One week past

Well, the 19th is over and.... I missed loads of the Canting Winter Festival. Saturdays, for me, are not a good time to attend stuff like this. It somehow clashes with Real Life as it is the day were we prepare for the rest of the week. That means shopping; shopping for food, drink, and all those other items to keep you groomed, fed, clothed for a few days. This time that got compounded with the arrival of 'the last days before Christmas'. Even more food, drink, clothes, and knick-knacks. Luckily I got to Full Gangsta's and Merch's house-parties (cut short by the fact it was close to 2:00am) and the conga-fire-line on Saturday followed by a short stay at the F2p event of Sal's. Sadly no pictures but you will find enough of them in various blogs around the place.

Since today is Sunday I'll have to put in a few words of Gwalagwic's adventures. It has been great fun to be able to level at a reasonable rate again. No more grinding away to reach goals which need inordinate amounts of xp, but the laissez-fair of the Newb, on her way to great heights. I did put in a reasonable amount of time, due to the absence of K. I put off going to bed, eating at regular times, and a few other day-to-day things. And thus the first thing to do is show a pic of that amount of time and the levels:

I know, it isn't healthy to stay up late, rise early, work, eat AND play RS.

According to the same Adventurer's Log I completed 16 quests, and started another 13. Maybe next on the list will be to finish those...

One of the things that hit me hard was this: The inordinate amount of time needed to get around, not having the ability to teleport to god-knows-where. Gwala was on her way to Full Gangsta's house... travelling from Lumbridge to Yanille would take either a house teleport or watchtower teleport... not for Gwala. It meant walking, taking a boat, walking, taking another boat, more walking. Since I concentrated on levels and not money-making that meant I couldn't take the one-go boat trip to Port Khazard. (revising the to-do-list: Make some money first, it'll make life a bit more easy).

Still, it was fun being a Newb again. Even met a few nice people. People who otherwise would be in awe of the levels Simple has now reacted in a normal way: Talk about how to do things, not 'omg no-life'.

One last thing: I do hope Sal will do something about the ripped guides Vaskor made a mention of in his blog (an old entry, I know). This time I posted on Sal's and it didn't get deleted.

I got my first two charms today

One gold and one crimson. I can hear you think: "First two? How? What? Why?" Pretty simple actually, I started again. Gwalagwic is the name, pleased to meet you. Yesterday, Sunday, it all came together. The grinding just was getting just a bit too much, so out of boredom I created the new account and got members a bit later on. The later was not out of choice: The electronic transfer for the 6 months of membership took some time.

So I have played a bit and I'm enjoying every minute of it. New, old quests, old skills but with fresh look at how to tackle them. Stats at the end of Sunday:

At the 'end' of today (It doesn't look like I will have the time to play again today the 14th, unless it is well past midnight) it looked like this:

Senntisten

It has been a long time since I did a quest. I know, I know, I should do more of them, what good is a cape in a bank one cannot use? This new installment of the Mahjarrat series was the first I did of a series of about 6 I still have to finish. And it was fun to do. I didn't take pictures as I normally do/used to do. I am out of the guide writing bussiness so why should I bother? What I did do was this: Not reading a guide. That cost me dearly, time wise. It took about 30 minutes before I figured out I needed to hammer the heating orb into a pipe...

Still, like I said, it was fun. The result of it was the new prayer set. Maybe that will get me off my behind to raise prayer, I cannot access the last few of them with the measely 85 prayer I have. The rewards of the quest had one effect I didn't count on: The lamps were just enough to get me to the next Summoning level. Only one more level to go and all is as it should be: Construction at the bottom of the list.

And the Summoning level:

On a side note: Not doing all the quests has a consequense I don't like very much. I still have about 3000 strung gold amulets ready to be sold to the Rogue trader in Varrock. I just have to free him from his cell. That means I must finish Summers End, goto Rogues Castle in deep wild, close the cell door in the alternate reality and get the poor blighter out of there. Easier said than done. Still have to dig the soil to trap Dark cores (whatever they are) and do that last chamber before the demon-like creature becomes Corporeal Beast.

Maybe next week-end will see me end that one... and do the follow-up quest while I am at it. While Guthix Sleeps is another of those not finished. Ah well, we'll see where time takes us.

