News

After a short break, it’s time for November’s edition of the Gielinor Gazette…

Winter Summit 2022

For those who missed it, we recently revealed the date of this year's Winter Summit!

Join us on Saturday, December 10th at 8pm GMT / 3pm EST / 12pm PT, on the Old School RuneScape Twitch channel. We've got a great show in store and you won't want to miss out, so cancel any other plans and get the Winter Summit in your diary!

Come on in from the cold and get nice and cosy with your hosts, Mods Ayiza and Kieren. They'll be joined by an array of other Old School J-Mods to give you the very first look at the great content awaiting you in early 2023!

The Future of the Gielinor Gazette

As you’ve no doubt noticed, we’re a few months behind on the Gazette – and there’s a good reason for that!

Some of the more recent editions of the Gazette were looking a little empty, and as we prepare for the Winter Summit, there’s been less and less we can talk about here. We’ve seen that you’re not happy about this, so we want to offer you the opportunity to shake things up a bit.

What would YOU like to see in the next Gazette? Should we only release a Gazette when there’s a juicy project to tease? Do you want more community-driven content? Should we add new sections entirely? Now’s your chance to tell us!

Click the link below and you’ll be whisked away to our survey, where you can share your thoughts on the future of the Gielinor Gazette. This will directly inform our strategy going into 2023, so don’t hold back!

Game Jam II: November 2022

This month we wrapped up our second Old School Game Jam, and once again, it’s been a huge success.

Game Jams are our new ideation process, where J-Mods across the team join forces and create awesome content pitches which sees creativity come from across all areas of Old School! You’ll see everything we came up with in an upcoming livestream, but while you wait, we've got a sneak peek at a few different projects. We aren't showing all of the projects however as some we'd like to keep a secret!

However, before we start, please remember:

ALL THESE PROJECTS ARE JUST CONCEPTS.

None of this content is confirmed for the game, and no team has been given time to refine these projects just yet. If you like the look of them, please do let us know, but don’t expect them to come to the game any time soon, if at all!

For those of you wondering about the previous Game Jam projects, these haven't been forgotten and really showed us what the whole team is capable of creating when there's this level of freedom. We are still in the process of actively reviewing all of the previous concepts and we'll be taking your feedback from our last survey and livestream into account whilst we assess each project.

Right, let’s jam!

New Hairstyles by Mod Moogle, Mod Halo, Mod Elena, Mod Shroom, Mod Hend, Mod Bruno, Mod West, Mod Skylark and Mod Jerv

Character customization is an important part of any game - so for this Game Jam we focused on creating a new selection of player hairstyles and some further customization options! Over the course of the week we made 16 styles based on popular player suggestions, though should this project make it to release, we'd definitely add some more...

The new styles created over the course of the Game Jam, all of which will be unisex

To unlock these new styles, you'll have to embark on a small quest that introduces you to a new hairdressing NPC. You'll help them find the perfect place to set up a boutique in Varrock, though they may have to make a deal with the current owner of the building - a shy hat-maker who loves crafting community-designed accessories into wearable fashionscape items!

Two new NPCs: Emma and Suzie. Emma is an outgoing new hairdresser looking for customers, and Suzie is a shy hatter looking to scale up her business.

After completing the quest you'll have full access to a range of new hairstyles and the FashionScape Accessory Shop, which will both be located in a currently unused building next to the Varrock Museum. We hope to use this as a hub for future item-design contests, as well as potentially setting up a hairdressing mini-game that allows players to unlock even more styles!

A WIP of the new hairdressers/boutique. Assets are currently placeholders and would be given a polish before release.

We have a LOT of talented artists in our community who often propose their own concepts and item designs. We’d love to give players a way to wear their creations as cosmetic accessories by hosting design contests at the boutique. Here’s a few examples of what the finished items could look like…

A mix of accessories designed by players and J-Mods.

We also took a look at the current hairdressing UI - it's overcrowded and players have mentioned that it can be difficult to see what you're getting until you've bought it. As a solution to this we've created a new UI that solves these issues and gives you a 360-degree preview of your chosen hairstyle!

The new UI for hairstyle selection, with a preview of both the player model and the chathead.

