RuneScape

Collecting MMO soundtracks is a scattered, scavenger-like experience. Releasing video game soundtracks isn't exactly high up on studio and publisher to-do lists (although we're seeing more love from digital stores), so whether or not a title will get a music release is really a crapshoot. What does get released is never in the same place twice: Some game soundtracks are released as special editions only, some only as CDs, some as full MP3 album releases, some directly from the composer, some are buried on websites, and so on.

So I'm constantly looking everywhere trying to beef up my MMO soundtrack library, and as a result I've uncovered several scores that the studios are giving away for free. I'm all over free (legal) music, especially when it's in my area of interest!

If you've been looking to start an MMO soundtrack collection or are looking to add to what you have, I've put together a list of 11 MMO scores that you can get today free of charge. Sound good? It does to me!

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Have you ever wondered how an MMO studio plans its upcoming content delivery? A new RuneScape dev diary takes us behind the scenes at Jagex, where Mod Mark outlines the nuts-and-bolts of the process: "We think about the next 12 months of content and what we want to achieve within those 12 months and have a broad idea of what we want to achieve over the next three years. We think about what sort of players we've got and we try to make sure that the content we have planned over the next year is appropriate for all of those groups of players."

Mod Mark said that the team also considers what it's focused on recently, what areas haven't been touched on in a long time, and what parts of the game may have become dated. Content additions and improvements are then scheduled according to the time available to the team.

One lesson to take away is that it always takes the development team a lot more time and effort to create new content than players assume. Sometimes even a single quest may spend up to a year in development before being pushed to live.

You can watch the full dev diary after the jump!

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While Bree is delivering a ransom to try to secure what's left of Shawn's beard, MJ and Teri join Justin for the first Massively Speaking of 2013! It might have been a relatively slow news week, but there was still enough talk around the water cooler to make us sit up and say, "Why do we have that water cooler again?"

Have a comment for the podcasters? Shoot an email to podcast@massively.com. We may just read your email on the air!

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Read below the cut for the full show notes.

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Take a moment and think back to what you were doing on January 4, 2001. Kinda hard to recall isn't it? We bet that a few of you were playing a new MMO called RuneScape, though, and if you were, well, congratulations on being an MMO nerd before being an MMO nerd was cool.

Jagex's browser title turns 12 years old today, and the company has queued up a list of impressive statistics that include more than 486 million hours of gaming achieved by RuneScape players in 2012. Those players killed each other over 3.2 billion times, too. Jagex also says that the game passed the 200 million account mark last July.

Today's press release isn't all about gaudy numbers, though. Updates for 2013 will include a Grandmaster-level quest, Wilderness Warbands, Construction skill revamps, an improved grouping system, and a customizable UI. Finally, Jagex is running a number of events this month as part of its birthday celebration.

[Source: Jagex press release]

RuneScape's hitting 2013 above and below the belt like a rabid wolverine who has aspirations of being a champion kickboxer. Jagex posted a hefty preview of new and returning content that should hit the game this month, including never-before-seen level 90 weapons.

These weapons are a reward for defeating a new boss, the Kalphite King. Mr. King comes in his own battle instance so all can participate and loot his quivering remains.

Apart from that exciting news, the RuneScape team plans to add a task set across the Kharidian Desert, new demon flash mobs (not the dancing variety), more rewards to Squeal of Fortune, and the return of a pair of wolf boss mobs.

It's time once again for the Frindie Awards, my attempt to shine some light on the best indie, browser-based, free-to-play, and unusual MMOs that are all-too-often ignored by press -- and players. This one is for the little guys! Well, mostly. It's also for those games that seem to have passed under the collective radar of Massively readers or that seem to be very misunderstood.

Picking the winners this year is just as hard as it was last year, maybe even harder. 2012 was an incredible year for MMOs, so I would rather have just put together an article that highlights every single favorite. In the end, it's more helpful to make myself pick out a winner. It's a rare thing for some of these games to even receive a nod on a major website, something I still can't figure out. Either way, it's best to think of all of the MMOs on this list as my favorites from 2012.

Anyway, let's get to the awards!

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2013 is just around the corner, and RuneScape has big plans for the year, including another huge update and plenty of new content. To make sure that no one misses out on the updates, Jagex is introducing a special set of membership packages for a limited time. Called the Premier Club, these memberships come in tiers -- bronze, silver, and gold.

Each tier grants special bonuses and benefits; some bonuses include a 10% store discount, RuneCoins, beta access, and armor. The gold package also grants all 2012 promotional items. The bronze package gives three months of membership for $21.95, the silver is six months for $39.95, and the gold lasts 12 months and costs $74.95.

If you want to get your hands on one of these packages, you'll have to act fast. Players must subscribe to RuneScape between December 20, 2012 and January 31, 2013 in order to take advantage of this offer. For more details, check out the official FAQ.

