

Jagex launches HTML5/WebGL game mode for RuneScape (beta) - Clorith
http://runescape.com/beta
Jagex, creators of the popular MMORPG RuneScape just launched their beta version of RS3, a purely HTML5/WebGL implementation of their (so far) java based game.<p>I -think- this might be the first huge implementation of html5 in game form, and clearly marks Jagex as even bigger innovators in both the web and gaming industry.
======
Zirro
I remember having to give up playing RuneScape back when I switched to a Mac
many years ago, due to how poorly Java integrated and performed within the
available browsers (not to mention the glitching hardware-acceleration
support).

While I have generally lost interest in these sort of games since then, this
is exciting enough to make me want to try it out again.

~~~
Perihelion
I had to use the downloadable Runescape client to get it to work on OSX. It
works reasonably well but still sucks that I can't play in my browser anymore.
A lot has changed so it's probably worth looking into!

------
EStudley
It's unfortunate, but this may be too little too late for Runescape. After
Jagex was slowly bought by VCs company decisions became less about the
experience for the player and more about the bottom dollar.

Maybe this will be enough to bring back some of their lost subscribers, but
who knows.

~~~
MisterWebz
Absolutely. As of last year, they have this thing in the game called Squeal of
Fortune. You earn or buy "spins" and you use them to win coins, items or
experience. It's basically gambling, but instead of winning real money, you
win virtual money. Not only does it destroy any integrity the game had left,
it aims to get kids addicted to gambling.

~~~
EStudley
It's not gambling that is at the heart of Squeal of Fortune; it's micro-
transactions. Runescape has been moving in that direction for a long time to
squeeze whatever is left of the remaining player base.

------
ladon86
Congrats, porting a Java codebase of that size is no small undertaking.

~~~
reportingsjr
I think it was actually easier than that for them to do. From what I recall
they actually have their own in house language that compiles to java. I can't
remember what it was called off of the top of my head, but I would imagine it
would be much easier to port a compiler than a codebase the size of
runescape's.

~~~
Cyphusx
The content, e.g. quests, map, npcs, dialog, etc are all in proprietary
formats (Runescript and various config formats) but this doesn't compile to
Java - it's simply loaded by the engine.

The engine, server and client, is 100% hand coded in Java, and the client
portion of that is what we manually 'ported' to Javascript. I say 'ported' in
quotes, as though lots of the new code performs the same or similar job to the
existing Java client (bugs and all!), its implementation is sometimes quite
different to that of the original Java version.

------
azakai
I click "go to beta" and then "register", and it says my Java is not up to
date? I thought this was Java-free?

~~~
EStudley
Also logging in to the website does require that you have java installed.

~~~
digitalclubb
Not strictly true -
<https://secure.runescape.com/m=weblogin/loginform.ws?mod=www>

------
james33
This is exciting news for the validity of HTML5 games in the browser!

~~~
Clorith
It is, it also shows what innovative ways Jagex go to in bring both the web
and gaming industry closer, and forward.

Just for clarification; I'm not an employee of Jagex, I'm a long time player
of RuneScape though. I'm also a huge fan of what they've accomplished when you
look at the systems they use, and the hardware required to enjoy their
products.

~~~
kaolinite
Hm, are you an employee?

~~~
publicfig
I was wondering that same thing. Looking at the accounts infrequent commenting
history and then all the responses in this thread seem to point towards that.

------
lucid00
I've been wondering why this hasn't been done yet.

Their game being coded in Java should make it easy to port to many different
platforms seeing as there's a library or framework for almost anything Java.

I don't play RuneScape but I'm happy to see this, this should help bring the
game to other platforms like Android, Firefox OS and hopefully iOS (they could
make a native app for iOS).

------
mdisraeli
This is extremely good news. At one time, back in 2007, Runescape was the
elephant in the room for western MMORPGs - if you counted it amongst them, it
made all the commercial ones clearly the long tail, not the short peak of
success - <http://www.raphkoster.com/2007/05/29/mmo-long-tails/>

------
der3k
If anyone still remembers RSC (Runescape Classic) and would like to continue
playing it, this is the most popular and well-kept private server for it FYI:
<http://www.rscemulation.net/>

~~~
arianvanp
So i basically ended up as a programmer by hacking the runescape clients so i
could use them in the creation of private servers. Illegal but great fun (but
wasn't everything illegal but great fun as a teenager?). Contributed quite a
lot to the private server community. I still tend to hang out in the
programmer usergroups of those communities though I lost interest in modding
runescape. But hey, I'm a programmer now, so thanks jagex

p.s. : sorry for helping so many people steal your content, it was just for
the lulz. I promise!

~~~
experiment0
Hey so did I!

My first programming experience was working on RS2DBase. It was pretty popular
back in the day. I met loads of great people through those forums and I don't
think I'd have gotten into programming without them.

