News Split 2.07.08

[Spindrift]

20 December 2007 - Development Diary: Summoning - Part 3
In our latest Summoning Development Diary, we are going over what it takes to test and balance a skill so that it can fit in with the rest of the game.

While Summoning isn't just combat-related, its effect on combat will be significant. As such, a large part of this Development Diary's focus is on balancing combat, and the effect it will have on the Combat level. The Diary also covers where to pitch the skill in terms of difficulty, cost and training speed.

Head to the Development Diary: Summoning - Part 3 (http://www.runescape.com/kbase/view.ws?guid=diary05c) to read more.
Read through the article, and the Maximum conbat is now going to be 138. From what I have read, this will either make the combat Mini-Games better, or completely ruin them. The Bulldog thing that everyone talked about a bit ago is part of this, at lvl 1 Summoningyou can get a pet dog. The skill will be started by a new quest, Wolf Whistle. I am very excited about this. I even think it may be an F2P skill as well :/ Who knows

God alot of typos in there :/

[Nicholas]

I was seriously disappointed by the Christmas Event 'prize.' Possibly the quickest, most ridiciously easy event ever...

The snow globe is frickin' pointless.

[Miles]

You expect too much.

This is a Holiday event, Holiday items really aren't supposed to do anything majorly special.

[Nicholas]

You expect too much.


It's a bad habit. But then again, it is Runescape. :tease:

[CnucksGx]

This event was very short, maybe because they were working on developing better things, which by all means is fine by my book. The rewards were alright - getting a snow globe is better than another piece of clothing.

I've decided to read all three Development Diaries today and found all three to be an interesting read. It'll be weird to see people at the new combat level although I don't see many 100+'s on F2P. It would also be nice for F2P to have it as a new skill (which also means a new quest) but I highly doubt it. Something inside me says there's still a chance, which did not occur with Farming, Construction and Hunter.

This topic also needed to be split. (http://forums.gamewinners.com/forums/showthread.php?t=554724)

[Seerow]

Summoning is not going to be F2P, I can tell you that. A skill this big and this long-awaited? It'll be P2P, to tempt more people to get members. Sorry to burst your bubble.

[Dan]

In theory though, something that raises the combat level would have to be F2P. It balances the game.

[`GwJumpman]

And also why would the f2p bank increase too?

[Ford Mustang]

And also why would the f2p bank increase too?

Grand Exchange. That was said in the update when everyone quit.

[Seerow]

In theory though, something that raises the combat level would have to be F2P. It balances the game.
I already discussed this with TNT. Having a P2P only Combat related stat doesn't unbalance combat between F2P and P2P at all.

Say Summoning is P2P, and you get a high Summoning level, so that it affects your combat. Then when you go onto a F2P world, sure, you might look impressive having a combat level higher than any of the Free players can go, but for all intents and purposes, the extra levels are completely and utterly useless, because you can't Summon anything or whatever on a F2P world, with it being a P2P skill. It's comparable to being a free player who somehow got level 99 Slayer. You can't use it.

If anything, the fact that Summoning will affect your combat level is even more reason to make it a P2P skill. How mant F2Pers do you think would get Members if they thought they were missing out on extra combat levels?

[Dan]

Everyone quitting is a lie. No one really quit. It was just a lame attempt to scare Jagex.

[Seerow]

And that, I suppose, is why there are about 40,000 less players online at peak times than there were previously? :P

In the mid-afternoon on weekends and holidays there were usually about 220,000 players online. When I checked last weekend it was significantly less.

[Ford Mustang]

I highly doubt this is going to be P2P only. If it's combat, it should effect EVERYONE, at least in SOME aspect. Hell, maybe not the FULL skill [something like Woodcutting and Fishing], but some. It would be highly unfair for F2P'ers to get 126 combat, only, and P2P'ers to get 138. Sure, it would have no effect on the strength and such, but still. Come on. If Jagex does make it P2P only, imagine how many others are gonna feel left out, and quit.

[Dan]

40000 people quit, and I bet they were all pures. Not like it's a huge problem if RS loses a few arrogant players.

[`GwJumpman]

40000 people quit, and I bet they were all pures. Not like it's a huge problem if RS loses a few arrogant players.
No, it's not just pures. Pures weren't the only people affected by these updates.

[Seerow]

I highly doubt this is going to be P2P only. If it's combat, it should effect EVERYONE, at least in SOME aspect. Hell, maybe not the FULL skill , but some. It would be highly unfair for F2P'ers to get 126 combat, only, and P2P'ers to get 138. Sure, it would have no effect on the strength and such, but still. Come on. If Jagex does make it P2P only, imagine how many others are gonna feel left out, and [s]quit get members.
That's the way I think Jagex will be looking at it. -.-

I agree that it will be unfair on free players to not have the same Combat cap as members, but I'm trying to look at this from the way Jagex will be thinking about it. And anyway, even if lots of free players do quit because they feel left out, Jagex don't care; free players don't give them money (except from the adverts). It would be far more beneficial to them to release Summoning as an entirely P2P skill.

If, when Summoning is released, it is at least partly F2P, by all means feel free to do the whole 'I told you so' act, but I am about 95% sure this will be a Members only skill.

[`GwJumpman]

Well then what's going to happen to plays that had members but downgraded to f2p? Are they going to have a higher cap just because they were members for a few months?

[CnucksGx]

Yeah, if Summoning is members only, there will be former members higher than 126 on F2P. Their combat level wouldn't go back to the F2P cap, just like how member skills don't go to 1 when they lose their membership.

We can only wait and see.

[`GwJumpman]

just like how member skills don't go to 1 when they lose their membership.

They do?! I quit members a while ago and my p2p stats are still there.

[CnucksGx]

Re-read my post again, specifically the word "don't" and you'll notice we're on the same page. :D

[Spindrift]

I actualy thought he was trying to be funny there... :/

[Seerow]

Well then what's going to happen to plays that had members but downgraded to f2p? Are they going to have a higher cap just because they were members for a few months?
Yes, put simply. -.-

[1101]

I don't see why anyone is f2p to begin with. It's not like members is a lot of money. It's less then 100 dollars (swedish keyboards don't have a dollar sign appearently) for an entire year. Even a focused 12 year old could save that up. So getting members for a month or two to increase thier cap wouldn't put much of a dent in their collage funds. Besides when you think about it Jagex probobly wanted that to happen to begin with. They lose players and make the money up in players wanting to increase their cap.

[Scerro]

I don't see why anyone is f2p to begin with. It's not like members is a lot of money.

Duh! Its because some players are smart enough not to waste their money when f2p still has plenty to offer....

[Seerow]

Simply put, some people don't get members because they don't feel the need to. No sense wasting money that could otherwise go towards other stuff if you're perfectly happy on F2P.

[1101]

Agreed. However if you're perfectly happy with f2p you wouldn't be complaining about how members get a higher cap. Which is mainly what I was reacting to.

