Quotations taken directly from Runescape.com

21 February 2008 - The State of Play

If you look back at the last few months, you may have mixed feelings about some of the releases. Unbalanced trade removal; Bounty Hunter and Clan Wars; LootShare; the Assist System; the Grand Exchange: these were all massive changes affecting a huge number of people. They were so big, in fact, and released in such a short period of time, that we could not get everything right while also making every player happy. We certainly aimed to do so, but we still came some way short.

We decided, soon after their release, that we could address many of your problems with them. Your feedback on the Forums has really helped, and we have even been able to consult you on a number of instances. This led to the 'Future Changes to Recent Updates' in January: a list of our proposed changes to our recent content. It's been a while since we released that newspost, and many of you seem worried that we've forgotten about the changes to LootShare, Grand Exchange and our other releases. Well, we can assure you that we haven't forgotten. In fact, we have allocated nearly half of our content developers to getting these recent updates back on track!

We plan to release a State of Play regularly, to give you a real idea of how the most anticipated updates are progressing, so keep your eyes peeled for more news in the future.

The green progress bars will give you an idea of how close each project is to being released.

Grand Exchange Improvements:

Some changes to the Grand Exchange interfaces are entering the final stages of testing. We've listened to your feedback and we are finishing off interface changes to really speed up your selling and purchasing.

We also promised 'a new web page...which will allow you to track item prices over a long period of time'. This is very close to completion and is currently with our Quality Assurance team. This will be a comprehensive and very visual means for you to find out item values and compare them with others, or see how they fluctuate over time. As you can imagine, we believe that this will be really useful to any merchants out there.

Finally, the Grand Exchange pricing errors are being fixed in what will be an ongoing process. We have staff members dedicated to collating information from the Forums and in-game sources, so you'll see amendments occurring as the weeks go on. Here are a few examples of pricing issues that we have remedied:

• We've allowed Summoning items to be traded on the Exchange for a wider range of prices over a prolonged period, and allowed their prices to adjust with their large number of sales.


• We have made the price of items such as jewellery, poisoned dagger and clockwork toys behave more consistently, so that you are always getting a fair deal.


• We've allowed a more generous range of prices on the Exchange for those items that are sold in shops.


• We've also fixed a number of bugs that have been highlighted in the Forums, such as how potions behave.

We'd also like to remind you that the 'Grand Exchange Price Feedback' thread in our Suggestions Forum is the place for any constructive feedback you have on our market prices.

Fairer LootShare:

One of the most requested improvements will be to our LootShare feature, which has been worked on solidly since its announcement in the 'Future Changes to Recent Updates'. We will be calling these changes 'CoinShare'. With it activated, a clan will not receive a high-value item as a monster drop; instead, the item will be put on the Grand Exchange at the median price. The team of LootSharers will immediately gain a share of coins equal to that item's lowest market value, without waiting for that item to sell on the Exchange. This is in final testing, at a similar stage to the Grand Exchange tweaks.

Item Lending:

Currently at a briefing stage is the item-lending feature. It has been incredibly difficult to find that balance between versatility and stopping cheaters from abusing it. We believe we've found a solution that achieves this, and we will give you more news in future articles.

New PvP Minigame:

Clan Wars and Bounty Hunter did a fair job of offering new PvP gaming choices, but they weren't without their problems; in particular, Bounty Hunter was dominated by large clans, which just wasn't how we intended Bounty Hunter to be used. We are aware that this week's Bounty Hunter changes leaves only Clan Wars for multi-way fighters, which does not offer the level of danger and reward that Bounty Hunter did. We can reveal that changes to the Clan Wars arena are at a proposal stage and future multi-way minigames are planned, all of which should alleviate these concerns.

It must also be said that Clan Wars and Bounty Hunter were never alone intended as a replacement for the Wilderness. We saw them as the first in a series of PvP minigames, with other games being briefed that would attempt to cater for all types of PKer. Well, the next PvP minigame is now finishing development and entering the first round of quality assurance. We're certainly very excited about this single-way, one-versus-one safe minigame.

