TruthScape.com  9  TruthScape Special Reports - RuneScape News and Reviews

The ZMI Ourania Altar - Summary of Pros and Cons, Overall Assessment and Recommendations The RuneScape Assist System - Introduction, General Description and Limitations

Published: November 6, 2007
Last Revised: November 14, 2007

Update: Jagex has listened to the many players, including myself, who have told them that having resource skills like Fishing, Hunter, Mining and Woodcutting in the Assist System was pointless and even counter-productive, and removed them. I have updated this guide accordingly. Unfortunately, they have still not address all of the other problems that plague the new feature.

Helpful players are the backbone of the RuneScape community. I doubt there is a single player in the game who has not, at one time or another, found himself gratefully thanking a higher-level player who helped him or her with a problem, or by making or obtaining an item they could not get for themselves. Unfortunately, up until now, there has been no formal way for those who want to help others with skills or making items to provide assistance to those who need it. This was often accomplished via trust trades, which can be problematic, and also create an opportunity for players to get scammed.

On November 5, 2007, Jagex dramatically changed how skill help works in RuneScape, by implementing the new Assist System (AS). This feature allows a low-level player to temporarily “borrow” the capabilities of a more experienced player, to make or obtain certain items they otherwise could not. The assister get the experience points, while the lower-level person gets the items, and there’s no need for any items to be traded.

Sounds great on paper, but how well does it work? In this special report I will explain and answer your questions about the new Assist System. I’ll start with an overview and general discussion of the system, discussing how it works and what its limitations are. I’ll explain in general terms exactly how to request and provide assistance to others, and then give more specific information and tips on how to use the system for each of the skills with which it works.

From there, I explore reactions to the new system, including a discussion of both valid and invalid complaints, and a list of myths that are spreading about the AS that you should ignore. I provide a handy FAQ for the most common questions about the system, and end with my analysis, recommendations for improvement and conclusions.

My thanks to the Deirdrel, Mtomali and Red Jack1880 for their assistance in certain tests, and for granting permission to use their names in figures. Additional thanks to Deirdrel and other members of the TruthScape forums for uncovering several flaws in this new feature.

NOTE: This special report is on a very new RuneScape feature, which increases the chances of possible inaccuracies, or the potential that that Jagex may change it after publication. Also, some of the information here is based on third-party reports from other players. Be sure to stay tuned for possible updates.

The ZMI Ourania Altar - Summary of Pros and Cons, Overall Assessment and Recommendations The RuneScape Assist System - Introduction, General Description and Limitations