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2009scape

2009scape.org

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Re: 2009scape

#31

Post by memefrog »

fallat wrote: post #21

I'd love to see Jagex open source OSRS as a business decision to keep the game alive forever, and for leveraging the dedicated community. Now, I said open source, but that doesn't mean free. Even if the source was available, it would make the most sense if they kept it "non-free", as in, no commercial usage of the source may be allowed. People are free to run their own servers, but the Jagex ones will be "blessed". T…

'Open source' and 'free (as in speech)' are, in the software context, synonyms. It is incoherent to say 'open source but non-commercial'.

Re: 2009scape

#32

Post by Tyluur »

impulser_ wrote: post #27

Can't believe Runescape private server are still a thing after 18 years. This is what got me into programming. I remember working with the first version back in early 2006 I believe it was called winterlove. You couldn't even play multiplayer. Then someone got multiplayer to work, I think that was called blakescape, then there was cheezscape and whitescape which became the popular versions to use because they came wi…

Same here, the RSPS communities paved the way for lots of us.

Re: 2009scape

#33

Post by KyleBerezin »

I'm happy to see Jagex is still around to this day. They used to make a lot of free games that you could play in the browser. Pre-runescape, I wasted many hours playing games like vertigo and flea circus. It makes me happy to see the company is still alive and well, though it probably has been through many changes.

Re: 2009scape

#34

Post by kllvql »

hoten wrote: post #20

For some context, the Jagex reboot "Old School Runescape" (OSRS) forked from a circa-2007 build of the game. It was apparently a stroke of luck that they still had the source code. Notably, the 2007 version was before huge changes to the game that many original players disliked enough to stop playing. But it was also before the HD version. So OSRS player have been stuck with low quality graphics (however, a modder ha…

One small additional point. I completely agree that Jagex has done a great job maintaining OSRS. Polls for changes to OSRS typically require 70% of votes to pass[1] instead of a simple majority. This is part of the reason why it is difficult to get major changes like new skills added to the game.

As a long-time player, I really enjoy the conservatism this leads to in the evolution of the game. It is great to be able to pick up my character after a year or two off and have a very similar experience (+/- a few quality of life updates I'm likely to appreciate).

[1] https://oldschool.runescape.wiki/w/Polls

Re: 2009scape

#35

Post by EarthLaunch »

I'm making a UO inspired MMO and have been wanting to play more MMOs lately. Anyone similar up for experimenting with RS, WoW HC, Zenith, LiF, MO, UO player servers, or anything? Hit me up!

Re: 2009scape

#36

Post by Shekelphile »

impulser_ wrote: post #27

Can't believe Runescape private server are still a thing after 18 years. This is what got me into programming. I remember working with the first version back in early 2006 I believe it was called winterlove. You couldn't even play multiplayer. Then someone got multiplayer to work, I think that was called blakescape, then there was cheezscape and whitescape which became the popular versions to use because they came wi…

Permabanned from r-s gang wya?

I miss laughing at 2speced Tyler and Nikki not actually being a girl wasn’t much of a surprise.

Re: 2009scape

#37

Post by bovermyer »

I really appreciate the web design. That was a style that only existed for about five years, give or take a year or two.

It makes me really nostalgic. But beyond that, that style of web design has completely disappeared. It was expensive to make, not particularly mobile-friendly, and only really favors one screen resolution. But it was beautiful.

Re: 2009scape

#38

Post by squeaky-clean »

impulser_ wrote: post #27

Can't believe Runescape private server are still a thing after 18 years. This is what got me into programming. I remember working with the first version back in early 2006 I believe it was called winterlove. You couldn't even play multiplayer. Then someone got multiplayer to work, I think that was called blakescape, then there was cheezscape and whitescape which became the popular versions to use because they came wi…

A friend of mine in college made about $500~1000/mo running some Runescape private servers with subscriptions. He hosted a few different types of servers, but I know his most profitable one allowed players to buy "chests". Basically modern-day loot boxes with random high level gear. He got the idea from Korean MMOs at the time. No idea what he's up to nowadays.

