Game square

Not to be confused with tile.

Game squares, also known as tiles, spaces, or steps are the basic unit of area that divide the RuneScape overworld. The game squares form a grid, dictating where objects may be. All objects' locations will be defined by a single square. All locations and sizes can only be integer numbers.

Every entity on the overworld occupies at least one game square. Players and dropped items occupy one square. Larger monsters, such as the King Black Dragon occupy multiple squares. For these larger monsters, their location is defined by the south-westernmost square they occupy. This is the location used by most calculations, such as where items drop.

Examples of gameplay use

Nearly every action a player performs is influenced by game square behaviors. An understanding of game square mechanics can be used to improve the efficiency of many actions.

Movement

There are two movement speeds used in Old School RuneScape.

• Walk - 1 square every 1 tick
• Run - 2 squares every 1 tick

A player moving diagonally (northeast, southeast, southwest, and northwest) or orthogonally (north, east, south, west) will walk or run at the same rate of 1 and 2 game squares per tick, respectively. It is therefore faster to travel diagonally whenever possible, reducing the travel time. Additionally, a player may reduce the required number of game squares to traverse by strategically selecting diagonal pathways in order to reduce the number of orthogonal game squares traversed.

Combat

There are some combat mechanics influenced by monster size. A monster's size is equal to the number of game squares along one edge of the entity's square. A 3x3 monster is a size 3, but occupies 9 total game squares.

• Dragon halberd and Crystal halberd - The special attack hits 2x2 and larger monsters twice
• Colossal blade - The passive effect increases the maximum melee hit of the player as a function of the monster's size
• Dwarf multicannon - May strike stationary 2x2 and larger monsters multiple times dependent on relative positioning
• Scythe of vitur - The passive effect hits 2x2 monsters twice, and 3x3 or larger monsters three times

There are many combat mechanics influenced by the distance to the target from the player and the types of tiles between the target and the player. Refer to attack range, hit delay, flinching, safespot, and aggressiveness for more.

Types of tiles

There are many types of tiles, each serving a specific function.

• Blank - Tiles that have unrestricted access for actions. These may be walked on, fires may be lit on them, etc.
• Blockage - Constitutes most every obstacle that cannot be traversed over, through, etc. Graphics range from fences and rocks to large pillars and chasms.
  • Full blockage - These tiles completely block all movement and actions across the tile.
  • Wall tiles - These tiles block movement and action in a certain direction, but allow an entity to be on the tile itself. Examples include walls, some fences, and cliff edges.
  • Water or short wall - These tiles block movement for most entities, including being on the tile itself, but still allow action across. Flying entities, such as implings can still move on these tiles. Long-range actions, such as ranging or maging, can be performed across these tiles. Examples include bodies of water and short blockages, such as fences or wheat.
• Force-walk - Tiles which force a player to walk in a specific direction when landed on.
• Bank tiles - Tiles that surround bankers and other bank-access points. Objects, such as fires or cannons, cannot be placed here.