Summoning Improvements:

When we started work on Summoning, we made the decision that it would be interesting, fun and rewarding, while also taking longer than most skills to level up. We feel now that we weren't so hot on the 'rewarding' aspect, which has been an obstacle to many people enjoying the skill. Despite a few tweaks, we still don't believe that it is as rewarding as it can be, and the worst thing we can do is to keep making tweaks every week for a long period of time.

So, we have decided to rebalance Summoning and release it with Summoning Batch #2. This rebalancing is about 20% complete and we will keep you informed about how it progresses. As you can imagine, this is a huge priority for us, so you can expect this percentage to rise rapidly.

We do appreciate that all of these changes are taking a while, and that a lot of people are urgently awaiting them. So, we are treating them as a priority. This is not the last you will see of progress reports like this, either: you can expect similar updates in the future, as we make more of an effort to inform you about the state of play...

Discuss this update on the forums.

*Drum roll* Welcome along our new Mini-game guide! Visit around the Vinesweeper Guide for more information on this fun-filled mini-game. This game is short and to the point for getting easy seeds once you get flagging and such down without a problem.



Hint: It's basically Minesweeper, so if you're a nut about that game, you'll love this.

~ Jakesterwars ~

Quotations taken directly from Runescape.com

19 February 2008 - Bounty Hunter Combat Changes and Rewards

When we introduced Bounty Hunter in December 2007, we intended it, alongside Clan Wars, to be the first of a series of enjoyable PvP minigames. Three months on, we have had a chance to look at your Bounty Hunter feedback and comments, and have come up with changes that will really improve it!

For information on future PvP content and minigames, keep your eyes peeled. We have news for you in the coming weeks!

Combat Change:

First on our critical ticklist was the multiway aspect of Bounty Hunter. Occasionally, solo players would walk into Bounty Hunter and be ambushed by huge clans who they didn't stand a chance against.

This was not what we intended to happen, therefore, we have tweaked the rules so multiway combat can only be used in certain circumstances. The aim is that going in with some friends or a clan does, of course, still give an advantage, but not to such a ridiculous extent. As such, a skilled solo player has a fighting chance as well.

So, this week, we have made Bounty Hunter single-way combat, meaning that only one player may attack another player at any time. There are two exceptions to this rule:

• You are able to attack someone who is in combat if they are your Bounty Hunter target


• You can be attacked when in combat if you are the Bounty Hunter target of your opponent

We would like to remind you that Bounty Hunter is a dangerous minigame, and you risk losing your items when entering the caverns.

Cash Rewards:

We have introduced another reason for being a bounty hunter: cash rewards for defeating your bounties.

Mandrith loves to reward bravery, so players who kill 10 or more bounty targets will earn cash rewards based on the market value of their combat items. This cash amount is worked out by taking only the second, third, fourth and fifth most expensive combat items you are carrying and giving you access to an amount of coins based on their value. You will have to defeat at least 10 bounty targets to receive your reward, which you can do by speaking to Mandrith.

There is a limit to the amount you can receive per 10 kills, according to the crater you entered:

• Low-level crater - You may receive a reward up to a limit of 40,000gp for 10 kills


• Medium-level crater - You may receive a reward up to a limit of 80,000gp for 10 kills


• High-level crater - You may receive a reward up to a limit of 120,000gp for 10 kills

A summary of your kills will be given when you exit each crater. You do not have to kill all 10 players in one go - Mandrith will remember how many more kills you need for your next visit.

Bounty Locate Change and Rune Rewards:

Some of you felt that the Bounty Locate spell was only available to members and was slightly too high-level, giving the advantage to more experienced players.

Well, we have made tweaks that should make the Bounty Locate spell more accessible and affordable! Firstly, we have reduced the Magic level required to cast Bounty Locate to 32, and reduced its cost to 1 law rune, 1 air rune and 1 fire rune.

We have made the spell available to F2P, and once you have made 10 Bounty Hunter target kills, you will receive a prize of 15 law runes, 15 air runes and 15 fire runes - the number of runes required to cast 15 Bounty Locate spells!

