17 replies to this topic

[H]

Welcome to the November & December 2-in-1 edition of the Alora Times! I apologize for not posting a newspaper last month, I hope this one makes up for it!

Very big two months have passed us by with with the release of Leagues which has come to an end, and of course Alora's 8th anniversary, during which we reached a peak player count of 1,351! We hope you enjoyed all the events that we hosted for you. A few weeks ago I asked you for some questions that I can ask Omicron, which I'll be including in the interview section, so I hope you'll enjoy that too.

    

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Bonus Schedule For December

 

December Vote Competition [December 1st - December 21st]

 

Leagues 4.0 is LIVE! + Araxxor, Halloween Event & more!

 

Birthday Event, Veteran Reward, Smith’ers Pet & more!

 

Leagues 4.0 Winners, Extension & Shop Prices, + Bug Fixes / QoL

 

Development Blog #19: Moons of Peril, Mastering Mixology, Mobile Updates

 

If you want to check out our past updates, click here.

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None this month!

 

 

Alora's Official Rules can be found here.

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The latest Staff Changes are as follows:

 

Promotions:

None this month!

 

Secondary ranks:

None this month!

 

Resignations:

None this month!

 

Demotions:

None this month!

 

To see our past Staff Updates, click here.

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This month we have a long awaited interview from Omicron. Enjoy the read!

 

held397: will the new herblore minigame and the new pots be coming to alora?

Omicron: While we don’t have an exact release date, development for these updates is pretty much finished, so it won’t be too long!

 

Linkki: When will you add cooking npc?

Omicron: What does cooking mean to you? Do you cook to enhance flavor? To make food safe for consumption? Do you do it for the artistry? These are some important questions to ask yourself when considering the cooking npc dilemma, and you will soon realize why this question has no easy answer.

 

Orangepike: Besides the obvious financial aspects, what are the most rewarding parts of being an RSPS owner?

Omicron: Back in 2008 when I created my first RSPS (which was very rudimentary, mind you — think CheezScape/Moparscape) I really just wanted to modify the world of RS that I had already loved so much, but envisioned slightly differently. I soon had the idea to share this with a few friends, and once I realized that they were also enjoying the game, there was something addictive about being able to create something that others could also appreciate. I also now feel that having built a community that many view as a second home has been deeply rewarding, and it also imbues a sense of responsibility in me to do my best to preserve it.

 

L ucas: Why Java?

Omicron: Simply because the RuneScape game client has (almost) always been written in Java, which was helpful because it isn’t awfully difficult to reverse engineer compared to other programming languages (eg. OSRS’s new C++ client)

 

Folivora: Since the server is almost 8 years old, alot of players have come and go. Do you know how many players from 2016 are still playing to this day? Thanks for this amazing server !

Omicron: I looked it up for you: there are 4,627 players that created their accounts in our first year and managed to log in within the past year. If we include players who registered within the first two years, that number is just about double. Thanks for being a part of Alora!

 

Stay broke: Are there any potential plans to try and populate the PK scene of alora? I understand its mostly down to the players choosing to enter the wild but maybe an actual bounty hunter arena like osrs?

Omicron: Transparently, we have not put as much thought into reviving the PK scenes as we have into improving other areas of the game, but we are not closed off to it. We are always looking at suggestions to see where we can improve, so please do share your suggestions (in the correct forum section).

 

Gym Leader: We seem to lag behind OSRS content updates, understandably so with a smaller dev team however, has there been any consideration to adding a dev to help streamline the 1:1 content with OSRS we strive for here? Thank you!

Omicron: While we do not currently have plans to add a full-time dev (unless @Moe learns Java soon), we recognize that we have been lagging behind on content and do have plans to stick to streamline our development processes to ensure that content gets out in a timely manner, and we also are planning to offload certain tasks to other devs where we can on future projects as we’ve done a few times in the past (mobile, RuneLite, and another project we have underway have all had help from other devs to speed things up).

 

Fe Santa: Does Alora live up to the expectations you had when it started?

