View source for Old School RuneScape

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{{otheruses|def=no|mobile version of the game|Old School RuneScape Mobile}}
{{Infobox Game
|name = ''Old School RuneScape''
|image = [[File:Old School RuneScape logo.png|250px]]
|developer = [[Jagex|Jagex Ltd.]]
|publisher = [[Jagex|Jagex Ltd.]]
|designers = Various ([[Jagex Moderator|See article]])
|engine = [[RuneTek|RuneTek 3]]
|released = [[22 February]] [[2013]] (Main game) <br/> [[31 October]] [[2018]] (mobile)
|genre = Fantasy MMORPG
|ratings = {{*}} '''16''' by PEGI<br>{{*}} '''MA15+''' by ACB<br>{{*}} ''Not rated by ESRB''
|platforms = Microsoft Windows, Linux, macOS, Android, iOS
|specs = 1.5 GHz Processor, 256 MB RAM, 128 MB 3D Graphics Card
|input = '''Computer (Standard inputs):''' Keyboard & Mouse<br/>
'''Computer (Optional):''' Touch-screen (requires a touchscreen monitor or laptop screen)<br/>
'''Mobile:''' Touch
|website = {{PL|https://oldschool.runescape.com}}
}}
'''''Old School RuneScape''''' is [[Jagex]]'s official term for a previous version of the ''RuneScape'' game that was introduced from the [[August 2007 Archive of RuneScape]], a backup of the ''RuneScape'' source code as it had been on [[10 August]] [[2007]]. It is also commonly referred to as '''OSRS''' or '''2007scape'''.

This version of the game was announced in a {{RSL|Update:2007 - Old School RuneScape... You Vote!|news post}} on {{RSL|13 February}} {{RSL|2013}}, which was followed by the opening of a poll to determine community interest on {{RSL|15 February}} 2013. The poll, which ended {{RSL|1 March}} 2013, decided, among other things, whether an additional [[membership]] fee would be charged for access to the game.{{CiteNews|author = Jagex|title = 2007 - Old School RuneScape... You Vote!|url = http://services.runescape.com/m=news/2007---old-school-runescape-you-vote|newsdate = 15 February 2013|accessdate = 21:52, May 7, 2017 (UTC)}}<!-- Also cited here: http://www.webcitation.org/6qK7JjsKb -->{{CitePoll|url= http://services.runescape.com/m=poll/rs2007-server|poll= Old School RuneScape Servers: Poll Now Live|question= no|polldate= 15 February 2013|name= Poll}}

The poll ended at 00:00 UTC on Friday [[1 March]] [[2013]] with the final tally of votes at 449,351.{{NamedRef|name= Poll}} Although 500,000 votes were needed to allow no additional membership fee, Jagex stated that the first six months of ''Old School RuneScape'' will not have any additional charge. It has since remained open without any additional charge. Currently, ''Old School RuneScape'' is running both [[free-to-play]] and [[pay-to-play]] servers, and players can create new F2P accounts for free without having to pay for membership.

Despite it having originally been stated that servers would take one to two months to be opened following a successful poll, on {{RSL|22 February}} 2013 as part of an Early Access scheme, Jagex opened over 50 ''Old School RuneScape'' servers and gave a month of free ''Old School RuneScape'' membership credit to it to all of those who had voted in the poll. The game quickly saw player counts equalling those of ''RuneScape''.

''Old School RuneScape'' works similarly to ''[[RuneScape Classic]]'' in that players can use their [[main account]]s to access both games. However, any accomplishments, such as [[stats]], [[items]] and [[quests]], are separate and non-transferable. All players, regardless of achievements in other versions of the game, begin ''Old School RuneScape'' on [[Tutorial Island]] with a new character.

''Old School RuneScape'' is rated '''16''' by the {{wp|Pan European Game Information}} committee,{{CiteGeneral|url=https://pegi.info/search-pegi?q=runescape&op=Search&age%5B%5D=&descriptor%5B%5D=&publisher=Jagex+Ltd&platform%5B%5D=&release_year%5B%5D=&page=1&form_build_id=form-5Nc7D2ScBDuiMzP9F2ffxljtiSLFY38thQpDSDwRrq0&form_id=pegi_search_form|title=Pan European Game Information|accessdate=13 January 2022|archiveurl=https://archive.ph/eXLLQ|archivedate=13 May 2022}} and '''MA15+''' by the {{wp|Australian Classification Board}}{{CiteGeneral|url=https://www.classification.gov.au/titles/old-school-runescape|title=Australia Classification Board|accessdate=13 January 2022|archiveurl=https://archive.ph/3NdIz|archivedate=13 May 2022}}. While ''Old School RuneScape'' is not rated by the {{wp|Entertainment Software Rating Board}}, the equivalent rating would be '''Teen'''.

