RuneScape Classic

RuneScape Classic
Developer: Jagex Publisher: Jagex Platforms: Windows, Mac OS X, Linux Released internationally: January 4, 2001 This game has unused graphics. This game has unused items. This game has unused text. This game has debugging material. This game has a development article

This game is defunct. Do note the game no longer works at all without modifications. This is most likely due to the game's servers being shut down. As a result, further official developments with the game are unlikely to happen.

RuneScape Classic was the first iteration of RuneScape.

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Development Info

Yoptin

An unused interface in an old RuneScape Classic client reveals that Jagex were planning a partnership with Yoptin, a company that collected demographics and marketing-related information. When the player would have filled an intensive survey using their personal information, they would have been awarded the ability to have 5 extra inventory space. As the interface was never used in-game, it is likely that the deal presumably fell through.

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(Source: Logg in the RuneScape Preservation Unit discord (in the #discoveries-rsc channel) on 19 January 2022)

Unused Runes

The Life Rune was a rune that was intended to be used in very early forms of Summoning spells.

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  Life Rune.

Three other cut runes also existed in the game's files, but did not have associated sprites:

• Time Rune
• Illusion Rune
• Reality Rune

The Soul Rune was also listed internally early on in development, albeit without a sprite like the aforementioned three other cut runes, before it was eventually given a sprite.

(Source: RuneScape Classic Wiki)

Early Items

Early Purple Rune Equipment

Originally when Rune equipment was being developed, it was going to be purple instead of the cyan color it became when it was released. The only 5 rune items to ever be added to the game's files in purple form were the Large Helmet, the Mace, the 2-handed Sword, the Battle Axe and the Long Sword.

Early
Final

(Source: Logg in the RuneScape Preservation Unit discord (in the #general-rsc channel) on 04 April 2022.)

Early Dragon Weapons

Early iterations of the Dragon Long Sword and Dragon Battle Axe were much plainer looking coloration of the other weapons until they were given a new look to differentiate them from the standard Bronze - Rune items.

Early
Final

(Source: Logg in the RuneScape Preservation Unit discord (in the #general-rsc channel) on 04 April 2022.)

Unused Wall

In some early game caches, there exists an unused wall with the name "brickwall" (id 12):

(Source: Logg in the RuneScape Preservation Unit Discord (in the #discoveries-rsc channel) on 30 May 2022.)

Map Editor Anomaly

The map editor used by Jagex in RuneScape Classic had a bug that caused everything in-game to end up being inverted. During the transition to RuneScape 2, some dungeons ended up being remade the way it was seen in the map editor (and thus inverted compared to Classic). The overworld remained as-is, which caused some dungeons to have entrances and exits that did not line up properly:

(Source: Rswillmissit and mejrs in the RuneScape Preservation Unit discord (in the #runescript-sceenshots channel) on 19 August 2021.)

Unreleased Certing Feature

Rab, the first player and moderator, worked with Andrew Gower during the game's early years. He had designed a "cert" system that would have allowed players to create a special stacked variant of existing items. The stacked items were initially named "bonds" but was later renamed to "certs" during design. While this feature never made it in RuneScape Classic, the bank notes later added in RuneScape 2 is heavily inspired by this design.

(Source: Image given by Rab to July, The RuneScape Historian and Rswillmissit.)

Wrong Quest Complete Message

When completing the Tree Gnome Village quest, the quest complete message would use the quest debug name rather than the final one:

Well done you have completed the treequest

(Source: Logg in the RuneScape Preservation Unit discord (in the #runescript-screenshots channel) on 22 March 2022.)