The Wilderness (Thesis)

The Clan Thesis is a document written by His Lordship and published to the WG Website on 27 April 2004. The full thesis is as follows, copied verbatim from the original apart from stylistic changes to fit the Wiki format.

The Wilderness

A Thesis by His Lordship of the Wilderness Guardians

Author's Comments

This report may not appeal to every reader. Some take a great interest in knowing the constructions of the game. Others simply enjoy it. This document deals only with the workings of the Wilderness, and does not provide advice for players. There is a very ambiguous element to the text below, which I deliberately simplify in order to reach a young audience. As the ideas are exposed and developed the level of difficulty rises consequently.

This document is not a tutorial. It is simply a combination of facts that have been, until now, common knowledge.

Most of the ideas that are being explored are insultingly obvious, when read on screen. A vast majority of Runescape players will say “I know this already, there is no need for me to read this.” Though it may seem obvious, most people do not actually think about these things. When I DO tell them, it becomes so clear them it seems obvious. But you will be surprised by the things that you would not have known before reading the thesis.

I was led into writing this thesis through sheer annoyance, after having surveyed an audience of people and finding out how shallow their opinions were. On the Rune village forums I received expressions of disgust at some of my viewpoints on PKing. My aim in writing this thesis is to both help people to find where they belong in this intricate system and also to share with you my thoughts on where I believe Runescape is heading, and where it should be headed to.

I have tried to cover as much as possible, though I can guarantee some is missing. If you would like to know more, or comment, email me at (email address redacted). I’m afraid to say that you will be rather low on my priority list, as I am leader of the Wilderness Guardians clan, and my clan demands the greater part of my time.

Introduction

Why is it that the Runescape Wilderness intrigues all of us so greatly? It must certainly be that combination of thrill and danger, combined with the sense of fostering friendships and the endless uninhabited plains in which one can trek through in awe and wonder. No other Runescape setting can ever compare with the Wilderness in any aspect.

No place grants us the ability to interact so greatly with other humans. The deepest caves inside the darkest dungeons don’t even measure up to the fear and thrill within the Wilderness. The King Black Dragon itself could not even provide such a feeling. Why is this? It is because danger is not measured by the challenge; it is measured by improbability. The KBD can not think for itself, and for this it is so easily slain. No computer generated character will ever think, or lie, or hide, or talk about anything other than what Jagex tells it to say. A human mind, on the other hand, is never perfectly predictable. We can never tell when our best friend is going to stab us in the back, or if we stumble across a 50-strong clan. We are left in the dark. And it is this that makes the Wilderness unlike any other place. Where can you find a mining location that is rarely used, abundant in every ore? Or where will you find a supply of magic runes lying on the floor untouched? Where can you fight large battles of might? Where else can you find a Mage Arena or a Red Dragon? Only in the Wilderness, is this possible; with a high risk comes a high return.

It is no wonder the Wilderness is harvested so often for its rich resources, combat possibilities and activities. Within this large network of clans, castles, and craters is an ecosystem of many individual components. Every member has a place somewhere, whether it is PKing, or training, maybe even war or following a clue. No matter how hard they try, no decent player will be able to avoid the Wilderness forever.

A great tendency these days is to form clans, for several different reasons. This makes Wilderness combat even more complicated, by creating power struggles and expanding the scope for peer relationships. The wilderness also has a great impact on the economy. A single full scale war could dramatically change the prices of war commodities. More details on clans and economics later. Every person has a reason to access the wilderness, in every aspect of the game. Battle, skills, quests, friendships, even moneymaking. Most of us know how to utilize the wilderness fully, knowing our place. Some of us try out some elements of it to see what it’s all about. Some of us fear it. Whatever type of person we are, what happens in the Wilderness directly affects us. That is why it would benefit you to learn about the system that works in simultaneity. What can you do to leave the Wilderness a better place that what you entered it as? What problems face players in the Wilderness? How can these problems be solved? If the answers were simple, the questions would not exist. This thesis can offer a cornerstone in which one can choose his or her own path in finding the answer.

Functions of the Wilderness

The Wilderness is very much a PKing dominated region. Though it may be high in minerals and resources, these are often neglected due to high risk factors. Other activities also come into motion. The whole idea of the Wilderness is to create a risk, in which Jagex can cleverly manipulate the players into choosing to make risks with a greater return.

Resources

The wilderness is host to a great deal of resources. Obviously the further in you venture, the higher the risk. So why venture in at all? Because the deeper you travel, the more you can benefit. To the shallow end of the Wilderness you can find Body Rune respawns, coal mining sites, arrow respawns, and other various objects of a similar kind.

As you find yourself at the other extreme of the Wilderness, you start coming across much rarer items, such as sapphires, mithril, chaos runes, rune rocks, and some powerful monsters.

The resources in the Wilderness are rarely yielded, due to the large masses of PKers that scan the Wilderness in search of prey. With the exception of the Rune rocks, the deeper in a person goes, the more likely it will be for the resources to be available.

Resources are quite simple to comprehend and there isn’t much need to delve into precise detail, however it is important to note that the resources in the Wilderness are meant to be utilized extensively, for what other purpose are they there for? It is obvious that most people are not willing to take that risk. It is important for Jagex to find the perfect balance between risk and reward. We do not want to lower the risk so much to a point whereby the Wilderness resources are worn out, yet by not lowering the risk enough, the resources are rarely used, especially further in, with the greater demons and green dragons and such. Those that do use such facilities are the higher level players, and it is often these people who we see in higher wilderness. Though these players may be brave enough, a large percentage of the Runescape population would never dare use these skill reserves.

That is our present situation. A high risk relative to a low return. We have two options. We can either reduce the risk, or we can increase the reward, showing caution not to increase the reward too greatly.

If you are interested in joining a clan that places emphasis on skills work, try out:

SeeD:
http://www.cspacezone.com/cspaceforum4/index.php
The Council of Dragons:
http://www.avidgamers.com/c_o_d
The Runescape Scorpions:
http://www.runescapescorpions.com