Quotations taken directly from RuneScape.com

29 October 2007 - Postbag from the Hedge

Hallowe'en is just around the corner, and it seems to be bringing out the worst in the citizens of RuneScape. The penguins have big plans for the world but don’t seem too worried about what anyone else thinks, the Al Kharid guards are giving me the run around and the Grim Reaper is his usual morbid self. At least some things never change!

Want to find out more? Head over to the Postbag...if you dare!

Please don’t let the fact that everyone seems a bit evil this month put you off writing them a letter. I’m sure they’ll be back to their usual chirpy selves next month - well, except for the Grim Reaper, maybe.

Discuss this update on the forums.

Sorry for the downtime of the forums last night. Our hosting provider mistakenly tried to reclaim the server instead of the old server we were turning back in. For some reason that is beyond my comprehension, it took them 9 hours once notified of their mistake to correct the issue.



The Forums are now back up and operating once again.



~MrStormy~

Quotations taken directly from RuneScape.com

29 October 2007 - Scheduled network maintenance

Today we're performing some planned maintenance to our core network. During this work, various systems and parts of the website may be unavailable for short periods.

Discuss this update on the forums.

Quotations taken directly from RuneScape.com

22 October 2007 - Hallowe'en Event - For ALL Players!

This year's spooky event has arrived! A few months ago we posted a Guaranteed Content Poll on the website allowing you to choose the nature of the Hallowe'en event and the rewards you'd get. After working our fingers to the bone we've made something to meet all of your wishes!

The Grim Reaper has opened up his house for this special occasion. His previous servant has taken a turn for the worse and the Reaper has applied for a new assistant to help with his household chores. Now, when we say 'household chores', don't go expecting to be polishing furniture, ironing or mopping the floor - you'll be clambering through a maze of cobwebs, avoiding traps, wading through goo and trying to avoid getting eaten by his pet hellhound, Muncher.

It's a safe event, so don't worry about losing items. Don't expect any hospitable treatment either, as the Reaper is not much of a host; in fact, some would say he's bone idle!

You'll find the entrance to the house in the form of a portal, south of Falador and near the elemental wizards. So, turn down the lights, pump up the volume and be prepared for a house of chills, thrills and some rather silly fun!

The Hallowe'en 2007 event is open to both free-to-play and members.

Summary

In other news...

Similar to last week's magic tree changes, we've adjusted the sounds made when Fishing to be less distracting. In busy Fishing areas, such as Catherby, this was particularly apparent.

We've adjusted the attack styles for two-handed swords. The chop button on the combat interface is now a slash attack, instead of its usual stab attack. This affects two-handed swords from bronze through to dragon, and also the godsword.

Discuss this update on the forums.

22 October 2007 - New RuneScape front page

We have made a few changes to the RuneScape front page, making it more accessible and easier to get around, while also highlighting some areas you may not have looked at before.

The first change is to the 'Recent News' scroll. Instead of five news items, we have made room for six. The oldest three have been made into 'More News' links, while the three newest updates are on their own at the top, making it easier to tell if something has been added to the game or website.

You might also notice two new sections of the scroll. 'Article of the Week' focuses on a Knowledge Base page that might be useful or interesting to you, whether you are playing through the newest piece of content or simply exploring RuneScape. 'Recently added articles' focuses on those Knowledge Base pages that have just been released, often giving information on the newest releases. Who knows - you might just find out a hint or trick that will help you master that new piece of content!

There has been a slight reshuffle to the left of the scroll, too. Here you will find a search box, so that you can find your desired Knowledge Base information quickly.

You will also find that the Lores and Histories and Development Diaries get their very own links, while Players' Gallery, Postbag from the Hedge and the God Letters have a new home in 'Player Submissions'. Additionally, the 'Manual' link now takes you directly to the articles and guides of the Knowledge Base, where before you had to click through an extra screen.

Please take some time to get to grips with this new design and its differences. We hope it won't take you long to realise that it makes more sense and is much more accessible!

Discuss this update on the forums.

Quotations taken directly from RuneScape.com

16 October 2007 - LootShare

This week we have added an extra feature to the Clan Chat system: LootShare! By switching this option on, all monster drops and rewards will be fairly shared between the clan members fighting with you. LootShare even remembers if you were unlucky enough to receive nothing in a battle, increasing your chance of being lucky next time!



Because it is based on the existing Clan Chat system, setting up a group is simple. To activate it, turn on the LootShare option on your Clan Chat menu. You can organise yourselves into a LootShare clan beforehand, or you can invite people to join your chat channel in any multiway area. Once organised, you can chat to your friends using the Clan Chat system and work out tactics for defeating any brutish beasties!



