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Rs3 Alternative Game Modes....

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H 1 L D A
Apr Member 2020

H 1 L D A

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I, like many other current players it sounds like, have some complaints about the proposed "Fresh Start Worlds"... but I want to start by acknowledging that this very much seemed like an intentional experiment to engage with players that haven't been on the wagon lately and face steep grinds just to even engage with endgame content, let alone be rewarded by it, in an games climate that is past the era of "work hard and long for rewards."

In other words, this isn't an update for newly maxed, fully seasoned quester me over here. This would better suit my friends from earlier eras of RuneScape.

All that being said, there are numerous problems to be addressed here.

1. 'Old School RuneScape' does a far more effective job of communicating with its player base what the intention of their iteration of FSW is supposed to be - and even has the decency to avoid using eye-catching rewards or the premise of competing on a fresh leaderboard to sucker in established active players into being enticed by content that isn't aimed at them. Using a boring forum post. RuneScape 3? The important details of how MTX will be active during the competition period at some point or how you need to create a new members account to participate are somewhat hidden down the post and the rest of it seems like its advertising a sort of 'RS3 Leagues' alternative game mode that many players would LOVE to experience... which is unfortunately not the point.

2. The inclusion of tradeable rewards and worse - boosted drop rates... in RS3's version of FSW dubiously indicates that Jagex wouldn't necessarily mind if their active playerbase wants to pony up extra cash just to start over on a new account. Mod Jack, in reaction to honestly pretty reasonable anger, was roused from his holiday to have to defend his own honor after a Discord message was misinterpreted. It's -THIS- random discord, and not the main page, that tells us what Fresh Start Worlds are supposed to be.

(cont.)
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16-Aug-2022 02:14:23

H 1 L D A
Apr Member 2020

H 1 L D A

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So....why is poor advertising so bad?

It's very obvious that RuneScape 3 players want to have alternative game modes. Leagues would be very interesting in this game as players would want to test their mettle (assuming they didn't need to pay extra membership fees for doing so) with skilling all over again, and Deadman Mode would be a much needed alternative PvP-centric game mode that could help fill the void the main-game's lack of PvP interest poses on players that enjoy that kind of gameplay.

Players are probably upset that what we have with Fresh Start Worlds is a framework of a FANTASTIC alternative game mode that wouldn't hurt anyone or anything in the main game.

Instead, they are led to believe that their accounts being some of 300 million is being celebrated solely on a pithy balloon fragment hunt while the real fun is being had by players who couldn't be bothered to actually play the game for years now.

I actually don't hate the concept of fast-track events for casual players like this one - but advertising and honesty goes a very long way.
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16-Aug-2022 02:20:57

Dilbert2001
Jun Member 2006

Dilbert2001

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I absolutely don't see how OSRS is doing a better job communicating FSW when all the 200scape subreddit threads are overwhelmingly negative:

In classic Jagex fashion, they've accidentally added "Fresh Start Mode" early! You can play it right now!

"Fresh Start Worlds" Require New Accounts Because Corporate Knows They Can't do OSRS MTX

"If you don't like Fresh Start, don't play. It doesn't affect you" Yes. It does

They could’ve picked so many better ideas for a server/temporary game mode

Split the player base further to bring in "new" players that will quit in a week instead of fixing main game servers

Fix Current Servers Before Fresh Ones

I feel like players should have a say in whether "Fresh Start: gets introduced to the game, because it is connected to the main game.

etc etc etc etc etc

The pot calling the kettle black? But advertising and honesty goes a very long way. :D

16-Aug-2022 02:37:08 - Last edited on 16-Aug-2022 02:39:19 by Dilbert2001

MangaFreak
Jul Member 2010

MangaFreak

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see, i thought this update was supposed to target lapsed players who haven't been on in years, and yet they are enticing current players with all this crap like alt skill capes, halos on pets, and rare tradeable halos. what's the deal with that? if it weren't for all that stuff, I know for a fact i and many other current players wouldn't even bother taking part in this.
-one does not simply create a signature-

16-Aug-2022 04:38:39

Dilbert2001
Jun Member 2006

Dilbert2001

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MangaFreak said :
see, i thought this update was supposed to target lapsed players who haven't been on in years, and yet they are enticing current players with all this crap like alt skill capes, halos on pets, and rare tradeable halos. what's the deal with that? if it weren't for all that stuff, I know for a fact i and many other current players wouldn't even bother taking part in this.

Not really, as the uproar is actually far widespread in OSRS where they won't get any new capes halos and such, but they will see their already grossly divided community of existing players even far more divided by new comers and far more upcoming game modes.

16-Aug-2022 04:51:26

H 1 L D A
Apr Member 2020

H 1 L D A

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It’s funny you mention the community response on Reddit, Dilbert, because it really feels like I’ve seen the same “joined hands” meme indicating the displeasure of BOTH RS communities is shared - multiple times today.

That’s a problem with the concept of Fresh Start Worlds itself. At best, both games’ active playerbases get zilch out of this update in the hope that Jagex has good data available to them. At worst, both communities watch their grinds and experiences devalued through accounts that are made to essentially skate into the endgame, potentially impacting the games’ economies significantly in the process. This update has few active fans no matter where you look.