[Tom C]

TBH it could be awhole lot worse on the wallet, for example, wow, pay 50 bucks then 15 a month. But then again you do get a whole lot more with wow

[Spindrift]

That is probably why so many people play RuneScape instead of WoW. RS is about half the game that WoW is in terms of graphics, popularity, and things you can do in game, however many people are not prepared to pay that high of a price for a simple video game. However, RS is pretty much the same as WoW in terms of object of the game, being able to meet other players, and that paying for the game helps you advance (even if you have to pay to play WoW)

Hm, just realized my post made no sense whatsoever...

[Scerro]

That is probably why so many people play RuneScape instead of WoW. RS is about half the game that WoW is in terms of graphics, popularity, and things you can do in game, however many people are not prepared to pay that high of a price for a simple video game. However, RS is pretty much the same as WoW in terms of object of the game, being able to meet other players, and that paying for the game helps you advance (even if you have to pay to play WoW)

So, you're saying Runescape is WoW in a java-based browser game, instead of a full screen application that you run, and because it is, its still got the fundamentals, it just lacks the things that a application based game can offer.

It makes plenty of sense. :D

[CnucksGx]

Let's not get into RS versus WoW...

We would like to remind you about the removal of unbalanced trade, which will happen on the 2nd of January, 2008. Please prepare yourself for this change as you will not be able to make unbalanced trades once the date has passed.

We will be introducing a change on the same day, which will allow you more flexibility when trading. As you may have read in our Future Changes to Recent Updates newspost, this is an increase to the 3,000gp staking/trading limit, based on the number of Quest Points you have.

More details will be given in the Behind the Scenes newspost, and on the day of release.

To read more about unbalanced trades, please visit the Knowledge Base page (http://www.runescape.com/kbase/view.ws?guid=controls_trading).

Well, at least we know the date that it's going to happen. Jagex will be vacationing these two days. :P Are there currently around 300 total quest points or something around it? I'll just predict that your trading limit will increase by 100 for each Quest Point you have, or something near it.

[Tom C]

Seems really lame, they are trying so hard to stop bots and stuff that they're ruining their own game, i thought i was gonna come back to rs at some point but idk about it this time ....

[DjinnBread]

Runescape will have a different tone starting tomorrow.

[Scerro]

Runescape will have a different tone starting tomorrow.

Indeed...


Any free stuff anyone!? Last chance!

[NOAfreak]

My personal view is that Summoning will be F2P in the way Prayer (or even Range) is. It's there, and affects combat, but it's a helluva lot easier to train in P2P. It could quite easily be members only, as Jagex does love to make as many things as possible members only. My gut just tells me there's a decent chance at it having limited F2P content.

Which would mean yet another skill for Eric to demolish. :)


The trade limit is unfortunate, but if you make it higher you also make it easier for botters to move cash around too. It seems a bit on the low side to me, but they did say they'd keep an eye on things and adjust as needed. Maybe they'll raise it higher in the future (I could live with 10k/100k).

I'm also interested to see how the "lend item" feature turns out.... at least I think read about it. Having trouble finding the post, heh.

Gift-giving stuff of any real value is pretty much gone. Best way is the party room drop party thing. But that's public, and there'll be no way to make it private (so that only the right people can grab the items) because then botters could do that to transfer items/money as well. Just read the changes to the party room.... that make it even harder to have a "friends only" drop party.

When I logged in recently, I saw a huge decrease in bots on F2P (couldn't find one that's obviously a bot, actually). Months ago, when I last played looked around, they were everywhere.

[Tom C]

Well they took away bots but they now installed a collar and leash on every single one of their members, which would you rather have?

[CnucksGx]

Ah, if another skill was released for F2P, I'd train it after 1300 Total and if I'm about to be kicked off the Top 200 F2P list. Doubt I'd take the plunge and try to be the first to 99 in it...

Well they took away bots but they now installed a collar and leash on every single one of their members, which would you rather have?

Seeing as bots (and market prices) rarely affected my style of play, I'd rather have no leash on myself...

Summoning!






Nah, I'm kidding, it's a quest.

2 January 2008 - Dealing with Scabaras

The Contact! quest sent you on your adventurous way to face the followers of Scabaras, making grim discoveries of death and intrigue beneath the desert. In Dealing with Scabaras there has been a reaction to these events, dragging you kicking and screaming into a tale of revenge and redemption.

Your journey begins with a mysterious corpse that needs identification - but all is not as it seems. Spurred on by duty and revenge, you will travel to uncharted eastern deserts - dealing with folk who are cautious, disreputable and stone-headed - eventually approaching your journey's end. Here you will be confronted by a shadowy foe who requires you to be at the very peak of your powers.

Treasure seekers will find a new stomping-ground patrolled by strange creatures in the ancient ruins and desert sand. Can you resist straying from your path?

For many of you, however, revenge and loot are not the only rewards that inspire you, and there will be ample chances to gain the lost knowledge of the desert. What drives the followers of Scabaras to their violent ways? What exactly is Simon Templeton up to? Why are there so many archaeologists wandering the lands? Is Osman quite what he seems? You can hope to learn more about these mysteries as you busy yourself under the burning sun.

Remember to take water, or you may stay forever...

Summary

Where to start Dealing with Scabaras (http://www.runescape.com/kbase/viewarticle.ws?guid=Dealing_with_Scabaras_Members)

Speak to the High Priest of Icthlarin in Sophanem (http://www.runescape.com/kbase/viewarticle.ws?guid=sophanem_members).

Requirements to complete Dealing with Scabaras (http://www.runescape.com/kbase/viewarticle.ws?guid=Dealing_with_Scabaras_Members)

The Feud (http://www.runescape.com/kbase/viewarticle.ws?guid=the_feud_members)
Contact! (http://www.runescape.com/kbase/viewarticle.ws?guid=Contact_Members)
Zogre Flesh Eaters (http://www.runescape.com/kbase/viewarticle.ws?guid=zogre_flesh_eaters_members)
Level 60 Thieving
Level 50 Agility
Level 60 Strength
Level 21 Firemaking
Level 60 Crafting would be helpful, but not essential
Must be able to fight off numerous hostile creatures.

Access to:

An overground area the size of the Feldip Hills! (http://www.runescape.com/kbase/viewarticle.ws?guid=feldip_hills_members)
New underground areas, the size of Keldagrim (http://www.runescape.com/kbase/viewarticle.ws?guid=keldagrim_members)
Several multicombat areas

In other news...

The Christmas event has now been removed from the game, but you can still throw snowballs at your friends. Players who managed to obtain a snow globe from the Snow Queen can store it safely in their POH costume room toy box.

We've also updated the crocodiles to create a snappy and sharp(toothed) new look, alongside some improved voracious vultures, hungry for your bones! Mess with them at your peril...

2 January 2008 - Behind the Scenes - January

This month will begin with an important change that you are all aware of: unbalanced trade will be removed on Wednesday, 2nd of January. As you may have read in the Development Diary: RuneScape vs Real-world Trading, this will be a change that reduces the threat of bots, gold sellers and scammers dramatically. With a fatal blow delivered to real-world trading, we can focus more on updates like three quests in one month!

