Quotations taken directly from Runescape.com

13 March 2008 - Players' Gallery

This month, Postie Pete has returned with a Players' Gallery of RuneScape-related humour and comics. So, if you feel like a laugh over the Easter season, view this month's Players' Gallery here.

Discuss this update on the forums.

The guide for the new Kennith's Concerns quest has been added to the site. Thanks goes out to Fruitcheese and everyone who helped.

~ [Im4eversmart] ~

Quotations taken directly from Runescape.com

11 March 2008 - Kennith's Concerns

As ever, there are strange occurrences afoot in the slug-riddled town of Witchaven. Kennith, the odd little boy with a (justified) aversion to sea slugs, is convinced that the townsfolk are up to no good in the caverns beneath the town and he is looking for a brave adventurer with a talent for Mining to investigate.

Could it be that the sea slugs are looking to get revenge for the events of Slug Menace? Or is there some new threat looming large over Witchaven? How does Kennith's new friend, Kimberly, fit into all of this? You will need all of your wits, digging talents and sneaking abilities to find out.

Along the way, players can expect to reunite with Ezekial Lovecraft, all round man-in-the-know, in an effort to outwit the horde of secretive villagers who are determined to keep their great 'work' a surprise. You may even be introduced to an extremely volatile new kind of ore. One thing is for certain: not everything is what it seems in Witchaven...

Summary

In other news...

We've added a feature that allows you to keep an eye on the remaining charges of your crystal saw. You will now be able to track how much the crystal seed has drained when used for Construction.

Several sound effects have been added or improved in areas of RuneScape: from creaky doors and creature sound effects to travelling sounds and swords clanging against armor.

Tokkul and obsidian drops have been fixed and will once again drop for those Lootsharing while fighting TzHaar creatures.

Finally, you'll be pleased to know that the Kill Count in the God Wars Dungeon should correctly update when using CoinShare.

Discuss this update on the forums.

11 March 2008 - Stronghold of Player Safety

Professor Henry has opened a new Misthalin Training Centre of Excellence, south of Edgeville. Here, you can take a test that asks questions about staying safe in Runescape, earning some great rewards in the process!

If you're in the mood for combat, there are rumours that an old jailhouse has been discovered beneath the Centre, completely overrun by insects of an unnatural size. Strap on your fighting boots, arm yourself and get ready to investigate, as only a true adventurer can!

Summary

Discuss this update on the forums.

Mark Your Calenders for March 22!!!!

Don't miss it!! March 22, is a hawt day for our family here at RuneHQ. There is something for everyone, so don't miss out and be sure to join in on the fun.

KAROAKE: After the response we had from last months Karaoke party in Vent, we have decided to hold it again this month, but hopefully this time MrStormy and I will be able to attend. Come and join us for some fun, laughs, and perhaps a few tears (you will know what I mean if you have ever heard MrStormy sing). You will need a Ventrilo account, so if you don't have an account already, then stop by the FORUM for more information on how to get access to the RHQ Vent server.

CLANS: RuneHQ's first Ever Multi-Clan Event!!! Clans must be registered by March 19th, so please visit the forum for more details and to get your clan involved in this RHQ Tournament. This holds potential for your clan to gain your Recruitment Topic Pinned for 2-Weeks! This could mean a lot to your clan so sign up today!

MORE: Yes, there is even more going on on March 22, but the rest is a secret (don't tell anyone). Though I have promised not to tell the details, I will 'suggest' that there will be some Admins and Staff around on Runescape that day that might be up for a 'duel' or 'quest' or other Runescape related activities. Who knows? You may even see your name in the RHQ Newsletter??????

So mark your calendars for March 22 at 2:00 p.m and 8:00 p.m. CST for Karoake. If you need help converting the time, just check HERE for the time conversion.

~ ~ Stormy's_Amazon ~ ~

Hey everyone! Are you planning on purchasing a copy of Super Smash Brothers Brawl? Do you want to be part of an elite gaming clan and a community? If yes, then go check out {Pwn}, a Global Gaming HQ endeavor. Founded in June of 2006, {Pwn} has expanded to support divisions in Super Smash Brothers Brawl (Wii), Star Wars Battlefront II (PC), Halo: Combat Evolved (PC), Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (PC), America's Army: Special Forces (PC), and Counter-Strike: Source (PC).