This isn’t even taking into account that Old School -normally- is polled about major updates that will affect the main game, which is an argument you cite above, and if this is going to impact the game’s player count and economy directly that argument might even not be off-base.

The main difference is that Old School isn’t advertising a “leagues” like game mode with great rewards at all, and they are outright saying “we want to have lapsed players try this out and see if it makes RS stick for them again.”

The messaging is far more mixed on the RS3 side of things. There’s cool cosmetics. There’s a high scores. There’s pets and armor and titles. There’s boosted xp and even boosted drop rates you can keep even after the event ends! (But oh yeah you need a new account, something something bonds and keys are okay after a bit, and you need a new members account too.)

The BEST examples of how RS3 has been truthful on what Fresh Start Worlds are come from Hooli after the website got found early in saying “there’s a reason for this madness” - and in poor Jack who had to explain his own comment on vacation. Both on Reddit.

Old School may not be happy with it either - but they didn’t get taken for suckers.
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16-Aug-2022 05:04:29

Dilbert2001
Jun Member 2006

Dilbert2001

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^^
The actual thing both RS3 and OSRS existing players on Reddit (read, Reddit only but not other social media and not in the game) hate is Jagex is diversifying. These hardcore players have a problem in accepting the reality "Jamflex" has other sources to turn to for their business.

However, the more causal players hardly care as they probably have seen similar things over 9000 times in other games already.

I really appreciate Mod Pips told us they bought Pipeworks and made all the other investments in board games, Jagex Publishing Platforms etc because they need to diversify their investment from solely on their Runescape games, and Mod Jack frankly told us the company's focus on growth and they need not just the existing players but lapsed and new players too.

Being honest with candid comments is the only way to gather the equally honest and candid playerbase to march forward with them.

16-Aug-2022 05:21:26

H 1 L D A
Apr Member 2020

H 1 L D A

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Agreed.

So answer me this - if the point of this update is for lapsed players to return and hopefully stick around, why is RS3 promising alternative-colored skillcapes and master skillcapes, halos for your skilling pets, halos for yourself, and boosted drop rates for the account that starts off as a FSW account?

Those things mean a great deal for players who have an active account right now - and we know Jagex isn’t -preventing- current players from participating. We also know Old School isn’t being nearly as rewarding with their Freah Start Worlds - which may not be popular but does seem a whole more confident that the OS endgame is in it of itself a reward for those who do play.

Jagex wouldn’t try to buffer this experiment with existing players for the easy money would they? That’s not the point of the update after all…

If they would - then Mod Jack is being a little disingenuous, because even though he is probably not lying about the company’s aim here, he’s been much cagier about the cool stuff above.

Wouldn’t put it past you if you weren’t able to answer the question either.
Quest Cape Owner since 2021

Maxed
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16-Aug-2022 05:50:49

Dilbert2001
Jun Member 2006

Dilbert2001

Posts: 30,176 Sapphire Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
^^
Actually when you mentioned the new skill capes, pet halos and such, you told us Jagex really care about existing players too, although they are not the focus of this FSW update.

It is like updating Burthorpe and Lumbridge. RS3 has released many New Player Experience updates and changed starting areas many times. Of course, the main focus is to attract more new players, but don't forget existing players go there occasionally too, although not for the leveling content.

As for OSRS, they have no endgame, let alone rewarding endgame. Players who have joined that game in recent years won't waste 10 years to catch up. Look at all those Leagues, DMM, GIM, LMS and all those new game modes they proposed. They have virtually no level and gear requirements, rendering everything we earn in the core OSRS game meaningless. That's also why OSRS Jmods don't talk about these new game modes now because they know they will be bombarded with questions on how are they not killing the core OSRS content and existing playerbase.

16-Aug-2022 12:24:03 - Last edited on 16-Aug-2022 12:59:13 by Dilbert2001

H 1 L D A
Apr Member 2020

H 1 L D A

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Is that really what you think?

That these rewards being locked behind a paywalled, fresh account are acts of “care” for existing active players? That content designed to make players spend -more- money (not just money. More money.) is equivalent to graphical reworks in free areas of the game as the game’s graphical fidelity improves?

Either you’re wrong about this; or Jagex has no idea what “caring” looks like. Burthrope and Lummy are necessary updates that improve the game’s viewing pleasure in the current era, Fresh Start’s rewards -and- nuances (xp boosts, Leagues-like boons, Fresh hi-scores, boosted drop rates) are highly unneeded updates that interest active players possibly way more than lapsed ones to a suspicious degree.

Here’s my theory. My theory is that Jagex isn’t as confident that RuneScape 3 will draw back lapsed players as Old School will based on the Old School Fresh Start concept. So Jagex needs a way to present this update in a way that will be experimental on multiple fronts and at the very least will recover any losses the effort in trying to bring back lapsed players may incur.

They don’t simply restart the game on these worlds like Old School is doing then. They make it like Leagues so that active players are excited about it. Then they add in tradeable rares to entice the games’ whales to make multiple FSW accounts, all with new subscription. If the game mode does draw in a lot of new players mission accomplished. If not…. At least Jagex “cared” enough to make the mode turn a profit in spite of their results they were looking for.
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16-Aug-2022 14:24:42

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