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31 January 2009

Reuben's Level Up

I attended Reuben's 99 Fishing level up today, at the Karamja lobster fishing spot.



He quit some time in 2006 after numerous hacking incidents and item scams on his account. Reuben went on a two year hiatus, but resumed playing RS towards the end of December '08 after much encouragement from me. I was particularly impressed with his sudden enthusiasm towards the game. He started at around level 91 or 92 and had to double his exp in order to max the skill out, and this was achieved within the period of just one month.


Reuben speaking with the Master Fisherman to purchase the Fishing
Skill Cape.

The guy's going for the Fletching Cape now. I don't know for sure what his progress will be like with school starting the day after tomorrow and all, but his interest in RS has yet to waver like it did two years ago, so I'm quite optimistic about him remaining a consistent player.


Me and Reuben having a small post-level 99 celebration.


Stuff achieved today: Gained 250k+ Construction exp

Posted by Timothy Gold at 11:27 PM |

30 January 2009

The Last Weekend

Stick to one activity long enough, and you'll start seeing some really crazy shit. I took the screenshot below mere hours ago while playing Stealing Creation.



Hmm... I wonder how the penguin got in there.

Oh, and just to bring you up to speed, I was able to get into the JC I had applied for. Tiz wasn't as fortunate, but I'm sure he'll be fine even though he had to fall back on the second school of his choice. It's a shame we won't be schoolmates though, let alone classmates just like old times.

Anyway, we are expected to head to our respective JCs on Monday, and not Tuesday as I had previously thought. This would of course mean that I'll only have two nights to push my bedtime back to saner hours. My sleep cycle is completely warped at the moment. It'll probably be easier for me to stay up till 6.00am before getting ready for school, compared to sleeping and then rising that early.

But I will worry about all of that later tonight. For now, I'm determined to just focus on savouring my last weekend of freedom.


Stuff achieved today: Gained 250k+ Construction exp

Posted by Timothy Gold at 11:33 PM |

29 January 2009

Hammer Time

If you ignore its high costs, I'd rate Construction as one of the least taxing skills I've ever worked on.

Unlike with Hunter and Prayer, I neither feel fatigued nor bored, even though I've been placing a huge focus on the skill for over a week now. I suspect that this is the case, because Construction allows me to play Stealing Creation without feeling guilty about goofing off, since earning the necessary points to procure the Sacred Clay Hammers is a vital step in the training process.

I'll also be able to continue playing the mini-game full-time even after I switch the emphasis to Smithing, which is most definitely an encouraging prospect. Its rewards are so versatile; it's certainly very rare for a mini-game to both be enjoyable and productive at the same time.

Sidetracking a little, I will be finding out which JC I'm going to be enrolled into by 8.00am, tomorrow. And after that, it'll be back to school for me on Tuesday. I'll hate the early mornings and the significantly reduced gaming hours on weekdays just as I always had, but I won't complain. The last two and a half months worth of holidays have been good to me, and for that I am grateful.


Stuff achieved today: Level 91 Construction

Posted by Timothy Gold at 11:48 PM |

27 January 2009

Quest Procrastination

I was kept busy with Stealing Creation and Construction training the entire day, but decided to finish up Myths of the White Lands sometime in the evening.


Much of the quest involved me trying to navigate my way through the
many rooms of an icy cave.

I realise that the quest is over a month old. Frankly, I'm not sure why I waited so long especially since I have a habit of fully completing quests within one to two days of their release. The only other exception I can recall is While Guthix Sleeps, but I was out of the country during that period.

Anyway, it was a short quest which I finished in roughly half an hour. I had to explore a cave located in the Land of Snow, get past a Yeti which inhabited the caverns and retrieve some supposedly valuable stones for Explorer Jack.


I had to get past a Yeti before being able to retrieve the special stones
(in the upper right corner) for Explorer Jack.

The 500exp Lamp I was presented with at the end for my services may sound unimpressive, but I received additional and more substantial exp rewards in Woodcutting, Crafting and Agility after studying the etches on the cave walls.


Stuff achieved today: Completed Myths of the White Lands, Gained 250k+ Construction exp

Posted by Timothy Gold at 10:50 PM |

26 January 2009

Normalcy

The fight's over; things in Blessings have already settled down.

I spent my day preoccupied with my usual Construction training and with several matches of Stealing Creation. Encouraged by Tiz and Form who both wanted to show up as Ancients, I experimented a little and took up the role of a Mage.

