payed him money in real life will win, and get what they payed for.

Overall, this is something that many people have been wanting for a while, and now that it's coming, they can't wait for it. If Jagex is truthful when they say this will profitable, then many people are going to be extremely happy. The Wilderness is being resurrected from the dead.

***PKing = Player Killing
***RWT = Real World Trade(/Trading)/Real World Traders

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