The Clan Chat owner can set the minimum rank for anyone wishing to LootShare in a multiway combat area.



After two minutes, LootShare will become activated and you will be included in the sharing of the monster drops. As long as you are within 16 squares of the defeated creature, you will be considered for LootShare!



To get a better understanding of the LootShare system, we advise you to read the Knowledge Base article, here.

Summary

In other news...

The ring of life has had its behaviour slightly modified. It will now remove any poison that you may have been affected with as well as its usual effects.



A few seagulls on Karamja were getting a bit stuck. They can once more fly freely around this lush area.



The Hunter pitfall trap has had some tweaking to fix a graphical problem for certain camera angles. Also, the gnome scarf and the Fletching Cape of Accomplishment have been altered to fix render issues.



White knights have been re-trained to hold swords correctly and not hit themselves on their heads!



The ambient sounds of magic trees have been somewhat toned down and adjusted so the result is a less intrusive and more pleasant magical jingle.



A change has been made to the mechanics when a player is killed by a monster. Your items will remain on the ground only visible to you for one minute should you wish to run back to recover them. After that, anyone nearby will be able to see them. Previously, if a player died to a monster the items were appearing instantly for everyone.

Discuss this update on the forums.

Hello everyone! After numerous site and server additions, we finally have a guide update!



Please visit the newly redone Edgeville City Guide, then thank everyone who put so much work into it!

~ Jakesterwars ~

Hey everyone! I'm pleased to announce that after a month of testing by RuneHQ Staff, TORC, and Pwn, the Global Gaming HQ Ventrilo Server has been opened to the public!

Ventrilo is a voice communications program that lets you communicate with groups of people.

In addition to the channels we have created, we will also be offering private channels to clans. In order to get one, your clan will need to have a certain number of members and be in Ventrilo frequently.

For information on how to use our new Ventrilo server, visit this topic on our community forums.

Have fun!

~ [Im4eversmart] ~

Hey everyone! We have a brand new quest guide for you, fresh out of the submissions forums! Check out our Back to my Roots Quest Guide and complete this master quest. If you see atomicfungus and Fruitcheese be sure to thank them for this helpful guide.

Sorry it took us an extra day to get it up. We couldn't upload the images until today due to the server move.

Speaking of the server move, RuneHQ, the forums, TORC, PwnHQ, and other GGHQ sites have been successfully transferred to the new hardware. Site performance should improve as a result of this update.

As to the status of the RuneHQ redesign, I can say that it is going very well. The basic layout has been completed and new site themes are under development. New site features are also being designed to further improve RuneHQ. For those that are worried about losing the current RuneHQ layout, fear not; the current layout will be a selectable theme when the new site design goes live.

Finally, I'd like to thank everyone that came to RuneHQ's 4th Birthday Party last Saturday! You all were great, and I know I sure had fun!

~ [Im4eversmart] ~

Quotations taken directly from RuneScape.com

9 October 2007 - Back to my Roots Quest

alt="Wild Jade Vine" style="float:right" /> Horacio has his heart set on some improvements to his master's already meticulous garden this week. Rather than filling it up with flowers, a patio and some crazy paving, Horacio is after one of the rarest plants on RuneScape.

Rarity may not be the biggest problem, however, as this plant requires all your skill, cunning and a hefty stack of Woodcutting and Agility. Plant hunters beware; this plant bites back, so no ordinary gardener can waltz in with some clippers. It seems some Slayer knowledge could help with this Master quest.

Helping Horacio overcome this vine-based task may well prove handy in other areas. Aside from a great reward, Horacio may have a need for a master pruner.

Summary

In other news...

We have increased the number of ways you can acquire battlestaves, as promised. Baba Yaga's shop on Lunar Isle now has a larger stock, the cost of battlestaves in the Mage Training Arena shop has been significantly decreased and, not to be outdone, Zaff now receives a daily stock. To acquire them, chat to Zaff himself or right-click 'Buy Battlestaff'. The number available to you depends on your level of achievement in the Varrock diary, and whether you are wearing the correct Varrock armour. To find out how many staves you can buy, visit this article.

Arhein is responding to the changes in demand for pineapples and seaweed by adopting a similar approach to Zaff. He can now sell each player a limited number of these items every day. Speak to him (instead of using his quick-trade option) if you're interested.