Everyone can join the {Pwn} community, and to be a full-fledged clan member all you have to do is tryout against a high-ranking member in any games you wish to play.

We are always looking to expand into more games too, so if you can gather enough members in a specific game, you will be allowed to lead an official division in it. We look forward to playing with you!

In other news, RuneHQ is holding its first Clan Tournament! All clans are invited. See the topic for more information.

~ [Im4eversmart] ~

Hello everyone, today we have a new City Guide for your eyes to view. Please take a look at the Oo'glog City Guide for more information!



Thanks goes out to everyone who contributed.

~ Jakesterwars ~

Quotations taken directly from Runescape.com

8 March 2008 - Billing System Maintenance

Card payments and services are temporarily unavailable while we perform some essential maintenance on our billing systems.
This affects:

• Taking out a new subscription by card


• Cancelling a subscription

We are aiming to restore these services as soon as possible and apologise for any inconvenience caused.

Discuss this update on the forums.

Hello everyone, we are proud to present to you our newest Mini-quest guide! Please visit The Hunt for Surok guide for more information!



This guide was written by Job_is_God and JoeC. We thank them and all those who helped as well!

~ Jakesterwars ~

Quotations taken directly from Runescape.com

5 March 2008 - FunOrb!

You may have heard of FunOrb but know very little about what it involves. Well, it's a new website that we've released, offering a great selection of browser-based games that we'll be adding to regularly!

You'll find a variety of free games on offer, from fast and furious platformers to gloriously over-the-top shooters; from intense turn-based strategy games to brainbusting puzzles. Each of them are deep and massively enjoyable, enticing you to give them 'just one more go'.

If you have a RuneScape account then you can go to the FunOrb website, sign in and start playing immediately! This is because FunOrb is setup very similarly to RuneScape - each game has a 'free' element that can be played until you decide to become a member. Free players get highscores tables and some Achievements, while those who subscribe to FunOrb get access to full games, all Achievements, multiplayer games, a fullscreen mode and FunOrb Forums.

We also have extra website updates and games planned for the future, with new content every two weeks!

There are also features available for current RuneScape players. You can sign in to FunOrb with your RuneScape account, keeping the same Friends List and Ignore List. This means you can chat to friends across both games and even see which game they are playing (and trying to beat your score)!

What is more, RuneScape members can purchase a combined membership package for both FunOrb and RuneScape at US$7, or £4.60, when paying by credit card. That's only $2 more than your usual RuneScape membership! A FunOrb account on its own costs US$3 or £2 by credit card.

Our Rules now apply to both RuneScape and FunOrb. Rulebreakers will find that their punishments are effective on both sites.

Some of you have asked whether you can mention FunOrb on RuneScape Forums. Since we can guarantee that FunOrb is a secure site, you are free to talk about FunOrb on suitable RuneScape Forums and RuneScape on suitable FunOrb Forums.

We would also like to take this opportunity to say that FunOrb, although a product of Jagex, will not impact on our RuneScape updates. You will still be receiving the same quantity and quality of updates that you always have. There are separate teams dedicated to producing the very best content for FunOrb, so you can expect many more superb games in the future.

Discuss this update on the forums.

You can also post about FunOrb in our new FunOrb Forum Category. You need to be a registered member of the the RuneHQ Community Forums to access this. Click here to register.

Quotations taken directly from Runescape.com

4 March 2008 - Chaos Tunnels: The Hunt for Surok

It seems that Surok has made a cunning escape from his Varrock Library prison and is intent on continuing his nefarious schemes. He even found time to steal some ancient tomes from the library, unearthing dark secrets and powerful magicks.

It is clear that Surok has plans to control the city of Varrock and it is up to you to stop him! Scuppering Surok may not be as easy as it sounds, however, as he has friends in very, very high places.

Surok was last seen heading east out of Varrock, towards the Chaos Tunnels that were introduced in January.

Have a care when entering the Tunnels, as they are dark and full of creatures - including dragons - that will attack without mercy! Be sure to only take what you are prepared to lose, for there are worse things than simple orks in the dark places of this world.

