News Archive - Runescape-Tip.com

8 May 2008 - An Image of the Future

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.

8 May 2008 - Send us your Specs! - Reminder

When planning future projects or attempting to really push the technology of the RuneScape game, we often come across the same problem: we have no information about everyone's computer hardware. With this kind of information, we could release more RuneScape improvements that make the best use of your system's capabilities.

We have come up with a solution that we'd like you to help us with. We have developed a program that, once downloaded, will tell us the following things about your computer:

* your operating system
* your graphics card
* your CPU
* your Java version
* relevant graphical and audio drivers

This program downloads and runs in the same manner as the RuneScape game. We would encourage you to run it on every computer that you use to regularly play RuneScape.

Once we've gathered together all of this information, we can begin planning our future projects and RuneScape improvements to work within these specifications. This means that very few people will miss out on some awesome updates that we have planned!

To begin downloading the program, visit this link. It will guide you through an agreement page to make sure that you understand what is required. The process only takes a few seconds, so you should be back to RuneScape in no time.

NOTE - We would like to remind you that this applet is COMPLETELY secure and official (you can verify this by checking that your address bar states www.runescape.com/). It does not include spyware or any other form of malicious software.

We can guarantee that your information will only be used by Jagex to develop future games and improve RuneScape. It will not be shared with any other organisations. Please only download the program from RuneScape.com as this is the only legitimate source.

Click here to download the program.

7 May 2008 - Perils of Ice Mountain

The dwarves of the Dwarven Mine are an industrious bunch and get through a lot of pickaxes. Nurmof, the pickaxe sales-dwarf, has always had trouble keeping up with demand and, as RuneScape shops have limitless stock, he can't possibly make enough pickaxes on his own.

Being a dwarf, Nurmof has solved his problem the dwarven way: through automation! His cave in the Dwarven Mine is now home to a machine that churns out pickaxes night and day. Powering it has become something of a problem, so Nurmof has commissioned a power station on the surface, near the mine.

Projects of this scale are rarely without their problems: a hapless dwarf has lost part of a delivery to the power station, and an adventurer is needed to recover it. As is customary on RuneScape, this may not be the end of that adventurer's involvement...

Summary
Where to start Perils of Ice Mountain:

Speak to the Delivery Dwarf on the road south of Ice Mountain.
Requirements to complete Perils of Ice Mountain

Level 10 Construction
Level 10 Farming
Level 10 Hunter
Level 11 Thieving
Access to:

An addition to your Smithing skill

In other news...

Those who complete Perils of Ice Mountain will find a set of dwarven blueprints. To get a closer look at them, look at the wallpaper, in the Download section of our website.

What's new pussycat? Well, along with the reworked Gertrude's Cat quest, we've updated the cats and kittens throughout RuneScape. All cat and kitten variants have been looked over by the Makeover Mage and are more adorable than ever. Miaow!

The Monastery and monks east of Ice Mountain have also undergone a graphical update. Check out the fresh robes and the surrounding area - we think you'll be 'thoroug-holy' surprised by their new looks.

We've implemented a fairy ring logbook to assist you in your travels. Using the Zanaris fairy ring will display your log, so you can easily find the code combinations for your chosen destination. Your log will only display code combinations from this week onwards, however. Additionally, the rings can turn in two directions, which should speed up your selection.

You should find that it's easier and quicker to recharge your essence pouches in the Abyss. The Dark Mage now has a quick option and he'll repair your degraded pouches with less hassle.

The Bone Grinder has been improved, so that grinding silver bars to dust has been made faster. Stop by the Ectofuntus Temple to give it a go!

Bogrog, the ogre in the north of Gu'Tanoth, is offering a special service to summoners. If you trade-in your Summoning pouches, he will give you some spirit shards back. The number is equal to 70% of the spirit shards required to create the pouch. Bogrog will demand that you have a Summoning level above the requirement of the pouch - but this won't apply to level 99 familiars, of course.

Other small fixes:

* The red boater hat is no longer listed twice in your player-owned house treasure chest.
* Crossbow bolts purchasable after Death to the Dorgeshuun can now be bought and sold on the Grand Exchange in larger quantities.

7 May 2008 - Law Talisman Changes

This week brings a change that will have an impact on the Runecrafting skill. We have realised that obtaining the law talisman as a reward for completing Troll Stronghold is not really adequate, considering the difficulty of the quest. Such a tough and demanding quest deserves a better reward, so, as of today, members can trade the law talisman and law tiara. Players will now be able to take advantage of the Assist System at the Law Altar, so that anyone with the required Runecrafting level can help those with a lower skill level to produce law runes. This change opens up law rune crafting to a wider group of players, which benefits everyone.

If you’ve yet to complete or have already completed Troll Stronghold, fear not! We have no wish to devalue the hard work necessary to complete the quest, so we are replacing the law talisman reward with two experience lamps that give 10,000 XP each into any skill over level 30. You will not lose the law talisman you already received for completing the quest, and anyone who completes the quest from this point on will receive the two experience lamps, but no talisman.

There are now more ways to obtain the law talisman. In addition to trading it with other players or buying it from the Grand Exchange, the law talisman is now a monster drop for a variety of foes, including abyssal creatures, battle tortoises, terror birds, ghouls, guards, and paladins.

If you have already completed Troll Stronghold, you will need to speak to Dunstan, the blacksmith in Burthorpe, to claim your new reward.

Summary
Where to obtain the new rewards:

Players who have already completed Troll Stronghold should talk to Dunstan, the blacksmith in Burthorpe, to claim the new reward.
Access to:

Law talisman and law tiaras now tradeable among members.

Law talisman now dropped by some creatures.

Troll Stronghold reward is now two XP reward lamps that add 10,000XP to any skill of level 30 or higher.

6 May 2008 - Summoning Poll Results

Many thanks for voting in last week's Guaranteed Content poll. We had a huge number of votes and it really captured everyone's imagination. So, without further ado, we can reveal that the familiar you will be summoning in the future is...

The phoenix!

Another Guaranteed Content Poll is coming soon, so if you want to influence the choices for the poll, keep an eye on the Suggestions Forum...

6 May 2008 - Send us your Specs!

When planning future projects or attempting to really push the technology of the RuneScape game, we often come across the same problem: we have no information about everyone's computer hardware. With this kind of information, we could release more RuneScape improvements that make the best use of your system's capabilities.

We have come up with a solution that we'd like you to help us with. We have developed a program that, once downloaded, will tell us the following things about your computer:

* Your operating system
* Your graphics card
* Your CPU
* Your Java version
* Relevant graphical and audio drivers

Once we've gathered together all of this information, we can begin planning our future projects and RuneScape improvements to work within these specifications. This means that very few people will miss out on some awesome updates that we have planned!

To begin downloading the program, visit this link and log in. It will guide you through an agreement page to make sure that you understand what is required. The process does not take long, so you should be back to RuneScape in no time.

The applet is completely secure and official (you can verify this by checking that your address bar states www.runescape.com/). We can guarantee that your information will only be used by Jagex to develop future games and improve RuneScape. It will not be shared with any other organisations.

NOTE - Please only download the program from RuneScape.com. This is the only legitimate source.

Click here to download the program.

1 May 2008 - Behind the Scenes - May

It's not unusual for dwarves to be involved in a spot of industry. In this month's first quest, however, they may take it a bit too far. Nurmof, the pickaxe sales-dwarf in the Dwarven Mines, will have need of an energy source to power his patented pickaxe machine. Unfortunately for RuneScape, it looks like his choice will have severe consequences. Will you be able to clean up Nurmof's act in this month's low-level quest, Perils of Ice Mountain?

Whatever happens in RuneScape, the cats seem to find their feet, and, this month, those feet - and the rest of their bodies - will get graphically improved to become even more adorable. We may be getting a wee bit enthusiastic by sprucing up the Gertrude's Cat quest, but we're sure you'll appreciate what's new (pussycat).

