Fresh from the Summer Summit: Project Zanaris! Wait, what’s that...?
If you can't see the image above, click here.
In last year’s annual survey, we included a question about custom servers for Old School RuneScape. After a very promising reception, and over a year of work behind the scenes, we’re ready to announce Project Zanaris – otherwise known as Old School RuneScape Community Servers.
Community Servers will take the Old School RuneScape you know and love and let you tweak different elements to create a brand-new gameplay experience. Do you want NPCs to deal 5x the damage? Do you want to make everyone an Ultimate Ironman, or turn PvP on everywhere? All of this, and more, will soon be possible.
These are servers where you make the rules, and you can also choose who can access your creation – whether that be a small group of close friends, your Clan, or the whole community!
Players will be able to search and filter through lists of available servers and jump in whenever they like. Ultimately, Project Zanaris is a place where anyone can create and share a new Old School experience – or play in someone else’s!
Check out the landing page below for Project Zanaris, for a lovely overview!
If you can't see the video above, click here.
To be clear, Project Zanaris is being looked after by an entirely separate team. No time or resources have been taken away from Old School to create this exciting new concept, and we still plan to keep creating amazing Old School content, just like we have done for the last decade.
The Project Zanaris team have spent the last year establishing the technology behind Community Servers, and their recent focus has been tweaking and modifying parameters that already exist in the game. These include things like drop rates, damage modifiers, and area restrictions – and this is only the beginning. We’re actively working on new tools to enable players to create new features and content in Community Servers.
It’s super important to the team to keep the spirit of Old School alive with this project – making something for the players, with the players. While Project Zanaris is still a long way off, we feel it’s time to bring you on board and give you a first look at our vision.
We’ll be light on the details surrounding Project Zanaris for some time, but we do plan to give you all the opportunity to work with us to shape what Community Servers look like.
If you can't see the video above, click here.
You can watch the videos above to get an overview of the project so far – but that’s not all Project Zanaris has to offer! Here’s how we’re getting you involved:
- An area in the Official OSRS Discord for discussions, feedback, questions and ideas revolving around Project Zanaris - available now!
- Speaking with a select handful of players/community members.
- A more in-depth Q&A within the next few weeks.
- More newsposts, videos and updates regarding Project Zanaris.
- Closed and Open Betas.
If you’re ready to learn more, be sure to tune in on Thursday, September 12th at 16:30 BST over on Discord where the Project Zanaris team will be answering your questions! We're so excited to finally be able to talk with you all about this project and can't wait to work with you to make Project Zanaris the best it can be. In the meantime, we've written a handy FAQ to answer some of the burning questions, and we’ll be looking to go further in-depth as we proceed with the project.
While you're catching up on the FAQs, make sure to hit the button below or click here where you can discuss Project Zanaris and stay updated with the latest news!
Who are Community Servers for?
Community Servers are for any of our members looking for new experiences within OSRS. Play Old School RuneScape your way by modifying parameters within the game and share your worlds with your friends and the wider community.
How can I take part in Project Zanaris?
Players can participate in several ways, from giving feedback on newsposts and videos to talking directly with us on the official OSRS Discord and eventually the standalone Project Zanaris Discord. Of course, there will also be many opportunities to get directly involved with the upcoming Betas.
Will there be any cross-over with the main game?
We're looking into allowing you to copy your main game progress into Community Servers, but this would be one-way only. We know how important the hard-earned achievements of OSRS are and we want to continue to honour those grinds and hours of playtime.
What does this mean for limited-time game modes like Leagues and Deadman?
In short, nothing. While you’ll be able to essentially create a version of a League or Deadman, the OSRS team is still planning to give you new and exciting limited-time game modes that will give you a brand-new experience and the ability to be rewarded in the main game.
Will Project Zanaris be taking resources away from the main game?
No, the Old School team and the Project Zanaris team are separate (though there is some crossover here-and-there). The Old School team will remain supported with the resource it needs to continue growing and flourishing.
Will these servers be subject to the same rules of RuneScape present in the main game?
Any rules that are applicable within OSRS will also persist over to Community Servers. While we are aware there may need to be slight adjustments or additional rules added to Community Servers, anything you can’t do in the main game won’t be allowed on these servers.
Will there be tools available for a server owner to moderate their world?
Yes. While we can’t go into the specifics just yet, we know how important it is for server owners to be able to protect and maintain their servers so we will be offering various options for moderation.
Will anyone be able to play a server I create?
You’ll be able to choose from a range of server sizes which you can lock to you and your friends or open it up to the community.
Please be aware regardless of who can access your server the rules of RuneScape still apply.
How much will it cost to host a Community Server?
While we’re still working out the full cost breakdown, different server sizes will have varying price points. There will be a charge for players looking to rent a server from Jagex, but we intend to keep these costs in line with industry standards for server rentals.
Will there be any Web3 integration or NFTs within Project Zanaris?
No. We have absolutely no plans for Web3 integration or NFTs for Project Zanaris or Old School RuneScape.
Can I use one account on multiple servers, or do I need one for each?
It's going to work similarly to logging into the main game using your Jagex Account. You'll be able to log into different community servers on any character attached to your Jagex Account.
Will players be able to create their own quests, bosses, items, etc?
While we'll be keeping details about the future of Project Zanaris under wraps for now, our goal is to fully embrace the sandbox experience that OSRS is celebrated for.
Our goal is to eventually enable you to develop your own creations and share those with the wider community. While this is some way off, we will be exploring all avenues of customisation.
When is Project Zanaris Launching?
Currently, we're focused on testing and gathering feedback from players which we aim to expand more broadly next year. We’ll be sure to keep you updated once we’re ready to announce launch plans.
You can also discuss this update on the 2007Scape subreddit, the Steam forums, or the community-led OSRS Discord in the #gameupdate channel. For more info on the above content, check out the official Old School Wiki.
Mods Abe, Abyss, Arcane, Archie, Argo, Ash, Ayiza, BigRig, Blossom, Boko, Bruno, Chilly, Criminal, Crystal, Curse, Daizong, Dylan, Ed, Elena, Enigma, Errol, Gecko, Gengis, Gizmo, Goblin, Grub, Halo, Harold, Hend, Hooti, Hornet, Husky, Jalo, Jerv, Keyser, Kieren, Kirby, Kurotou, Leebleh, Lenny, Light, Liron, Mack, Manked, Markos, Maylea, Meat, Moogle, Morty, Necro, Nin, Nox, Nylu, Other, Pumpkin, Redfield, Regent, Rice, Roq, Ry, Saiyan, Sarnie, Shogun, Shroom, Sigma, Skylark, Smithy, Sova, Squid, Starry, Suharun, Surma, Sween, Tide, Titus, TJ, Tsourorf, Tyran, Veda, Vegard, West, Wolfy & Yume
The Old School Team.