Sunday, July 09, 2006

Lumbridge Swamp Scam

The Lumbridge Swamp Scam was a very popular scam ingame on Runescape, although it is not as common now, there are still people who are unaware of it. Jagex have made additional signs warning people of the hazards of going into the Lumbridge Swamp Cave and this has resulted in less people being fooled.

Lumbridge Swamp Cave warning

The additional warning signs implemented by Jagex should be observed by players who are unsure about entering the Swamp Caves. Players should be safe if they wear a Spiny Helm and take a lit Saphire Lantern in their inventory. Other forms of lanterns may get extinguished and unless a light source is also taken, could result in a player losing items.

For players unaware of the entrance to the Swamp Caves, they can easily get to it from Draynor Village bank - simply head south into the swamp until you come to the candle maker. This NPC will be able to sell basic light sources, although it is advised to bring the Saphire Lantern.

Candle seller at entrance to Lumbridge swamp caves

Wednesday, July 05, 2006

Player Security

Jagex have now started to proactively promote player security and awareness to help reduce the amount of scams that have plagued the game and seen many naive players carelessly give their password information to 'friends' they had only just met.

Players should always make sure they are fully aware of Jagex rules for playing RuneScape as sticking by those rules WILL reduce chances of you becoming a victim of a serial scammer or a chancer.

In any walk of life there is always the small print. In this instance, the small print appears to be the game rules whereby many players simply do not educate themselves and become aware of what is acceptable and what is not acceptable. READ THE RULES, simple but effective if followed to prevent you compromising your computer security.

When a computer has its security compromised, it can have some serious knock-on affects that can cause a lot of further problems, especially if using a shared computer then it can give access to confidential files that can include credit card information, bank security details and so forth.

Runescape may only be a game, and it may only be kids looking to scam items from each other. However, the potential consequences of compromising your computer security can lead to all private information being sent to unknown sources.

Playing by the rules will severely reduce chances of you receiving a computer virus therefore reducing the overall risk of compromising your computer security.

My motto, play safe, stay safe.

Saturday, July 01, 2006

Tweaks and Bugfixes

With the update last week concentrating on bugfixes as well as tweaking some smaller aspects of the game, all players can be assured that it is getting more difficult to abuse bugs within the game that effectively result in scamming others.

There are a few very simple rules to follow to reduce your chances of being scammed:

1. Never reveal your password to anyone
2. Never download any autominer software as they may contain keyloggers
3. Do not buy any runescape money for real money
4. Do not trade real items or money for runescape items or money
5. Never accept .exe files from strangers or anyone you do not trust inherently

Overall, if you play by Jagex Rules you will severely reduce the risks of being scammed. Many people do take the game very seriously and it is real people that are adversely affected when they are a victim. It is a game at the end of the day, and should be enjoyed by people rather than destroyed by a small minority of players.