Runescape and Windows 7

I am one of those impatient freaks who always has to have the latest updates for everything. I was part of the original beta test group for Windows95 and proceeded to beta test most of the following operating systems up to and including Windows2000. On my iGoogle homepage I have RSS feeds from FileHippo and other software update sites. When I download share/freeware I almost always exclusively download only packages that are a couple of months old. Current. Updated. Beta. For me it has to be new, better, faster, easier. So it is no surprised that I recently downloaded the Windows 7 beta.

Since this is a Runescape blog I will restrict most of my comments to Runescape on Windows 7. But I will make a couple of comments here about the OS in general. First of all, Windows 7 is Vista without all the problems and annoyances. Or maybe it is better stated as, Windows 7 is exactly what Vista should have been. It is clean, efficient, powerful, and stable even in its beta form. The security, at least in terms of the UAC and annoyance factors, is effective yet hardly intrusive at all. I have yet to run in to a significant application comparability problem with any of the software I use on my may XP machine (Dreamweaver, OpenOffice, PhotoImpact, etc.) Its boot and shutdown times are slightly faster than even WindowsXP. Provided Microsoft does not fugg things up between now and the eventual release of Windows 7, it should be the OS to bring respect back to Microsoft and even to bring back some of the lost customer base that Microsoft has sacrificed to Apple and other OS developers. As of right now I would be happy to have Windows 7 as a replacement to XP, even in its beta.

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A talk about Death

Here is a really random thought for the blog. As far as I can remember in my almost six years of playing Runescape I have only died six times. I am excluding any deaths during my first week or two. But even during my formative weeks I don’t think I got killed all that often. Now that I think about it, I may not have gotten killed at all so my original count of six may be very close for Absenm’s life. I also do not count deaths in “safe” minigames like Castle Wars. I am talking deaths where your actually lose stuff.

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Thoughts about PvP

 

Well, I must say that today is the day that many Runescape players have been looking forward to for months. The return of open PKing (player killing) and PvP (player vs player) worlds. Most dedicated readers of my blog will remember that I avoid PKing situations if at all possible. It just isn’t my thing. But I also believe that PKing is an important part of most Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPGs) and it should never have been as severely limited as it was last year. But now it’s back and I just have a couple of thoughts I’d like to share.

First of I want it clear that this blog will in the future deal very little with PKing and PvP worlds. Again, I am not interested in PKing and therefore will have little to no experience with it and therefore will not be able to provide much insight into this (re)new aspect of Runescape.

Second, just from a quick glance at one of the PvP worlds I visited I have to say it looks like it will be a hell of a lot of fun for those who are into such things. At Lumbridge Castle the court yard look more like a grave yard with all the skulled players. But I also think this will lead to a dark side of the Runescape universe. In the old days when PKing was allowed in the Wilderness there was still doubt as to what that other player near you had in mind. They may have need to be out in the Wilderness for many reasons other than PKing. But when you land on those PvP Worlds you pretty much know everyone there is out to kill other players and if they can take you down they will. Remember the old saying, “Just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean they aren’t out to get you.” That is one of the reasons why these world don’t appeal to me. I am more laid back, and PvP worlds are much more cut throat (no pun) than I like. But again, these worlds are very important to the Runescape universe and applaud Jagex for finally bringing them into existence.

Third, Woo Hoo! I’m gonna be rich! Why you ask? Ever since the Jagex announcement that this update would occur I have been hording swordfish. The food market is going to sky rocket! I truly believe you will see the price of the combat staples like swordfish and sharks to double! In fact, expect to see a slight inflation throughout the entire economy. Potions and lower level combat gear should see a steep price increase also. I say lower level gear because it is my assumption that many players will not risk their dragon or better armor and weapons on these PvP worlds. But rune gear is reasonably cheap. There should also be a good increase in the poisoned weapons market. [Don't forget that in the coming weeks I will be adding a whole new section that deals with the Runescape economy.]

Finally, I really hate the new combat level set up. I don’t exactly know why either. Maybe it is because now I need to modify my stat widget to the right. Or maybe it is because when I don’t have a pouch or a familiar that my level looks lower. But I think it is more because it just seems clumsy. If I have a pouch on me I’m combat level 93. If I don’t I’m 87 + 6. Huh? Once again freaking Summoning messing things up. Have I mentioned I hate that skill lately?

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Toss Money Around Like A Hot Potato

This idea is a little impromptu because I just started trying this money maker out a couple of days ago. Basically, when the price of Granite started its suicidal high dive into an empty pool I decided that it was time to come up with something that would still provide a tidy income but be fairly easy to acquire. So I came up with potatoes.

First thing we need to start my “Hot Potato” technique of money making is to get our hands on potatoes. This should be no problem for anyone. There are potato fields all over Runescape. My favorite one is between Lumbridge and Draynor Village. From that field you can easily fill your inventory, run to the Draynor bank, and run back to the field. And the best thing is the potatoes are free. Of course you can also farm your own potatoes, which gives the added benefit of nominal farming experience. But maybe you are a complete lazy arse. In that situation potatoes can be purchased on the Grand Exchange for around 70gp.

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Penguins, twins, and stones

Well, though I try to avoid having this blog seem like a diary as opposed to being a helpful guide type of resource, I’m going to break down and do a little diary entry just so everyone knows I am still alive and doing posts.

First of all, I spotted my twin today. At least outfit wise. This would normally not be notable if it were not for that fact that I wear a fairly bizarre combination of armor. This fellow I spotted was wearing almost everything I normally wear with the exception that he was wearing an Amulet of Glory while I wear an Amulet of Fury. I suppose I will have to change to something even more bizarre so I am unique. E ither that or hunt him down in Clan Wars and kill him.

