Weirdly, Old School Runescape, which is modeled after the 2007 state of the game, is due a whole new continent, Zeah. I know there was always the scope for Old School 'scape to develop along a path of its own, but crikey, a continent? Zeah will appear in three instalments, but what it will contain has yet to be revealed. Ah yes, the specter of F2P. Silent Hunter’s freemium model certainly isn’t as unappealing as Blue Byte’s other browser game, Anno Online.
I’ve been playing it on my own account, not a press one, and I’ve not had to spend a penny to progress. It’s definitely slower going because of my thriftiness, however. There are plenty of upgrades for my three subs that I can’t afford and will take ages for me to buy with currency earned in game, and all the best stuff costs gold, which can only be earned in tiny amounts if you’re not willing to drop hard earned cash on a hoard. Runescape, the free-to-start, previously browser-based MMORPG is launching its official game client, called NXT.
NXT means better performance for RuneScape, and a lot of visual improvements including expanded viewing distances, dynamic shadows and lighting effects. Runescape developer Jagex says they’ve tested NXT extensively to get the most out of players’ hardware. They also have plans on improving the game's economy, fast travel system, the resource gathering to add more options for alchemists, and other quality of life and UI features to flesh out the game even more than it is at the moment.
Some gamers describe it as being similar to Runescape or Conqueror Online. Albion Online's isometric gameplay is similar to typical point-and-click ARPGs like Diablo where you can click on monsters and engage in auto-combat. There are bosses and various dungeons and zones to visit either solo or with a party. NXT was first teased at RuneFest 2014 as an upgrade to the scrapped HTML5 client that was in the works.
It has undergone more than two years of bug testing, beta trials and improvements. It's an interesting time for Jagex, which has been travelling down the road to recovery after the closure of MMO Transformers Universe in 2014 amid whispers of layoffs. Long-time boss Mark Gerhard left soon after. While it continues to work on free-to-play MMO Runescape, Jagex has developed virtual card game Chronicle: RuneScape Legends, which goes into open beta on 23rd March. Shayzien, the house of law and order for Great Kourend, will require the Runescape player to aid them in helping defend the city from those who seek to exploit the city’s defenses.
But in return will offer Runescape players new sets of armor and quests to vanquish the organized crime factions currently infesting Great Kourend. RuneScape started as an exact copy of RuneScape from August 2007," designer Mark Ogilvie told us when we spoke yesterday, on the eve of NXT's launch. Building off of the build from that specific time was intentional, he explained. There's always a desire to be reinventing the wheel in MMOs," he said, "but for a lot of players, the amount of hours that they've invested when they dream about that game, there's a certain version of the game.