While the massively-multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) genre at large is known for each individual title having an immense amount of content to justify years-long subscriptions, Jagex's RuneScape stands out for its legacy. The free-to-play game has existed since 2001, and since then has gone through multiple iterations — most recently becoming an HTML-based title with RuneScape 3 rather than the Java-based Old School RuneScape. Both versions are still being supported to this day, with the UK-based developer preparing to add new content into RuneScape with its Desperate Measures update.

On Friday, Jagex premiered the 30-second trailer for Desperate Measures, the next major quest being released on July 27. This trailer invites players to uncover secrets using the game's newest Archaeology skill, battle to survive against creatures like dinosaurs added into RuneScape in 2019, and ultimately save the world from the threat of a hero who has "fallen to darkness." Game Rant talked with Jagex Lead Designer David Osborne, Senior Games Designer Tim Fletcher, and Lead Content Developer James Crowther about Desperate Measures, how it will change the game going forward, and what it was like developing the update while working from home. Interview has been edited for clarity.

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Q: Desperate Measures is a follow-up to Desperate Times, so what should players know about that first part to prepare for what's coming next?

Crowther: At the end of Sliske’s Endgame the player came face to face with the Elder God Jas, one of the creators of the universe. Jas is unsure about mortal life, as it was never part of their grand design, so she gave the player an ultimatum: “Prove that mortal life deserves to exist, or we will destroy it.” This call was echoed by the other Elder Gods who were now waking up.

In Desperate Times, the god Seren organized a council of all the leaders of Gielinor to deal with the threat of the elder gods and their ultimatum. Kerapac presented the council with a plan to put the Elder Gods back to sleep using the Needle, a time controlling artefact. This required the assistance of the legendary enchanter Charos, who has been disguised as the timid librarian Reldo for the past several years. With the aid of Charos and Thok the World Guardian helps to transfer control of the Needle away from its previous host, Gail, to Kerapac. As they do, they learn that Kerapac has betrayed them and his plan is instead to kill the Elder Gods at the cost of all life on Gielinor.

We ended Desperate Times with the player watching as Kerapac flew to Anachronia to begin his sinister plan in secret.

Q: Desperate Measures was first announced at RuneFest 2019, alongside the new Archaeology skill. How do these tie together, both in terms of gameplay and the history of the world?

Crowther: We use elements of the Archaeology skill within the quest. Players will need to excavate and restore historical artefacts buried in the ground. But additionally, Archaeology provides some of the theme for the quest, which is uncovering the past. The player will find themselves looking into the forgotten history of Orthen and the dragonkin, learning about what Kerapac is up to but also about the ancient past of one of the most mysterious races on Gielinor.

Fletcher: RuneScape has included a lot of content over the years that uses archaeological themes. The Archaeology skill actually gives us a set of consistent mechanics to create new content along the same theme, which is great.

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Q: When Desperate Measures was revealed earlier this month, Jagex also released concept art for props, including weapons, potions, and something that looked like a bacta tank from Star Wars. What are those about?

Crowther: The dragonkin have always been more scientifically advanced than a lot of the other races. Whilst I can’t give you specifics at this stage, as part of the quest you’ll learn what these are used for and interact with them as part of the story.

Fletcher: The dragonkin survived the destruction of their universe and the creation of ours - a feat of incredible technology and resilience that the current residents of Gielinor couldn't hope to match.

jagex interview july 2020

Q: Are there any large-scale design changes being planned for this update, or anything players haven't seen before?

Crowther: All our quests involve bespoke gameplay and often come with their own design challenges. At least one section of this quest involves strategic gameplay that doesn’t really exist elsewhere in the game. We’re also setting up for a number of future pieces of content with the narrative, though we won’t be launching these immediately alongside the quest.

Q: Development for this new content began in March. What was the conceptual process leading up to that?

Crowther: We were talking about Desperate Measures when we were designing Desperate Times, and we’d discussed the narrative of both long before that. When creating new content we first create a design pitch that gets passed up for stakeholders to review and greenlight, and then development will often begin immediately.

With Desperate Measures, we shuffled around development so that we could support other projects, such as Archaeology and Farming/Herblore 120, so we had to tweak the design a couple of times to match the schedule we were working with. With regards to the wider story, however, the lore council have been discussing the specifics of the story and where it’s headed for quite some time now.

Fletcher: The quest has existed in synopsis/plan form for quite some time. When the team began full development on it, they started by fleshing out that high level synopsis into a complete experience. They had to devise, prototype and implement the bespoke gameplay elements, as well as find ways to deliver the high-level lore information in accessible and interesting ways.

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Q: What was it like doing this work around the beginning of the global pandemic? Has that presented any particular hardships?

Crowther: It’s certainly been less than ideal. Creating content is an art, and that sort of creativity really benefits from having people around you to bounce ideas off of. Whilst Zoom is perfectly functional, you don’t get quite the same connection with people, and that makes it trickier to convey ideas. We’ve definitely hit hiccups in development that are the result of something not translating perfectly across Zoom, which I don’t think would have happened in person.

