#graphical update

[the-wardens-torch]

Come on now SE, you're still doing the dark-skinned characters dirty even after the graphics update? I thought we were over this! Do the new lighting settings not apply to old content?

...At least his hair still looks pretty.

[miqojak]

(Old - left, New - right) Since you can import your character data and keep your non-default hair, but you can't keep that hair if you go into the creator, so I wanted to still try and compare things as best I could without it yoinking Jak's hair... since there's just not a single other hair in the game that suits her! And just look at how different the eyebrows are - how much more defined they are, and how that kind of alters how the browbone looks. I'll admit - at rest, the lips look... quite different on the new 7.0 Jak (they... tuck in at the sides more?), and I don't know how that sits with me - I'll have to look at her for a while in 7.0 I imagine, before I decide if they're close enough to get used to... since a lot of this will just take playing with for a while to adjust to, as we're all so used to the old, slightly worse features! Weirdly enough, I'm even like 'look not just at the new, defined hands - but the armpit crease!' It even sits more like a real arm! AND LOOK at the texture on the Miqo racial armor! Look at the leather! The shiny metal bits!! The creases in the brown armor on the arms!

But WOW look at the texture on the new hair!! It's not even one included in the baseline benchmark, and it's still updated and looks SO crisp!! Look at where the braid connects to the temple! Look at the fine hairs! And as much as the lips look different while 'at rest' to me...I can't complain that they look less flat and fake/painted onto her like a doll, in the updated graphics! And I could get lost in the new eye graphics for any of the races - those were also empty and lifeless before, and now there's just such shine, and depth! Also, to note - even the clan marks look better, and that's a little thing that seems easy to overlook, to me, when you're so distracted by updated eyes and hair! Scarring and tattoos just look a thousand times more real, as well, instead of like stickers stuck onto your face.

(And I still say to play with skintones in the creator, if you're unhappy with how yours looks. I do feel like Jak's might feel like it has a little bit more of a red undertone to it, than the more light-orange, or goldish undertones I was going for originally...but it's still close! When the expansion drops, I'll have to fiddle with her a little to see. But you may need to go up or down a shade to get the right feel, again, now that the skintones seem to display more as intended, and have more depth to them, as well!)

A couple more 'for funsies' shots... but also - look at all the minions in this last shot!! I NEED that little green and red bird on the left!! I want that lil goat! LOOK AT THE MANATEE...THE ALPACA!

[dumpy-dump]

oh thats pretty good actually

[explainingrunescape-blog]

Update Review: Player Armour, Gnomes and Clan Fealty (05-06/03/12)

The first update of the month has been released, and so far it certainly appears to be living up to expectations (no matter what those expectations are - those that expected it to suck have already decided it sucks, those that expected it to be awesome find it awesome).

Player Armour Updates

The first update on the list has reworked some of the oldest graphics in the game, that have been in play for over ten years, as well as many of the more recent additions to the game. Jagex has really outdone themselves this time, with an absolutely staggering number of items being redesigned. I would count up the precise numbers, but I'd be pretty much guaranteed to miss some things, and they therefore wouldn't be precise numbers.

About the only high-end equipment to not receive a redesign in this update was the Polypore armours, the Barrows equipment (which was updated in January), Pernix and Virtus gear and the hybrid sets. I, for one, am more than happy with this update, as my dragon armour looks appropriately impressive now, as opposed to the silly, pointlessly spiky stuff it used to be.

Gnome Graphical Update

I haven't had much of a chance to explore the revamped Grand Tree and Tree Gnome Village due to prior commitments, but what little I have seen looks a hell of a lot better than it used to. Especially since, to my knowledge, the gnome lands have never received a graphical update until this point. And I've been playing on and off for eight or nine years now.

But holy crap is that magic tree beautiful.

Clan Fealty

Finally, we’ve made some changes to reward you stalwart clan skillers for your ongoing hard graft. Upon becoming eligible for a clan ring, you’ll also attain a Clan Fealty rank of 1, which means a 15% bonus to skilling XP earned at skill plots in your citadel from the next build tick. For each subsequent week that you earn your clan ring, you’ll gain another rank (up to 3), for a potential bonus of +45% XP! Along with extra skill lamps and a trimmed upgrade to your clan cape that improves with your rank, there’s never been a better time to get to work in your citadel.

On top of this, mining and woodcutting plots no longer degrade after a single use, and Shattered Heart rocks can now be obtained while skilling in your citadel.

The quota you’ll need to meet each week has been slightly increased across the board to reflect the additional reward, and your Fealty rank will decrease by 1 for each week that you do not meet your quota, but you can always attain it anew.

Clan admins among you also have some new tools to manage the maintenance of your citadels. It is now possible to lock out skill plots once an XP target has been met, allowing you to direct the efforts of your clan, as needed, to meet your weekly upkeep needs. It’s also possible to lock a skill plot indefinitely, until it is manually unlocked.

I would care about this, but I have no clan right now. If anyone wants to help me found one, though, message Zaerosz ingame. Or send me an ask with your username in it.