To get a running total of how many targets you need to kill, or to receive your rune rewards, visit Mandrith outside of the Bounty Hunter volcano. You do not have to kill all 10 players in one go - Mandrith will remember how many more kills you need for your next visit.

Summary

Discuss this update on the forums.

In other news...

Mandrith has decided to make some amendments to his tutorial, so you may visit him at any point to read more about the Bounty Hunter changes.

Due to the recent improvements to Bounty Hunter, it will no longer be possible for you to take Summoning scrolls, pouches or summoned familiars into the dangerous minigame. This is because familiars cannot help you fight in single-way combat areas.

Players who return to their own gravestone in time can now pick up their Recipe For Disaster gloves if they died with them.

We've had a few words with Ordan at the Blast Furnace about his maths skills. He was getting a bit confused but he should now quote you the correct price for the amount of ore you wish to uncert.

The bank scrolling issue has been fixed so that it will now jump to the row of your bank that you were looking at when you last opened the bank interface.

19 February 2008 - Vinesweeper and Amulet of Nature Update

Vinesweeper:

Winkin the gnome has taken his crops to market, so Farmer Blinkin has been left in charge. Simple instructions have been left: harvest the Farming patches while Winkin is away. Unfortunately, a family of hungry rabbits have moved into the neighbourhood and they are eating the seeds before Winkin can say,"Get off my land"!

As if this wasn't nuisance enough, the hired farmhands have had one too many blurberry specials and forgotten where they planted their seeds. It has all become a bit too much for poor Blinkin, so he has opened the farm's doors to any adventurer who is willing to help.

It's not all bad news, however. Everyone knows that gnomes are magical creatures and industrious, to say the least; so, the farmyard has been imbued with magic that will let you know when you are close to a seed. So grab a spade, start digging and improve your Farming levels while helping out poor Blinkin!

Oh, and be sure to pay a visit to Mrs Winkin's Farming Emporium. Here you can trade in your hard-earned points for prizes, like seeds and chunks of Farming XP!

Summary

New Farming Amulets:

The magical amulet of nature has been revised by the clever druids of Taverley to provide budding farmers with even more assistance! Not only will it retain it's previous functions - updating it's owner on the state of their Farming patch - it will also offer you two welcome additions and the ability to talk!

You will now be able to contact a farmer that is near your patch, and you can use the amulet to teleport to your diseased plant. These changes will certainly allow you to manage your patches much more effectively.

But that's not all! The druids have been able to put some of the original amulet's magic into a new amulet of Farming, which can be bought from Farming stores throughout Runescape. These lesser amulets have only a limited number of uses and will only work with vegetable or flower patches. These will inform your of the state of your chosen Farming patch, much as the amulet of nature did previously.

Discuss this update on the forums.

Quotations taken directly from Runescape.com

14 February 2008 - Postbag from the Hedge - Player Takeover

Postie Pete has some letters written by RuneScape characters, and this time he wants you to answer them! Read through these letters, then get replying and we'll choose the very best for this month's Postbag from the Hedge.

Can you assist Reldo's research into ancient topics? Do you have a better idea for the goblin Chosen Commander? Do you have 5 minutes to spare for Balnea's quick informal survey into future business growth opportunities? If so, get over to the Postbag and start replying to their letters!

You can write your reply to the usual Postbag from the Hedge address and they will post up their favourite responses later in the month.

Discuss this update on the forums.

14 February 2008 - Players' Gallery

It is not only RuneScape that has seen a sudden increase in creatures thanks to Summoning. Postie Pete has had animals popping up left, right and centre in this month's Players' Gallery.

Be it the wolves of White Wolf Mountain, your faithful feline followers or even an abyssal demon, you will be able to find a wide variety of beasts for you in this month's great selection.

Pete also wants you to know that he's particularly interested in dragons - if you produce a dragony image, the KBD might take a swift look (or three) at it.

Discuss this update on the forums.

The guide for the new Catapult Construction quest has been added to RuneHQ. This short quest is a continuation of the Regicide quest series. A big thanks goes out to budmash and everyone else who helped complete it so quickly.