You may know that the law talisman is a reward for the hard-to-beat Troll Stronghold quest. We feel that, not only is this a reward that everyone should be able to get their hands on, but it's strangely low-level for a high-level quest. This month, we will be making the law talisman available to all members, so that anyone can craft law runes, or use the Assist System to help others make them. The Troll Stronghold reward will be replaced by two 10,000xp lamps and, if you have completed the quest already, Dunstan will be ready to hand you them.

You wouldn't find Party Pete fighting trolls in Troll Stronghold - that would mess up his marvellous new 'fro! That's right, Party Pete has an appointment with the Makeover Mage, all thanks to your votes in the Guaranteed Content Poll. Expect a startling new 'do, threads and moves. You might even go "Woah! Dude..." when he throws some pretty spectacular shapes.

Burning down the house will be the graphically reworked TzHaar. Like Party Pete, the TzHaar were voted, by you, to have their looks and animations reworked. There's also the small matter of an improved Jad; this month, you will find the look of old is gone. What replaces it will be a whole lot more threatening...

Which leads us neatly to a RuneScape first: a TzHaar quest! It seems that the TzHaar will have need of a JalYt - a human - to help kill a fearsome beast that has been tunneling through their structures. Normally, this kind of problem would be dealt with in-house, but the only access to the creature will be through a very small, human-sized hole. Will you be successful where the TzHaar have failed, in TokTz-Ket-Dill?

Later this month, we introduce the Quick Chat system - an optional alternative to our normal chat system. Using Quick Chat, you will be able to use shortcut keys or your mouse to choose from a library of questions, answers, sentences and greetings. We expect this to be particularly helpful in minigames like Castle Wars and Pest Control, where faster communication is invaluable.

Muted players will have Quick Chat available to them. We believe that this will be a more suitable action to take against those who abused the chat system. Additionally, we have developed Quick Chat so it will be possible to talk to players on German worlds (and vice versa) since the system will translate whichever chat option you choose.

NOTE - The Quick Chat system will be completely optional, and normal chat will remain unchanged.

Level-up messages will be made more informative and less intrusive this month, with a raft of changes that we think you'll appreciate. First, you'll find that there's much more information about what you can do at your hard-fought new level, from quests to skill milestones. Fireworks will fizz into the air as you rise up the levels, and steps will be taken so that your level up messages cannot be interrupted by combat or other events.

Random statistic signs will be seen on the streets of RuneScape. These will offer some interesting facts about the more popular activities of RuneScape. Would you like to know how many Varrock Palace guards are killed in a day? The stat signs will tell you exactly how many...

There will be a few smaller updates to round the month off. The first - Grind-X - will allow you to conveniently grind items with your pestle and mortar. We will also be introducing signposts to areas of RuneScape, making the world easier to navigate. Finally, in the land of website updates, you can expect to help yourself to a Perils of Ice Mountain wallpaper, Players' Gallery and a Postbag from the Hedge.

1 May 2008 - New Forum - Reporting Academy

Hi everyone,

We have released a new Forum in the 'Support' section of the RuneScape Forums. This is called the 'Reporting Academy', and it contains information that will help you when sending abuse reports about other players.

Every day, we receive lots of inaccurate abuse reports, which take up a lot of our time. By creating this Forum, we hope everyone will have a better idea of what to report, so we can spend more time moderating in-game or on the Forums. Let's work together to make that happen!

Here are a couple of quick pointers to get you started:

Noob:

Being called a noob can be annoying. You may have a bad game of Castle Wars, for example, and find that a player follows you around afterwards, calling you a 'noob'. As irritating as this may be to you, please do not report it unless there is something more serious that you'd like us to take a look at! If the player is really bothering you, add them to your Ignore List - that way, you'll have no more trouble from them!

Filtered language **** ****:

It may be that you have wandered RuneScape and seen someone activate the in-game chat filter. The filter removes inappropriate words, so you do not need to send us a report. If a person is annoying you by continuously using the filter, we would advise you to use your Ignore List. To sum up: don't report for starred-out language only, as the filter has done its job. Of course, if there is something other than just starred-out language that you are concerned about, please send us a report about that player.

For more great reporting tips please visit our new Forum 'The Reporting Academy'.

Thanks for listening,

RuneScape Community Management

28 April 2008 - Summoning Guaranteed Content Poll

Do you want to help decide on a new Summoning familiar? In this week's poll you can do exactly that! Choose from such varied creatures as killerwatts, giant kebbits and kangaroos...

Each of the creature options in this poll were chosen from a thread in the Suggestions Forum. Thank you to everyone who offered ideas for familiars.

Click 'Vote in this poll' on the left-hand side of the RuneScape front page to vote.

The Summoning familiar with the most votes will be developed once the poll finishes on 6th May, 2008. The winner will be announced on the 7th May.

22 April 2008 - Myreque Part IV - Legacy of Seergaze

The Vyrewatch continue to draw blood tithes from the citizens of Meiyerditch, while the Saradominist powers of Misthalin seem unable to break Drakan's stranglehold over the dread land of Morytania. The two forces are bound by Guthixian Edicts, preventing any confrontation that would start another war between the gods.

Mercenaries trickle into Morytania through Paterdomus and are guided down to the frontline in Burgh de Rott, but they are not enough. In Meiyerditch, the little blood that remains in the veins of the townsfolk continues to flow. With such organised evil and so few allies, what new efforts can the Myreque make?

A new rumour has been heard among the assembled mercenaries near Paterdomus. One of their number saw something suspicious in the temple and believes you should investigate it.

Farther south, word comes that Safalaan has tasks for an enthusiastic, young and just-promoted private of the Myreque. Your part in the tale is about to get more involved...

What new secrets are to be discovered in Paterdomus? Can the Myreque strike back against the Vyrewatch? What has the mysterious Safalaan got in store for you? Cross the border, once again, into Morytania and these questions may well be answered.

Summary
Where to start Legacy of Seergaze:

Talk to the Mercenary Adventurer at the Burgh de Rott Ramble start point, east of Paterdomus.
Requirements:

Darkness of Hallowvale
Level 20 Construction
Level 29 Agility
Level 31 Slayer
Level 35 Mining
Level 40 Firemaking
Level 47 Crafting
Level 49 Magic
Access to:

A new hazard for Temple Trekkers and Burgh de Rott Ramblers to overcome
Updated/improved Slayer creatures
An update to Runecrafting

In other news...

The recently added Treasure Trail items, along with the Trouble Brewing clothing, can now be stored in your player-owned house. We know that these item sets can take up valuable bank space, so you can now store them safely away in your costume room!

We've made some core changes that will benefit the prices of items that appear stuck or stationary. Items traded between players or via the Grand Exchange will now change price more frequently.

Various icefiends have had a graphical rework. These ice-cool little creatures will melt your heart when you see them in their glacial glory!

The entrance to Morytania has been re-vamped graphically, to make it look even more fang-tastic. Stop and have a peek on your way to the Legacy of Seergaze quest.

18 April 2008 - FunOrb: Arcanists and Shattered Plans

We have made several changes to FunOrb, the new gaming website from Jagex, makers of RuneScape. The first of these is to Arcanists, which was recently voted 'favourite FunOrb game' in a RuneScape poll. Many of you will be pleased to hear that multiplayer Arcanists is now available to registered and unregistered free players!

You can now enjoy this online wizard-battling game with your friends or anyone else, taking them on with Arcane or Fire spellbooks. If you wish to unlock and explore other spellbooks, you should subscribe as a FunOrb member.

We also released a stunning new multiplayer game: Shattered Plans - a galaxy-spanning strategy epic that allows up to six players to battle for supremacy and decide the fate of worlds.

The objective is simple: control as much known space as possible and wipe out your opponents. By conquering star systems, you stockpile the resources necessary to construct fleets, which can then be sent out to spread your influence further.

Every game map is randomly-generated, so no two games will be alike as you take on the galaxy!

Visit FunOrb to make the most of these two great updates. We only plan to post FunOrb news when we feel you'll appreciate the updates, and we certainly feel that these changes are worth telling you about. FunOrb players would recommend that you try Arcanists out!

15 April 2008 - Grand Exchange Database

Many of you asked for the ability to view graphs of market values and track item prices as they rise and fall. Well, this week we introduce the Grand Exchange Database Beta, which does exactly that!

