Murdoc

Welcome to another instalment of the Zybez Community Recap! May was a great month for all aspects of the site, so sit back and relax as we relive all of its great moments!

Things got off to a bang with the announcement of April's Member of the Month, which was revealed to be Cypher! Congratulations and thanks again for your great posting and hard work across the board. Credit must also be given to the runner-up, Jaddy, third-placed Blackenese, and the other finalist - Renkotsu. Keep it up, everyone!

There was also news that the Content Team's leaders PZ and Josh Hogg were given the opportunity to visit Jagex's HQ to preview the upcoming release of RuneScape 3! PZ wrote up a preview of the newest installment of RuneScape based on what we saw at Jagex's release event, and who they got to talk to. Receiving one-on-one interviews with Mod Mark, Lead Designer of RuneScape, and Dean Ollive - Head of Content. They shared some good information about the upcoming release, and PZ and Josh were even allowed extensive hands-on time with RS3 itself. So, make sure you check out the article here.

Meanwhile, given Old School RuneScape's success - the staff at Zybez and RuneScape Community have, in their efforts to provide its growing player-base with the guides, tips, and general information, were pleased to announce the release of 2007RSHelp.com! The site contains all of the same guides, databases, tools and calculators, as Zybez did back in 2007. However, 2007RSHelp comes with a brand new homepage, allowing easier access to the site's, and the Zybez communities', top features.

Despite all the optimism, though, we must take time to pay respects to Scoobyninja, who stepped down from all his positions on RSC. A key member of the Achievements team and proactive Moderator - his enthusiasm and work-ethic will be sorely missed by all. Thanks again for everything, Scooby! Nevertheless it is at this point we look to the site's future as well, starting with our latest Senior Members:

• Aflstar
• Grace
• Elder Jr
• Jim

And Moderators!

• Kevin♫
• HAR

Enjoy all your new powers and responsibilities! And likewise, there are a whole host of Community Leaders to welcome as well:

• Questions, Money Making, and the Marketplace: Evidently & Jaddy
• Suggestions: Cypher
• General Discussion: BrotherVoid1 & Cera S6
• Achievements: Nitromanic & Sector Six
• Clan Discussion: Elder_Jr (Clan Discussion), Yorick (Clan Fights), Jules (Clan Fights), True 2k8 (Looking For Clan + Clan Videos), and Richworth (Specialty Clans + PvP Clans)

The Zybez projects also had in on the action!

• The Content Team inducted 9 new editors to help keep it at the pinnacle of RuneScape help.
• Zybez's official ingame Friends Chat, Zchat, welcomed three new Veterans: Nimble Mime, Default, and The Jam.

And to cap it all off, we even saw the promotion of the site's 16th King - Molson!

Have you ever taken a look at our Suggestions forum? Home to many of the forum's most creative minds past and present, posted ideas (especially those featured in the prestigious Hall of Fame) have even been implemented into the game in some way, shape, or form. So, what did May have to offer then?

• Well for starters - aqarwaen's Small Gnome Restaurant Update aims to add a creative twist to the beloved minigame.
• VVolf359's Restart Option For Unfinished Quests might strike a chord with those of you who sometimes start quests but never get around to finishing them due to other things that may crop up, money problems, and etc.
• Meanwhile, Renkotsu's Weather suggestion aims to bring to life RuneScape's implied climates

Go give your feedback!

Looking for a place to log your RuneScape journey, participate in skilling competitions, and meet other dedicated players to help motivate yourself? Look no further than Achievements and the following threads to take some initial inspiration from:

• Qualify's Flipping Log [Updated June 15] - 72.3M Profit/li>
• Progress Thread [[2007]] Getting 70 Defence
• Balé's Gallery: 1614/1458
• Spoons 07 G&a Thread [Updated Daily]
• ~Runescape 2007 - Unboosted Quest Cape~
• June 7Th Update: ~|~Demon's Road To Eoc Comp & 07 Qp Ca

What are you waiting for? Share your adventures with us now!