I've stuck to being either a Ranger or a one-itemer in all of my previous gaming sessions, due to the vulnerability all Mages face of getting their Runes stolen. I decided to make a special exception this time, as I was confident that Tiz and Form would provide the necessary backup to shoot down any thieves.

Pickpockets turned out to be the least of my concerns. I had failed to factor in another major weakness of the Combat Class - Mage armour offered little to no protection against all three forms of attack. Ancient Mages also a draw a whole lot of attention, so I often got piled. I died in at least two of the games and received scores which were under 20k points for the first time.



I took a break from the mini-game and went about my skilling, but re-visited it later at night for another two rounds and had much better luck. I was even accompanied by Mat! He had announced that he wanted to quit Runescape days earlier, but re-newed his membership after the, uhh... fiasco in the clan.

Mat said that he won't be as active, but since he actually coughed up money for the extra month of P2p-ness, I'm taking his sudden appearance as an optimistic sign that he'll continue to log in from time to time.


Stuff achieved today: Level 89 Construction

Posted by Timothy Gold at 11:14 PM |

24 January 2009

Clan Schism

Ugh! Kicky's decided to make a spectacle out of our little conflict.

Just hours after our quarrel on Blesschat, he posted a farewell thread in the clan forums. He didn't type out his reason for quitting... but slipped in a screenshot of me kicking him out of the clanchat. Naturally, this put me in a rather bad light, especially since the snippet of the conversation in the screenie gave no indication that I had been provoked before I angrily booted him out of the chat. It seemed that attempting to drag my name down in the mud had been Kicky's final act before leaving.

The other Blessings members soon took notice of the thread and began taking sides. A surprising number of "enlightened" individuals had decided to remain neutral, apparently believing themselves to be taking the High Road and not favouring one of their fellow clanmates over the other. This didn't stop them from taking a step back and dishing out equal blame on both of us, even though they had earlier acknowledged that they weren't involved in the scuffle.

Though a day late, I posted a reply to the thread and gave everyone my version of the argument. A lengthy debate between Kicky and I ensued. I'm not sure how much of an effect my responses had had, but the schism between Kicky-supporters and Tim-supporters escalated into a full blown intra-clan fight.

Things only settled down when we both realised that the fight was getting us nowhere, and decided to just leave it as the way things are - Kicky with his delusional opinions of me, and me with my firm beliefs of his egotistical ways.

Kicky's left the clan; I've decided to stay after much persuasion from Dg and Zelda. I have a terrible suspicion that at the end of the day, things have turned out better for him. How in Gielinor is Blessings going to stay afloat with its dwindling numbers?


Stuff achieved today: Level 88 Construction

Posted by Timothy Gold at 11:00 PM |

22 January 2009

Calling It Quits

Kicky finally turned ugly on me today.

I could sense that he was steadily growing more annoyed with me over the last few days. He isn't too happy with my training of Construction. Apparently, Kicky wants to be the first to get the Skill Cape because no one else in the clan has yet to reach 99 in that particular stat.

As if his gargantuan ego wasn't complicating the situation enough, Kicky also seems to be under some crazed impression that I can't stand being beaten, and started working on Construction with the sole intention of overtaking him.

He's also brought up our race to level 99 Crafting in 2008, making similar claims that I trained the skill only to experience the cheap thrill of being top dog in the clan. Though I am uncertain about who had originally started the Construction training, I am positive that I was the one who had first begun taking interest in the latter skill. I experimented with Green Dragonhide leather, was pleased with the fast exp and began sewing up ranged armour on a regular basis, later switching to Kitt's method of Silver crafting.

At some point, Kicky's hubris raised its ugly head and he challenged me to a Crafting competition. I humoured the guy and meekly accepted, though in truth, the only thing I was racing against was time. All I had wanted was a new addition to my cape rack by the end of the year. This simple fact didn't discourage Kicky from making his most shameless efforts to undermine my year-long goal, however.

Once he realised his pride was at stake (he ran out of money to finance the skill and his training lagged behind), he began coaxing me to switch to raising other stats. I dismissed this as a joke and responded with the standard "lol" replies and smilies; I put up with this for months (that's right, MONTHS).

He finally cornered me in December when I was closing on the big double 9s. I could tell he was really serious this time. And I was incredulous after he made his outrageous proposal, which involved me stopping at level 98 and waiting for him to attain that level (he was still in the low 80s), before doing a final race to 99. I got over my initial disappointment with Kicky, but decided against having him in my 99 screenshot, since he had hampered rather than helped my progress in the skill.