Skilled merchants will find the Grand Exchange Database to be an invaluable tool, enabling you to keep an eye on prices as they rise or fall. Get in quick if you wish to buy low and sell high!

If you prefer crushing creatures to trading on the Exchange, why not use the Database to find out the market value of a weapon you want or the value of a drop you have just received?

The Grand Exchange is currently at a 'Beta' stage. This is so that we can listen to the feedback of everyone who uses it and make any necessary changes.

If you have any feedback, please visit the 'GE Database Feedback' thread in the Website Feedback RuneScape Forum.

Summary
Where to start using the Grand Exchange Database

Follow the link here to start using the Database. Alternatively, there is a link from the RuneScape front page, below 'QuestHelp'.
Requirements:

None - both members and free players can use the Grand Exchange Database.
Access to:

A visual guide to Grand Exchange market prices and fluctuations!

15 April 2008 - Treasure Trail Expansion

Around 50 new clues have been added to the medium and hard Treasure Trails this week with the introduction of some taxing riddles and anagrams. Prepare to have your brain twisted as you decipher some true puzzlers!

We couldn't have spiced up the clues without doing the same to the rewards, so we've brought them up to date this week. You'll get your puzzling mitts on more familiar items such as Construction gear, and new rewards like jewelled canes, animal masks and the top hat.

For a list of additions to the Treasure Trail items, please visit the Knowledge Base here.

Summary
Requirements to access the new Treasure Trails clues and rewards:

This content is members-only.
A clue scroll is all you need!
Access to:

New medium and hard difficulty anagrams and riddles.
New items, including the black crossbow, black/adamant/rune canes, animal masks and the top hat.

In other news...

In Customer Support news, we are very pleased to announce an update to our Offence Appeal system. This update allows players to appeal their previously-issued permanent mutes. For more information about this change, visit the 'Appeals Update' thread in the News and Announcement RuneScape Forum, or type the following quick-find code into the 'Jump to thread' text box at the top of the Forum window: 13-14-482-56082709.

There is now a minimum and maximum number of players required to start a game of Bounty Hunter, so the craters don't get overcrowded. As a result, we've increased the number of worlds Bounty Hunter can be played on.

It seems that Summoning pets were behaving slightly strangely. Now, a black labrador will no longer change colour when it's fully grown!

Last week, there seemed to be some ground movement near the bank in west Falador. We've called in the landscape gardeners and it's been leveled out.

11 April 2008 - PayPal Subscription Reductions

We have changed the way that PayPal payments are made. Instead of using PayByCash to process any PayPal transactions, you will now be making payments directly to PayPal.

This means that, in the majority of cases, we can offer a reduced subscription cost when paying for RuneScape using PayPal. This reduction may be as much as 10-20% off our previous PayPal prices.

These changes are available to anyone who has a verified PayPal account. If you wish to set an account up, please visit Paypal's website.

9 April 2008 - Fist of Guthix

A number of Guthix druids have discovered an unexplored cave under the lower Wilderness, just north of Varrock. Inside is a new, one-on-one, tactical PvP combat minigame, available to both members and free players!

The cave appears to have been left undisturbed since the time of the god wars, guarded over the years by Fiara, a giant earwig and protector of something called the Fist of Guthix. Great powers emanate from this 'Fist' and the druids have managed to convince Fiara to allow them to gather charges from it. Being light on numbers, they need others to help them, which is where you come in!

In the spirit of Guthix, Fiara has introduced a 'balance' to this minigame. For each adventurer looking to absorb the power of the fist, there is another trying to chop, range or cast spells at them!

You and another adventurer must each take a turn being the hunted or the hunter. The hunted's task is to survive as long as possible, storing charges in a stone of power as the time counts down, while the hunter simply has to defeat the hunted in as quick a time as possible!

The energy of this mysterious area has quite an impact on those who attempt to absorb the power from the Fist of Guthix. Even the mightiest of warriors will find themselves severely weakened as they avoid the hunter, making it incredibly difficult to survive for long. The cave does offer some help in the form of places to hide, but will this be enough?

After both you and your opponent have had a chance to be the hunted, victory is assigned to those who stored the most charges in their stone of power. Fist of Guthix tokens will then be given out, based on how well you did, with which you can purchase a wide variety of rewards, including magical gloves to help you boost your XP, spiked shields and many more.

Fist of Guthix is available to play on ALL free and members worlds. There is a list of recommended worlds on the Themed Worlds Knowledge Base page.

We have also put a cap on the number of players who can play Fist of Guthix on any world at any time, which is set at 250 players. This will maximise your enjoyment of Fist of Guthix and minimise any conflict from other ongoing matches!

Summary
Where to start Fist of Guthix:

North of Varrock, in the lower reaches of the Wilderness.
Requirements:

None - Fist of Guthix is available to both free players and members.
Access to:

A new, one-on-one, tactical PvP minigame under the Wilderness
A new area the size of Ape Atoll
Rewards, including clothing with set effects, available to free players as well as members
A Fist of Guthix Hiscores table for those who have a rank of 500 or higher

In other news...

Hunter pet variations have been added to many places in RuneScape. Monkeys, squirrels, raccoons and geckos can now be found in several different shapes, colours and sizes, so get hunting!

The Party Room chest has been changed to better reflect the value of the items that are in it. It now checks the items against the Grand Exchange market price, so you should find a more accurate drop party value in banks or the Party Room.

Having looked at feedback on the Forums, we have changed the ibis, granite crab and granite lobster so that they give a small amount of Fishing experience when catching fish - a nice little bonus, we think you'll find!

A few graphical issues popped up last week: a pier in Neitiznot disappeared and a small hole opened up on Karamja! Guthix has restored the balance and these have been repaired.

Finally, a change has been made to the Culinaromancer's chest and the gnome ingredients shop at the Grand Tree. Item prices in these shops should be more attractive.

1 April 2008 - Behind the Scenes - Apri

The first of April's updates seems to attract abbreviations: F2P, PvP, OMG - all of these could be used to describe Fist of Guthix, our next combat minigame. We could say that this will be a safe, single-way, Wilderness-based game available to both free players and members, but that would ignore some important details. Attack strategies, defensive tactics, well-timed escapes: Fist of Guthix will employ all of these to create a memorable combat minigame.

There is a massive range of rewards to win for playing Fist of Guthix, so we'll give you a wee teaser. The rune berserker shield, like most of Fist of Guthix's rewards, degrades with use, but it also offers you some hefty defence bonuses and a Strength boost; the battle robe set will sometimes pay for mind, chaos, death or blood runes that you use when casting a combat spell; and the Runecrafting gloves will double the experience you gain from crafting runes of the glove's type!

Talking of rewards, where could you possibly find a top hat, animal mask, adamant cane and black crossbow? It could only be the Treasure Trails, and this month will bring our next installment. Among the new weapons, clothes and hats will be some brain-twisting new clues to untangle, ranging across the medium and hard difficulties.

It is at this point in the month that the skies will darken, a fog will descend and a bloodcurdling scream will echo out. What could bring on this strange and eerie change? Ah, it must be the fourth in our Myreque quest series: Legacy of Seergaze! With no help forthcoming from Misthalin and vampyres continuing to collect their scarlet tithes, the Myreque have been calling on mercenaries to aid their cause. Meanwhile, deep in Paterdomus, Drezel has found something strange that could shed light on Morytania's gloomy past...

Not so gloomy are the graphical improvements to the Morytania entrance area and the icefiends of RuneScape. Expect Paterdomus temple and its grounds to become more grand and foreboding, and the icefiends a sight more icy and fiendish.

A nod must be given to the website updates. The Grand Exchange Database will be released this month, having had its image issues resolved, displaying graphs and statistics of Grand Exchange market prices. There's also a Summoning guaranteed content poll, the latest Players' Gallery and the Postbag from the Hedge.