The rock crabs east of Rellekka will frequently drop seaweed in the form of banknotes, making them a more convenient source of this prized commodity. Players may also burn kelp on a range or fire to get soda ash (kelp is found in the underwater area, accessed during Recipe for Disaster).

There have been some adjustments to the prices of various other items in shops. In particular, the TzHaar rune merchant's offer-price for buying chaos and death runes off players has been adjusted so that they are no longer affected by the number of runes in the Player Stock section of his shop. Aside from this, the shop price for steel throwing knives has been raised in order to avoid undercutting player prices.

It is no longer possible to use prayers in Glarial's tomb near the Baxtorian Falls of Kandarin. The unusually large moss giants were already capable of damaging players here, regardless of the Protect from Melee prayer, so this isn't going to make a huge difference to their threat. Do be careful when you venture in there!

A sapling designed for net-trapping red salamanders near the Ourania Altar had become unavailable due to a recent mapping bug. It's now been fixed, so you can go trapping there again.

Finally, we've added a right-click option to the gardeners who stand near Farming patches so that you don't have to go through so much chat when you're paying them to protect your crops.

Discuss this update on the forums.

9 October 2007 - Players' Gallery

This month's gallery has a few spooky pictures to remind us Hallowe'en is just around the corner. Curiously, it also has a slight whiff of fish.

Head over to the Players' Gallery to view this month's fantastic selection.

On a serious note; Pete keeps threatening to create a masterpiece of his own for the Gallery, and we've seen his skills with a paintbrush before. If you don't want Jagex HQ to end up bright purple then please keep sending in your fantastic artwork to keep him busy!

Discuss this update on the forums.

As you might already know, RuneHQ's 4th Birthday Party is this Saturday, October 6th! This year we will have not one, but FIVE house parties on various worlds to celebrate. Additionally, we will be holding a parade for free players followed by a pyro party!

The five hosted parties will be at the houses of Lord Sobek, Oblivion590, Im4eversmart, Miner Nav (with Hero), and Boss Pker1. All the houses are located in Yanille.

Due to the massive number of people that attended last year, we were unable to drop enough items for everyone. Last year we had so few items and so many people scattered across various worlds, we ran out VERY quickly.

While party-goers will be free to drop whatever they wish, there will be NO official drop parties!

Additionally, please be aware that we are unsure whether or not the RuneScape servers will lag as much as they did last year. If they do lag, please be cautious about dropping items, as the party hosts could quite possibly lag out as a result.

The free player parade will start in Varrock. Look for mrstargazer and youlovedme, as they will be leading the parade.

After the parade, everyone will engage in the firemaking skill in a massive attempt to burn Falador to the ground! Please bring your own logs and tinderboxes.

The party worlds will not be revealed until the party starts. Simply navigate to THIS page and leave it open until the countdown expires. When it does, the party worlds will automatically display for you. DO NOT REFRESH THE PAGE!

A BIG thanks goes out to the following people who donated to the various hosts: Blaze1198, Jerokiller, Theelvenkin0, 890765, Ghosthunte48, Mistic Luna, Kennyboy 516, Bloodaura, Legoclub22, Kissmyscimmy, Dazbot421, and Mr Doodle33. Without them, the houses would not be as cool as they are now.

More detailed information can be found here and even more can be found here.

I hope to see you there!

~ [Im4eversmart] ~

Hello everyone! We have two new quest guide re-writes that are very nicely laid out!

"Legends tell of a magical lost city hidden in the swamps. Many adventurers have tried to find this city, but it is proving difficult. Can you unlock the secrets of the city of Zanaris?"



Find out more from the Lost City Quest Guide.



Thanks to Alfawarlord for this newly written guide and the 2 others who helped!

"Sanfew requires a rare herb for the next part of the purifying ritual. Travel back to the Troll Stronghold to find this herb that the trolls use as an ingredient for their favourite dish."



Find out more from the Eadgar's Ruse Quest guide!



Thanks to Terr002 and Lilroo503 for writing/helping with this guide!

~ Jakesterwars ~

Quotations taken directly from RuneScape.com

2 October 2007 - Cutting Edge(ville)

As part of our continuing effort to improve the looks of the 'older' places of RuneScape, our Graphics team have been busy enriching and enhancing above-ground Edgeville. Townsfolk, buildings, bridges and even Oziach's hut have all been revisited and spruced, including the entire surrounding area. From Edgeville Dungeon entrance and eerie graveyard to the Wilderness Ditch; from the bridge over the river to Oziach's hut; the whole area has been given an exciting, and some might say 'edgy', new look!



