Quotations taken directly from Runescape.com

28 October 2008 - Hallowe'en Event and Quest

Maggie, a travelling witch, has come to southern Asgarnia for the holiday festivities, but she's in a bit of a spot. She needs an enchanted broom to finish her potion but her ox has a cold and can't be left alone. In Swept Away, you'll need to visit several nearby witches on Maggie's behalf – and solve a few puzzles along the way.

While you're in the neighbourhood, why not try out the Holiday Event: a bit of trick-or-treating in Draynor, Rimmington and Port Sarim. The towns are decked out in holiday décor and the villagers have treats to distribute to those wearing a suitable costume. If you're interested in some holiday garb, have a chat with Maggie: she's on the look-out for someone who can do a bit of trick-or-treating on her behalf.

Swept Away can be started by talking to Maggie, who is located south of Falador and east of the Crafting Guild. The quest will be available to all players for two weeks; after this time, it will only be available to members. The Hallowe'en decorations and trick-or-treating will only be available during the same holiday period. Any treats remaining in your bank or inventory after this time will disappear after Hallowe'en.

Mod Ingrid

RuneScape Content Developer

Summary

In other news...

A large number of sound effects and changes to sound effects have been added, especially to capes and the skillcape emotes.

Human animations have been extensively modified to stop players appearing to glide around. You should also notice less 'clipping' with items like capes and armour when performing various actions or using emotes.

When you're dismissing a familiar, you can now right-click on the 'Dismiss' button. This will let you skip the confirmation screen, making it easier to dismiss the familiar during combat.

Fairy rings now have a larger clickable area. Previously, it was quite small and potentially difficult to click on, so we've enlarged it to make your journeys quicker.

Adding items to fill up compost bins should now be considerably easier. When you've used one item on the bin, your character will automatically attempt to put any further items of that type into the bin, saving you a bit of clicking.

Metarialus and Blandebir (the brewing chaps in Port Phasmatys and Keldagrim) will now offer to fill all your pots with yeast at once rather than making you go through their conversation for each pot. Using one beer glass on a barrel of freshly brewed beer will also make your character attempt to fill all their beer glasses without any additional clicking, and there's a newly installed water source in the brewery at Port Phasmatys.

Bounty Hunter Combat levels have been updated to reflect recent Combat level changes. The crater entrance requirements are now: 3-55, 50-100 and 95+ (all without Summoning).

Dragon dagger p++ should now be easier to find on the Grand Exchange. We've also taken the opportunity to change some adamant items to use "addy" at the start. This is only for the super poisoned items, namely arrows, daggers and spears.

QuickChat has now been given a predictive search feature to allow you to find the phrases you want more effectively.

A distant rumble has recently been heard just north of Baxtorian Waterfall...

Discuss this update on the forums.

Karaoke Time!

3pm and 7pm CDT (8pm and 12am GMT)

Join us!

Time again for another Ventrilo Karaoke Event. Join us Saturday for two fun filled sessions of krazy krooning from our talented RuneHQ Community. We will begin at 3pm and 7pm CDT (8pm and 12am GMT). To sign up, please visit the Ventrilo Karaoke thread on the forums to get a preferred spot on the singing list! Come share you voice talents or just listen in. For additional information, please check out the Ventrilo Karaoke thread.

Don't have Vent?

Even if you don't have a microphone, you can log in and just sit back to enjoy the show. Check out the RuneHQ Ventrilo Guide for more information on how to login. You will also need to Register on our Forums and Request a Ventrilo Account. If you have problems validating your email, make sure to check your junk/bulk email box or you can send an email to forum_admin@runehq.net.
We hope to see everyone there on Saturday!

~ RuneHQ Ventrilo Staff ~

Quotations taken directly from Runescape.com

15 October 2008 - PvP Worlds

PvP worlds have arrived! Are you ready to pit your combat skills against other players in the halls of the White Knights’ Castle? Are you prepared to fight to the death in the fields of Lumbridge? Well, now is your chance.

To get started, load up the game like normal (click here to read about the changes to the log-in system we've also released today), and then choose 'World Select' on the title screen. Then pick a world which has a tick in the 'skull' column to choose a PvP world. To avoid nasty accidents, if you let the game choose a world for you automatically it will never select a PvP world. Also note that you require a Combat level of at least 20 (not including Summoning) to get into a PvP world.

Before you are logged in, you will be warned that you are entering a PvP world which is a dangerous place: you will lose your items on death and you will not get a gravestone. Upon entering the world for the first time, you’ll be teleported to Lumbridge and given a manual to explain the finer points of PvP worlds.

Here’s a quick run-down of the features:

• Fight players (within your level range) anywhere on the map, except in a few safe areas.


• Safe areas include banks, respawn points and some guilds.