Add into this the simple fact of dealing with change, on top of the inevitable stress of a global pandemic as well as responsibilities to family and so forth, and it ultimately proves a less-than perfect setting for development. However, the RuneScape team is nothing if not adaptable, and I’m really proud of how everyone pulled together to make the most of a uniquely tricky situation. I’m very pleased with what we’ve been able to produce with Desperate Measures.

jagex update interview july 2020

Q: There's mention of the team hoping to release monthly content updates. Obviously things are bound to be fluid, but what is the general idea behind how you are planning on pushing out this story?

Osborne: Particularly as the world is more housebound at the moment, we felt that waiting for larger chunks of content to come out every few months was the wrong approach. We all want to be entertained, and checking on to RunesScape every month should feel exciting, as players look to see what has changed frequently. That throws up challenges, as we’ve obviously constructed a narrative and prepared designs based on a different release model, but we have a plan. We want every update to offer a new objective, with a kickass reward off the back of it, and for them all to reflect the narrative that we are progressing.

We’re not looking for quests to solely push the story forward: We want absolutely everything, even our events, to feel like it’s building up story momentum.

Q: How much of an effect will Desperate Measures have on the world of RuneScape? With ties to Elder Gods, I can't imagine it's a small-scale event.

Crowther: Narratively, the scope is pretty enormous, although not all of that will be immediately obvious. The quest sets us up for some very big events in the upcoming story season, and certain revelations have some big implications that our ‘lorehounds’ should find particularly interesting.

Fletcher: There are a few huge reveals in this quest I'm really excited to see go into the game. We develop the lore quite a long way in advance, and then try to find ways to get it out there through a well-told story.

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Q: Has the player community added anything into this planned content through feedback on Desperate Times? What has the fan response been to new content in general?

Crowther: We’ve tried to build the quest following as close to what players tell us are the ideal indicators of a good quest. We’ve included elements that are often asked for, and we’ve tried to keep in mind how we can make the most out of what resources we have. Mainly, we’ve done this by trying to simply make the best quest we can, and I think this one should appeal.

Fan response to new content can vary massively. Not everyone likes every piece of content, and there will be a number of players to whom another quest is their worst nightmare. Yet, equally there are others who have been crying out for the story to continue. We’ve aimed this quest at the latter group, and I don’t think they’ll be disappointed.

Fletcher: A lot of us are very active on social media with our players. I sit up in the evenings chatting with them about content design and quest design and get a lot of very strong opinions from them about how things are done. I share my opinions, too, and we go back and forth a lot discussing compromises and how things are done and could be done and should be done.

Q: How has the release of Old School RuneScape (OSRS) on mobile affected production on new RuneScape content?

Osborne: From a resource or manpower perspective, OSRS Mobile has had virtually no impact on RuneScape. It’s a different team with different specialisms, releasing a mobile RuneScape in a different timeframe from RuneScape Mobile. Nothing has had to ‘make way’ for that work to be done. In all honesty, the release of OSRS Mobile has, over time, become a positive for RuneScape: The teams that have managed the launch, compliance with the different stores, marketing, etc. have all gained the experience of what it takes for RuneScape to be successful on mobile, and they can pass that on to the RuneScape Mobile teams. That only increases the chance of it being played and enjoyed by so many more players.

Q: Has Jagex noticed an increase in popularity following that release? Has it influenced plans for content in the main game going forward?

Osborne: We have had multiple, successive years of growth, and OSRS is certainly a big part of that. Old School itself, even when you take out the mobile numbers, is accelerating in terms of members and people playing at any one time, while RuneScape is also seeing the benefit from mobile. We are particularly lucky on RuneScape, as the Archaeology skill landed on March 30th, just as lockdown became more severe for so many people, and that has meant some of the highest player counts from the past five years.

We’re definitely keeping mobile in the forefront of our minds when we’re designing content for RuneScape. Things like player-owned farms, which came out last year, have been designed to be played on the loo, checking in for short sessions to see how your strawberry cows are doing. We also have a team dedicated to the experience of playing the game, removing friction points and ensuring the opening game is polished, and a big reason for that is mobile.

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Q: What are the plans for RuneScape coming off of this push? Are there other things in the works?

Osborne: We want people to feel like they can check into RuneScape whenever they want. That was the impetus behind RuneScape Mobile, and it will continue to be with some things we are planning in the short and long term. It just makes so much sense for a game like RuneScape — you can make progress in small sessions, and everything you do adds to and improves your avatar. There is nearly 20 years worth of content in the game, yet it’s not a huge, lavish and unwieldy game that makes it difficult to bring to other platforms. I think you will see a number of announcements about this in the future, as well as monthly game updates for players to get their teeth into.

Q: Is there anything else you might want to add?

Osborne: We hope you enjoy Desperate Measures! While we’re excited that the quest reveals some of the secrets that have been twisting their way through Desperate Times, Anachronia, and some of our other updates, we’re even more stoked for the threads that begin with this quest. Hopefully you will play Desperate Measures and feel a building momentum to some stories we are planning to tell soon, including Elder God Wars Dungeon, and the scope of these updates. Plus, the implications they have for our game and game world, are incredibly exciting!

[END]

RuneScape is available now on PC and Mobile. The Desperate Measures update will release July 27.

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