Summary

In other news...

As a result of recent feedback, players can now take priest robes and gowns into Bounty Hunter. These items offer small Prayer bonuses that players might wish to make use of.

We've fixed an issue with the Assist System, so that runecrafters will be able to get 'double' runes if the assister has the necessary Runecrafting level.

The Friends and Ignore interfaces have been looked at and adjusted to make them more readable. These were slightly darker than intended.

We've been looking at a few smaller changes that will enhance your gameplay and you can expect more of these in the future:

• When reopening the Smithing interface, it will remember where you last scrolled to, similar to the bank interface.


• Romeo in Varrock will no longer interrupt you if you're passing through. You can still stop by, have a chat and see if you can cheer him up!

Discuss this update on the forums.

4 March 2008 - CoinShare and Grand Exchange Changes

Clan Chat owners now have the option to use CoinShare, an addition to the LootShare system that was requested by many of you on the Forums.

To start CoinSharing, LootShare must be activated on your clan channel. You can then choose 'CoinShare' from your Clan Chat Setup interface. It is an entirely optional addition.

CoinShare has no effect on the majority of items; they will still be allocated to members of the clan channel according to how 'lucky' they have been with previous LootSharing monster drops.

If you have CoinShare active, the following will happen if a monster drops something of great value, like a dragon chainbody:

• The item is immediately put on the Grand Exchange, set at the current market price.


• An equal amount of coins is dropped on the floor for each LootSharer. Each player can then pick their share up. The total number of coins is based on the item's lowest value on the Grand Exchange.

All of this happens immediately. For a list of items that can be converted to cash using CoinShare, and more information on how CoinShare works, please read the Knowledge Base article.

As there will be an increased number of LootSharers because of this update, we have doubled the number of LootSharing worlds. For a list, please click here.

Summary

CoinShare and the Grand Exchange:

Following the State of Play, many of you posted your concerns about how CoinShare works with the Grand Exchange. The following bulletpoints should address the worries you have:

• We have decided to place CoinShare items on the Grand Exchange so that this update has no effect on the rarity of certain items. High-value items would become more difficult to find if they were all converted into cash with CoinShare. We will place these items on the Exchange so they stay in circulation.


• CoinShare items bought or sold on the Grand Exchange DO NOT affect the item's market value. Only items that have been placed on the Grand Exchange in a conventional manner can affect the market price.


• A CoinShare item will be set at the average market price and will ALWAYS stay at the average market price. So, if the item's market price moves up or down, so will the value of the CoinShare item.


• Players receive the lowest market price when CoinSharing because of its additional convenience. Players do not have to waste an inventory space when picking up a high-value item, they do not have to travel to the Grand Exchange and they are guaranteed money from its sale.


• Players do not receive additional cash once the item has been sold on the Exchange.

Grand Exchange Interface Changes:

The Grand Exchange has been managing item trades for a few months now, which is enough time for us to check the Forums, scan your feedback and put together some changes that will not only make it easier to use, but a lot quicker too.

A lot of feedback centred on the Grand Exchange interfaces, with many of you forced to click multiple times when selling or buying. The following changes should really reduce that wasted clicking time:

• When making a Buy Offer, the +1/+10/+100/+1000 buttons increase the quantity by that amount


• When making a Sell Offer, the 1/10/100 buttons set the quantity to that amount. There is no 1000 option here, instead there is an ALL button which sets the quantity to the total in your inventory


• The Buy/Sell buttons in empty offer slots now appear by default


• The Grand Exchange Item Search interface now opens automatically when you click to make a new buy offer


• If you are collecting five or more of the same item from your collection box, they will be certed/noted (as long as they do not normally stack in your inventory)

Discuss this update on the forums.

Hello everyone, we're here to bring you a good update on the F2P quests that have been uploaded. It's not all of them right now, but they're on their way! All of these guides below listed was written by Sccrluk9 and it's greatly appreciated!



Cook's Assistant

Demon Slayer

Doric's Quest

Ernest the Chicken

Goblin Diplomacy

Thank you for reading,



~ Jakesterwars ~

Quotations taken directly from Runescape.com

3 March 2008 - Behind the Scenes - March

Over the past few months, lots of you have offered us ideas for how to get the best out of the Grand Exchange and LootShare system. Well, by Guthix, our first update of the month will see the introduction of the best of these!