OSRS Randomiser by Mod Nin

We all know how the world of Old School works by this point. Chop trees for wood, buy tinderboxes at the general store, milk cows for milk; you know, basic stuff. But what if everything you knew was wrong?

The OSRS Randomiser would see the whole game turned on its head. Chopping trees gets you nothing but Burnt Sharks. Shops sell Medium Clue Caskets, and Tinderboxes are only obtainable from Fishing. Lumbridge is overrun with Dagannoths, and hitting them with your sword grants you Smithing XP. And the cows? Somehow they’ve acquired a piece of the map to Crandor.

Why not pick up some Void Knight Equipment, or perhaps an Untrimmed Farming Skillcape, from the Ardougne General Store?

Randomisers have become a popular way to replay familiar old games, and I wanted to see if it was technically possible to make such a thing work in Old School RuneScape. There are so many items and NPCs in Old School that if they were all randomised, it would take an entire community to figure out even the basic quests – but that’s what makes it such a cool concept!

Every week your save would be reset and the world re-randomised. Items and NPCs would all move to different locations (where they’ll stay, for everyone, for the whole week) and everyone would begin in a new version of Lumbridge, trying to check off tasks on their randomised bingo card.

Agility Improvements by Mod Arcane, Mod Dylan and Mod Goblin

For this project, we looked into Run Energy itself and proposed a couple of changes.

1. Buff the rate at which Energy regenerates (Energy regen rate)
2. Change the rate at which Energy drains to
• Scale off of Agility level
• Scale harder with higher weight

Since weight in-game effectively ranges from 0-64kg (values on either side of this don't actually impact your Energy drain rate!) we made comparisons using weights of 0kg and 64kg.

Without going over a bunch of maths regarding the formulae for Energy drain and regeneration, we'll drop a few comparisons below.

To compare how Energy works in the Live game vs. our proposed rework, we calculated a ratio of restore rate vs. drain rate. At each Agility Level and weight, this ratio can be compared between 'Live' and 'Proposed' so that we can understand how Agility levels and Weight will affect going fast (a.k.a. running) with our proposal.

At a glance, here's how our proposed rework stacks up, remember that the comparison is a ratio, worked out as Energy Restore rate divided by Energy Drain rate:

• 1 Agility
• 1kg - 150% buff
• 64kg - 17% nerf
• 20 Agility
• 64kg - 0.8% buff
• This is the 'breakpoint' at which our proposed system is always better than what's currently in-game.
• 50 Agility
• 1kg - 191% buff
• 64kg - 26% buff
• 99 Agility
• 1kg - 153% buff
• 64kg - 48% buff

Ultimately the aim is to get you running more often and running earlier, while trying to improve the value of Agility levels. This opens up room for us to consider adjustments to Graceful that might make it a little less ubiquitous and hopefully get you all out in your best fashionscape!

On top of all of this, we took a look at some ways we might alleviate some of the issues new players have with Agility and Run Energy, including a new low-level Agility course, a potential re-introduction of Rest stops and even making Agility a free-to-play skill!

An overview of what would be changed with the Agility Improvements

OSRS Tower Defence by Mod Arcane, Mod Husky and Mod Mack

Tower defence has been a popular game genre for many years now, so we used our Game Jam time to think about what that might look like in Old School RuneScape. We looked deep into the systems Old School already has – the different skills on offer, the combat system, and more – and designed a tower defence game that would synergize with these existing mechanics and your character’s progression.

A test build for building and placing Towers.

A concept for enemies and theming for Old School's Tower Defence.

Custom Outfit Loadouts by Mod Squid

A quick overview of the Custom Loadouts interface.

With equippable items split between players' Banks and different housing storage locations, it can be difficult to remember where anything is, let alone experiment with different outfits or quickly equip a specific outfit.

With the Stylist's Mirror, a new bedroom furniture item, players can access all the equippable items they own from one location and filter those items by slot. This allows players to make full use of their available storage without needing to hunt for a particular item. This doesn't, however, allow players to bypass the distance factor, as they'll need their butler to retrieve any items that are stored in their Bank when finalising their selection.

Additionally, the mirror would let players save outfits as preset loadouts that can quickly be switched between.

