And more updates from another project
Despite some predictions that OSRS will die off soon, the game is not going gentle into that good night. Though we really can’t expect games to last forever, Jagex still has things up its sleeve to keep players engaged and playing the game. It’s only been 9 years (but the build has existed for 15), and millions of players have active accounts. You’ll be able to farm OSRS gold for some time yet.
Here are some of the latest updates for the game.
New Mobile Client
Mobile users will have to comply with new system requirements for the app.
- Android: 8.0 (Oreo) or higher and 2GB RAM
- iOS: Version 13.0 or later
This will apply to all versions of the app, even the previous ones. If your device doesn’t meet those requirements, it can’t run the game.
What’s New for the Mobile Client
- Buffs now have a bar timer so you can know how long they’re going to last
- Fishing Spots are now highlighted for easy tapping
- The HUD will now display more information about NPCs and Combat Styles
- Helpers for Agility and Slayer tasks, as well as the Chambers of Xeric
- Respawn timers for ores and trees
- Increased draw distance, meaning you can see farther
- The ability to mark tiles or locations of interest
- Improvements to the Chatbox
- Highlights for NPCs
As a note, marking tiles will be invisible to anyone other than the player who put them. That means you can make whatever shape (even, you know, that one), and nobody else will see it except you and maybe the developers. Also, if you take a screenshot of it and share it with others (please don’t).
Anyway, these new features your OSRS experience, whether questing, skilling, bossing, or farming OSRS GP is even better. These features are also out in the Steam version, and it’s coming to the standard PC version soon.
What’s New for the C++ Client
A year ago, Jagex planned for these features to be released periodically. Still, other projects got in the way, and it stalled. They’re releasing some hints for what’s to come in the new client.
Clue Helpers
These will give you hints and locations for the next clue. It also reveals the type of clue and what you must do. With these, you’ll never get stuck in your Treasure Trails again.
More Activity Helpers
Some extra features to apologize for the delay and scheduling mishap. There will be helpers for the following activities:
- Tears of Guthix
- Blast Furnace
- Herbiboar Hunting
- Hunter Trackers
The helper will track how much time you have left for the current Tear Vein for the first minigame. The second will highlight things that need your attention and keep track of your OSRS gold and available materials. The Herbiboar Helper will make the trails more apparent, and Hunter Trackers will let you know how long before your traps need to be reset.
Loot Improvement
This improves the looting experience by adding
- A feature to change the colors of loot names according to value
- A tracker so you can see your loot history
- A search feature where you can check the value of the OSRS items you got
With these, you’re less likely to miss a valuable item from your pile of loot. It’s also easier to check if those are worth selling or not with the lookup function. It’s sure to make boss hunting more rewarding!
Social Functions
A whole slew of quality-of-life updates will be added to the social functionality of the game. This includes features like giving nicknames to friends, indicators of their last login, and the ability to use ‘Enter’ for mobile chatting. There’s also a feature that lets you search players by name in the HiScores.
Bank Tags
Label your equipment and items in the bank to find them faster. It’s an excellent tool for organization, so you won’t have to search too long.
Let’s Look Forward to Future Updates
Note that the above features (starting from the C++ section) are yet to be added to the game. These are what you can expect in future updates, now that they can concentrate on them.
While they aren’t content updates, these will help keep players engaged with the game. Some of them might’ve been better when applied earlier, but better late than never! It’s critical to the game’s health, as stagnation is the natural enemy of live service games.
Once they stop updating the game, whether content or not, the game starts genuinely dying. Players will stop playing and bring with them the revenue of the developers. For now, the game’s mobile (and, to a lesser extent, the Steam) versions’ popularity caused an influx of new players to the world of Gielinor. All the quests, activities, and NPCs are a novel experience for them.
Currently, there are about 9 years of content to go through. Veterans have already gone through all that. The game isn’t the same for them. The point is, the game is far from dying, as there are millions of active accounts that say otherwise. As long as they continue to earn from the game, they’re not pulling the plug on it.
From boss hunting to simply farming OSRS gold, the game’s here to offer an escape from the real world. At any rate, keep on enjoying OSRS!