We will be relaxing our trade limitations on the same day as unbalanced trade removal. Thanks to your feedback, we will be basing our new limits on how many Quest Points you have. This will give you increased flexibility when trading.

Our first quest this month continues the desert storyline and introduces a bit of an insect theme in January. One of your allies met an untimely demise at the pincers of a large and aggressive bad guy in the Contact! quest. Will you seek revenge and cleanse the world of bugs like a big can of insect repellent? Or will you take the advice of the local priest and try to talk your way out, man-to-mandible? It might just be the lesser of two weevils. Creep and crawl through the desert, raid deserted dungeons and fight louse-y beasties, but remember - insects have feelings too! Especially when you squish ‘em.

Some way north-west of Sophanem, there is a bit of a buzz in the quiet town of Taverley. For one, Guthix has seen fit to give his loyal subjects some crisp new robes, and their rocky buildings a bit of a wax. For two, some strange growlings have been coming from Pikkupstix's house. In the second of this month's quests, you will be roped into dealing with a rabbit-wolf-reindeer-bird-type...thing. But how do you defeat rabbit-wolf-reindeer-bird-type...things? A clue may be found in the title of this Wolf Whistle quest, which introduces key aspects of our next update...

What has 110 eyes, 5 horns, a pair of antlers and a fishbowl? The Chaos Elemental's girlfriend? No, it's Summoning! That's right, the stampede is coming, with scores of animals for you to pet, raise, fight and befriend! We don't want to go into any more detail than the Development Diaries have, but, needless to say, whether you are a skiller or a combat-fiend, Summoning will offer you a familiar for every occasion...

...and what better occasion than the opening of a huge multiway combat dungeon, brimming with a huge range of beasties? Bring your combat familiar so that you can use their Steel of Legends or Insane Ferocity to chew through ranks of creatures and speed you on your way towards that Summoning skillcape! Watch out, though - the area is littered with misfiring portals that are about as reliable as a cartful of Morrisanes.

You would be forgiven for thinking that January is just for Summoning. Oh no,no,no - Hunter will get a look in too! Budding trappers will find many treats within the Summoning skill itself, but they will also find an extension to their skill in Isafdar, with the introduction of the grenwall and pawya creatures. These are two high-level Hunter creatures that give a boost to Ranged and Farming - if you can catch them, of course.

Your Hunter, alongside your Woodcutting and Firemaking, will be called upon in our third and final January quest. In it, you will be asking yourself several questions. How do I clear a mud bath of flies? Why am I sleeping on a pork chop? Is an ogre massage a good idea? And what are platypodes? Take time out from your adventuring to help an entrepreneur set up a spa resort deep in ogre country. There might even be a mudpack in it for you.

There's hardly room in the month to tuck in some popular website offerings. Expect the last of our Summoning Development Diaries and wallpapers, a Lores and Histories, a Castle Wars wallpaper and the customary Players' Gallery and Postbag from the Hedge, sprinkled liberally amongst the updates above. It really is a January to get excited about!

2 January 2008 - Unbalanced Trade Removal

Unbalanced Trade Removal:

From this moment on, no unbalanced trades may be made. This applies to every player, on every world, no matter if you are free-to-play or a member.

To read more about why we have made this change, please read the Development Diary: RuneScape vs Real-world Trading (http://www.runescape.com/kbase/view.ws?guid=diary06).

We would like to remind you that the Grand Exchange is a great option for buying or selling items, where you can purchase items at 5% above or below their market price. Additionally, balanced trades are still possible.

New 30,000gp Trade Margin!:

Note: The following changes only apply if you are on a members' world.

Today, we have made a change to the planned 3,000gp trade margin for today's release. Instead, we are basing your trade margin on the number of Quest Points you have, giving you more flexibility when making balanced trades.

Having read your Forum posts and noted all of your feedback, we have come to the decision that you should have a margin of up to 30,000gp!

Originally, the total value of any items being given in a balanced trade would have had to be within a margin of 3,000gp of the items being received. Instead, we are increasing this margin according to the number of quests you have completed. As an example, a player who has 150 Quest Points will be able to receive items with a market value of 21,000gp above or below the items they are receiving.

No matter how many Quest Points you have, it will take 15 minutes before your gp limit resets.

Any individual trade is limited by the lower of the two players' limits. For example, if a player with 100 Quest Points is trading with a player on 30 Quest Points, then both players will be limited to a 3,000gp difference every 15 minutes.

The table below will give you a rough idea of the value that applies to you.

QP ------ Trade Margin
200 or more ------ 30,000
190 ------ 28,200
180 ------ 26,400
170 ------ 24,600
160 ------ 22,800
150 ------ 21,000
140 ------ 19,200
130 ------ 17,400
120 ------ 15,600
110 ------ 13,800
100 ------ 12,000
90 ------- 10,200
80 ------- 8,400
70 ------- 6,600
60 ------- 4,800
50 or less ------ 3,000

Your limit increases for every Quest Point that you gain. As more quests are introduced, with more Quest Points, we may decide to increase the above values.

For more information on unbalanced trades, please read the Knowledge Base article (http://www.runescape.com/kbase/view.ws?guid=controls_trading).

Duel Arena:

It is not only trades that are affected by Quest Points. We have also increased the staking cap for Duel Arena, in the same way. Using the table in the '3,000gp Rule Changes' section, you will be able to find out your new limit for gaining or losing items in staked duels. This does not apply to duel tournaments.

This increase also applies to the Rat Pits (http://www.runescape.com/kbase/view.ws?guid=rat_pits) minigames.

For more information on the Duel Arena stake cap, please read the Knowledge Base article (http://www.runescape.com/kbase/view.ws?guid=combat_duelling).

Well, it's 3k on all F2P servers, not that it would really matter as all free players have less than 50QP and are no where near the mark. Only former members with more than 50QP get screwed over.

I never looked forward to this update, although having a higher limit for some is better than nothing. The good thing is that they say they may consider increasing the limit in the future. Although I have nothing wrong with them using QP, I'd much rather have your trading limit be based on your Total Level. It seems more well-rounded to do it this way and many more people will level up than do quests. Yeah, autoers never did quests and won't as it's too much effort, but it's unlikely that they'll get a high total level before being banned. They could start raising the cap at say, 300 to 500 levels instead of at a low 100.

[DjinnBread]

Let's hope Runescape gets better then. :D

Reward for newest quest:

7k pray, agillity, strength and thieving exp
Enchanted water tiara (works like waterskin, one charge per three water runes)
1 QP

[Seerow]

Heh, looks like the reference to a new Slayer creature from the Quest that was originally up there was a mistake and has been removed. -.-

[Spindrift]

I was kinda discussing this with Tom in IRC today...Is anyone preparing for the new skill in any way? I am trying to collect eggs, by wcing at the moment, and I also got chicken eggs and Vulture eggs, from earlier today, sitting in the bank. Other than that I also have a blue egg from ages ago (thank god I didn't throw that thing out like my inner-voice told me to.)