First will be CoinShare, which will convert high-level drops into cash and then share it equally between you and your battling clan compatriots. This entirely optional addition to LootShare will save clans from having only one player who benefits from a high-level drop, instead offering everyone a big bag of cash when a monster drops something awesome. This fabulous new system will put the item on the Grand Exchange at the market value without you having to do anything, and will give the CoinSharers cash immediately, based on the lowest boundary that the item can sell for. Now that's service!

Talking of the Grand Exchange, Brugsen Bursen has been working on the Grand Exchange interfaces. He will be streamlining them to require fewer clicks and less time when selling or purchasing wares. The Grand Exchange Database has taken Brugsen longer than he anticipated, however; he expects this Grand Exchange aid to be ready towards the end of the month. With it, players will have a visual way to search for items, check their value and even view price fluctuations over a period of time.

All of these Varrock distractions seem to have given Surok an opportunity for escape! March will bring an addition to the Surok storyline, following the fleeing wizard north out of Varrock and into the Chaos Tunnels. The rewards are plentiful for this mini-quest, but as is customary with Surok, expect some lies, deceit, chaos and a wee bit of brutal combat.

Lies and deceit will certainly be on the menu with this month's quest, Kenniths's Concerns, and it is a dish best served cold...while covered in slug goo. That's right, the sea slugs are coming back, and they'll be up to their usual hijinks, feeding on brainwaves and attempting world domination - the little scamps. Poor Kennith, the boy you saved from certain subservience on the Fishing Platform, is being hassled by the slugs once again and he will have a few tasks for you. Needless to say, they will test your abilities to the max.

A test of a different variety awaits you in the Stronghold of Player Safety. This twin to the Stronghold of Security will be open to both free players and members, allowing those who prove their intellectual mettle in the Player Safety quiz to swipe rewards, splat cockroaches and taunt gublinch in the depths of the jailhouse below.

Also available to free players and members is our next holiday event, Easter 2008, which will bring yet another wily scheme from the Easter Bunny. What will it be this time? Well, the Easter Bunny has been noting the powers of the Summoning familiars in RuneScape - in particular, the petrifying gaze of the cockatrice. Using a complicated process that involves an incubator and a vat of finest chocolate, the Easter Bunny has hatched a chocatrice. Will the Easter Bunny's weapon of mass production work? You can bet your last gp that it won't...

In our third update this month for both free players and members, we will introduce the bizarre gnomecopters. These unwieldy vehicles have been invented by pioneering gnomes to take players high over a series of members' areas, like Castle Wars, Pest Control and Isafdar, giving them a gander at what they have to offer. The only problem is, they might look silly while they're doing it.

Certainly silly-looking (but you wouldn't say it to their faces) are the hordes of familiars and pets that make up Summoning Batch 2. These creatures look about as mean, big and unusual as TzTok-Jad after a bubble bath, so prepare for some high-level and demanding familiars. Although we had to delay the release of Summoning Batch 2, we can guarantee that this extra time has been spent well to give the creatures a little bit more of a 'kick', with rewards for persistent summoners and awesome abilities that'll knock their headdresses off.

We don't want to give away too much about these familiars in the Behind the Scenes, but you can expect a Summoning wallpaper to give you a graphical taster of what's in store. As you would expect from the end of a Behind the Scenes, there are also a number of other website-based additions to get giddy about, including a new Players' Gallery, Postbag from the Hedge and an entry in the Lores and Histories.

We told you there was a lot this month! Gadzooks!

Discuss this update on the forums.

Welcome all users, we bring to you a new city guide for your viewing. If you want to check it out, roll around to the Crandor Isle guide to see the updates.



This guide was written by Skeletonmat, with much appreciation to everyone else that helped out.

Tired of using the old Agility courses, take a look at the Dorgesh-Kaan Agility Course Map for a fresh way to raise your Agility.



This map was made by Iriel Red.

~ Jakesterwars ~

The official RuneHQ March 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

28 February 2008 - Development Diary - QA

Being a games tester is a dream job for many, but does the reality live up to the dream? In this month's Development Diary, we take a look at the various Quality Assurance teams at Jagex. Is it all just about RuneScape? Do they play games all day? Could it be the job for you? Read the Diary to find out.

