Why are 718's the least popular RSPS revision?

It's been an endless debate over the years.

"718s suck"

"Any revision is better than 718"

"Nobody likes or plays 718 servers"

So on and so forth. But why?

I believe there a few reasons that can explain why this has been an issue and I'll start with the most pressing reason. But first, let's define exactly what revision the 718 era is. 718 is the build number of Runescape (around 2012). It was one of the last few build numbers/revisions right before Evolution of Combat was introduced. It was Runescape 2. My fondest memories of RS existed in this time-period of Runescape's history. So why are 718 RSPS's regarded as a waste of time and pointless to attempt?

1. Little to no development & releases in the category.

There has been very little development in this era. Very few people have the knowledge & patience to deal with the 718 revision. It isn't the all-familiar 317s or lesser builds - it requires a bit more knowledge & understanding especially when working with the 718 clients. 

For the ones who have spent the time developing in this era, it is mostly kept close and not released. There have been 718 releases however they are majorly lacking in many, many areas. Leaving them far from any decent state of development even when purchasing one's work that hasn't been freely released.

2. Lack of tools & resources

Another area in which the 718 categories are lacking and hindering public development & releases is there are very few tools & resources one can use to advance & assist them in the development of their 718 Pre-EoC servers.

This does not mean they are not available - they are out there but a majority of any worth-while tools are kept under wraps and help privately and never released to the public for free. This makes the ones who want to advance and build a highly developed 718 RSPS must write & build their very own tools, which are then kept close and held privately within their own teams. Compare this situation to the lower revision servers in which you can download 100's freely released tools. 

3. Most hosted & playable 718's sucked

The issues outlined above resulted in most 718's that made it to launch were 95% of the time extremely under-developed and lacking enough content (and functional content, at that) to gain any worthwhile traffic & maintain players' interest. 

Over the years this caused a majority of players to just dismiss most higher-revision servers. In the past they were underdeveloped & lacked enough content - at least compared to the other lower-revision servers that existed out there that we're able to boast much more content & functional content.

Why aren't talented developer's interested in 718?

Due to the common belief that 718's are not popular, they assume they cannot generate enough money to make them feel putting the work in; worth it. However, I've seen this to be very far from the truth..

In the last year or two things have changed.

If you frequent the RSPS Toplist's you will notice higher revision servers are appearing at the top of these lists. How? What happen?

The answer is simple - these specific servers have spent years in development and are full of great, functional content. Most of these servers have even - with great success - added the latest OSRS content into these Pre-EoC bases! 

They are highly developed, with every skillfully functional, achievement diaries, 120 skills & capes, countless bosses, tons of minigames - long story short they can now boast not just "as much" content as the lower revision servers but in some cases - even more. 

For the first time in many years these higher revision servers are finally popping up but this time they are actually worth checking out. Not only do you get the great Pre-EoC content but you also are getting OSRS mixed in as well!

One server, in particular, Ely RSPS - loads TWO world maps. The Pre-EoC 2012 version AND the full OSRS map, NPCs, bosses, items & much more. You can truly now get the best of both worlds on this one server. Even while playing on their main, default 718 maps & graphics you can still toggle old item looks, even toggle OSRS graphics such as changing the floors to match OSRS more closely. 

With all this said.

It is really nice to see time put into the development of these 718 servers and get attention and recognition after all these years. While they still do not compare to the "big" lower-revision servers in terms of player count - it does not reflect their development and content they can offer now. While at the same time, I've seen these servers peak at nearly 100 players daily during the summers, and the money they can generate would surprise most people. I believe these types of servers are only just starting to get realized and gain some traction in the players and toplist sites & who knows where they will go as they continue to grow & advance. 

Want to play a 718 RSPS? I'd recommend Ely - check it out below.

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Ely | Graetoriax The Unbroken | The Famous