31 March 2008 - Gnomecopters

In a quiet field east of Draynor Manor, two enterprising gnomes have founded Gnomecopter Tours, featuring the latest development in gnomic flight technology. They're open for business now, offering free-players (and curious members) the chance to take a look at distant lands, including the beautiful elf village of Lletya, the frantic battlefield of Pest Control and the Trollweiss and Rellekka Hunter area.

Summary
Where to start using gnomecopters:

The gnomecopters depart from the field north of Lumbridge windmill.
Requirements:

None - this update is available to members and F2P!
Access to:

An aerial tour of some of the best members-only content.

In other news...

Abyssal bracelets have been changed to 'Forinthry bracelets'. These still protect you, as before, but will now allow you to escape when teleblocked by the Wilderness revenant ghosts. The bracelet's charges essentially counter a Teleblock spell that has been cast on you.

31 March 2008 - Summoning 2

Summoning Rebalancing:

You can break Summoning 2 into two halves. The first is a rebalancing of the skill using your feedback. We have chosen to do this because we wanted Summoning to be one of the most well-loved and appreciated skills, so your help was needed to get it back on track.

What did we find out from the Forums? You told us that familiars did not stick around for long enough before they disappeared, and that renewing them was often a pain. With this update, each familiar stays out for a set period of time, regardless of the summoner's skill level, so there is no need to renew your familiar. The period that each familiar stays summoned has, in general, been increased - the spirit dagannoth, for example, stays out for a whopping 57 minutes!

Secondly, you told us that summoning familiars just wasn't rewarding enough. With the rebalancing, we have given each familiar a stand-out ability that makes them well worth summoning - a feature that budding Pikkupstixes have been eager for. You will now find that Summoning a creature is far more preferable to either selling the pouch or high-alching it.

Many of you felt that combat familiars should give combat XP. We definitely agree, so each combat familiar now gives XP when they cause damage. The amount is equal to how much you would have received, had you done the damage yourself. The experience will be in one of the combat skills, which depends on your choice of familiar - the spirit jelly, for example, gives XP in the Strength stat.

Taking your combat familiar into battle will reveal our next improvement: each creature is significantly tougher. They can soak up damage like never before and many will hit harder, making them more than useful for challenges like the God Wars. We can only encourage you to try them out and see just how improved their combat abilities are.

Acquiring charms has been made easier this week, with charm drops added to nearly 20 of our Slayer creatures. For those who prefer sleight of hand over the crossing of swords, we have also added charms to the Dorgesh-Kaan chests, so thieves can access them, too.

Recharging Summoning points has been made easier, with miniature obelisks scattered across the world to keep you topped up; you can now summon familiars almost anywhere and take them with you without worrying too much about having to dismiss them; buttons have been added to help you 'dump' items from your familiar to your inventory and your familiar to your bank; headgear and headdresses can hold more scrolls per item; many existing helmets can be enchanted to hold scrolls; and some of the familiars' inventories have been expanded to a jaw-dropping 30 slots, so your pak yak can now hold more than you can. Phew!

For more details of what has changed with the Summoning rebalancing, visit the Knowledge Base page.

Extra Summoning creatures:

The second half of Summoning 2 is what we originally planned when Summoning was first released: an injection of high-level, dauntingly huge beasts. So, this week, the big guns arrive, largely in the form of the titans. These humanoid creatures don't only have a killer punch; significantly increase your chance of success when Mining and Firemaking, boil adventurers in their own armour or even recharge amulets of glory! You can expect them to range all the way up to level 99, too.

A few inches shorter, but no less daunting, are the big cats from the Hunter skill. As an example of just how many things each familiar can offer you, the graahk, kyatt and larupia are capable of teleporting you to Hunter areas, boosting your chances of trapping a creature, and lending a powerful paw when you need them in battle.

We can guarantee that the other familiars do more than make up the numbers. Fans of Pest Control will know the void pests, with their ability to teleport you to the landers, while other recognisable familiars include the talon beast, spirit mosquito, pyrelord and the fearsome giant chinchompa. These familiars are spread over the Summoning skill levels, inviting you to train it that little bit higher. So, go grab your charms and get stuck in!

27 March 2008 - The State of Play

In February's edition of State of Play we promised to report regularly on anticipated updates, giving you a better idea of how they are progressing. This week, we feel it's the right time to catch up with Summoning, PvP minigames and some other releases we have planned.

Summoning Improvements:

Progress has been made on Summoning 2 and we plan to have this released by the end of the month. It is currently past the balancing and entering the final QA stages.

Many of you have asked what the rebalancing entails. Well, we do not want to ruin the surprise completely, but we can say that we have changed our philosophy towards balancing familiars. Instead of having lots of benefits that ADD UP to create a useful familiar, we have decided to make sure that each familiar will have one stand-out ability that makes it awesome.

Take the beaver, for example: currently, it boosts your Woodcutting, counts as a knife, produces logs when Woodcutting and offers the Multichop special move. On their own, these abilities add up, but don't 'stand out', as such. Well, with our change in policy, the beaver will soon make you logs and planks no matter what you are doing at the time, in a similar vein to Ava's Accumulator from the Animal Magnetism quest.

We can also reveal that the combat familiars will give you XP when used in battle. Each combat familiar will have a specific skill that they raise your XP in during combat - the spirit jelly gives Strength XP, for example. This will be equal to the XP you would receive if you had caused the damage yourself.

Friends List Changes:

When we released the changes to the Friends List on the 25th of February, we never intended them to impact on your enjoyment of RuneScape. In fact, the changes were made so that you could chat easily with your FunOrb friends and vice versa.

Unfortunately, as many of you have pointed out, the text used in the interface was difficult to read for some, leading us to make changes to its colour scheme. This was only a short-term solution, however, and the FunOrb and RuneScape Game Engine teams are collaborating to make something that will be appreciated by 'Scapers and 'Orbsters alike.

Item Lending:

The item lending feature has progressed past the proposal stage. Unfortunately, the Game Engine developers in charge of the project have had to delay it while they work on issues with serverload that came to light during the Audio Week release. These problems meant that worlds went out of action for a period of time and the developers have been tackling this issue so it does not happen again.

We're aiming to have this resolved in the next couple of weeks, so that item lending can be made a priority again. For the moment, we can tell you that the item lending feature will be session-based, allowing you to transfer objects to another player for the period that you are both logged in.

New PvP Minigame:

Our next PvP minigame is entering the last stages of QA. Many of you have asked on the Forums about some aspects of this minigame - in particular, how it differs from the Duel Arena.

Well, firstly, we can promise that the game is nothing like the Duel Arena or even Bounty Hunter. This game calls for strategy, requiring far more than just combat. It demands mastery of both offensive and defensive tactics while offering fantastic rewards that you can receive nowhere else.

We plan for this minigame to be available to both members and F2P, which means that everyone can expect some enhanced equipment with great set effects. We will continue improving both free-to-play and members' PvP content in the future. Expect more news in upcoming State of Plays!

Clan Wars Changes:

We've had a good look at the suggestions players have been sending in for Clan Wars. In particular, we'd like to add a 'run-in' option, where players will be permitted to re-join the battle after they've died. The first team to achieve a pre-agreed number of kills may be declared victorious. Along with this, we're looking to provide a choice of arenas, each with different scenery and obstacles. We've got plenty more Clan Wars features planned - including some 'dangerous' ones - so keep your eyes peeled for information.

Random events:

We had planned some work on the random events of RuneScape quite some time ago. We were looking to see if we could remove most of them, because a decent number were not particularly good at stopping modern-day bots. Since the threat of bots and macros has been largely removed, we feel that this is a perfect opportunity to address the problem again. For the moment, we are concentrating on our PvP minigames to compensate for the Wilderness changes, but the random event proposal has been approved and is in the pipeline.

Grand Exchange:

Issues with item images have meant that the Grand Exchange Database has been delayed until mid-April. We apologise for this continued delay; we intend to release the database when we are certain that it delivers on its aim - to give you a strong visual idea of market price trends over a long period of time.

Our Grand Exchange price changes are still ongoing. The godswords and flatpack furniture are examples of items that have had their value changed thanks to your feedback.

