Jagex speak to the Villager

2004 saw the biggest changes to Runescape in it’s history. Record numbers of players, new areas, skills and obviously the big launch of Runescape 2. It is now about a year since the beta was unleashed on an excited and enthusiastic population and following extensive testing, was finally put out in the first half of the year. Since then, the changes which Jagex had hinted at came thick and fast. But it wasn't’t just the world which had changed. It was as if the entire culture had undergone a revolution. Nothing, from combat to buying and selling would ever be the same again. Skills which had earned money and prestige were suddenly fighting for space alongside new and in some cases ignored but established money earners. Going back to Runescape classic now is like stepping through to a different world, the game is hardly recognizable and not just because of the graphics but the way it is played. There was so much to cover it was difficult trying to work out what to ask Jagex but several questions were put to them. Mods Jay and Hulme very kindly took time out from their work to answer them for us:

RSC is still there but for how long? It seemed the right time to ask seeing as it is nearly a year since anything was said about it. Even now, the answer doesn't’t give too much away but it is clear that RSC is now looked on more as a piece of history than part of the game. ‘We have stopped developing classic, and I couldn't’t say for sure, depends on a couple of factors’. No doubt the number of players will be watched closely by Jagex on this one.

There has been a lot of talk in our forums about updates for f2p and what is likely to happen. For the time being, it looks like f2p will have to wait and see. Mod Jay said ‘ We are concentrating on the members version of the game. This is what supports the growth of Runescape’ There are also no plans to let f2p post in the official forums either, ‘This is a members privilege. Free players can read but if they want to join in the fun they would have to become a member’

It seems as though the Jagex goal is very much in the p2p side of the pitch at the moment. I asked them about the recent flow of updates and quests and it looks as though this is set to continue. "Definitely, our goal has always been to improve the regularity of our updates. We have increased the size of our teams with this is mind’. So what about those over rumoured players owned houses? People in the Village tend to think Jagex is trying to walk away from them. ‘We have always stated that there are plans to implement player houses. So, yes they are still on the cards, but we cannot give you an ETA I am afraid." So what could they tell us about? "There’s a lot being developed at the moment. Some fun stuff too. All I can say is, keep an eye on the News and Updates section. We will keep you informed when we feel we are able to ok, so no specifics there but ‘fun stuff’? Can anything equal Castle Wars?????

I moved on to talk about within the game itself. RSC suffers from the dreaded macro users on a wide scale and wondered how this was being combated in RS now. ‘We monitor it very closely and are constantly taking action against players that are using 3rd party software. If you use a macro, you WILL be caught’. How this was done they would not expand on but it is obvious this is a part of the game they are treating seriously. It blighted RSC and they are determined it will not do the same in RS. Staying on the subject of player behavior, I asked about player mods and how they are working out. They were very upbeat about this subject. ‘The player moderator system is working really well. We are looking to grow this over the coming months, as well as making some changes behind the scenes in an attempt to deal more effectively with rule breakers’. Player behavior has after all been a subject close to a lot of hearts in the Village recently. It features in the forums on a regular basis so it looks like your voices are being listened to.

Obviously, all of these changes and improvements have meant a dramatic rise in the number of players. Did they feel this was likely to continue? ‘It shows we are doing something right’ Said Mod Jay, ‘We constantly are monitoring levels and always aim to increase the number of new worlds in relation to the number of players’. This does seem to be borne out by the addition of many new worlds both of f2p and p2p recently where total numbers have risen above the 100k level for the first time."

I finished off by asking how they felt 2004 had gone? ‘2004 was a fantastic year for us and one that we are hoping to better this year, with more content more monsters and more players’

Looks like we can see some big things happening soon. There have been so many additions not just to the game but within it as well, most notably Castle Wars and the Games Room and it looks like this trend is set to continue. Jagex seem to be very confident, there is no defensiveness in their answers and having had a successful year in 2004, they are heading full steam into 2005 with no let up in the pace. Lets see what happens!

I am very grateful to Mods Hulme and Jay for taking the time to do this.

GCSE

Article by:GCSE
Proof-read by:Ozzie Bond
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