• Level ranges are 10% of your Combat level, plus 5 levels. If you are fighting inside the Wilderness, the Wilderness level is added to this total. Your current attack range is shown on your screen at all times. (The 10% is measured from the higher of the two combatants’ levels.)


• Skulling is back – same rules apply. If you initiate combat, you are skulled and on death you will lose all items, with the Protect Item prayer saving one item as normal.


• Teleport Block is back in the normal spellbook.


• Some minigames are available to play, others are not – please see the Game Guide for more details.


• Death drops are back – new rules apply. Drops will be a mixture of items from the defeated opponent’s inventory and items from drop tables specific to PvP worlds. See below for details.

The quality of the drops you get when you PK someone depends on several different factors:

• To get a reward from a kill, you also have to risk some items yourself!


• To accumulate a possible reward, you have to risk a minimum of 75k of items on a members’ world, or a minimum of 25k of items on a free world.


• Note that your three most valuable items won’t count as being risked unless you’ve been skulled, as you wouldn’t lose them.


• The longer you spend on a PvP world (outside a safe area) with the required amount of items at risk, the better your possible rewards might become, to reward you for your risk.


• The possible reward increases even faster and goes to a higher maximum if you go into a ‘hot zone’.


• Note, however, that risking more than the minimum won’t improve your rewards faster, so it’s a good idea to take relatively cheap and useful items that won’t cost you too much to replace if you die.

When you get a successful kill, the exact reward you can claim depends on a number of other factors, including the level difference between you and the value of the items items lost by the dying player. Any unclaimed loot is saved for the next kills, so you don't have to worry about it being lost if you kill a low level player.

Don't despair if you are dying a lot and losing a lot of items. The game will detect this and improve your chance of getting decent rewards when you do eventually get a good kill.

The above is a simplified description of how it all works. To prevent cheating there are various other factors taken into account. We've calculated the rewards and rates very carefully, so that a successful PKer should be able to get a good income, and PKers who get lucky might find themselves with a good drop. Higher level players may also get higher rewards to reflect their increased earning ability when not PKing, such that PKing is still worthwhile for them. The aim is to make PKing a fun alternative (albeit very high risk) way of earning money in the game.

Included in the PvP-specific drop tables is a wide range of new combat equipment and XP-boosting gloves. Members will get access to level 78 items for all three corners of the combat triangle, including armour as well as weapons, and a new set of Ancient Magick spells. Non-members will get access to corrupt dragon equipment. To find out more about these items, please visit the Game Guide.

Have fun PKing!

Mod Benny

RuneScape Content Developer

In other news...

We've changed the way your Combat level is calculated, so that PKers aren't discouraged from levelling Summoning. It seemed a bit unfair that Summoning increased your Combat level everywhere but couldn't actually be used everywhere. Therefore, your Summoning is now only counted into your Combat level if you have recently summoned a creature or held a Summoning pouch. When you log in, you will see that your Combat level has been split into two numbers (e.g. '75+6'). The first number is your base Combat level, and the second is the potential extra available from Summoning. If you're holding a Summoning pouch or have a familiar, this potential will be added on taking you to your full level.

For example, if you are level 55, this might be shown as follows:

• Without a familiar, a Summoning pouch, or having dropped a pouch recently: level 50+5


• With a familiar, a Summoning pouch, or having dropped a pouch recently: level 55

Players in the same clan chat channel will now appear as purple dots on the minimap. This is the second highest priority after friends (green) and before other players wearing the same team capes (blue). Note: Being in the same clan won't remove the default attack option in the same fashion as a team cape!

Bogrog has expanded his enterprises even further and will now convert your spare Summoning spell scrolls to shards in a similar way to his already popular pouches to shards service.

The beacons scattered throughout the wilderness will now remember how many logs you've stored at each even after an emergency has arisen (quite literally).

The reward gloves from Fist of Guthix can now be used to pick nettles without injury. Also the Fishing gloves will now give the bonus experience for swordfish in Piscatoris.

Don't get your feathered headdresses all ruffled. You can now craft these useful bits of headwear using the Assist System in addition to the traditional way.

The Corporeal beast has become wise to your tricks and has gained a stomp attack that hurts players standing underneath him. Watch out!

Discuss this update on the forums.

15 October 2008 - Improvements to the game log-in process

Today we’ve streamlined the way you get into the game. The aim is to help you get playing more quickly with fewer pages to go through every time. To start the game, simply click one of the two new buttons on the front page (depending on whether you’re a free player or a member). You will then be taken straight into the game. Once the game has loaded, you will be able to (optionally) choose both your world and detail level directly from the title screen.

More details on the changes made:

• World selection has now been moved entirely in game, so there is one less page to go through to start the game and you can get playing faster.
  
