RuneScape
2.2
RATE IT:
.: Style
RuneScape is an BBMMO designed to resemble World of Warcraft (WoW), in that you create your own questions and go off on your own adventures, either with a group of your friends or solo. The game is designed around quests and experience, with hundreds of quests available in many different areas of the RuneScape world.
In RuneScape, there is no storyline. Rather, the goal of the game is to complete quests from a list of dozens of available questions. You choose which path you wish to take, giving the user the choice of what he or she would like to do on any given day.
Despite its gameplay resemblance to WoW, there are several differences. As a java based game, the graphics and usability are not anywhere close to the quality of WoW, nor are they expected to be, but this makes the style of RuneScape incredibly polarizing – those that played a great deal of WoW tend to dislike it immensely, while those that started RuneScape first tend to have no negative opinions whatsoever about the game quality. Overall, due to the nature of Java programming, the graphics are poor, but this can be overlooked if you enjoy participating in quest-focused gaming.
The sheer number of quests is impressive to say the least, and many of the users have been playing these quests for months and months with no sign of nearing completion. That said, the quest style is not for everyone, as it can be generally monotonous for those that prefer more active fighting. To break the monotony, there are over 20 skills and professions with which to be proficient in, and you can change your particular profession at will, so if you are tired of one profession you can simply switch to another profession and start building your skill in that area.
Much like other MMO’s, there are several players on the screen at any given time, and because you can complete any quest in any order, these users may be of any skill level and have been playing for any length of time. You can interact with them by chatting, or you can trade with them, and you can even travel with groups – but most people prefer to travel alone.
Overall, the simplicity and sheer length of the game both attract people and shoo them away. Because of this, RuneScape is more of a hit or miss game, that’s popularity is due in large part to people that enjoy playing the game like a hobby.
Finally, although there are a few paid levels and professions, RuneScape is free, which is one of the reasons it continues to grow its user base. .: Plot
You are a warrior or a ranger or any other number of different professions (depending on your interest). After completing with the tutorial, you immediately start choosing your quests. To choose a quest you find an individual, learn a quest, and start on your way.
Because you can choose whichever quests you want, there is no direct path storyline (ie, there is no “Main Quest” – only side quests). Your goal is to level up all of your skills to level 99, choosing which skill you which to hone at any given time.
There is, however, a 7 part storyline known as “Plague City” where the player unlocks various pieces of a story about a conspiracy with elves. Currently this story is incomplete, however, and according to the makers of RuneScape this is the closest thing to a central storyline in all of the game.
There are also “Gods of RuneScape” that have their own small stories. For example, a God named “Kairi Jin” was once a mortal that learned to become a God, and you learn a little about him as time passes. In general these small stories are limited and not essential to gameplay, but they do exist as you pass through each land.
That said, one of the reasons there is no central storyline is to encourage constant playing. With a central storyline, players may go into the game, finish and leave. By keeping the game more open, it encourages players to continue the game as a hobby rather than a game, so that players will continue to play the game over time. .: Safety
In terms of personal safety, RuneScape is very safe. Unless the user decides to provide personal information, there is no personal information online, and though you can pay for some additional levels, there is currently no record of any scamming with regards to any of your personal finaces.
RuneScape has a strict “terms of service,” even providing the following list for careful reading before you start the site:
• Rule 1 – No Offensive Language
• Rule 2 – No Item Scamming
• Rule 3 – No Password Scamming
• Rule 4 – No Cheating/Bug Abuse
• Rule 5 – No Jagex Staff Impersonation
• Rule 6 – No Account Sharing/Trading
• Rule 7 – No Using Third Party Software
• Rule 8 – No Multiple Logging-In
• Rule 9 – No Encouraging Others to Break Rules
• Rule 10 – No False Representation
• Rule 11 – No Advertising/Website
• Rule 12 – No Real World Item Trading
• Rule 13 – No Personal Details
• Rule 14 – No Misuse of Official Forums
• Rule 15 – No Advert Blocking
These strict guidelines also hint at the game’s biggest weakness – there are a great deal of behavioral problems on RuneScape. The game is constantly scammed, new players are constantly begging for free stuff, and experienced players try to cheat new players out of their game’s possessions all the time.