Omicron: It has far exceeded the expectations that I initially had. RSPS come and go, and I don’t think there really is another server that has had such a consistent and dedicated community for as long as we have. In many ways, I think we’ve set the standard for how stable and healthy an RSPS can be after many years.

 

Fe Santa: What were some of the biggest obstacles you encountered during development, and how did you overcome them?

Omicron: As some of you know, Alora is unique in the sense that our client is based on the HD client from 2008 RS (Revision 530) which has created some obstacles in adapting and giving players what they’ve come to expect from OSRS / RSPS (for example RuneLite). However, by far our most time-consuming and difficult project was mobile, which required us to invest a tremendous amount of time in learning new technologies to pull it off.

 

Fe Santa: Current opinions on Sailing in OSRS have a blend of excitement for new adventures and caution about potential impacts on game dynamics and tradition. What are your thoughts on the upcoming new OSRS skill?

Omicron: My personal opinion is that Sailing doesn’t naturally fit the theme or mechanics of OSRS all that well, and it will be difficult for both OSRS and ourselves to pull off. However, we will likely be implementing it into the game unless there is a huge negative reception.

 

HoldinAP: have you ever thought that you will have mobile going, when OSRS did announcement?

Omicron: We definitely did not consider this to be an option, and we regularly told players that requested it that it is unlikely to happen. In the past 2-3 years, certain newly released browser features made it viable for us to pursue mobile via a web-based app, so we decided to go for it.

 

Radagon: With the news of jagex potentially releasing their own version of private servers, how do you intend to keep people interested in Alora?

Omicron: While I think it’s a step in the right direction, and will likely be its own niche, I don’t think that it will overtake RSPS. They’ve announced that it will have many toggles to modify gameplay, but it is unlikely to ever have the same level of customization that RSPS does. From my perspective, it seems like it is well-suited for large YouTubers that can pay to host a fun custom world and have their fanbase join, but without the ability to edit maps, interfaces, and items or to be able to write custom code, it simply cannot provide the same experience as RSPS, and it is unlikely that they would release these tools or provide access to the codebase. I think there is space for both RSPS and Project Zanaris to both exist.

 

Radagon: If Alora were to shutdown for whatever reason, how much notice would you provide the player base?

Omicron: As much as we possibly can. With that being said, we plan to be around for the long haul, and we have proven this by being around for 8 years already with no resets, providing a consistent, long-term experience similar to OSRS.

 

Radagon: Has there ever been a suggestion that you wanted to implement but didn't? If so, what was it and why?

Omicron: Absolutely, that would be the cooking NPC. In all seriousness though, I try not to get too attached to a certain outcome — we have always tried to shape our updates around players’ suggestions, and we strongly believe that is one of the major contributors to our long-term success. It’s ultimately up to the people who play the game to guide how updates should look.

 

Radagon: When a suggestion is receiving an equal amount of support for and against it, how do you determine if you're going to implement it or not?

Omicron: In these cases, we will often discuss it within the staff team to come to a final consensus. We may make an executive decision to not go through with an update if we can foresee any major negative impact on the game.

 

Radagon: How feasible would it be to bring a third developer on board to shorten time between updates?

Omicron: While we do occasionally bring on board other developers for certain projects (eg. RuneLite, Mobile) by providing them with limited access to parts of code that they need to assist us, we do not currently have plans to bring on a third developer. Unfortunately, we are hesitant to share the codebase with other developers in the RSPS scene as almost every other major server has been leaked in the past by rogue developers. In our eyes, it isn’t worth the risk, although we do have plans to shorten the time between updates this year nonetheless.

 

Variant: It looks like jagex is slowly moving to remove runelite as an option to play osrs, and we know that when runelite is down for osrs it's down for alora. when jagex officially removes runelite as an option and we lose it for us, how do you plan to update the main client if jagex is most likely going to close source a lot of information?

Omicron: If and when RuneLite is deprecated, we will still be able to provide it for Alora as we maintain our own custom version of RuneLite anyway. As for closed-sourcing their main client, that will pose some challenges but we will still be able to keep up to date with a bit more effort.