==History and release==
2007 servers of ''[[RuneScape]]'' were originally announced in early {{RSL|2013}}. [[Jagex]] allowed players to vote for ''Old School RuneScape'' on a referendum, promising a set of features for every vote mark level reached. The servers were based on a [[August 2007 Archive of RuneScape|backup]] of RuneScape that was created on 10 August 2007.

===Levels===
''Old School RuneScape'' was in four different levels, each with increasing vote requirements. The amount of votes can be seen on [http://services.runescape.com/m=poll/rs2007-server the official vote page]. Regardless of the outcome, any voter will get a free month of Old School RuneScape game time. Although the vote count only reached 449,351 and not 500,000, [[Jagex]] decided not to charge the additional fee of five USD for the first six months (excluding the free month); however, on [[7 June]] [[2013]], they announced that OSRS is here to stay and there will be no additional fee.{{CiteForum|author = Mod Pips|title = Old School here to stay!|url = http://services.runescape.com/m=forum/forums.ws?380,381,76,65448270|postdate = 7 June 2013|accessdate = 10:21, May 8, 2017 (UTC)|name = OSRS Stay}}<!-- Also cached at: http://www.webcitation.org/6qIu7q7nv -->

{|class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! rowspan="3" | Features
! colspan="5" | Number of votes
|-
!Level 0
![[#Level 1|Level 1]]
! style="background: #90ff90; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-yes"| [[#Level 2|Level 2]]
![[#Level 3|Level 3]]
![[#Level 4|Level 4]]
|-
!0 - 49,999
!50,000 - 249,999
! style="background: #90ff90; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-yes"|250,000 - 499,999
!500,000 - 749,999
!750,000 +
|-
!Server launch?
|{{No}}
|{{Yes}}
|{{Yes}}
|{{Yes}}
|{{Yes}}
|-
!Open to [[F2P|free players]]?
|{{No}}
|{{No}}
|{{No}}
|{{No}}
|{{Yes}}
|-
!Level of on-going development
|{{No}}
|{{No}}
|{{Yes|Yes - Small team}}
|{{Yes|colspan=2|Yes - Additional dedicated development team}}
|-
!Additional [[membership]] cost (approx.)
|{{No}}
|{{Yes|Yes - $15}}
|{{Yes|Yes - $5}}
|{{No|colspan=2|No - No extra membership fee}}
|-
!Level of maintenance
|{{No}}
|{{Yes|Yes - Critical only}}
|{{Yes|Yes - Basic}}
|{{Yes|colspan=2|Yes - Weekly}}
|-
!Anti-[[bot]]/Anti-[[gold farming]] upgrade
|{{No}}
|{{No}}
|{{NA|Possible}}
|{{Yes}}
|{{Yes}}
|-
!Regular membership polls to decide new content
|{{No}}
|{{No}}
|{{No}}
|{{Yes}}
|{{Yes}}
|}
'''Note''': The green shading in the table above only shows the vote mark reached on [[1 March]] [[2013]] and the features that would have been given according to that vote mark. There have been many changes since the poll ended; [[#Features introduced|click here]] to view them.

====Level 1====
The first level requires 50,000 votes, and is the absolute minimum amount of votes required to guarantee the Old School RuneScape release.
*$15 additional membership fee
*No game updates or bug fixes
*Critical maintenance only

====Level 2====
The second level requires 250,000 votes.
*$5 additional membership fee
*No major updates, only critical bug fixes
*Small development team
*Possibility of modern-day anti-bot technology over time, if needed

====Level 3====
The third level requires 500,000 votes.
*Free with current membership
*Some content updates, anti-bot technology added if necessary
*Maintenance will be done on a regular basis

====Level 4====
The fourth level requires 750,000 votes.
*No additional membership fee. Free portion of the game will be open for everyone.
*Content updates will be decided upon by regular polls.
*Modern anti-bot technology added if necessary
*Large development team for continuous maintenance

