kinda long but, well worth reading if you have some afk skilling to do ;)
Any guess what time of the year we'll see the new skill. Surely you must know.
It's gonna be the BEST time of the year.
Mod Fetzki
1. What is the new skill? Can you tell us what it is or, if not, give any hints?
2. Has it got anything to do with the Pirate Empires game planned for FunOrb.
1. I can give you the hint that it will involve lots of skill. And combat. And combat skill.
2. No.
Mod Fetzki
The new skill coming out that is for both free and members, is it a combat skill or non-combat?
Yes, there will be parts of it that are free to play. The second part of your question is impossible for me to answer.
Mod Fetzki
Can you tell us some things about the new skill? When it's out, some hints...
I love this kind of question, but the answer is impossible to give, sorry. Just to say training it will not be money-driven.
Mod Fetzki
In which season will we see the new skill?
It seems to have been winter for at least half a year here in Cambridge now, so I am not sure this is a reliable time method anymore. ;)
Mod Fetzki
Jagex has said that the new skill would come last year, but now they've said it'll come in 2010. When exactly will it come – date please? If you can't give the date, please say if it is at the beginning or end.
It will be closer to the middle of the year than to the end of the year.
Mod Fetzki
Is the new skill going to be similar to another skill (e.g. like Summoning to Herblore, due to ingredients) or will it be completely unique?
Unique!
Mod Fetzki
1. Will you need to complete a quest to unlock the new skill? (Like for Summoning and Herblore.)
2. Will you need levels in other skills to do some features of the skill? (Like Agility shortcuts.)
1. No
2. No
Mod Fetzki
How long have you been working on the new skill that is due for release this year?
1. Literally for years.
Mod Fetzki
Everyone is interested in knowing about possibly the biggest update for 2010: the future skill. Could you give us any clue at all as to what it is?
I can confirm that you are correct in saying it will be the biggest update of 2010. We have strong contenders for second place, but the skill will definitely be the biggest update.
Mod Fetzki
This is directed towards the content team. I am wondering if the new skill this year or other skills to come will be applied towards combat. If so, will it raise the combat level?
The new skill will not have any impact on combat level.
Mod Fetzki
1. Can you confirm if the new skill is a non-combat skill or a combat skill?
2. Do you guys like the idea of Slayer for skillers? (The ‘Skiller master' would ask them to make certain things, or gather certain supplies.)
1. The skill will not impact on the combat level.
2. We think that Slayer works because the new monsters, with particular monsters having special drops, added a new aspect to combat that made it entertaining. This aspect is missing from the 'Slayer for skiller' idea, therefore, we don't think this would work well.
Mod Fetzki
When can we expect the new skill? What is it? Any hints? Can you confirm it has nothing to do with boats? Can you confirm it doesn't begin with a ‘B'? Necromancy? Archaeology? Can you say anything about those two things? Can you say whether it will be expensive, fast or slow XP, or anything of the sort?
I cannot say it has nothing to do with boats because a ship is featuring in it quite prominently, but I can repeat that it is not Sailing or anything like that. The skill doesn't start with a ‘B'. It won't be expensive.
Mod Fetzki
1. Probably one you saw coming, but can you shine a bit more light on the release time of the new skill?
2. If you can (you didn't think I was going to let you get away with just answering if you could, did you?), what is your best guess at when it will be coming out?
3. Are there currently any plans that Jagex is working on to stop inflation in RuneScape?
1. and 2. You probably saw THIS coming, but we would rather not compromise the quality by committing to a specific launch date. We will launch it when it's done and tested.
3. Yes, we are looking at various ways to handle the situation. The price increase has accelerated too much for our liking and we will react in due time.
Mod Fetzki
1. When is the new skill coming out? This month? This week? This year?
2. When will F2P get a new quest? I am P2P, but I was wondering as they have not had an update for quite some time.
1. Not this month, but definitely this year.
2. Actually, we have updates for the free game quite frequently – some of the latest include more runes per essence when Runecrafting; increased unbalanced trading between friends; particles in the Christmas holiday event; and the new Standard Detail mode. That said, yes, we are actually releasing a new, low-level, free-to-play quest very soon.
Mod Fetzki
1. What goes into the making of a new skill?
2. How do you think up new skills when there are so many out there already? (I mean, I can't think up one, but I guess that's because I'm not creative. Heheheh.)
1. and 2. Coming up with ideas is not the biggest problem, but the choice of which idea to go for is. A skill is always a massive challenge, because our players spend thousands of hours training them and we need to make sure you get good rewards without making other skills obsolete. You never quite know what you will get in the end when you set out to create a new skill, and this was true this time as well. We changed many aspects in the design process, added variety and rewards and discarded others, until we were happy that this is truly worthy of being put in front of our players to spend their time on.
Mod Fetzki
A few questions about the new skill that won't give away much...
1. Is the new skill going to be a money drainer like Construction?
2. Do you plan on telling players what the new skill is before it comes out?
3. Will the new skill be good for pures to use in PvP?
You don't have to answer all of them.
1. No. Training will not cost vast amounts of money.
2. No.
3. Aspects of it will, yes.
Mod Fetzki
Do you guys plan on releasing a new skill for RuneScape? If so, can we expect it by the end of 2010?
Yes and yes.
Mod Fetzki
I think one of the biggest questions on everyone's mind right now is what the new skill will be. Can you tell us how soon to expect it, or give us any hints as to what it will be or involve?
It will involve all current skills of RuneScape.
Mod Fetzki
Prior to the release of the Summoning skill in 2008 there were regular releases of Development Diaries, talking about the skill's concept, and which gave insight into what were some of the things we could expect from the skill when it was released.
Will we see similar Development Diaries for the new skill this year? Or is it going to be kept totally under wraps until release?
We are not planning to give much away about the skill before we release it.
Mod Fetzki
Will we be seeing any new lands or cities this year?
We definitely hope so. There is one specifically that we're hoping to launch this year, but it will be at the end of the year so I won't give too much away at this point.
Mod Fetzki
Is there going to be a development diary for the new skill, similar to the Summoning development diaries?
No, we won't try to sell you this update. We want the content to do the talking.
Mod Fetzki
Will there be a new high-level dungeon this year? And can we have some more hints about the new skill?
Yes, there will be high-level dungeons being launched this year.
Mod Fetzki
More plot with the storylines would be awesome. What future updates can you say about this?
Lots of future plot is coming. People have generally expressed a preference for us to focus on the plotlines we've already started, so expect more from existing series like Mahjarrat, fairies, the Myreque... Also, we will be starting to go into more depth for a couple of things we've only touched upon before. The Kin still wait, but for how much longer?
Paul
2. Will the new skill be a money sink? Why or why not?
2. The new skill's training method will not be a money sink, because we think that it is not something that we want to introduce on too many fronts since that would make the game one-sided.
Mod Fetzki
Will there ever be even better weapons than the godswords?
Yes!
Mod Fetzki
1. Will there ever be a new type of weapon/armor for free players? It's been a while since they got a good update.
1. There might be; I'm not completely sure yet. Perhaps I shouldn't have said anything. Anyway, we are thinking about it.
Are you planning to release a non-quest boss monster for free players?
Yes!
Mod Fetzki
Are you planning on any major F2P updates in the future (besides the new skill)?
The new skill will be the biggest update of the year and I cannot promise anything bigger than that to anyone, so my answer has to be no. But I hope that the new skill will satisfy you, because I cannot believe how cool it is.
Mod Fetzki