The Events team's Summer Xp Comp might be the perfect way to get started in that respects. Do you think you have what it takes to come out on top? Well, you can still sign-up and see where the holidays take you. Give it a shot! You've got nothing to lose! Don't forget that the Events forum is also the perfect place to get quest help, especially in OSRS, for the likes of Shield of Arrav and so on!

Want to show off your artistic flair? Multimedia and Design is the home for all of RSC's graphics-related material, so let's take a peek.

• The debut Multimedia and Design Event, Absolute Freestyle, saw kesey win with this stunning submission.
• The 'Stream' prefix was added to help categorise and highlight those threads which were showing live RuneScape action.
• An assortment of portfolios and galleries were posted by the following users for all to enjoy:
• Crooks
• Kellyy
• Cypher
• Sector Six
• Nitromanic

Don't be shy to share any of your own!

General Discussion is among RSC's most respected boards, and was thus a fitting place for Jagex's Mod Mat K to directly announce to Zybez's users that they and all other players should be able to commence F2P PK'ing on those respective OSRS servers! A true testament to Zybez's stature and general all-round importance within the RuneScape community. Also, if you are following the release of rare items on OSRS - Nateisonfire has made a thread to log their drop locations to help everyone find them! Get involved in this and so many more discussions now!

RSC's Clan Discussion board is the home of RuneScape's top warring clans. If you're interesting in joining one and being a part of one of the most dynamic communities around - have a look at Zybez's founder W13's breakdown of their benefits, to see if that full commits you, here! In fact, why don't you have a look at how the following fights to get an idea of how active the clan world is?

• Clan Europe vs. Ascension
• Wilderness Guardians vs. Poison (ft. Critical Damage)
• Divine Forces vs. Damage Incorporated
• Echo of Silence vs. Damage Incorporated
• Inflication vs. Clearly Killing It (ft. Extortion)
• Ascension vs. The British Elites
• Violent Resolution + Echo Of Silence vs. Divine Forces + Genesis
• Sovereign vs. Corrupt Pures

What are you waiting for? Join a clan now! With Mat K taking such a huge step in personally contacting the clan world for ideas as to how it can be maintained and expanded - there's rarely been a more exciting time to!

Are you bored and fancy having a quick read in your spare time, or whilst AFK'ng a particularly monotonous skill? The Writers' Desk is for you! Have a look at Level's touching short story, War Without a Victor, or Yannick's surprisngly fun poem - Math is Beauty! All this in the board and so much more will keep you engrossed for hours on end.

And after all of that we come to a full circle with Blog & Comics itself, with April seeing the posting of 8 excellent pieces of work by the team.

• May saw the re-release of the Community Voices project, which invites users to give their opinions on a particular question every month. This being spearheaded by a special series on OSRS - with the first question being "What were your first impressions when news broke of So Wreck3d's YouTube video and petition to bring back pre-Evolution of Combat servers?" Check out the excellent replies it got here!
• Renkotsu and Murdoc interviewed BrotherVoid1!
• Jaddy and BV1 co-authored a two-part series sharing Completionists' takes on RuneScape: Part 1 / Part 2.
• Dog Fort published a guest review of the game!
• spoonheb interviewed Beret!
• Renkotsu interviewed the prestigious clan Gladz!
• Cypher shared his detailed insights on RuneScape's new armors.

It's not too late to share your opinions on any of these insightful pieces of analysis, and as ever stay tuned for more in the future!

As this Recap comes to a close, don't forget about these ways to keep up to date with everything Zybez-related until next time!

• Zybez on IRC: Zybez has their own Internet Relay Chat channel. #zybez on the SwiftIRC server. The operators of the channel are Zybez administrators who are able to help you in many aspects. For more information regarding the IRC rules and polices, check out the official topic.
• Zybez Ventrilo: Ventrilo is a program that allows you to talk verbally to other people via the Internet. Zybez kindly hosts a server that anyone can join to talk. How To Access And Setup Ventrilo (Hostname: evolve.typefrag.com, Port: 32234).
• Zchat Friends channel: While you are ingame, check out the Zchat friends channel. Rules and How to access Zchat.
• Zybeznet clan: The official Zybez Runescape clan. Check out our forum for more information and discussion.

Thanks, and happy chatting!