===Features introduced===
The following table shows the features that were introduced into OSRS. Jagex allowed other features from the 500,000 vote mark to be introduced in the game.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! rowspan="3" | Features
! colspan="5" | Number of votes
|-
!Level 0
![[#Level 1|Level 1]]
![[#Level 2|Level 2]]
![[#Level 3|Level 3]]
![[#Level 4|Level 4]]
|-
!0 - 49,999
!50,000 - 249,999
!250,000 - 499,999
!500,000 - 749,999
!750,000 +
|-
!Server launch?
|{{NA|No}}
|{{NA|Yes}}
|{{NA|Yes}}
|{{Yes}}
|{{NA|Yes}}
|-
!Open to [[F2P|free players]]?
|{{NA|No}}
|{{NA|No}}
|{{NA|No}}
|{{NA|No}}
|{{Yes}}<ref group="fn">On [[25 January]] [[2015]], it was announced a poll would be coming to decide if full [[F2P]] should be introduced alongside [[membership bond]]s. The poll passed, and full Free to Play was introduced on [[19 February]] [[2015]].</ref>
|-
!Level of on-going development
|{{NA|No}}
|{{NA|No}}
|{{Yes|Yes - Small team}}
|{{NA|colspan=2|Yes - Additional dedicated development team}}
|-
!Additional [[membership]] cost (approx)
|{{NA|No}}
|{{NA|Yes}} - $15
|{{NA|Yes}} - $5
|{{No|colspan=2|No - No extra membership fee<ref group="fn">Jagex has previously stated that they will review this in September 2013, and if the server is still active and growing then it will remain free. However, on [[7 June]] [[2013]], they announced that OSRS will remain free of extra charge.</ref>}}
|-
!Level of maintenance
|{{NA|No}}
|{{NA|Yes|Yes - Critical only}}
|{{Yes|Yes - Basic}}
|{{NA|colspan=2|Yes - Weekly}}
|-
!Anti-[[bot]]/Anti-[[gold farming]] upgrade
|{{NA|No}}
|{{NA|No}}
|{{NA|Possible}}
|{{Yes}}
|{{NA|Yes}}
|-
!Regular membership polls to decide new content
|{{NA|No}}
|{{NA|No}}
|{{NA|No}}
|{{Yes}}
|{{NA|Yes}}
|}

<references group="fn" />

==Core differences between OSRS and RS3==
*Players must be aged 13 or over to play ''Old School RuneScape''.
*Old School has tick-based [[combat]] that is mediated exclusively with [[weapons]], [[armour]]s, and [[prayers]] rather than {{RSL|Evolution of Combat}}, which makes use of abilities.
*Graphics are basic, with no texture packs to enhance models.
**The official Java game client also does not make use of {{wp|Graphics_processing_unit|GPU processing}}, using CPU only. However, the newer official Steam/C++ client does take advantage of the GPU.
*The latest [[quest]] from the original game is [[King's Ransom]]. Later quests are developed separately. [[Land of the Goblins]], [[The Path of Glouphrie]], [[Defender of Varrock]], and [[While Guthix Sleeps]] were all [[Backporting|backported]] at a later date with minor tweaks to keep them consistent with ''Old School RuneScape''{{'}}s established story.
*Aside from [[membership bond]]s, there are no [[Jagex]] [[microtransactions]], such as {{RSL|Squeal of Fortune}}, {{RSL|Treasure Hunter}}, or {{RSL|Solomon's General Store}}.
*There is no {{RSL|Summoning}}, {{RSL|Dungeoneering}}, {{RSL|Divination}}, {{RSL|Invention}}, {{RSL|Archaeology}}, or {{RSL|Necromancy}} skill.
*A number of [[minigames]] do not exist; however, there are some minigames unique to Old School.
*Items that have been previously discontinued still exist. There also exist items that were never available before, such as [[beach boxing gloves]] and [[black partyhat]]s.

===Content===
Most new content in the game is decided by [[Jagex]]-run polls based on player feedback obtained from social media such as Twitter/X and Reddit. Players must have at a total level of at least 280 in ''Old School RuneScape'' to be eligible to vote in these polls. In order for a poll to be successful, it must be supported by 70% of the votes. Players could vote on Old School RuneScape's poll page on the official website (prior to this features' removal) and currently vote in-game via poll booths that are located in every bank, or via the [[account management]] community tab.