  



• We’ve had a world switcher in-game for a while, but since it is now the main way of choosing your world, it was time for an upgrade. The in-game world switcher now shows lots of extra information, including suggested activities for various worlds.
  
  

This is the new-look log-in screen with World Select and Detail Select highlighted.

• Automatic world selection. Just press 'Log in' on the title screen, and the game will automatically choose a suitable world for you. If you want to play on a specific world, just choose it from the world switcher first, and then press 'Log in'.
  
  



• Favourite worlds. The in-game world switcher now lets you select up to 2 worlds as your favourites. For example, you could set one favourite as your non-PvP homeworld and one as your PvP battle world. Once you have set up your favourite worlds from the world switcher, you will see extra buttons for them directly on the title screen, you can then click on those buttons to go straight to your favourite world.
  
  



• Members see less adverts. Because of the above changes, we’ve been able to remove adverts for members playing on free worlds – we hope you enjoy the change!
  
  



• The detail selection option has also been moved into the game. Again, this means there is one less page to go through to start the game, and gets you playing faster. This also means that you can now switch modes more easily without having to reload the game. The game will remember your last selection, so you no longer have to keep making the same choice over and over again.
  
  



• The 'safe mode' feature is now automatic. If your game fails to load for any reason, it will detect the failure the next time you load it, and automatically activate safe mode. If you want to force safe mode, then you can still do so by pressing the 's' key on your keyboard while the game is loading. Safe mode has also now been adjusted to only make the minimum changes needed to get the title screen to load: if you want to change any other options you should do so yourself from the 'Graphics Options' menu on the title screen before logging in. Your choices will then be remembered for next time.
  
  



• Unsigned mode is automatic. We’ve removed the ‘unsigned’ option from the Java options menu. Don’t worry, you can still access the unsigned applet if you need to. We’ve made the selection process for it automatic. If the game cannot load in signed mode (either because you didn’t grant it permission, or your security settings do not allow you to grant it permission) it will fall back to the unsigned version, you don’t need to do anything for this to happen.
  
  

Mod Chris E

Game Engine Developer

Discuss this update on the forums.

13 October 2008 - RuneScape Pre-pay Card Launched

We have just launched a new RuneScape subscription pre-pay card in Target stores throughout the US. The card features exclusive art on the front and comes in two versions: 30 days' subscription and 90 days' subscription.

Once purchased, you can then use the PIN number on the back of these cards to subscribe to RuneScape. You can do this by clicking on ‘Account’ in the website’s navigation, choosing ‘Start/Extend Subscription’, logging in, selecting ‘Subscribe by RuneScape Card’ as your payment method and then accepting the terms and conditions.

Discuss this update on the forums.

October Events

Welcome all danger enthusiasts! This month the Events Team is working extra hard to bring you one of the best month of events... Ever! We have come up with something so amazing that your mouths will drop before you even know what it is. The main feature of this month is that we have planned multiple events each weekend, so there is something for everyone. Just when you thought that was good enough, we also made each weekend a different event, so it will always be as fresh as fruit. Check out this forum topic for more information and discussion.

Mini-Games Day

For the third event, we will visiting two mini-games - Trouble Brewing and Pest Control! Not only do you get to dress up as a pirate, but you can also help out the Void Knights and gain some experience along the way. We'll start the day with Trouble Brewing and alternate it with Pest Control. If you want to prepare ahead of time, take a look at the Trouble Brewing Guide and the Pest Control Guide.

• Date: Saturday, Oct 25th


• Start Times: We will visit each mini-game twice.
  
  
  
  
  • 7:00 AM CST (12:00 PM GMT) - Trouble Brewing
  
  
  • 11:00 AM CST (4:00 PM GMT) - Pest Control
  
  
  • 3:00 PM CST (8:00 PM GMT) - Trouble Brewing
  
  
  • 7:00 PM CST (12:00 AM GMT) - Pest Control
  
  
  
  


• World: 60


• Starting Location: Mos Le'Harmless Bank (Trouble Brewing) and the Void Knight Outpost (Pest Control)


• Required Items: 40 Cooking and completion of Cabin Fever Quest for Trouble Brewing; 40 Combat minimum for Pest Control


• Recommended Items: Armor and Weaponry for Pest Control; Boots of lightness, Penance gloves, Spotted/Spottier cape, Rune axe (must be wielded, not carried in your inventory) and M'speak amulet.

If you are not registered on our Forums, just click here to go to the registrations page. If you have problems validating your email, make sure to check your junk/bulk email box or you can send an email to forum_admin@runehq.net.

~ RuneHQ Events Team ~

The official RuneHQ October Newsletter is here. Take some time, sit back, and enjoy yourself with the new information and happenings coming your way.