However, I've lost all patience and respect for him this afternoon, after he demanded I halt my skilling. I've even expressed my intentions of leaving Blessings, though Kicky is hardly a pivotal factor in this decision; I've had other compelling reasons to finally throw in the towel. Mat's quit RS again and Dg's not renewing her membership, which means I won't see her around most clan events because they are P2P. I've also had a lot of trouble dealing with some of my other fellow members' antics, which Boom had brought up in his post.

It is a difficult decision. I'll give myself some time to fully consider my options.


Stuff achieved today: Level 87 Construction *sigh*

Posted by Timothy Gold at 11:17 PM |

20 January 2009

Quadruple Twos

In spite of my continued rampage at Stealing Creation, I'm still using up Sacred Clay Hammers faster than I can earn them.



Presently, my saved up points from the games I played weeks ago are tiding me by. However, I am too thrilled with my progress in Construction to worry about my diminishing score. I reached level 85 yesterday, and my total level became a cool looking 2222. Jagex really should give players special messages for such level ups, instead of only congratulating skillers at intervals of 100 levels.



Anyway, excluding the usual Postbag from the Hedge and Player Gallery additions, the last piece of gaming content, the Seers Village Achievement Diary, was released this evening.

Skimming through the newly created Runescape Wiki article on the subject, I doubt I'll have much use for its rewards. I simply don't know what to do with all the free flax I stand to receive daily, and I've already retired from Woodcutting, so the exp bonus for chopping down Maple trees just doesn't appeal to me.


Stuff achieved today: Gained 325k Construction exp

Posted by Timothy Gold at 11:34 PM |

18 January 2009

Sacred Clay Hammers

Spent much of my time playing Stealing Creation again, but I also got round to training Construction.



The exp rate comes at slightly under 150k per hour, which I consider fairly fast. Those Sacred Clay Hammers are certainly doing their job! I was able to jump two levels and reach level 84 Construction by the end of the day. Besides saving me time, the hammers' bonus exp also cuts down the costs of training the skill by almost half, since it reduces the number of oak planks I need to master Construction.



Some progress was also made in Smithing. I hit level 93 while cannonball smithing; I haven't gotten round to using adamantite yet, but I'll do so eventually...


Stuff achieved today: Level 84 Construction, Level 93 Smithing

Posted by Timothy Gold at 11:56 PM |

16 January 2009

Bloody Swathe

Went on a killing spree at Stealing Creation with Form, Tiz and Dg.

I've long given up on the concept of processing and then storing great quantities of Sacred Clay for points, instead choosing to fashion it into just the right amount of food, potions and combat gear, before marching off to the enemy encampment. The other three had pretty much the same mentality, so we all spent most of the 20 minute matches terrorizing our opponents.


Form shooting down any unwary opponents with powerful freezing
spells, while Tiz and I back him up in our Melee gear.

It was difficult to organize any coordinated strike against the opposing team, but we worked well together whenever we happened to bump into each other in the Stealing Creation map. I passed some of the runes I had taken - whether through theft or more violent means - from enemy Mages to Form, who then proceeded to blast all hostiles with devastating Ancient Magicks. He was even able to save a fleeing Tiz during one skirmish, after he froze the assailant.



The four rounds we played together has rekindled my waning interest in the mini-game, which is definitely good news since I desperately need more Morphic Tools for my Mining and Construction training. Tiz also claims he's now hooked to Stealing Creation, most probably due to the ease of killing players there. In one particularly good match, Tiz and I managed 47 and 54 kills respectively.


Stuff achieved today: Level 78 Agility, Level 75 Mining

Posted by Timothy Gold at 11:14 PM |

13 January 2009

Some Fixes

My level's finally high enough to catch Dragon Implings.



That could've been achieved days ago, but I got lazy. Right now, I am finding both Hunter and Prayer to be a real bore. I've yet to start on Construction either, due to Kicky's warnings of a sudden jump in oak plank prices. Instead, I opted to train Mining, which is presently my most neglected skill. It's been stuck at the bottom ever since I completed While Guthix Sleeps, and dumped the 400k exp reward into Runecrafting.