Re: 2009scape

#39

Post by hoten »

memefrog wrote: post #30
hoten wrote: post #20

For some context, the Jagex reboot "Old School Runescape" (OSRS) forked from a circa-2007 build of the game. It was apparently a stroke of luck that they still had the source code. Notably, the 2007 version was before huge changes to the game that many original players disliked enough to stop playing. But it was also before the HD version. So OSRS player have been stuck with low quality graphics (however, a modder ha…

OSRS players have not been "stuck with low quality graphics". The appeal of that version of the game is as a whole. It was not just "the version without the one later change that wasn't liked". It was the version before the general change in approach. The big problem with the "HD" version was that it was inconsistent. They couldn't update the whole world at once (or chose not to) so they updated it in bits, and those…

> OSRS players have not been "stuck with low quality graphics". The appeal of that version of the game is as a whole. It was not just "the version without the one later change that wasn't liked". It was the version before the general change in approach.

Sure, it's important to note that OSRS players are not a monolith, and people differ on which aspects of the more modern game they disliked. As I recall, HD was an optional toggle. So yes, all OSRS players indeed are "stuck" with the older graphics - the presence of HD would not mean players with a nostalgia for the 2007-era graphics would be left out in the cold. Anecdotally everyone I know lauded the HD upgrade at the time, but I get it wasn't perfect.

> Dungeoneering was a (pretty good) minigame forced into the mould of a (pretty bad) skill for essentially no reason. The mining/smithing rework was very recent and not at all good for the game.

Admittedly I've only seen some commentary from OSRS youtubers about the mining update, and I came away from that thinking the changed mechanics sounded desirable. I've no direct experience.

Re: 2009scape

#40

Post by insanitybit »

memefrog wrote: post #30
hoten wrote: post #20

For some context, the Jagex reboot "Old School Runescape" (OSRS) forked from a circa-2007 build of the game. It was apparently a stroke of luck that they still had the source code. Notably, the 2007 version was before huge changes to the game that many original players disliked enough to stop playing. But it was also before the HD version. So OSRS player have been stuck with low quality graphics (however, a modder ha…

OSRS players have not been "stuck with low quality graphics". The appeal of that version of the game is as a whole. It was not just "the version without the one later change that wasn't liked". It was the version before the general change in approach. The big problem with the "HD" version was that it was inconsistent. They couldn't update the whole world at once (or chose not to) so they updated it in bits, and those…

I wonder what the impact of social media has been.

1. I was on Runscape in the early 2000s. There was no Twitter, Facebook was very new and not really that popular, and nothing else existed. Like, I think Gaia was one of the more popular forums I knew of lol. That meant that Runescape was actually a highly social experience - it's insane the kinds of relationships I built as a 14-18 year old who played the game somewhat obsessively. Staying up all night, meeting strangers. Not actually "playing" the game - like, that was something to do for fun, but so much of it was hanging out with people.

With social media I get a lot of that from other sites. And in general I don't need it as much as I'm not staying up until 4am anymore lol but man it was something else to socialize through a "forum" like Runescape. Even the organic fact that people could "overhear" your conversations just because they were near you in the game led to so many funny "meet cutes", for lack of a better term.

2. The other side of social media influence is that there's a lot more flexing, memeing, and appealing to masses. When I played Runescape it was like... a shameful thing lol, I literally told almost no one at school, and when it came up it was kind of a secret between the few kids who played. It was lame, period , and we did not want to be thought of as lame. No way in hell would I have been posting online about it, nor was there any place to post about it like Reddit - you either posted on the RS boards (probably not tho), or in your clan's custom forum that someone set up.

But now, re (2), there's a lot more room to posture. You can brag way more about your 99s, show them off, show off what you're doing etc. And I think that probably leads to a lot more of the 'grind', which, again (1) was not the point. The point was to run through the wild with your friends at 4am and get scared when pkers came after you and you'd lose a bunch of your shit but who cares. The money we made was genuinely just to fuel those good times. No one actually thought they were going to be the next Zezima - I say this as someone who had multiple 99s, it was mostly just for fun. And it's interesting that you bring up the capes - all of my 99s were after the capes, they were definitely a part of the ceremony.

Viewing RS as a game with an "endgame" or as a game where the points matter is just sort of baffling to me and it's a bit of a shame to me that that's where it apparently has gone.

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