RuneScape has just lost the plot...

Over a year ago I stopped playing RuneScape, with numerous reasons behind my decision. One of those reasons keeps emerging all too often these days. That reason; the content uploaded these days is highly unimaginative.

Quests these days all follow a constant recurring template - Start a quest, work on the quest, fight a boss and it's over. And these days, the bosses aren't that imaginative either.

Rather than take the time to write a very good, credible quest that is more all rounded than combat orientated, Jagex regularly churns out combat based quests, which tends to eliminate purpose for the recreational skills. Why abandon one of the core aspects of the game to follow something completely derivate and unoriginal? Most RPGs and MMORPGs have combat being central, but RuneScape has it being a primary principle with recreational skills available to use. Their exclusion as of late from a lot of quests ruins the gaming experience for me.

And another... the bosses. I'm sure many of you would agree that the bosses for some of the higher ranking quests aren't as impressive as they could be. Quests are meant to be a challenge, to test skills and wit and general enjoyment, but bosses aren't worth all the effort some times. These days a Grand Master quest will just feature a steroid addict as the final obstacle just packed to the rim with life points and mad "superpowers". A boss is meant to differ from any other enemy, but these just seem so run of the mill. The strategy is the same all the time, just hit and keep hitting, there's no strategy!

Many of you are familiar with this Daemonheim or Dragonheim expansion package that RuneScape has to offer. I found it initially fun at first, but I only played it once, because it wouldn't let me train it solo, and that's how I prefer to do things. Ultimately, too much emphasis is put on this whole Dungeoneering Skill, but it really is just a compilation skill, similar to what you would do in Stealing Creation. It is completely dependant on every other skill for it to work, it can't work solo, and only one location is available for it to be used. Far too much effort is centred around there these days that most other projects are completely forgotten.

Amongst its introduction were these tag heroes that no-one has ever heard of. I've introduced tag heroes before, but these human heroes are different. They have their own stories like mine and they have defining elements like mine. There are two differences, one - they don't exist and the player can't relate to them properly. There is genuine emotion involved with the Arzonus characters, each feels pain, has their own drives and forms real bonds to the player (Tandoca most notably so as the player really can feel for her, rather than dismiss pixelated death).

This is happening more and more and I am disappointed. When Jagex contacted me in the Summer asking about the deal, I initially thought it odd for them to contact me out of the blue after two years, but then I saw the opinion polls. RuneScape had begun to lose popularity with former players very quickly with the newer updates and was seeming to be trying to match other RPGs and MMORPGs in every way, including the lack of imagination. They have finally turned to me to ask me for ideas... because they have finally exhausted their own minds and are quickly losing credibility. I can only pity them so far, and as they continue to drive RuneScape into the ground, I grow less and less interested and think of pulling out entirely for their droll will simply ruin my work.

SOLUTIONS

More time should be taken to write quests that have genuine stories to them and a real sense of purpose, rather than churning out half-made and half-decent quests for public demands. It may mean limiting update release to either once a month or even two months between updates, but it'll allow more time to come up with something fresh and bold. More updates should be based around utilising skills more than just building them, making hours of training worthwhile.

The bosses need more imagination into their design. As opposed to overdosing them with massive amounts of steroids, the designers should take the time to think of new strategies to fight them. Cut out conventional combat and simple survival instinct and put other ideas to the test. If they are significantly large enemies, design weak points on them that if targetted correctly will do much more damage than hitting the rest of the body would do and also have orientating weaknesses. It means a lot more thought and lot more challenge goes into combat than simply powering them up and having the whole "hit the enemy, hit the enemy, hit the enemy, eat food, hit the enemy..."

Downplay Dungeoneering... big time. It's not original or new, its just resourcefulness. Expand the game map somewhat to create a nether plane (or the barren lands) in which the player really is tested, rather than banks being around nearly every few steps. The player should genuinely have realism, it must feel thirsty, must feel cold, must feel hungry, must feel genuine emotion, and not simply respond in a pre-conditioned manner. Dungeonerring could be reborn as something with more challenge and realism.

Either scrap the tag heroes or incorporate them greater in the design. Don't simply preset them either, allow the character to forge and break bonds with them so their personality emerges as a result of real-interaction. They should behave humanely.

1) Lose the god complex

2) Gain an understanding of coding

3) Realize they are a company

4) Don't bite the hand that feeds you

5) Realize that many people disagree with you about what they like.

6) Realize that spending more time making quests takes away from the time they can use to make things people can do more than once.

7) Jagex just wants an interesting side story, Arzonus will never be the central plot

8: I would believe you if you actually gave us a chance to read arzonus

9) Plot =/= mechanics

10) Why is your penchant for training solo any different than my penchant for training combat over non-combat?

11) We know nothing about how the heroes will be implemented

12) Jagex's gaming platform really doesn't allow for bosses with the specializations you described without making them uber easy or uber-luck based

13)Jagex has several huge plots they're working on, stop acting like Arzonus is their replacement.

14) I don't think quests have gotten any more formulaic over the years. I think that we've just done enough to notice it.

15) Has anyone here ever given one single idea of how a skill could be trained/used besides what we already have that would be more fun?

There's a difference between Jagex going down hill, and a simple thing called 'growing up'. RuneScape was fun when I was younger, but it's never claimed to be for maturer audiences.


Re: Signature Heroes.
I would like to add that, outside of your head, your characters don't exist either. And despite that you've been asked many times, you haven't uploaded your quest anywhere... meaning that I lack any connection to them. At least I can look at the RuneScape's signature heroes.

Re: Polls.
What opinion polls? They've been in the "top 100 companies to work for" for years, and they've been voted by *us* as the best UK Developer at least last year and it's probably going to happen again.

Re: "The bosses need more imagination into their design."
Please explain to me how a point-click game puts dynamics into combat? They're trying. Those "super powers" add an element of area-of-effect, something previously impossible... they add a requirement to move, keep on your toes. Having attacks you can actually dodge rather than it home and hit you anyway...

"Man's reach should not exceed his grasp"... Java is a difficult engine, and Jagex is very good at it.

Yeah its true but I still like to play it couse it fun, and plus because I meat a lot of people, for example if it wasnt for runescape I woundt have met you, nor anyone of use, do you get me?

So what do you think of my opinion?

Morb, I think you're getting a bit too much of a... superiority complex. Or, as Dark rather accurately(sorry) called it, a God Complex. If you'd stop involving Arzonus in a lot of the stuff you post(I said a lot, not all, don't shoot me), people would like you better. It just seems kind of self-centered is all. Also, why do you have such a negative view of Runescape and Jagex?

I hear you say that Runescape is going downhill, and that it's terrible, and yada yada yada(not literally), and that Jagex are pretty much a bunch of braindead monkeys because they cant - wait, lemme rephrase that - they *don't* implement the gameplay in the manner that *you* would like. It just appears kind of high and mighty, if you ask me.

Please note that I in no way mean to offend you, I'm just stating my opinion.

PS: You actually *can* train dungeoneering solo. I do it all the time. Just equip your Ring of Kinship, make your own party, enter the dungeon, and off you go!