Fast forward several weeks, and I've managed to gain quite a substantial amount of Mining exp, via several rounds of the Tears of Guthix mini-game. Since a level up was a mere few thousand exp away, I dropped by the Mining Guild with a good ol' Sacred Clay Pickaxe equipped and collected enough Coal and Mithril Ore to reach level 74. Progress in the skill is slow even with the pickaxe's handy double exp rate, but I've decided to continue training it to use up the rest of my Morphic Tools and free up some bank space.



I was pleasantly surprised later in the evening when the game went through a system update, which saw the implementation of the five-minute logout timer. Jagex also eased up on in-game censorship and made some changes to the chat filter, allowing players to say mildly offensive words like "suck" and "ass".

There'll almost certainly be a handful of Runescapers who will abuse the update, but I think it's a step in the right direction. Though I understand that there are players as young as ten who play the game, Runescape's supposed to be targeted at teenagers after all. Jagex shouldn't be expected to cater to small children.


Stuff achieved today: Level 83 Hunter, Level 74 Mining

Posted by Timothy Gold at 11:28 PM |

12 January 2009

Close, But No Cigar

Nooo! I fell short of the magic eight A1s I had been targeting for the O-Levels!

I attained top grades for six out of eight of my subjects, but slipped to an A2 for both Elementary Mathematics and Chemistry. Discovering the results of the latter paper was like a slap in the face from a level 138, wielding Dragon Claws. I had been consistently receiving A1s in the subject for the past two years and had even been emerging first in my class more than half the time.

Very fortunately for me, only the best six subjects are looked at when getting into a JC. So as far as enrollment is concerned, those two A2s aren't even counted and my overall score is technically perfect. I realise this and am trying to be content with my half a dozen A1s.

Eight's an overkill; if I'm being completely frank with myself, it was more of an ego thing than an actual necessity to get enrolled into any JC of my liking.


Stuff achieved today: Nothing much

Posted by Timothy Gold at 11:30 PM |

10 January 2009

Judgement Day

Ahh, judgement day approaches!

This Monday, I will be receiving the exam results of the O-level papers I took in October and November. Naturally, many of the other guys from the 2008 graduating batch were quite shaken when the release date was confirmed.

Earlier this week, Tiz snapped and actually demanded that he be allowed to stay at my place for the entire night - something which he had been constantly asking (and subsequently, getting turned down) his less-than-compromising-mother since the start of the school holidays.

Presumably, the poor guy just wanted something to look forward to during the weekend, in a desperate bid to take his mind off his O-level grades. Anyway, he ultimately got his way and spent the night and the whole of this morning with me and Kat. We played Runescape mostly and took part in a couple of rounds of Stealing Creation. Though not one of his favourite mini-games, Tiz somehow made it in the highscores and gleefully instructed me to take a screenshot of it.



I didn't get much training done, but the fun we had certainly kept us from incessantly worrying about Monday. I might be able to get him to badger his mom for another stay over if his results prove to be exceptionally good.


Stuff achieved today: Nothing much

Posted by Timothy Gold at 11:38 PM |

08 January 2009

The Dynamic Duo

After a sudden 100gp spike, Dragon bone prices have settled down to more reasonable levels, so I'm back to regularly training Prayer.

It hasn't compromised my Hunter's progress; I'll soon be finally able to catch Dragon Implings without the assistance of a potion. I honestly think that the two skills were made for each other.


With its level 83 Hunter requirement, Dragon Implings are just a
whisker away.

Time at the Gilded Altar is steadily taking a toll on my bank account, but trapping Red Chinchompas has recouped some of my losses. Even their ideal training periods compliment each other perfectly. I spend my mornings asleep, while afternoons are dedicated to hunting because the servers are empty. I train Prayer mostly at night when I am in no danger of not finding a suitable Altar host, since the RS player counts begin to build up around this time.

I may also get round to working on Construction soon. Kicky recently remarked to me about how fast training the skill was, which I felt was a very encouraging sign. It might just turn out to be a less attention demanding version of Prayer.


Stuff achieved today: Nothing much

Posted by Timothy Gold at 11:54 PM |

06 January 2009

In Pyre Need



The Phoenix themed updates are out, signalling a blazing start to the year.

As Jagex had promised, a quest was released along with the Summoning Familiar itself. Contrary to its legendary ability of rising up from the ashes after being slain, the Phoenix is not truly immortal. It has to perform a special ritual every five hundred years in order to prolong its life.


Me speaking with the Guthixian Priest, just outside the Phoenix's lair.

