Free Trade - February 1st

Well, the wait is over.  Jagex has confirmed that Free Trade will be coming back on February 1st, 2011.  This date did not surprise me, those that expected it to be released on the 17th were unreasonable.  Jagex still has a lot of promotion to do to make this update effective.  This is an attempt to regain market share and essentially snatch previous customers back from industry heavyweights like World of Warcraft.  The question is, will it work?

My answer is yes.  Runescape is a TEN TIMES better game without Trade Limits.  Staking and PKing were at their FINEST in 2007.  The game is so much more dynamic, and the players have a lot more control on the world around them.  I am glad Jagex has finally realized this is what made Runescape so popular in the first place.  There were little communities for every type of activity.  I personally remember hanging out in Fally Park with fellow Party Hat merchants, and I was super content just lounging and snatching the odd good deal available.

Without Trade Limits, Runescape becomes a much more social game!  The players once again call the shots, if we want to pay 1 Billion for a Blue Party Hat, we do it.  If we want to sell 10 Abyssal Whips for cheap, we can.  We aren't bound by these stupid limitations.  And that brings people together.  It feels like we are transacting with people, not a faceless box in the middle of Varrock.  Likewise with PKing.  We kill someone in Free Trade, we get all of their items.  Not some random drop which is calculated by a computer.

So I think everyone should be excited.  For those players who never experienced Free Trade, you are in for a treat.  The gameplay is awesome, the risks are higher, and the rewards are too.  Runescape will truly shine with this update.  I'll definitely be a busy man selling gold on February 1st, I have had a ton of people pre-order for the Free Trade updates (even though I don't actually take pre-orders :P).  Hope to see you all there, hope you're all pumped, this is MAJOR :)