A view of Lumbridge with Al Kharid in the distance

As we all know, the release of the latest installment of RuneScape is right around the corner. Jagex continues to push the limits this time by delivering the best possible gaming experience to the players. Ever since RuneScape began 12 years ago, the game has come a long way in terms of content and of course, aesthetics. 200 million accounts later, with over 150 billion minutes of game time accumulated, we're now ready to see what the next step will be for the RuneScape world.

Jagex is taking a new direction with RuneScape 3 by its unique HTML5 implementation. Although this architecture has not been fully integrated into the mainstream internet yet, Jagex is hoping that it will be much more prominent by 2014 and this is their way of getting a head start.

An updated graphics engine due to the HTML5 upgrade has also brought a new view to the world of RS3. In addition, with the new camera movement abilities, we can now see more of it. Before, we had two directions that we could move our cameras: up for a bird's eye view, or down for a rather poor attempt at a third person view. In RS3, not only can you move your camera up and down, but left and right as well with much more fluidity than before. RuneScape Gold. You can now look up and see the sky, or stand on a hilltop and view far into the distance. Being able to see water that now reflects sunlight, vast shadows casted by fresher looking buildings and the elements of nature really resonated with how far RuneScape has evolved in RS3.

All of the technical advances that Jagex has made with RS3 really makes the game feel like it's moving into the next generation. But how will this affect some of the more veteran players of the game? "I'm not interested in changing the fabric of what we've always done, I want to be able to deliver more" says Ogilvie. "I'm not interested in changing what the players already know and love, this isn't about reinventing the entire experience in the game. It's about taking what we've got already, what we do really well, and do it even better". Ogilvie also told us that the story of RuneScape will take more of a turn and that the future of the world will be determined by the actions of the player. Guthix is dead, and fate of the world now depends on the players who are now known as World Guardians. The actions that a player takes will dictate how the remaining gods influence the world around them. As a result, Jagex is aiming to redefine the relationship between the player and the game by having players making their own decisions, and having to live with the outcomes of those decisions.

We also caught wind that alongside the development of RS3, two new skills will be introduced into the game. The first of which, Divination, will be released this summer. We asked Dean Ollive, Head of Content for RuneScape if he could give us any details about it. "That skill will be impact-able on the game world" says Ollive. "Elements of this skill and player skilling will affect the outcome you will get. So choose wisely is what I'm saying to players, I don't even know where this sort of thing is going because the players have to tell me." We also asked about the second skill, and what relationship it would have to Divination. "You'll probably have the relationship similar to woodcutting and fletching, so that's what we're looking for. RS Gold. Whether they will come out one after the other I'm not sure, it depends on how the design is going and how crazy they take it with this. The second skill is the one with the real meat on it." At least we can look forward to a new set of skills coming in RS3 with Divination leading the way. Jagex seems to be keeping those details behind closed doors, so we can only wait and see what they'll be.

Jagex has given us a lot to look forward to with RS3, and they have had to leap over some big challenges in order to bring us the best possible gaming experience we can have. Recent updates to the game have been setting the stage, including the recent update to the combat system, various graphical upgrades, revamps to some mini games, etc. They have always kept the player community at the top of their list of priorities. I myself have played RuneScape for 9 years now, and I've been a first hand witness to the evolution of the game throughout the majority of it's lifetime. After witnessing RS3 and the steps Jagex has taken in order to mold the world of Gielinor to better suit the decisions of the players themselves, I believe this is a big step for the future of RuneScape. Where it will go from here, well, as Jagex would put it... is up to us.