However, as a distraught Guthixian Priest had told me, the Phoenix lay wounded in its cave and was too weak to conduct this ritual, which involved constructing a pyre out of five specific types of trees and then setting it aflame while the creature rests on it. Upon the elderly priest's request, I ventured into the cave and built the pyre, thus saving the Phoenix and extending its lifespan by another five centuries.


The Phoenix burning up on the pyre I had built for the life-extending
ceremony.

The quest's completion unlocked a bonus feature. I have been given the chance to perform the ritual once a day, and then receive a hefty chunk of exp each time for my troubles. Unfortunately, these daily visits to the Phoenix aren't as straightforward as in the quest. While collecting the five types of wood for the pyre, I now have to contend with the many hostile lava guardians inside cave. I'm also required to duel with the Phoenix before it meekly allows itself to be burnt.


Me going mano-a-mano with the level 235 Phoenix.

At the present moment, I am unsure whether going through all of those obstacles is worth the trouble. I have no need for most of the exp rewards, because I've already maxed out most of the corresponding skills. The prospect of potentially getting a Phoenix chick as a pet is what's tempting me to return. Apparently, players stand a small of chance "getting lost" and stumbling upon a Phoenix egg when navigating through the cave chambers.


Stuff achieved today: Completed In Pyre Need quest

Posted by Timothy Gold at 11:15 PM |

04 January 2009

Level Up!

I always thought it was cool that I share the same birthday as Runescape.

I turn 17 today, but received birthday greetings as early as last night. Reuben made a phone call at 11.59pm, while Dg messaged me on Blesschat at 10.00pm, which was already midnight for her due to timezone differences. I also thank everyone else who took the time to drop a birthday greeting on the site's chatbox, as well as Tiz, Kat and Form who chipped in to buy Splinter Cell for me. You all helped to make it a very special seventeenth.



My celebratory mood did little to distract me from my usual training back in Runescape. I reached level 88 Prayer and even gained a Combat level. The breakneck speed of the Gilded Altar method continues to astound me. Consistently pumping in just two hours each day to work on the skill would easily get me the Prayer Cape within the month.



Though manageable, I see no point in rushing the skill. For now, I'm considering a temporary switch to Hunter as a break.


Stuff achieved today: Level 88 Prayer (Level 135 Combat)

Posted by Timothy Gold at 10:07 PM |

02 January 2009

Jagex's Plans

Though a day late, Jagex has posted not one but two Behind the Scenes articles.

They're intending to concentrate their efforts on improving old gaming content, instead of solely adding new updates each week. Though I can't pinpoint any feature of RS that is in need of any serious improvements, I feel that there is definitely a strong rationale behind fine tuning the older aspects of the game.

I'm just somewhat disappointed that nothing major or specific has been promised for the year; Jagex's planned update scheme for 2009 simply doesn't evoke the uproar and burning anticipation a skill addition would. But meh, that's just me being spoilt by last year's release of Summoning. Perhaps something will come out eventually; I still haven't forgotten about the rumours regarding the Sailing skill back in July.

Presently, however, the stuff planned for January hardly excites me. I am sure that the Phoenix familiar will be cool (well, maybe not in a literal sense), but I can only give an exasperated sigh at the Seers Village Achievement Diary.

Kill a monster, make an item, visit an area... I can't help but perceive these diaries as nothing more than potential quests stripped of their rich storyline, cutscenes and Quest Point rewards.


Stuff achieved today: Level 86 Prayer

Posted by Timothy Gold at 11:54 PM |

01 January 2009

A Spending Year

Though plagued by the downfall of Partyhat prices and my declining wealth, the year 2008 still saw a huge jump in my skill levels and total exp.

Over 200 levels had been gained, while my overall exp experienced a hike of almost 100 million. And unlike in previous years when my training was erratic and arbitrary, much emphasis had been placed on Combat; five out of six of the level 99s attained this year are Combat-related.

I've decided to make 2009 a spending-themed year by focusing on more expensive skills, such as Construction and Prayer. I'm adding Smithing to the list, though I intend to make a switch from the time consuming cannonball-making to the much faster (albeit costlier) method of working with Adamantite bars. The exception would be the maxing out of Hunter, which is the only lucrative skill among the lot. This makes a total of four new 99s planned for 2009.

Other goals include reaching level 137 Combat, getting all skills above level 80 and surpassing the 2300 total level milestone.


Stuff achieved today: Level 85 Prayer

Posted by Timothy Gold at 11:44 PM |




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