All I care about is me, my drums and you,,,

Ok this isn't a RS post. One of my most favorite directors in the world just passed away. I grew up with Ferris Bueller, The Breakfast Club, 16 Candles, Planes Trains and Automobiles, Uncle Buck, Vacation, etc... Ducky, Cameron, Ally Sheedy in the Breakfast Club are people I watched over and over and love. So this post is for John Hughes... He has nothing to do with Runescape, but has done something for us who grew up in the 80s...

Clocks and Penguins and Skills, Oh my!

I missed three penguins last week. I usually do them on Tuesday night, just before the reset, so that I can see how many I randomly stumble across in the mean time. I've never had an issue with it resetting before I'm done, they only take a short amount of time. I needed some quick xp on Sunday so I brought up the list and got easy ones relatively quickly. I was close to a level, so I didn't want to use all 10. Since the xp you get is based on your level, its better to get a few, cash them in, get the level, then get the others and cash them in, being that they'll give you more xp. That is, if you don't want to train that skill at that moment. Last night though, just laziness to get the remaining few. I got home from a long day at work and just couldn't deal with listening to the overwhelmingly annoying penguin chat.

One of the annoying things about penguin chat hunting on Tuesdays is that it gets a little flooded with "Reset yet???!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" messages. I'm not sure what the obsession is penguin hunting the minute they're out, but it seems a matter of life or death. Also, you think after all these weeks (almost a year now?) people would learn the reset time. I do realize that they're usually late, but I see the same people, week after week, flooding the chat asking if they reset, about 4 hours prior to even when they're supposed to. The RS reset clock isn't really hard to figure out. If people put some effort into it, it'd stop the freak outs.


Ok, I can't make a comment like that and not contribute something. 8pm EST Tuesday nights is when the penguin reset is. Be prepared to wait though, its usually 30-45 minutes after that. That at least narrows your window so you won't have to check at 5pm EST. Also, 8PM on the button is when staves reset so you can buy more. I've been running late at 7:59, bought them, then right at 8:00 can buy more. Bert and Arnheim however, they hate us. Them you have to wait until 24 hours after your last talking to him. This is highly annoying. Say you visit them at 9PM one night. This means you have to wait until AFTER 9PM the next day to get more. Yes, it can be 9:01, but the issue with that is that days add up. Meaning at somepoint, its going to be 11PM, 12AM, 1AM, meaning that you'll either miss a day, or really be missing sleep.
Flax guy, I'm not sure of. I feel like he's on the 8PM clock, but don't quote me on that. He's never really turned me down on my way to Arnheim, who has, but I can't remember if its because I just forgot to go the previous day or not.

I've been fishing the last couple days. Its not helping me get closer to any kind of level, but I just think I needed to restock and clear my mind. I finally got to use the Granite Lobster. I didn't really notice any kind of boost in speed, plus it doesn't really seem to produce many sharks/swordfish. Just a few here and there. I think they came out a little too late for them to help me with it though. Of course, free items are free items and xp, so if you're going to be doing something like Fishing, Woodcutting, etc, there's really no reason not to at least have some sort of familiar with you.

I really believe we should be able to have a Summoning obelisk in our POH. It would fit in perfectly in the Garden. I can understand not having a bank in your home, but we already have altars. It would be nice just to recharge everything in one go.

I hope what I write about doesn't come across as complaining that the game needs to be easier. I'm more about streamlining it, making it more efficient. Running back and forth to Arnheim to get your 40 pineapples and 80 seaweed doesn't make the game challenging. It just adds a little annoying factor in there of time consumption. Battlestaves were the same way. Running to the bank and back doesn't make the game 'harder.' they fixed that with having the staves noted. Instead of bank running, you can go do other things. I don't want them to make bosses easier, levelling easier, etc. Just clean up a few things here and there. The biggest improvement to this was the GE. Say what you will about trade limits, whatever. This isn't about that. Its about being able to put something up for sale and go about your business. COMPLETELY beats standing in a bank for hours screaming because you want to sell something.

Anyways, if you stayed long enough to read all my ramblings, I definitely appreciate it. I tend to ramble...

Back to skilling.

After about 4-5 weeks of really training nothing but combat, I hit the wall. I need to give the whip a rest for a little bit and get back to skilling. I've gotten a lot of levels, I love the fact that with slayer you can make some decent cash, you're training 3 skills at one time.

The new Aquatines are pretty cool, sadly its impossible to find them not packed with people. It amazes me just how much melee gear has skyrocketed in the past couple weeks. I've seen people offering 4M for a whip. It kind of tempts me to sell it.

A few friends and I have been doing some daily trips to the Zamorak general. It's pretty easy once you get used to it and we usually stay for 1-2 hours per trip with about 50 kills. It turns out to be decent cash. We split some Zammy Spear drops which are roughly 350k/person and a couple hilt drops that are about 5M/person. Plus its just fun killing something so big with such relative ease.

