The Great Orb Project

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The Great Orb Project

The Great Orb Project (often shortened to GOP) is a Runecrafting activity located in the Runecrafting Guild. It was released on 12 August 2008. It is a research project which involves two teams gathering different orbs near various Runecrafting altars. To play this game, players must have at least level 50 Runecrafting. The official worlds for this activity are 60 for members and 61 for free players.

Other worlds are used for GOP only in the scenario that they want a 1v1, or for 50/50 clans.

The GOP is less effective at accumulating runecrafting XP than simply crafting runes, because of the waiting time between the games and the slow speed of gaining essence.

Location

Old School RuneScape uses the British convention for floor numbering: Ground floor, first floor, etc.

The activity can be played from the Runecrafting Guild which can be accessed through a portal on the first floor of the Wizard's Tower, found south of Draynor and South West of Lumbridge .

Different ways of reaching this area include:

• Using a cabbage teleport from the Explorer's ring 3 reaching near Draynor Village .
• Using an Amulet of Glory to quickly reach the Draynor marketplace.
• Using the fairy ring code DIS to arrive behind the Wizard's tower .
• Going through the East teleport on the second floor of the Wizards' Guild leading to the tower.
• Using a Runecrafting guild teleport tablet directly leading inside the Guild. This teleport tablet may be purchased with tokens received from the activity.
• Teleport option on the Wicked Hood to arrive right beside the portal in the Wizard's Tower.
• Teleport option on the Lodestone Network to arrive in Draynor.

Gameplay

Objective

The objective of the game is for players to move as many orbs corresponding to their team colour as they can to the altars, as well as keeping orbs of the opposite team away from the altar. The team with the most orbs that has gone into the altar when the timer runs out wins the round.

Starting the game

To join a game, players may talk to Wizard Acantha (green team), Wizard Vief (yellow team), or other Wizards found in the guild (team with fewer people). A 1 minute timer starts after each team has at least two members. Wizard Elriss will then open a portal allowing players to enter the game. In order to join a team, players need to have at least 2 free inventory spaces and empty weapon and helmet slots.

There may be 2 to 5 players per team. Players may not join a team that already has an extra player than the other team. Also, the 1 minute timer will reset and stop running if a team has a two player advantage or there are not enough players on the teams.

To leave a team before the start of the activity (before the portal has opened), players can simply destroy any of the given wands or speak to any wizard in the Guild to leave a team. Doing this will not result in any penalty.

There's a less widely known 'glitch' whilst waiting for the game to begin where; if a player doesn't want to play, gets asked to break or is simply 'glitching' for a friend, they can break as the timer hits 0, doing so incurs no penalty and sends the game off. Doing this can result in 1v1 games, or even 5v1 games for a short period of time.

Equipment

Three wands are given when players enroll to either team, namely an Attractor wand, a Repeller wand, and a Barrier generator. A Runecrafter hat is also given to distinguish which team players are on. The hat and attractor wand are equipped automatically.

Image	Name	Use
Runecrafter hat	Runecrafter hat	Helps identify team members, and other players.
	Repeller wand	Repels orbs away from the player.
	Attractor wand	Attracts orbs towards the player.
	Barrier generator	Creates a barrier which blocks all orbs going through it.

Other useful items

Here are other items that players might find useful to bring at the activity:

• Weight-reducing clothing so that energy depletes slower.
• Runecrafting pouches to store essence.
• Explorer's ring 2 or higher, for the 10% extra rune and experience effect when crafting Air, Water, Earth, or Fire runes. Explorer's ring 3 also has three run replenish charges.
• Runecrafting gloves from the Fist of Guthix activity for additional experience when crafting Air, Water or Earth runes. Note that the default 100% experience increase in The Great Orb Project and the 100% experience increase from the gloves add to give a 200% experience bonus.

Rounds

There are 6 rounds for free players and 8 rounds for members, which are the following Runecrafting altars:

1. Air altar
2. Mind altar
3. Water altar
4. Earth altar
5. Fire altar
6. Body altar
7. Chaos altar (members only)
8. Nature altar (members only)

Some altars are not included in the GOP activity, this is because:

• they are quest rewards (like the Cosmic and Astral altar)

• they require over level 50 Runecrafting (like the Law altar)

• they are quest rewards AND require over level 50 Runecrafting (like the Death and Blood altar).

The Soul altar has not yet been released and the Ourania Altar is simply an odd one out (or perhaps not 'pure' enough for the spheres).