27 March 2008 - Summoning Wallpaper #4

We seem to have reserved the most humongous, terrifying and downright impressive creatures for Summoning 2. Visit the Downloads section if you don't believe us. It's the clash of the titans!

These high-level familiars will be yours at the end of March, when Summoning 2 arrives. Can you control them? The titans are pretty skeptical that you can...

27 March 2008 - Postbag from the Hedge

After last month's hectic Player Takeover, Postie Pete returns to the usual Postbag format with a bumper bag of replies from your favourite RuneScape celebrities.

The bankers are back, answering queries about what they do in their spare time, a demon replies to one of his fans and something moves in the deep, dark places of this world...

Click here to read the latest selection.

27 March 2008 - Lores and Histories - Tumeken's Dream

This month, Reldo has received a parcel of books from the High Priest of Icthlarin, who loaded them onto his camels and sent them packing all the way to Varrock. You should have seen the mess they made on the palace carpet! Queen Ellamaria wasn't best pleased, but then, when is she ever?

Anyway, Reldo set about translating these books and has published an extract - entitled Tumeken's Dream - for your reading pleasure.

18 March 2008 - Easter 2008 - For All Players!

It seems that the problem-prone Easter Bunny is once again experiencing difficulties. He's spent so much time redecorating his warren that he hasn't noticed critters burrowing in and devouring his entire chocolate stockpile.

Now, devoid of cocoa stocks, the chocolate egg production has ground to a halt and the forecast for Easter celebrations looks bleak. No need to worry, though - the Easter Bunny is an inventive sort, and has come up with an eggs-emplary new idea: use a chocatrice! These fearsome creatures, incubated from a chocolate-coated cockatrice egg, can turn their targets into chocolate with one lethal, chocifying gaze.

It falls to you, then, to create this curious creature. You'll need to track down some of the lost chocolate to make a chocatrice egg and then carefully incubate it. The critters who ate the chocolate supply are sealed in the Easter Bunny's tunnels and will prove a suitable target for your chocatrice.

So, this Easter, you will come to the aid of chocolate lovers everywhere, incubating your own chocatrice, guiding it around the Easter Bunny's tunnels and turning the greedy rats into something altogether more delicious...

Summary
Where to start the Easter Event 2008:

Investigate the rabbit hole, between Falador's southern gate and the Rimmington mine.
Requirements:

None - this update is available to members and F2P!
Access to:

A new emote and Easter item!

In other news...

The music system now has a counter which keeps 'track' of how many songs you've unlocked. You'll have the Air Guitar emote in no time!

Players will now always receive a TzHaar fire cape and 8,000 TokKul after defeating TzTok-Jad. You can keep any extra fire capes you win as spares in case you lose them, or speak to TzHaar-Mej-Jal, master of the Fight Cave, who will purchase spare fire capes from you for 8,000 TokKul a piece.

We're constantly looking at item prices on the Grand Exchange and how they match up with similar items and those that are unfinished versions of other items. Prices for some of these sorts of items have been adjusted following this pattern. For example, an unstrung amulet will more closely follow the price of the strung version.

You might have found in the recently refurbished Edgeville Dungeon that fighting chaos druids was a slow process. The death animation has been reduced so you don't have to spend as much time waiting before picking up your loot!

13 March 2008 - Players' Gallery

This month, Postie Pete has returned with a Players' Gallery of RuneScape-related humour and comics. So, if you feel like a laugh over the Easter season, view this month's Players' Gallery here.

11 March 2008 - Kennith's Concerns

As ever, there are strange occurrences afoot in the slug-riddled town of Witchaven. Kennith, the odd little boy with a (justified) aversion to sea slugs, is convinced that the townsfolk are up to no good in the caverns beneath the town and he is looking for a brave adventurer with a talent for Mining to investigate.

Could it be that the sea slugs are looking to get revenge for the events of Slug Menace? Or is there some new threat looming large over Witchaven? How does Kennith's new friend, Kimberly, fit into all of this? You will need all of your wits, digging talents and sneaking abilities to find out.

Along the way, players can expect to reunite with Ezekial Lovecraft, all round man-in-the-know, in an effort to outwit the horde of secretive villagers who are determined to keep their great 'work' a surprise. You may even be introduced to an extremely volatile new kind of ore. One thing is for certain: not everything is what it seems in Witchaven...

Summary
Where to start Kennith's Concerns

Talk to Kennith in Witchaven.
Requirements:

Slug Menace
A Mining level of 46
Access to:

The mines under Witchaven
Ability to mine and sell a volatile new ore
Access to a repeatable mini-task

In other news...

We've added a feature that allows you to keep an eye on the remaining charges of your crystal saw. You will now be able to track how much the crystal seed has drained when used for Construction.

Several sound effects have been added or improved in areas of RuneScape: from creaky doors and creature sound effects to travelling sounds and swords clanging against armour.

Tokkul and obsidian drops have been fixed and will once again drop for those Lootsharing while fighting TzHaar creatures.

Finally, you'll be pleased to know that the Kill Count in the God Wars Dungeon should correctly update when using CoinShare.

11 March 2008 - Stronghold of Player Safety

Professor Henry has opened a new Misthalin Training Centre of Excellence, south of Edgeville. Here, you can take a test that asks questions about staying safe in Runescape, earning some great rewards in the process!

If you're in the mood for combat, there are rumours that an old jailhouse has been discovered beneath the Centre, completely overrun by insects of an unnatural size. Strap on your fighting boots, arm yourself and get ready to investigate, as only a true adventurer can!

Summary
Where to access the Stronghold of Player Safety

The Misthalin Training Centre of Excellence is located directly south of Edgeville.
Requirements:

None - this update is available to members and free players!
Access to:

Player Safety dungeon training area, about the size of the Stronghold of Security
Questions that test your Player Safety knowledge

5 March 2008 - FunOrb!

You may have heard of FunOrb but know very little about what it involves. Well, it's a new website that we've released, offering a great selection of browser-based games that we'll be adding to regularly!

You'll find a variety of free games on offer, from fast and furious platformers to gloriously over-the-top shooters; from intense turn-based strategy games to brainbusting puzzles. Each of them are deep and massively enjoyable, enticing you to give them 'just one more go'.

If you have a RuneScape account then you can go to the FunOrb website, sign in and start playing immediately! This is because FunOrb is setup very similarly to RuneScape - each game has a 'free' element that can be played until you decide to become a member. Free players get highscores tables and some Achievements, while those who subscribe to FunOrb get access to full games, all Achievements, multiplayer games, a fullscreen mode and FunOrb Forums.

We also have extra website updates and games planned for the future, with new content every two weeks!

StarCannon

Torquing

There are also features available for current RuneScape players. You can sign in to FunOrb with your RuneScape account, keeping the same Friends List and Ignore List. This means you can chat to friends across both games and even see which game they are playing (and trying to beat your score)!

What is more, RuneScape members can purchase a combined membership package for both FunOrb and RuneScape at US$7, or £4.60, when paying by credit card. That's only $2 more than your usual RuneScape membership! A FunOrb account on its own costs US$3 or £2 by credit card.

Our Rules now apply to both RuneScape and FunOrb. Rulebreakers will find that their punishments are effective on both sites.

Some of you have asked whether you can mention FunOrb on RuneScape Forums. Since we can guarantee that FunOrb is a secure site, you are free to talk about FunOrb on suitable RuneScape Forums and RuneScape on suitable FunOrb Forums.

We would also like to take this opportunity to say that FunOrb, although a product of Jagex, will not impact on our RuneScape updates. You will still be receiving the same quantity and quality of updates that you always have. There are separate teams dedicated to producing the very best content for FunOrb, so you can expect many more superb games in the future.

Arcanists

TerraPhoenix

4 March 2008 - Chaos Tunnels: The Hunt for Surok

It seems that Surok has made a cunning escape from his Varrock Library prison and is intent on continuing his nefarious schemes. He even found time to steal some ancient tomes from the library, unearthing dark secrets and powerful magicks.

It is clear that Surok has plans to control the city of Varrock and it is up to you to stop him! Scuppering Surok may not be as easy as it sounds, however, as he has friends in very, very high places.

