PKing, from small beginnings of the old Runescape Classic engine to the expanding variety of options to kill a player with it is today. That's all well and good for nearly every pker in the game. But there's a huge flaw in PKing, and that's character. In Runescape Classic, there was no 'Honour' as there is now. There was no 'safing' or 'def noobs'. Many players think they can control another player by words. Since the wilderness had become safer (with the exclusion of revenants), Bounty Hunter had changed many players around. In classic, the ways of pking was
simple, either bring armour and a weapon, or be a ranger/mager to help a friend or make an attempt to steal kills. The combat engine in Classic was fairly dull. You could 1 v 1 a player but rangers or mages could come in anytime and help. You couldn't do anything in combat other than change your prayers.
The game's community however, was spectacular. Still is today, many players give out free stuff, information and above all, respect. Back then, however, there were no maxed out players like there are today. There were no skillcapes so you could show off your bling. It was simple. Then
came the pures, not many, but still some...
When Runescape 2 had been released, the combat had changed and still, people would bring their best items into the wilderness without realising the dangers of having a skull. Pures had died off at this time, so the wilderness was 'safe'. Luring didn't exist either, ancients was not heard of! The community was great, but you'd have your high levels with their lower accounts so you'd have players fighting about who owned who. The game started to become immature.
Runescape had entered it's 5th year, pures had been reborn and ancient magicks had been released. Pures are the top suspect for the change in the wilderness and the player's attitudes to each other. As pures were on the high, there were unwritten laws made by people who couldn't get any loot from people with defence, the law was named 'Respect'. There were such rules such as 'Safing'. You were not allowed to eat unless you really have to. This rule even took place when players were being piled. Respect was the ultimate source of cash in PKing. Soon after pures dominated the wilderness, players began to grow scared of being piled by a bunch of level 50s. The players wanted to pk but not lose their stuff. They either bought a dragon dagger and 'jumped' a player, or they'd bring three items and pray somebody attacks them. Pures were 1 itemers as much as these players in all honesty. They'd bring monk robes and a dagger. If you did this, you'd be a 1 itemer noob, 3 item nub or anything else around those lines.
Other rules in 'Respect':
- Must ask to fight someone,
- Must not bring teleport runes,
- Must not smite,
- Must not protect item (Everyone ignored that)
- Cannot do any overhead prayers,
- Must say 'gf' when one player dies,
- Two characters go in, one character walks out,
- Cannot safe (Mentioned above)
- No tagging (Tag Team, if one player is losing, they get their friend to help)
When pures had become dominant and players refused to enter the wilderness, people began to lure them in. It would be a simple scam by using two people, a lurer and an attacker. The lurer's job was simple, find a target who's combat was within the attacker's level and offer to sell or buy something from them. The target would step into level 1 wilderness, trade, and before they could do anything, they'd get ice barraged and specced by a dragon dagger, and die. This method was insanely profitable. Many players made billions from this. But then all the rich characters would quit Runescape and leave. Making the wilderness more scary in the eyes of low levels. Luring later became noticed by Jagex, they added the ditch and made luring a bannable offence. I lured, I was a pmod too, they noticed that I was luring, they were not happy.
The ditch had been added and many players got anoyed by this, it wasn't a bad update when you think about it. The people who complained were those who couldn't get kills in the first place, to be honest. They winged about lurers, they got what they wanted but it wasn't enough. Luring kept going but it was barely noticable. 1 item pking became the best way of getting a kill. Since it was only pures or Rune Pures who pked, people with high attack and strength could easily hit a few good 20 20+ specs on their target and get loot. The attitude from one player to another became rivalry. Every player who stepped into the wilderness became a different person, two faced in such a way. In freeworld, pure rangers or range 2hers would be the main players who made it obvious. They were cocky, most range 2hers were the same. I pked in Free World and I couldn't hit them because of their 99 range would just hit 18+ every time. I'd get a few 20s on them with my attacks but then they'd say stuff like "Safe it up." It bugged me. I got to the stage that I wanted to be a skiller...
December 10, the day of insanely high valued drop parties and constant rioting by retarded gamers. Bounty Hunter had been the new PvP section of the game, with a kill + loot system like the old Wilderness but with a 180 second pickup penalty. It was a good update in my opinion but most players hated it! The attitudes from many players suddenly hit the jackpot. Bounty
Hunting had become 'sad'. Respect, the unwritten law had been followed and lost. The law was still in action but pures and other hardcore pkers refused to follow it. The rule about safing would still be there but every other rule was broken by nearly every PKer. These days, in Free World,
it's no armour fighting or transferring. It's as if every player wishes to be a pure. Armour was added in the game for a reason and it's not to be used as a prize for killing someone. Player attitudes? Ruined. If you were to attack someone, they'd protect from whatever attack style you use, comment on you by saying 'sad' and walk out or tell you to get off them and log. If you were to be attacked, you'd usually have the offer to no armour fight you. If you refuse, they tell you to log. Bounty Hunter isn't bad. It's a good update, but what ruined it was the players. Everyone
would camp near the exits. It was sad for me, a level 100 to attack a level 95. I'd have comments like "Fight your own level". In all fairness, I think those who think that are sad. In Member's, the Summoning skill made it so players with max combat and 70 defence and 52 prayer could enter the Mid Crater, it does seem unfair but many players go into Mid Crater are level 105+. It's the same combat system but absolutely no rules whatsoever.
Then you got your players who say there is no wild. There is a Wilderness, it's half the size of the Free World map! It's pretty 'sad' that people don't see that. Bounty Hunter is in the Wilderness and players don't notice it? That's 'sad'! The wilderness was not removed. The PvP system in
the wilderness was, and for a good reason. People complained about having bots, so they removed them by taking away the trading system. We asked for it, we deal with it.
So summing up all I said, Bounty Hunter is a good minigame but it's the players who ruined the 'art' of PKing. Attitudes from player to player killed what it once was and have made it to what it is now. Don't blame Jagex for ruining Runescape. Blame the players. The People who became cocky over killing another player, the ones who call people they have killed 'nerds', the ones who tried to follow the Respect laws, the Lurers, the 1 itemers. Jagex made Bounty Hunter as what people wanted, but needed to give hunters a chance. It's 'sad' that you blame Jagex, it's 'sad' that you riot in a GAME! It's 'sad' that you can even take the time to come up with crappy sayings and 'ragequit' over one small feature in a game, you're offered alot more stuff than just killing another player. If you don't like Bounty Hunter then you can go skill, player Castle Wars, Fist of Guthix, go team at the God Wars Dungeon. It's just a game and you should be able to enjoy all of it.
Author: Adam