The Suggestions team is pleased to unveil a new stickied topic in the already prestigious Hall of Fame: Honourable Mentions! This will act as an archived home for all those user-submitted ideas that have been implemented into RuneScape in some way, shape, or form, but for one reason or another have not met the requirements to be moved into the Hall of Fame outright. Though they are not all exact replicas of content in the live game, upon reading them you will nevertheless see how clairvoyant some of out members have been.

This is an ongoing project, the staff will be adding more suggestions to the sticky as we find them. Indeed we invite you to help as well! If you spot anything that you think we've overlooked - please say so on the thread!

So without further ado, check out Honourable Mentions now and join in with the celebration of the Zybez community's creativity and forward-thinking! Don't forget to have a wider browse through the Hall of Fame to see if you can find any other things which Jagex clearly took inspiration from too.

So, just got back from watching it. What do people think about the film? Aside from the stinking stupidly ridiculous use of lens flare at literally every possible opportunity (seriously I thought this would never be used again after all the complaining about Star Trek?)? For those of you who haven't yet - I seriously recommend it. Here are some of the trailers to get you all fired up:







And the best one which Matchu linked me:

For a forum that has over 417,000 registered users and 15,300,000 posts, it takes something rather special to get yourself promoted to the rank of King. Indeed there are only 5 around right now to oversee everything and everyone, ranging from: internal Zybez affairs (such as project teams), all the Senior Moderators, Moderators, Senior Members, and rank-and-file members. Head board administrators - their word goes. So, what's it like being one? In fact - what does it take to get to that throne, let alone sit on it? Well, strap yourselves in because I'm Morpheus, I've already force-fed you the red pill, and we're about to find out how deep the rabbit hole goes.

*

Murdoc:
Hey ladies and gents. It's my great pleasure today to be interviewing RSC's sixteenth and latest King - Molson!

Molson:
Hello, Murdoc & everyone!

Murdoc:
My pleasure. What can you tell us about the man behind the red, bold, italics?

Molson:
Well, lets see.. I'm not the most interesting man in the world haha, but, I'm 25 years of age, born and raised in Canada.

Graduated from University a few years ago.. livin' the dream.

Murdoc:
Sounds great!

I'd make a 'fake American' joke but I'm not sure what you'd do to me...

Molson:
Something terrible..

Murdoc:
Oh lawdy.

So onto your adventures on Zybez itself, you registered around mid-2005...ish...just a year after RuneScape 2 was released - how did you find RSC? Is there anything that drew you to it in particular or was it more of a happy accident?

Molson:
Ooohhh.. gotta dig into the memory bank.. I remember my good friend from real life was showing me a PK video on RSC

So I stayed unregistered for a little while.. probably close to 7-8 months, but then I heard a song, and I didn't know what it was, so I registered an account to ask

Then, I found the clans section of RSC (I was already in a clan at the time) but I never knew such an area had existed. It was a massive community, one of its own - apart from Jagex, a little (big) community of its own, it was fascinating.

Fast forward 8 years, here we are today

Murdoc:
That's pretty cool, I wasn't sure if you were already into clans by the time you'd got active on the forums or joined one after settling into everything. Did you ever get the song details in the end?

Molson:
Haha, who knows? I don't remember, but I was a resilient young man at the time, I'm sure I did.

Murdoc:
Hehe... What were your early days like? Did you stick to Clan Discussion right from the onset, assuming you were in a warring clan at the time? Or did you just run around posting everywhere?

Molson:  
I mainly stuck to Clan Discussion, yeah, eventually when I was promoted into the Great Hall (now called Recruiting), I started meeting more staff from RSC and then got more involved with other areas of the community.

I mainly stuck to Clan Discussion and General Discussion for the most part, though. (in the past)

Murdoc:
Nice. Clan Discussion, obviously through being the biggest board, accounts for most of the staff too. Did you 'look up' to any one of those people in particular? Especially after getting your first promotion? I'm sure you would've made a fair few friends early on to set yourself up for it.