Surok was last seen heading east out of Varrock, towards the Chaos Tunnels that were introduced in January.

Have a care when entering the Tunnels, as they are dark and full of creatures - including dragons - that will attack without mercy! Be sure to only take what you are prepared to lose, for there are worse things than simple orks in the dark places of this world.

Summary
Where to start Chaos Tunnels: The Hunt for Surok

Start by speaking to Surok by the statue of Saradomin, east of Varrock
Requirements to complete Chaos Tunnels: The Hunt for Surok:

What Lies Below
Level 44 Slayer
A hefty Combat level would be helpful.
Access to:

A new boss fight in the Chaos Tunnels which can be repeated daily
A hefty chunk of Slayer XP and guaranteed Summoning charms for those who defeat him!

In other news...

As a result of recent feedback, players can now take priest robes and gowns into Bounty Hunter. These items offer small Prayer bonuses that players might wish to make use of.

We've fixed an issue with the Assist System, so that runecrafters will be able to get 'double' runes if the assister has the necessary Runecrafting level.

The Friends and Ignore interfaces have been looked at and adjusted to make them more readable. These were slightly darker than intended.

We've been looking at a few smaller changes that will enhance your gameplay and you can expect more of these in the future:

* When reopening the Smithing interface, it will remember where you last scrolled to, similar to the bank interface.
* Romeo in Varrock will no longer interrupt you if you're passing through. You can still stop by, have a chat and see if you can cheer him up!

4 March 2008 - CoinShare and Grand Exchange Changes

Clan Chat owners now have the option to use CoinShare, an addition to the LootShare system that was requested by many of you on the Forums.

To start CoinSharing, LootShare must be activated on your clan channel. You can then choose 'CoinShare' from your Clan Chat Setup interface. It is an entirely optional addition.

CoinShare has no effect on the majority of items; they will still be allocated to members of the clan channel according to how 'lucky' they have been with previous LootSharing monster drops.

If you have CoinShare active, the following will happen if a monster drops something of great value, like a dragon chainbody:

* The item is immediately put on the Grand Exchange, set at the current market price.
* An equal amount of coins is dropped on the floor for each LootSharer. Each player can then pick their share up. The total number of coins is based on the item's lowest value on the Grand Exchange.

All of this happens immediately. For a list of items that can be converted to cash using CoinShare, and more information on how CoinShare works, please read the Knowledge Base article.

As there will be an increased number of LootSharers because of this update, we have doubled the number of LootSharing worlds. For a list, please click here.

Summary
Requirements to use CoinShare

You must be on a LootSharing world.
You must be in a Clan Chat channel with LootShare and CoinShare switched on.
Access to:

The ability to convert specific high-value items into cash and then share the amount equally with other LootSharers.

CoinShare and the Grand Exchange:

Following the State of Play, many of you posted your concerns about how CoinShare works with the Grand Exchange. The following bulletpoints should address the worries you have:

* We have decided to place CoinShare items on the Grand Exchange so that this update has no effect on the rarity of certain items. High-value items would become more difficult to find if they were all converted into cash with CoinShare. We will place these items on the Exchange so they stay in circulation.
* CoinShare items bought or sold on the Grand Exchange DO NOT affect the item's market value. Only items that have been placed on the Grand Exchange in a conventional manner can affect the market price.
* A CoinShare item will be set at the average market price and will ALWAYS stay at the average market price. So, if the item's market price moves up or down, so will the value of the CoinShare item.
* Players receive the lowest market price when CoinSharing because of its additional convenience. Players do not have to waste an inventory space when picking up a high-value item, they do not have to travel to the Grand Exchange and they are guaranteed money from its sale.
* Players do not receive additional cash once the item has been sold on the Exchange.

Grand Exchange Interface Changes:

The Grand Exchange has been managing item trades for a few months now, which is enough time for us to check the Forums, scan your feedback and put together some changes that will not only make it easier to use, but a lot quicker too.

A lot of feedback centred on the Grand Exchange interfaces, with many of you forced to click multiple times when selling or buying. The following changes should really reduce that wasted clicking time:

* When making a Buy Offer, the +1/+10/+100/+1000 buttons increase the quantity by that amount
* When making a Sell Offer, the 1/10/100 buttons set the quantity to that amount. There is no 1000 option here, instead there is an ALL button which sets the quantity to the total in your inventory
* The Buy/Sell buttons in empty offer slots now appear by default
* The Grand Exchange Item Search interface now opens automatically when you click to make a new buy offer
* If you are collecting five or more of the same item from your collection box, they will be certed/noted (as long as they do not normally stack in your inventory)

3 March 2008 - Behind the Scenes - March

Over the past few months, lots of you have offered us ideas for how to get the best out of the Grand Exchange and LootShare system. Well, by Guthix, our first update of the month will see the introduction of the best of these!

First will be CoinShare, which will convert high-level drops into cash and then share it equally between you and your battling clan compatriots. This entirely optional addition to LootShare will save clans from having only one player who benefits from a high-level drop, instead offering everyone a big bag of cash when a monster drops something awesome. This fabulous new system will put the item on the Grand Exchange at the market value without you having to do anything, and will give the CoinSharers cash immediately, based on the lowest boundary that the item can sell for. Now that's service!

Talking of the Grand Exchange, Brugsen Bursen has been working on the Grand Exchange interfaces. He will be streamlining them to require fewer clicks and less time when selling or purchasing wares. The Grand Exchange Database has taken Brugsen longer than he anticipated, however; he expects this Grand Exchange aid to be ready towards the end of the month. With it, players will have a visual way to search for items, check their value and even view price fluctuations over a period of time.

All of these Varrock distractions seem to have given Surok an opportunity for escape! March will bring an addition to the Surok storyline, following the fleeing wizard north out of Varrock and into the Chaos Tunnels. The rewards are plentiful for this mini-quest, but as is customary with Surok, expect some lies, deceit, chaos and a wee bit of brutal combat.

Lies and deceit will certainly be on the menu with this month's quest, Kenniths's Concerns, and it is a dish best served cold...while covered in slug goo. That's right, the sea slugs are coming back, and they'll be up to their usual hijinks, feeding on brainwaves and attempting world domination - the little scamps. Poor Kennith, the boy you saved from certain subservience on the Fishing Platform, is being hassled by the slugs once again and he will have a few tasks for you. Needless to say, they will test your abilities to the max.

A test of a different variety awaits you in the Stronghold of Player Safety. This twin to the Stronghold of Security will be open to both free players and members, allowing those who prove their intellectual mettle in the Player Safety quiz to swipe rewards, splat cockroaches and taunt gublinch in the depths of the jailhouse below.

Also available to free players and members is our next holiday event, Easter 2008, which will bring yet another wily scheme from the Easter Bunny. What will it be this time? Well, the Easter Bunny has been noting the powers of the Summoning familiars in RuneScape - in particular, the petrifying gaze of the cockatrice. Using a complicated process that involves an incubator and a vat of finest chocolate, the Easter Bunny has hatched a chocatrice. Will the Easter Bunny's weapon of mass production work? You can bet your last gp that it won't...

In our third update this month for both free players and members, we will introduce the bizarre gnomecopters. These unwieldy vehicles have been invented by pioneering gnomes to take players high over a series of members' areas, like Castle Wars, Pest Control and Isafdar, giving them a gander at what they have to offer. The only problem is, they might look silly while they're doing it.

Certainly silly-looking (but you wouldn't say it to their faces) are the hordes of familiars and pets that make up Summoning Batch 2. These creatures look about as mean, big and unusual as TzTok-Jad after a bubble bath, so prepare for some high-level and demanding familiars. Although we had to delay the release of Summoning Batch 2, we can guarantee that this extra time has been spent well to give the creatures a little bit more of a 'kick', with rewards for persistent summoners and awesome abilities that'll knock their headdresses off.

We don't want to give away too much about these familiars in the Behind the Scenes, but you can expect a Summoning wallpaper to give you a graphical taster of what's in store. As you would expect from the end of a Behind the Scenes, there are also a number of other website-based additions to get giddy about, including a new Players' Gallery, Postbag from the Hedge and an entry in the Lores and Histories.