~ [Im4eversmart] ~

Quotations taken directly from Runescape.com

13 February 2008 - Catapult Construction

Following your disruptive behaviour in the Tyras Camp, things are not going well for the catapult guard. Already unpopular with his comrades after various security lapses, he's now neglected the catapult, allowing damp to seep in and rot the frame. General Hining is furious, the replacement catapult parts haven't arrived and the rookie catapult engineer has gone missing in hostile Isafdar.

It's a good thing, then, that a bold adventurer with your Construction knowledge is in the area; however, this will take much more effort than simply building furniture. You'll need to source some schematics, collect the finest materials and exert your mind as well as your hammer-hand...and that's just when building the catapult. You will also need to put it through some rigorous tests before the fearsome weapon can be deployed. After all, you'll want to be pretty sure of where your boulders are going to land!

As well as some Construction know-how, you will also learn to be more effective when using Castle Wars catapults. Needless to say, this Catapult Construction quest will help make amends for the carnage you caused during your last visit.

Summary

In other news...

Over the past week, the new music system has been causing issues with server load, leading us to remove some of it so that it doesn't interrupt your enjoyment of the game. We would like to apologise for any inconvenience this has caused you over the past few days - as you can imagine, it is difficult for us to know the exact effect that hundreds of thousands of players, both members and free, will have on servers when we release a new piece of content like this! We have put in a lot of work to optimise the music system, so you can now use it without any server issues at all.

On another musical note, we have looked at those songs that players cannot unlock, due to them being related to completed quests. Anyone who missed out on unlocking a quest-specific track while the music system was deactivated, and who can't return to the area to unlock it again, will have the track unlocked for them in this update. As always, if you notice any further issues with this or any other content, please do send us a bug report. Your support is incredibly helpful in these matters.

Discuss this update on the forums.

Hello everybody! We have a ton of brand new updates for you today! First off, you may already have noticed we have revamped all the RuneHQ site themes, complete with a brand new logo and updated graphics. In addition to this we have rearranged a few things here and there to make the site more accessible to everyone. You can change the themes in the menu to the left.

Following this comes probably the biggest update. We are very pleased to inform everyone that RuneHQ and RuneHead are now working together as affiliates to improve your RuneScape experience. The first feature we have added is the Top Clans Database. This database, created using the memberlists of clans registered on RuneHead.com, lists the top 100 clans based on Combat, Hitpoints, Magic, Ranged, and Overall average levels. Also in the works is a voting feature that will let everyone vote for who they believe is the best clan in RuneScape, so keep your eyes open for future updates from the combined efforts of RuneHQ and RuneHead! We look forward to future projects in this partnership.

The next update is the launch of RuneHQ Radio! This cool feature will let you listen in to various songs being streamed by the RuneHQ DJs. In the near future we will open up applications to everyone interested in becoming a DJ. At the moment we only have a few, so music may not be streaming all the time. If you press play and nothing happens then chances are no DJ is currently online. Have fun listening! NOTE: The server it is currently on will not be able to support a massive number of listeners. Therefore for the next few weeks keep in mind that we are just testing the functionality of the radio, and that there WILL be a lot of lag.

Lastly, we have a new page for Hosted Clans. These are clans that have been given web hosting by RuneHQ for their continued activity in our Clan Forums. If you have an established clan and wish to be hosted too, then actively help out other clan members and discuss everything related to clans in our Clan Discussion forums, or post your latest war victories or pk spoils in our War Results and PK Run Ins boards, or maybe even post some Clan Videos or Recruitment Topics. The most active clans on our forums will not only be given their own hosting, but also their very own Ventrilo channel on the Global Gaming HQ Ventrilo Server. We look forward to discussing everything involving RuneScape clans with you!

As always, RuneHQ aims to provide you with the absolute best RuneScape experience, and is constantly listening to your suggestions on our Community Forums to make RuneHQ a better place.

~ [Im4eversmart] ~

Quotations taken directly from Runescape.com

9 February 2008 - Music system temporarily off

We've had to turn off some parts of the new music system because they'd been causing problems with server load.