 

Phosani: How has Alora changed your life in the 8 years that you've been behind the wheel?

Omicron: Although many may not know this, I dropped out of university a month after Alora launched. The initial response far exceeded my expectations, and I realized that I simply couldn’t juggle both my studies and Alora, and ultimately decided to fully focus on Alora. My reasoning was that I could always go back to school, but Alora was not something I could drop and pick back up. So, that would be one large change, and I feel that I absolutely made the right decision. Ironically, I feel that I’ve probably learned more while running Alora (simply out of necessity) than I had in university.

 

Phosani: How has life in general treated you lately? Anything interesting happen, or planned for the future? Any notable events or IRL achievements you're proud of, or willing to share with us?

Omicron: Overall, it’s been quite good. Trying to be more active since I can be trapped in the coding dungeon for too long sometimes, so I’ve been going out for hikes with my dog and have taken up activities such as bouldering. Have some plans to see family over the holidays, but otherwise nothing major to mention.

 

Phosani: Do you miss being able to play OSRS/Alora/RSPS, or do you more prefer the behind the scenes work?

Omicron: RS in general has definitely become more associated with work for me than before, but I can still find enjoyment in it. While I don’t play OSRS anymore, I’ll still get on Alora sometimes on undercover accounts, especially when we release new leagues, game modes, etc, it’s always fun to join the masses in the initial excitement of those releases. I also find it comical that the players I’m interacting with have no idea that they’re speaking to me.

 

Phosani: Following up on the Project Zanaris questions, if/when released, if the population of Alora were to die out considerably, would you ever consider hosting your own official Jagex server/world? And if yes, would you aim to give it the Alora feel as we all know, or start fresh and try to make something completely new?

Omicron: I would consider it, but I will also do everything in my power to ensure that Alora holds steady and can weather the storm. Of course, if we pursued hosting our own PZ world, I would want it to maintain the same feel that Alora has.

 

Phosani: What is your favorite piece of content, whether it be leagues, Varlamore, etc, that you've ever worked on?

Omicron: It’s difficult to choose a single piece of content, but I think that the updates that I end up being able to partake in without having to grind and take away from dev time (eg. Leagues, Last Man Standing) are quite fun to work on. Chambers of Xeric was also exciting because at the time, we were the first RSPS to release it and the only ones who had it for at least a year, so it was a piece of content that I was proud to have on Alora.

 

Phosani: What's one of your favorite memories of Alora?

Omicron: Where do I even begin? I remember feeling an overwhelming sense of community when COVID first hit in 2020. It seemed like everyone had nothing else to do and we all congregated on Alora, so that was a fun time. It was also the year of riots on Alora (see: https://www.alora.io...-we-go-again/).Otherwise, I would say some of the connections formed, especially with @Lowkey, who is still my son even though he’s flown the coop. We’ve even met up a couple of times IRL (with some other OG players from Alora) and I’ve got some great memories of those times.

 

Blisziful: When were you first introduced to RuneScape? What is something that you have always loved about the game? What made you decide to open your own RSPS?

Omicron: I found RuneScape on MiniClip in late 2005, and I still have an email of my first membership that I somehow convinced my dad to pay for in 2006. I remember playing with a few of my friends and everyone having a role — one was our fisher, another would cook the fish, and then a few of us would go into the wilderness with a different combat style (I was the mage). I will not mention our KDR here. As for deciding to open up my own RSPS, see my other detailed answer to a similar question above.

 

IamRoro: First off, thanks for the great content! As an early career developer, is there anyway to join in on the development of Alora? Currently a junior Comp Sci student.

Omicron: Thanks for your interest in helping out with development! We don’t currently have any plans to hire another developer, however we wish you the best in your studies.

 

Scorn: Development blogs - It's fair to say these keep the community aware of what's going on behind the scenes and builds excitement but also anticipation of how soon an update is to being completed. The last one was in May! Is it possible to get these more frequently?

Omicron: We are working on improving this aspect of Alora and being more transparent with dev blogs / roadmaps in the future.