Wilderness Expansion Revisited by Mod Soffan

This Game Jam I returned to my passion project: the Wilderness Expansion. I also spent a bit of time polishing the artwork between Jams. I’ve had lots of community involvement in this project, especially surrounding the boss and what they might drop. Thanks to everyone who came to me with ideas and suggestions throughout this project. I’ve had so much fun working on this dream pitch!

These are all just ideas and nothing is guaranteed to make it into the game, but if I could pick one thing it would be the dragon boss Vulcu! I also made the concept art for a Torva Ornament Kit a while back and have had loads of requests asking me to model it, so here you go. Hope you like it!

An updated Wilderness Expansion map - click on the image for a full scale version!

Mod Soffan’s Torva artwork, now in model form!

Community Event Support by Mod Light and Mod Dylan

We worked on ideas to highlight and manage community events better from both a player and J-Mod perspective.

We think a community flourishes when players feel connected to other players – so our project was all about ways we could improve the game by recognising, promoting, and rewarding positive community behaviour.

A mock-up of the 'Event Organiser' overhead icon.

Our first idea was the Party Popper, a new tool for J-Mods that builds on the functionality offered by the Rotten Potato. The Party Popper includes all the fun transmog options from the Potato, without the riskier options – so nobody will accidentally kill all the players in a given area! The Party Popper would also let J-Mods bestow an ‘event organiser’ tag, which would appear above players’ heads and in the chat icon space. For 24 hours, they will be recognisable as an event organiser – perfect for organising marches or other big group events!

You'll even get a nifty chat icon!

The second idea was to repurpose the Varrock Herald to include notable community initiatives, giving players the chance to see themselves – and the amazing events they organise - in print!

In the same vein, we’d like to create a Notice Board button on the UI which advertises community-run events managed by the CM team. We explored a few different ways to get community events supported by J-Mods, including a survey system and a process where players can view upcoming events or apply to have their events listed.

Lastly, we were interested in creating automated broadcasts for events. With engine support, we could take a leaf out of our big brother RuneScape’s book and advertise events as soon as they start, on the relevant worlds!

One final note: we understand that many players would like us to focus more on making Clan Bingo official. We’ve explored this possibility, and unfortunately, it’s not a small project. It would involve lots of tracking on player characters, which would add up to months of technical work for just the bare minimum. This is unlikely to be something we explore in future, although we will look to see if we can repurpose the Leagues’ tracking systems for later use in a bingo-type minigame.

Port Management by Mod West

Fremennik Port Manager is an extension to the existing Kingdom Management minigame. You’d gain access through a continuation of the Kingdom of Miscellania quest line, where you’d be tasked with building stronger relations with the neighbouring kingdom, Etceteria, by helping them establish and manage their own port. The quest will cover the basic game loop by having you set up the port, hire some crew, build a boat and send the whole caboodle out on missions.

A concept for the Port Management minigame interface.

This is a chilled-out minigame which lets you check the state of the port at your own pace. Resources from Kingdom Management would be usable in the minigame, and there’d be a mix of resource rewards and cosmetic non-tradeables so you could show off to your friends how far your naval empire had spread.

A concept for the Port Management minigame map.

Other rewards could include discovering new islands around the map that you can travel to with your crew. These islands could offer a wide variety of content, from new training areas to new mobs with unique drops. An example of a new cosmetic item could be something akin to the Neitiznot Faceguard with a darker colour palette.

A look at the potential cosmetic reward from Port Management.

Holiday Island by Mod Tide

Holiday Island will open for visitors whenever a holiday event comes around, although you’ll have to complete the event to gain access. It’ll be themed to whichever event is currently active – below are some examples of how it might look during the Christmas event!

But it’s not just a themed island – there are also lots of activities you can take part in while you’re there!

First up, there’s some creatures to battle. If you like the look of their weapons, you can try to acquire them for yourself by defeating the beasts or accumulating points (more on this momentarily…) to buy them.

Snow way! The boys are back.

There are also trees and Fishing spots where you can train and gain resources. Take your ice-covered logs and frozen fish to the bonfire to thaw them out, or completely burn the logs to get more XP. The resources you gain from thawing are based on your level in the relevant skill.

Get in the holiday spirit with festive skilling!

