It’ll be a new year for everyone in under a week, a chance to get started on the right foot and make progress in the year ahead. RuneScape will undoubtedly look to do the same. I took a moment to pull together somethings that I thought were important for RuneScape to change, add, or remove for a successful 2014.
Dead Content
Everyone hates to see dead content, it represents wasted time and unwanted content. Since RuneScape is well over 10 years old it has alot of dead content laying around, more than one would think if a closer look is given. RuneScape needs to specifically address this problem in the new year, whether its to instance mini games, remove unused content, or buff the content. This is desperately needed to happen in 2014 for RuneScape.
Updated Graphics
HTML5 didn’t work out this summer and probably won’t make it ingame for at least another 6-12 months depending on browser development. HTML5 was a chance to give RuneScape better graphics without specifically updating certain areas of the game. However, I think many places need to be singled out and graphically overhauled for 2014, HTML5 won’t be seen ingame for a long time so something needs to be done in the mean time. So far RuneScape has done a fairly good job keeping most of the surface world looking relatively up to snuff. However, there are still countless places that stand out like a black eye. In this day and age people wan’t good graphics, in fact its probably the most looked for thing in a game, and with current advanced game engines most gaming companies can deliver this. Sadly, because RuneScape is a browser game, its usually been in the back of the pack in the high graphic stampede. However, the areas RuneScape have recently upgraded have looked significantly better than previous graphics. RuneScape needs to go over the major cities/areas in the game in 2014, it’ll bring a renewed interest in the game for older players as well as bring in new ones.
More Land
I’ll admit this is a bit of a stretch for 2014 and RuneScape themselves have said they aren’t currently planning on adding to the base map of RuneScape. I feel, though, that RuneScape desperately needs more land, not really because of all the players, but because of all the new content. The new content is great and I love nearly all of it, but soon its going to start to feel even more cluttered than it already does. With dead content laying around and new updates coming out weekly I feel like the current footprint of the basic RuneScape ground level is way too small. This game has been around since around 2000, if they want to last another 14 years they will need to drastically increase the map to fit in everything.
Skill Makeover
Many of the skills in RuneScape have not received a update of a reasonable size in a long while. Once RuneScape releases the new skill next summer they need to focus on the old ones. Countless players would be ecstatic if Construction got a massive makeover. I know going through all the skills and changing them to adapt with the current game would take countless months, but in 2014 RuneScape needs to start the process. Firemaking, Woodcutting, Crafting, Mining, Smithing, Construction, and many other skills are extremely outdated for current RuenScape. Most of these skills are pretty much useless to level except for bragging rights. RuneScape could turn the boring, grinding skills into something extremely desirable, doing so would give players more incentive to actually level those unneeded skills. Remaking the older skills would nearly have the same effect as making a new skill altogether, and would bring back a huge chunk of the player base.
The Wilderness
I can remember when The Wilderness was the place to be. On pretty much any world you could find countless people in Edgeville and the Wilderness, now its completely dead on any world. For years people have been drawing away from the wilderness, deeming it not worth the effort, however EoC was the killing blow. Although a fan of the EoC I will admit the system is bad for PvP. Rangers have the upper hand for PvP, they have the best abilities for binding and stunning, and have the best setups that deliver good damage but don’t cost much. RuneScape needs to change the abilities in the Wilderness to perform better. I feel like whoever gets the first hit has the advantage and the fights go way to quickly. With the EoC players can deal massive amounts of damage in a short period of time, forcing the other player to eat alot to stay alive. If you eat you lose adrenaline as well as a attack sequence. In PvP it can quickly turn into a downward spiral as one player is tanking all the damage and trying to stay alive without getting any hits on the other player who is building adrenaline giving them better abilities to use. The whole system isn’t equal, and needs to be changed for the PKers to come back. I’m not suggesting an overall system change but a change for when you are in a PvP zone. Abilities need to be altered, restricted, and altogether removed for successful PvP. Sadly RuneScape have dug themselves a hole in this, the EoC has had over a year of updates and fixes which only make it harder and longer to alter it for the Wilderness. It would take alot of effort to even out PvP, but if RuneScape could pull it off successfully countless players would come back, the economy would balance out, and a very important part of RuneScape would be revived.
I know just these 5 update ideas are a year worth of work for RuneScape, and I’m not expecting all of it to come into the game. However, if RuneScape can start progress towards these goals as well as produce some of them it’ll be a great year and many players would have renewed interest in the game.
~Ar-Kelvar
'Scape Smart 