Firefox 52 and Runscape in Linux

I did my normal upgrade and forgot that Firefox 51 was the last version that supported the Java plugin.  When I got to launch RS it didn't start.  I checked to see if the Java client was there and I got a clue bat that Java wasn't there any more.

 

Not a problem as Jagex does have a Windows client and I downloaded that and then installed WINE.  Once that was there I launched file manager, navigated to my folder where I downloaded the client and clicked on it.

Nice part is that it added the game to my menu bar and launched without a problem.  I did have to modify the default settings in the client to what I like to play with, but, that was only 1 minute of work.

So far it seems to be fairly stable and CPU runs in the 20-30% range so that is a good thing there.

Old School update to construction

This week Jagex updated the Construction skill in Old School Runescape.  To put it quickly and simply I like the changes.  The tweaks are small, but, welcome.  The biggest is the ability to rearrange your house.  Before you had to destroy a room with all contents if you wanted it in a different location or rotated to allow for an expansion.  This way you can click on a room and then click where you want it and rotate it.  It has limits in that if there is something attached above/below then there are limits on the rotate.  I used the function to expand out the spacing in the house to allow me putting in the new features that are part of the update.

The one new spot you can build allows you to create a pool that recharges.  Right now it is set up to recharge run energy and that helps when I am doing long sessions making flat packs.  When I arrive I click on the pool to refresh then build.  It makes it a lot cheaper and easier than using energy or super energy potions.

There is another spot I can build, but, it requires level 80 and at this time I am only level 75.  Overall this is a nice well designed update to the game that the original Runescape doesn't have and should.

My current house layout

Interface on lower right has new option

Click on a room to move and/or rotate

I prefer playing Old School as it is simple to play, not overloaded with features and functions.  It also works well on lower end machines and runs in a browser in Linux.

OSRS - Bots, they are back

Bots have always been in Runescape (and other games), but, I have noticed in the last couple of weeks that there are more and more.  Every time I go to the G.E. (Grand Exchange) there are two or more bots advertising various sites for bots.  They think they are clever by using special characters and punctuation to hide the name of the site, but, I a person can recognize the URL it isn't that hard for a script to scan the logs of public conversations to find them too.  Every one I see I report just-in-case there is something new that may get missed.  I have noticed that Jagex has made a minor, but, nice change to the reporting function.  Before I would report and then mute so I wouldn't get 'spammed', but, now mute is part of the reporting function and that is a small AND nice change.  I trust that Jagex is on top of this and in the future do another bot nuke.

In my less-than-humble opinion they should also collaborate with the other gaming companies and see what can be done as a group.  I suspect the bot makers are not just Runescape specific and if the group can shut them down it would improve the game play as players cannot buy/cheat their way to being top tier players.  They also should follow the money.  Who is processing the credit card orders may be pressured into dropping the companies.

The sad thing is that bots will always be around and there is a small core of gamers who will not follow the rules and cheat their way through the game.  They think the goal is to finish all quests, get 99 in every skill, max out their banks and they are wrong.  The goal is explore what is there and the above is the end result of having fun.