a close call in RuneScape

For those who haven't seen today's RuneScape update, there has been a crackdown on rule breakers. Everyone who used RuneBot in the last 24 hours was wiped and had to start over. Jagex also posted their names on the front page. RuneBot is a modified game client that lets you automate simple tasks.

According to the rules, you can't use any software that interacts with the game. To be fair, this has always been risky because they can contain malware. However, people do it anyway due to the competitive atmosphere. It doesn't help that the game can get repetitive.

So one thing I noticed is that RuneBot has been making the rounds in recent months. I must admit I tried it myself out of curiosity a few days ago. It certainly has some nice features, such as the ability to zoom in or out and change window size. Vee also modified the code to remove the chat filter. I was tempted to keep using RuneBot but decided against it after seeing people complain about lag on the forums. As you could imagine, the news was a huge surprise.

I almost had a heart attack right there. Even though I wasn't on the list — probably because I didn't use RuneBot again — that doesn't mean it's over. Jagex has said they "expect to catch more people at it over the next few days." I wanted to make sure nothing happened to me, but it's impossible to tell just by looking at the website. So the only option was to log into the game.

Because I shouldn't play RuneScape in class, there was little else I could do. I was stressed the whole time as I waited to go home. Four hours is a long time when you're anxious. I rushed home and checked my accounts, and found everything in order. You have no idea how relieved this makes me.

But there are many others who aren't as fortunate. Some were merely curious and wanted to see what the program does. One of the top players — who just hit 1,300 skill total on Monday — was caught after using RuneBot to access the servers. He was actually doing his own investigation to help Jagex and accidentally logged into the wrong account once. Despite his reputation as a respected community leader, the company has said they are making no exceptions. It really sucks to lose all that progress.

Good thing I didn't use RuneBot again despite the temptation. Someone was definitely looking out for me.

Currently playing: RuneScape