Behind the Scenes: Special Edition
2012 has brought many great updates, and it’s far from over. In fact, with Player-Owned Ports and a Grandmaster-level quest topping the bill, you might say we’ve saved the best till last.
TzHaar Quest: The Brink of Extinction (very high level)In the conclusion to this exciting storyline, you must find out why the TzHaar city is cooling down, or else it’s certain disaster for these noble creatures. What part will the Ga’al play in their future, if there is to be one? It’s a Grandmaster-level quest with some of the most challenging combat ever to grace the realm, and epic rewards to boot!
Player-Owned Ports (very high level)Avast me hearties! Fancy trying yer hand at runnin’ your own port? Or are ye a lily-livered land lubber? Arr! That it be!
In this huge, high level content(one of the biggest projects this year) you’ll have the chance to equip ships, hire captains, build your own shipyards and send your cut-throat crews to explore the fabled, lore-rich eastern lands. Bounties beyond your wildest dreams await!
Christmas 2012: Stray Dog (all)The Varrock dog has never had a good life. It’s been kicked, burned and even had raspberries blown at it as it skulks off to the nearest corner. It’s a sad tale, and if any character deserved a happy Christmas, it’s the Varrock dog. Get involved with giving it a Christmas it will never forget!
God Statues (all)In this Distraction & Diversion, you’ll be invited to help a keen artist construct scaffolding to support his latest creations – magnificent sculptures dedicated to a range of gods. Get the scaffolding and location right and you’ll reap the rewards, but if you get it wrong, who knows what abominations you may end up creating?
Early 2013Grandmaster Level Quest (very high level)It’s huge. It’s related to the gods. It’s going to change Gielinor forever. It’s got fantastic rewards to unlock and is frankly one of the most exciting, game-defining tales we have ever worked on. For many, this will be the update they have dreamed about for many years.
Kalphite King (very high level)A sinkhole has appeared in the desert, revealing a previously unknown kalphite hive. Within each generation of kalphites, one egg is unlike any of its siblings, and even the queen can’t control it. Groups of the most elite warriors will need to band together to bring down this foe, working for powerful new equipment and lip-smacking loot.
Wilderness Warbands (high level)Something lays hidden, deep within the Wilderness, and it’s so important that the gods have tasked their strongest officers to hunt it down. But since when did gods work together to achieve their aims? It’s going to end up with one almighty fight! Raid their war camps using your non-combat skills or get set to bring some old fashioned pain to these rampaging recruits!
Ranger/ Slayer Dungeon (high level plus)Still in its early stages of development, this environment aims to provide the perfect home for rangers to train their high level combat and earn new top-end equipment.
And Beyond...RuneScape: Next Gen (all)Featuring our innovative new browser-based technology and with big investments in graphics and gameplay, RuneScape is set to take a monumental leap forward in 2013. Higher visual and audio fidelity, improved camera mechanics and a much more customisable interface system are but a taste of what you can expect.
New Skills (all)Two brand new skills await you in 2013, with one new resource collection skill and a support skill which will be modelled on some of our oldest and dearest content. Designed to suit the old-school, yet complement the entire game.
Epic Story Conclusions (various)Pirates, dwarves, gnomes, desert gods, vampyres, workshops, heroes, dragonkin, monkeys... so much to choose from, and that's just the tip of the penguin iceberg! Help us to define which to work on next by
letting us know what your favourites are.
Construction Rework (all)Our plans for user-generated content are just beginning to culminate in a sequence of mind-blowing updates to the Construction skill. Build and hold forts with your friends as you defend the realm! Bring your finely built, graphically updated houses to the main game world! Design dungeons and invite hardy dungeoneers to crack them!
World Events (all)World Events will be your chance to make sure that you and your allies make your mark on the world itself. Fight for what you think is right using both your brain and brawn! The world will truly be your oyster as you help reshape Gielinor - your way!
Level Up my Stuff (all)The ability to actually level up your equipment while training would be great! You could even customise that equipment by choosing from a range of buffs and bonuses that not only effected your stats but also the cosmetic look of the equipment - perhaps even name it. We wouldn’t limit ourselves to only allowing combat equipment to be levelled – far from it. It could affect your training gear like axes or hatchets; even summoning creatures, too.
Bosses Galore and Grouping Systems (all)Finally, with the new EoC we can add all those amazing ideas for bone crunching, player slaying behemoths, for both groups and solo adventurers. Of course, nobody likes hanging about waiting for groups to appear, so we’ll need to give you an awesome grouping system to help you find that ideal team, instead of just standing around and shouting a lot.
Please note that some of these updates are simply glints in the eye of the design team right now, and are far from completion. Hurdles and issues that come up in development can often change the way a project comes together, so these - as always - are subject to change.
Nevertheless, we'll be doing everything we can to bring all of the above - and more - to you over the next year. I hope you'll agree that it's looking awesome already!
Have fun!
Mod Mark
Design Director
RuneScape
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