Quotations taken directly from RuneScape.com

13 January 2009 - Logout Timer Increase

With this update we officially launch the RuneScape Upgrade Year! Today, we are bringing you three changes to different parts of the game.

Firstly, the logout timer has been increased from ninety seconds to five minutes. This means that you will not be automatically logged out before this amount of time has passed – particularly useful when you want to check the forums or the Game Guide while training combat or chopping down trees. The only exception to this is if you lose connection; if this happens, you will be automatically logged out after 30 seconds as usual (or after 60 seconds if you lose connection during combat). Make sure you stay on the watch for random events, and for other players who want to talk to you.

Secondly, we have had a look at the way the chat filter works. We have removed a number of words from the filter lists, which should make it easier for you to communicate in game. There is still a lot of work to be done, but rest assured that we will continue to work on this project over the course of the year. Please remember to be polite when communicating with other players: we are still on the look-out for people who don’t play by the rules.

Thirdly, we have introduced an alternative location for the Varrock teleport for players who would prefer to land near the Grand Exchange. If you have completed all the easy tasks in the Varrock Achievement Diary, you will now have the option of teleporting to the south entrance of the Grand Exchange. All you have to do to change your teleport location is talk to Rat Burgiss (if you’ve completed the easy tasks), Reldo (if you’ve completed the medium tasks) or Vannaka (if you’ve completed the difficult tasks). This will also affect your teleport tablets, as well as the portals and scrying pools in your house. You can of course change your teleport location back to the original spot in the market square at any time.

We would like to thank everyone who posted their ideas for further upgrades on the forums. As we have said before, we have a lot of ideas, but don't assume that we already have YOUR idea on the to-do list. Make sure you post on the forums – we have been reading eagerly what you have to say.

For a complete list of the various tweaks and fixes that have gone up, please read the ‘Patch Notes’ in the Recent Updates forum.

Mod Fetzki

RuneScape Content Team Leader

In other news...

You will now be able to get the phoenix eggling event after completing In Pyre Need even if you do not have the level 72 in Summoning required to tame the pet. If you do not meet the level requirement you will try to hatch the egg in the normal way, but will find yourself unable to and will take it away with you. Once you have achieved level 72 Summoning, you can hatch the egg and obtain the pet you 'choose' during the event.

A change has been made to allow dragon daggers, and their poisoned versions, to be converted to coins via CoinShare.

The Stealing Creation reward axes and pickaxes now have the correct wield requirements (40 instead of 41); they have also had their combat stats lowered slightly to bring them in line with other, similar items.

In response to recent player feedback, from our next game update we will be increasing the system update timer to ten minutes for most updates. Between ten and three minutes before the update process begins you will still be able to login, but when the update is less than three minutes away you will not be able to login until the update is complete.

Discuss this update on the forums.

13 January 2009 - Betrayal at Falador Q and A

Before the new year, we asked you to pose questions to Betrayal at Falador author, T.S Church. He’s found time to reply and his responses can be found in the Forums.

Find out how the story will continue, how TS Church worked out the distances in the novel, and even uncover a few tips for aspiring writers. Answers to these and other intriguing questions can be found in the forum thread.

To read the answers, please visit the Jagex Store Feedback forum in the official Forums. The quickfind code for this thread is 73-74-975-58210180.

Discuss this update on the forums.

Ventrilo Karaoke - Cancelled

Due to ongoing issues with our Ventrilo server we have decided to cancel the Karaoke event and to shut down Ventrilo until the problems have been completely solved.

Thanks for understanding

RuneScript

In other news, we have decided to bring back RuneScript, a well-known RS bot, into IRC. The bot is available in the channel "#runescape" (type /join #runescape to enter). For information on how to use it, visit the RuneScript Help page.



Also, RS Livehelp will be available every weekend in #runescape, so feel free to drop in anytime! The staff and other fellow members will be glad to answer any of your RuneScape questions, and help you improve your RuneScape experience.

~ Alfawarlord ~

Quotations taken directly from RuneScape.com

09 January 2009 - Weak Passwords Must Be Changed

We have noticed that a relatively large number of our users are using the same few extremely common passwords.

Using an extremely common password puts your account at significant risk, as it makes it extremely easy for someone else to guess it. In particular certain dictionary words and names are extremely common choices.

To help keep our users safe we have therefore today disallowed the use of the 500 most common passwords that people choose. You will no longer be able to use these very common passwords. If you already have one of these weak passwords, then you will be forced to change your password when you next try to login to the game.

