9 replies to this topic

[iReap]

Many people in the game are making a big old stink about the Evolution of Combat. They say it will ruin the game forever, start a downward spiral, etc etc. Others could care less, and some are even excited about it. What about players come to pass though? This is arguably a new game. You could say its an expansion pack, Runescape 3 even isn't too much of a stretch. People may have left the game because of the single click combat in the first place, as I did. Will players come back for a second look now that the game has changed so drastically? Will it be enough to offset those who leave?

~iReap

[Scoobyninja]

The evolution of combat provides RuneScape with a change, one that was needed in order to attract new players both from other game's fan-bases and from the youth. The one-click system, while it perfectly satisfied the needs of the game years ago, isn't as popular among other games (also known as Jagex's competition). I believe there are those that will come back to the game, to explore the new system and appreciate it, which can only help the game's growth and continuous survival. To survive is to endure and prosper. In order for Jagex to survive, they must endure the losses of previous players and prosper with the new players coming in. With this update, the game's life span is added onto, which can only be a good thing for both the company and the fans of the game.

[Magick]

I honestly would be very surprised if that was the case, I do not think many people quit for a single reason, but for a variety of them. Naturally, there will be some people who are curious about the change, and return to try out it. However, I do not see this group of people in any significant figures.

Likewise, those who feel this might 'kill the game' are quite obviously exaggerating -- it unlikely that a single update will cause this to happen, but rather a string of terrible ones. However, assuming the people who have threatened to quit over the EoC follow through, these people might be on to something. As far as I know, it is much harder, and more expensive to attract new customers than it is to keep existing ones. So, unless hoards of new players, over the next month or so, begin sprouting out of nowhere, there is inevitably that possibility. I do not personally believe this is a bad change, though. The game, in its pre-EoC state, had been longing for radical change. And if the return of the wilderness, last year, proved anything, it was that solely catering to old, reluctant players is not the best idea.

Welcome back.

Edited by Magick, 21 November 2012 - 05:08 AM.

[ToeJam]

Magickal, on 21 November 2012 - 03:19 AM, said:

Likewise, those who feel this might 'kill the game' are quite obviously exaggerating -- it unlikely that a single update will cause this to happen, but rather a string of terrible ones.

Almost every big update... or even small ones that affect a part of the community brings a horde of doomsayers predicting the games imminent demise. It hasn't happened yet and I can't foresee it happening even in the event of a 'string of bad updates' as those updates tend to only affect a proportion of the player base rather than the entirety.

Quote

However, assuming the people who have threatened to quit over the EoC follow through, these people might be on to something. As far as I know, it is much harder, and more expensive to attract new customers than it is to keep existing ones. So, unless hoards of new players, over the next month or so, begin sprouting out of nowhere, there is inevitably that possibility.

The wife still watches saturday morning kiddie programs (she's a teacher and says it helps her understand what the kids in class are going on about.... a big fib of course, she just likes the cartoons) and I've been amused to see RuneScape adverts. That was something that a few years back was never on the cards... but perhaps it's economically viable now and it must be attracting some new blood into the game.

Quote

I do not personally believe this is a bad change, though. The game, in its pre-EoC state, had been longing for radical change. And if the return of the wilderness, last year, proved anything, it was that solely catering to old, reluctant players is not the best idea.

That is close to the mark I think. The PVP community were catered for but it was either 'too late' or we ourselves squandered the opportunity.

RE OP: It would be great if some of the old school player base dusted off their accounts and gave the game a second look... but I think Jagex are predominantly looking for a fresh catchment of players.

[CRXrippin]

I don't think that all a huge amount of players are going to quit just because of EOC, and I don't think it will kill the game either.

As far as quitting from the EOC goes, I think quitting old players will just add up over time, and the EOC will be another blow to the current community. I think old players who have quit from previous updates may come back to give Runescape another shot, because now it's a whole different game. It still has the same genuine RS feel, with a whole new combat aspect.

Also, with the EOC release, Jagex will be able to attract more new players as well. I doubt alot of people who register on Runescape pre-EOC stick around to try it out because for a new player who has tried alot of 2007-2012 MMORPG's runescape is very dull. I hope old players come try it out, I hope alot of current players continue to play, and I hope Runescape becomes a more popular game again due to new account traffic.

[1clan o 3 OG DD]

I always enjoyed Runescape combat for being brilliantly simple.  With that said, I'm not one bit upset over the combat changes.  I've played many MMO's, and I always find myself logging back into Runescape to have fun.

Even after multiple updates in which JaGex tried to "modernize" Runescape, I always thought it was so much simpler than many other games, in the best way possible.

Players who leave because of EoC will be hard pressed to find a game as simple and enjoyable as Runescape.  Not to mention it's very cheap compared to any other MMO.