One of the things I' really like to try soon is the Corporeal Beast. However, with a lot of people who know what they're doing. It's not something I'd like to wander into with just a handful of friends not knowing what to expect. I'll have to do some research and see what its about.

With the charms I've been stocking up on, I decided to put the money to good use and got 70-73 Summoning. I used all my green and crimson charges. I need to get some Obsidian Charms to use up my blues. Tzhaar are ok to kill. They're kind of annoying, but the cape drops are pretty awesome.

Actually raising Summoning is an incredibly boring process. I love collecting charms, I never not pick one up. I like using familiars and seeing all the different ones with separate abilities. I just hate running to the obelisk and back and forth and back. I just wish there was a more entertaining way to raise xp.

Getting closer to the 2000 levels mark. I'm in the 1970s now, looking at the end of the hippies, into disco, soon the bowery will explode with Blondie, the Talking Heads and The Ramones. Thinking of levels as years still amuses me after all this time.

It's just a game

I try to tell myself that every now and then. However, part of it doesn’t sit right with me. It’s more than that. Games like Hearts and Minesweeper and Solitaire don’t have websites dedicated to them which are updated daily. Every aspect of the game is picked apart, scrutinized, analyzed, studied and documented. They are videotaped and posted on youtube set to some song I’ve never heard of.

It’s a social networking site as well. There are so many people I enjoy talking to on a daily basis where, if the game ended today, I would have no idea how to continue on our conversations. It’s not even game talk. Granted, that is always part of it, but its about news, sports, music, cultural differences, what does a rooster say in Norway opposed to the United States? (you’d be surprised how each country has a different answer to stereotypical animal noises – thank you David Sedaris).

I know people who have met each other playing, then went on to actually meet in real life and become friends. It’s something parents play with their kids, which is amazing.

Everyone gets something different out of it because each person puts something different into it. It’s amazing to see something so huge get broken down to such a level where people ignore the 457 different things available to do at any given moment, and choose to spend 15 minutes typing a forum rant up about the font selection.

According to Wiki, there’s 8.5 million active accounts. That’s more than most cities and even some entire countries. You’re part of something that is growing every day and keeps gaining momentum while it changes, experiments with new ideas, has an open forum for exchanging feedback between the company and customers trying to make it better. The game doesn’t limit you to certain servers so you always have the opportunity to meet new people.

Every time you log in something is different. You can do the same task 30 days in a row, but something will be new about. You’ll get different drops, maybe you’ll level unlocking something new to do, you’ll overhear a conversation which makes you burst out laughing, you’ll learn something new from a stranger with a bit of advice…

It’s fine to log in and get immediately to what you want to do, but do like Ferris Bueller so wisely said and stop and look around for a while.

War Ensemble

It’s been a month of so since my last post. To be honest, I couldn’t really think of anything to say that would be worth reading. I usually get halfway through something and decide its too boring and not post it.

I’ve been working on Slayer a bit recently. I went from 50-90 tasks complete relatively easy. I used to get really into Slayer, then I would get a task which would require me using a combat skill I wasn’t in the mood for training, and I would just sit on it for weeks. I switched from using Lapalok for every assignment to using Vanaka 1-9 and Lapalok for the 10th. The only time I really bank between Vanaka assignments is to stack up on pots. Mostly I keep a glory, tele runes, Bones to Peaches runes and alch runes in my inventory and I don’t really need much more.

For my 90th I got assigned 187 Gargoyles. I’ve never had them before. Actually, I’ve never been on the third floor of the Slayer Tower before. They weren’t bad, took me about 3 trips, but I got about 15 Adamant Boot drops and 3 G-Maul drops giving me about 700k from one task. I can see why people obsess over it. The little xp you get from it, the lots of CB xp you get from it and the potential for some good cash at the higher skills. It also got me to level 77 Slayer, so I’m happy about that.

I’m closing in on 2000 levels. I’m at 1951 now, with about 7 levels pretty close. I’m also closing in on my year end goal of 75+. Still a bit away, but I’m pretty sure I’m a little ahead of schedule. Either way, by the end of the year on both would be nice. Runecrafting might be the hard one (currently at 71), but with using penguin points towards it each week, I should be fine. I’m gathering plenty of charms so that when I decide on a Summoning push, I’ll be ok.

I tried Mobilising Armies. It seemed pretty interesting. Possibly an interesting way to get rid of some junk items and free up some bankspace. It might be a way for Jagex to get people to cash some of that in as to eliminate junk trades. No real idea what the higher rewards entail. Even if you’re not a fan of the game, you have to be a fan of the fact that its in Feldip Hills. Previously, the only bank around here for chopping Euchs was the one you had to complete As a Last (First? I forget..) Resort for. The bank at the mini game gives an option for those opposed to questing, but want Euchs.

