Quotations taken directly from Runescape.com

16 January 2008 - Summoning balancing

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

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

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

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

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

Discuss this update on the forums.

Quickly as ever, the Wolf Whistle Quest Guide has been added to the site! Thank you Job_is_God for the speedy quest guide. Have fun Summoning everyone!

~ [Im4eversmart] ~

Quotations taken directly from Runescape.com

15 January 2008 - Summoning!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Summary

Discuss this update on the forums.

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

Chaos Tunnels

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

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

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

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

Summary

Taverley Graphical Update

The druids and buildings of Taverley have been given a makeover! No stone has been left unturned and used as walls, tables and other furniture in this great reworked region.

Interface Update

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

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

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

64 Extra Bank Spaces!

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

Summoning Changes

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

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

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

Discuss this update on the forums.

15 January 2008 - Website Maintenance

We are currently performing maintenance on one of our web systems.

During this time, the following areas of the website will be unavailable:

• Appeal an offence

We apologise for the inconvenience and are aiming to restore service as soon as possible.

This does not affect existing users wishing to login to the game.

Discuss this topic on the forums.

Salutations everyone! We're back again with another rewritten quest guide!

If you would like, please visit the completely remade guide for The Digsite quest.



This guide was written by Alk12 and we thank everyone else who helped.

~ Jakesterwars ~

Quotations taken directly from Runescape.com

14 January 2008 - New Account Recovery System

We have overhauled the account recovery system to make completing the request form easier and recovering a lost account faster.

We hope you will find this new system simpler to use, which will allow us to more accurately recover your account. The links to access the system from the front page have remained unchanged, however they will now take you to a login form similar to all the other login forms on our website, except it will not require a password to proceed. Additionally, the pages have been re-designed in the style of the new billing system which we launched at the end of last year.

As part of the upgrade to the new system we have slightly changed how we handle locked accounts. Previously, when a locked account was appealed we answered the appeal as soon as possible. Under the new system lock appeals will be held for up to 3 days to allow any other players contesting the account to appeal as well. This change will allow us to secure compromised accounts more effectively. Standard forgotten or lost password appeals are not affected by this and will continue to be answered as quickly as possible.

Users with 'Tracking IDs' from the previous account recovery system should find that they work correctly with the new system.

Discuss this update on the forums.

Hello there everyone! We're back with a new city guide!



Today, we have an underground city that is only inhabited by goblins. Please welcome the Dorgesh-Kaan city guide!



This guide was written by Motion_Man and thanks to everyone else for additions and corrections.

Thanks for reading,



~ Jakesterwars ~

Quotations taken directly from Runescape.com

9 January 2008 - Development Diary Summoning - Part 4

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

Please visit the Summoning Development Diary here.

Discuss this update on the forums.

Quotations taken directly from Runescape.com

7 January 2008 - Login System Maintenance

We are currently carrying out some essential maintenance to the login servers. Some of you may experience login difficulties in this period. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.

We aim to complete the maintenance soon. If you do experience any issues with logging in, please wait for an hour and try again.

Discuss this update on the forums.

Hello! The staff here have been hard at work to bring you our newest guide. The RuneHQ Ventrilo Guide is up! A one stop for everything you need to know about our Ventrilo server. If you still have questions, our Community Forums are an excellent place to get questions answered.

~(Sheep01)~

Hello everyone! It's been a good bit of time before a news post about updates on the site, but here we are with two new maps!



The Edgeville Map has been re-done thanks to DarkBlitz for the map and everyone else for corrections!



We have another map created by DarkBlitz as well. Please take a peek at the Draynor Sewer Map and see the newly improved version!

Take care everyone!



~ Jakesterwars ~

Quotations taken directly from Runescape.com

3 January 2008 - Summoning Wallpaper #3

January was named after the Roman god Janus, who certainly knew that two heads are better than one - and so do we! Head over to the Downloads and Wallpapers section to see why, in our latest Summoning concept art wallpaper.

This is the last of the Summoning concept art wallpapers we will be releasing, as the skill is just around the corner! We hope you're excited, because we certainly are. Rawr!