Quotations taken directly from Runescape.com

1 October 2008 - Behind the Scenes - October

October is traditionally a month of scary surprises and toothache. This month will be no different when it comes to our Hallowe’en content, with a quest AND holiday event both to be available on the free servers. For scary surprises: how about entire worlds where you can PK and hunt other players to your heart’s content? That’s right, PvP worlds are coming! But first, a few words about how we’re going to update RuneScape in the future.

During the last six months we’ve been reading through the forums, talking to you in-game and running polls on the sorts of updates you really want. It doesn’t take a genius to realise that it’s the bigger, chunkier updates that really get you excited, those like the God Wars Dungeon or a new skill. These are the sorts of updates we found that you wanted to play. Updates that you want to go back to time and time again.

So, starting from this month, we’re changing the way we release content. From now on you’ll see one massive “headline update” (such as a Recipe for Disaster or a Castle Wars) every month. On top of that, there will still be a secondary release, much more like the size of update you’re used to right now. We’re also still committed to making sure that no two weeks pass without something new.

Basically, from now on our releases will be like this:

• Four week months will have two updates: one big headline release and a secondary one.


• Five week months will have three updates: one big headline release and two secondary ones.

So, on to this month’s updates...

PvP Worlds

Ever found yourself wanting to say, “Look, it’s my tree. If you don’t stop chopping it...I’ll chop you!” Sounds cool, right? Yeah, but where could you do it? And when? The answers are PvP worlds and October!

From log-in, those that are interested in PvP content will be able to join in on special PvP worlds. The danger on these worlds will be very clear from the first messages you see, ensuring that players never log onto these worlds by mistake. After all, we don’t want players accidentally getting involved with PKing (player killing) if they don’t want to. Normal, non-PvP worlds will still act just as they do now, so don’t worry if bashing others isn’t really your thing.

Those that want to get involved will find a number of differences to the usual set-up on PvP worlds. Firstly, you’ll be able to fight people pretty much anywhere, so long as their Combat level is similar to yours (within a certain range of levels). This means that almost everywhere is dangerous. Some places, like banks and respawn points, will be deemed “safe” and no combat will be able to occur there, and some of the minigames will be disabled (you won’t be able to PK team mates while playing Castle Wars, for example) but many will still be active. Other places, like Falador, Varrock and the entirety of the Wilderness, will be considered “hot spots” where the danger will be even greater and a higher concentration of opponents.

Now, onto the money side of things. Many of you will be aware of the RWT (real-world trading of RuneScape gold for money) reasons we changed the old Wilderness. We certainly can’t just bring that threat back to RuneScape, so we have devised a system that rewards players based on a variety of factors. This means that things such as risk, level of foe and location will help to calculate rewards. Drops will be determined by a combination of drop tables and some of the gear that your opponent drops. We will go into more depth about this on the day of release.

Hallowe'en

As well as changing things around with the headline updates, we also decided to change the way we do things with our holiday events. We wanted to make the most of the little bits of fun we have every year, and give the free-to-play game a taste of the content we release in the members’ world. This year, we will be releasing a Hallowe’en-themed quest as well as the traditional holiday event. This quest will be available to our free players for the two weeks around Hallowe’en, along with the holiday event itself, and members will be able to play the quest at any time (the normal holiday event will disappear after two weeks as usual). What’s it about? Well, you’ll have to wait and see, but expect some funky decorations to start appearing.

Spooky player letters and artwork will also await those strong of stomach...so be prepared.

Updates being released after October

In case that little lot isn’t enough for you, let’s take a few moments to talk about the headline content we’re releasing in the months after October:

Stealing Creation

Not long to wait now for this crazy combination for skillers and PKers. Can you and your team work together capturing resources and equipping your warriors? Will you avoid the multitude of threats bearing down on your safe haven? Will you try to make your own way to the higher level gear, or will you just PK and destroy your opponents’ hard work? Will you be able to keep the enemy at bay while stealing creation?

Mobilising Armies

Ever fancied assaulting a castle with your very own army? You will be able to hire a mercenary force to battle against three other players, complete set objectives and earn rewards. Mobilising Armies will be a fast paced tactical minigame allowing you to control your very own RuneScape army with troops made up of humans and other races. There will also be some special effects including dive bombing gnomes and giant catapults. Will you be up to the challenge?

Have fun!



Mod Mark

Lead Designer – RuneScape

Discuss this update on the forums.

Quotations taken directly from RuneScape.com

30 September 2008 - Trade margin increase

From today we have doubled (in some cases tripled) the flexibility of the player trade system. All players will notice an increase in the amount they can trade with other players.

This means accounts with fewer than 10 quest points will be able to earn or lose up to 5,000 coins in wealth every 15 minutes from trading, free players will be able to earn a maximum of 10,000 coins every 15 minutes by completing the free quests and members will have access to a maximum of 60,000 coins per 15 minutes if they have 270 quest points. Your trade margin will increase with each quest point after 10 - for example, at 100 quest points you'll have a margin of 24,038 coins, and at 200 quest points you'll have a margin of 45,192 coins.