After initially remaining largely identical to the original 2007 version for the first few months after launch (save for minor bug fixes and quality of life changes), the [[God Wars Dungeon]] and the [[Nightmare Zone]] were introduced as the first major updates for ''Old School'' (the former was present in the [[August 2007 Archive of RuneScape|archive]], the latter was the game's first entirely original content update). In the years since, new quests ([[Monkey Madness II]], [[Dragon Slayer II]], the [[Great Kourend quest series]]), areas ([[Kebos Lowlands]], [[Ver Sinhaza]], [[Weiss]]), and skilling updates ([[Rooftop Agility Courses|Rooftop Agility]], [[Aerial fishing]], the [[Motherlode Mine]]) have gradually transformed ''Old School'' into a unique game separate and distinct from the "vanilla" version. The game world is thus in a unique position of containing updates from 2001-2007 and from 2013 to the present, with low-resolution locations like [[Lumbridge]] and [[Ardougne]] existing alongside more modern-looking locations like [[Mount Karuulm]] and [[Fossil Island]].

Some quest series that have remained incomplete in ''Old School RuneScape'' have also been continued, having a diverged path from its ''RuneScape'' storyline, such as [[A Taste of Hope]] and [[Song of the Elves]]. As ''Old School RuneScape'' is an alternate take of the ''RuneScape'' universe, key events within the quest's storyline remain the same, but the circumstances in which those events occur may differ from ''RuneScape''{{'}}s timeline.{{CiteTwitter|author=Mod Ed|url=https://twitter.com/JagexEd/status/1231267297664344067|date=22 February 2020|archiveurl=https://archive.is/JpQvW|archivedate=29 May 2020|quote=Old School is an alternate take on the same universe as RuneScape. Most of the key story beats are the same, but there are differences in how they come about.}} For example, in A Taste of Hope, the player faces and kills [[Ranis Drakan]], while in <i>RuneScape</i>'s quest {{RSL|The Branches of Darkmeyer}}, it is [[Vanescula Drakan]] who kills him.

===Holiday items===
[[Event rewards|Holiday items]] were first introduced into the game during the [[2013 Rare Drops]] event, where holiday items dropped randomly around the world, similar to the original holiday item drops. Each world only had one item spawned at a time in location chosen randomly from a predetermined list. Items stayed visible for 30 minutes or until they were picked up, at which point they would randomly respawn again. The first drop was held in the first week of June. Players could also obtain holiday items by killing a [[Jagex Moderator]].

Later on, all holiday items from previous events were rewarded in bulk for completion of the corresponding holiday events (players completing an [[Easter event]] would receive all holiday items from previous Easter holiday events). This also included newly added holiday items unique to Old School—e.g. the [[rainbow partyhat]].

==Trivia==
*When ''Old School RuneScape'' was initially released, uncleaned [[herbs]] were grimy even though on the 10th of August 2007, uncleaned herbs were still unidentified. This was intentionally done by [[Jagex]] to prevent players from [[scamming]]. Unidentified herbs were reinstated on the [[25 February]] [[2013]]. However, with the introduction of the [[Grand Exchange]] in ''Old School RuneScape'', grimy herbs were reinstated to allow previously unidentified herbs to be listed on the Grand Exchange.
*On Day 1, the Old School Servers hit 50,000 online players after being up for only four (4) hours. During peak times, player count has been seen to rise up to 85,247. However, during off-peak, the count has dwindled to as low as 3,566. The current highest peak player number of 205,251 was obtained on [[19 November]] [[2023]]. The current lowest players was on [[8 August]] [[2013]].{{CiteGeneral |url= http://www.misplaceditems.com/rs_tools/graph/|title= Runescape Population |accessdate= 04:25, November 25, 2023 (UTC) |format= graph|work= Misplaceditems.com}}
*On January 25 2015, Mod Mat K held a "special discussion" about [[F2P]] for OSRS, and it was announced that permanent free-to-play would come to the game if [[membership bond]]s were introduced. It was polled the following week, and passed by 85.9%. F2P worlds were later made available on February 19 2015, in celebration of Old School's 2nd Birthday.{{CiteNews|author = Jagex|title = Permanent Free-to-Play|url = http://services.runescape.com/m=news/permanent-free-to-play?oldschool=1|newsdate = 19 February 2015|accessdate = 20:07, May 7, 2017 (UTC)}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Jagex]]
{{DISPLAYTITLE:''Old School RuneScape''}}
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