The forums and even some conversations I was in yesterday were full of “I can’t believe they ruined the game again…” talk. Every once in a while they change the interfaces, yes, it happens. Every time some people act like the sky has fallen and threaten to quit and freak out. Here’s the thing. You get used to it. I heard the complaint yesterday “Why do they always completely ruin the game with interface updates instead of giving us more higher level things or more skills?!” My response was simply, “Like adding a pretty huge mini-game that’s been in development forever and announced at least 6 months ago?” Come on, people!

Everyone has the right to complain, but give it a shot. You logged in 10 mins ago. The game isn’t over. Its just such a downer to log in and be bombarded by complaints of doom & gloom. Give it a shot. You might like it in the long run.

Level, Level

Finally achieved it last night, got my 70+. I grabbed my clay hammer and started pounding out Carved Oak Tables for about an hour. Then I joined some friends for penguin hunting. Used those 15 points on Thieving then took a few runs at Pyramid Plunder. Plundering was terrible with a touchpad, however just doing a few runs was do-able.

I really can’t stand Thieving, but now I kind of want to get to 71 because the thought of a new room for Plundering in, interests me. I don’t really see how this is viewed as one of the most profitable skills though. I got a Pharaoh Scepter once, that’s good cash, but an extremely rare find. Maybe it’s the stalls, or the fact that maybe 50gp here and a Blood Rune there add up over the course of leveling… I don’t know.

I hate to admit it, but I kind of do obsess over the game a bit. Especially levels. If I can’t play, say a slow day at work, I’ll pull up the hiscores list and see what I should work on when I get home. Or I’ll compare my stats to friends over and over and see how they’ve been doing lately. Not in a competitive way, its just that if someone says they’re going for a certain level, and I don’t see them in a bit, I want to see if they reached their goal. If I just meet someone I’ll maybe pull up their stats. Not as a judgment, but maybe if they’re really good at something I have a problem with, maybe they’d be able to give some sage advice.

The other day when I wanted to work on Construction, I pulled up a few people’s scores because I had never used the butler before. I wasn’t sure how it worked and what to build. Ta-daa, friend’s on, got a high Con level, and bang, 2 levels down in the easiest of fashions. Everyone has their own way of doing things and its just the curious nature in me to see how people do things, what they like to do, and why they like to do it. It’s like studying sociology of an rpg. Some want to be rogues, some want to be mages, some warriors, others just skillers and crafters. If you put that together with the person’s actual personality, it is completely fascinating. It’s interesting to see what quirks, skills, habits, etc in real life carry over into the game.

In real life I work with a lot of numbers. In game, I calculate everything. I make spreadsheets based on my progress, calculate my skills, figure out which training methods give you how much xp in an hour, how many hours will it take to get a level, etc. I usually have a pen and paper at my desk as well as a calculator and am always using them. Some say that takes the fun out of it, hunt for hunting sake and if you get a level, then it’s a bonus. I don’t have that in me though. I think that’s why I’m not completely cb oriented and am pretty bad at Slayer. Non cb skills are much more constant and easier to calculate.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t do that with everything. I do like killing drags for drops, going to Godwars for fun, KQ, etc. Those I view as little vacations from experience gaining. Plus to break it down to the lowest level – going out with a group of friends and killing lots of really big monsters, its pretty cool.

One of the weird consistencies I’ve picked up on is that when someone has a low Crafting level, they tend to also have a low Farming level. It’s pretty easy to fly through Crafting after you do the Varrock Diary, which requires you to get your Farming up pretty high. I just like discovering little patterns like that.

Mr. Brownstone

I saw a $240M drop in the Party Room last night. Surprisingly, I didn’t lag out. A large number of D Legs, Zerker Rings, D Full Helm, etc. Kind of awesome to witness, but of course I couldn’t even tell if I popped a balloon or not. I think everyone in the world was there.

I haven’t had much to write about at all recently. I’ve been leveling, climbing the hiscores. Finally up to 90 WC. I’m just 2 levels (Theiving and Construction, both at 69) away from having every skill be 70 or over. My goal for the year was 75+, so I feel like I’m off to a good start.

Its interesting how levels are like drugs in Runescape. As you get higher up, they become further apart. When you get one, you feel that incredible rush of relief and joy. That last for a few minutes. Maybe even the night if you stayed up too late working on it and soak in the joy of it then crash right to sleep. This, of course, after you log out, check out hiscores and see how many ranks you moved up. Overall and in the skill. Shortly after, the feeling wears off. You start scrambling finding what you can level next based on how close the xp is vs based on what you have in your bank. Sometimes you blow all your savings just getting those quick little highs. Stealing Creation might as well be yelling “I got that pandemic!” out to you from the street corner because that game can make you level so much faster and cheaper.

It makes you start doing things that you don’t want to, just to get it. Power level on Oak Tables? Collect 4000 Snape Grass? Spend hours knee deep in water casting out that net? You know you want it…