You’ll also find Holiday Implings, a boss that spawns every 30 minutes, and a Holiday Stall where you can thieve some ill-gotten holiday goods.

Participating in Holiday Island activities will gain you Holiday Points, which can be used to buy rewards in the shop. We’d like to add one or two rewards for each holiday event – and the exciting part is, they stick around even after the event is over. So, if you miss the Christmas event, you can come back at Easter and fill out your collection!

So there you have it, folks! A fresh crop of Game Jam pitches. Will they make it into the game? Will Dagannoths wielding Buckets of Milk really storm Lumbridge?

Just like the previous Game Jam, we want to hear what projects you like the sound of and fits with the world of Old School RuneScape. Use the button below to leave your feedback!

Team Ins and Outs

Good news! We've got three new starters joining the team! Unfortunately, we also have a few amazing J-Mods leaving. Sob!

First off, we'd like to send our best to Mod Brow whose home teleport will now be halfway across the globe. Since joining in 2020, Mod Brow really made an impact on the game with his fantastic animation work and skills that transformed the content all across Gielinor, including the recent killer anims from Tombs of Amascut. We'll miss ya, buddy!

Secondly, Mod Havik has said bon voyage and is moving on from Old School. His crucial work on the recent holiday events, Fresh Start Worlds and quality of life improvements have definitely not gone unnoticed. We're wishing him all the best in his next venture! Here's what he had to say:

Hello! I didn't think I'd be saying this for a long time (if ever!), but I have decided to leave the Old School team to pursue another opportunity. I have loved every minute of working on Old School, it really is as cool as it sounds. I've only been here for a year and a half, but I've done quite a bit in that time, and have learned so many things about game design and game development that I'll keep with me forever.

It's been an absolute pleasure making content for you all, and I'm proud that I can always say I've worked on such an iconic game, if only for a short while!

Who knows what the future holds, maybe I'll see you again one day. But for now - goodbye! May your drop luck be high and your server lag be low, and of course, happy 'scaping! <3

We're also saying goodbye to two integral parts of the Analytics & Data Science team, Mod Ditto & Mod Lottie.

Mod Lottie has been a key player in delivering the most important statistics that make up what YOU, the players, get up to during your time in Gielinor. Joining back in 2018 and becoming lead analyst for Old School in the time since, we're going to miss you and your #runestats!

Ditto has been giving us vital insight into what players are getting up to and perhaps most importantly, all those glorious stats from Leagues and other content that you all love seeing so much! Here's to your future being a bright one Mod Ditto!

Finally, we're saying farewell to one of the longest-standing members of the team, John C. Joining back in 2014, he's been a crucial element of making what Old School is today and has used his expertise and knowledge to help form the great path the game is now currently following. It won't be the same without you!

Onto some more happy news, here's a brief intro from our brand new J-Mods. Make sure to give them a warm welcome!

Mod Other has joined as a Junior Content Developer

Hi there! I’m Mod Other, a new Junior Content Developer on the Old School team! They say you never truly quit playing RuneScape, and at this point, it feels like I’m taking it a step further by being able to give back to a game and community that has been a stalwart in my life for so long.

I’m new to the games industry, so I consider myself very fortunate to be working on OSRS and hopefully I will help bring fresh and exciting content to the game in the future!

Mod Shroom has joined as a Junior Artist

I'm Mod Shroom and have recently joined Jagex as a Junior Artist after graduating from university where I studied Game Art. I'm new to Old School Runescape, but it has been brilliant to contribute to the game with the recent Halloween decorations. I look forward to working with the Old School Art Team to produce more exciting content for players to experience!

Mod Hend has joined as a Junior Animator

Hey everyone! Since joining Jagex, I have found the whole team to be so supportive and friendly. Animating for Old School RuneScape has been my first job in the industry, and it was very daunting going from being a student to animating for such a large company. However, the team at Jagex have done so much to make me feel welcome within the community and I have already learnt so much in the short time I’ve been here. It has been so gratifying to work for a company where my ideas and creativity are appreciated, and the feeling of watching my work be implemented into a game I care so deeply about has been like no other.