Whether you need a place to meet before a Wilderness campaign or you've just come back to recover from your adventures in far-off places, stop by and take a look - you might find yourself on the 'edge' of your seat when examining the effort put in to improving this eccentric town!

In other news...

When fighting multiple NPCs in a player-owned house dungeon, the multiway combat wasn't always applying itself correctly. As a result, these areas were single-way combat. This issue has now been fixed, so only enter if you dare!



After requests from players, a bank pin has been added to the Miscellania coffers. Advisor Ghrim has been given appropriate training and will now ask for it before letting you access your riches.



The Home Teleport spell, initially designed to help players who were stuck, has been slightly changed. If you have the Ancient or Lunar spellbook and cast the spell - when on a free world - you will now be teleported to Lumbridge. When you return to a members' world, these will teleport you to Edgeville or Lunar Isle.



The amount of Magic experience for casting the Energy Transfer spell from Lunar Magics has been increased and is now consistent with the Knowledge Base.



Many flat-pack furniture items have had their descriptions changed to better reflect exactly what they contain. You will now be able to tell what you're buying, whether it be a wooden chair or a gilded four-poster bed.



The waiting room time between Barbarian Assault waves has been reduced from one minute to 30 seconds; we feel this is more than enough time to check out your round breakdown and make any changes to your team. It will also mean that you don't have to wait as long before going once more unto the breach!

Discuss this update on the forums.

2 October 2007 - Shop Improvement

You'll find that the shops of RuneScape have received a significant makeover this week. Most notably, turning away empty-handed from a shop will be a thing of the past, with infinite stock available from almost every store.



Each shop's stock is now split into two tabbed sections - 'Main Stock' and 'Player Stock'. 'Main Stock' houses an infinite number of items available for you to buy, while the 'Player Stock' tab displays all of the items that have been sold to the shop by players.



Price differs between these two sections. The 'Main Stock' is more expensive, but generally guarantees a constant value and an infinite supply that you can rely on. 'Player Stock' offers items at a lower price than the shop stock, but stock levels are variable. It's always worth checking this tab for bargains!



These changes will mean that autoshoppers and bots can no longer make a profit from abusing the shop system. We are sure you'll find this to be a very good thing - after all, we want RuneScape to be fun and not frustrating.



On that note, we've made additional changes to shopping, in an attempt to make it more fun and less frustrating. A 'buy-x' option has been added so that you do not have to spam-click when buying large quantities of stock. Also, the 'Main Stock' cost of certain skill-based items has increased. This is so that you still have an incentive for making your items or buying them from players who have the levels to produce them, rather than just buying from a shop.



There is a page on the knowledge base explaining how to use the new shops and all the improvements in greater detail. We have also added information to some pages, explaining how to get those few items that are no longer obtainable from shops; to find out how to get battlestaves go here, and to find out how to get seaweed, go here.



Alternatively, go into game now to get some immediate retail therapy!

Discuss this update on the forums.

Quotations taken directly from RuneScape.com

1 October 2007 - Behind the Scenes - October

The month of October starts with another graphical improvement to an existing area. This time, Evil Dave’s house and the well-used town of Edgeville gets a lick of paint. The team of decorators were a little scared to progress down into Edgeville Dungeon, however, so stay tuned for further improvements to this area. You see, Vannaka is a little defensive of his existing décor and, as he can wield a two-handed sword in one hand, we don't want to question him too much...

The shops of RuneScape will be delivering a hefty blow to bots this month. Instead of finding shops empty of stock because a bot has bought it all, you will find infinite stock of various key items. With the Shop Improvement update, you will have everything necessary to make buying and selling more fun, and far less frustrating! Of course, we will also be tweaking the prices so this doesn't unbalance other aspects of the game.

More information on this subject will be made available via this month's “Development Diaries – Shop Rework”.

This month's quest brings us to the continuing tale of Ardougne's favourite bachelor, Lord Francis Handelmort. Recent break-ins to his mansion (Tribal Totem) have left him without a showpiece for his next dinner party, so he has ordered a Karamjan jade vine after looking at some "artists' impressions" in the G.A.G newsletter. Can you help retrieve a cutting? Large over-ground mazes, giant ants and some really funny content all await for those with a penchant for all things tropical. Your prize will be similar in nature to the “Tears of Guthix“ minigame, with repeatable rewards specific to two skills (not just Farming) while being a lot less wet. Be warned, however: this quest's bark is worse than its bite.

