RuneScape dumps Java for HTML5

http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57580221-93/its-about-time-runescape-dumps-java-for-html5/

by paulschlacter • 13 years ago

34 10 13 years ago

news.cnet.com

TazeTSchnitzel• 13 years ago

Wow, this is huge! A well-known 3D MMORPG switching to WebGL and WebSocket!

(Here's hoping we'll eventually see WoW?)

mdm_• 13 years ago

> Versions of Minecraft are available for iOS and Android, indicating that its developers can see beyond Java.

Wouldn't the Android version be written in Java?

weavejester2• 13 years ago

According to Wikipedia, it's actually written in C++. However, I suspect that the author is merely right by coincidence, as he goes on to claim "Java and Flash don't work on Android".

weavejester2• 13 years ago

While the RuneScape news is interesting, the author of the piece clearly doesn't understand the subject matter. Perhaps it would have been better to link to the RuneScape news directly?

reefab• 13 years ago

The article has indeed some fairly cringe worthy parts:

"Developers were keen to talk about new graphics possibilities with Web programming such as richer color and "extra draw distance" so players can see farther away from their character's local environment."

Web programming: more colors than Java.

tyilo• 13 years ago

Jagex, the creator of RuneScape, have said themselves that the HTML5 version would have more colors. I have no idea why they said this.

daxelrod• 13 years ago

While it's clear the author didn't understand the subject, it looks like that claim comes directly from Runescape.

It sounds like their new engine has better graphics, and, for whatever reason, they're attributing this to HTML5.

In the video[1] embedded on the page[2] linked from the article, Runescape devs claim:

  > The technology behind HTML 5 has allowed us to really push the boundaries.
  > You can see the engine at work when we compare Runescape to Runescape 3.
  > Here we can see Canafis. In current Runescape the fog is pulled way in
  > you can't see what's in the distance,
  > you have to rely on that little signpost in the front.
  > In HTML 5 the signpost is still there but you can also see the town,
  > this is there to guide you it just looks much more beautiful.
  > With all that extra draw distance we can now do proper skies and weather effects.
  ...
  > You can also see the colour palette at work here which really helps to brighten
  > the place up.
  > So here we are just outside Falador, we have duller colours the greens and browns 
  > that's all we really have in variation,
  > this is the same area in HTML 5 and you can see that variety just come to life.
  > We've yellows and greens, blues are deeper. We have the whites we have the sun
  > shining off those whites to really brighten them up.

[1]: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v... [2]: http://services.runescape.com/m=news/behind-the-scenes-video...

ronmac• 13 years ago

Funny. Not long ago I read about a couple big game makers giving up on HTML 5 because it was too hard and too costly.

cromwellian• 13 years ago

They could port their existing codebase over using GWT like we did with GwtQuake :)

smrtinsert• 13 years ago

Is the author is worried about security, he should check consider uninstalling his browsers as well.

RuneScape dumps Java for HTML5

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