I know there is also a red egg and green egg (god reference?) as well as Ravens egg and another, currently unknown, egg. There is also some weird squid thing, Karamjabi or something... Even Eric could join in the fun since it is suppose to be f2p as a J Mod said it would be for all players.

Eric or Jesse, if this needs a new topic, please move it.

[NOAfreak]

The eggs are a good point, as they come from nests which are member's only. Could just be a member's part of Summoning. I rember one of the Dev Diaries mentioned that the starting pet (via initial quest) would be a dog. Made me think of the stray dogs running around in Varrock (they could've added them in anticipation, like eggs) but they may also be entirely unrelated.

Also, I prefer a bot-free environment. Sure, there's downsides... but we'll get used to them over time.

All PKers lost was the ability to prey on people that don't want to PK to begin with. I weep for their loss. [/sarcasm]

[DjinnBread]

There is also some weird squid thing, Karamjabi or something...Kill Zombie Swabs/Pirates on Braindeath Island for them.

[~Crystal Magician~]

Well they took away bots...

Nope, I'm afraid the bots haven't, and won't, go away so easily. The large scale bot gold sellers, that use bots to make money, have been severally limited, but bots are still around.

I frequently post at a runescape bot/programming/hack forum, so I've read many discussions on this.

[Ron.]

And I too post at a forum that involves RWT and they HAVE found a way around although I do not affiliate with them

[Tom C]

Nope, I'm afraid the bots haven't, and won't, go away so easily. The large scale bot gold sellers, that use bots to make money, have been severally limited, but bots are still around.

I frequently post at a runescape bot/programming/hack forum, so I've read many discussions on this.

Looks like the kick in the butt was for nothing then, gj Jagex (sarcasm also)

[1101]

The point wasn't to get rid of autos it was to get rid of rwt. If you've failed to notice there are very few autos around. Finding the others will be much easier. As for the way around it there's always going to be a way around it. Jagex knows that there are people who can hack or cheat the game regaurdless of what they do. Why do you think they wont allow people to discuss bugs on the forums? The less others know about it the less chance of it comming back or being minipulated.

[Seerow]

9 January 2008 - Development Diary Summoning - Part 4


It is time for the fourth and final Summoning Development Diary. This diary's focus is on the anticipation for the skill, and how it has been built up both in game and on the website.

Please visit the Summoning Development Diary here (http://www.runescape.com/kbase/view.ws?guid=diary05d).

Also:

Of course, we wouldn't be hyping Summoning if we didn't feel that it was awesome. "It's my favourite members' skill that I've helped to release," says Mod Mark. This opinion seems to be shared by everyone who worked on it: "In terms of quality and quantity, nothing really matches it," says Mod Osborne.

Looks like I was right. :D

Additional Edit: Judging by the picture at the top of the Development Diary, Summoning will be released NEXT WEEK. Also, the image on the mug is the symbol in the skills list.

[starwars4life]

Well its official summoning is going to be p2p quote from the development diary:

"It's my favourite members' skill that I've helped to release," says Mod Mark

Which is to bad since I saved 2 mill to train on it. Oh well 99 fire making here I come.

Also i think its going to be released either next week or on the 22'nd if you look closely on the development diary you can see next week week circled or on the bottom of the calender you can see 22/7. so ya discuss if theres anything to discuss...

[ANBU Kakashi]

id wait till its released till i sped the money

[1101]

I don't plan to train it any higher then level 8 before I go back to smithing. I only want 8 summoning because that will get me 100 combat.

[CnucksGx]

Merged the last three posts into the current RS Updates thread.

Personally I'm not surprised that it's P2P or upset. There were more things making sense that it was P2P than for it being F2P. Now that the rough icon for the skill is released, it's looks good and better than some of the others. I wonder where they'll move the Total Level box to next... Chris has said that they'll shrink the 24 boxes and add it in at the top (or bottom) which would be my guess as well.

[Seerow]

There have been screenshots with the Total Level at the bottom of the menu, and thinner than the previous one. Whether or not said screenshots are credible, I don't know.

[CnucksGx]

If it's the picture where all the stats were 50, it's fake. The guy who made it on RSC had said and you can spot "placement mistakes" if the image was enlarged.

Oh, and the L in "Level" is capitalized. Somehow, Jagex recently made it lower case.

[GwJumpman]

What's this fake screen you guys are talking about? link pl0x?

[1101]

Personally I don't think they'll shrink the level boxes. I think they're going to make a scroll option. If they keep making them smaller it's just going to be harder and harder to click on it.

[CnucksGx]

Honestly, I doubt it. Recall what the old Prayer and Magic Books used to be like. They used to all have scroll bars. Now? None. If Jagex can help it, I think they'll choose not to put in a scroll option and avoid complaints from players. Currently, the skill boxes are not hard to click on, even if they shave off a few pixels from each row. I don't know about you, but my mouse doesn't vibrate uncontrollably.

@ Dave's brother / Dave (http://www.zybez.net/community/index.php?showtopic=986309)

[1101]

Well the smithing option has a scroll on it. Which makes makes little sense to me. I think they'd need to shave off a lot more then a few pixel to make another fit.

[Seerow]

Not really, if you look at the fake stats screen above. And the Smithing option, in addition to many others, has a scrollbar because it just wouldn't be practical to fit them all in any other way.

[Ford Mustang]

15 January 2008 - Chaos Tunnels, Interface Improvements, Extra Bank Space and More!

Chaos Tunnels

Recent earthquakes have opened rifts in the areas north of Edgeville, and the townsfolk have sent out explorers to discover what lies below. Setting ropes down so others can follow them, these explorers have disappeared, leaving no trace. It has fallen to you to enter these Chaos Tunnels, where the laws of physics do not break, but bend into all sorts of strange and curious shapes.

Have a care to arm yourself well and take a means of quick escape, as the Tunnels are treacherous and deadly, and it should be noted that dragons reside here. The creatures of the Chaos Tunnels have learned the value of attacking in numbers, and will not hesitate to join forces in an attempt to eat, destroy or even set fire to those who cross their paths.

It is not only the creatures that throw obstacles in your way. The portals that link the various tunnels are infused with chaos, and have a tendency to send you to the strangest of locations!

The Chaos Tunnels are multicombat, and an ideal place for the stout of heart and strong of body to hone their Summoning skills, as well as their Magic, Ranged or melee. A warning to you: although you may wish to attempt the dungeon alone, death will come swiftly to the ill-prepared!

Summary
Where to begin exploring the Chaos Tunnels (http://www.runescape.com/kbase/viewarticle.ws?guid=chaos_tunnels_members)

There are five entrances (http://www.runescape.com/kbase/viewarticle.ws?guid=chaos_tunnels_members) in the lower levels of the Wilderness (http://www.runescape.com/kbase/viewarticle.ws?guid=wilderness).
Requirements

This is a multicombat area with lots of creatures - including dragons - and chaotic portals. Only the boldest should apply!
Access to:

43 types of creature for you to sharpen your claws on!
A huge members-only area the size of Mos Le'Harmless (http://www.runescape.com/kbase/viewarticle.ws?guid=mos_le_harmless_members).