This means that:

• Music tracks may not be automatically selected for you as you move from area to area. But you can still always select a track to play manually from the music player interface.


• You may also find that you're not getting new tracks unlocked as a result of this. If you miss out on a once-only quest-specific music track during this time, we will ensure that it is unlocked for you after the problems are fixed, which will hopefully be in the next week.

Please accept our sincerest apologies for the inconvenience.

Discuss this update on the forums.

Quotations taken directly from Runescape.com

5 February 2008 - Audio Week and Improved Edgeville Dungeon

The New Music System:

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

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

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

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

Song Unlocking Information:

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

The 500 Song Emote:

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

Sound Effect Improvements:

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

• Torches crackling in caves and dungeons


• Floorboards creaking in Draynor Manor


• Improved sounds for doors


• Sounds for lighting/extinguishing lanterns and candles


• Various improved background sounds

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

Improvements to existing songs:

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

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

- The Audio Team.

Edgeville Dungeon area improvement:

Venture, if you dare, into the depths of the newly-improved Edgeville Dungeon. Whether you want to dice with chaos druids or stand tall amongst giants then come on down, the graphically improved dungeon awaits you. Who knows, you might make it out alive - unlike some of the other inhabitants!

In other news...

Balance has been restored! Players can now obtain Summoning XP from the Tears of Guthix minigame. Genie lamps can also grant your Summoning wishes in a similar fashion.

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

The Carrallangar teleport in the Ancient Magicks spellbook wasn't teleporting to the right place. This has been fixed and you should now teleport to the correct location instead of arriving slightly further to the west.

The ogres and spiders outside of Oo'glog have been relocated slightly, as they were scaring the chinchompas away. Players can now hunt these creatures without as much interruption.

Discuss this update on the forums.

Table of Contents:

Introduction

Announcements

Events
Awards

Staff Birthdays

Staff Promotions

Fun Stuff

Introduction

February Newsletter

A short month but no shortage of interesting news and developments!

This newsletter will be available at the beginning of each month with the purpose of keeping our community enlightened with any information that might be heading your way. For any further

information please make sure that you check out our forums for details.

Announcements

New Vent Server! - New Update!

In an effort to make sure all of our users have the best online experience possible, RuneHQ has upgraded its Ventrilo server to a capacity of 700% what it previously was! In doing so,

however, the login information to the Ventrilo server has changed! Please check out the RuneHQ Ventrilo Guide for the updated

information and how to login.

If you have not registered a Ventrilo account you will need to do so in this forum. If you have questions, our
href="http://runehq.net/RHQInn/index.php">Community Forums are an excellent place to get them answered.

Lastly, if you have an established clan (more than 50 members), and want your own channel for it, then head over to this topic

and make a request. Please include a link to your clan's RuneHead list so we can ensure your clan is established.

Ventrilo is the next evolutionary step of Voice over IP (VoIP) group communications software. By offering surround sound positioning and special sound effects on a per user, per channel, per server

or global configuration level the program provides each user the option to fully customize exactly how they wish to hear sounds from other users or events. Ventrilo is best known for it's superior

sound quality and minimal use of CPU resources so as not to interfere with day to day operations of the computer or during online game competitions. It is also preferred for the simple user

interface that any first time computer user can very quickly learn because the most commonly used features are immediately visible and can be activated with a single click of the mouse.

Buzz Topics

Buzz Topics are some of the most popular or read topics currently on the forum. We invite everyone to stop by and view these and post your thoughts with the community.



Who Do You Think Is The Best Runehq Member?



RuneScape News - Summoning!



Who To Blame?, overweight American

Events

Vent Karaoke Party!

Wanna show off those singing talents, have some fun, or even just listen to MrStormy sing That's Amore? Well your chance is on Saturday Feb 23rd when we'll have an official karaoke room where

people can express their musical talents with appropriate songs. Don't forget, you must sign up for Vent to attend!

The February RuneHQ Event!

