Exploration Development

Exploration - Overview Exploration is a community-proposed skill for Old School RuneScape.  Exploration is a way for new content to be added to the game in a way that fits with current content and doesn’t introduce game-breaking content.  It contains mechanics that are already in place in Old School RuneScape, such as instanced encounters, coordinate systems, anagrams and riddles, and hot n’ cold features.  Using existing content to interface with new content would produce a new skill that features content that the community has been hoping for since the beginning of Old School Runescape. How it works -  Dispersed throughout Gielinor, Explorer NPCs are searching for adventurers to explore new lands, gather materials, and take on monsters.  Exploration contracts are obtained and completed similarly to Slayer tasks. Once an Exploration contract has been completed, the player will receive reward points that can be exchanged for items and perks that will help with future exploration contra

Exploration - Seafaring Seafaring is possibly the most exciting, game changing feature of the Exploration skill.  Sailing through the seas of  Gielinor  has fascinated the community for years, and the functionality of it has always been perplexing. Proposed here is a means of introducing sailing in a meaningful way, along with propositions on how the mechanics of Sailing could work and affect gameplay. How it works -  When the player receives a Seafaring contract, they will be required to visit any port and travel to the Player Owned Ship port.  Upon boarding their ship, the player model is depicted in their ship at the wheel. There is a UI containing commands that direct the player's crew.  As the player's Exploration level advances, there are several tiers of ship that the player can own, which can all be upgraded, similarly to upgrading the player's armor.  As the player explores the Seas, there will be encounters that occur, either on the Seas themselves, or on Islands

Exploration - Pathfinding Part of what makes Old School Runescape so special is the vast, open world.  Players can quite literally go attempt anything, at any point.  Exploring the massive continents with instanced encounters like temple trekking would give a whole new level of freedom to players, both new and old.  How it works -  When the player receives a Pathfinding Contract, they will be required to locate the "Contract Location" In general, this will be an NPC, a flag, or a set of footprints that must be tracked.  Upon reaching this marker, the player must select the option to start the instances, after which the player will enter a series of encounters similar to Temple Trekking. These instances will involve combat, skill challenges, and side paths that will reward more loot and larger amounts of XP. Skill Challenges -  In order to pass into the next section of the instance, the player will be required to complete challenges. Often times the entrance to the next sectio

Exploration - Spelunking Exploring Caves in Old School Runescape has been a part of the game from the beginning.  When a young player enters a cave for the first time, there is such a sense of wonder and excitement and they discover the secrets that lie beneath the surface of  Gielinor .  The addition of Dungeoneering in Pre-EoC was one of the best additions to the game, but it wouldn't fit into OSRS.  The addition of Exploration would give the ability to have Spelunking in the game in a meaningful way.  Dungeon Crawling in instanced, randomly generated caves and dungeons would bring a new air of discovery to the game, even for veteran players. How it works -  When the player receives a Spelunking Contract, they are charged with discovering the entrance to the cave. In certain cases, it may be an instanced addition to an existing cave system, and in others it might be a cave that must be uncovered with a spade.  In any case, the entrance to the cave would be an instanced location,

Exploration - New Content Exploration opens the way for any new content to be added to OSRS in a way that not only fits with the lore of the current game, but also in a way that is meaningful to the player.  If a new continent is going to be added to the game, rather than making it appear out of the void, the player can be given the opportunity to Explore the world of  Gielinor  and find it on their own, making the world seem more vibrant and lifelike.   Introduction to Exploration -  Exploration cannot simply be thrown into the game without cause, of course.  The player would need to be shown how the skill works before they can be set loose. This is the same principal as the introductory Slayer tasks: the player is given easy tasks, but they are not rewarded slayer points for these introductory tasks.  As such, Exploration would need an introduction.   Questing -  Currently, there is no way for the player to return to tutorial island.  it ism however, remembered fondly by most players

Exploration - Summary     When the Old School Runescape team at Jagex proposed the new skill Warding, the community turned it down, even after the skill was revised and tweaked many times.  The main goal behind Warding was to bring a meaning to how certain items make their way into existence.  This idea was not pushed far enough:  how do players discover new items, entities, and even new continents? Exploration adds a way for all these and more.     The community felt that warding didn't fit in with the current content of OSRS, and as such, it was rejected.  Exploration, however, not only adds new content and explains how certain items are obtained, but does so in such a way that fits with how the game is currently played.                  Exploration contains mechanics that already exist in the game, making the playability very similar to how it already is.      The idea behind obtaining Exploration contracts is very similar to obtaining Slayer tasks. This is a feature that many m