RuneScape Forums

Hi and welcome to a Suggestions thread on Skills Assistance.

It has suggestions on about the Assist System and forums.
You don�t have to agree or disagree on all my points.

Most important points are:

- Making a way to check your �timer" by yourself
- Being able to move around, and having a more transparent Assist System interface while assisting would help.

These 2 points could be easily implemented in-game.

Table of Contents:

~ Page 1
Post 1: Introduction, Table of Contents, Announcements and Notes
Post 2: Suggestion - Skills Assistance, Main points and My opinions - Short version
Post 3: Assist System
Post 4: Specific time - Analysis
Post 5: Movement and Assist System interface
Post 6: Maxing experience
Post 7: Maxing experience (Continued)
Post 8: Interface - Help
Post 9: Boosts
Post 10: Forums

~ Page 2
Post 11: Summary, Other suggestions and Supporters list

Announcement:

I�m still editing parts of the thread and I�m open to any feedback

Notes:

Analysis has positive and negative aspects combined together

~ 2. ~
Suggestion - Skills Assistance:

- Please check Post 3 and onwards for further details on the suggestions.

Main points:

1 - A way to check your �timer" by yourself
2 - You should be able to move when using the Assist System and Assist System interface able to be moved and made more transparent
3 - Timer and ideas on specific times when assisting
4 - Maxing experience, shouldn�t be changed from 30k per 24 hours from your first experience that gives you experience, but could be improved with my idea of �2 maxes�
5 - Ideas about an Assist System interface with help and links to rs manual
6 - Ideas about boosts when using the Assist System
7 - Sticky with a directory for skills assistance in forums

My opinions - Short version:

1 - This would make it much easier, as you wouldn�t need someone else
2 - Being able to move and the interface being able to be more transparent while assisting would help
3 - The timer is working fine and some ideas on the timer. How the Assist System works on specific times when assisting is fine, but my points could be considered.
4 - 30k per 24 hours is a good system and my ideas on 2 maxes could be considered to accommodate Ancient Effigies
5 - Helpful for players who haven�t used the Assist System before and ideas could raise more awareness with the Assist System
6 - Could make it easier to boost while assisting and ideas would be a useful addition
7 - Would be very useful to people requesting and offering help when using forums

~ 3. ~
Assist System:

An easier way to check your �timer" by yourself so you know when to assist again after 24 hours, instead of having to right click �Req Assist� off someone to check your �timer�. The �timer� being when you assist again to get experience from your first assist that gave you experience. As the �timer� only starts when you do an assist that gives you experience and any assist that doesn�t give you experience, such as checking your timer doesn�t start it.

The easiest way to improve would be when you �Req Assist� off someone to check your �timer� but don�t give them experience. You could have an option to start the �timer� from that check.

The best idea would be a way for you to check your �timer� yourself and a button would be located by accept aid or in worn equipment or so. When you check the �timer� yourself it would display the time till you can assist again.

Knowing what item the other player wants to be assisted in would be helpful and this can be done by being able to see their inventory, so you know whether they can be assisted in it or not. Also you can direct them to the item and try to help them out. Furthermore, when the other player wants your assistance, the item would be highlighted so you know it�s the correct one.

Dungeoneering

It could show the skills list, as it does on the Ring of kinship > Party details interface, but filtered to show only the skills that can be assisted in when getting assisted.

Effigies - Issue:

Effigies for rc are maxing players who are giving 2x nat assistance in an unintended way. Also this would apply to other clans/organisations giving assistance in runes. As players giving the assistance aren�t able to view the inventory of the person they are giving assistance to and thus, they can�t check for effigies. So being able to check their inventory and 2 maxes are my solution to it.

~ 4. ~
Specific time - Analysis:

Sometimes you would like to assist at a specific time, but you can�t get experience to start your �timer� easily. So maybe have an option to start your timer at a specific time, just how the reset works for the D&D (Distractions and Diversions) - Penguins, but this may have issues through people swarming and being able to assist at specific times. But this is a better decision, I think then how the D&D - Familiarisation, works as for Penguins if you miss out on the reset time you can do it again next week at that reset time instead of the later time. The Assist System timer in my opinion currently works like the D&D - Familiarisation, as it resets at a certain time but you have to enter an obelisk to start your timer and this can be hard at times. Also since if you don�t get experience from your first assist when you last maxed, the time for when you max will be later on and you�d prefer the time for when you max to be now rather then later, so it compares to Familiarisation.