The RuneHQ has another wonderful event planned for our community. For more information on how you become involved please make sure that you visit The February RuneHQ Event! for more information. Love to see you all there!

Awards

Congratulations to the Signature of the Month winner Rebekah. She entered this winning signature:

If you would like to participate in next month's Signature of the Month, and have a chance to be featured on the main site, make sure you visit us on our
href="http://runehq.net/RHQInn/index.php">forums.

Staff Birthdays

Below are the staff members that we would like to wish a Happy Birthday to this month.

February-13 Mutiny

February-27 SpicySalsa

Staff Promotions

I am proud to announce that these following people have been promoted within the site due to the hard work and dedication that they show every day. Please welcome them to the ever-growing community

known as RuneHQ.

Siegflare - Price Editor

Navy_seal - Price Editor

Knight9693 - Price Editor

I Hrt Dbl Ds - Wilderness Category Moderator

Tams - FAQ Team

Ostee - FAQ Team

D-ablo - FAQ Team

305_Diablo - FAQ Team

DarkVortexX - FAQ Team

Job_is_God - RuneHQ Validators

KalphiteKing - RuneHQ Validators

samhartling - RuneHQ Validators

JoeC - Runescape Category Moderator

SpicySalsa - Chat Moderator

Debateman3 - Media Moderator

Nickstud - Price Editor

Cloudsfinalh - Price Editor

Akaris_Light - Clans Category Moderator

Fun Stuff

And here is the second load of puzzles for the newsletter. Last month there wasn't a prize, but this month the winner of each of the puzzles (wordsearch, cryptogram and maze) will be entered once into the end-of-month prize draw for a chance to win an array of prizes! I am proud to announce the winners of this months competitions!

The winner of the wordsearch competition was... Akaris_Light. The winner of the maze competition was... Zarkith. And finally, the winner of the cryptogram competition was... Supersims. Congratulations to all 3 of you and good luck for the monthly drawing!!

Want a challenge? See if you can solve the monthly crossword puzzle and the the monthly wordsearch puzzle.Follow the instructions to submit your answer.

Thank you for coming to RuneHQ, Make sure you visit us on our forums and become a member of our ever growing community.

Credits

Editor: DRAVAN

Games: Mutiny and samwilliamh

Events: Sir Brendan8 and Kassandra

Graphics: DRAVAN

News Information: DRAVAN, Kuramawhip and the RuneHQ Staff

Quotations taken directly from Runescape.com

1 February 2008 - Behind the Scenes - February

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

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

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

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

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

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

Discuss this update on the forums.

Hello everyone, welcome back to our next update. Today, we have the newly written Duel Arena Guide. In the guide expect to see the regular Dueling as well as the Duel Tournament rules and descriptions.



This guide was written by Lament and Skeletonmat and a big thanks to everyone else who helped with this guide.

~ Jakesterwars ~

Quotations taken directly from Runescape.com

31 January 2008 - Lores and Histories

Those avid readers of the Postbag from the Hedge and the Lores and Histories will know that Reldo never ceases in his hunt for classic literature, informative texts and amusing tales, and now he's finished restoring a truly classic text dating from the last days of the Fourth Age.

The Excellent Log of the Journeys and Tribulations of Samuel Scourduel is the diary of an intrepid explorer from the days before exploration was common and is an interesting example of humankind's first encounters with some of the stranger inhabitants of RuneScape. It's a hefty tome, though, so Reldo has decided to build the anticipation by only releasing the first two of the four entries for now.

So, how did the gnomes react upon meeting a tall man from Varrock? Were the TzHaar shocked to discover that not all the beings on RuneScape were made of stone? Click here to find out more about the remarkable Samuel Scourduel.

Discuss this update on the forums.

31 January 2008 - Postbag from the Hedge

Postie Pete has recovered from his New Year's Party just in time to dash around to RuneScape's denizens with your letters.

This month, Reldo sheds light on some mysterious symbols around RuneScape, the master of Castle Wars comments on fashion, and we finally find out what chinchompas do in their spare time...

Pete wants to let you know that the druids of Taverley are very interested in your animal artwork at the moment. If you have a favourite RuneScape monster, animal or beast then get drawing and send it in!

