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An Argument Against FreshStart

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Dodgy Mike
Apr Member 2020

Dodgy Mike

Posts: 19 Bronze Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
(1/5)

After reading through the threads since the official announcement, I see a lot of conflict between players. In fact, it seems the forum posters are squarely divided down the middle on this new game mode. I am one of those opposed to FSW in its current form and would like to lay out my argument in the hopes it can mellow some of the vitriol being thrown around in the community.
Starting off, the monetary aspect of the gamemode. Specifically, the requirement that you start a new account and pay Jagex to play it alongside any existing accounts. I have seen the argument that this gamemode is not for existing players; I take issue with that statement and will elaborate if you stick with me. Runescape has always been a long term time investment. The game wasn't made to hop into and be at endgame content two weeks later like many big mmos. You build your levels, gear, bank, and reputation over the course of years in most players' cases. With the introduction of Ironman mode, you had to reinvest all of that time as an existing player along with paying for another account. It did add a significant new mechanic to the game that completely changed how the game is played but set the precedent that new gamemodes would require a new account rather than introducing a way to play multiple characters through a single account as most mmos do. This smelled faintly of corporate greed, but many of us swallowed it because ironman was a really cool concept (myself included). This feels significantly more egregious with the addition of FOMO (fear of missing out) mechanics alongside considerably weaker gameplay modifiers. FSW is actively pushing existing, dedicated players to make these new accounts rather than giving it as an alternative gameplay option.

16-Aug-2022 02:29:03

Dodgy Mike
Apr Member 2020

Dodgy Mike

Posts: 19 Bronze Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
(2/5)
Next, the idea that the gamemode was made for new/returning players who are overwhelmed with the game as it stands. Those of you who have played World of Warcraft in recent years might be familiar with something called a Character Level Boost. What this does is similar to what significantly increased xp rates and scaling gear will do to FSW. It throws inexperienced players into the deep end with no idea of what it is they are actually doing in the game. When assembling dungeon groups in WoW, it was painfully obvious when you had a boosted character in your group. The player would not know how to play their class, where to go in the world, what their gear meant, or the general gameplay expectations when jumping into content. This was in a game as simple as World of Warcraft, transposing that concept onto something as complex as Runescape3 will lead players into being significantly more lost/overwhelmed. I do sympathize with the argument that it doesn't take the hundreds of hours of game time to get 99 in a skill to understand how to play but would rebut it. If we do not need the game time to learn to play and a new gamemode removes the accomplishment of spending the time leveling the skill, why are these xp rates not just applied to the game wholesale? Not picking a fight, just posing the question for your consideration.

16-Aug-2022 02:29:20

Dodgy Mike
Apr Member 2020

Dodgy Mike

Posts: 19 Bronze Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
(3/5)

The FOMO mechanics and leaderboards are my next gripe with this gamemode. They offer very nice cosmetics and gear exclusively to the players who pay for a new account. And yes, I fully admit, I really like the cosmetics that are coming in this update and I am unhappy that I will not have a way to earn them on my account. New players will not have a FOMO because they are not invested in the current game. I have my doubts that more than a handful of new players will be drawn to the game because there's a limited time halo they can get. This is more of a gut feeling that can be disproved with data, but it feels like a ploy to get existing players to register a new account. Next, the leaderboards, which are clearly not for the lapsed/new players they claim this update is courting. The leaderboards are for existing players, specifically "the sweats" who play a LOT of runescape and want their spot on the leaderboards because they either started after leaderboards were rendered pointless or want to retain their dominance on the RS leaderboards. Best of luck to any new or lapsed player coming into the game thinking they are going to compete with the people who have been honing their xp earning methods in every skill for a decade or more.
I do have a suggestion here on FOMO and the leaderboards. Bring existing accounts into this by offering opt in participation. Reset a player's stats to 1, give them the boosted rates and access to the rewards and leaderboards, lock away their bank, and they can play their main account through the event and keep the rewards on it afterwards and let them keep the higher level skills they have managed to obtain and boost their lower skills back to their stats prior to the event. This is going off of the assumption that all accounts created as part of FSW will be joining us in the main economy and playerbase once the event ends. If I have misunderstood this, please let me know.

16-Aug-2022 02:29:34

Dodgy Mike
Apr Member 2020

Dodgy Mike

Posts: 19 Bronze Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
(4/5)

The uprooting of Runescape's base appeal is one of the most feared results from this update. I touched on this in the first paragraph, but RS has always been a long term game. Most players don't jump into it thinking they are going to be doing the endgame content while wearing their max cape after a few weeks of playing. The players who do come in with that mindset usually don't last. By now releasing a second restart in RS3 (ironman being the first), Jagex is cementing the idea that RS is not meant to be a long term investment but a game that you just keep making new accounts for every time they decide they want to add some cool stuff only for people who want to make a new account. This is a mobile game tactic that that industry flaunts widely. Spurning their existing playerbase while doling out rewards to new players to get them addicted. If Jagex wants to move in the direction of speeding up the early game to get people into the newer content faster and streamline gearing, I feel they need to bring it to the full game, to all players, all accounts, and commit to the new direction they want to take RS3.

16-Aug-2022 02:29:48

Dodgy Mike
Apr Member 2020

Dodgy Mike

Posts: 19 Bronze Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
(5/5)

Lastly, I know I'm going to get this comment so I'd like to head it off.
"If you don't like it, don't play it and shut up!"
Every update to the game impacts all of us, even if we don't play it. Resources were allocated at Jagex to the development of the content. This means that content was developed instead of another piece of content that we would play. Most of us here on the forums are paying players, meaning that our money is going into the development of this content that we have no intention of interacting with. Not only that, existing, paying players will be charged MORE money to play the new content if they do not want to abandon their current account. For that reason, I will make my opinions known and abstain from playing the content so that there is context behind my dot in their data set.

