impromtu post. (yes that's what it is.)

I wasn't actually going to post. Up till yesterday I hadn't thought there was time, nor a point. Last post details the result of that theory.

I don't know to what extent having only 42k people online right now isn't so much a result of dissatisfied players quitting as the absence of bots.

I'd plastered a big fat WRONG on RWT even before stopping to think why. It's that glaringly obvious. There isn't any need to wonder whether the answer might possibly be counter intuitive, it's one of those conclusions that comes so naturally, so rightly that a different, correct answer just doesn't exist. If you're a sentient human being, I'd thought, you'd realise that, or at least the reasons why I do.

That's why the players who tell me "Jagex is jealous of the real world traders because they earn more than they do" simply blow my mind. To let this go without talking about RWT, much as a waste of words it is, seems impossible. It's wrong because it cheapens the game. It undermines the time and effort of countless players. It's cheating, pure and simple, being textbook exploitation of an unfair, undeserved advantage. More than that though, not only is the act of buying wrong, along with intentions on both sides, the goods are tainted. They were attained by unfair means, by people majority of which have the sole intention of material gain, and a pragmatic worldview that places value on money, items, and leaves space for nothing else.

By supporting RWT, you're agreeing that you're one of those people. You're renouncing the concept of "morals" and "ideals". I believe I've made my opinions clear.

Onto the recent slew of updates. In all honesty this is exactly what's been begged for for months by some of the only players who've ever given me any reason to respect them: drastic (underline drastic) action that rids Glienor of the material flotsam of the real world. It didn't quite take the form we expected, but hey, any improvement's a good improvement, right?

Right. Especially when it incites comments, mere observations of which are as follows:

Jagex is considerate enough to time their updates for non peak, meaning I always seem to catch the updates right as they come out. Meaning I had a shot at Bounty Hunter before the clans swarmed in. Thought it was too good a chance to be missed, but my main just happens to be cb 61, and in the 55-100 med level crater, didn't hardly stand a chance anyway. And when you're aggro'd within 30 seconds, whether it's by a rogue or a legitimate hunter, you learn to go in empty handed and let them kill you for the xp. By the time I worked up the courage to go in to actually fight, my default-clothes-clothed main found herself at the bottom of a five person pileup. (Why they don't allow robes is beyond me. What, mage in your birthday suit?) I forgot Protect Items and lost the fire staff of great sentimental value. Spent the next ten minutes searching for the killers, with the vague idea that I'd awkwardly offer them 20k for it, until I figured they'd just write me off as some crackpot loon, and that I was indeed acting like some crackpot loon.

But seeing as I'm both "1 of he noobs that don't like the wildy and always die" and "the kind who are an so called lvl 3 skiller", I just shrugged and went back to the chaos dwarves, getting caught by some revenants I didn't even bother to catch a glimpse of in return, them hitting 15s on me and all.

Still, Bounty Hunter has to have some toggling multi combat on/off element. Then clan wars can transport itself over there with the money aspect intact. Speaking of the money aspect, perhaps pking was an excellent moneymaking opportunity. I wouldn't know, I never went there. I always did find the thought of death duels for the sake of money barbaric and mercenary in the extreme. Philistines.

Well, at best you could see the 3k cap as an attempt at reeducation. If you're into fighting for the sake and beauty (wtf?) of it, there's still dueling, there's still Bounty Hunting, Clan Wars, so on. As for the wilderness, while the revenants pose a deadly enough threat, it's simply not deadly enough. They need to be more widespread, perhaps level-specific, more common, to be dangerous. If the wilderness is to live up to it's name, it's got to be more dangerous than that. I'm grateful dishonourable pkers're a no show, isolated as they are in that little pen of theirs, but it's still too easy.

Grand Exchange, it's been out so long it's old news, all I've got to say's the same as anyone else. Too fixed, too inflexible, I've managed to earn 150k on my skiller while getting rid of junk, but even being desperate to get rid of things and selling them at the lowest prices, it's still hard to find a buyer. That aside, it's a feature I can get used to. Not that I don't appreciate the trading, but at least now I can trade...

Saving the best for last, unbalanced trades. I've yet to find anyone who actually agrees with this little beauty, that's a little bit more logically than emotionally sound, but not by that much. Only argument for it, it reinstates that idea of self-sufficiency. Not that I'm not more or less for self-sufficiency (die begging die), but gifts are just ... gifts. Sort of not seeing the forest for the trees, suppressing that spirit of generosity and putting a damper on Christmas cheer, all for the sake of ridding the game of nasty cheating... I can see where they're coming from, but all I see is it puts you at a loss, somewhere, in that game of human relations.