Each round lasts 2 minutes, excluding a small break of 15 seconds between each altar. A complete F2P game lasts 13 minutes 30 seconds, while a P2P game lasts 18 minutes. There may also be a waiting period of up to 1 minute before starting a game although it may take longer if there are not enough players to start..

In the battle

Your team has claimed the altar! (link)

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Your team has lost the altar. (link)

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To score points, the team's orbs must be led to the 1-grid square around the altar with an appropriate wand, by either attracting or repelling the orbs which will spawn randomly around the altar. Orbs respawn once they touch the altar. There are 3 orbs of each colour at a time. Orbs can be moved in straight lines as well as diagonally. Note that it is also possible to attract or repel the opposing team's orbs until the last 30 seconds of the game.

Barriers

At the same time, players can set up barriers at their position with the barrier generator which blocks the way of orbs and players. Orbs of both colours stop moving as they reach a barrier, and players are forced to click on it to pass normally. Barriers may not be placed directly next to the altar or the exiting portal.

Any player may destroy the barriers by simply choosing 'destroy' option without going near the barriers. Multiple players can try to remove the same barriers at the same time. A player can remove a barrier from his/her team with a single try, although destroying the opposite team's barriers may require many tries.

Each team member can only set one barrier each time. If a player has a barrier still up and tries to put another down, his/her original barrier will be removed while the new barrier is put in. If the player is already standing where the other team is going to put their barrier, they can later make a barrier on top of the other team's barrier, and then destroy it.

Activity bar

During the activity, an activity bar is present next to current score indicator, which shows how active the player is. This bar gradually depletes over time. Once a player's bar reaches the bottom, the player will be removed from the activity and sent back to the Guild. If there are not enough players to keep the game in session, the two teams will also be sent back to the Guild. In order to keep the bar up and to stay in game, players must attract/repel orbs or create and destroy barriers which will fill a portion of the bar. The bar is reset and pauses at each break between altars, to start back at the start of the next altar.

End of a round

After each round, players will receive a number of Rune essences (or Pure essences for members) based on both teams' scores. If players' inventories are full, the extra essences will be left on the ground. Players can then choose to craft them into runes at that altar or to keep them for later use.

While Runecrafting in the activity, a player will receive twice the normal experience for each essence. The Explorer's ring's (2, 3, or 4) bonus also apply. While wearing Runecrafting gloves, the experience received is three times the normal amount.

After a few seconds, a purple portal will appear in the altar. Players will need to step into it to be teleported to the next altar for the next round. People who stay behind at the altar will be dragged into the next round 30 seconds after its start. After the final round, the portal will teleport players back to the Guild.

A game can also abruptly end if members of either team quit the game which may send all players back to the Guild.

Abandoning a game

Abandoning the game at the beginning will result in a 10-minute time penalty where players will be unable to play the next game until the penalty expires. This penalty will progressively decrease to a minimum of 1 minute as the game progresses through the rounds. There are a number of ways that players may leave an on-going game:

• Getting disconnected.
• Getting sent back to the Guild after the activity bar reaches the bottom.
• Leaving an altar via the altar exit portal, rather than the portal created by Wizard Elriss.
• Destroying any of the wands given before the game.
• Teleporting.
• Climbing up any of the ladders in the Chaos altar.

Abandoning a game other than by teleporting will return the player back to the Guild.

Tips

Here are a few tips to consider while playing the activity:

• Always have at least 6 (or 8 for members) inventory spaces reserved for carrying the crafted runes. This eliminates the need of banking runes after each game.
• Keeping some essence for later rounds for better xp and value, such as:
  • Keeping essence for the last members round, where Nature runes may be crafted. This is because Nature runes are the most profitable runes craftable in this activity, selling for coins each. Members can bring runecrafting pouches to store more essence as well.
  • Keeping essence from the mind round for the water round, as these give more experience and are more valuable runes. The use of Water runecrafting gloves further increases the experience generated.
  • For free players, keeping essence from the body round to make Air runes at the beginning of the next game in conjunction with Air runecrafting gloves for better value and equal experience.
• On the Water and Body altars, organise the team so that one person pulls in far away orbs or orbs near unreachable veins.
  • Similarly, divide the team so that players stands at each side of the altar to attract orbs spawning at any side easier and faster.
• When orbs are stuck behind a pillar, try standing diagonal to the orbs before attracting the orbs. This way the orbs will go through the П shaped pillars. If the orb is between the П shaped pillar, try attracting it from the other side of the Runecrafting altar.
• Repelling the orbs by standing behind them is often more effective when threading them through the corners.
• Avoid attracting orbs from team members, especially when team members are facing each other. Doing this will often make the orb harder to score since both people are trying to do different things with it and are getting in the way of each other.
• Tapping is useful when playing in large groups. This is when players just click on the orb and then on another, this allows the orbs to be pulled towards the altar quickly. Team mates can then pull the orbs to the altar from a better position. This allows many orbs to be pulled at once, often giving a score averaging 40.
• Resting is a useful action for one to do when one is waiting for the game to start or to be put into a team.
  • Agility levels are also important to let players run for a longer period of time.
• Bank crafted runes before or after each game in the deposit box.