For help on how to change your password: click here.

For guidelines on how to choose a good password: click here.

We recommend you use a combination of letters and numbers, and then write the password down and store it in a very safe place so you don’t forget it. Andrew.

Discuss this update on the forums.

There will be outages between midnight 12:01 a.m. CST 01/09/2009 and 6:00 a.m. CST for server maintenance. We will be upgrading all servers with the latest software.

The site will be unavailable at various times throughout the night as they upgrade each of the servers.

We apologize for the short notice and we hope you will bear with us as we strive keep the servers up to date and performing their best.

~MrStormy~

RuneHQ January Event #2

Okay folks, it is time for our second event of January and we're going from the creation of everything to the God of Balance. Yep, it is no other than Guthix himself.



For the weekend of the 10th and 11th of January we are having not one, but two F2P events and again we return to the wilderness area to find it. This weekends event will be our long awaited Fist of Guthix event. This is being held in the F2P world on both days because it is the only F2p events this month and it will also make things a little fairer for those taking part as armor and weapons will be limited. This is a safe mini-game and you will not lose anything if you die. Though you may have to do a lot of running.

• Event: Fist of Guthix


• Date: January 10th and 11th


• Time:
  
  
  
  • Saturday (10th): 7 pm CST / 1 am GMT (Time Converter)
  
  
  • Sunday (11th): 1 pm CST / 7 pm GMT (Time Converter)
  
  
  
  


• World: 57


• Requirements: None.


• Starting Point: The entrance is in the wilderness, north of Varrock, just south of the Chaos temple.

For more information, please read Fist of Guthix mini-game guide before the event begins to know what you will be doing. "Once you are in the cave, go talk to the Fiara; it is not hard to find her, because she is very large. Fiara will tell you the basics of this Mini-Game."

For more information and discussion, see the official Forum topic.

~ RuneHQ Events Team ~

In Pyre Need Quest Guide

With the resurrecting of the Phoenix comes the birth of our In Pyre Need quest guide. Thanks goes out to Senug5 and everyone else who helped in completing it so quickly.

~ Alfawarlord ~

Quotations taken directly from RuneScape.com

6 January 2009 - In Pyre Need

The phoenix, an ancient creature from RuneScape’s distant past, is in need of your help. While flying to her roost she was injured, and now she lies wounded and dying in the depths of her fiery cave. By chance, a knowledgeable priest has discovered her home, and now he waits for an adventurer with the necessary skill and courage to aid the phoenix in her hour of need. Perhaps that adventurer will be you! Or are you...chicken?

In this quest you will navigate lava-filled caverns, learn the secrets of an ancient ritual and, if all goes well, save the phoenix from certain death.

Once you’ve completed the quest, you will be able to return to the phoenix’s cave for a repeatable distraction and diversion reward that you can claim once a day. You will also gain the ability to summon a phoenix familiar to aid you in your battles – something that many of you voted for in April’s Guaranteed Content poll. Sorry that you’ve had to wait a while for this!

Mod Liono
RuneScape Developer

Summary:

In other news...

The skeletons in Olaf's Quest tunnels have been changed to make it easier for you to attack at range. These piles of bones will no longer interfere with you when you’re ranging, or at any other time for that matter, as they're long dead!

You can no longer attack another player's familiar in single-way combat on a PvP world. This was never intended, and so should no longer be a problem.

There is a newly installed “make-x” feature for filleting fish such as sturgeon, salmon or trout that should make it easier for you to obtain the materials for making barbarian potions. Also, the barbarian super-restore potion will now correctly restore your Summoning points, just like other restore potions.

One of the changes made to While Guthix Sleeps meant you could no longer cast Ice Barrage on the barriers in Castle Wars. This has been rectified so that the spell now works as it previously did.

In response to your suggestions, a second world for Stealing Creation has been added, as the current one can get a bit busy at times!

A handful of songs (Garden, Still Night, Medieval, Adventure and Expanse) have been updated to sound better than ever. So tune in, and listen out for your favorite!

Finally, the Christmas holiday event has now been removed, but you can still enjoy the Myths of the White Lands quest.

Discuss this update on the forums.

Treasure Trail Guide!

After a long overhaul from top to bottom, the new Treasure Trail guide is up and running. It is up to date with all the clues, puzzles, and rewards that you will encounter. Maonzhi and Alfawarlord have been working on this project along with the help of the Community, so special thanks to them!

