Runescape!

[dwarf]

Me and a friend had a competition on this to see how many people we could get to say the word 'n00b'. My tactic was to call everyone a sad-act with no social skills and it seemed to work well.

Childish I know.

[Kirkatronics]

Me and a friend had a competition on this to see how many people we could get to say the word 'n00b'. My tactic was to call everyone a sad-act with no social skills and it seemed to work well.

Childish I know.

Lol, just stand there. Easier

[dwarf]

I know lol, but still, it's pretty funny seeing tame insults like that because no swearing is allowed.

Ah, the memories of this game, haven't been on it for 3 years and don't plan on doing so.

I wonder if I can remember my account name.... kicking myself.

[MoogleViper]

Lol, just stand there. Easier

 

"how do I attack?"

[dwarf]

Hehe, that phrase would probably piss them off!

Try stealing someone's fish when they've caught it, I did that once I think but the guy did nothing about it.

I remember getting my woodcutting level really high, yet I never found out how to obtain money.

'What's Wildy? Is that the wizard?'

[Kirkatronics]

Hehe, that phrase would probably piss them off!

Try stealing someone's fish when they've caught it, I did that once I think but the guy did nothing about it.

I remember getting my woodcutting level really high, yet I never found out how to obtain money.

'What's Wildy? Is that the wizard?'

If you can get it that means theyve dropped it and its up for grabs lol.

[MoogleViper]

If you can get it that means theyve dropped it and its up for grabs lol.

 

Or they've left it there for ages.

[Kirkatronics]

Or they've left it there for ages.

They must have dropped it in the irst place, or it wouldnt be there. The fish goes directly into your inventory from fishing. Unless they mean from a kill and looters taking it.

[MoogleViper]

They must have dropped it in the irst place, or it wouldnt be there. The fish goes directly into your inventory from fishing. Unless they mean from a kill and looters taking it.

 

Oh yeah.

 

I might have another go on this.

[Kirkatronics]

Oh yeah.

 

I might have another go on this.

I wish i could give some start-up funds..

3K enough?

 

lol, it's the same with other games though, once the kids latch on they never let go. I do definetly say that members is alot better than f2p as most of the kids can't get ahold of money to pay for it.

I like members way better, but its not worth it for the few hours id play in a month now

[Rummy]

I remember you used to be able to pick up fish back in RS1 before the update to RS2. I've still been playing it a bit this month, namely the new FoG minigame, and I realised more than I had before how mean everyone is in the game. It's just everyone running around being aggressive and calling everyone noobs, back when I first started playing, it wasn't like that, had much more nicer people around

[dwarf]

I remember you used to be able to pick up fish back in RS1 before the update to RS2. I've still been playing it a bit this month, namely the new FoG minigame, and I realised more than I had before how mean everyone is in the game. It's just everyone running around being aggressive and calling everyone noobs, back when I first started playing, it wasn't like that, had much more nicer people around

Im sorry about that :/

Most of them will only be joking of course.

[Rummy]

The thing is, I don't think they were joking, it doesn't seem jokey, just angry and aggressive. Noob's like the only word not censored by the filter(though I remember it was for a short while, made me laugh), though soemtimes people's calls of noob will still be littered with stars and whatnot. It's not EVERYONE, to be fair, but quite a large number of people are like it throughout the game.

Den dere's da real noobz hu walk round talkin lyk dis.

That really annoys me, especially when they do things like 'sk8te' which is just totally pointless. I swear the internet is making us all stupider.

[nightwolf]

The thing is, I don't think they were joking, it doesn't seem jokey, just angry and aggressive. Noob's like the only word not censored by the filter(though I remember it was for a short while, made me laugh), though soemtimes people's calls of noob will still be littered with stars and whatnot. It's not EVERYONE, to be fair, but quite a large number of people are like it throughout the game.

Den dere's da real noobz hu walk round talkin lyk dis.

That really annoys me, especially when they do things like 'sk8te' which is just totally pointless. I swear the internet is making us all stupider.