This was added to the game because we wanted to offer our players more flexibility when trading or helping friends out, without increasing the threat of real-world trading.

Mod Mark
Lead Designer - RuneScape

Note: Currently there are only 269 quest points available in the game, so no player will be able to reach the 60,000 coin margin until our next quest update, scheduled for a few weeks' time. The trade margin does scale up to that, though, so players a few quest points short of 270 will have a trade margin only slightly below it.

In other news...

We'd like to remind players that dangerous Clan Wars matches (including the dangerous free-for-all arena) now allow you to pick up some of your opponents' items to replenish your supplies - food, potions, runes and other ammunition - and that there are now NO gravestones in these arenas. This means that you will be unable to recover any items you drop, so only take items you don't mind risking.

Discuss this update on the forums.

30 September 2008 - Evil Dave's Evil Postbag

Once more Evil Dave has left his mark on the Postbag, and has even sent us his favourite PORTRAIT OF TERRIFYING ARTISTRY.

If you've ever wondered about where he plots and schemes, wait no longer! In addition, he brings you a poem from a banker, a message from the KGP and several illuminating explanations from Juna.

Click here to witness Evil Dave's LETTERS OF EXTRAORDINARY WICKEDNESS.

Discuss this update on the forums.

Defender of Varrock Quest Guide

Some of our members and staff have completed the newest quest, and can call themselves the true Defender of Varrock. We are proud to present you the newest addition to our range of quest guides, the Defender of Varrock quest guide.



Our thanks go out to Senug5 and everyone else who helped to defend the city of Varrock.

~ Alfawarlord ~

Quotations taken directly from Runescape.com

29 September 2008 - Defender of Varrock

Captain Rovin is eager to recruit a bold adventurer for a scouting mission to the Wilderness. There's talk among the Varrock Guard of suspicious zombie behaviour and sightings of well-armoured zombies standing in organised formations. This isn't normal behaviour for zombies - they're much more likely to wander around aimlessly when left to their own devices. Could someone be controlling them?



There are tales of evil beings leading zombie armies in the past, and when they have, the city of Varrock has come under great peril, only standing firm through the brave resolve of the people and heroes of the city. This could become much more than a simple scouting mission.

"It’s a long time since I’ve written a quest and I’ve been working on this for a while now, so I’m excited about this update.



"I’ve created lots of back-story about RuneScape over the years so it’s good to have the opportunity to reveal more of it through my own quests. You may have noticed that the Legend of Arrav has some loose ends and I felt it was time to address those. I’ve tried hard to create a quest with some interesting puzzles and an exciting storyline. I hope you enjoy it."



Paul, RuneScape Content Developer

Summary:

In Other News:

We’ve made some changes to dangerous Clan Wars fights. In such matches, you may be able to collect some of your defeated foes' items - food, potions, runes and other ammunition - assuming you can use them in the current battle (so you can't pick up food if the use of food has been disabled, for instance). Any such drops will affect both your and your victim's trade limit.



We’ve expanded the range of items that you can lend to other players. These include a small amount of newer Treasure Trail items as well as some old ones, dragon spears and most rune and granite armor and weapons. To see if the item you want is lendable, check the Game Guide for more information.



The bone grinder on the top floor of the Ectofuntus temple now works in a similar fashion to the ‘Grind-x’ mechanic. Making bonemeal should now be a little easier and stop you grinding your fingers to the bone!



The bracelet of regeneration has been given some combat stats to make it more attractive to use as an item. While this makes it more expensive, the bonuses should now make this a rather good choice for some types of combat.

Discuss this update on the forums.

Quotations taken directly from RuneScape.com.

18 September 2008 - Wallpaper - Combat Triangle

The dwarves of Keldagrim don't only study bricks and mortar; they have been known to study combat too. This week's wallpaper shows an early attempt to understand the combat triangle.

Click here to access this great wallpaper and save it to your desktop.

Discuss this update on the forums.

18 September 2008 - Players' Gallery

The Players' Gallery returns and Postie Pete's in an eclectic mood. This time he's gone for a mix of different styles: from hand-drawn portraits to cubist landscapes.

Don't forget: with Hallowe'en coming up, we're looking for spooky pictures, so get them in soon if you want them included in the next Players' Gallery.

Discuss this update on the forums.

Summer's End Quest Guide

Are you having troubles with defeating this monstrous Beast? Our members and staff have succeeded in taking care of this beast an would like to help you out. We are delighted to present to you our Summer's End quest guide.

We would like to thank JoeC and Alfawarlord for writing this guide. Our thanks also go out to everyone else who helped with this guide.

