Questions that contain a star (*) next to them are ones that have been answered by Jagex themselves.
Is Jagex really working on a new, sci-fi game? What can you tell us about it? *
Yes, we are and have been for some years now. We won’t tell you much as this time in order to not spoil the surprise! Remember our CEO’s, Mark Gerhard, post about preparing surprises for our players?As soon as were ready to give away information, you will be the first to know straight from us. Don’t fall for scamming sites or people who pretend to know a lot about the game: they’re either wrong or trying to get hold of your personal details. We never told anyone what the game is about, it’s being kept as a closely guarded secret - by lasers, missiles, energy shields and the like. And a dog, a huge rabid frothing dog.
What is MechScape?
MechScape is Jagex’s upcoming futuristic Java-based space MMORPG based on the same technology developed for RuneScape. Jagex staff that has stated that MechScape will contain a few hundred vehicles, and that they are “trying to find ways that we [Jagex] can take the genre forward in terms of storytelling and player grouping, while also developing cool missions and mini games.” Any site claiming to have a public beta or private beta sign-up is a scam and should be reported to Jagex immediately.
What are the graphics like in MechScape?
There are currently no in game screenshots of MechScape. Due to this, the only representation of the game we have is the concept art drawn by Jagex employees. While we do not know for sure what the graphics of MechScape will look like, it has been stated that “it’s going to be the next step or two beyond RuneScape HD in terms of technology;” and that it will likely have a higher minimum system requirement due to a larger number of polygons being used, so we can expect graphics slightly better than RuneScape. (source) .
The following is the MechScape logo, as trademarked by Jagex (source):
How long has MechScape been in development?
The earliest evidence of Jagex actually developing MechScape dates to April 2005, when John Seru states he started working on “an online space MMORPG”. However, according to both Henrique Olifiers and Adam Tuckwell they began development on MechScape in 2006, with Henrique getting the position of Head of MechScape in early 2006. (source)
When is the new title coming out? *
One of the biggest problems with MMOGs these days is how rushed they are launched, invariably letting players down due to excessive bugs or half-baked design decisions. We want to make it right, fun, huge, amazing. When it has all these ingredients, we’ll invite you to try it out and tell us what you think of it. Forget about any dates you might have heard for its launch, we’re not bound to them but to quality and excellence. The game will be released when we feel it has reached maturity, as simple as that.
What is MechScape’s homepage?
The domain ‘MechScape.com’ was registered in 2003, but it is only verifiable that Jagex has owned it since 2005 (source) . As of August 2008, attempting to visit this site results in a 404 - Page not found error message. If you find any other site claiming to be an official MechScape site then this is a scam and should be reported to Jagex.
Will the release of the new game affect RuneScape development, updates, team or future? *
No, never. The game has had its own dedicated team for years now, totally independent from RuneScape. Once it is launched, the current team might expand with new talent to take care of the game’s updates, but again not overlapping or affecting RuneScape in any shape or form. If anything, RuneScape has and will continue to benefit from the development of the new title: some of the novel features recently implemented in RS are a result of technology improvements triggered by the development of the new game.
Would it be worth switching [from RuneScape to MechScape] to the new game? *
Switch? Why not play both?
We’re putting all our heart and know-how into the game, expecting it to be ground-breaking. Only you will be able to tell if the end result is worth playing or not. We hope it will - and it should sit nicely alongside RuneScape!
Is this new game[MechScape] a futuristic version of RuneScape? *
‘This is not RuneScape in space’ has been our motto since day one on the development front. It’s a completely different game, from every possible perspective, not only from RuneScape but from other MMOGs out there.
It’s not a secret that sci-fi MMOGs are not the most successful if compared with fantasy settings, despite the genre being extremely popular for single-player games, TV, films and comics. There’s surely a reason for this, and we believe we know what it is… But that’s for another time!
Will MechScape be browser-based?
Jagex has stated that MechScape will be browser based (just like RuneScape) and use the same underlying technology as RuneScape. It is expected that MechScape will have both an HD and a regular graphics option.
Can I use my RuneScape account on MechScape?
Mod MMG confirmed that you can, although this doesn’t mean there will be any stat sharing between the games.
How will Jagex combat Real World Trading in MechScape? *
We are committed to abolishing RWT from all of our games. In MechScape we have designed the game to remove the need for RWTing. It is difficult to expand on what we have done for MechScape in particular until it is launched, we don’t want to give RWT any clues.
Will MechScape be another boring grind-fest? *
Levelling in MMO’s can be tedious and some games make levelling difficult in an attempt to cover for a lack of content. We are approaching game design in a totally new way, player progression will be unlike any other MMO currently on the market and we are sure that you and the other MechScape world followers will love it.
Will MechScape be free to play with membership like RuneScape?
MechScape will go with the same payment model as RuneScape: “The whole business model of Jagex products, and this business model will go forward with our new MMO coming out next year, is free to play, and if you want deeper content, you pay a subscription.” It is predicted that there will be discounts for paying membership on both RuneScape and MechScape(such as you can do with FunOrb), but this is just a hunch. They have not yet announced the price of membership for MechScape.
While we now know that MechScape will have a free to play version, we do not know if it will contain as much content as the free to play of RuneScape will; as the new CEO of Jagex has said “RuneScape is different from all other MMOs in that the free game has an epic amount of content (we’d estimate over 2,000 hours worth to get all your skills up to 99 and complete all the quests) and isn’t merely a demo for the members’ version. If anything, we see the members’ version as an expansion pack for those that really love the game and we feel both games are substantive in their own right”. Unlike RuneScape MechScape is developed from the ground-up with the subscription model in mind and Jagex may take a different approach to RuneScape in terms of how they handle free-to-play content.
What age audience is MechScape aimed towards?
MechScape is aimed towards a more mature audience than RuneScape. “Their view is that, as players grow older with the fantasy product, they’re going to want something a little more in-depth, deeper.” (source) The game will be aimed for gamers age twenty or older. (source). Adam Tuckwell said: “We have designed the game so that it will appeal to everyone who is interested in Science Fiction. We believe that the content will appeal to an older demographic but as the game is a truly online game it is not necessary for it to be rated.”
Will MechScape be released for console as well as PC?
Currently there is no evidence stating that MechScape will be released for console, although Jagex has said “[on the topic of RuneScape for consoles] It’s certainly more interesting with the current generation of consoles of course because they’re far more internet-connected than the previous generation and it just wasn’t worth looking at… but with the PS3 and Xbox 360 and the Wii, it’s much more tempting, I have to say.” This quote is explaining how Jagex is becoming interested in consoles due to their ability to easily connect to the internet. While it is not said that Jagex will definitely make a game for console systems, the quote explains that it is a growing possibility.
Where can I learn more about MechScape?
Visit our forums to discuss more, and read its News forum for the latest information. We also suggest browsing our site as we will display all known resources as soon as they become available.
It is always a good idea to keep an eye on the Jagex vacancy page and the RuneScape official forums in the thread Approved MechScape Discussion (quick find code: 23-24-117-55498190). You can also read A Summary Of Ren’s Research, which shares most of the fascinating discoveries that Ren has made over the past year. More links on the info page.
[Note: Thanks to members on the forums for submitting many of these questions]