Discuss this update on the forums.

Hey everyone! Our latest quest guide has been uploaded. If you feel up to the challenge and want to get your 250th quest point then grab your questing gear and go check out the Dealing with Scabaras quest guide. Happy questing!

~ [Im4eversmart] ~

Quotations taken directly from Runescape.com

2 January 2008 - Dealing with Scabaras

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

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

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

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

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

Summary

In other news...

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

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

Discuss this update on the forums.

2 January 2008 - Behind the Scenes - January

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Discuss this update on the forums

2 January 2008 - Unbalanced Trade Removal

Unbalanced Trade Removal:

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

To read more about why we have made this change, please read the Development Diary: RuneScape vs Real-world Trading.

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

New 30,000gp Trade Margin!:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

For more information on unbalanced trades, please read the Knowledge Base article.

Duel Arena:

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

This increase also applies to the Rat Pits minigames.

For more information on the Duel Arena stake cap, please read the Knowledge Base article.

Discuss this update on the forums.

Happy New Year everyone! We hope all of you had safe and fun New Year's celebrations! We know that 2008 with RuneHQ will be packed with new and exciting things. So to kick off the new year RuneHQ is bringing you the Brand New Newsletter for January 2008!



Thank you to all of our loyal visitors that have stuck with us through the years. Together, let's make it a great '08!

With the new year, RuneHQ has already begun rolling out some big and exciting changes! Today marks one of our first, a RuneHQ Newsletter Directory!



This directory will list our current newsletter, and will also list past newsletters so you can read up on some RuneHQ history. Check it out here. Please keep in mind that due to the radical change in the way newsletters are now submitted by our staff, newsletters before today's release will not be available.


Why not discuss this update, and many others, on our official forum?

Happy New Years from all of us here at RuneHQ!

[- Smc5528 -]

Quotations taken directly from Runescape.com

31 December 2007 - Unbalanced Trade Reminder

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

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

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

To read more about unbalanced trades, please visit the Knowledge Base page.

Discuss this update on the forums.

And the winners are....

The following are the winners in the December drawing. The Owners and Admins would like to thank everyone who participated, and hope that you choose to participate in future contests and events.

• 
  First Place: Kurai_Okami - choice of a Nintendo Wii, Xbox 360, PS3, or a PC up to $500 in value
  


• 
  Second Place: juniorfan and Krazy_Matev - choice of a PSP or a Nintendo DS with accessories
  


• 
  Third Place: Crypto416, demian, Bectemir, and Supersims - who all win a $100 Gift Certificate to Amazon.com
  


• 
  Fourth Place: flowerpot198, JoeC, richie_s, Mustangbby14, Job_Is_God, werock, zenatho, and AznxViet - who all win $50 in merchandise from the RHQ Store.
  

Congratulations to all. We look forward to more contests and fun in the coming year!

~ Stormy's_Amazon ~

27 December 2007 - Christmas Event - For ALL Players!


---> Win a FREE Game System or Computer! <---

Santa didn't deliver?

Winter blues still got you down?

One December event not enough? Well then you're in luck, because the RuneHQ Events Team is hosting another, YES another, event this month!

Please visit our forum for full details for the 2007 After Christmas Event

The event will start south of Lumbridge, in world 55.

Real-life prizes will be awarded to the winner(s). All winners and those who finish the event will have their name put into a drawing for the top prizes.!

The prizes scheduled to be given away on December 25 will be done after the event on December 27. All winners will be posted before the end of the month.

The Grand Prize will be the choice of a Nintendo Wii, Xbox 360, PS3, or a PC up to $500 in value.


The second place prize will be the choice of a PSP or a Nintendo DS with accessories.


Third prize will be a $100 Gift Certificate to Amazon.com.


Fourth prize will be up to $50 merchandise from the RuneHQ Store.

*Please note - all winners under the age of 18 will be required to submit a signed parental consent form before prizes will be awarded. All winners will also need a forum account in order to provide delivery information.