 

Ruwk: Do you have a set sleep schedule? If not, what time do you typically go to sleep?

Omicron: Usually around midnight, but admittedly if I am grinding out some content I can go far beyond that when I’m in the zone.

 

Ruwk: How many hours a week do you work on Alora?

Omicron: [video]

 

Ruwk: Are you happy with the work/life balance you have?

Omicron: It fluctuates, but I’m quite content with where it is at the moment.

 

Ruwk: Where would you say your programming & game dev knowledge was at when you released Alora compared to now?

Omicron: I’d like to think I was pretty competent when Alora released, but I did have to learn certain things outside of what I needed to know to work on game updates. For example, brushing up on web development, linux administration, web security, marketing, etc.

 

Ruwk: How do you keep motivation to develop Alora and not fall into a routine of playing it too much? Do you ever have a desire to just play the game and grind out goals?

Omicron: Unfortunately I don’t play quite as much any more as there are always updates that I could be working on instead, but I try to find some balance in my life so as not to overdo it. There have been times when I went a bit too far (eg. When we first released mobile) and burned myself out to the point where I didn’t want to stare at a computer for a few weeks afterwards.

 

Ruwk: Do you still enjoy working on Alora as much as you did when you first started it? How have your feelings towards it changed since the beginning?

Omicron: Absolutely. If anything, it’s become even more rewarding over time as I’ve become more connected with the community and feel the appreciation that comes after an update, or even seeing new players deeply enjoying the game. With that being said, working on Alora was still much easier prior to the server releasing. I remember it being more fun because there weren’t any deadlines or expectations — only me working on what I thought would be fun to work on that day.

 

Dad: What is something difficult to navigate when hosting a RS Private Server that most people don't understand?

Omicron: Firstly, there are many different aspects to it. Content development, bug fixes, advertisement, team management, web security, DDoS protection, player support, etc. However, the most difficult component is simply how difficult it is to keep things fresh all the time, so although I think we’ve done a pretty good job after 8 years, I recognize (from watching other servers) that this is not always the case.

 

Dad: How do you keep accepted suggestions organized? Do you keep an organized sprint roadmap for each update?

Omicron: We do have a general roadmap (internal) broken down into major/minor updates that we are working on, listed by priority.

 

H: Our last game mode release was nearly 2.5 years ago, what are your opinions on HCUIM, and even other modes that could be made official on alora such as bronzeman mode, region locked mode, and so on?

Omicron: We are wary of adding too many game modes, as we don’t want to saturate the selection interface and overcomplicate things. We could potentially add HCUIM (Why isn’t it UHCIM, anyway?) if that is something that players want.

 

Anonymous: Has there ever been any content that was an absolute nightmare to release on Alora, e.g perhaps not enough knowledge about content, or lack of experience?

Omicron: Complex updates (eg. Tombs of Amascut) can be tricky for us to replicate due to the difficulty in staying alive to properly debug on OSRS, but thankfully we often have players who are willing to help us by lending accounts or debugging mechanics.

 

Anonymous: Have you played a secret account recently or at all?

Omicron: It wouldn’t be a secret if you knew, would it? However, I might just be on your friends list without you knowing.

 

Anonymous: Anything you would like to improve on, on Alora? Such as handling certain aspects like bug reports or suggestions, interacting with the community more, etc?

Omicron: Three that come to mind: being more transparent with the community about roadmaps (& dev blogs), more frequent Leagues events, and more community interaction. I’d also like to potentially squeeze in some IRL merch somehow, I am exploring the idea of shipping out something Alora related in our next event.

 

H: Any final words?

Omicron: Answering all these questions definitely took me back down memory lane and made me feel all the more appreciative for this journey we’ve been on since November 2016. Thank you all for your questions & for reminding me about some of the great memories we’ve had on Alora — looking forward to creating a whole lot more with you!

 

Disclaimer:
If you'd like to be interviewed or see a particular member of the Alora community interviewed and/or particular question answered, make sure to message H on forums.