Postbag From the Hedge

Hello everyone! Can you believe it’s been an entire year since I first picked up my Postbag again? How time flies. To celebrate, I’ve made loads of extra deliveries this month – and it looks like we’ve got plenty of letters back!

Greetings, TungstenGyro.

Yes… I know you. You and your band of miscreants, who so insistently disturb my rest! Of course you’re not welcome. I thought I made that clear! How would you feel if every time you left your comfortable cave system an armed gang of strangers came and beat you up?

Scrolls? Gear? Pah! That’s no excuse. The last humanoid I spoke to also wanted something of great value, but you know what? He at least presented a worthy challenge. And he left plenty of other treasures for me to replenish my hoard. What do you leave me? A pile of empty vials!

Thankfully, as you’ve observed, I do have other things to occupy my time. My creators left many interesting things in these caverns of mine… and when I’m not watching over my splendid collection of artefacts, I do enjoy a good manicure. If I see you in my cave again, however, I will be painting my claws with your blood!

Yours,

The Great Olm

Hello, er, ScreteMonge!

The others are indeed very busy er, ‘dwarving’ about… lots of things to get on with in the mines. I’d love to tell you all about it but I’m not really a member of the guild… and I seem to have forgotten what exactly they’re working on at the moment… Oh well…

What were you asking…? Oh yes. The prohibition on lighting fires. I was just reading about that the other day in one of our books on dwarven-human relations. I’ll go fetch it now.

Oh dear… I seem to have misplaced it. I think I remember the gist of it though… it was something to do with the God Wars, I think. When the dwarves helped Saradomin… was it Saradomin? I think it was Saradomin… In any case, we were given provision over some of the land nearby. The boundaries seem to have changed over the years… but I imagine we stopped humans lighting fires there for their own safety! Large-scale, er, Mining operations like the one at the guild create all sorts of… volatile gases… and the like. I think. So, one probably wouldn’t want to go lighting fires all over the place.

But you’re right… I’ve heard of adventurers lighting fires in all sorts of places, and never heard of any damage. I tell you what, I’ll raise this with Nulodian right away… if I remember…

Rolad

Dear Hime_MiMi,

Cam’s a very common name for us camels. You’ll have to narrow it down!

I did come across a well-laden camel on one of my journeys through the desert who might meet the description, though. She was carrying piles and piles of books, all about banking! She was saying something about portals and the Devourer, but I’ll be honest – most of it went over my head.

Maybe now you can ask her about dung, for once.

Goodbye,

Cam the (regular) Camel

Good day, Worldstream!

Hah! I see you’ve thoroughly ignored my warnings about angering the gods. Not to worry, you’re far from the first adventurer to try sneaking onto the enemy team. In the old days you could get in real trouble for that sort of thing. Luckily for you, the gods have mellowed out since then. How did you find life as a sheep? Remember that next time you’re tempted to poke one with a cattleprod!

You’re right, though. I can’t explain it myself, but the gods do seem more powerful here. I’ve communed with them myself a number of times, and they’ve even clarified the rules, on occasion.

I think it must have something to do with the number of people honouring them on the field of combat. We’re wearing their tokens, re-enacting their battles… perhaps our actions here imbue them with some sort of power?

Just in case, you’d better double-check whose symbol you’re wearing next time.

All the best,

Lanthus

Hello Sweaterly!

There’s a simple answer to that – skill, and opportunity! I’m known throughout Gielinor for selling only the highest-quality building materials, so why would anyone shop anywhere else? Plus, I can sell limestone much cheaper than other merchants, seeing as I just mine it straight out of the wall.

As for where I get the Magic Stones… that’s a trade secret!

Come visit again soon!

Hello CupcakeKirin!

Thank you for sending the redberry pie, although it did get a bit squashed in Postie Pete’s satchel.

Dinh, you say? That name does ring a bell… I think I’ve heard tell of him, in my youth. If it’s who I’m thinking of, he was born in Lovakengj – but they say they were Imcando themselves, before they travelled west. So who knows? He might have been Imcando, too. But listen, I’m not sure he’s the hero you’re thinking he was. We Imcando are talented, but this Dinh… he had something else going on. Something I think you’d rather not mess about with.

That’s all I’ll say on the matter. I know what you’re like...

