RuneScape has always been about completing the latest quests, and time not spent questing or PvPing is usually spent grinding up skills to meet the requirements for the next quest you want to do. The skill grind now feels a lot more forgiving than it was in RuneScape 2, and winning the occasional XP lamp in your daily Squeal of Fortune spins certainly helps. You can also now set a quest as your currently active task to keep track of it and set a destination on the map to get a handy direction arrow on the minimap. But a lot of information is still not easily accessible in-game, so you'll find yourself frequently looking up the RuneScape Wikia page to check what an item does or see what the next step is in a quest.
 
Jagex have stuck to a gruelling weekly update schedule for close to the entirety of RuneScape's life, adding new quests, minigames (selfcontained challenges) and building on the story of the world of Gielinor. In that time, several updates have gone further –making major changes to game systems and the underlying Java-based engine that Jagex have built from scratch. These include 2008's RuneScape HD, a top-down upgrade to the game's visuals. Last year's 'evolution of combat' update brought battle up to speed with modern MMOs, adding active skills and a hotbar. None, however, have gone as far or changed as much as 2004's RuneScape 2, which saw the game move from sprites to full 3D in a new rendering engine with rethought mechanics. It also means that they're capable of bringing the camera down to the player's level. Traditionally, RuneScape has been controlled from a top-down perspective with limited mobility.
 
As part of a suite of changes to the RuneScape 3 interface, the camera can now be dropped right down to close third-person –greatly enhancing the game's sense of place. A total overhaul to the game’s sound-drive, widening the sound of all in-game music, ambient sounds and sound-effects. The resulting drive brings better synced and more resonant frequencies to the ears of viewers, ultimately improving the quality of game-sessions. Recordings of old and new in-game melodies by the Slovak Symphony Orchestra to replace old MIDI-file (synthetic-sounding) music. Old favorites like “Autumn Voyage”  and “Harmony”reimagined and fully orchestrated and brand-new pieces like “Fragments of Guthix,”(written to complement new story developments), bring a new element of beauty to Runescape.
 
The interface in RuneScape is one of the main reasons why I loved the game. It’s simple and easy to use. You had your buttons in the bottom corner and the chat box in the other. A minimap and that’s the basic overview of the interface. As you can see from the image above, everything has its place and is one of the easiest interfaces to use. One other thing with RuneScape is the option to play with a interchangeable interface. The image above is the standard interface, but after an update known as ‘RS3’, you now have the option to change your interface, open the tabs you want –think of the WoW popups, rather than a standard, locked interface. I have always preferred the simple, locked interface as it just seems clean and gives you everything you need, in an easy to use GUI.
 
Originally set in a fixed-size window, Runescape has updated their game's graphics over the years to include alternate camera angles, realistic water, and moving shadows. While this java-based browser game remains limited in its visual quality, Jagex has continuously pushed the capabilities of the Java engine to deliver the most attractive game possible. This includes two major updates to the graphics engine within the last year alone. Players have also seen an increase in character customization over the years; new hair styles, colors and textures have been added in addition to "costume" options and other wardrobe features.
 
Whereas members have 26 skills available to them with training methods all the way up to level 99 (or 120 for dungeoneering) the free playing community have access to only 16 of them, though with the ability to train members skills up to level 5. All free player skills can be levelled up to 99 though this is much harder in free to play worlds due to the lack of high level training methods, it is not however, impossible. The skills included are: Dungeoneering, Woodcutting, Firemaking, Smithing, Mining, Fishing, Cooking, Crafting, Runecrafting, Magic, Ranged, Prayer, Defence, Strength, Attack and Constitution. The additional member skills include: Agility, Thieving, Hunter, Slayer, Summoning, Herblore, Farming, Divination, Fletching and Construction.