 

Everyone always complains about how bad runescape is yet they forget that wow is just as bad for that, being aggressive and noobish as it's now called

[Kirkatronics]

Im sorry about that :/

Most of them will only be joking of course.

They most likely were just pricks who are hiding behind the internet..

Just ignore them

 

and you used to be able to say cockandballsupyourarse because of something weird with the censor :/

[Kirkatronics]

Over the past year, we've been keeping a rather large secret. We have been working on a complete graphical rework of RuneScape, which is looking truly spectacular. There's no need to take our word for it: look at the images below and see for yourself.

As you know, we currently offer 'High Detail' and 'Low Detail' modes. We plan on adding a new and optional detail mode, bringing you accelerated higher quality graphics. This will be in addition to the existing detail modes, as they will remain unchanged.

As if the improvements below weren't enough, an optional fullscreen version of RuneScape is due at the same time. This will let you play at a resolution of your choice, and it also supports widescreen monitors. We think you'll agree, the future of RuneScape is looking very good indeed....

NOTE - When producing games and updates, we aim to make them accessible to the maximum number of people. These graphical improvements are no different. We are continuing to gather specs from your computers (please see the 'Send Us Your Specs' newspost if you have not already), and we can already say that the majority of you will be able to play RuneScape with these improvements!

Before:

 

After:

Click for full image

Expect more to be revealed in a Development Diary, later this month.

 

In last week's Image of the Future newspost, we revealed our secret plan for RuneScape: a complete graphical rework. We were sneaky and held back a little information, however: namely, when you can expect these updates.

Drum-roll, please... You will have access to all of these updates within a couple of months! There really isn't much time to wait. If you can't wait for more details on the update, a new Development Diary is coming later this month.

We plan to keep improving RuneScape's graphics in the future, so we would encourage you to 'Send us your Specs', if you have not already.

Finally, we can reveal another image of the future...

 

Click for full image

When i saw this update i started playing again, i know it doesnt affect game play but this has gotten me pretty excited

 

What do you guys think about this?

[nightwolf]

It's making runescape more popular, it was quite interesting that they've been getting the specs of users so they can play this.

 

It doesn't really appeal to me that much tbh and it's going to slow me down if I do play it.

[Kirkatronics]

Lighting the way

Currently, the lights in the game – torches, lanterns, fires, etc – are just animations that don't affect the surrounding area's light levels. “In the current detail modes, no matter where you are, the lighting is always the same and, as an artist, that's a real limitation,†says Mod Farley of Graphics. We wanted lights that actually illuminate their surroundings.

Mod Nick, Head of Tools, says, “A hardware card will typically allow for eight lights. A very basic sunlight takes up two of those, leaving only another six, but we've managed to code a system that allows us to have up to 255 lights in a map square.†Mod Farley adds, “We've not needed to use anywhere near that many yet!†but it does provide the Graphics team with another atmospheric tool.

 

A small example of lighting in action, in the area beneath Paterdomus. Spooky.

Click here to see a larger version of this image.

 

To make sure the lights were working as intended, we had to check all 18,000 of them individually to make sure they had the appropriate position, colour, style of light, intensity and flicker rate. We also had to make sure that they cast their light properly. As Mod Nick says, “Graphics cards will cast light through other objects unless they are told to stop. We had to devise a method of turning off the effect of a light beyond a certain point – say, when it hit a wall – so objects the other side of the wall weren't incorrectly lit.†That may sound like a lot of effort, but it had to be done, and it required less effort than it did to get the water right...

 

Waterworld

We planned to improve RuneScape's water from the start, but researching the best way to do so took a long time. Mod Nick says, “We had to reject a number of methods of how to do it, either because they didn't look good or didn't fit with RuneScape's style.†In the other detail modes, water is just a texture, but with this update we wanted it to be more realistic and have transparency. This meant that there had to be something underneath the surface. Mod JackH of Tools says, “I had to create an entirely new area below ground level that didn't previously exist. We nicknamed it 'The Underworld'.â€

 

Whoever grounded this boat on Harmony Island was clearly too busy looking at the water.