Molson:
I looked up to Brad a lot, he was the current Leader of CD (and King) at that time, and he helped build the clan community on RSC here. To be completely honest, I had no friends that were staff prior to my promotion. It was a shock to me really. I met a ton of people once I was promoted, though, and I really liked them all. It was like a clan, except with zero drama. That was also one of the reasons I looked up to Brad, he kept a drama-free place for CL's and Moderators alike. I'd like to think I've kept it the same way since his retirement and I intend to keep it that way as long as I'm here.

Murdoc:
Yeah I always thought Brad seemed sound, never did talk to him though. Was really put-off by higher-ranks when I started out, haha. You mention the staff being 'a clan' themselves, were you ever in any RSC ones?

Molson:
Oh, yeah, I was only a part of RSC clans from 05-forward

Over about 6-7 years, I was in EH, RSD, DF (to name a few)

Those were the 'top' clans I was in, prior to that it was some smaller-scaled clans

Murdoc:
Was there anything that drew you to them in particular? Like their attitude to the game?

Molson:
For the most part it was the people I knew in those clans. It's a mixture of lots of things, to tell you the truth. Community was one of my biggest factors, though. Then warring skill, activity and all of those things.

In my opinion, no clan can survive without having a solid memberbase and community.

Murdoc:
Is that what got you into clans in the first place then? Their tight-knit communities? Or just wanting to experience warring and so on?

Molson:
In the very beginning it was mostly the PKing aspect of it, but once I joined a few smaller clans and noticed the communities were quite bad, I was looking elsewhere. Once you find a clan you fit in with, it becomes like a family.

Having close friends in that clan before joining also helps a lot.

Murdoc:
No doubt. :D What made you ultimately quit the clan world? As in actively being in one? I'm guessing real-life committments and/or certain updates by Jagex?

Molson:
A little bit of both of those, actually.

My father had passed away and left me the heir of his 'throne'. Lol, he owned a steel fabrication company and left it to me. I was all of a sudden the CEO of a steel fabrication mill and that came with lots and lots of responsibilities, and time. I couldn't actively be involved in a clan anymore since it requires a lot of time as well. I also had to retire from RSC at the time due to this.

Murdoc:
Wasn't expecting to read that O_o

Molson:
Haha, I don't share my personal life with many people

(Usually)

Murdoc:
Then I shall not pry. >.<

Molson:
Haha

Murdoc:
Would it be right to say that taking a step back and moderating CD without having ties to any clan(s) in particular helped? For example letting you make (more) impartial judgements and difficult decisions without any accusations of being 'biased' or friends hinting at favours?

Molson:
No. I was as impartial when I was in a clan, and I am the same now. It would be extremely difficult for a moderator to actually be biased on RSC, that is what most people don't realize. The posts are public and everything you do is recorded (mod logs etc). People just love to throw around the 'biased' card, it is something that everyone just has to get used to when they become a part of CD staff. That being said, if a bias claim is justified, we take every measure to find the truth and see if the claim is warranted or not.

Although, yes, it did help with public perception.

We have had the rule 'no moderating your own clans topics' for as long as I can remember, so that reduces 'biased mod' accusations ten-fold, yet, people still always find a way. It's just something we have to deal with.

Murdoc:
Nice answer. Do you at least think that being a retired player these days has helped you develop newfound respect for former opponents?

Molson:
I don't think it has helped me develop a newfound respect for former opponents, necessarily, but it did help bring them in a new light, in a way, I guess.

Mostly former clans that my clan had a rivalry with, I've been called every name in the book in my tenure as CD staff & CD leader, I had grown used to it much before I retired, while I was still in clans.

Murdoc:
Youch... Yeah I always steer clear of CD if I can help it, haha. Too much drama for me. Lurking is much more fun! Kind of stemming from that question though - are there any closed clans you'd have liked to join to try out in retrospect? Or were your actual choices good enough to have never even have contemplated that in all these years?

Molson:
I think I joined the right clans at the time. Second guessing myself is something I never do (IRL) so it only makes sense for me to be the same way online.

I have no regrets about any clans that I joined, and I don't think I would change any, to be honest.

Murdoc:
Can't argue with that! Swinging back to your aforementioned Great Hall promotion, what was getting that like? Must've come out of the blue for you!

