In the early days of RuneScape, the game was about as simple as they came. The Gowers created a simple fantasy simulation game with a few basic skills that one could expect to need for survival in a traditional fantastic world. As the game progressed however there were regular updates, bringing in anything from a few technical updates to brand new content. Throughout RuneScape Classic most updates were well received, but things began to change when Jagex began to introduce entire new weapons and skills into the game.
The real trendsetter for this calibre of update was the release of runecrafting alongside Runescape 2. While most of the population greeted a new skill with open arms; there were a few arcanoclasts who decided, like the Fremmeniks, that crafting runes was for the gods and no-one else. Ironically enough, this small population ended up being trendsetters themselves. Ever since the old days, when new skills have been released there are always those who say that the latest and greatest update has “ruined the game”.The 'make all' updates have made many skills easier, yet somehow these critics say it makes said skills “too easy, having lost the value in training it”. Slayer introduced a plethora of new items, namely the abyssal whip, that made melee combat less valuable as a skillset while increasing its profitability, taking the intrinsic value out of traditional skilling.
Perhaps to the dismay of those intractably opposed to the changing face of RuneScape; the game has marched on with ever-increasing popularity. This campaign against skill updates took a back seat in the following years, mainly until the release of summoning. The shattering of the traditional maximum combat level for seemingly useless pets had most of the population in an uproar, especially since it seemed that only the rich can train and use it the way it was intended. The backlash against summoning continues today with most clans, even ones exclusively pay to play, not including summoning in their entry requirements. As far as a retaliation against the “elitist” updates goes, it has continued to be a huge part of discussion up to the present. Upon asking some players with high herblore, summoning, or prayer the easiest method to level up, the answer received is a sarcastic “travel back in time” before the skill was in such high demand. That said, those who can access the impressive new content have done so as fast as they can and have reaped the rewards.
A great example of this controversy is Dungeoneering. Yes, its probably a cliché to talk about it now, however the issue is not what is right, wrong, good, or bad about it; rather the fact that you simply can not ignore it or any of the other major updates that have been implemented. There is a large portion of the community that refuses to train dungeoneering and denounces it along with extreme potions and curses for unbalancing the game. However, no matter how much they protest this evolution of the conventional combat system, their words will not change the end result; the new content has changed the game far too much for that.
So to those who condemn any new update, there are a few things to keep in mind. First being that the updates are here to stay. Jagex will not simply erase an update that they have worked for and announced. The sheer fact that they include the content in the first place is commitment enough to show that they have put a lot of time and thought into it, along with having already deeming it worthy and balanced content to add. The second is that, whatever the end result of the released material may be, it will have a lasting effect that simply won't be overlooked. The third is simply to try it. Having fun is a huge part of RuneScape and if one never tries or experiences some newfangled element of gameplay, how can an argument be made against it?
