Notes

Runescape Developer Shuts down HD Fan Mod Just before the Release and a Rumbling In-game Protest

The mod's creator has committed 2,000 hours over last two years to make Runelite HD but was only recently contacted by Jagex.



- (opens in new tab) - (opens in new tab) - - (opens in new tab) - (opens in new tab) - (opens in new tab) - - Comments



Runescape developer Jagex has put an end to Runelite HD, a fan-made HD mod of the popular open-source client for Old School Runescape, just as the project was about to launch on Monday. The 11th-hour move has some Runescape fans slamming Jagex's decision and saying they'll be switching to other MMOs.



Runelite HD developer "117" posted on Reddit Tuesday sharing the message he had received from Jagex, which was later confirmed by Jagex in the company's own blog post. Runelite HD operates as a plugin that can provide an extensive visual improvement to the base Runescape, as can be seen on 117's Twitter. The modder said that Runelite HD has been in development for around 2500 hours over the last two years.



Jagex stated, "Yesterday, we contacted the developers of HD projects and asked them to cease the development of their projects since this is a case we are directly investigating."



Runelite HD Screenshots



Jagex told 117 that the company's work on the development of an HD version of Old School Runescape was "still relatively early in the exploration stage" however, it was "very much progress."



"Naturally this means that any fan-led project which seeks to change the how Old School RuneScape appears is at odds with our own plans," Jagex wrote to 117. "We believe it's essential that Old School looks consistent and we want to make sure that our official changes are the only ones. We hope that the announcement that Jagex and the Old School team are tackling this issue with seriousness is something that you are excited about even though it could mean that we must respectfully request that you stop working on your personal project."



117 said that Jagex offered them a deal in the form of Jagex making their project available and Jagex providing Jagex "collaborative controls" over Runelite HD’s visual style.



"They declined outright," 117 stated. "I am extremely unhappy and dissatisfied with Jagex, and I am very disappointed that, after this long journey, I'm not able to share this project with you.



117's mod doesn't seem to be in conflict with Jagex's guidelines on third-party clients however, the Runescape developer has said it will be updating those guidelines next week to include references to projects affecting the appearance of the game.



Adam1210, the original Runelite developer posted his opinions on Reddit. Extrememining He stated that the inclusion of Runelite HD could be a net benefit to future Jagex updates.



"I also strongly disagree with the addition of it to the "third third party guidelines,"" Adam1210 said. "Most guidelines are trying to determine where the line is between cheating and quality of life - and I think most people are of the opinion that the current guidelines are a good representation. It also helps maintain [sic] the integrity of the game. There is no unfair advantage for more graphically appealing graphics. It only affects you if you allow it. This is just a misuse of the guidelines. Overall, this is an issue for everyone involved. I would like Jagex would reconsider."



Some fans of the Runelite HD project have taken to a town square in Falador, a capital city in one of Runescape's main kingdoms in order to stage an unofficial sit-in similar to the protest that World of Warcraft players held in July. The video shows players posting text-based dialogues criticizing Jagex and using hashtags such as #Free117. Another video shows more people "marching" outside Falador Square.



It's not clear at present how long Jagex has known about 117's Runelite HD project.



PC Gamer reached out to Jagex PR in an attempt to get a comment on the issue but hasn't received a response as of publication time.



- (opens in new tab) - (opens in new tab)



Joseph Knoop, a freelance writer is a specialist in Fortnite at PC Gamer. Master of Creative Codes and Fortnite's weekly missions, Joe's always ready with a scoop on Boba Fett or John Wick or whoever the heck is coming to Fortnite this week. Joe is both happy and disappointed that he hasn’t yet become Fortnite skin. There's always the next season...


Read More: https://extrememining.net/