It is difficult to tell how well these rules are upheld by RuneScape, as many problems seem to go unreported, but it appears that, in general, the RuneScape staff does an okay job as far as limiting the amount of abuse.
Still, when in the game there are plenty of risks. Foul language, despite being forbidden, is used constantly. And there are several reports of scamming trades and long time users trying to take advantage of the new user’s status.
But for a free game, there is only so much you can expect, and with the game’s popularity on the rise it will be difficult for RuneScape to monitor all of the users on the website without extra help.
The game itself is very low on violence, and what violence there is becomes muted by the basic graphic level. There is also no sexuality in the game, so young children can play though they still risk being exposed to the poor language.
Overall, the game is very safe in terms of offline risk, but with the behavioral problems on the site there is still a decent amount of in-game risks that a user will need to deal with. .: Gameplay
In RuneScape, you navigate through each area by clicking where you want to go, and you perform the many actions in the game by right clicking on the person or object you wish to interact with and choosing your option, or simply clicking on the icon and allowing the default option to work for you.
This method of navigation is simple, but the game does not take up much of the screen, so clicking on different spaces can be tough. If you want to travel any real distance, you either have to continuously click or click somewhere on the map in the corner, but the corner map is generally very small and there are no icons to see what little things are going on in each area.
All actions are performed by the click, however, which makes the game very simple and easy to learn. And you can rotate the map with the arrow keys which will help you navigate through various areas so that you should not have many problems moving from area to area.
The quests are the primary benefit of RuneScape, as there are so many different quests to choose from that you can be continuously entertained.
Fighting monsters is simply clicking and waiting. You can choose various attack types, but in general you click and wait for the monster to die. This, again, is why it is considered a hobby game. It is the type of game that is often played while watching TV over long periods of time.
Another benefit of RuneScape is that there are several surprises that pop up in the game. There is the occasional genie that will provide you with experience, or there is the occasional monster that surprises you as well.
There are also some mini games within RuneScape. There is a type of “capture the flag” type of RuneScape, known as Castle Wars. There are sometimes seasonal mini games as well or random events in order to break the monotony and to prevent people from creating bots to play the game for them. For example, you may be asked to try to mimic a mime, etc., using your emotes in order to earn rare items.
Finally, one of the popular aspects of gameplay is finding new and rare items. The makers of RuneScape release new items all of the time, some are rarer than others, and many of the higher leveled users spend most of their time searching for these unique items.
As has been said, RuneScape is not for everyone. Those that have high expectations or want a game that is more interactive with more features will want to buy WoW or any of the other non-java based online games. But those that want to play a simply, addictive game are likely to enjoy the RuneScape world. .: Community
As an BBMMO, community is likely RuneScape’s biggest weakness. There have been countless hundreds of complaints about the behavior of those that use the site.
New people (“N00bs”) are known to simply wander around and ask for free stuff, without bothering to do a quest for themselves. The sheer number of new people that join the site or create new characters means that if you have leveled up, expect to be hassled quite a bit while you travel from quest to quest.
The leveled up users have different behavioral problems. Rather than asking for free stuff, they try to con other users out of their belongings. There is also a widely reported event where a new user is approached by an old user. The old user asks the new user if they have a specific item. If they don’t, the old user swears at them mercilessly and tells them to get out of their way.
Also, for an MMORPG, far fewer people clan up in order to perform quests. Rather, people generally go off on their own and only interact when they want or need something.
There are still community aspects, however. One of the popular aspects of the game is the “emote” where a user can perform an action like turning in a circle, dancing, etc., to show another user how they are feeling or react to something on the screen.
