SHOW NOTES

Below is the layout for the podcast episode. Please do not edit this until the top details have been fleshed out.

EoC Introduction

In May 2012 the initial posts regarding changes to the RuneScape combat system were made. The game’s combat system had largely remained the same since the launch of RuneScape 2 in 2004. The combat beta ran through most of the summer and into autumn 2012. The new combat system was released on November 20, 2012. The system included:

A rebalance of the combat triangle, melee was often more powerful than ranged or magic.
An interface rework to make it, “more fluid, interactive, and exciting for everyone.”
A focus on player skill rather than knowing which interfaces to pop open.
Changes to encourage a use of a variety of combat equipment.
An action bar which could be used for combat but also skilling.
Introducing keybinds and less dependency on the mouse.
Dual wielding
Abilities
AoE for melee and ranged

Why was EoC needed?

The legacy system was old, boring, and required you to navigate the interface to be successful (i.e. prayer flicking)
The legacy combat revolved around preparation for the battle (equipment & items) and not the battle itself. Also limited future combat updates (before: equipment only, today: equipment & abilities)
Made combat more skill-based rather than luck-based
Unbalanced combat triangle, many used melee. Ranged and magic were forgotten at times.
Food markets were mostly shark but sometimes monkfish, lobsters for F2P. Constitution level up to a maximum governed how much food healed.
The PvM community thrived for several years as a result of EoC. Combat that required voice chat and coordinated teamwork was only made possible by the added complexity of the new combat system.
Changed how bosses could be designed-lots of mechanics that require specific abilities to deal with could not have existed without eoc, and combat today would be extremely stale
Memories of old school RuneScape combat: what did we like or dislike?

How has EoC changed RuneScape?

Action bars used for combat can also be used for skilling, making keyboard gameplay feasible (i.e. teleports, Runecrafting runs, Firemaking, etc.)
A whole variety of combat methods from AFK to full lean forward interactivity, with room for expansion.

EoC added in a factor of skill to combat. It requires active input (at least in full manual, but even in revolution), rather than passive standing by. Combat is no longer about just buying the best gear (either the best stats or the best special attack), it is about knowing what to do with it, with your abilities, and with the combat system in general.

Shifted focus from weapon-diversity to ability rotations.
Brought all 3 combat styles to “equal” ground. Missing tiers and styles of weapons, armor and prayers were introduced (batwing, ranged buff-curses, etc).
Old School RuneScape: EoC was the jumping off point that was largely responsible for the launch of OSRS. Where would we be without OSRS?
The animosity resulting from the seismic shift that was EoC resulted a lack of trust both in the community and within Jagex. The solution: polling updates. Where would we be without polling for better or worse?
If the old combat system remained, would the game have fewer players now? Or perhaps better asked, has EoC increased the RuneScape playerbase?

The Pro PvM Community:

Has the size of the PvM community increased since the release of EoC? Would it exist without EoC?
What would boss encounters look like without EoC? (Kalphite King was first EoC exclusive boss, QBD was released while EoC in development)
Would the old PK’ing system have remained if not for EoC?
Revolution++: A boon or detriment? Mixed bag-it's fantastic for most people for most purposes and makes the combat system dramatically more accessible. On the other hand, it can make the highest levels of PvM much more difficult and also teaches bad habits detrimental to achieving the highest levels of DPS, particularly in instances that require utilizing defensive abilities e.g. bomb tanking vorago, high enrage telos. On balance it's probably good, but becomes a problem when people expect it to be efficient in all instances.
The tick system: a bottleneck or the gateway to more DPS (thinking in increments of 0.6s, 4TAA, etc.)
The combat triangle and its uses, is it balanced?

Evolving The Evolution of Combat:

Make action bars easy to set up, by services or by ingame guides, and allow the player to know what is optimal.
How do you bring the fun, enjoyment, and precision that experts feel to the traditional player who doesn’t have hours of experience?
Allow the combat academy to touch on the previous point.
Should EoC be easy to learn, but hard to master?