We told you there was a lot this month! Gadzooks!

28 February 2008 - Development Diary - QA

Being a games tester is a dream job for many, but does the reality live up to the dream? In this month's Development Diary, we take a look at the various Quality Assurance teams at Jagex. Is it all just about RuneScape? Do they play games all day? Could it be the job for you? Read the Diary to find out.

28 February 2008 - Postbag from the Hedge - Player Takeover!

For the second time this month, Postie Pete arrives with a bagful of letters. Instead of being packed with questions for your favourite characters, this bag is full of replies from YOU! If you want to read your business development plans for Balnea, your popular truths about the mahjarrat or read LT's favourite limerick, then check it out here.

Next month, the Postbag returns to normal, with Wise Old Man's plans for the Temple Knights included. This certainly won't be the last you hear of the Player Takeover, however, as there were so many responses. It even broke P.P's sack!

27 February 2008 - Subscription Price Change - Canada

The price of a RuneScape credit card subscription in Canada has reduced from CAD7.30 per month to CAD5.00. There are a number of factors that determine how we set our prices (for example, currency and sales tax changes), and these have allowed us to lower our monthly credit card rate for our Canadian customers.

Both new and existing members can benefit from the reduction. The price changes will affect credit card payments in the following ways:

* If you wish to pay for a new subscription, the revised price is available now.
* If you make automatic monthly payments, the revised price will take effect on your next payment date.

25 February 2008 - Changes to Vinesweeper and more...

Vinesweeper:

Last week, we felt that there were a number of improvements we could make to the rewards of Vinesweeper and how fun it was to play. These have now been made:

* All requirements to play Vinesweeper have been removed. Anyone can play.
* The Farming experience you receive for cashing in Vinesweeper points has dramatically increased
* The price of flags has reduced when purchasing them with coins OR points
* The price of seeds from the Winkin shop has reduced, so you can purchase more with your Vinesweeper points
* Ogleroots are now available from Blinkin for 10gp each
* Players leaving Vinesweeper with their flags are able to retrieve them from Blinkin for free, without being reimbursed for them
* The rabbits haven't been getting enough ogleroots in their diet and it's had some strange effects. The rabbits have grown in size, making them easier to target with ogleroots
* The Vinesweeper rabbits seemed to be very quick at eating seeds before the farmer could get there or you could stop them with an ogleroot. To solve this, you can now distract the rabbits with an ogleroot at a larger distance, allowing you to more easily protect your flags.

Other changes:

You may also notice that the Friends and Ignore lists have changed as the pane inside them has got wider.

Several market values of items have been adjusted. Broken items, such as Woodcutting axes, now have a market value that differs from their fixed version. This difference is equal to the cost that a player would incur if they repaired it.

The Farming patch spirit will no longer visit players who've attained a Farming level of 16 or above when they're standing near a Farming patch.

22 February 2008 - Bounty Locate and VineSweeper

Bounty Locate Spell:

It became clear that the Bounty Locate spell was being used as a way to escape from combat in Bounty Hunter. This was never our intention and made it harder to get bounty rewards, so we have altered the spell. If you are in combat, you will run or walk towards your target rather than teleport there. You will still teleport to your target if you are not currently in combat.

Also, the Bounty Locate spell will no longer work if you are 'held' by another spell - Ice Barrage or Entangle, for example.

These changes are effective immediately.

Vinesweeper:

Having read your Forum posts, we felt that the rewards for Vinesweeper needed to be more worthwhile than they currently are. This enjoyable minigame is now having a shrewd eye cast over it. We plan to update the XP and seed rewards, amongst other Vinesweeper changes, next week.

We recommend that you keep hold of your Vinesweeper points until these changes have been made. We don't want to stop you playing the minigame; after all, we are not changing the amount of points you can earn - only what they are worth.

We also plan to make the rascally rabbits a little easier to deal with. Currently, they are too fast to be effectively stopped and will often eat your seeds before you can deploy an ogleroot.

To clarify, all of these Vinesweeper changes, and a few more, will be made next week.

21 February 2008 - The State of Play

If you look back at the last few months, you may have mixed feelings about some of the releases. Unbalanced trade removal; Bounty Hunter and Clan Wars; LootShare; the Assist System; the Grand Exchange: these were all massive changes affecting a huge number of people. They were so big, in fact, and released in such a short period of time, that we could not get everything right while also making every player happy. We certainly aimed to do so, but we still came some way short.

We decided, soon after their release, that we could address many of your problems with them. Your feedback on the Forums has really helped, and we have even been able to consult you on a number of instances. This led to the 'Future Changes to Recent Updates' in January: a list of our proposed changes to our recent content. It's been a while since we released that newspost, and many of you seem worried that we've forgotten about the changes to LootShare, Grand Exchange and our other releases. Well, we can assure you that we haven't forgotten. In fact, we have allocated nearly half of our content developers to getting these recent updates back on track!

We plan to release a State of Play regularly, to give you a real idea of how the most anticipated updates are progressing, so keep your eyes peeled for more news in the future.

The green progress bars will give you an idea of how close each project is to being released.

Grand Exchange Improvements:

Some changes to the Grand Exchange interfaces are entering the final stages of testing. We've listened to your feedback and we are finishing off interface changes to really speed up your selling and purchasing.

We also promised 'a new web page...which will allow you to track item prices over a long period of time'. This is very close to completion and is currently with our Quality Assurance team. This will be a comprehensive and very visual means for you to find out item values and compare them with others, or see how they fluctuate over time. As you can imagine, we believe that this will be really useful to any merchants out there.

Finally, the Grand Exchange pricing errors are being fixed in what will be an ongoing process. We have staff members dedicated to collating information from the Forums and in-game sources, so you'll see amendments occurring as the weeks go on. Here are a few examples of pricing issues that we have remedied:

* We've allowed Summoning items to be traded on the Exchange for a wider range of prices over a prolonged period, and allowed their prices to adjust with their large number of sales.
* We have made the price of items such as jewellery, poisoned dagger and clockwork toys behave more consistently, so that you are always getting a fair deal.
* We've allowed a more generous range of prices on the Exchange for those items that are sold in shops.
* We've also fixed a number of bugs that have been highlighted in the Forums, such as how potions behave.

We'd also like to remind you that the 'Grand Exchange Price Feedback' thread in our Suggestions Forum is the place for any constructive feedback you have on our market prices.

Fairer LootShare:

One of the most requested improvements will be to our LootShare feature, which has been worked on solidly since its announcement in the 'Future Changes to Recent Updates'. We will be calling these changes 'CoinShare'. With it activated, a clan will not receive a high-value item as a monster drop; instead, the item will be put on the Grand Exchange at the median price. The team of LootSharers will immediately gain a share of coins equal to that item's lowest market value, without waiting for that item to sell on the Exchange. This is in final testing, at a similar stage to the Grand Exchange tweaks.

Item Lending:

Currently at a briefing stage is the item-lending feature. It has been incredibly difficult to find that balance between versatility and stopping cheaters from abusing it. We believe we've found a solution that achieves this, and we will give you more news in future articles.

New PvP Minigame:

Clan Wars and Bounty Hunter did a fair job of offering new PvP gaming choices, but they weren't without their problems; in particular, Bounty Hunter was dominated by large clans, which just wasn't how we intended Bounty Hunter to be used. We are aware that this week's Bounty Hunter changes leaves only Clan Wars for multi-way fighters, which does not offer the level of danger and reward that Bounty Hunter did. We can reveal that changes to the Clan Wars arena are at a proposal stage and future multi-way minigames are planned, all of which should alleviate these concerns.

It must also be said that Clan Wars and Bounty Hunter were never alone intended as a replacement for the Wilderness. We saw them as the first in a series of PvP minigames, with other games being briefed that would attempt to cater for all types of PKer. Well, the next PvP minigame is now finishing development and entering the first round of quality assurance. We're certainly very excited about this single-way, one-versus-one safe minigame.