Taverley Graphical Update

The druids and buildings of Taverley (http://www.runescape.com/kbase/viewarticle.ws?guid=taverley_members) have been given a makeover! No stone has been left unturned and used as walls, tables and other furniture in this great reworked region.

Interface Update

You may notice some changes to the interface area around the minimap. We've added some new icons so you can easily see your Hitpoints, run energy, Prayer points and Summoning points (if you are a member and have completed Wolf Whistle). The Hitpoints icon will flash if you're below 25% of your total. The logout button has moved to the top-right of the interface and Clan Chat has taken its place.

The side interface has also been adjusted to allow for Summoning additions - but only if you are a member. There is now a Summoning icon on the top-right of your screen, by your minimap, your Summoning interface button is on the bottom-left of the lower toolbar, while the stats section contains the Summoning icon and your Summoning skill level.

Moggies (also known as cats in some parts of the world) now all use the animated Summoning interface to help you keep track of their hunger and size.

64 Extra Bank Spaces!

Due to the large number of items introduced with Summoning, we've increased the amount of members' bank space. This has increased by 64 spaces to allow you to store more items!

Summoning Changes

Many existing items in game have had Summoning defence bonuses added. For more information, and to see which items have changed, head over to the Knowledge Base. The maximum Combat Level has also been increased to 138, as mentioned in the Summoning newspost. This is only visible on members' worlds.

As Summoning has been released, we've updated various minigames to incorporate the familiars. You should be able to take them into the TzHaar Fight Pits, Castle Wars, Bounty Hunter and Clan Wars. Summoning is now an option for duelling, and some of the Duel Tournaments will be Summoning-enabled! Wait times between Duel Tournaments have also been reduced to seven minutes.

The Clan Wars and Bounty Hunter minigames have been added as options to the games necklace. You should now be able to teleport close to these minigame starting locations.


15 January 2008 - Summoning!

Strange obelisks have been spotted underground and in the farthest reaches of RuneScape. What could they be for? Who put them there? And what do they have to do with our new members-only skill, Summoning?

One obelisk in particular has been causing trouble for Taverley's most well-known summoner, Pikkupstix, as a giant wolpertinger has used it to break free from the spirit plane. This pesky rabbit, wolf, reindeer...thing is now munching on Pikkupstix's bedclothes, and the druid needs your help to do a spot of banishing...

So begins this week's Wolf Whistle quest, which you will need to complete if you wish to start training the Summoning skill, in much the same way as Druidic Ritual opens up the Herblore skill.

To get more information on how to start Summoning, visit the Summoning - The Basics page in our Knowledge Base.

Once you have completed the Wolf Whistle quest, you can begin raising your stats on your way to the Summoning skillcape! Some of the familiars you summon can help in combat, healing you or attacking with claws, paws, missiles or magic. This is reflected in an increase to the maximum Combat level, taking it to 138. This increased Combat level is not visible on free worlds.

Other familiars aid you outside of combat, including the ability to store items for you - like the pack yak, which acts as a temporary bank for 10 of your items. Some have slightly...stranger effects. Might 'Fish Rain' interest you?

New creatures - barker toad and bunyip - share room with those that are more 'familiar', like the smoke devil (the relative of the dust devil) and the spirit dagannoth. Those with a high enough Summoning level will even be able to talk to them - but beware, they aren't used to talking to humans...

You will recognise many familiars from previous newsposts, wallpapers, Development Diaries and Postbags from the Hedge, while others will be a complete surprise! There is such a wealth of familiars - 53 in fact - that it'll take months for even the most persistent to master their abilities, special moves and Summoning requirements.

In addition, high-level Summoners will unlock an array of 22 new pets. New dogs are at the lowest level, while the hardest pet to tame is...drum-roll...a dragon!

Phew! There is barely a moment to remind you of the extra batch of Summoning familiars and pets coming next month. If you think some of the creatures in this update are big, wait till you see what February brings...

Summary
Where to start Wolf Whistle

Pikkupstix's house in the centre of Taverley.
Requirements to complete Wolf Whistle

None!
Access to:

A new members-only skill!
Over 70 new creatures
A new maximum Combat level of 138 for members
Many new Summoning NPCs and items
A Summoning skillcape for the very best


Got too lazy with the URL's, wanted to get back to Summoning

SUMMONING. F*CK YEAH. It's a money-waster like Construction. Only, worse.

[Scerro]

oh, for once the f2p hasn't gotten an update....

Its quite interesting, I suppose. Its not quite something that I think will drive me to members though.

[Tom C]

It's alright, not worth the hype everyone has been wiggin about. Definatly not enough to pull me from wow

[Spindrift]

I personaly hate it, at least at this lvl.... I spent almost 100k to get to lvl 16, more expensive and on rails then Cons. It also seems useless unless you get to lvl 80 or so... It does lvl kinda quick though, getting your lvls up reminded me of Rune Crafting since what you do is the same as when RCing. Get essence(pouches) and a talismen (shards pouches etc.) and go to an altar thing.

[Scerro]

It's alright, not worth the hype everyone has been wiggin about. Definatly not enough to pull me from wow

Honestly, I'd be playing WoW with you if I had a computer that was good enough to play it..

[1101]

I don't like it. A friend spent 1mil getting to 25. People are saying it costs 5mil to get to 66. I DID level quickly right up until I ran out of charms. Getting them in monster drops and them being untradable wont be fast. They arn't rare to get but they're not a 100% drop either. The thing that bothers me most is simple that there is no way to train it for free. With prayer you have the option to get the bones yourself. Few do but you can. However with summoning you have no choice. I mean even construction can be brought up with spending minimal amounts of cash (buy a pickaxe, mine limestone, obviousl pointless at higher levels). If you were thinking about going to members don't let summoning be the reason. However it is nice to see people past zezima. Lag seems to be an issue too.

Also I'd like to say "I told you so" to whoever say they wouldn't put a scroll on the levels.

[ANBU Kakashi]

the summoning skill stinks thats its mebers only I HATE Jagex for that because i dont want to pay to be a member even though its cheap

[Tom C]

the summoning skill stinks thats its mebers only I HATE Jagex for that because i dont want to pay to be a member even though its cheap

Cmon dude .... People pay money for exactly what happened, a new skill, what would be the point of paying money every month if it had no benefits or even minimal benefits over f2p. All i have to say about that, this topic is brought up way to much in the forum

Also,

Zez always lets people pass him when a skill first comes out, with con he waited like a week before he started to hardcore level it.

[Ford Mustang]

16 January 2008 - Summoning balancing Next
We've noticed that a few players are worried that the summoning skill costs a lot of gp to level. However after carefully double-checking the figures, we really don't believe this is the case!

A lot of people are looking at the skill and calculating how many shards they are going to need to level it up, multiplying that by the cost per shard, and coming to the conclusion that it's going to be very expensive.

