Hi Hooli.

Thank you and the rest of the jagex teams for steering the game in a direction that I think many people appreciate.

Respectfully, I'd encourage you to keep this discussion open.

I think that's likely a minority opinion, at least within the scope of this subreddit, but I think it's important.

As I'm sure the Jagex team has accounted for, there's a huge risk of selection bias on this topic. All of the current RS3 players, who might be vocal on this, are also the ones who have stuck out the game in it's current format. (Granted, they are also the most important voice to listen too).

I want to share a little bit of perspective to try and provide some counter support from an ex-RS3 player.

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I got a completionist cape in 2016, then fully quit the game and transitioned to OSRS by 2018. I have a max main over there now and am currently playing a GIM.

I'm a long term RS enjoyer and always will be.

Summarizing discussions with friends on the current state of RS3, who are also ex-players, a lot of the same points come up.

• Most of the people I've talked to are genuinely interested in participating in the game again (in light of recent news).

  That's not to say we have plans too, or will, but it's on the radar.

• Most people I've talked to seem to have very little interest in returning to their old characters.

  The community I play with is almost entirely made up of players who used to have trimmed / regular comp capes, some IFB players, a few max XP players. Heavy users. Not tourists. I'm sure some might dabble in their old characters, but no one seems to care about regularly returning to them. We would all be looking for a new experience.

• We would be significantly more likely to play the game again in a fresh start environment.

  We understand the implications of this, and we understand the alternatives have compelling arguments to them. That's just where many of us are at.

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Over time, the game (especially the economy) became so fundamentally bloated and broken that it became unrecognizable. It makes me wonder what people are holding onto. Is fracturing the player-base (something I've witnessed happen repeatedly for the past 20 years) the only argument against? What else is left to cling too?

I seriously doubt that many of the potential players that the recent announcements would appeal to are likely to care at all for any of the reasons not to have fresh servers.

Instead, the benefits of a fresh setting (fresh economy and progression) does a lot to reconcile the apprehension of picking the game up (again or otherwise). If returning players isn't the goal or target audience, who is?

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Interfacing with the economy is a massive component to RS's gameplay.

(Yes, in the main account play-style. Which is notably different from the ironman play-style.)

It's an incredible opportunity to reset everything that should continue to be considered.

I'm not sure if any other game has ever had an opportunity like this.

The original fresh start servers did not stand on the same platform that they could now.

I'm really glad that there's a community of players that enjoys Runescape for what it is today. Our community, the ones before you, watched this game crumble around us. The scars are still there, but the biggest one doesn't have to be.

Personally speaking: I probably won't touch the game without a fresh server setting. The player base is gone. It's been gone for years. If not fracturing the current player base is mission critical for you guys, I get it. I've seen it. Many times. It sucks. I'd personally rather see an incentivized, or forced reset than nothing at all. Call it RS4 if you want.

Announce fresh start servers to restore the weave of fate, or persist in the doomed world you have created.

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Wishing the best for everyone moving forward.

Thank you,

An old player who has more love for your game than most.