Discuss this update on the forums.

28 February 2008 - Postbag from the Hedge - Player Takeover!

For the second time this month, Postie Pete arrives with a bagful of letters. Instead of being packed with questions for your favourite characters, this bag is full of replies from YOU! If you want to read your business development plans for Balnea, your popular truths about the mahjarrat or read LT's favourite limerick, then check it out here.

Next month, the Postbag returns to normal, with Wise Old Man's plans for the Temple Knights included. This certainly won't be the last you hear of the Player Takeover, however, as there were so many responses. It even broke P.P's sack!

Discuss this update on the forums.

Quotations taken directly from Runescape.com

27 February 2008 - Subscription Price Change - Canada

The price of a RuneScape credit card subscription in Canada has reduced from CAD7.30 per month to CAD5.00. There are a number of factors that determine how we set our prices (for example, currency and sales tax changes), and these have allowed us to lower our monthly credit card rate for our Canadian customers.

Both new and existing members can benefit from the reduction. The price changes will affect credit card payments in the following ways:

• If you wish to pay for a new subscription, the revised price is available now.


• If you make automatic monthly payments, the revised price will take effect on your next payment date.

Discuss this update on the forums.

Quotations taken directly from Runescape.com

25 February 2008 - Changes to Vinesweeper and more...

Vinesweeper:

Last week, we felt that there were a number of improvements we could make to the rewards of Vinesweeper and how fun it was to play. These have now been made:

• All requirements to play Vinesweeper have been removed. Anyone can play.


• The Farming experience you receive for cashing in Vinesweeper points has dramatically increased


• The price of flags has reduced when purchasing them with coins OR points


• The price of seeds from the Winkin shop has reduced, so you can purchase more with your Vinesweeper points


• Ogleroots are now available from Blinkin for 10gp each


• Players leaving Vinesweeper with their flags are able to retrieve them from Blinkin for free, without being reimbursed for them


• The rabbits haven't been getting enough ogleroots in their diet and it's had some strange effects. The rabbits have grown in size, making them easier to target with ogleroots


• The Vinesweeper rabbits seemed to be very quick at eating seeds before the farmer could get there or you could stop them with an ogleroot. To solve this, you can now distract the rabbits with an ogleroot at a larger distance, allowing you to more easily protect your flags.

Other changes:

You may also notice that the Friends and Ignore tabs have changed. This is to allow for future compatibility with FunOrb, helping you to have a natter with friends on both games with ease!

Several market values of items have been adjusted. Broken items, such as Woodcutting axes, now have a market value that differs from their fixed version. This difference is equal to the cost that a player would incur if they repaired it.

The Farming patch spirit will no longer visit players who've attained a Farming level of 16 or above when they're standing near a Farming patch.

Discuss this update on the forums.

Quotations taken directly from Runescape.com

22 February 2008 - Bounty Locate and VineSweeper

Bounty Locate Spell:

It became clear that the Bounty Locate spell was being used as a way to escape from combat in Bounty Hunter. This was never our intention and made it harder to get bounty rewards, so we have altered the spell. If you are in combat, you will run or walk towards your target rather than teleport there. You will still teleport to your target if you are not currently in combat.

Also, the Bounty Locate spell will no longer work if you are 'held' by another spell - Ice Barrage or Entangle, for example.

These changes are effective immediately.

Vinesweeper:

Having read your Forum posts, we felt that the rewards for Vinesweeper needed to be more worthwhile than they currently are. This enjoyable minigame is now having a shrewd eye cast over it. We plan to update the XP and seed rewards, amongst other Vinesweeper changes, next week.

We recommend that you keep hold of your Vinesweeper points until these changes have been made. We don't want to stop you playing the minigame; after all, we are not changing the amount of points you can earn - only what they are worth.

We also plan to make the rascally rabbits a little easier to deal with. Currently, they are too fast to be effectively stopped and will often eat your seeds before you can deploy an ogleroot.

To clarify, all of these Vinesweeper changes, and a few more, will be made next week.

Discuss this update on the forums.