Molson:
Yeah haha, it was really out of the blue, as were most of my promotions lol. It was a nice surprise. Great Hall isn't the busiest forum in CD but it is a great stepping stone into the bigger forums like Clan Fights and Clan Discussion.

It is still the same til this day, everyone who is promoted, always starts off in Recruiting and works their way up. That is why CD brews the best Moderators.  

Murdoc:
MOVING ON AND IGNORING YOUR BIAS.

Molson:


Murdoc:
Which promotion stands out for you? Because that was obviously followed by Senior Member, Clan Discussion, PK Run-ins, Moderator - and the rest is of course history.

Molson:
I remember Senior Moderator the most (probably because it is the most recent other than my promotion to King). I had come on RSC and randomly saw 'Admin CP' at the top of the forum. I obviously knew at the time that this was only available to admins (SMod+) so I scrolled down and went to community discussion and saw my promo topic. That was the most surprising to me.

Murdoc:
Belated congratulations, haha.

Molson:
Haha, thanks.

That was over 4 years ago though.. still remember it to this day. Even I'm surprised lol.

Murdoc:  
Hey, it's a big event. No-one's really that surprised...! Was SMod when you took over as Clan Discussion leader as well? Or did it happen some time afterwards? I'm not sure when Brad retired (being a newb) but were you his immediate successor?

Molson:
I was not. It was Yoeni for a little bit (I think like 6ish or so months). I took over as CD Leader in October 2009. (so 5-6 months after my promotion to SMod)

Murdoc:
Damn completely forgot about him... Was it a daunting moment? Like it says on your profile, it IS the busiest forum on RSC, and the busiest Clans section in all of RuneScape.

Molson:
No, by that time, I was a part of the staff for a while, I knew what to do and how to do it. At first, it was kind of a scary thought, to be running the busiest area of RSC. What if I sucked at it and the area just tanked? But, I just kept my mind to it and it worked.

Murdoc:
And you seem to have kept things ship-shape...for now...

Molson:
For now.. yes..

I take every day as it comes

No telling what the future holds

Could you imagine someone like Elder Jr became a leader one day? God help everyone.

(he wanted me to mention him, there you go buddy )

Murdoc:
Oh Christ that'd be an event. But don't worry, take solace in knowing that at the end of the day if it all goes to crap - I'm never gonna give you up, never gonna let you down, never gonna run around and desert you. Never gonna make you cry, never gonna say goodbye, never gonna tell a lie and hurt you.

Feel better?

Molson:
That's a bit creepy

I feel worse, actually

Murdoc:
Rofl

Molson:


Murdoc:  
I try

Molson:


Murdoc:
OK so you mentioned Brad and Yoeni, in your 8 years of activity on Zybez who're the most interesting people you've met? Are there any retired friends you miss in particular?

Molson:
i really got along with Islamia a lot. I promoted him to Moderator and really pushed for his promotion to Senior Mod and then he was my Co-Leader of CD for a long time.

I haven't kept in contact with him unfortunately over the years, I spoke with him earlier this year. He is swamped with University & books, as are most people these days. It's a sad thought, you meet so many people and so many of them just retire and 'forget' about this place, or just have no time.

Murdoc:
Sad times...

With all these people coming and going, what's kept you around for so long?

Molson:
I don't know, I still find it enjoyable being here and now I have a lot more spare time, so, we'll see what the future holds.

Murdoc:
Is it hard to see people like Brad and Islamia go and having to get on with the job without them?

Molson:  
It is, but it's the same with everything. Everyone moves on eventually when they have bigger priorities like school and work. I'm fortunate to be my own boss, so I can just hire people to do things for me and find time.

Murdoc:
Such swag...

Molson:
I hate the word swag

Murdoc:
swagsagswagsagswag

Molson:
Remember this?

"Something terrible.."

Murdoc:
Nooooo

I'll stop.

Molson:


Murdoc:
On the subject of you flaunting your powers in such an abusive fashion to blue-collar men like me, do you think your experiences on RSC have changed you as a person? Specifically since becoming an admin and even a King?

Molson:  
Oh, definitely.