Another side note: Those who read, make sure you get your pixalated behinds ready for the 19th and Merchs big doohdah. 24 hours of fun and games in during the the Canting Winter Solstice Party. Be there, or else...

I, eh, don't get it

I finished the 4-day adventure that held us all in its grip. The follow-up on turkey slaying. I squeezed in an hours worth of play when I had the time to do so. You just don't want to miss out on a gigantic, epic voyage of RS with something that is connected to Thanksgiving.

Merch was right in there being a follow up. Or was she?

I will not judge the Blokes at Jagex Towers for this game. At the end of the day it seemed they were experimenting with a new format of introducing some 'entertainment'. The one thing I am wondering about is this: Why was it advertised as a Thanksgiving event? It had nothing to do with it. Not the questions/riddles, not the reward (I still wonder what I am supposed to do with a magnifying glass that I can wield but not see through). I stayed out of any chat channel lest the clues given would be spoiled, and seen the ease of each and everyone of them that would happen in 2 seconds flat.

Disappointing, that's all I can say.

Oh, woe is me... Shame and scandal in the family

Thanksgiving. Last year that feast gave players who participated a 'turkey-emote'. Since I didn't play that much in 2008 I missed it and went on my merry way without it. Until today that is. It seems this will be the only Thanksgiving content, though next week there will be a new quest. At least, according to Mod Emilee.

In all it was fun to do, killing of level 138 giant turkeys, with hits never before recorded in RS history. And I got the emote, what more could a girl want?

What has happened?

To me, or to the game? I just don't know anymore; how to play, how to react, how to... be part of this game I suppose.

An incessant stream of people go around and play. Nothing wrong with that, basically it is how it should be. A new player influx keeping the game alive, evolving to new heigts. At least, that is what it should be. I don't think that is the case anymore. As a player I reached my fourth birthday in April this year. By far the longest I spent on any game, even with a year of hardly playing at all. You could say I have seen it all, just, I haven't. When I play I tend to react to what people are saying around me. Bids for information, questions answered, that kind of thing. And I expect people to do the same, it is, after all, what keeps the player community together.

It just doesn't happen like that anymore. New players seem to be out for number one; though one could say that is a generalisation not doing justice to the 'well behaved' new players. Don't get me wrong, I'm not attacking the majority of players. I'm attacking those who are running around like headless chicken, not knowing what to do, and getting on the nerves of others. Those who, like yesterday, start yelling they need three air runes to teleport to god knows where, and when you give them teleport out without so much as a 'thank you'. One more thing I won't do.

Or those people who seem to think the game revolves around them, and only them.

In short, I miss the cameradery I enjoyed in 'the olden days'. Coming together to enjoy a new quest, helping out no matter what. Sneezingtree once made a comment on the change within the game. The subject then was the advent of a new quest: Legends. Those who didn't have the levels to complete it banded together and helped each other to get it done and finish the quest later on. For me I had that same experience when RfD came out: People helping others, without regard for status, without regard for personal rewards. Just to get something done. A new item, a new achievement, a new goal, a new area. Banding together, helping out, being a nice community.

I miss that. I have become more of a loner in this game than I ever was before. Ah well... it must be me.

Money, the lack of it, and a 'new' way to get some

At times people ask how to make some cash. Most answer that question with the obvious answers: Mine iron/coal/gold/runite or any other run-of-the-mill way to get some of those shiny golden coins.

Another thing that happens is this: You only look at items you can make, use, steal, bribe from that particular level you have. That is what happened to me today. Yesterday I got level 87 crafting and I was told I now can make Dorgeshuun light orbs. Nice, the only reference I have come across was in Merch's blog concerning a strange pink lolly-pop that needed to be repaired (find said blog entry here), other than that, zilch. Now that light bulb consists of 2 items. One is the bulb you make out of molten glass, the second part is a piece of wire (known by those who actually make lamps as a 'filament'). That piece of wire is what it is all about. You can get them by stealing from chests, but then it is a random reward, or you make your way south, climb some stairs, down some stairs and start grabbing wire from a machine (turn off sound... the low humming gets annoying).

I know I have a pretty high thieving level and most of those reading this won't get the result I had, still... Grabbing the wire. I did that for exactly 52 minutes and got 359 of them. I used Shelley (thank you again, Merch) for about 40 minutes, an crafted 28 bulbs after the first trip, thus it could have been a tad higher. When I returned to the bank I crafted the bulbs I had made, in all 108 of them, that left 251 wires...