There is also an area in the north known as the “Wilderness” where leveled up users can travel to attempt to kill each other in order to get some of their items. Though there is the risk that you will be ganged up on by groups of friends that are attempting to steal your things, and if you are up in the wilderness, you cannot avoid the PK’ers (Player Killers).
Although there are several different community aspects of the game, due to the behaviors of the users the community is not RuneScape’s strong point. But there is always the promise of change, and as long as you expect some of these behaviors before you start the game, they are unlikely to deter you from playing.
3.00
In RuneScape, there is no storyline. Rather, the goal of the game is to complete quests from a list of dozens of available questions. You choose which path you wish to take, giving the user the choice of what he or she would like to do on any given day.
Despite its gameplay resemblance to WoW, there are several differences. As a java based game, the graphics and usability are not anywhere close to the quality of WoW, nor are they expected to be, but this makes the style of RuneScape incredibly polarizing – those that played a great deal of WoW tend to dislike it immensely, while those that started RuneScape first tend to have no negative opinions whatsoever about the game quality. Overall, due to the nature of Java programming, the graphics are poor, but this can be overlooked if you enjoy participating in quest-focused gaming.
The sheer number of quests is impressive to say the least, and many of the users have been playing these quests for months and months with no sign of nearing completion. That said, the quest style is not for everyone, as it can be generally monotonous for those that prefer more active fighting. To break the monotony, there are over 20 skills and professions with which to be proficient in, and you can change your particular profession at will, so if you are tired of one profession you can simply switch to another profession and start building your skill in that area.
Much like other MMO’s, there are several players on the screen at any given time, and because you can complete any quest in any order, these users may be of any skill level and have been playing for any length of time. You can interact with them by chatting, or you can trade with them, and you can even travel with groups – but most people prefer to travel alone.
Overall, the simplicity and sheer length of the game both attract people and shoo them away. Because of this, RuneScape is more of a hit or miss game, that’s popularity is due in large part to people that enjoy playing the game like a hobby.
Finally, although there are a few paid levels and professions, RuneScape is free, which is one of the reasons it continues to grow its user base. .: Plot
1.00
Because you can choose whichever quests you want, there is no direct path storyline (ie, there is no “Main Quest” – only side quests). Your goal is to level up all of your skills to level 99, choosing which skill you which to hone at any given time.
There is, however, a 7 part storyline known as “Plague City” where the player unlocks various pieces of a story about a conspiracy with elves. Currently this story is incomplete, however, and according to the makers of RuneScape this is the closest thing to a central storyline in all of the game.
There are also “Gods of RuneScape” that have their own small stories. For example, a God named “Kairi Jin” was once a mortal that learned to become a God, and you learn a little about him as time passes. In general these small stories are limited and not essential to gameplay, but they do exist as you pass through each land.
That said, one of the reasons there is no central storyline is to encourage constant playing. With a central storyline, players may go into the game, finish and leave. By keeping the game more open, it encourages players to continue the game as a hobby rather than a game, so that players will continue to play the game over time. .: Safety
1.00
RuneScape has a strict “terms of service,” even providing the following list for careful reading before you start the site:
• Rule 1 – No Offensive Language
• Rule 2 – No Item Scamming
• Rule 3 – No Password Scamming
• Rule 4 – No Cheating/Bug Abuse
• Rule 5 – No Jagex Staff Impersonation
• Rule 6 – No Account Sharing/Trading
• Rule 7 – No Using Third Party Software
• Rule 8 – No Multiple Logging-In
• Rule 9 – No Encouraging Others to Break Rules
• Rule 10 – No False Representation
• Rule 11 – No Advertising/Website
• Rule 12 – No Real World Item Trading
• Rule 13 – No Personal Details
• Rule 14 – No Misuse of Official Forums
• Rule 15 – No Advert Blocking
These strict guidelines also hint at the game’s biggest weakness – there are a great deal of behavioral problems on RuneScape. The game is constantly scammed, new players are constantly begging for free stuff, and experienced players try to cheat new players out of their game’s possessions all the time.