~ Alfawarlord ~

Quotations taken directly from Runescape.com

15 September 2008 - Summer's End

Those who have completed Spirit of Summer will know that their work is half done. The Spirit Beast has begun to tear through the fabric of reality and threatens to lay waste to RuneScape. Summer and her family can't stop it alone, so you're needed to confront this powerful enemy.

Brave warriors who are courageous (or foolhardy) enough to take on such a challenge will be required to venture once more into the Wilderness, crossing into the Spirit Beast's realm. Here, you'll be the main thrust of a devastating attack on the beast. If you hope to survive, you'll need the Amulet of Ghostspeak, help from the spirit family, and plenty of food and run energy...

Summary

In Other News:

The skillcape issue (where they appeared slightly off-white) took a little longer than usual to fix, as we found clipping and stretching issues in the QA testing process. Your skillcapes should now be cleaned and back to their original colours.

There is now a button below the World Map key that helps you to organise the key and how it is ordered. You can now toggle between the following options:

• Traditional: this is the current, unsorted list of key icons.


• Alphabetical: A-Z for finding what you're after easily.


• Categorised: splits the key up into the following subcategories
  
  
  
  • 'Game Features' such as quest icons or minigames.
  
  
  • 'Shops/Trading' where you can buy or sell goods.
  
  
  • 'Facilities' useful to help you with your adventures or training.
  
  
  • 'Resources' such as tree locations or mining sites.
  
  
  
  

Discuss this update on the forums.

12 September 2008 - FunOrb News

It's not often that we bring you news about FunOrb, but we think a number of games really warrant your attention. Each of these are free to play and only a few clicks away.

The first game we'd like to tell you about was only released a few days ago: Pool. Like many of the recent FunOrb releases, Pool's focus is on the multiplayer and, even though it's only three days old, it's already attracted a large community of pool players. A number of game types are available, including nine-ball and eight-ball variants, all played out on a wide selection of outlandish pool tables. There's also a single-player Time Attack mode for those that want to practise their skills.

Our second game is proving to be the most popular FunOrb title since Arcanists, so we reckon fantasy-loving RuneScapers will really enjoy it. Dungeon Assault casts you in the role of a dragon with two simple aims: to protect your hoard by constructing an elaborate dungeon, and to send raiders out to steal from other dragons. You can fill your dungeon with legions of beasts, hidden traps and guardians, making it incredibly difficult for your opponents to get to your gold. Once your stash is safe, recruit some raiders and take on players' dungeons to steal their gold.

Fans of tower defence-style games may also be impressed by Orb Defence. This takes the basics of the genre and turns the dial up to 11, bringing wave after wave of relentless enemies, a kaleidoscopic neon look, and hours of addictive gameplay.

Similarly pretty is Pixelate. It has a brand of gameplay that we have never encountered before, so we can only encourage you to get to grips with its reaction-testing puzzles and psychedelic style.

We couldn't part without mentioning the addition of global highscores to FunOrb, so your gaming feats can be recognised by the entire community. If you can get to the top on any FunOrb game, then you're a better gamer than any of us!

We plan to update you about FunOrb games in the future, but only if we think you'll really appreciate them. Indeed, a FunOrb game is planned that is based on the RuneScape universe, which might be right up your alley. Keep your eyes and ears peeled...

Discuss this update on the forums.

Quotations taken directly from Runescape.com

9 September 2008 - Clan Wars Update

The popular Wilderness minigame, Clan Wars, has received a colossal update this week.



When you next challenge a player to a clan war, you'll notice a range of new options that better suits your battling tastes; for example, you can choose whether players are able to return to the fray after dying, how long the battle may last, how many kills are required for a victory, and even what combat styles are permitted during the fight.



You might wish to force an end to a battle if either team is reduced to five survivors. This avoids chasing down over-energetic die-hards who just won't stand still. Oh, and if you prefer real penalties for failure, you can choose to make players lose all of their items on death.



Beyond that, there's a selection of arenas featuring a variety of different landscapes, so you'll have more choice about where you'd like to fight. Do you prefer obstacles that block Magic/Ranged attacks or obstacles that don't? Do you like empty spaces without any obstacles at all? The original Clan Wars arena will naturally remain available, although some areas of it have become single-way combat zones.



For the more adventurous fighter, Clan Wars offers a pair of vast, free-for-all arenas. Just wander in, alone or with friends, and prepare to fight against anyone you meet. There are no combat restrictions in those arenas, so you'll have free rein to make your own entertainment!



Calladin, the Clan Wars custodian, has something new to offer as well. He'll let you set a friend (or enemy!) as your caller. When you're in a Clan Wars arena, any chat you receive from that player will be copied to your head-up display, so it'll be easier to spot their messages in the chaos of a battle.



So, set your favourite options and prepare to fight, warrior!

