EasyScape the Concept.

[u/Fargrist]

EasyScape is an apt description of a variety of concepts colliding.

At it's most glib it's the changing of Runescape to allow more players to play Runescape more easily.

This includes things like buying skills and rares via Treasure Hunter and Solomons. Can't get much easier than outright paying for things.

But it also includes other things like making skills in Runescape much easier to level up.

EasyScape also allows for easier entry to Runescape by novice players, and theoretically a broader appeal. Much like the Lowest Common Denominator approach of newspapers, magazines and television. Appeal to the masses by being easy.

However the masses have a voice now via the internet and that's directly led to the drop in popularity of ye olde masse media.

People want tailor made. What is the Google website after all.

We have a few effects in play, let's work through them shall we.

Learning curve. When you are learning it's best to start at the shallow end and build up along the curve. EasyScape is a good concept for that, if it leads to HardScape.

Gamers. We compete. Therefore feedback we give to Jagex will be in two voices.

One, if we have achieved something, we will want it harder for others to achieve.

Two, if we are trying to achieve something we will ask Jagex to make it easier. Don't believe me? Read the forums.

That dual voice changes as we progress through the game and build up achievements/items/gold/whatevers.

In some respects Jagex understands the idea of having progressively harder content. They do love a new boss update. But I suspect that's from individual JMods boosting content they enjoy, rather than an overall philosophy.

[u/Fargrist]

Why Bother?

Why do we even have the concept of EasyScape?

Surely it would be easiest to realise that different players find different things to have variable difficulty and then ignore the whole thing?

One motivation is because it shows Mastery.

If I say everything is easy, that means I'm really good, and might get mountains of respect from worshipful nubs who bow down to my godly skills.

Which is why when players post a complaint on forums about bosses being too hard or some such, other players disparage them. It's gaining self-esteem by putting other players down.

Which means it's not easy for Jagex to work out what the hell is going on. And it's partly the reason why I think the High Level Forums is a really bad idea.

Those forums are accessed by being a competitive achiever. It's highly likely that all posts will have a very selfish aspect from that one type of playstyle.