Click here to see a larger version of this image.

 

RuneScape map squares currently only have four levels (numbered 0-3). Level 0 is ground level, level 3 is typically the roofs of the tallest buildings and the other two levels are different storeys. “We started by making level 0 'The Underworld' and shifting the other levels up by one, so we had levels 0-4,†says Mod JackH, but this caused too many issues with existing code: for example, teleport spells typically send your character to somewhere on level 0, and since level 0 was 'The Underworld', you'd teleport below ground level. “We could have used this method, but issues like teleport code would have required too many fixes for it to be practical,†says Mod JackH. “After a rethink, we settled on hanging 'The Underworld' below ground level – effectively making it level -1â€, Mod JackH continues. This method still caused its own problems, most notable of which were 'cracks': places where 'The Underworld' and the ground level didn't properly line up.

Deciding to create a whole new level is one thing, but creating all of the objects on that level is something else entirely. We had to find a way to model the bottom parts of everything in water – shorelines, rocks, reeds, boats – as only the top portions of those objects exist in the other detail modes. Mod Nick says, “The Tools team built a system into our map editing software to automatically generate any ground underwater, which Graphics could then then tweak if they needed to."

 

All the 'small' things

As we'd updated so many elements of the game already, it became apparent that other things also needed to be improved to keep up, so we decided to work on some area and NPC improvement projects in parallel with the graphics overhaul. As a result, alongside the new detail mode, we'll be releasing improved versions of Lumbridge, Al Kharid, East and West Ardougne and Castle Wars; interfaces have been reworked; and some animations, cutscenes and emotes have been tweaked. We've also reworked human NPCs and chat heads, and the player kit. All of these area and NPC improvements will be available in the existing detail modes, too, so even if you don't play RuneScape in its updated graphical form, there's still something for you.

 

Lumbridge Castle and the rest of the town is getting a new lick of paint.

Click here to see a larger version of this image.

 

The human NPC improvement alone is the single largest project of its type to date, with humans accounting for approximately 15% of all NPCs (1,500 out of 10,000 unique models), and the player kit consisting of over 4,000 body parts and clothing. Mod Kavi of Graphics says, "The main focus has been on improving human character proportions and facial detail, which has given us the ability to create a greater range of (and better) animations for them." Among other things, this has also fixed an issue we used to have with hair rendering through headgear. "We achieved this by creating a character with those features most prone to causing rendering issues – long beard, glasses, pipe, pigtails – and re-modelling them to work with all worn items," says Mod Kavi. We then used that character as a template to re-model all other facial features.

 

A side-by-side comparison of an old and new human chat head.

 

 

The big picture

Mod Nick says, “All of the new engine features are just pieces of the puzzle; they all need putting together for the full effect, preferably in fullscreen mode.†Indeed, fullscreen mode might end up being the most popular aspect of this update, if not the most surprising, as players correctly guessed RuneScape would be going fullscreen after seeing we'd done that with FunOrb games.

"It feels more like you're in the world now, instead of looking at it through a window."

Mod Farley

Graphics

The (optional) fullscreen mode will scale the game up to your monitor's native (32-bit colour) resolution and the field of view adjusts for widescreen resolutions – it also supports 2x and 4x anti-aliasing to help smooth off edges. Playing the game in fullscreen mode allows you to more fully immerse yourself within the game, as Mod Farley says, “It feels more like you're in the world now, instead of looking at it through a window.â€

Speaking of looking at the game from a new perspective, Mod Farley says, “This project has meant artists and developers looking at areas of the game that haven't been looked at for a long time. We have an ever-growing list of other things we now can and want to do!†He finishes with, “The whole project has created a great atmosphere at Jagex, a great positive feeling. It's been a rejuvenating experience for Jagex as well as RuneScape.â€

 

Here it is: the first, proper, in-game screenshot!