Then I looked at the rs GE page and that was when my eyes popped out... market price 993 gp, high price 1043 gp each. I broke a home teletab, went through the Varrock portal and ended up in front of the GE. Noted Cave goblin wire (all remaing 251 of them) and offered them at the highest price: 1043 gp each. And they sold within 10 seconds.

Now I don't really need money since I try to get the stuff I need myself. But it seems to me this would be a nice way to increase the gp status of a reasonable amount of players. All you would need is thieving level 44 since that is required to thieve that wire. Sure, at 44 you won't get the same number I got, but even if you did get 40% of it it would mean 40% of 430,000 gp per hour... that still is 172,000gp... Can't see you get that from mining iron.

Some other news:

And of course that crafting level:

Must not calculate

In a way I'm in limbo. I'd like to get a few stats up, Smithing and Crafting are at the top of the list. Obviously gold is a nice way to raise smithing but it needs gold-ore, and that means mining. I don't mind that so I am working on it. I did get about 7k gold ores and am in the process of turning them into gold bars. At the same time one can use these bars to turn them into amulets.

That's a good thing: Amulets can be strung using Lunar, and since my magic level has been at 92 for ages (close to two years I think) it makes for a nice target. However that means I need to lay my grubby hands on Astral runes. And that is a problem. I don't like rc, and since stringing amulets requires 2 astrals per amulet I need vast quantities of them. That would mean I need to get rc up to 82 to profit from double astrals per essence. 7 levels, or about doubling the present amount of xp. That hurts. The ZMI altar seems to be the best choise to raise it: about 900-1000 xp per trip. That takes 2 law runes and 4 astrals, but I get those from crafting runes, so not really a loss.

At the end of the day it doesn't really matter: It will take time. Probably will get 92 mining, 91 smithing in the process. BTW 88 mining arrived last tuesday.

Some stuff out of the way, and an RC-level

After finishing the Ardougne diary it occurred to me it would be a good idea to finish off the remaining ones: The Falador and Fremmy one. One of the reasons was the possible advent of that elusive 75 RC level. Another reason was a different one: I had to do something else than combat or skilling.

So on my merry way and as time progressed I finished both. All lamps obviously went toward RC xp, which brought me about 16k from level 75.

One thing in the Falador diary struck me as odd. You need to make a Fruit basket. So on to the GE to buy willow branches. 1700 gp each and no-one is selling. You need 6 of them to make a basket; that translates to a bit over 10k to make an item worth 1 gp in the shop and between 192 and 201 at the GE. How is that for wasting resources?

Well, willow planted, checked on its health, waited for a bit for the branches to grow, and cut 6 of them off. While waiting another thing amazed me: It stands to reason that, after a tree has grown, you should be able to cut off branches; well, not in RS. You need to wait for something to happen before you can cut them. No outward signs on the tree. No sprouting branches gone wild, no appearance of a growth on the tree stem. Nothing.

After finishing: ZMI altar for the remaining rc xp and now it is 75 RC and a giant pouch. That also gave me an Ardougne Elite task done, and 108 cosmics.

Agility top... you are mine

So there you have it. The agility top finally has become part of my outfit. The way it looks is awesome, at least to  me. It is almost like a Marlies Dekkers bra (and I do like those too).

So, how does it look? Stunning I think, had to change hair too.

Agility again

Being a female, obviously with inward genitals, it still hurts when you drop strait down, legs wide, on a beam. I cannot imagine what, with outward genitals, t would feel like doing the same thing as a male. Excruciating would be my guess. Where did that come from, you might ask.

Yesterday I reached a milestone. 

90 agility, and now the Advanced Barbarian Course is available. I need to complete 250 faultless laps to be rewarded with the Agility Top. After umpteen laps of the Advanced Gnome Course this is a welcome change. A whole new set of tsjk-tsjk-bonk sounds.

The course is fun to do: You swing a rope, walk across a beam, then scramble up a wall to jump over a gap, up one more level and be catapulted across another gap to reach a narrow balancing beam (caught by some bales of hay btw). You then cartwheel to the end of the beam (and are able to hurt yourself badly). Jump to a roof and slide down. End of lap.