Thanks for reading. See you in RS.

16-Aug-2022 02:30:07

Dilbert2001
Jun Member 2006

Dilbert2001

Posts: 30,176 Sapphire Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
If you have no problem with creating a new account for IM mode, then there should really not be an issue with FSW, and let me remind you further since IM mode, there is also GIM mode which further us to further create even more new accounts. Is it a problem? Why and why not?

As for your WoW "FOMO" complaint, we actually also have this situation with OSRS where new players can experience the entire game before they even start out in Lumbridge in the core game in Leagues. FSW will definitely not be the first thing if you have to pick something to "FOMO" Jagex against. However, OSRS hit the most concurrent players record with Leagues. If players can love "FOMO" with Leagues, why can't they love FSW?

As for paying extra money for extra content. This is very common actually with a lot of pay-for-expansion MMOs including WoW you mentioned. Perhaps we haven't seen this in RS3 yet but to be fair we have actually seen it recently with OSRS Boss Bash Raffle where even free players can enter the contest but only the ones who pay membership can win a prize. ;)

16-Aug-2022 03:29:26 - Last edited on 16-Aug-2022 03:34:13 by Dilbert2001

Shaney Waney
Apr Member 2021

Shaney Waney

Posts: 1,250 Mithril Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
Dodgy Mike said :
(1/5)
I have seen the argument that this gamemode is not for existing players; I take issue with that statement and will elaborate if you stick with me.


Current players are most defiantly being encouraged and included in participating in this new game mode. Here is a quote taken from their own article, and notice the term I highlighted in red...

"Whether you’re a
regular ‘Scaper
seeking new challenges, an experienced player making the return to Gielinor, or even a total newbie setting on your first adventure, Fresh Start Worlds put everyone on a level playing field."


Looks like a duck, walks like a duck...

It doesn't feel very fair to have really nice looking rewards only available to new players, or those of us who have big enough wallets to fund another account. I bought my first Premier Pass a couple of months ago, thinking I wouldn't have to worry about paying again for a year and now I'm being thanked for my purchase by being asked to pay again.. I'm not sure what I'll end up dong personally. I don't like that I have to make this decision. The thought of working on a different account for 4 months, while I neglect my main account doesn't set well with me.
S
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W
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O_o

16-Aug-2022 03:37:46

Dilbert2001
Jun Member 2006

Dilbert2001

Posts: 30,176 Sapphire Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
Shaney Waney said :
Dodgy Mike said :
(1/5)
I have seen the argument that this gamemode is not for existing players; I take issue with that statement and will elaborate if you stick with me.


Current players are most defiantly being encouraged and included in participating in this new game mode. Here is a quote taken from their own article, and notice the term I highlighted in red...

"Whether you’re a
regular ‘Scaper
seeking new challenges, an experienced player making the return to Gielinor, or even a total newbie setting on your first adventure, Fresh Start Worlds put everyone on a level playing field."


Looks like a duck, walks like a duck...

It doesn't feel very fair to have really nice looking rewards only available to new players, or those of us who have big enough wallets to fund another account. I bought my first Premier Pass a couple of months ago, thinking I wouldn't have to worry about paying again for a year and now I'm being thanked for my purchase by being asked to pay again.. I'm not sure what I'll end up dong personally. I don't like that I have to make this decision. The thought of working on a different account for 4 months, while I neglect my main account doesn't set well with me.

Current free players were also encouraged to kill bosses and participate in the OSRS Boss Bash Raffle, and it doesn't seem fair when they were forced to pay to get a chance to win in that OSRS Rafflee event too, but it did happen and Jagex already told us they have some game content which may require additional payment with their T&S.

16-Aug-2022 03:40:44 - Last edited on 16-Aug-2022 03:44:38 by Dilbert2001

Shaney Waney
Apr Member 2021

Shaney Waney

Posts: 1,250 Mithril Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
Dilbert2001 said :
Shaney Waney said :
Dodgy Mike said :
(1/5)
I have seen the argument that this gamemode is not for existing players; I take issue with that statement and will elaborate if you stick with me.


Current players are most defiantly being encouraged and included in participating in this new game mode. Here is a quote taken from their own article, and notice the term I highlighted in red...

"Whether you’re a
regular ‘Scaper
seeking new challenges, an experienced player making the return to Gielinor, or even a total newbie setting on your first adventure, Fresh Start Worlds put everyone on a level playing field."


Looks like a duck, walks like a duck...

It doesn't feel very fair to have really nice looking rewards only available to new players, or those of us who have big enough wallets to fund another account. I bought my first Premier Pass a couple of months ago, thinking I wouldn't have to worry about paying again for a year and now I'm being thanked for my purchase by being asked to pay again.. I'm not sure what I'll end up dong personally. I don't like that I have to make this decision. The thought of working on a different account for 4 months, while I neglect my main account doesn't set well with me.

Current free players were also encouraged to kill bosses and it doesn't seem fair when they were forced to pay to get a chance to win in the OSRS Boss Bash Raffle event too, but it did happen and Jagex already told us they have some game content which may require additional payment with their T&S.
Creating a new account and maintaining membership for at least 4 months, doesn't seem like the same thing as "additional payment" for game content. Maybe I'm wrong, but I'll respectfully keep my opinion the same that it doesn't seem fair.
S
H
A
N
E
Y

W
A
N
E
Y
O_o

16-Aug-2022 03:55:04

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