Click here to see a larger version of this image.

 

New horizons

As one horizon is reached, there will always be another one to aim for, and we've already started working towards the next one (and several others after that). For a start, the work on this graphical update has, to date, focused on improving what was already there. We can now take texturing, shadows and the like into account for any new content we work on, developing areas and characters with these things in mind.

As we said in Behind the Scenes – June, we're not currently planning any more game updates to RuneScape this month, but that doesn't mean we're taking time off ourselves or relaxing just yet. The whole company is working hard on the new detail mode's finishing touches, July's other updates and content beyond that. As the saying goes, 'There's no rest for the wicked'. Andrew concludes with, “Altogether, I am massively pleased with this update, but there's always more we can do. RuneScape needs to constantly evolve to remain a state-of-the-art online game, so we're already planning future graphical improvements...â€

Looking great now, and here are the specs

• 1.5 GHz processor or higher
  
• 256MB of RAM or more
  
• 64MB 3D Graphics card, such as Nvidia® GeForce 3 or above

In the first Development Diary on our graphical improvements, we showed you the results of textures, texture blending, shadows and fog. In this, the second and final Development Diary on the release, we shine a light on the other effects we have been using.

Minimum specifications:

To play RuneScape's new detail level you will need:

• 1.5 GHz processor or higher
  
• 256MB of RAM or more
  
• 64MB 3D Graphics card, such as Nvidia® GeForce 3 or above

Additionally, your graphics card should have the latest drivers installed, to ensure the new detail level plays with no problems.

If you need more information on your computer's specifications or how to update your graphical drivers, visit our Tech Support Forum in the RuneScape Forums.

When the graphical improvement is released, you will be able to increase or decrease the number of graphical features that are activated. This will be done in your in-game 'Options' menu (the one with the spanner icon). So, any problems playing the new detail mode may be lessened by reducing the number of graphical features that are activated.

We would advise that your computer exceeds the above requirements, so you will be able to play the new detail mode without any issues.

REMINDER - The existing Low and High Detail will still be available, as the graphical update is completely optional.

 

Not too bad, and if you like you can still use the old details.

 

Does no one else think this is revolutionary for a browser game?

Im assuming its still going to be for browser, but its still in-explicable for java.

[Dannyboy-the-Dane]

Does no one else think this is revolutionary for a browser game?

Im assuming its still going to be for browser, but its still in-explicable for java.

 

Indeed, that's why all these comparisons between RuneScape and World of Warcraft are ridiculous. One is a full game that needs installation, the other is Java-based.

[nightwolf]

I have to say the graphics for it now are pretty damn good for what it is, a java game.

[Kirkatronics]

Indeed, that's why all these comparisons between RuneScape and World of Warcraft are ridiculous. One is a full game that needs installation, the other is Java-based.

 

I have to say the graphics for it now are pretty damn good for what it is, a java game.

i believe they have been industry leading in java games for a few years, and their graphics have always been great if not the best.

[Dannyboy-the-Dane]

i believe they have been industry leading in java games for a few years, and their graphics have always been great if not the best.

 

It's a pretty good game, too. To be honest, I've played both WoW and RS, and I seriously find RS more entertaining to play.

[nightwolf]

It's a pretty good game, too. To be honest, I've played both WoW and RS, and I seriously find RS more entertaining to play.

 

a few people have said that to me, I can honestly say I never found wow as addictive as everyone seems to make it out to be.

[Dannyboy-the-Dane]

a few people have said that to me, I can honestly say I never found wow as addictive as everyone seems to make it out to be.

 

It puzzles me as to why. I can't pinpoint the reason for me liking RS but not so much WoW. They're both well-made RPGs, and I love RPGs.

[nightwolf]

It puzzles me as to why. I can't pinpoint the reason for me liking RS but not so much WoW. They're both well-made RPGs, and I love RPGs.

 

For me WoW takes a while to get into, to the point were you either love it in the first half an hour or hate it.