Well, today’s updates included a nice surprise for the f2p (free to play) players of Runescape. A resizeable playing screen has now been implemented that will certainly bring a smile to many f2pers in addition to many members like myself. The Runescape game screen now expands to fill the width of the player’s browser window. This allows for a larger, easier to see and enjoy screen. Plus it introduces players to the game interfaces which before today were only available in full screen mode.

As a member, I usually play in full screen mode, but it has had its drawbacks. My main issue with full screen mode is that I can’t jump easily around on other web pages and programs while playing Runescape. Often I will be writing this blog while playing the game at the same time. I can’t do that in full screen mode. I also like to do price checks off the Grand Exchange database on the Runescape web page, which was also not easily accessible in full screen mode. I like to be on fan sites to gather needed information to help me in game play. I have a lot of skills that still need a lot of training and I don’t always know the best ways to proceed, and it is nice to have skill guides available on different tabs to help me along the way. And of course, when I am training dull skills like fishing and mining, I would keep another browser window open to CNN or something a little more interesting.

The image to the right is a compilation of the three modes of screen size now available to members (only the top two are available to f2p). The top image is the original, small screen browser window. The middle image is the full browser window mode. The bottom image is full screen mode. All three are relative in size to each other, though I did half the size of the images to conserve space. As can be clearly seen, the full browser and full screen modes are definitely much larger than the original mode. Also, it is clear that the full browser and full screen modes are not too terribly different in size from each other, so now f2ps really are not missing out on much compared to paying members (at least when it comes to screen size.)

Every once in a while I like to go back and play the old detail mode of Runescape just to remind me of how far we’ve come visually in the past month. A lot of people have complained about the HD update, and for various reasons. It slows down their machines. It doesn’t run at all. It makes their characters look fat. Their character’s hair looks funny. And I saw a few players on the morning of the update say things like, “I hate this, I’m gonna quit Runescape.” Comments like that raised my eyebrow as I wondered, sometimes aloud, why the hell don’t you just play the old detail mode instead of quiting all together? I know that people like to whine and pout when things don’t go the way they were expecting. I know that many of the players are children in the’r early teens who still don’t have the emotional maturity to handle disappointment properly. But really folks, just don’t play high detail if you don’t like it. It is as simple as that.

Anyway, I find myself continuously amazed when I downgrade to the old graphics. Everything in the older version seems so artificial and bland. I find it a challenge on my eyes.  Everything seems so tiny (I now play on full screen most of the time). And looking at images of Runescape Classic, the improvement since 2001 is stunning. The old Classic characters look more like cartoons than anything else. I almost need to laugh when I see them. Below is a progression from Classic to HD. The buttom picture is HD Full Screen, which gives me a near 50% increase in character size.

Because Classic is no longer open to new players and I let my membership lapse years ago, I needed to search the net for some old classic images.  The little dude in the upper left hand image is from the Runescape Classic photostream on Flickr.com.

Well, I feel like an idiot. When the recent graphical update occurred, I never really paid attention to the graphic options.  I just assumed the settings were set to their max (as suggested by Jagex). I didn’t realize that antialising was still turned off by default. I won’t say that the difference is stunning, but it is subtle and a little more pleasant on the eyes. I recommend turning antialising on for those players who have computers with the power to handle it. Those of you whose systems really can’t handle the extra strain aren’t missing much, but if you can do it, I say go ahead and do it. Below is the same scene, the one on the left is without antialising and the one on the right has antialising 4x. You will need to click the picture and view it full size to see the differences.  Notice how the lines seem straighter.  The armour smoother. The shield edge, the dragon longsword, and grass are less jagged.  If 4x feels a little blurry, there is a 2x option which seems to be a nice middle ground.

Kudos to Anubis’ Blog for pointing this out.

It's a little foggy on top of Lumbridge Castle.

Runescape got a new achievement diary today! This one concerns the Lumbridge / Draynor Village region and is tailored toward beginners. Middle and high level players are still welcome to complete the diary and partake in the rewards. The first task on the list is to find the highest point in Lumbridge, which is not, to my surprise, the Cook in Lumbridge castle. Apparently the task means elevation and not sobriety. The highest location in Lumbridge is, obviously, the top of the castle. And when you reach the top of the castle one thing becomes clear. The view sucks. It really, really sucks (unless you are from San Fransisco, in which case you are used to this type of thing).

If there is only one thing about the recent graphical update that I could change, it would be to push back, at least TWICE as far, the distance where the fogging effect starts to take over. The way it works right now makes the game claustrophobic and a little depressing. This is not something Jagex intended, I am sure, as they suggest that the fog makes the world mysterious. Wrong! It makes me want to walk my character out to the gallows and hang him.

Olivia must be expecting.

Wow? Is it just me, or is Olivia, the Draynor Village seed stall girl, pregnant? Maybe this is just an artifact from the recent graphics update. Then again, maybe she is supposed to be preggers and I just never noticed with the old graphic detail.