Preface

A rebalance of the combat triangle, melee was often more powerful than ranged or magic.
An interface rework to make it, “more fluid, interactive, and exciting for everyone.”
A focus on player skill rather than knowing which interfaces to pop open.
Changes to encourage a use of a variety of combat equipment.
An action bar which could be used for combat but also skilling.
Introducing keybinding and less dependency on the mouse.
Dual wielding
Abilities
AoE for melee and ranged

Changes Made But Abandoned (no need to be in the show)

Combat level 200 (Max(att, str, magic, ranged, summoning) + defence + 2)
Momentum
Keybinding your first 2 inventory slots
???

Why EoC was needed:

The combat system was growing old and was at the time quite simply boring.
Players left the game because of the outdated combat system.
Combat success was based on your knowledge of the interface and not skill.
The Combat Triangle was very unbalanced, with majority of the NPC’s using melee.
For people who didn’t want to move over or learn the new system legacy combat was later added back into the game as an option.

Has EoC helped the game in the long run?

Great deal of animosity over EoC when it first released: EoC was effectively the jumping off point for the creation of Old School RS and split the community.
Has EoC increased the size of the player base 6 years later?
The reaction to EoC effectively brought in the polling method of game updates and can be argued, shattered the confidence of Jagex.
Offered very interactive combat that could continue to expand over time.
They are just starting to get it back. Was it worth it?
The PvM community thrived for several years as a result of EoC. Combat that required voice chat and coordinated teamwork was only made possible by the added complexity of the new combat system.
Changed how bosses could be designed-lots of mechanics that require specific abilities to deal with could not have existed without eoc, and combat today would be extremely stale

The Pro PvM Community:

While the combination of tile based movement and the tick system can sometimes make EoC feel clunky, it also allows for a significant amount of complexity to the system. The high-level PvM community exploded during the release of high level encounters like Vorago and Araxxor that could never be possible with legacy combat. Maximizing effectiveness in combat is less about real time reaction and much more about precision and repetition. Every boss in Runescape is highly predictable, which allows someone with enough dedication and experience to overcome the limitations of the tick system and take advantage of weapon switching, prayer flicking, spellbook swapping, defensive rotations, and auto-attack timing. I feel this has solved the problem the previous system had of relying on interface manipulation, because extra action-bars and keybinds means everything can be bound to a specific input. Over time, the best PvMers become so used to the tick system that combat starts to feel fluid, and 0.6 second intervals feel incredibly natural. I strongly feel that while revolution has tremendous benefits for those looking for a more casual experience, it is simultaneously the reason that so many people feel like the system is broken. Revolution is inherently bad dps because it prevents auto attack weaving, doesn't cancel abilities for the user, can make weapon switching feel clunky, and can cause serious issues with unwanted movement. Full manual takes a lot of time, patience, and willingness to overcome failure to learn, but once it's mastered it is an excellent experience with huge amounts of upside in terms of its skill-cap.
In terms of the combat triangle, magic is the dominant style for the sheer flexibility it offers, but I don't feel that's an issue inherent to EoC, but is instead a product of 1) the ability to manually cast auto-attacks from the action bar and 2) access to ice/blood spells and debuffs, specifically vulnerability (10% added damage on top of 4taa is huge). This is quickly changing, however, and with the new bolts combined with the utility of mechanized chins in certain situations, ranged is catching up. Melee is a unique class and will likely be more of a "support" role in group bosses, but seems sufficiently balanced (high risk/high reward).

Evolving The Evolution of Combat:

Make action bars easy to set up and allow the player to know what is optimal.
How do you bring the fun, enjoyment, and precision that experts feel to the traditional player who doesn’t have hours of experience?
Allow the combat academy to touch on the previous point.
Should EoC be easy to learn, but hard to master?
Should the investment be made to increase the tick rate at the expense of updating everything else tick related?