Thanks again for the pie,

Thurgo

Dear Zanthy1,

Oh, it’s really nothing at all! It’s not as though I can do much else to help out, these days… although I do wish I could have done more when I was alive.

I suppose the scholars would say that there are two types of evil people in this world. Those who dishonour and disobey the gods, and those that allow it to happen… alas, in life, I’m afraid I may have been one of the latter.

I was a scholar, in Menaphos. I had at my disposal all the texts and ancient spells that would have helped me spot the Devourer in our midst, but when the time came, I fell into her thrall like all the others.

When the Devourer slaughtered us, I prayed that I might have another chance to help someone put a stop to her evil plans. Perhaps blessed Elidinis answered that prayer, and that’s why I have been allowed to linger on, when so many others have been lost?

There is another saying among us scholars: don’t look a gift camel in the mouth!

Your humble friend,

Akila

P.S. I’m glad you like the Ambrosia! Unfortunately, the recipe is stored somewhere in the Grand Library of Menaphos, and I’m not in any state to retrieve it.

‘Ello ImOneEyed!

It was tough, at first. Our Nieve certainly had big tassets to fill, and I’d only ever stood around supervising the wyverns before. Everyone has been really supportive, though, and I do feel like I’ve settled in nicely.

I do wish she’d left me that shield, though… I could do with one of those.

Hope to see you soon,

Steve

Hello Lorb163!

Oh, those were frightening times. I was really worried about you facing all those scary monsters without me there to look after you. I was so happy when I heard Probita had tracked you down at last!

I did get up to plenty of adventures on my own, though! I thought I’d better start at Tutorial Island, but one of the Tutors there tried to serve me up with the Shrimp! She ought to get her eyes checked. After that, I swam all the way over to the Wizards’ Tower and learned all sorts of cool spells. Those monsters will think twice before they mess with us again, that’s for sure!

After that, though, I started to get awfully lonely. Adventuring alone isn’t nearly as fun. So, I swam all the way to Ardougne to see if I could find you. The sea slugs gave me a bit of trouble, but overall, it was smooth sailing! Maybe if I get a bit bigger, I can carry YOU around for once!

For now, though, I’m just happy we’re together again.

Yours,

Steve (Pet Kraken)

Hey! Don’t you know not to go rummaging in other people’s things? You’re lucky that bottle is only tonic, and not some sort of deadly poison!

As to how I got it – that’s a real story. I was just minding my own business, when a genie showed up and dumped it on the table. He said it was a ‘hilarious visual pun’.

I don’t trust it. I don’t think I’ll be drinking genie tonic anytime soon, but you’re welcome to take the risk on my behalf.

Maisa

Hello dearie!

Oh, that’s not a wall! That’s part of Dave’s Forcefield of Chaos. He says the gap helps confuse his enemies, but I think he just hasn’t got around to fixing it up yet.

That’s ever so kind of you to think of us, though! If it’s Construction work you’re after, you should take a look at that Mahogany Homes place. They’re always hiring adventurers like you. Go on, drop your C.V. in. It’s like I always tell Dave, the worst they can say is ‘please stop cursing all our customers.’

Are you eating enough? I’ve sent some of that spicy stew you like with your skeleton friend. You ought to share some with him!

Look after yourself,

Doris

Oh no! Now I’ve got redberry pie and spicy stew all over the inside of my bag. Why didn’t I just put it in a jar instead of carrying the open bowl around?

It’ll take me a whole month to clean this out – just in time for me to deliver more letters, I suppose! See you next time, everyone!

Mods Arcane, Archie, Argo, Ash, Ayiza, Boko, Bruno, Chilly, Curse, Daizong, Dylan, Ed, Elena, Errol, Fed, Gecko, Goblin, Grub, Halo, Hend, Hornet, Husky, Jalo, Kieren, Kirby, Kurotou, Lenny, Light, Mack, Maylea, Markos, Meat, Moogle, Morty, Nin, Nylu, Other, Regent, Redfield, Roq, Ry, Sarnie, Shaun, Shroom, Sigma, Skylark, Soffan, Sova, Squid, Starry, Steve W, Surma, Tide, Torrance, Veda, Vegard, West & Wolfy

The Old School Team.