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NPC's: It's been 4+ Years Thread is locked

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Deltaslug

Deltaslug

Posts: 32,671 Sapphire Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
I had a rather strange realization: we're now in Year 5 of the 6th Age.

Before The World Wakes, our concept of time in game was rather vague. Sure it was Year 169 of the 5th Age.
Some quests happened in chronological order:
Cook's Assistant takes place before Recipe for Disaster.
In Search of the Myreque takes time to reach River of Blood.
We have numerous stories leading up to the Ritual of the Mahjarrat (which is more or less the last main event before TWW).


However, most of the NPC's haven't really aged.
I mean sure, a few have died off for various reasons.
But we haven't seen much growth in characters.

Take Gertrude's children for example ... it's been 5 years since we rescued her cat. Her oldest kids should nearly be adults. Her youngest should look a lot bigger than a toddler.

How about professional NPC's?
There were certainly a few NPC's that should have been approaching retirement age, and letting their child or an apprentice take over
How about the apprentices all around Taverly and Burthrope? Surely Apprentice Clara is ready to take over the runes shop or take over elsewhere.
Isn't Magestix ready to teach noobs about Summoning on his own?
Perhaps Jacquelyn Manslaughter is ready to sub in for one of the other Slayer Masters and letting Turael/Spria take on a new apprentice?

And why shouldn't we learn about some NPC's having gotten married or having kids?
Surely the world of Runescape is ready for a baby boom!!

It can also be said that between the ages of 22 and 30s, and 40s into 50's, a person wouldn't noticeably chance too much. Not in just the physical sense, but also professionally. Especially with only 5 years.
Children age into puberty. People who are in their 30s or 40s start greying.
Your job, you go from entry level to experienced. Or experienced to senior or even manager. But true, you don't always seen someone going from Private to General in that short of time.

23-Feb-2017 06:58:11

ZAmorakZaros
Apr Member 2013

ZAmorakZaros

Posts: 7,545 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
There is no baby boom because gielinorian children are so creepy, that a vampire posing as one is less creepy than the real gielinorian children. Except maybe gnome children. They are not creepy NO
I do not ship ZamorakxZaros.
I follow them. And Marimbo, the best t5 god.

23-Feb-2017 08:58:56

Aquamancer
May Member 2011

Aquamancer

Posts: 2,047 Mithril Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
This is the reason why time in RuneScape advancing at the same pace as it does in real world does not work. Or one of the reasons.

I hoped that JMods would've forgotten their statement, but the idea that time in-game has begun to progress in according to IRL time is nonsensical, and causes more problems than it solves.

First of all, lack of events. In comparison to the year 169 of Fifth Age, the Sixth Age is notable devoid of interesting events happening then. If anything, the years should have roughly the same amount of events, and while the meta answer to the question is that year 169 contains the content of 12 years of game development, it still does not excuse the lack of many events during the Sixth Age in comparison to the Fifth Age.

Secondly, adding extra years into the Sixth Age does not affect the game in any meaningful way. NPCs will not refer or react to the passage of time (for instance, children will not grow up, sick people will never heal, elderly people won't die, NPCs won't advance anywhere in their careers, etc.), nor does the game world change to take on account the advance of time and all of the events that happened during those 3 years (Divination and Invention won't spread among the population of Gielinor, West Ardougne/Burgh de Rott/Meiyerditch will remain in ruins, religious and political changes will not occur anywhere in the world, and so on, despite there being plenty of time for NPCs to do something about these things), nor does the lore benefit from having extra years for its disposal (the only conceivable benefit the extra years permit is the ability for child characters to grow up, and even that's questionable, as there are so few child characters that actually matter and players find interesting). So why write the passage of time into the game, if it has no impact to the story and clearly nothing has happened in the world?

23-Feb-2017 21:23:28

Aquamancer
May Member 2011

Aquamancer

Posts: 2,047 Mithril Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
Finally, JMods seem to have forgotten something: in fiction, just as things happen because the plot needs them to, they also happen when it is convenient for the story. Laws of astrophysics can be thrown out of the window if they are at the way of a plot: besides, day/night cycle does not exist in RuneScape, so there is no in-game indication of how quickly or slowly things advance on Gielinor outside of narrative events like quests, world events, holiday events, et cetera. And there simply hasn't been happening enough events to justify moving RuneScape's story from year 1 of 6th Age onwards: even when one factors in all of the world events and smaller events like Siege of Falador and Invasion of Port Sarim, the amount of events still comes nowhere close to year 169.

Solanumtinkr said :
Was it just my imagination or was Evil Dave's mother (Doris Karlolff) pregnant at one point? O_o Back before Edge got a lick of paint?

I think the belly didn't imply that she was pregnant; it seems to imply that she is somewhat obese, instead.

23-Feb-2017 21:33:06

Crow Crimson

Crow Crimson

Posts: 508 Steel Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
It's not much but in Lumbridge, Bob's hair has gotten a little grayer and the general store owner has grown some facial hair.

Meanwhile in Draynor, Diango has cut his hair shorter, lengthened his beard, stopped wearing a hat, and has creases on his face. And Aggie's hair went from green to blonde (hair dyes?). The legendary creators have been long gone from this world. When they return, they'll be surprised and angered of their creations' new sapience. Meanwhile, the world's most elite, summoned to be its guardians, have abandoned their purpose and intend to plunge the world into chaos. -- Bionicle or RS?

23-Feb-2017 23:26:37

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