Gameplay mechanics

• In most cases, 'tapping' on an orb moves it by 2 squares; there are certain situations that will cause the orb to move more or less than 2 squares. Tapping consists of simply attracting or repelling an orb and letting go by clicking somewhere else immediately after manipulating the orb.
• The first player to touch an orb of his colour controls the orb. As long as that player is still controlling the orb, the orb will not respond to attempts by other players on his team to attract or repel that orb, until the first player releases hold of that orb. If a player holds an orb too long, another player on the same team may then be able to take control of it.
• If a player pushes an orb very far out at the south side of the Water altar, the orb will come back one step from the boundaries of the activity.
• It is possible to repel an orb far enough that it cannot be accessed by any player in some parts of the Air, Water, Earth, Fire, Chaos and Nature altars.
• One can attract/repel an orb at a maximum distance of 10 squares, straight or diagonal.

Rewards

Your team was victorious! (link)

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Your team was beaten... (link)

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In addition to the essence received after each round, Runecrafting guild tokens will be awarded at the end of the game. For each altar that a team wins, each player on that team receives 100 tokens. For each altar lost, players receive 10 tokens. For each tied altar, players receive 25 tokens. An additional 200 tokens for members, or 150 tokens for free players, are awarded to players on the team that won the most altars. If both teams win the same number of altars, then the majority bonus is split evenly between both teams (100 tokens for members and 75 for free players). Therefore, the maximum number of tokens members can receive is 1,000, while for free players it is 750.

Note: To receive tokens for a given altar, players must participate at it. Participation consists here of attracting/repelling at least one coloured orb. Simply creating barriers will not count towards this participation (as opposed to the activity bar where it does count).

These tokens can be traded with Wizard Elriss at the entry of the Guild for robes, teleportation tablets, essence, talismans and staves. All of these rewards are untradeable, except for the essence and talismans.

Runecrafter Robes

Image	Name	Tokens
Runecrafter hat Runecrafter hat	Runecrafter hat	1,000
	Runecrafter robe	1,000
	Runecrafter skirt	1,000
	Runecrafter gloves	1,000

Notes

• All three sets may be stored in the Magic wardrobe of a Costume Room.
• They do not provide any bonus to Runecrafting levels either in or out of the activity.
• The goggles on the Runecrafter hats can be flipped up or down.

• A player wearing the blue Runecrafter Outfit with goggles on.

  A player wearing the blue Runecrafter Outfit with goggles on.

• A player wearing the Green robes with goggles on.

  A player wearing the Green robes with goggles on.

• A player wearing the Yellow robes with goggles on.

  A player wearing the Yellow robes with goggles on.

Master Runecrafter Robes

Image	Name	Tokens
	Master runecrafter hat	15,000
	Master runecrafter body	15,000
	Master runecrafter skirt	15,000
	Master runecrafter boots	15,000

Notes

• These are members only.
• Each piece of master runecrafter robes provide a small experience boost when Runecrafting. When all four pieces are worn, this experience boost is raised to +5%.

Talismans

All talismans except for death and blood talismans can be purchased with Runecrafting Guild tokens. Free-to-play talismans cost 50 tokens, and members-only talismans cost 125 tokens.

Runecrafting staff

Buying a Runecrafting staff costs 10,000 Runecrafting guild tokens. Binding a talisman to the staff (by using either of them on the appropriate altar) creates the corresponding talisman staff. Once wielded, this allows players to enter the designated altar through the mysterious ruins, as well as distracting the eyes in the Abyss to help them sneak past. Once a talisman is attached to a staff, it cannot be disassembled.

Notes

• The Law talisman staff (created by attaching a Law talisman to a Runecrafting staff) has no combat bonuses, so it may be taken onto Entrana.
• The Omni-talisman staff has combat bonuses so it cannot be taken into Entrana. To attach the Omni-talisman to the Runecrafting Staff, players may talk to Wizard Korvak with both items in the inventory.

Runecrafting Teleport Tablets

Runecrafting Teleport Tablets are a stackable single-use teleporting devices (similar to teleport tablets made in a player-owned house) that teleport the player outside the specific altar. Thus, players require a talisman, tiara, or Runecrafting staff to enter the altar. They are also the only teleport tablets available to free players. See the main article for each tablet's cost.