Discuss this update on the forums.

Quotations taken directly from Runescape.com

30 January 2008 - Login Changes to the Website

Moving from one RuneScape website feature to another often required you to repeatedly enter your username and password. For example, posting a message on the Forums, accessing QuestHelp and setting your recovery questions meant entering your details on three separate occasions.

We want to encourage you to use these features, so we have made some improvements to how you login to the RuneScape website. Now, you will only have to enter your username and password once when using the majority of our website features. Logging into the game will still require your username and password.

The site-wide login is available for:

• Reporting a bug/fault


• Posting in the Forums


• Viewing your friends' Hiscores


• Changing your password


• Voting in a poll


• Finding hints for a quest in the QuestHelp system


• Modifying your recovery questions

For security reasons, the site-wide login does not affect the following, and you will still have to enter your details to access them:

• Setting up a subscription


• Logging into RuneScape


• Appealing an offence


• Visiting the pmod centre

We would like to remind you that your password should only be entered on www.runescape.com. Some websites attempt to look similar to RuneScape. Don't trust a site just because it looks official.

We have also made some graphical changes to the offence appeal, ticketing system, password history and recovery questions pages, so that they fit in with the recent Billing System rework.

Discuss this update on the forums.

Hey everyone! The guide for the As a First Resort quest has been completed. Please thank Budmash, Theundeadgod, and everyone else who helped. Happy questing!

~ [Im4eversmart] ~

Quotations taken directly from Runescape.com

29 January 2008 - As a First Resort...

Having travelled to the ogre town of Oo'glog, Balnea could not have expected such an irresistible business opportunity. The town may be full of annoying bugs and surly ogresses, but it's also home to some rather miraculous pools!

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

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

Summary

In other news...

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

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

We've fixed an issue that sometimes caused players to appear to disappear in Clan Wars. This was only happening in some areas and has been changed so players won't vanish anymore!

The one-dose Zamorak potion wasn't behaving in the same manner as the other versions. This has been corrected so that all doses give you the same benefits.

Rings of life will no longer teleport you out of Clan Wars when you're low on Hitpoints. This is a safe minigame, so there was no need for it to teleport you to safety.

Discuss this update on the forums.

Introducing our Summoning Skill Guide, after many long hours of hard work! If you don't know where to start with this new skill, take a look at some of the strategies listed. Also many of the new Summoning items have been added to our Items Database. If you would also like to contribute your strategies, please visit the Submissions Forum.

The magic of Summoning awaits you! This guide was written by Terr002, niekjepiek, Jakesterwars, and Xander_7.

Have a great time Summoning those mystical creatures!



~ Jakesterwars ~

Quotations taken directly from Runescape.com

23 January 2008 - Wallpaper - Castle Wars

The Castle Wars minigame is a place to prove your mettle against others, fight for the honour of the gods and bask in the glory of victory. We've added an action-packed new wallpaper to the Downloads and Wallpapers section, showing the followers of Saradomin and Zamorak engaged in a pitched Castle Wars battle!

Discuss this update on the forums.

Quotations taken directly from Runescape.com

22 January 2008 - Pawya and Grenwall Hunter Creatures

The pine forests of Isafdar provide a fresh hunting ground for intrepid box-trappers. Two recently-discovered beasts have survived by avoiding the traps, pits and dire wolves of Isafdar, so will prove pretty elusive, even for experienced and knowledgeable hunters.

Pawyas are timid creatures that scour the forest in search of fruit to eat, hiding underground at the slightest noise. It is rumoured that they are particularly fond of papaya - something of a rare commodity in their native environment.

Grenwalls, on the other hand, are carnivores with limitless appetites and a prickly attitude. They will compete with you by hunting and devouring any pawya unfortunate enough to cross their path. In order to outwit these tricky critters, experienced hunters will need to hone their skills by using a suitable bait to trap them...

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

Summary

In other news...

We've added a new fruit tree patch in Lletya. This is particularly useful for those who wish to grow papaya as pawya bait.