In Other News:

Herblorists may be pleased to hear that Bob Barter, the expert on herb prices who stands by the Grand Exchange, is now offering a new service. If you ask him nicely, he'll look through your inventory and try to combine your 3-dose, 2-dose and 1-dose potions into vials containing 4 doses. He even knows how to handle barbarian potions and calquat kegs.



If you use a chisel on a large block of granite, you'll now be able to cut it into smaller blocks for use as Summoning ingredients.



A convenient right-click option has been added to the ghost disciples around the Ectofuntus, to help players collect their tokens even when they don't have the Amulet of Ghostspeak.



One of the skeletal wyverns was appearing as level 158 rather than level 140, even though it was really no tougher than the other level 140 wyverns. It's had its level adjusted to match the rest; this will not affect its difficulty in combat.



Eniola, the banker at the Ourania Altar, will henceforth expect payment from players wishing to use his services to collect purchased items from the Grand Exchange.



Our Graphics team has been busily fixing yet more bugs, including the following:

• The battle hood, obtained as a reward from Fist of Guthix, was appearing as green rather than purple in players' inventories. Its proper colour has now been restored.
  


• 
  Following this year's graphical update, players were finding that their computers had trouble rendering certain map areas, resulting in low frame-rates. We've made some cosmetic changes to various bits of scenery to reduce this problem.
  


• 
  When a female character wore Verac's helm, their head was appearing out of proportion to the rest of their body.
  


• 
  The bug lantern, used for killing harpie bug swarms, tended to render badly alongside certain leggings.
  


• 
  When combined with a highwayman mask, the cavalier hat was often appearing too high above the head of its wearer.
  


• 
  Players wearing the new ringmaster hat were finding their chat bouncing strangely above their heads.
  


• 
  The helmet obtained from the Drill Demon random event was causing players to lose their hair when they took it off.
  


• 
  Crab shell gauntlets were causing players' wrists to change colour!
  


• 
  If a player chose to wield an undead chicken during the Animal Magnetism quest - and who wouldn't wield such an item? - they'd sometimes find that the chicken appeared some distance from their actual hand.
  


• 
  The Zamorak banner, made in the workshops of players' houses, was stretching into people's heads.
  


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  The Bandos tassets were hanging down too much at the front, leading to graphical glitches.
  


• 
  The Amulet of Catspeak was incorrectly positioned on female characters.
  


• 
  Snakeskin vambraces were causing players' arms to move in unexpected ways.
  


• 
  The Saradomin, Zamorak and Guthix coifs, obtained as Treasure Trail rewards, were suffering from a problem that frequently caused players' heads to become transparent
  

Discuss this update on the forums.

September Official Event:
The Chase

From the far corners of Runescape come the Events Team. Who are they? Where are they? If you accept this mission, then it will be up to you to find out. Are you brave enough to track them? Find them all and you will be rewarded. Join us this month for an exciting Chase of the RuneHQ Events Team Members. For more details or to discuss this event, visit the Official September Event Topic.

• Items required: None, though teleport runes/tablets/jewelry may help.


• Objective: Solve clues, collect items from the ET members at each location, and take those items to the final destination.


• Reward: For the first three players to show all the required items at the endpoint, forum gold and your name prominently displayed in the RuneHQ front page

If you are not registered on our Forums, just click here to go to the registration page. If you have problems validating your email, make sure to check your junk/bulk email box or you can send an email to forum_admin@runehq.net.

~ RuneHQ Events Team ~

Vote in the Tri-media Bowl

The Tri-Media Bowl is in it's final voting period. Visit the Media Forums and vote for the next king or queen of media!

If you are not registered on our Forums, just click here to go to the registrations page. If you have problems validating your email, make sure to check your junk/bulk email box or you can send an email to forum_admin@runehq.net.

~ RuneHQ Media Staff ~

RuneHQ's Top 50 Clan's List

Are you a member of a powerful clan and want to show off? Want to prove to the world that your clan is the strongest? If you answered 'yes' to either of those questions, check out RuneHQ's Top 50 Clans List.

This list ranks clans by how well they do in wars with other clans. Once you sign up, the rules are simple. Win a clan war and take that clan's place; lose and you will drop down a position. This list will be updated by the RuneHQ Staff.

There are a limited number of spaces left, so sign up soon.

~ RuneHQ Clans Staff ~

For the past few weeks our members and Site Editors have been working hard on writing guides. Below you will find a list of our newly published guides.

New Guides:

• 
  Learning the ropes: Having a hard time getting used to the world of RuneScape. This tutorial will tell you all about the basic of the game. Submitted by DarkBlitz. Thanks to all the others for corrections.
  
  
  
  



• The Great Orb project: Submitted by diamondi3ack, Job is God, and Alfawarlord. Thanks to all the others for corrections.
  