[Jimb0b]

The Evolution of Combat I think can revive Runescape. I apologize in advance to everyone that wanted to stay in the old state of the game. Now I could see players coming back due to new graphics and the new style of fighting. I personally like the change and although many people quit or claimed they would, I know there was riots and protest. I can't see Jagex promoting this for 6 months then all of a sudden just say "nevermind!" and keep the game the same. I think everyone that rioted embarrassed themselves.

[Marduk]

In marketing, any product has four stages in its life. In general, this life cycle resembles a bell curve.

The first stage starts off small and initially grows small, before taking a a steep upward trend as the product becomes more popular.
The second stage still goes gradually upwards, but increasingly less steep than was the case in the first stage. It eventually tops off, where it reaches a platform. This is where the product is at the peak of its popularity.
The third stage is when the trend gradually starts to go downward again from its absolute peak of popularity. This negative trend starts off small as well but grows steadily if unchecked for too long. This is the stage where companies are advised to reinvent their product, implementing measures they have ideally been developing during the second stage. This enables them to bypass the fourth phase of decline and initiate a new phase of growth (phase 1 and 2).
The fourth stage is the terminal stage, where the downward trend becomes more steep before finally levelling off as the popularity bleeds out completely. This is usually the stage where the product is milked as much as possible before being abandoned completely in favour of an entirely new product.

From this perspective, RuneScape is currently at the end of the third stage (increasingly declining popularity) and is showing signs already of the fourth (being milked as much as possible). If JAGEX (or the investors behind it, for that matter) want to have ANY chance at keeping their product alive, they have to re-invent it. Either that, or let it bleed completely dry.

This is why the EoC, as a concept, is a necessity. Keeping everything the same as it always has been might sound appealing, but this will only cement the downward trend. Only by changing your product so as to appeal to the (ever changing) desires and expectations of your intended audience can you hope for it to become popular again.

That does not mean the EoC is necessarily a godsend. It is not. There are some issues with it (mainly from a PvP perspective - switching multi to single and vice versa), but in my personal opinion and experience they're not too bad and my overall impression is a positive one. Yes, the system as currently implemented does resemble other MMO's, but is that a bad thing? Somewhat tongue-in-cheek, I might as well invoke the same logical fallacy (appeal to tradition) here: "why fix something if it isn't broken?" Why should RS endeavour to be unique, if the current implementation does the job just as well or perhaps even better than any "original" alternative Jagex might come up with? The "old" system might have been what made RS original, but that's not necessarily in a good way.

In the end, though, I cannot help but feel this is too little, too late. RuneScape has been all but ran into the ground by inept leadership and at times downright incompetence. For every step forward, they seem to be taking a step back, and it's been like that for years. There's no turning that around easily.

The stakes have also been upped alot. Ten years ago, RuneScape as a concept of a mass-market MMORPG with a monthly subscription fee was rivalled in popularity only by WoW, which was more expensive to boot. Now, however, there's oodles of alternatives on the market which are just as cheap as RS (if not for free). In fact, the very market itself has changed drastically the past ten years: we have seen a sharp turn towards "casual" gaming. Which isn't necessarily a good thing either, but that is another topic. The linchpin is that there are many games which have embraced the "casual" culture, which RS isn't a part of. Nor should it aim to be - but in the end it's competing with them anyway. Incidentally, this is also why so many people have been complaining about the "grind" - which, when looked at from the point of view of casual gaming, makes sense.

What I am trying to say is that RS not only carries with it the burdens of the past, it also has to compete against alternatives that are more in tune with the pulse of the market at the moment (which also makes the latter much more short-lived than for example RS, which in itself is also indicative of the turn consumer capitalism has been taking the past couple of years).

From a purely personal perspective, though, there is no sense of purpose or achievement left in this game. Years of rampant botting and RWT going almost unchecked have seen to that.

Edited by Marduk, 29 November 2012 - 04:37 PM.

[R I P Weak]

I took the update as a new game almost, maybe why that's why I somewhat enjoy it.

[Kevin♫]

Those who are used to it and enjoy the particular playstyle of one click combat would of course have a difficult transition with the new system. To  newer players, they aren't used to the old playstyle. In comparison with other MMORPGs, RuneScape trailed behind. Now with this new combat system, those players who would have normally shunned RuneScape now look at it as a completely different game. Perhaps even choosing to start playing it now.

As for those older players who have left the game, their rediscovery may be exactly that: a whole new game. It might be enough for them to play once again because it may be a new style that appeals to them. After all, they left for a reason; they were not a fan of the gameplay anymore and became bored of it.

Overall, players may choose to leave the game because they do not feel that they should adapt. Others, such as in the pure community and clanning community who have been impacted more greatly would see greater numbers who have left the game.

Keep in mind though, RuneScape is still an addicting game. Not everyone plays it just for clan fights or fighting with their pure. It is the other aspects of the game such as skilling and questing (and even PvMing) that keep people drawn to it. That's why there's topics on these boards with people returning to the game after a long break. So, at first, the drop will seem severe, but it will slowly climb back up as people return and others join the game anew.