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Here we honour our fallen comrades from the last month and there were a few of them! We wish them the best on their new Ironman journeys and better luck next time!

 

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Stay up to date with some of our community members' recent Goals & Achievements: 

 

Krest

Realest Grind

 

Bombarda

Cox Log / Twisted bow hunt

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Disclaimer:

Make a topic in our Goals and Achievements section or send your achievement in the #newspaper_submissions channel in Alora Discord to be featured here!

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The winners of October & November MOTM's are...

SCIM TAMBER & Maliketh !

 

Congratulations! You have stood out in the eyes of the Alora community. Thank you for being great members here on Alora and enjoy your rewards. :)

The link to the Member of the Month thread can be found here.

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Make sure to check out our streamers and video makers. They would love to have you keep them company during their streams and check out the content they create for Alora!

 

sandesus tv https://www.youtube....cVdXYRlJhLv1tHQ

jipy https://www.youtube....q8J9BMj_0eI1yaA

dragnovith https://www.youtube....wfSvaUJ46X0O26Q

ents v1 https://www.youtube....JUMSWnToW8RUH8Q

galeschui https://www.youtube....zZj7YvPvbamWDwg

i stylo https://www.youtube....Gy1sNT44br8v4uA

Fpk Scratch https://www.youtube....I3dxp8NAT_YBIkQ

UncleNaps https://www.youtube....UGFJz7zslWax9QQ

casa https://www.youtube....xyxU--uIM8SSRkQ

am klka https://www.youtube....abjXMLbzX9xUaPQ

Walkchaos https://www.youtube....QehS6ALll4nl3OA

Plank or Not https://www.youtube....ghbd-w-WH8TSuDQ

DIY Sip https://www.youtube....lg-KQrjtCXpmozA

fresh lano https://www.youtube....J2e_c5MNJBN0uiw

Firegirl1191 https://kick.com/hazyherblette

smnd https://kick.com/smndrs

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If you enjoy Alora content, make sure to hit the Subscribe button on their channels to show them your support!
 

If I've missed anyone I do apologize, just message me on the forums or on Discord with a link to your channel and I will add you in.

That concludes this month’s edition of the Alora Newspaper! If you would like to see something added to the paper make sure to message H!

You can read the previous edition by clicking here.

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[pker rsps]

much love alora

[BaggedNBougi]

@Omicron thank you for hosting such an awesome server and the staff for helping run it!

[Selenagomez]

good read, omicron pls go back and answer my question tho kthnx, would like to know how dry i am for a tbow

[Scorn]

The Q & A was a great read! Love the bit about the cooking npc XD

[Slay Ride]

I’ve been looking forward to Omicron's Q&A, and it’s finally here! I appreciate you taking the time to answer my questions and those from other players. I’ve always been curious to know whether you play your own game or not, and it’s awesome to know that you do. It must be super helpful for you to experience the game like a player does, plus it helps you connect with the community, even if you’re doing it under the radar.

 

Variant is cruising with his GIM. At the speed he’s going, he’ll smash that 4.6B XP milestone in no time. And gz to Kotka on maxing out realism!

 

Appreciate the great Friday evening read, H.

[strudelle]

that was a great read, but i wish @Omicron would had took the time to answer about eternal rank.

[Ruwk]

Amazing newspaper this time! Thank you @Omicrom for giving such detailed answered to all of the questions!

[Gim no mo]

when omicron answers my questions about when toa back :==)

[18]

Was a great read, especially the Q & A.

[Variant]

interesting read, thanks for this

[Kareem Sqr]

Thanks @H another great edition!
Great interview @Omicron

[mochiii]

Shoutout Cooking npc @Omicron, release soontm

[Moe]

Some great questions n replies from our dad. Great work H, and looks like I'm gonna be learning Java!

[GIM Chesh]

That was a great read. Good work to all

[A UIM]

Great questions and replies, nice to get more background info :)

[UpChurch]

Awesome read! nice reading answers from @Omicron.

[Sagacious]

Interesting read! Cooking npc soontm...

 

Thanks @H for putting this together & @Omicron for the Q & A. :)