Locked A beginners guide to RUNESCAPE PRIVATE SERVERS in general!

Happy L · August 15, 2021

So the other day, someone joined and asked tons of questions, as if they had never played an RSPS before. I talked to them, and it turns out they had never even played RuneScape before! So this is a shoutout to those of you who have never heard of these games. This goes without saying, this post isn't totally necessary, however I would like to create that level of knowledge and trust between new players and existing. A lot of older players think everything is totally easy, and instantly memorable. And forget that they were once new players as well. What is entirely easy to you, could very well be the most difficult thing someone else has ever done before.

Firstly, what is RSPS? RuneScape Private Server. These are Private Servers hosted usually by an individual, however sometimes they can be owned and run by a collective. These people are usually close friends or acquaintances. Business partners, or simply like minded developers. RS is developed by a company. The main differences between RS and RSPS differ by which servers you play, however the main consensus (atleast for what i can tell) is that most people play RSPS because they are generally easier/faster than original RS. However, there are many MANY more reasons people play RSPS. I personally play RSPS because I feel the communities are a lot better, kinder, more wholesome people. Some more reasons could include better PK'ing, more transparency between staff and players, or even something mundane as they got scammed and quit RS but still love the game itself. That's not to say that reason is unvalid however, anyone can play RSPS for any reason and you don't have to have one to play. Also, just because RSPS is generally easier, doesn't mean the work and time you put in means less, it just means you play a game you love and you're proud of that. The main thing to keep in mind is that not everyone plays games at the same level/mentality, and alot of people just want to have fun.

RSPS has existed almost as long as RS itself, and there are SO many different versions and iterations of RSPS. Some examples include VELHEIM (REDACTED). VELHEIM (REDACTED) and even VELHEIM (REDACTED). (If you couldn't tell this was a joke about advertising, don't do that, it's a big no no!)

RSPS are made using the programming languages such as Java (not JavaScript), C#, PHP and database languages such as SQL. Every RSPS will advertise the revision the game currently loads. It's a little tough for me to explain, but for starters, the revision is basically the time at which the server is based in RuneScapes history. (That's a VERY butchered explanation.) Here is a list of currently popular revisions.

Quote
- 317 (Widely regarded as the oldest revision for RSPS, excluding Classic. Many different frameworks have been released for this revision)
- 377
- 474
- 508
- 525 (Common RS2HD revision)
- 530
- 562 (Was the main revision for a lot of servers at the time. Typically RS2HD)
- 602/604 (Not used very much for servers, other than loading some models.)
- 614 (Saw the introduction of Dungeoneering. Few servers at the time were loading this revision.)
- 314 (A hybrid revision [317 loading 602/614] is still called 317 but is not!)
- 667
- 718 (Common revision for 2012 RSPS)
- 728
- 742 (Common for 742- servers to load some cache definitions from this revision. Some pure 742s have been released, most on new frameworks)
- 751 (Introduction of the Evolution of Combat)
- 788 (Introduction of RuneScape 3 and the 'New Interface System' [NIS]).
- 803
- 830 (Common revision for RS3 RSPS)
- 849
- 870
- 876
- 887
Most RSPS players identify by which revision they love the most, however some players just love the idea of RSPS in general, and don't mind which revision they play. Most RSPS only have a lifespan of 3-10 years, however that's not to say they can't live much longer than that! There are countless servers that have existed for years and are going strong, or only have a few players, yet remain online.

Nearly every server that has ever existed has some form of donation method in place, and this is for a variety of reasons. Most servers require third party activities, such as forum hosting as well as the server itself. If a server has multiple worlds, there's a good likelihood that the owner is paying for multiple hosting services at once, and while they aren't egregiously expensive, that money DOES add up. Not to mention the time that some of these developers put in. A server is only going to be as good and enjoyable as the developers dedication to it itself. No matter what you think you know about coding, do not discredit developers for the time and work they put in. Some update daily, some update weekly and some don't update at all. Velheim for example receives very steady updates by our lord and savior, @Jesu... ahem, excuse me, @Sandstorm The levels of work and time some of these developers put in could be anywhere from just a few lines and minutes a day, to a full time job, coding almost 100 hours a week. It's for these reasons donations are very important, as some developers give up the "job" life all together in order to make the game better for us.

All RSPS consists of some kind of leadership, even beyond the Owner/Developer. Most have an Owner/Co-owner/Developer, then the ladder usually goes down to Administrator, then Moderator, then Support. However all RSPS are different, and what the staff decide to do is entirely up to them. I've owned a few myself, and all of which didn't have admins, (atleast officially) everyone was just a Mod. Including myself. These folks are usually active on the game/forums/discord either daily or weekly and will generally help new players and old as much as possible, however it's important to keep in mind that these ARE people too! These people are just as much players and anyone else, and should not be subjected to hate from others when they cannot get to everyone. You have to keep in mind, nobody is obligated to answer your questions. The wiki does exist.

Which brings me to my next point, and this may apply specifically to Velheim, however some RSPS do have it as well. On here, you can ;;wiki anything that exists on the wiki itself. Go ahead, try it, it will bring you to the page you were looking for, sometimes even if you spell something wrong, the wiki might automatically direct you to what you were looking for. It's a very handy tool, and as a general rule, you should ;;wiki whatever you have questions about before asking a staff member/fellow player, out of respect. Then after which, if you had a hard time understanding the wiki, go ahead and ask. This is not an official rule, this is my personal recommendation for players who are new. We don't want to bother people and make them feel like they get asked questions all day, but we ALSO want to make sure that you have the appropriate resources you need to get by. If you don't understand the wiki, that's perfectly okay! Don't ever let someone make you feel bad or dumb for not understanding something you know nothing about, RSPS and RS are very large games with a plethora of content to sift through, it is absolutely understandable to get overwhelmed by the amount of information intake. Be respectful when you ask questions, and try to thank whoever helps you, a little kindness goes a long way, that being said. To all the question answerers: Be patient with people and make sure to be forgiving and understanding when someone doesnt respond to you the way that you want them too/expect them too. Every single person is different and every single person has something going on in their lives, perhaps they didn't say thank you with a smiley face because they just had a relative die. Just try to remember that just because they didn't thank you, doesn't mean they arent thankful.

Every server has a list of rules, which vary depending on which server you play and who you ask, but it's very important to follow these rules. For many reasons. Be kind to others and read through them, and you should have nothing to worry about. I'd also like to point out something for new and old players alike. When it comes down to it, the owner of the server owns everything. Including your account, and for that reason they can decide to do whatever they would like to regarding your account. The owner has the final say on everything, and this isn't an arguing point. This is FACT. Cold, hard facts. That being said, it doesn't mean ALL owners will treat you like absolute garbage. @Jesu... Damnit i did it again. @Sandstormis actually an AMAZING owner, developer AND person. That's what he is, a person, subject to anger, sadness and happiness. Don't expect special treatment, good or bad from him. He does his best to make this game playable and enjoyable for EVERYONE.

The RSPS community is generally amazing, and full of some of the best characters you'll ever meet. I've met some of the best friends I've ever had in my life playing RSPS, and I'm sure you will too!

PS> This is something I'm VERY willing to change up, or add too if anyone feels anything else should go here. Just let me know! I'm almost 100% certain I will add more to this eventually, for now however, I need to get back to grinding!