Also this month, we will be adding support for those players who play the game in organised groups or clans. In this case, we are offering a better means of distributing loot amongst your team: the 'Shared Loot' system. This is designed to be an extension of the Clan Chat channels. Each item drop recorded while signed into the 'Shared Loot' system will be allocated randomly to anyone within the group, regardless of how much damage the individual did to the creature. Anyone who does not get many drops will find that the drops balance out over a longer period of time. Of course, this system is entirely optional, so you can still group-fight just as you did before. We hope that using it will provide a safer, fairer way of sharing out your treasure during your next run to the Dagannoth Kings or Kalphite Queen!

“So,” I hear you all cry, “that’s all well and good, but what about Hallowe'en?” Well, you certainly won’t be disappointed. Most of you are aware of the results of the Guaranteed Content Poll back in June and the results will be gloomily fantastic. Being invited to the Grim Reaper's house isn’t an everyday experience, so don’t expect a nice cup of tea and a biscuit. Well, maybe a biscuit - he does love a good fig roll after a hard day's work.

As always, expect a healthy dose of your own contributions via the Postbag and the Players' Gallery, a Development Diary on the shop rework, the release of the Triple Trouble wallpaper (as decided by you) and lots more additions to the Knowledge Base.

Discuss this update on the forums.

1 October 2007 - Development Diary: Content Team

Today, we've released the fourth Development Diary. This diary is revisiting the work of the RuneScape Content team in more detail, but not necessarily in the way you might have been expecting...

This diary takes a look behind some of the tough decisions we have to make when developing RuneScape, particularly when it comes to improving old content. The focus is very much on the Shop Improvement and tackles the difficulties we have in striking the balance between making the game better, ironing out problems AND keeping players happy.

We hope you enjoy learning more about the inner-workings of Jagex and RuneScape.

To read the new Development Diary, click here.

Discuss this update on the fourms.

1 October 2007 - King Black Dragon Wallpaper

A few weeks ago we asked you to vote in a Guaranteed Content poll for the next wallpaper to be created by our artists. Over one hundred thousand of you cast your votes, and it was a pretty close call! "The Taming of Jad" came a close second, but a certain Black Dragon, proving he's still the King, came out on top.

38% of you voted for "Triple Trouble" - three warriors facing off against the mighty King Black Dragon. We're very pleased to announce the wallpaper has been created; fangs sharpened to perfection and eyes glistening evilly. Head on over to the Downloads section to check out this fantastic piece of artwork. While you're there, why not have a browse of the rest of the wallpapers?

We would like to thank all of you that voted. Those of you who do vote in our polls are making a definite difference to the game and what we produce for it. The more 'fun' polls are obviously there for you to enjoy, but all other polls really help us to understand what you want from RuneScape.

Look out for more great wallpapers in the Downloads section in future; your ideas and the poll results have given us plenty of inspiration.

Discuss this update on the forums.

Quotations taken directly from RuneScape.com

29 September 2007 - Important information

We have become aware of a new malicious computer virus/worm, and wanted to let everyone know about some good practices to help keep your computer and RuneScape account safe. There's no need to panic, but there are some precautions you should take.

The reason we are mentioning this worm in particular is because we believe that one version of it may attempt to specifically steal RuneScape passwords by recording your key presses as you type, and sending them back to the worm owner.

The new worm is called Bubbles, but is also known as Ramex, Skipi and Pykspa. Bubbles can get on to a computer in two different ways. Either by being downloaded directly from a third party website, or by a user receiving and opening a file disguised as a web link in third party messaging programs.

The worm cannot be transmitted through playing RuneScape or using the RuneScape.com website.

The security of the RuneScape servers themselves is in no way affected by this, this worms affect users own computers, not our servers which are very well protected.

The best protection against malicious computer software is to stay vigilant and use an up to date anti-virus program.

For anyone who is not currently using an anti-virus program, we really recommend that you install one as soon as possible! In fact install one right now!

If you do have an anti-virus program installed but it is not up to date, please take the time to update it with the latest virus definitions now. Again don't delay!

Lastly, you should never accept files from unknown sources full stop. However pay extra special attention when using 3rd party messaging programs or email as it is very easy to accidentally download malicious software by following a link.

Discuss this update on the forums.

Hello again everyone! After lots of work and a few aching fingers, it's finally here! Head on over to the Special Reports section and visit the Random Events Guide written by Meowmix686, Watsermetjou, and Lilroo503!

We're still working on the Beekeeper and Security Guard events, so if you have any information about either then please submit it to us via the forums.

~ Jakesterwars ~