However the key point that is easy to miss is the fact that the completed pouches themselves are extremely powerful. They aren't just junk to throw away! In fact, you can make at least as much money from using the completed pouch as it costs to make in the first place. For example, if you summon a creature to fight alongside you, the increased rate at which you can collect monster drops as a result balances out against the initial cost of the pouch. Or if you summon a creature to carry items for you, the increased rate at which you can runecraft, or collect items gives you back as much money as the pouch cost. These are just two examples of the countless ways the summoning skill can help you make money more effectively. We had to make the cost high, because the rewards are so high!

At the moment all our calculations show that if you use the pouches effectively, (with the possible exception of the very early pouches), you can make back the cost of the pouch by the increased productivity it gives. Therefore the actual net cost of levelling this skill works out at zero! That’s significantly cheaper than, say, construction.

That's pretty good anyway, but we've decided we want to make this a really rewarding skill, and it's time we had another good money making skill in the game. Therefore later this week we are planning on halving the cost of shards. After this the amount you can make from using a pouch will be far more than it costs to make, and you will be able to make a tidy profit. In fact we calculate this will then make summoning one of the best ways of making money in the game, but only if you actually use the pouches! Finally, to make sure that reducing the cost of shards isn't unfair on early levelling, we will make sure that people who have already purchased shards will automatically either get some gold back, or receive extra shards so they have effectively paid the new price.


Guess I'll wait for shards to drop before I get more. I'll just go back to my training spot and kill for charms.. This spot rules, too.

EDIT/MultiPost: The only reason people don't have 99 yet is because it takes so damn long to get charms, unless you can kill the monster that drops 10 at a time..

[Seerow]

There's no point waiting for Shards to drop if you need more, if you read the bottom of that newspost.

[Ford Mustang]

There's no point waiting for Shards to drop if you need more, if you read the bottom of that newspost.

Yes, there is. I'm NOT spending 500k on Shards when I only have 5m in the bank. Don't care if they're gonna lower the price or not. I can easily get enough charms to get higher summoning in the week it takes them to cut the price. They said they'll give SOME money back, but they didn't specify how much, same thing with Shards. I might as well wait. Charms are the importance right now.

[1101]

Shards arn't tradable so they'd be able to calculate it. I got back half of what I bought. As for the skill taking so long I don't understand why people are so suprised. Jagex said that it was going to be a long term skill. It's like slayer in a lot of ways. Getting 99 summoning will be almost impossible without 99 in something else. That said there's a new rarest item in runescape. An untrimmed summoning cape.

[Ford Mustang]

Getting 99 summoning will be almost impossible without 99 in something else. That said there's a new rarest item in runescape. An untrimmed summoning cape.

There's a new rarest item in Runescape. A single summoning cape.

You don't NEED a 99 in something else just to get 99 Summoning. Sure, it's gonna take a while, and you're gonna need to kill lots of monsters. You can do it, though.

[Holly]

Summoning is a great Money-maker.

Step 1: Buy raw chicken or raw rat meat in Canifis store for 9 gp each
Step 2: Sell for 80+ gp at GE
Step 3: PROFIT! :D

[Dan]

A friend of mine found a way to make cash off pouches. He was alching an Adamant drop he got and accidentally clicked on a Dreadfowle pouch instead, gaining 372 (or so) gp. He experimented with higher level pouches and found that they all alch for more than the nature price.

[Ford Mustang]

Actually, alching the pouches gets you 50-75% of the cost of Shards back..

Here's the list:

-Dreadfowl: 374gp
-Desert wyrm: 929gp
-Granite crab: 359gp
-Bronze minotaur: 1714gp
-Honey badger: 1514gp
-Iron minotaur: 2129gp
-Bloated leech: 2009gp
-Magpie: 1574gp
-Sp. cockatrice: 1574gp
-Macaw: 1424gp
-Bull ant: 419gp
-Spirit Spider: 124gp
-Spirit Scorpion: 859gp
-Albino Rat: 1125gp
-Beaver: 1334gp
-Compost Mound: 967gp

[1101]

There's a new rarest item in Runescape. A single summoning cape.

You don't NEED a 99 in something else just to get 99 Summoning. Sure, it's gonna take a while, and you're gonna need to kill lots of monsters. You can do it, though.


you can't kill that many monsters without getting 99 in some other skill. Not unless you're using recoils and poison. But who has the time for that?

[Ford Mustang]

you can't kill that many monsters without getting 99 in some other skill. Not unless you're using recoils and poison. But who has the time for that?

They said the same thing about 99 Slayer. Slayerbelle did it, though. If there's a way, someone will do it. ;)

Start small, think it out, and do it. Can't be oh so hard..

[Dan]

Level 3 skillers can't get 55 Slayer without killing monsters, yet they manage with Recoils and Poison.

[1101]

And I'd assume she used recoils and poison...so I guess she has the time for that. Even so...this is based on drop rates. Not kills. This would take much much longer then slayer.

Also for those of you who wanted monsters to drop multiple charms your wishes have been granted. Obsidian charms are drops in piles of two. However they're currently useless and unstackable. Regardless I'd killing them now before there's 200million people there.

[Miles]

Really, its kinda pointless to stockpile on Obsidian Charms.

They'll just be used to summon Obsidian creatures, much like Abyssal Charms are used to summon Abyssal creatures.

So, you'll most likely still need at least one of your four coloured charms to summon these Obsidian creatures.

[Dan]

And I'd assume she used recoils and poison...so I guess she has the time for that. Even so...this is based on drop rates. Not kills. This would take much much longer then slayer.


Slayerbelle is a he. Secondly, he did not use recoils or posion. He carefully planned out what he'd do without gaining a 99 in any combat stat.

[1101]

I've never heard of him so I assumed it was a girl. Either way it's difficult to plan out things based on drop rates. You could go 5 kills without a charm or 20 kills and get all charms. This would be based more on luck then strategy. It's difficult to plan on odds. If this wasn't true no one would lose money gambling.

As for the obsidian charms, you make a pretty good point. Either way it couldn't hurt to kill a few.

[Dan]

There are some monsters which have a very high drop rate for charms. I got a slayer task of Infernal Mages and got gold charms on an almost 1:1 ratio.

[Ron.]

I very well will assume that someone will get 99 summoning on a level 3 skiller as well.

[Miles]

Wouldn't exactly be a level 3 skiller if they did.

[Ron.]

You get the general idea. I mean they would get it with level 1 other combat skills besides summoning.

[Scerro]

They should have made it so that summoning bumped the max minimum combat level up to 4.....

[CnucksGx]

Although mathematically, it wouldn't have worked out:

[21:07:02] <CnucksGx> .cmbcalc 1 1 1 10 1 2 1
[21:07:06] -Zoi- Melee Style combat: 3.65 (Stats assumed to be ordered A S D H R P M)
[21:07:06] -Zoi- <Stats to lvl> Att/Str: 2 Def/Hp: 2 Prayer: 3

Assuming Summoning gives the same amount as Prayer, if you know how to read that. If they made it four, I'm sure the maximum combat would be higher than 138, probably in the 140s.