250 of them…

Concentrate... for gods sake, concentrate.

Click, tsjk,tsjk, tsjk, tsjk, tsjk, tsjk. tsjk, tsjk, click, click, click, click, ta-dah-dah-dah, bonk, click, whoosh, woosh, woosh, bonk, click, weeeeeeeeeeeh, bonk. Repeat.

That is about what you see, hear and do when using the Advanced Gnome Agility Course.

Not that I am a big fan of agility but I have my heart set on the Agility Top. One of those elusive garments only available to those with an agility level of 90 and 250 clean laps of the Advanced Barbarian Course under their belt. According to Tip.it's calculator I will hear that sequence for another 211 times. Enough to drive a sane woman crazy. For now it is a welcome distraction after the diary: A repreve from crowded areas and the trauma sustained playing Castle Wars.

The reason I play with sound on, in this case, is the fact I don't need to change the camera angle to see when I come out of that pipe. I can hear it... its the bonk after the weeeeeeeeeh, then it is click log, listen to eight times tsjk, click four times, listen to ta-dah-dah-dah bonk, one click, three times whoosh and a bonk, click and the weeeeeeh again. It gains 725 xp per lap. And after reaching level 88 I hardly fail. Just one thing is wrong about it: The zero variation in sound. It gets on your nerves after about an hours worth of playing.
No, strike that, it gets on your nerves after 10 minutes. But it is easier than rotating the camera angle. So I click and listen, listen and click. I'll be glad to start failing a course again: That will happen after 211 laps. Switching to Barbarian, do 250 complete laps (wonder how many failed laps will be thrown in), and then... take a break from agility. For a while... a long, long while.

click, click, click, click, ta-dah-dah-dah, bonk, click, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, bonk, click, weeeeeeeeeeh, bonk, click, tsjk-tsjk-tsjk-tsjk-tsjk-tsjk-tsjk-tsjk....

Oh dear... more work in the offing

Diaries, I like them. Not that I have finished them all, still need to do most of them. But they offer a welcome change to the grinding that seems to be ingraned in Runescape. So I set out to do this Ardougne Diary.

The main reason for doing so was/is the reward: A cloak. Being one from Ardougne, City of Thieves, it would stand to reason it would benefit the Thieving skill. And that is one skill I really like. Thus I went on my merry way. In hind sight I should have read a bit better what the various tasks were: It took way more time than I had planned. Why? One task in particular was the culprit. Getting on the winning team at Castle Wars.

I am not a very social player: I like to work alone, away from gathering crowds. Not a very good attitude to play a minigame where you need to interact with the rabble fellow players. It took about 2 hours to get that final task out of the way. Or so I thought...

Not true. Jagex had a trick up their sleeve. Elite tasks. Tasks that have requirements so far out of my league it will take me a long, long time to get there. Let me see, Runecrafting, one more level to have that big bag thingie available. Doable but not my favorite past time. Then there is that thing called Summoning: A staggering 22 levels to go. Smithing, another one of my favorites, only 7 more levels (which would get mining up to 94 btw).

The other levels I have. Just one other bad thing: I have to be sociable again... Fishing Trawler.

*Puts on happy face*  Oh well.

An Introduction To A Simple Life

Well, a new RS-blog. I can hear you think: Oh dear, another one to read, or not to read. Pretty easy to decide whether to read or not. I still have another one at Sal's Realm of Runescape. That one involves both Runescape and what I want to spill about real life. This one will only revolve around Runescape.

So who is that Simple013 character?

It started all in April 2005. Introduced to this game by a nephew, I started playing as a member from day one. I couldn't stand the crowded places in those first minutes in F2p and got my members as a result. During the first few years I played a fair bit per day; that now has changed. I simply can't spare the time to hunt for levels, and even have to finish a few quests. It is a big depature from the way I used to play: Putting in the hours to get that particular quest done, or to get that certain level.

I took a break during 2008 (though the amount of time spent changed a bit earlier); playing hardly at all, due to some real life descisions. Then the demand on my time lessened somewhat and I now play on a regular basis, for a few hours per week.

To give an idea how much time: I got my 2000 total level April 28 2007 and on October 2009 11th it got to 2150. So not that much time played: only 150 levels in 30 months.

Still, I hope you will enjoy what will appear here, if not... aww.