Discuss this update on the forums.

In an effort to make sure all of our users have the best online experience possible, RuneHQ has upgraded its Ventrilo server to a capacity of 700% what it previously was! In doing so, however, the login information to the Ventrilo server has changed! Please check out the RuneHQ Ventrilo Guide for the updated information and how to login.

If you have not registered a Ventrilo account you will need to do so in this forum. If you have questions, our Community Forums are an excellent place to get them answered.

Lastly, if you have an established clan (more than 50 members), and want your own channel for it, then head over to this topic and make a request. Please include a link to your clan's RuneHead list so we can ensure your clan is established.

~kassandra~ and [- Smc5528 -] and ~ [Im4eversmart] ~

Quotations taken directly from Runescape.com

17 January 2008 - Grand Exchange Changes

A couple of changes have been made to the Grand Exchange, so that item prices can more accurately reflect player demand.

Maximum price cap change

Many non-stacking items are considered to be worth more than they cost in a shop. This is because it can take a long time to ferry these items from the shop to your bank. The Grand Exchange will now account for this, and therefore the maximum price cap for these items has been raised.

Minimum price cap change

The Grand Exchange previously capped the minimum price of items at the amount you could get from a shop, but failed to account for the fact that when selling in bulk the shops would give much less. This has now been fixed, the result of which is that for certain items, the minimum price cap on the Grand Exchange has been lowered.

Discuss this update on the forums.

17 January 2008 - Summoning Changes

Having read your feedback on the Forums, we planned a change to the price of Summoning shards. Today, this change has been made, alongside a few others...

Shard Price Reduction:

The price of shards has halved, taking them from 50gp to 25gp. You may purchase these shards from Pikkupstix in Taverley.

Shard Returns:

Those of you who purchased shards at 50gp will not be disappointed. When you next log into the game, we will calculate approximately how many spirit shards you have bought and used at the increased price. Pikkupstix will then offer you an appropriate number of spirit shards. This is to compensate you for the reduction in price.

Increase to Grand Exchange Buy Limits:

Many of Summoning's secondary ingredients were not classed as raw materials on the Grand Exchange. This meant that players were limited to selling 100 of any item at one time. This cap has been lifted and you can now buy or sell Summoning secondary ingredients in larger quantities.

Secondary Item Price Changes:

We have revised the prices of several Summoning secondary items on the Grand Exchange. Demand has increased for several of these items, so the Grand Exchange now reflects this. Examples include:

• Vampire dust


• Swamp toads


• Wolf bones

The examples mentioned here have increased to 200gp each, although other secondary items may have different values. Additionally, the value of these secondary items may increase or decrease by more than the normal 5% Grand Exchange margins.

Object Config Price Changes:

We have amended the object prices of several Summoning pouches, so that they are based on their shard requirements.

Reminder About Summoning Costs:

A lot of people are looking at the skill and calculating how many shards they are going to need to level it up, multiplying that by the cost per shard, and coming to the conclusion that raising Summoning to 99 is going to be very expensive.

The key point, that is easy to miss, is the fact that completed pouches are extremely powerful. They aren't just junk to throw away! In fact, you can make at least as much money from using a completed pouch as it costs to make in the first place. For example, if you summon a creature to fight alongside you, the increased rate at which you can collect monster drops balances out against the initial cost of the pouch.

If you summon a creature to carry items for you, the increased rate at which you can runecraft, or collect items, gives you back as much money as the pouch cost. These are just two examples of the countless ways that the Summoning skill can help you make money more effectively. We had to make the cost high, because the rewards are so high!

Discuss this update on the forums.

17 January 2008 - Players' Gallery

If your New Year was as hectic as Postie Pete's, then you should take some time out and relax with this month's Players' Gallery...

There are plenty of ideas for taking it easy in this Gallery: have a break by hunting chinchompas, chill out under the stars or spend some time with a friend.

Pete also wants to let you know that the druids of Taverley are very interested in your animal artwork at the moment. If you have a favourite RuneScape monster, animal or beast then get drawing and send it in.

Discuss this update on the forums.