[CnucksGx]

22 January 2008 - Pawya and Grenwall Hunter Creatures

The pine forests of Isafdar (http://www.runescape.com/kbase/viewarticle.ws?guid=isafdar_members) provide a fresh hunting ground for intrepid box-trappers (http://www.runescape.com/kbase/viewarticle.ws?guid=hunter_box_trapping_level_27). Two recently-discovered beasts have survived by avoiding the traps, pits and dire wolves of Isafdar, so will prove pretty elusive, even for experienced and knowledgeable hunters.

Pawyas (http://www.runescape.com/kbase/viewarticle.ws?guid=hunter_box_trapping_level_27) are timid creatures that scour the forest in search of fruit to eat, hiding underground at the slightest noise. It is rumoured that they are particularly fond of papaya - something of a rare commodity in their native environment.

Grenwalls (http://www.runescape.com/kbase/viewarticle.ws?guid=hunter_box_trapping_level_27), on the other hand, are carnivores with limitless appetites and a prickly attitude. They will compete with you by hunting and devouring any pawya unfortunate enough to cross their path. In order to outwit these tricky critters, experienced hunters will need to hone their skills by using a suitable bait to trap them...

Those who do succeed in trapping a grenwall will have access to a hefty slice of XP, as well as the spines that cover the creature's body. Their tough, rigid nature makes them ideal for use as arrow shafts. In particular, the proprietors of the Yanille and Nardah Hunter stores (http://www.runescape.com/kbase/viewarticle.ws?guid=hunter_locations) are extremely keen to get their mitts on these items, so there may be some profit in it for you.

Summary

Where to find the pawya and grenwall:

Various locations in Isafdar (http://www.runescape.com/kbase/viewarticle.ws?guid=isafdar_members).

Requirements:

Pawya: Level 66 Hunter, papaya as bait
Grenwall: Level 77 Hunter, raw pawya meat as bait

Access to:

Two new high-level Hunter creatures
Large amounts of Hunter XP for each catch

In other news...

We've added a new fruit tree patch (http://www.runescape.com/kbase/viewarticle.ws?guid=farming_patches) in Lletya (http://www.runescape.com/kbase/viewarticle.ws?guid=lletya_members). This is particularly useful for those who wish to grow papaya as pawya bait.

[Vulpes]

I wonder why that update wasn't posted on the main page for me..

..and 77 hunter?! I just GOT that a few days ago, too.. time to test this out.

[Miles]

They did, but it was removed.

They also posted a story link, but it was removed too. link (http://img112.imageshack.us/img112/894/futureupdateleakna6.png)

[Ford Mustang]

I wonder why that update wasn't posted on the main page for me..

..and 77 hunter?! I just GOT that a few days ago, too.. time to test this out.

Not worth it. You need REQUIRED bait. It's either you bait, or you don't catch. Even then, if you do bait but they don't bite, then you lose the bait.

[1101]

For 1200exp per catch I kinda of expected something like that.

[Seerow]

29 January 2008 - As a First Resort...


Having travelled to the ogre town of Oo'glog (http://www.runescape.com/kbase/viewarticle.ws?guid=oo_glog_members), Balnea could not have expected such an irresistible business opportunity. The town may be full of annoying bugs and surly ogresses, but it's also home to some rather miraculous pools!

These pools seem to have all manner of benefits to health and performance; with this in mind, Balnea has become determined to change the primitive encampment into a luxurious health spa! Unfortunately, managing a team of ogres has proven more of a challenge than Balnea bargained for and she could use your help to get the spa up and running.

It certainly won't be easy: bugs circle the spa pools, the hotel owner seems to think that slabs of beef make good pillows and the local chef couldn't rustle up the simplest of recipes. Resolve these issues, however, and you'll have access to the full range of Oo'glog's offerings, including shops, spa pools, ogre wigs, mud packs and the ability to trap three new Hunter creatures (http://www.runescape.com/kbase/viewarticle.ws?guid=hunter_extra_features). Keen woodcutters will also find a new tree - the eucalyptus.

Summary

Where to start As a First Resort... (http://www.runescape.com/kbase/viewarticle.ws?guid=As_a_first_resort_members)
Speak to Chief Tess in the centre of Oo'glog (http://www.runescape.com/kbase/viewarticle.ws?guid=oo_glog_members).

Requirements to complete As a First Resort... (http://www.runescape.com/kbase/viewarticle.ws?guid=As_a_first_resort_members)
Big Chompy Bird Hunting (http://www.runescape.com/kbase/viewarticle.ws?guid=big_chompy_bird_hunting_member s)
Zogre Flesh Eaters (http://www.runescape.com/kbase/viewarticle.ws?guid=zogre_flesh_eaters_members)
Hunter level of 48
Firemaking level of 51
Woodcutting level of 58


Access to:

A whole new area, the size of Lunar Isle (http://www.runescape.com/kbase/viewarticle.ws?guid=lunar_isle_members)
Three new Hunter creatures
A new Summoning pet (http://www.runescape.com/kbase/viewarticle.ws?guid=summoning_pets)
A new type of tree
A host of other rewards!


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In other news...

As many of you have pointed out on the Forums, some creatures were dropping lots of charms while others rarely dropped them. These were, frankly, bugs and something that we needed to fix; so, this week, we have fixed them. The charms you get from defeating monsters will now be more suitable and balanced, based more on the creature's Combat level.

We're not only fixing charm bugs, we're giving you more opportunities to get hold of them too. Charm drops have been added to some of the Slayer-related creatures, so that you can stock up on your Summoning pouch ingredients while on Slayer tasks. Keep your eye out for more charm-dropping creatures in the future.

We've fixed an issue that sometimes caused players to appear to disappear in Clan Wars (http://www.runescape.com/kbase/viewarticle.ws?guid=clan_wars). This was only happening in some areas and has been changed so players won't vanish anymore!

The one-dose Zamorak potion (http://www.runescape.com/kbase/viewarticle.ws?guid=herblore_the_potions) wasn't behaving in the same manner as the other versions. This has been corrected so that all doses give you the same benefits.

Rings of life (http://www.runescape.com/kbase/viewarticle.ws?guid=magic_non_combat_magic) will no longer teleport you out of Clan Wars (http://www.runescape.com/kbase/viewarticle.ws?guid=clan_wars) when you're low on Hitpoints. This is a safe minigame, so there was no need for it to teleport you to safety.

There are too many urls in that news post... -.-

I'm wondering exactly how they changed Charms drops. That part of the post seemed a bit vague.

[Ron.]

Just copy the source code then covert with a converter... Maybe they went about to change it like they said.. If XX combat the creature will drop between X and X amount.

[Seerow]

No, everything still drops the same numbers of Charms as far as I can see (well, Blue Dragons still drop one of each, so I'd presume everything else stayed the same since Blue Dragons are fairly high levels). Presumably it was the frequency of drops that was altered.

