Combat in RuneScape is fairly simple, much like the rest of
the skills you can accomplish in the game. To initiate an attack, you
simply equip your weapons then proceed to right click on your target
and select “Attack {___)” from the drop down menu.
Combat itself is little more than selecting the type of attack you want
to accomplish (slash, stab, or lunge, and each has its own accuracy to
damage ratios) then let the computer attack for you. Due to the low-end
nature of the game, having anything more rapid than a simple
auto-attack would be to intensive for the gameplay. You’ll
slowly game in levels as you attack monsters, and you won’t
even need to defeat the monster if you want to gain experience from the
encounter as experience is generated with each attack.
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Jagex works hard to make their game as safe as possible
for children.
Kid Tested, Mother Approved
Despite all the information a just bequeathed to you,
you’re probably still wondering how RuneScape, with its
low-end graphics and simply auto-attack gameplay, managed to climb its
way up to the top ranks of MMOGs in terms of sheer monetary value.
The strategy that Jagex Ltd. employs to gather gamers into
RuneScape is two-fold. First, RuneScape is a free-to-play title. Like
Dungeon Runners, RuneScape allows players to experience a portion of
the content available to them, but let’s the
“see” the other content that they could be
encountering. Skills like thieving and certain high-level quests are
not available to players that don’t pay the $5 membership
fee.
For the most part, however, RuneScape is free and can be
enjoyed without paying a dime. If you don’t pay to play, two
banner ads run along the top and side of your internet browser. They
don’t obstruct the view, and if they allow membership fees to
stay around $5 and gives players the opportunity to enjoy a game for
free, all the better.
The other factor that allows RuneScape to draw players into
its confines is the game’s ability to be played via a simple
Internet browser, making it accessible in class rooms, airports, hotel
rooms; wherever the Internet is readily accessible. Unlike client-based
games, there is no hard install and the game can bypass firewalls
because of it accesses the Internet and not a separate game server. I
don’t know the numbers, but Jagex has stated that they have a
very large foundation of younger players, and they’ve taken
many precautions in that regard.
On the Jagex website, there’s actually an FAQ
created just for parents who are interested in this new game that their
child is playing. Parents can access this FAQ and get tips, tricks, and
advice on how they can protect their child from adult language and/or
inappropriate situations. Unlike many other companies, Jagex
understands that they service both adults and children, and
they’re interested in allowing both sets the freedom that
they desire.
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Although drab, the gameplay in RuneScape is quite
relaxing compared to other MMOGs.
RuneScape and You
So where does that leave me? Honestly, I’m slightly
torn in my final judgement of RuneScape. Although I find the game to be
very addictive – the skill advancement system is a nice shift
away from the common level advancement systems of most MMOGs
– I also wanted something more substantial from RuneScape.
Despite the intriguing skill system and more open-ended style of the
world, I still didn’t feel like there was an immense amount
of complexity to be found in the online world. Most of my days in-game
were spent either hacking at monsters or shearing sheep, and I never
really got into any sort of substantial conversation with the players
or interacted with anything beyond my slow ascension through the levels.
Although this feeling pervaded my tasks in the game, I also
felt like RuneScape was a nice diversion from the normal
run-grind-run-grind of typical MMOGs. Watching my little block-man toil
away at his sheep-shearing or spider-killing was actually relaxing,
compared to the tense, up-tight moments most people expect from
high-end 3D MMOGs. The ability to play the game at the airport or in a
classroom increases the worth of RuneScape twofold. When I take my trip
to Washington State in a few days, I expect I’ll be playing a
bit of RuneScape on my laptop as I’m sitting in the airport.
RuneScape may not be the title for the hardcore gamer, but
children and adults alike may find that RuneScape provides a safe,
comfortable environment for their gameplay needs. The world is fun,
light-hearted, and you’ll definitely spend plenty of time in
the countryside looking for your next monster to kill, tree to chop
down, or stream to fish in.
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- Incredibly accessible to a variety of users
- Refreshing skill-based system
- Relatively open-ended gameplay
- Constant achievements
- Drab presentation
- Has a rinse-repeat feel to it
- Threat of PKers in some areas
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Very High |
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| style="color: rgb(255, 255, 0);">Value: |
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Curve:
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(3 / 5 Hammers)
style="color: rgb(255, 255, 0);">Ten Ton
Recommendation:
diversion for kids and adults alike who have limited access to high-end
computers and/or limited Internet connections.
with me? Or would you like to simply
express your opinion? Make sure you href="mailto:[email protected]">email me and
let me know what you
think!
Ten Ton Hammer is your
unofficial source for Runescape news
and features!
