Update:Behind the Scenes - June (2012)
This update was added on 1 June 2012.
Fish Flingers Improvements...and Bigger Fish! (Members Only)
In August 2011, we revamped the Temple Trekking minigame and we were really pleased with the results. This month, we bring you...the Fish Flingers rework! For those of you who don’t know what Fish Flingers is, it’s a great little player-skill-based D&D, suitable for all levels, where you and other players compete to become the greatest fisherman of all time...well, until the beginning of the next game, anyway.
The rework’s first job will be to dramatically increase accessibility so that it’s easier to get to Fish Flingers games between bouts of ’normal‘ fishing. Not only will the start points be permanent additions to the map, but we’ll add more of them to popular fishing areas throughout the game. Competitions will also be far more frequent, running every 20 minutes, and you’ll be able to claim 2 tickets per day rather than just 10 per week.
We’re adding a new ‘big fish‘ feature to the game, too. Players will have to cooperate with each other to land these whoppers, but the XP rewards will make the extra effort worthwhile for all. So, get involved, and don’t be koi! You don’t want to be the cod one out.
We will also completely overhaul the nature (and size) of the potential rewards. The Fishing XP will be tweaked to reward fishers who find the best tackle combinations available. You’ll also be able to earn a brand new set of fishing gear, similar to the lumberjack outfit and the golden mining gear. Each piece will improve all your earned Fishing XP while worn. We’ve also changed the tackle box reward to allow you to store raw fish, and are implementing a host of other cool features too.
Yelps is also getting involved with this update, as he temporarily renames his home ’The Squeal of Neptune’, giving you a chance to catch some brand-new cosmetic fish-themed attire!
The Crucible - The Return of Bounty Hunter (Members Only)
Back in 2011, we removed the “Bounty” mechanic. For many of you, it was a style of PKing you preferred to the traditional Wilderness, and we promised we would bring it back. Well, it’s back! And this time, it’s better than ever...
The Crucible is a giant arena that players over combat level 60 can enter to do battle with like-minded opponents. Once inside, you’ll be assigned another player as your target, resulting in some of the most dangerous, vicious, and potentially rewarding combat available in the game. If you’re successful in your assignment then you will be given a grace period where you can’t be attacked, allowing you to run away from the action, bank your loot and then leap back into the fray.
The entire area is based around solo play - so no multi-way combat - and combat can only be engaged between targets, so no rushing or PJing! Of course, you’ll need to be very sure of your abilities, because - as with all dangerous PKing - the winner of each fight will gain ALL the drops from their opponent.
Players gain points through noble actions (e.g. not running away) and victories. These points can then be spent on unique death titles, and jingles to play to your slaughtered foes. The points are also used to determine a brand new feature to RuneScape – the Supreme Champion.
If you have a high ranking within a Crucible game, you’ll have the chance to be temporarily elevated to the status of a Supreme Champion., You’ll be rendered invincible for a whole minute, and will be given access to a raft of brand new weapons only to be used within the Crucible, so you can go on a mad, crazy rampage where you can slaughter anyone in your way. Harnessing the dark powers discovered by the Crucible’s keepers, each weapon is suitable for different combat styles, with melee warriors claiming ’Annihilation‘, rangers wielding ’Decimation‘ and mages holding the mighty ’Obliteration‘ aloft. The Crucible’s a cruel, capricious place, though, and your fellow PKers will be waiting for revenge when you’re knocked from your lofty perch.
We’re also relying on a new, special combat calculation to assign targets. This means your targets will be of an ability level that is equal or similar to your own, so skill and knowledge will rule the land.
Between kills, you’ll also be able to loot corpses of long-dead warriors that are scattered around the area, providing brand new combat gloves; again, only to be worn within the Crucible. Powerful, and offering a healthy life point boost, we’re looking forward to seeing these gloves in use. A new hiscore table, tracking kills, is being created with the update, so we’ll soon know who the most powerful PKers are...officially!
Combat Beta (Members Only)
There’s a huge amount of news, reveals, videos and general chatter about the combat rework, so I won’t repeat it all here. Suffice to say that it’s the biggest thing we’ve ever tried to do and it has already had thousands of hours of development invested into it. If you want to check it out, the beta will be open to members only, and the combat beta contract item has been delivered to the inventory of every single account today (June 1st). If you want to help us to shape the future of the game, get involved! It’s not all about combat, either (despite the name), as it brings new action bars available for all players. Want to know what an action bar is? Sign up to the beta now! Keep reading the news updates and watching our videos to keep learning about the most exciting update of the year. Be sure to check out our new Combat HQ too!
Have fun!
Mod Mark
RuneScape Lead Designer
What is a 'Behind the Scenes' article?
Behind the Scenes is a sneak peek at the planned game updates that we hope to launch in the coming month.
This, however, is only a plan, not a promise that a particular update will be released in a particular way or at a particular time. To get you the highest quality updates as quickly as possible, we usually keep on tweaking and testing right up until the moment before release, so, sometimes things change or take a bit longer than expected. We aren’t afraid to change our plan if necessary, as we will never launch an update before it is ready.