Recording Date: Sat Dec 17 at 8pm UK time

Publish Date: Thurs Jan 5, 2023

Background

What do you do after you’ve maxed? After you’ve completed all quests? After you’ve comped? After you’ve got trim comp? The bigger question is, what is RuneScape’s end game? End game in MMORPGs typically occurs once the levelling process is complete and you’re ready to play the bulk of the game’s content. RuneScape is different and many players have tried to quantify RuneScape’s end game but what does lead designer Mod Jack think?

What does Mod Jack think endgame is in a wider gaming sense?

RuneScape Endgame Historically and Presently

• Players were getting 99s, 120s, 200ms, ticking off achievements, gathering lore books, and setting their own challenges (PvM or otherwise) before the means existed to recognise this in game.
• To what extent were the updates that recognised players achievements unplanned vs purposefully fleshing out the later stages of the game?
• What is the strategy for shaping the path players take after the max, comp, or trim?
• In many other games, we see that the game has only “just begun” when players hit the level cap. How is that balance seen within RuneScape?

• Historically, many parts of the game have been sped up or made more afk-friendly, reducing time and effort spent on the “journey”, leading to the endgame being more accessible than ever.
• Yet the time investment of hitting the level cap within RuneScape is still comparatively high, and content beyond the level cap appears to be… hitting more number caps.
• We see the shift to catering for players who have completed the traditional progression reflected in how things like quest series stopped mirroring character progression, and started following the passage of real world time.

RuneScape’s Core Loop

• All of these point to how people play RuneScape from level 1 onward. Player makes a goal or is encouraged to go for the goal by the game

• Initially very guided through the path system
• Then a bit more open, but still with concrete goals such as quests, skill milestones, etc.
• Eventually shifts to more open-ended/intrinsically motivated goals

• Is this RuneScape’s core loop?
• Can this be carried from level 1 to endgame? Sustainably?

• Sustainably one way: there will always be players who feel like they need to tick off everything. In the process, they may become so focussed on the goal, they may suffer in the moment.
• Sustainably another way: there will also be players who want to push beyond the goals of the game - either because they’ve achieved it all, or because they create content - which means they may end up setting the new bar for other players.
• Combining these could lead to a vicious cycle.
  

A Core Difference: Constructed vs. Reactive Endgame

• The perception of RuneScape’s endgame based on what we have today is that it was built around what players were already doing.
• Feeling the need for a strong endgame comes from the wish of people with an existing big time investment to keep playing, but to what extent is this the majority of players or the audience to optimise for?

• Especially if seasonal modes or alts become more prevalent/accessible.
• Endgame players seem to be doing just fine in modern day ‘Scape.

• Is there going to be a time where you could see a direct proactive investment in RuneScape’s endgame?

What would RuneScape’s ideal endgame be?

Show Data

• Episode Title: RuneScape Endgame is Everything
• Teaser: Mod Jack joins us to discuss RuneScape’s endgame. PvM, quests, and skills to 120 and beyond show us the obvious but RuneScape’s unique design paints a different picture. Join us as we embark on a journey to uncover RuneScape’s true endgame.
• Recorded Date: December 17, 2022
• Release Date: January 6, 2023
• Executive Producers: Shane, Cireon, and Tanis
• Hosts: Shane and Cireon with Special Guest Mod Jack
• Duration: 1:43:46
• Editing Notes: Clean up intro and outro. Add Patreon ad.