Quotations taken directly from Runescape.com
Due to the high volume of traffic and the size of today's update, RuneScape has experienced some technical difficulties. This has led to several worlds going offline and issues with the Grand Exchange. We are aware of these problems and they should be fixed shortly. We apologise for any inconvenience we may have caused you.
If you are struggling to download the client, please choose a world from the USA, as they have more bandwidth available. You can always switch to your favourite world once the client has downloaded.
As if launching RuneScape HD wasn't big enough on its own, we have released several other updates at the same time! These include a reworked website, several city improvements and a new world map.
For most people, the first improvement they encounter will be the new RuneScape website. You will notice that the links on the left side of the front page have gone, replaced with tabs across the top of the page that drop-down to reveal their contents. These have been grouped together according to subject, making your chosen section easy to find. The path through to play the game remains the same as before.
Aside from RuneScape HD, we have made several graphical updates that also affect the old detail modes. A deep breath is needed here: three of the largest cities in RuneScape - Al Kharid, Lumbridge and Ardougne - have been reworked to give them a new, improved look; Castle Wars has been given a fresh lick of paint; your teleport animations and your emotes should now be more impressive; and the fires of RuneScape have an improved, crackling flame.
To make RuneScape easier to navigate, we have introduced an in-game world map. At the simple press of the globe icon in the top-right of your screen, next to the minimap, you are able to view your position in the world and see where you want to go, without opening any separate windows.
The Behind the Scenes for July will be released at the start of next week. We have some other great things planned for this month, but we do not wish to distract you from the graphical updates just yet.
A vital change has been made to purple sweets. An issue with their scripting meant that they could keep a player alive forever, which is certainly not what we intended! The purple sweets are now back to normal.
Discuss this update on the forums.
For new subscribers becoming members on or after the 4th August, the monthly cost for a RuneScape subscription will increase 30p in the UK, $0.95 in the US and by similar amounts in other currencies. These are examples of the credit card prices - all other payment types will be increasing by a similar margin. If you are an existing member, or you subscribe before the 4th August, this price change will not affect you, as long as you keep your membership valid.
If you are an existing member and you allow your membership to lapse for more than two weeks (after the 4th of August), you will be charged the new rate when you re-subscribe.
RuneScape subscription costs have not changed since RuneScape memberships started in 2002, over 6 years ago! Inflation and exchange rates mean we are having to adjust our prices slightly.
Discuss this update on the forums.
RuneScape has been reworked and now looks better than ever! If you are a member, you will be able to access this update by following the directions below. If you are a free player, you can expect to be playing RuneScape HD as soon as the Beta period is over. Free players who select RuneScape HD will receive a preview of the new graphics, meaning they can see how it runs on their machines, but will be unable to play in it.
NOTE - this is a live Beta. This means that if you lose or win an item, die or gain experience, it is for real - the effects will remain on your account even after the Beta period is over. Please do not throw away items thinking that you will get them back after the Beta period.
You will notice that the website has been given a fresh lick of paint, but your path to the game remains as simple as before. Click 'Play RuneScape' on the new RuneScape front page to get to the Detail Select page. Then click the right-hand button, 'RuneScape High Detail', to select the new version. Finally, choose your world, and then start playing.
To play RuneScape HD, your computer will need the following system specifications:
- 1.5 GHz processor or higher
- 256MB of RAM or more
- 64MB 3D Graphics card, such as Nvidia(R) GeForce(TM) 3 or above
- Sun Java 1.4 or higher
Once the game has loaded, you can use the in-game Graphics Options menu, within your Options tab (the one with the spanner), to further increase or decrease your level of detail. You can also change them on the log in screen. So, if you are experiencing slowdown, try reducing the number of graphical features.
The new fullscreen mode can also be toggled on or off in the in-game Options tab or the log in screen.
When you have set your preferred graphics options, your settings will be remembered as the default every time you log in on that machine. You may change these graphics options at any point.
If you have further questions, or are having trouble playing RuneScape HD, please visit the FAQS, found here.
To access the old High or Low Detail modes, click the left-hand 'RuneScape' button on the Detail Select page. This option manages to be both the old detail modes, rolled into one! You will be able to use the in-game Graphics Options menu to choose the exact level of detail you wish to play in. If you turn everything to minimum you get the old Low Detail mode, and if you turn everything to maximum you get the old High Detail mode.
Discuss this update on the forums.
So that RuneScape HD can be played by as many players as possible, we have released some FAQs. These are available to help those who are having trouble loading RuneScape HD. Today we have updated them with some of the more commonly asked questions:
TehNoobWorld Launch!