Summoning Improvements:

When we started work on Summoning, we made the decision that it would be interesting, fun and rewarding, while also taking longer than most skills to level up. We feel now that we weren't so hot on the 'rewarding' aspect, which has been an obstacle to many people enjoying the skill. Despite a few tweaks, we still don't believe that it is as rewarding as it can be, and the worst thing we can do is to keep making tweaks every week for a long period of time.

So, we have decided to rebalance Summoning and release it with Summoning Batch #2. This rebalancing is about 20% complete and we will keep you informed about how it progresses. As you can imagine, this is a huge priority for us, so you can expect this percentage to rise rapidly.

We do appreciate that all of these changes are taking a while, and that a lot of people are urgently awaiting them. So, we are treating them as a priority. This is not the last you will see of progress reports like this, either: you can expect similar updates in the future, as we make more of an effort to inform you about the state of play...

19 February 2008 - Bounty Hunter Combat Changes and Rewards

When we introduced Bounty Hunter in December 2007, we intended it, alongside Clan Wars, to be the first of a series of enjoyable PvP minigames. Three months on, we have had a chance to look at your Bounty Hunter feedback and comments, and have come up with changes that will really improve it!

For information on future PvP content and minigames, keep your eyes peeled. We have news for you in the coming weeks!

Combat Change:

First on our critical ticklist was the multiway aspect of Bounty Hunter. Occasionally, solo players would walk into Bounty Hunter and be ambushed by huge clans who they didn't stand a chance against.

This was not what we intended to happen, therefore, we have tweaked the rules so multiway combat can only be used in certain circumstances. The aim is that going in with some friends or a clan does, of course, still give an advantage, but not to such a ridiculous extent. As such, a skilled solo player has a fighting chance as well.

So, this week, we have made Bounty Hunter single-way combat, meaning that only one player may attack another player at any time. There are two exceptions to this rule:

* You are able to attack someone who is in combat if they are your Bounty Hunter target
* You can be attacked when in combat if you are the Bounty Hunter target of your opponent

We would like to remind you that Bounty Hunter is a dangerous minigame, and you risk losing your items when entering the caverns.

Cash Rewards:

We have introduced another reason for being a bounty hunter: cash rewards for defeating your bounties.

Mandrith loves to reward bravery, so players who kill 10 or more bounty targets will earn cash rewards based on the market value of their combat items. This cash amount is worked out by taking only the second, third, fourth and fifth most expensive combat items you are carrying and giving you access to an amount of coins based on their value. You will have to defeat at least 10 bounty targets to receive your reward, which you can do by speaking to Mandrith.

There is a limit to the amount you can receive per 10 kills, according to the crater you entered:

* Low-level crater - You may receive a reward up to a limit of 40,000gp for 10 kills
* Medium-level crater - You may receive a reward up to a limit of 80,000gp for 10 kills
* High-level crater - You may receive a reward up to a limit of 120,000gp for 10 kills

A summary of your kills will be given when you exit each crater. You do not have to kill all 10 players in one go - Mandrith will remember how many more kills you need for your next visit.

Bounty Locate Change and Rune Rewards:

Some of you felt that the Bounty Locate spell was only available to members and was slightly too high-level, giving the advantage to more experienced players.

Well, we have made tweaks that should make the Bounty Locate spell more accessible and affordable! Firstly, we have reduced the Magic level required to cast Bounty Locate to 32, and reduced its cost to 1 law rune, 1 air rune and 1 fire rune.

We have made the spell available to F2P, and once you have made 10 Bounty Hunter target kills, you will receive a prize of 15 law runes, 15 air runes and 15 fire runes - the number of runes required to cast 15 Bounty Locate spells!

To get a running total of how many targets you need to kill, or to receive your rune rewards, visit Mandrith outside of the Bounty Hunter volcano. You do not have to kill all 10 players in one go - Mandrith will remember how many more kills you need for your next visit.

Summary
Where to access Bounty Hunter:

In mid-level Wilderness, north of Edgeville.
Requirements to use these Bounty Hunter changes:

None! Bounty Hunter and the Bounty Hunter changes are available to both free-players and members
Access to:

Single-way PvP combat, without being ambushed by clans
Cash rewards for killing 10 Bounty Hunter targets when you carry expensive items
Bounty Locate spell available to F2P
Bounty Locate spell reduced to level 32 Magic
Rune rewards for killing 10 or more Bounty Hunter targets

In other news...

Mandrith has decided to make some amendments to his tutorial, so you may visit him at any point to read more about the Bounty Hunter changes.

Due to the recent improvements to Bounty Hunter, it will no longer be possible for you to take Summoning scrolls, pouches or summoned familiars into the dangerous minigame. This is because familiars cannot help you fight in single-way combat areas.

Players who return to their own gravestone in time can now pick up their Recipe For Disaster gloves if they died with them.

We've had a few words with Ordan at the Blast Furnace about his maths skills. He was getting a bit confused but he should now quote you the correct price for the amount of ore you wish to uncert.

The bank scrolling issue has been fixed so that it will now jump to the row of your bank that you were looking at when you last opened the bank interface.

19 February 2008 - Vinesweeper and Amulet of Nature Update

Vinesweeper:

Winkin the gnome has taken his crops to market, so Farmer Blinkin has been left in charge. Simple instructions have been left: harvest the Farming patches while Winkin is away. Unfortunately, a family of hungry rabbits have moved into the neighbourhood and they are eating the seeds before Winkin can say,"Get off my land"!

As if this wasn't nuisance enough, the hired farmhands have had one too many blurberry specials and forgotten where they planted their seeds. It has all become a bit too much for poor Blinkin, so he has opened the farm's doors to any adventurer who is willing to help.

It's not all bad news, however. Everyone knows that gnomes are magical creatures and industrious, to say the least; so, the farmyard has been imbued with magic that will let you know when you are close to a seed. So grab a spade, start digging and improve your Farming levels while helping out poor Blinkin!

Oh, and be sure to pay a visit to Mrs Winkin's Farming Emporium. Here you can trade in your hard-earned points for prizes, like seeds and chunks of Farming XP!

Summary
Where to start Vinesweeper

Speak to one of the Farming patch leprechauns across RuneScape.
Requirements to play Vinesweeper

A Farming Level of 10 is required to visit Winkin's Farm
Access to:

A brand new Farming minigame
The ability to win Farming XP and high-level seeds

New Farming Amulets:

The magical amulet of nature has been revised by the clever druids of Taverley to provide budding farmers with even more assistance! Not only will it retain it's previous functions - updating it's owner on the state of their Farming patch - it will also offer you two welcome additions and the ability to talk!

You will now be able to contact a farmer that is near your patch, and you can use the amulet to teleport to your diseased plant. These changes will certainly allow you to manage your patches much more effectively.

But that's not all! The druids have been able to put some of the original amulet's magic into a new amulet of Farming, which can be bought from Farming stores throughout Runescape. These lesser amulets have only a limited number of uses and will only work with vegetable or flower patches. These will inform you of the state of your chosen Farming patch, much as the amulet of nature did previously.

14 February 2008 - Players' Gallery

It is not only RuneScape that has seen a sudden increase in creatures thanks to Summoning. Postie Pete has had animals popping up left, right and centre in this month's Players' Gallery.

Be it the wolves of White Wolf Mountain, your faithful feline followers or even an abyssal demon, you will be able to find a wide variety of beasts for you in this month's great selection.

Pete also wants you to know that he's particularly interested in dragons - if you produce a dragony image, the KBD might take a swift look (or three) at it.

14 February 2008 - Postbag from the Hedge - Player Takeover

Postie Pete has some letters written by RuneScape characters, and this time he wants you to answer them! Read through these letters, then get replying and we'll choose the very best for this month's Postbag from the Hedge.

Can you assist Reldo's research into ancient topics? Do you have a better idea for the goblin Chosen Commander? Do you have 5 minutes to spare for Balnea's quick informal survey into future business growth opportunities? If so, get over to the Postbag and start replying to their letters!

You can write your reply to the usual Postbag from the Hedge address and they will post up their favourite responses later in the month.

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