'˜RuneScape' Free Trade and the Wilderness Scheduled to Return

The first "RuneScape" referendum has concluded, and the results are in: Free Trade and the original version of the Wilderness will be returning to "RuneScape!" With over 1.2 million votes, and a staggering 91% in favor of the reversion to the original trade system and Player-vs.-Player (PvP) roots of the Wilderness, the powers-that-be over at Jagex Ltd have finally heard the consensus of the "RuneScape" fan base. The referendum, which was hosted in December after an overwhelming response to a content poll, is the first in "RuneScape" history-and a great example of how Jagex is listening to the players.

Mark Gerhard of the "RuneScape" team made the official announcement about the results of the referendum on January 17^th in the "RuneScape" news articles. "We have heard your call and will be restoring these much loved features to 'RuneScape' on Tuesday 1st February," he wrote. "To help you prepare, we will be releasing a series of guides, FAQs and expert advice about the Wilderness and free trade, so that players both old and new can get ready for this epic release."

As a long-time "RuneScape" player, I am thrilled by the news that Free Trade and the nostalgic charm of the original the Wilderness will be returning. With 91% of the players who voted in the referendum in agreement on the reversion, it is good to know I am not the only old school player with these sentiments. For players who never experienced the original version of trades on "RuneScape," or The Wilderness, here is some quick information about how things used to be in the MMO.

'RuneScape' Free Trade: A Quick Rundown

Originally, "RuneScape" players were able to enter into the trade window and exchange entirely imbalanced amounts of coins and items. You could completely outfit a new player without any concern about hitting the "cap" the new users could receive in value, or save up and buy a Party Hat for a friend. The loss of Free Trade set a maximum imbalance in value between traders, so brand-new players were quite out of luck. Increasing your Quest Points would afford you more slack in the value imbalance, but no opportunities to completely eliminate the imbalance limit were ever implemented. "RuneScape" implemented this rule as a means of controlling real-life money traders and item farmers-something all MMORPG video games struggle with, but don't resort to cutting off their players at the ankles.

According to the "RuneScape" referendum vote explanation by Mark Gerhard, Free Trade was outlined as including the following features:

*Unrestricted Free Trade between players
*Unlimited staking in the Duel Arena
*The Grand Exchange would remain, but with the lower and upper price limits removed
*Party Room drop restrictions removed
*Item Lending still available
*Assist System still available
*LootShare and CoinShare still available

'RuneScape' PvP and the Wilderness: A Quick Rundown

The Wilderness used to be a place of danger, where PvP was enabled and players could kill other players for the sake of loot, bragging rights and revenge. Unfortunately, many new "RuneScape" players were lured into the Wilderness in a simple scam to take their meager supplies and crush their spirits. The Wilderness warning, which popped-up whenever you were about to enter this PvP zone, apparently wasn't enough to keep some players from senseless death in the zone. Eventually, Jagex implemented a level cap, preventing level 120 characters from attacking level 7s just inside the Wilderness zone.

Eventually, the PvP quality of the Wilderness was entirely removed in "RuneScape." New monsters filled the zone, but players had to look elsewhere for honest PvP and Clan wars. Mark Gerhard explained the return of the Wilderness as including the following:

* The Wilderness becomes a rather dangerous area again and players can kill each other for their items
* PVP, Bounty and Bounty +1 Worlds removed (game mechanics may be re-used in the future)
* New objects that affect combat will be analysed on an individual basis
* Gravestones would still be used outside of the Wilderness
* Various PVP items and gear will still be available and won't become 'rares'
* Revenants patrolling the Wilderness will be relocated
* Content located in the Wilderness area reviewed as follows:
---Quests (e.g. Spirit of Summer) and Activities (e.g. Clan Wars) would be relocated
---Other content (e.g. Treasure Trails, the Beacon Network and D&Ds) would be looked at on a case-by-case basis

'RuneScape:' Suddenly Better To 91% Of Members?

With both Free Trade and the Wilderness offering so many perks-and being favored by 91% of "RuneScape" members-the announcement that the reversion will go live in February is likely to be received well by the majority of the "RuneScape" fan base. In truth, the announcement will get me back into the "RuneScape" world 100% for the first time since the disappearance of Free Trade years ago.

No matter which side of the debate you happened to be on, the fact that the "RuneScape" team and Jagex is willing to put the fate of the MMORPG into the hands of the player base is a pretty groovy thing.

Sources:
Mark Gerhard, "RuneScape - News"