~(Sheep01)~

Quotations taken directly from RuneScape.com

2 January 2009 - Behind the Scenes - January

A new year often brings with it a sense of change or new adventure. For some, this rebirth is a nice, friendly affair, involving a new haircut and a resolution or two. For others, it means complex nesting rituals and a fiery demise...or perhaps a new beginning? Could we be talking about the legendary phoenix?

Our first update of the year is actually one we have been talking about for a while – the new Summoning familiar you voted for during the Summer. Of course, we could have just produced a simple Summoning creature to follow you around and do the occasional funky trick, but we decided that a legendary creature such as the phoenix deserved the full treatment. So, it will have its own tutorial-style quest, in which you learn how to deal with the unusual nesting habits of the giant, fire-drenched beast, AND a repeatable challenge you can take on every day, should you wish.

Once you’ve helped the phoenix you’ll be able to summon a smaller phoenix familiar to help you in battle, just as you would with any other Summoning familiar. Not only will it be able to fight alongside you (dealing Magic damage), it will also have the ability to fire ashes at your opponents, temporarily blinding them and making it harder for them to attack. On top of this, the phoenix will be able to be reborn from the ashes, leaving nearby nasties scorched by the accompanying flames.

We will also be releasing the next of our Achievement Diaries this month – this time set in the peaceful Seers’ Village and its surrounding woods and castles. As always, the intention of the Achievement Diary is to introduce some of the hidden or 'non-quest' activities associated with an area, so expect to be learning all about coal carts, the Piety prayer, forgotten sorcerers, poisoned chalices, pet fish and bullseyes! Rewards include additional experience when cutting down maple trees, and a handy flax picker (similar to Bert, who collects buckets of sand for you after the Hand in the Sand quest).

Another of the changes prepared for January is a great suggestion from our forums – the ability to re-order your spell list. Now, don’t worry, this is totally optional (and the default will still be the 'level order' setting you're currently used to), but you’ll be able to set up the list with the combat spells first, or the teleport spells first, etc. This is all managed via a handy series of buttons at the bottom of each of the three (normal, lunar and ancient) spellbooks. We’re making this change because we feel it could be useful, but if you think it could be even MORE useful, we’d like to know how - please let us know what you think.

Hopefully, you’ll have already read the Behind the Scenes 2009 newspost written by Mod Vince, the new Head of RuneScape. As he said, we intend to spend a lot of time this year reviewing older content, making it more useful and user-friendly, and ensuring that yesterday’s content is of the same standard as tomorrow’s. The changes we plan to make cover all aspects of the game - this month we’ll be increasing the length of the auto-logout timer from the current 90 seconds to about 5 minutes, and a ‘You are here’ arrow on the world map. We’re even looking back over our old word lists, to remove words accidentally starred-out in chat.

Last but not least, we’ll be bringing you a new players’ gallery and the letters from Postie Pete’s January postbag.

Enjoy!

Mod Mark

Lead Designer - RuneScape

Discuss this update on the forums.

2 January 2009 - Behind the Scenes - 2009

So, the first post of the New Year and you’ll be wondering what the next 12 months in RuneScape will bring. The past year saw the introduction of PvP Worlds, RuneScape High Detail, Summoning, our first Grandmaster quest, combat minigames, and Distractions and Diversions. What can we do to top 2008?

Well, this is the challenge that we’ve set ourselves: 2009 has become our official Upgrade Year! So, what does that mean? It means our New Year's resolution is to tweak and polish what we've already got in the game alongside creating new content. For example:

• 
  Doing the 'little' jobs that make a big difference (e.g. a 'You are here' arrow on the world map) and basically fixing all the annoying little quirks the game has. Things that may be the least glamorous to work on and talk about, but which really add up.
  



• 
  Updating some of the earliest content/quests to bring it up to date, and take advantage of all the features we have added to the game engine since it was originally created. Also, reworking old clues that no longer work now the game is bigger (e.g. 'Look west of the mountains' was fine when there was only one mountain, but not now).
  



• 
  Making the interfaces as intuitive, flexible and user-friendly as possible.
  



• 
  Then, after all that, we’ll start looking into abandoned and barely used areas/features of the game, and breathing new life into them.
  

Of course, we don't want to JUST do upgrades, so we're planning to do a mix of upgrades and new content. To achieve this we are planning on going back to releasing approximately four updates per month, which will alternate between upgrades and new content.