The money I've got saved fluctuates between 450k and 570k, but I'm going to have to make that change. There's so much giving that needs to be done, a particular instance of which is a cause for incense as much as anything else, but that's for later. I mean, money you can earn, and to think, scrambling to give away gifts one last time... that's vaguely pathetic. Why force us to be that way?

Sometimes, especially times like this, it feels like the only people who're half decent who actually play this game are friends who happen to be offline, oh, maybe because they don't agree with the new updates. At times like this a return to newbness on my skiller invites regular reminders of the humanity of runescapers I don't even happen to know. I get offers of 10k from someone on their way to triple digits, offers of 2k from an almost mid-leveled player who obviously can't afford it, and is in that awkward stage of bothering even to give a reason for their kindness (you don't have any numbers in your name), offers that I try to gush over before turning down, and reciprocating via my main. It's what makes the world go round. What, does Jagex think they're the exception to even that?

At this point, I'm almost glad to be away. I appreciate talking as much as the next person, but too much of this, in particular, it's not exactly a blessing. Players are alternately scandalised and victorious when I agree with them on choice points. Whatever they might think, mods don't sell their individuality and opinions to Jagex for the crown, and it's not as if the changes aren't about to anger mods less than anyone else. But somehow, it just seems plain wrong not to say something else, somehow. Something that softens the blow, something that gives Jagex a little more than the credit they're due.

Sometimes I just lose words in a normal conversation, I know what I mean, but I can't say it that way. I've learnt to listen in on conversations, that's one great thing about clan chat. That way I've got the politically correct answers phrased in an acceptable way on hand if I need them. Yet when I hear mods and experienced, mature, intelligent players lash out at Jagex, it seems almost like a betrayal. Of sorts. There's such a thing as loyalty, and even if something went a little wrong, somewhere, it's not as if they meant ill, so cut them some slack, and stand behind them when they need someone to. I don't know if it's too much to expect, but I feel as though I owe it to those I know personally, if not Jagex, to defend them more than I otherwise would have. Criticism is one thing, but abuse takes it into a whole new ballpark.

That said, Jagex does owe players an explanation. A long list of FAQs, written in the right tone, phrased half professionally, half genuinely. It's not that they aren't capable of it, I know that for a fact, but I don't understand why they won't just do it. It's like town criers. Players are trying to decide, to figure things out, and for those just puzzled, they need something, preferably official, to push them over, or at least get them off others' backs.

Crap's being deflected off onto the plates of mods who really had nothing to do with game development. When we also don't entirely agree with what's been done, it's hard not to react. My point about mods also lashing out wasn't to say that they should be hypocritical, and show a small measure of support for Jagex, whatever they choose to do. It's all about self control. Much as the think they want to, hearing a mod agree with and rant alongside them is the last thing these kids need. They're kids who don't want to listen to reason. It's about remaining professional, not detached, but in control.

I let myself go the last post, being completely sick of reigning everything in ingame. As a buffer I've got my imitation of a sounding board down, but the calming presence bit still needs work. I'm not yet able to let it come naturally, not to be disgusted by people and not let it show because that's not what they need to know, not yet. But I'm trying, and besides some mods many quietly watch, the examples I look to are certain Jagex curators. That's how I know the company can't be all bad. They've got some terrific employees. They've also got some players that continually disgust me, and reach greater heights with that pursuit every so often. Players that I'm embarrassed of.

For all intents and purposes, anyhow, it's a game. It's not as if people can't adapt (think, response to f2p team capes: "selling member cape 1k!"), accept it, or choose to have membershps terminated if they don't believe Jagex delivered. As for the future of RWT, everyone seems to assume it'll go away. It appears gold farmers're making a new proposition - let us hack your account for a price. You can trust us because we've delivered in the past, haven't we? Almost sad that they haven't given up, but that seems like it'll receive considerably less takers, and anyway, it's another problem for another day.

But whatever the consequences, I do believe the intentions were pure, because the corporation not withstanding, I know the people, I know they're good people, devoted, moral, diligent people. Good people. Whether it proves to be a mistake or no, what matters is they tried. They exceeded expectations that've sunk progressively over this past year, and that I can admire, can finally, finally respect.


On a totally related note, since I couldn't be bothered to fit this in snugly, it's off to China for a week and a half, then home just in time for Christmas. I'll be back next year, or near the end of this, if I manage to find a computer. Merry Christmas y'all, and like the song says, have a Happy New Year, updates and all. Can't be that hard to live with, right? (Wait, on second thoughts, you'd better not answer...)