MULTIPOST EDIT:

There's a new Postbag. There are also some anagrams and a Wordsearch at the bottom of it. They are hints at the next batch of Summoning creatures. The following are the solutions (note I didn't actually unscramble the anagrams myself, I went on some forum threads, compiled a list and did the Wordsearch):

SPOILER:
Kitty Traips = Spirit Kyatt
Greg Oftener = Forge Regent
Roger Vavida = Void Ravager
Gilian Bedooms = Obsidian Golem
Rob A = Boar
Iris Tiarapulp = Spirit Larupia
Patti Mawns = Swamp Titan
Tori Fishved = Void Shifter
Stan Oblate = Talon Beast
Dr O Reply = Pyre Lord

These words can all be found in the Chaos Wordsearch.

SPOILER: Completed Chaos Wordsearch (http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/6218/chaoswordsearchcompleteqa4.png)

There are some other stuff in the Wordsearch (e.g. SlugToTheHead), but they are unrelated to anything as far as I can tell, unless they're hints to other future updates.

[CnucksGx]

1 February 2008 - Behind the Scenes - February

This month will start with a fanfare. February plays host to Audio Week - a collection of nips, tucks, changes and improvements that will jazz up your listening experience and make the music system easier to use. You can expect to hear songs all the way to the end, without them constantly changing as you move from area to area. Ardent adventurers who unlock 500 songs can expect an air guitar emote. Gnarly!

There's no room for this kind of tomfoolery in the graphical improvement for this month. The Edgeville Dungeon residents have been pretty grumpy ever since overground Edgeville got a rework - Postie Pete even got an irate letter from Vannaka. So - and not because we are scared of Vannaka, honestly - February brings a new look to Edgeville Dungeon which will make it seem suitably dank and dangerous.

After failing once in the Regicide quest, the Tyras Camp Catapult Guard has managed to fail again, this time by allowing damp into General Hining's catapult. Needless to say some unwitting/bold adventurer will be needed to repair the catapult and bring some much-needed security to the camp. Your Construction skills will have to be sharp and your puzzle-solving even sharper in this Catapult Construction quest, where you will be able to make amends for the carnage you caused in Regicide - with the added bonus of a Castle Wars-based reward, of course!

February means that Spring is approaching, so the rabbits of RuneScape are getting feisty. They've got a taste for ogleroot, a gnomish vegetable that is grown in only one known area, and they are doing everything in their floppy-eared power to get hold of it. This frenetic and strategic minigame will require you to dig up seeds and ogleroots before the evil bunnies get a whiff of them, using your powers of deduction and speed-shovelling. Not only will you be able to enjoy a fantastic new type of gaming, you will be able to access some great Farming rewards. Hard-to-find seeds and Farming XP rewards will be available for those swift with the spade and quick off the mark.

To continue the fun Farming frolics in February, we will have a fab new Farming amulet for you to fiddle with. The amulet of Farming will be available from most Farming stores and offers some abilities of the amulet of nature. Owners of the amulet of nature will also find that it gets a fresh infusion of magic this month, offering teleports to diseased patches and allowing you to remotely pay farmers to protect your patch. Oh, and it'll talk!

Add a sprinkle of Player's Gallery, a clove of Development Diary and a tablespoon of Postbag from the Hedge and you have a February that is looking pretty tasty!

[1101]

I don't see anything about the summoning updates in there. They aren't even mentioned.

[Miles]

Duckman, read this: 16-17-169-55576430 to know why the second Summoning batch has been postponed.

[CnucksGx]

Copy and paste from the other forum:

5 February 2008 - Audio Week and Improved Edgeville Dungeon

The New Music System:

The bards of Runescape have been handed the task of creating a music player that is simpler to use, offering more advanced options. Well, they have certainly managed it, and this week sees its release!

Previously, travelling across the world of RuneScape meant frequent changes of music, often playing only the early parts of songs. Now, our new music system plays songs all the way to the end, at which point a new song is chosen that is appropriate to your area - provided you have unlocked it of course!

There are a couple of exceptions to this rule: if you unlock a track by entering a new area, the system will interrupt your current song in favour of the new tune, ensuring that you hear all new songs. Also, if you encounter a boss NPC or start a cutscene with added music, the system will, of course, interrupt your current song to play the appropriate tune to accompany the action.

You still have the ability to manually choose your tunes by clicking on the song name. This will, of course, interrupt the current song to play your chosen tune, as it always has. We have also kept the 'loop song on/off' button (which now looks a little like a recycle symbol) so you can listen to your favourite song repeatedly.

Song Unlocking Information:

We have added a right-click option to locked song names in the music player, which will tell you exactly where to unlock it. This means that you don't need to hunt through the Knowledge Base to find out where "Throne of the Demon" can be unlocked, for instance.

The 500 Song Emote:

We have introduced a brand new emote, which is only available to those true adventurers who have unlocked 500 songs. As soon as this 500th song has been unlocked, you will be able to use the brand new 'Air Guitar' emote, with added sound - enjoy!

Sound Effect Improvements:

We have revisited many areas and quests, adding missing sounds and making various improvements to them. As you travel the world, you should notice new and improved sound effects, including:

* Torches crackling in caves and dungeons
* Floorboards creaking in Draynor Manor
* Improved sounds for doors
* Sounds for lighting/extinguishing lanterns and candles
* Various improved background sounds

There are too many changes to list here, but hopefully the extra atmospherics will make your game experience more immersive and interesting!

Improvements to existing songs:

We have also made improvements to many existing songs and instruments in the game, some of which are obvious, some more subtle; see if you can find which ones have been changed!

We hope you enjoy the changes we've made to Runescape's audio this week. We are open to future suggestions, so keep them coming in!

- The Audio Team.

Edgeville Dungeon area improvement:

Venture, if you dare, into the depths of the newly-improved Edgeville Dungeon (http://www.runescape.com/kbase/viewarticle.ws?guid=edgeville_dungeon). Whether you want to dice with chaos druids or stand tall amongst giants then come on down, the graphically improved dungeon awaits you. Who knows, you might make it out alive - unlike some of the other inhabitants!

In other news...

Balance has been restored! Players can now obtain Summoning XP from the Tears of Guthix (http://www.runescape.com/kbase/viewarticle.ws?guid=tears_of_guthix) minigame. Genie lamps can also grant your Summoning wishes in a similar fashion.

Kebbit fur no longer floats when dropped on the floor. Now, it actually obeys the laws of gravity and will appear at the correct height.

The Carrallangar teleport in the Ancient Magicks spellbook (http://www.runescape.com/kbase/viewarticle.ws?guid=magic_the_ancient_magicks) wasn't teleporting to the right place. This has been fixed and you should now teleport to the correct location instead of arriving slightly further to the west.

The ogres and spiders outside of Oo'glog (http://www.runescape.com/kbase/viewarticle.ws?guid=oo_glog_members) have been relocated slightly, as they were scaring the chinchompas away. Players can now hunt these creatures without as much interruption.

I haven't listed to the music player yet, but it doesn't seem like a big deal to me. The only thing I really wanted was a shuffle song system so I guess I'm more disappointed than not. Knowing where to unlock a song is useful however. Won't comment on the emote until I see it myself.

And finally people who have asked when they can ToG for Summoning experience have their question answered.