We’ve been trawling the forums, pooling opinions from our game teams and inviting everyone at Jagex HQ to voice their opinions on what they’d like to see in an upgraded RuneScape. As a regular player, there will no doubt be at least one feature you’ve always wanted to see introduced, to make your time in RuneScape even better. Chances are that it’s already on our list, but to be on the safe side, why not let us know? We’ll be monitoring the forums, so please tell us what you want to see. We can’t promise we'll do everything, but we’ll try to incorporate any particular trends we see into our plans, and let you know.

Well, at the end of my first newspost, I just want to thank you all for your continued support through 2008, and I look forward to seeing you all in Gielinor in 2009.

Happy New Year!

Mod Vince

Head of RuneScape

Discuss this update on the forums.

First off, RuneHQ would like to wish each and everyone a safe and festive New Years Eve. This past year, we have grown as a site and a community. Every member of RuneHQ is more than a name, they are part of our ever growing family. We look forward to another great year by supplying you with the most up to date and accurate information and enriching your RuneScape experience.

RuneHQ January Event #1

Welcome folks to the start of our 2009 events program.
We are starting very early with this as we wanted to get an event in before people starting going back to school.



So our first event for the start of the Year will be the start of everything really, Creation itself. Yep, we are starting off with the new mini-game Stealing Creation. Please check out our Stealing Creation mini-game guide so that you know what to do on the day.

• Event: Stealing Creation


• Date: Saturday, January 3rd


• Time: 1pm CST (7pm GMT) (Time Converter)


• World: 60


• Requirements: None.


• Starting Point: Mystic Encampment, just south of Bounty Hunter in the Wilderness.

This is a safe game, also, you cannot take any items with you so leave everything in the bank. This is a team based game so you will be automatically placed into teams as you start playing. For more information and discussion, see the official Forum topic.



The next event will be posted when this one finishes.

~ RuneHQ Events Team ~

From all of us here at RuneHQ, we hope that you had a safe and happy holiday season.



Banner provided by Databateman.

Quotations taken directly from Runescape.com

19th December 2008 - SMS Payment Options

Today, we’ve launched the SMS payment option for players from Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Norway and Sweden, which can be used to pay for a RuneScape membership.



RuneScape members will get regular content updates and gain access to a world that’s three times larger than the free world and packed full of members-only quests, minigames and skills. Members also gain fullscreen mode, advert-free gaming and the ability to post on the forums. More information about membership can be found here.



The PayBySMS service is currently available to players from the UK, USA, Austria, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany.

Discuss this update on the forums.

Stealing Creation Mini-game Guide

We have completed our Stealing Creation mini-game guide, and just in time for the holidays! Many thanks go out to all who helped finish this big guide.

~ BobbehMan ~

Quotations taken directly from Runescape.com

18th December 2008 - Security Reminder

Some of you may have read recent news reports regarding a security flaw in the Internet Explorer web browser – the default web browser in Microsoft Windows. This flaw is reportedly being used to steal passwords for various popular online games. We would therefore like to take this opportunity to remind all our players of a few important security practices:

• 
  If you use Windows make sure you have the latest updates installed. You can get the latest updates and security fixes for your computer from windowsupdate.microsoft.com. This will protect your computer against the latest security flaw.
  
  
  
  



• Never visit a website that you are told about in-game, as there is a chance that you could be directed to a fake website. Fake websites are dangerous, as they can allow hackers to access your personal information, or expose your computer to viruses. Remember, it is against the rules to promote any website, either in the game or on the forums; if you see someone advertising a website in this way, you should report them immediately using the Report Abuse button at the bottom of your screen, and selecting Rule 11: Advertising/Website.
  
  
  
  



• 
  Make sure you have up to date anti-virus software installed.
  
  
  
  

We also want to take this opportunity to remind you that you should never give out your password, or any personal information such as your email address or real name, to any other player, for any reason. For more information on security, please read this article.



We want all our players to be safe, so please take the appropriate care. Thank you for your support, and Merry Christmas!

Discuss this update on the forums.

18th December 2008 - Postbag from the Hedge

When your belly is full, crackers pulled and presents opened this Christmas, why don't you gather round and read Party Pete's Christmas speech? He has Christmas spirit to share.



Evil Dave has a theory that he'd like to air, and Shanty Claws comes aground for a rare visit.