Leading a forum on here is much like leading something in real life. It's the same aspect, except here you do it online.

Everything else is pretty much the same. It is a responsibility just like any other.

It has also really matured me as a person, it's so very easy to fall into the 'aura' that is displayed by most CD users (flaming etc)

But to step away from that sort of behaviour and be different, not like the norm, takes something. That's why I said earlier that CD brews the best Moderators, it takes a special skill to be different.

Although, all of you Mods are special in your own way

Murdoc:
Hey... Even over the internet I can tell what you mean by 'special'...

Molson:
No.. only you are that kind of 'special' Murdoc

Murdoc:
Haha!

Swinging back to CD, given your long tenure have clans changed substantially over the years? Or was it only since the EoC update and the release of OSRS itself that they really started to?

Molson:
Clans have been changing ever since the first clan was formed. If there is one thing (other than a solid community) that a clan needs to survive, it is the skill of adapting. Adapting to change is crucial for clans. Jagex have made many updates over the years (some may consider a lot of them 'deadly' to the clan world, such as Bounty Hunter, CWA etc) but clans learned to adapt.

They learned how to use BH and figured out ways to do things, that is something I find amazing.

Then when EoC came around, it really did 'kill' clans, as it changed the way the wilderness worked completely. Now, OSRS has been released and it brought a new rejuvenated member-base (which is basically just old members who started playing again, because the game is back to its enjoyable ways it once was). If the clan community is to survive again, they need to find new recruits and members, as the older members who are starting to play again, don't have nearly the same amount of time that they once had (most are in University now or working, back then lots were in High School). It's hard for a community (in this case the clan world) to strive and move forward without new recruits. Something needs to be done in order to sustain retention.

Murdoc:  
So despite all the naysaying in regards to OSRS being doomed because everyone's being blinded by 'nostalgia goggles' and will soon grow out of it in the coming months, clans can and should still look to the future with optimism?

Molson:
Optimism is always the best way to look at things, motivation is needed as well. Lots people, however, are also realists and forecast 'not the greatest' future for clans, but, like I said previously, only time will tell what the future holds.

Murdoc:
But surely that brings us to the trump card - Mod Mat K himself actively posting in CD...! Especially given the fact that he's got a feedback thread up, and only a day or two ago saying he'd be interested in looking into League of Legends-stype sponsored tournaments to give even more publicity for the clan world.

Or is this too little, too late?

A lot of people have argued that Jagex should have been getting in (direct) touch with them like this 5-6 years back.

Molson:
I agree, they probably should have, but, if you take a look at it in the eyes of a big game manufacturer, it's a huge step even now, for them to take a look at the general public and clan world. What other company has taken such a forward step to speak to its players in a public manner, such as this? It's a BIG and exciting step. Although, yes, if they did it 5-6 years ago, it probably would've been a lot better, but, to answer your question, imo, it is never too late.

The league of legends type of tournaments is also exciting, it will be a great way to advertise clans and what a clan really is.

Murdoc:
Secretly I'd love to watch them.

Molson:
Although, here's a little insider information, they have been viewing RSC for a lot longer than Mod Mat K registering on RSC.

Murdoc:
Yeah I heard Andrew Gower even registered to complain about SwiftKit, haha. And of course a lot of old suggestions bear resemblence to certain pieces of content... Hell yeah, shameless forum promotion.

I've got to say though, this has been a ton of fun. A lot, lot, more profound and insightful than what I was expecting. Thanks so much for your time Molson. :D Anything else you wish to say/add?

Molson:
If you haven't been in a clan before, go check it out! Feel free to PM me if you have any questions as well, I don't bite. (contrary to popular belief)

http://forums.zybez..../16-recruiting/

Murdoc:  
<3

Click here to discuss on Zybez.Net!

Quote

What the hell does this mean? Every other website loads fine for me, but for 6+ hours every other day RSC just doesn't without fail. No problems on my tablet - just the laptop. I tried Google'ing this but it just takes me to a load of websites where programmers are talking about scripts they're working on or something.

This affects both Firefox and IE (haven't bothered downloading Chrome as it just crashes my laptop every time).

??