[Source: Jagex press release]

Last year, Jagex announced a new feature that would allow RuneScape players to own ports from which to sail out and explore new, unmapped areas of the world. Starting today, higher-level players can claim their port and restore it by upgrading the dilapidated buildings. Gamers can then commission ships to take them to previously undiscovered lands with new lore, monsters, and races.

For more details on the new port feature (or to watch dancing devs in pirate costumes sing a jolly tune), check out the two videos after the break.

[Source: Jagex press release]

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The game with over two million registered users has now reached one million likes on Facebook. To celebrate hitting this milestone, RuneScape is giving all fans an exclusive in-game item -- the Book of Face. This cosmetic item is a mask emblazoned with the RuneScape logo and the symbols of Zamorak and Saradomin, the game's two most prominent gods. However, the item won't be available long, so players who want to claim theirs will need to log in and grab it quickly!

[Source: Jagex press release]

Wondering what to do this weekend? If you play RuneScape, you can take advantage of the special Winter Weekend running from 7 p.m. EST (midnight GMT) tonight through the same time on Sunday night. As part of an ongoing series of winter celebrations, this weekend's festivities will offer double the rewards in the following seven minigames: Castle Wars; Soul Wars; Trawler; Pest Control; Big Chinchompa; Evil Tree; and Shooting Star.

As an added bonus, anyone who is a member during the month of December also gets a special additional 50 percent XP boost for 30 minutes each day with Festive Aura. So jump on in and take advantage of these holiday specials before they disappear!

[Source Jagex press release]

RuneScape has long been a favorite of mine, but I have to admit to being more of an explorer than anything. Combat was always sort of sluggish and tedious. It just wasn't very exciting. I see so many comments from players who AFK, watch television, or play a second game while simultaneously grinding in RuneScape. Luckily RuneScape is a living, breathing, open MMO that comes from the olden times of MMOs but still adds on new bits of design and updated systems. There aren't many other MMOs that are updated as often as RuneScape, and hardly any of them provides as much to do.

Along comes The Evolution of Combat. Jagex has called it the biggest thing to happen to RuneScape, probably ever, and after playing with it for a few day, I tend to agree. What does it change, though, and why do I enjoy it so much? Let me tell you.

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Subscriptions are a funny thing. For as long as I can remember, they've represented a level of quality to many gamers. To those players, only those funny Eastern MMOs didn't have a sub. Granted, I loved a lot of those funny Eastern games and didn't care how a game monetized itself. Watching Western players spin on a dime about subscriptions has been a pretty weird experience. The Western developers have changed as well, providing tiered services and other models that would have been seen as suspicious only years ago.

I've been known as a free-to-play guy for a while. Heck, I was originally hired here at Massively to cover free-to-play games. Now that there are more free games than not, this column has spread out a bit, covering multiple topics. Payment models do still come up, as they did this week. I thought it'd be cool to examine the subs I do maintain and why -- not press accounts or accounts from long before I began working at Massively, but accounts that I choose to pay for with my own money.

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Two weeks ago, Jagex announced the launch date of RuneScape's big Evolution of Combat patch. And lo and behold, that day has arrived! Players can now log in and try their hands at dual wielding, explore different combat styles, and see how the all-new action bar speeds up skill training and resource gathering.

Jagex also offered players a handy launch day FAQ to explain what will happen when they first log in. All players will be teleported to a bank where they will find 15 extra slots of space available, which will come in handy since all gear will be unequipped and placed in players' inventories. Players will also find their depleted player points fully restored and task totals recalculated.

For more details about the new patch, check out the full notes.

With the clock running down on 2012, one might be forgiven for overlooking the rest of the year in favor of what the next will bring. That's a mistake with RuneScape, as the devs have promised that they've saved the best for last with a couple of sizable updates to the game.

On tap for the remainder of the year is the addition of a super-tough Grandmaster-level quest, player-owned ports, and a very lonely dog that will need help come Christmas-time.

Looking ahead to 2013, Jagex revealed its ambitious plans for a variety of content as well as something called RuneScape Next Gen. The description of the latter is quite intriguing: "Featuring our innovative new browser-based technology and with big investments in graphics and gameplay, RuneScape is set to take a monumental leap forward in 2013. Higher visual and audio fidelity, improved camera mechanics and a much more customizable interface system are but a taste of what you can expect."

Fans of violence in RuneScape have something to cheer about today as the release date has finally been announced for the game's massive overhaul of the combat mechanics. On November 20th, the patch goes live after five months of active testing and rebalancing based on feedback. And it's got far-reaching implications for the game as a whole -- by improving the game's combat mechanics and battle environments, the developers can introduce content that wouldn't have worked under the old system.

So what can players expect? Abilities are replacing the special attacks found on weapons with several new options for battle, and a new resource (Adrenaline) will go into activating your more powerful combat skills. Characters will also be able to make full use of both hands via dual-wielding, offering more aggressive options as well as more equipment options for mages. The announcement also promises a livestream this weekend to help players learn about and understand the changes before they go live in a couple weeks.

[Thanks to Andrew for the tip!]