~ 5. ~
Movement and Assist System interface:

Being able to move around a bit while giving an assist would be helpful and also not losing the assistance you�re giving out. In addition, the interface being able to be moved away or being more transparent so you can see players around you. The movement area could be limited to a 3x3 box between you and the player you are giving your skills assistance to.

Example:

When I was helping craft 2x nats in ffdn (Fast free double nats), it would have been more helpful if we could see the players as people sometimes cut into the lines. You could add them to track their dot, but having an interface that can be moved or is more transparent would be easier. Also that you can move, so if you accidentally click outside the interface you will still be assisting them.

~ 6. ~
Maxing experience:

After the Ancient Effigies update, you often can�t help players with skills assistance at times when you�ve maxed from that "easy experience". So I suggest another experience cap at 10k - 30k for skills assistance using the Assist System that doesn�t involve effigies. I would recommend the cap to be 10k - 15k experience. A way to manage this would be through a button in the place I listed in the �Assist System� heading. Where you could toggle it and find out the experience from skills assistance. The reason for 2 maxes is if you max from Ancient Effigies, you can't assist normally with other skills assistance using the Assist System if people need help. Also you usually get more experience from level 91 requirements in skills then at level 50, so people are more likely to assist with skills requiring 91, and as a result, people needing level 50 can't get an assist.

Maxing experience - Analysis:

The experience max currently is fine as you don�t want to be giving out too much free experience through Ancient Effigies. It�s a good update that rewards people for helping and also if you have good skills. But my idea in �Maxing experience� with 2 maxes could manage Ancient Effigies, as people getting experience from the Assist System before the D&D could keep doing it and have experience left over to help with skills assistance.

~ 7. ~
Maxing experience (Continued):

Notes:

Also being able to still assist with Ancient Effigies but get no experience would be nice, as you feel bad about not assisting people but it goes against the idea of the D&D. Ancient Effigies rewards people with good skills and helping, but it is faster experience then using the Assist System when giving skills assistance. So there is a slight imbalance, as you can get experience faster from Ancient Effigies then using the Assist System normally for skills assistance.

Rewarding people for using the Assist System for helping with extra experience or a reward would negate some of the imbalance caused by Ancient Effigies. The extra experience or reward would depend if it was a one off or sustained assist when using Assist System. A one off assist would be one lasting 1 experience to 15k experience and not exiting the Assist System and had different or the same aspects of the skill used. Also the one off assist would last for 1 second to 1 hour. A one off assist could get extra experience or a reward, then if it was sustained assist since it is a shorter assist and generally unique. A sustained assist would be for 15k - 30k experience, and not exiting the Assist System or exiting it at times and having the same aspect of the skill being used.

Having 2 maxes may be more confusing, but would mean you can help people with the Assist System before the Ancient Effigies update. This would give you an incentive to help out with skills assistance, examples: using Assist System with skills assistance and 2x nats in ffdn.

~ 8. ~
Interface - Help:

The Assist System interface could have links to the rs manual on �Assist System� and �Boosts� you can use, as quite a few people don�t know what skills you can be assisted in and what boosts you can use. This could be done through the Advisor system or a toggle feature in the Assist System. Also hints that you can give boosts to the person you are receiving the skills assistance off, as some are unaware of that too. Boosts could be shown in a way like how the ge gives pre-purchase advice on items and the interface could show how many levels the boost could give and if you could use it. But it may be infrequently used as some are aware of the Assist System and boosts already.

~ 9. ~
Boosts:

If you have boosted a skill and then it decreases before you are able to give the assist, it can be annoying since you have to boost again. This could be improved if you are using the Assist System and have right clicked �Req Assist� that you can boost after that and it�d tell the other player the level you have boosted to. In addition, it could tell you how many �ticks� before your boost wore off, so you did*�t use it prematurely. Also the boost could be made to only last long enough for 1 assist. Alternatively, the assist could be made slower so it takes 1 - 2 minutes but you only need 1 boost and it�s guaranteed, and also the �ticks� won�t need to be revealed .

Notes:

It may seem unfair since you can keep your stats boosted, but it makes it easier if you�re giving skills assistance. It may affect the rs economy, as you wouldn�t need to buy as many boosts.

~ 10. ~
Forums:

A sticky with a directory for forum threads offering skills assistance, which are associated with Skills and D&D - Ancient Effigies. It would be directory with skills assisting clans/organizations and their cc's (Clan Chats).

Notes:

I already have a small version of a directory on my main threads and also have considered doing that, as I could manage it. But I feel I could be little biased since I currently run a thread on skills assistance and helping with assistance.