Click here to read this month's correspondence.

Discuss this update on the forums.

18th December 2008 - Players' Gallery

Christmas is busy, busy, busy for Postie Pete. That's why he likes to relax with a festive Players' Gallery, where all the hard work is done by you!



His favourites this month include a festive Grim Reaper and Guthan getting his comeuppance. Click here and jingle all the way to your pictures.

Discuss this update on the forums.

Myths of the White Lands Quest Guide

The quest guide for RuneScape's Christmas quest, Myths of the White Lands, has been uploaded to the site. Thanks goes out to diamondi3ack and everyone else who helped complete it so quickly. Merry questing!

~ [Im4eversmart] ~

Quotations taken directly from Runescape.com

16th December 2008 - Christmas Event and Quest

The festive season is upon us, and to celebrate we’re presenting you with the result of your Guaranteed Content Christmas poll, in the form of this years’ Christmas event. We’ve also got an appropriately wintery quest for you in Myths of the White Lands. We hope you have lots of fun, and enjoy your Christmas adventures!



Merry Christmas!



A number of slippery ice patches have been spotted in Gielinor, and there is growing concern that someone, or something, is trying to ruin everybody’s Christmas. With so much ice around, the safety of the inhabitants of RuneScape is at stake, and as if that wasn’t enough, disappointed children have been reporting a lack of presents in their stockings! According to imp emissaries from the Land of Snow, the problem originated in their homeland…those of you who remember the result of your Guaranteed Content Christmas poll may have an idea of what lies at the centre of the mystery!



Meanwhile, in Lumbridge, Explorer Jack has heard tales from a chatty snow imp of mythical riches in the Land of Snow. Of course, he leaves the adventuring to younger explorers these days, but he could be talked into rewarding someone willing to fetch these riches for him. In Myths of the White Lands, you will discover what lies at the heart of snow imp lore, and the creatures that accompany it. You will need ingenuity, skill and quick reflexes to succeed in this particularly puzzling quest, which more experienced players may find contains a few extra rewards.



Myths of the White Lands will be available to all players for two weeks, after which it will be available only to members. The Christmas event will be available to all players for two weeks only.



This is the first quest (and event) I have written, and it’s exciting to finally have something I made released. I really hope that you like them both, and that you have at least as much fun playing them as I had writing them. Merry Christmas, everybody!



Mod Maylea
Runescape Content Developer



Summary:

In other news…:

We've made several changes and additions to the QuickChat system. There are now extra options and phrases for various activities, from boss fights to minigames, some general chit-chat, and much more!



To help you keep track of your membership and manage your subscription, we've added a feature called Credit Card Expiry Notification. From now on, if your credit card is about to expire while you have active membership, we'll notify you with an advance reminder. Additionally, those of you on a lower subscription price will be given useful information regarding the grace period, so you don’t accidentally let your subscription lapse!



The necklace of minigames and ring of duelling have undergone a bit of fine-tuning, which should make your life a little easier. These items now take less time to use, which will speed up your everyday adventuring.



The Balance Elemental has become wise to your tricks, and will now fight as originally intended, varying his attack styles with your prayers. Make sure you're fully prepared before you attempt to engage this foe.



Because of the large selection of items Diango can look after, there's now a quick right-click option for retrieving your lost holiday items. You can speak to him in the Draynor marketplace.

Discuss this update on the forums.

16th December 2008 - Stealing Creation Reward Changes

A while ago, we announced that we would be making changes to the rewards for the Stealing Creation minigame. These changes have gone live today.

• Players can no longer gain combat experience inside the Stealing Creation minigame. Instead, the sacred clay combat equipment rewards give bonus experience when they are used. This means that combat experience rewards are given in the same way as reward experience for non-combat skills.
  
  



• 
  Sacred clay reward items give experience at a much greater rate than previously. While using one of these items, the normal experience you would gain is doubled.
  
  



• 
  Rather than having a fixed number of transformations, the reward items will lose charge gradually as they give experience. The more experience you are gaining, the quicker the charge will run out.
  
  



• 
  The system for buying reward items has changed. The score you earn in the minigame is now converted into reward points, and you buy reward items using these points. If you had any points stored before this update, 200,000 of those points will be converted to the new system. Any other points will be lost. In addition, if you had more than ten tools or ten pieces of armour/weapons, any excess have been converted to reward points.
  
  

Mod John A
RuneScape Developer

Discuss this update on the forums.