  
  
  



• Runecrafting Guild: Submitted by diamondi3ack, MysticEchos, and Job is God. Thanks to all the others for corrections.
  
  
  
  




• Beacon Network: Submitted by Belgariad04, Alfawarlord, and Maonzhi. Thanks to all the others for corrections.
  
  
  
  



• 
  Bounty Hunter: Submitted by diamondi3ack. Thanks to all the others for corrections.
  
  
  
  



• 
  Gnomecopters: Submitted by Komnodragon1 and Bladerman970. Thanks to all the others for corrections.
  
  
  
  



• 
  Desert Slayer Dungeon Bosses: Submitted by JasonD and Sanru. Thanks to all the others for corrections.
  
  
  
  



• 
  Crandor Map: Submitted by Brenden. Thanks to all the others for corrections.
  
  
  
  



• 
  Feldip Hills Hunter Map: Submitted by Darkblitz. Thanks to all the others for corrections.
  
  
  
  



• 
  Miscellania: Submitted by Shebok10 and MysticEchos. Thanks to all the others for corrections.
  
  
  
  



• 
  Rimmington:: Submitted by MysticEchos Thanks to all the others for corrections.
  
  
  
  



• 
  Barbarian Outpost and Lighthouse Submitted by MysticEchos Thanks to all the others for corrections.
  
  
  
  

If you would like to help with writing new guides or updating existing guides/items/person/monsters, then hop over to the Submissions Area on our Community Forums.



If you are not registered on our Community Forums, just click here to go to the registrations page. If you have problems validating your email, make sure to check your junk/bulk email box or you can send an email to forum_admin@runehq.net.

~ Alfawarlord ~

Quotations taken directly from RuneScape.com

5 September 2008 - Jagex Store: The New Batch

Two weeks ago, we introduced USB wireless mice, hoodies, t-shirts and other goodies to the Jagex Store. This week, we can add to their number with four items for use at school, work or home:

• USB flash drive


• Backpack


• Drawstring bag


• Pencil case

Visit the Jagex Store to start filling up your shopping basket! Also, keep your feedback and suggestions coming on the Jagex Store Feedback forum, as we plan to keep creating merchandise according to your ideas.

Quotations taken directly from Runescape.com

2 September 2008 - Distractions and Diversions

When levelling skills or trekking around RuneScape, you might want to keep an eye out for some unusual goings on. This is because the Distractions and Diversions (a new type of game feature in RuneScape) are cropping up randomly, offering you some interesting experiences. We think you'll enjoy being distracted by these new ways to train, as they can be fun and useful...

Balthazar Beauregard's Big Top Bonanza:

The circus offers more than entertainment: it gives you the chance to be a star. Perform on the tightrope and show off your Agility, test your aim at the Ranged event, or blow things up in the Magic performance! Every week you'll get the chance to show your stuff and earn great rewards in the process.

Penguin Hide and Seek:

What's black, white and covered in leaves? A penguin pretending to be a bush! It may sound crazy, but it's true. Ten penguins have gone incognito and infiltrated the lands of RuneScape. Your mission, should you choose to accept it (and who wouldn't?), is to track down these mischievous birds and report them to Larry in the Ardougne Zoo. He'll reward you handsomely with XP or gold coins; so, the more penguins you find, the greater your reward.



You'll need to keep your eyes peeled - the ten penguins will change location every seven days and have a tendency to wander about the place. Keep finding them to collect your reward.

Shooting Star:

Stars are falling from the sky, ripe with rewards! Mine the meteorite and you'll get up to 200 pieces of stardust. Manage to get to the middle of the star and you'll meet the star sprite, who will reward you according to the amount of stardust you have mined.



Watch out, though: there's a two hour gap between shooting stars, so you should take advantage of the stars when you see them. Get a better idea of when (and where) they'll fall by using your player-owned house telescope, but they'll still be hard to find. The stars are big and slow to mine through, so they're best mined by several people at once. Call on your friends to make your way to the middle with slightly more ease...

In other news...

Many items that are frequently purchased on the Grand Exchange have had their purchase limits increased so you can buy more of them at once. These include bows, poisoned darts, several dragonhide items, poh teleport tablets, pyre logs, bones, fruit and more!



Certain searches in the in-game world map, like "fishing guild", wouldn't yield any results. I'm sure you're all angling to hear that the Fishing Guild is still in the same plaice, so you should sea that this problem has been e-ray-sed!



Two worlds (60 and 61) have been designated as suggested 'Great Orb Project' worlds. While we've noticed a fair amount of activity on worlds such as 1, 2, 6 and 9, these are the main trading worlds and are often near capacity or full. Therefore, we have selected 60 and 61 so that you'll be able to log in straight away and join others who're playing this minigame.

Discuss this update on the forums.