It can be argued that these tablets do not save much time while runecrafting, as it takes time to collect the points required for these tablets. Some runecrafters believe conventional runecrafting through the Abyss is just as fast as using the tablets, given the amount of time to collect these.

There are currently 14 types of Runecrafting Teleport Tablets:

	Name	Tokens	Members	Other uses/Notes
	Air Teleport Tablet	30	No	Varrock, the Grand Exchange, Gertrude's house
	Mind Teleport Tablet	32	No	Asgarnian Captured Temple to obtain Wine of Zamorak, Goblin Village, Dwarven Mine, Green Dragons in the Wilderness; closest Free player teleport to the Wilderness
	Water Teleport Tablet	34	No	South-west Lumbridge Swamp mine, access to Zanaris through shack.
	Earth Teleport Tablet	36	No	Sawmill, Balloon transport system.
	Fire Teleport Tablet	37	No	Duel Arena rune mechanics and the Al Kharid Mine.
	Body Teleport Tablet	38	No	Dwarf Mining Caves, Edgeville, Monastery and Gunnarsgrunn.
	Cosmic Teleport Tablet	39	Yes	Zanaris. Requires completion of Lost City.
	Chaos Teleport Tablet	40	Yes	Chaos Tunnels and the Wilderness.
	Astral Teleport Tablet	41	Yes	Lunar Isle and the Astral altar to change to or from Lunar spells. Requires Seal of passage and completion of Lunar Diplomacy or tablet will not work.
	Nature Teleport Tablet	42	Yes	Karamja.
	Law Teleport Tablet	43	Yes	Entrana. User must have no weapons or armour equipped or in their inventory or tablet will not work.
	Death Teleport Tablet	44	Yes	Dark beasts. Requires completion of Mourning's Ends Part II.
	Blood Teleport Tablet	45	Yes	Mutated bloodvelds for slayer assignments/Meiyerditch Dungeon. Requires completion of Legacy of Seergaze, and also needed to complete a Hard Morytania Task.
	Runecrafting Guild Teleport Tablet	15	No	Wizards' Tower, the Fairy ring network, Runecrafting Guild, the Rune Essence mine, and the Runespan

Rune Essence

The last reward a player may buy with their Runecrafting guild tokens is essence. Although the reward screen says "Rune Essence" on both free worlds and members worlds, the type of essence received actually depends on which type of world the player is on. Players on free worlds obtain Rune essence, while players on members worlds obtain Pure essence. Players can specify the amount of essence to buy with a Buy X option. The essence are noted for convenience.

Money making

The best money making method for non-members is to buy talismans, which are usually the best.

Free players can get up to 750 tokens each game, equating to 15 water talismans in 14 minutes and 30 seconds. Free players can potentially earn up to 278,000 coins per hour.

Members can get up to 1000 tokens per game, equating to 20 water talismans in 19 minutes. Members can potentially earn up to 283,000 coins per hour. Because demand for the talismans is driven by its use in Geyser Titan pouches, the price fluctuates more rapidly than other talismans. Water talismans might not sell quickly on the Grand Exchange at all times, and may be considered a speculative investment.

Alternatively, members may purchase pure essence, up to 1000 pure essence per game, potentially resulting in 338,000 coins per hour.

Trivia

• This activity is the first skill-related activity that free players can play.
• Members can obtain Strange rocks during this minigame, by crafting the pure essence received at the end of each round.
• The Great Orb Project includes references to the game Portal. Examining the exit portals, even as an observer, reads: "Look at you, examining things when there's Runecrafting to do!" A similar line in Portal appears in the song "Still Alive" where GLaDOS sings: "Look at me still talking, when there's science to do." Another reference to the lyric is after failing a match without getting a single altar win. Wizard Vief will say "This was a disaster! I'm making a note here: HUGE FAILURE", instead of "This was a triumph. I'm making a note here: HUGE SUCCESS."
• If you try to perform the emotes "Give Thanks" and "Seal of Approval" it says "The magic of the orbs prevent you from doing this emote." however when trying to perform the "Skillcape" emote the word becomes "prevents."
• You can gain faster tokens playing on P2P worlds. This is due to having two extra altars before having to wait 1 minute for the game to start again. The difference makes playing The Great Orb Project in a P2P world 1.75% faster than a F2P world.
• There is currently a glitch that happens after a whole game is over and you get back to the Guild. The marker arrow points towards the North-West marking the Body Altar.