I also spotted my first Penguin Spy. It was near the granite fields in the southern desert. I was pleasantly surprised that I could spy the penguin without having my spy notebook in my inventory. That makes this mini-game a lot more fun. I will probably collect out my spy points as xp as opposed to gold. I’ve got enough gold and I have no initiative to train my construction, so that is probably where my points will go.

I had planned on doing a write up about the three new mini games released a couple of weeks ago. Those being the circus, the penguin spies, and the falling stars. But the truth is that the circus is really the only one I know much of anything about. Like I said before, I just recently spotted my first penguin and have yet to stumble upon a fallen star. I suppose if I did train up my construction I would be able to get a telescope for the house and get some good location and timing data. Then again, another option would be to join one of the many clans who go hunting for the stars, but that would of course violate my whole antisocial stance to game play. Anyway, expect to see a circus write up soon, but don’t hold your breath on penguins and stars.

I have a few other write ups I am starting work on and hope to have posted here in the coming days. One will deal with what I suggest for Runescape travel tips. Another one will be a write up about an older mini game. In fact, I might have three mini game write ups over the coming couple of weeks. But don’t expect anything about clan wars. As anyone who has read the ‘about’ pages of this blog will know, I do not, did not, and expect to never PK. So clan wars holds no interest to me. However, that being said, I say bravo to the people at Jagex for the update. Though I personally don’t PK, I think PKing is an important part of Runescape and should never have been as limited as it was last year.

One final note. Granite is really pissing me off. Mining granite was supposed to be one of those sure fire millionaire makers of Runescape. But I haven’t been able to sell even one piece of granite for any price what-so-ever on the Grand Exchange in over a week. Plus, granite prices are dropping like a rock (no pun intended). 500g granite pieces have dropped 20% or almost 300gp over the past week alone.

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My money story and some basic gp making tips.

Every once in a while I am asked how I made my money. I suppose this question comes up because my outfit of choice consists of gold trimmed rune bodyplate and shield, dragon boots, legs, and helmet, a combat bracelet, a ring of wealth, and an amulet of fury. All together my day-wear outfit runs about 5 million gp. I don’t wear this kind of outfit to show off and be flashy, I simply like how it looks with the golds and blues and reds. But people do get the impression that I am rich, which compared to many other players, I am not. But I am comfortable and when people ask me how I make my money I refer them to my blog. That is part of the reason I started this blog in the first place, so I wouldn’t have to go into long stories in chat during the game. So here is my story and some very basic tips (which I may expand on in later articles) about making Runescape money.

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If You Must Farm, Make Money!

The farming skill has been one of my least favorite skills since it inception. It took only a mind numbing skill like summoning to remove it from the very top spot of my list of crappiest skills. I suspect I really never gave it much of a chance when it was released, in part to how tediously boring it was, and in part because I couldn’t see any value to it. I have never been very sociable on Runescape, keeping to myself and never doing any player to player trading. As thus I would be restricted to general store prices and farming really had no value to me at the time. Plus my thieving wasn’t high enough to steal seeds from the seed stalls or master farmers. So I was often restricted to hoping for a random drop of seeds from a random monster. Thus, I tried working with farming for about a week and then spent the next couple of years ignoring it completely. It was only with the advent of the Grand Exchange that I started to notice some valuable aspects of Farming. And it wasn’t until I started to writing this blog that I researched more fully the value of farming.

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Earn Farming XP with Vinesweeper

Do you hate farming but need farming experience? Are you easily amused, even by the games that come standard with Windows? Then you are sure to enjoy Vinesweeper.

Vinesweeper is an amusing mini game within Runescape that is basically a Runeized version of the classic puzzle game, Minesweeper. I have never been a big fan a Minesweeper, but I know people who swear it is the greatest puzzle game of all time. I have even heard that JK Rowling, the writer of the Harry Potter series of books, when needing a break from writing, would turn to Minesweeper. Being a simple game and yet having such a large following made it a logical choice for a Jagex twist. Vinesweeper provides a pleasant distraction and a nice way to earn some otherwise tedious farming experience.

To get to the Vinesweeper game is very simple. Just ask any farming tool leprechaun to transport you. This makes Vinesweeper one of the most easily accessible mini games in the world of Runescape. But before you go finding a leprechaun, get a spade and a bunch of money out of your bank account. I prefer to bring 20k with me, but this is often overkill. The better a player is at this game, the less gp you will need to spend. Once you’re ready, find a tool leprechaun and have him teleport you to Farmer Blinkin’s farm. I like to use the leprechaun by the farming patch in the court yard of Varrock Castle, but any farming patch will do.

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Hit The Money Making Bullseye

One thing I like to repeat on a regular basis throughout this blog is that I am not an expert on making money in Runescape. But I do have several procedures I like that make me a tidy income. Bullseye Lantern filling is just such a technique. It’s not the best way to make gp out there, but it does provide almost a guaranteed 100% profit.  Any way to double your investment is always worth mentioning.

I recommend buying unfilled Bullseye Lanterns on the Grand Exchange as opposed to making them from scratch. They sell for around 185gp. I buy around a hundred at a time and I usually do not have to wait at all for the sale to complete. To fill these empty lanterns you need to use swamp tar on a special still. Swamp tar can be easily and quickly collected in the Lumbridge swamps. But tar is also reasonably priced on the Grand Exchange for around 195gp.

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What is Scary

I do believe that this (see right) is the scariest thing I have yet seen in the world of Runescape. The green goatee is the obvious topper to this ensemble. Me thinks the shorts are a little too short for this fellow.  And to think, just a couple of weeks ago I blogged about how refreashing it is that in the world of Runescape we have so many clothing options.

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