It is difficult to tell how well these rules are upheld by RuneScape, as many problems seem to go unreported, but it appears that, in general, the RuneScape staff does an okay job as far as limiting the amount of abuse.
Still, when in the game there are plenty of risks. Foul language, despite being forbidden, is used constantly. And there are several reports of scamming trades and long time users trying to take advantage of the new user’s status.
But for a free game, there is only so much you can expect, and with the game’s popularity on the rise it will be difficult for RuneScape to monitor all of the users on the website without extra help.
The game itself is very low on violence, and what violence there is becomes muted by the basic graphic level. There is also no sexuality in the game, so young children can play though they still risk being exposed to the poor language.
Overall, the game is very safe in terms of offline risk, but with the behavioral problems on the site there is still a decent amount of in-game risks that a user will need to deal with. .: Gameplay
1.00
This method of navigation is simple, but the game does not take up much of the screen, so clicking on different spaces can be tough. If you want to travel any real distance, you either have to continuously click or click somewhere on the map in the corner, but the corner map is generally very small and there are no icons to see what little things are going on in each area.
All actions are performed by the click, however, which makes the game very simple and easy to learn. And you can rotate the map with the arrow keys which will help you navigate through various areas so that you should not have many problems moving from area to area.
The quests are the primary benefit of RuneScape, as there are so many different quests to choose from that you can be continuously entertained.
Fighting monsters is simply clicking and waiting. You can choose various attack types, but in general you click and wait for the monster to die. This, again, is why it is considered a hobby game. It is the type of game that is often played while watching TV over long periods of time.
Another benefit of RuneScape is that there are several surprises that pop up in the game. There is the occasional genie that will provide you with experience, or there is the occasional monster that surprises you as well.
There are also some mini games within RuneScape. There is a type of “capture the flag” type of RuneScape, known as Castle Wars. There are sometimes seasonal mini games as well or random events in order to break the monotony and to prevent people from creating bots to play the game for them. For example, you may be asked to try to mimic a mime, etc., using your emotes in order to earn rare items.
Finally, one of the popular aspects of gameplay is finding new and rare items. The makers of RuneScape release new items all of the time, some are rarer than others, and many of the higher leveled users spend most of their time searching for these unique items.
As has been said, RuneScape is not for everyone. Those that have high expectations or want a game that is more interactive with more features will want to buy WoW or any of the other non-java based online games. But those that want to play a simply, addictive game are likely to enjoy the RuneScape world. .: Community
1.00
New people (“N00bs”) are known to simply wander around and ask for free stuff, without bothering to do a quest for themselves. The sheer number of new people that join the site or create new characters means that if you have leveled up, expect to be hassled quite a bit while you travel from quest to quest.
The leveled up users have different behavioral problems. Rather than asking for free stuff, they try to con other users out of their belongings. There is also a widely reported event where a new user is approached by an old user. The old user asks the new user if they have a specific item. If they don’t, the old user swears at them mercilessly and tells them to get out of their way.
Also, for an MMORPG, far fewer people clan up in order to perform quests. Rather, people generally go off on their own and only interact when they want or need something.
There are still community aspects, however. One of the popular aspects of the game is the “emote” where a user can perform an action like turning in a circle, dancing, etc., to show another user how they are feeling or react to something on the screen.
There is also an area in the north known as the “Wilderness” where leveled up users can travel to attempt to kill each other in order to get some of their items. Though there is the risk that you will be ganged up on by groups of friends that are attempting to steal your things, and if you are up in the wilderness, you cannot avoid the PK’ers (Player Killers).
Although there are several different community aspects of the game, due to the behaviors of the users the community is not RuneScape’s strong point. But there is always the promise of change, and as long as you expect some of these behaviors before you start the game, they are unlikely to deter you from playing.
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