By . Talal Musa . PUBLISHED: . 10:25 EST, 14 May 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 15:53 EST, 14 May 2013 . It is one of the most popular games on the planet - serving an ever-growing community of millions. And with Runescape 3 around the corner, MailOnline talked to CEO of Jagex, Mark Gerhard, about the game, the challenges facing free-to-play games and...owning a tank.What is it about Runescape that has made it so successful? MG: 'It’s because RuneScape is unique! It’s always been easy to jump in: it’s free to get started and runs from your web browser and doesn’t the need any download. 'The gameplay is also different from most other online RPGs – RuneScape is about freedom to do your own thing without restrictions; you can be any type of character you want, you can explore a whole world, you can choose from a wide variety of gameplay from crafting to fighting, from trading to questing – it’s all up to you. It’s also less action intensive than most similar games, which makes it a more relaxing experience that you can take at your own pace.'How has the world of Gielinor been tweaked? Are there new kingdoms and different ways to travel? MG: 'Gielinor has always been evolving in the 12 years of RuneScape’s history. We’ve added new continents, new dungeons and new cities. 'There are also many ways to travel, whether running, using teleport spells, spirit trees, fairy rings or even hot air balloons! Recently we added an easy way to travel called the Lodestone Network, which is ideal for new players to hop between important game locations quickly.' Pretty as a picture: With the updated graphics engine, RuneScape 3 rivals Warcraft's visual fidelity . What inspired monster design in Runescape? MG: 'A huge variety of things really, spanning from world mythology, childhood memories to the colourful corners of our own imaginations. 'Sometimes is great just to ask an artist to explore ideas using a few keywords to get the creative juices flowing, and then build the backstory of the monsters after the creation of the concept art, turning the “normal” process on its head. 'As a company we have a strong background in traditional storytelling so there are always some crazy ideas floating around.' How did you develop / design different spells? MG: 'Spells tend to start with a written design since they are generally very practical and have a strong motive behind their addition to the game. 'We need to think about their cost to cast (mages use rune stones to release magical energy, a bit like mystical batteries) and the amount of damage they do to opponents. RuneScape is an Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (MMORPG). Players travel around the land of Gielinor battling monsters and trading. With more than 200million accounts created, it was recognised by the Guinness Book of Records as the largest MMORPG in the world. 'Mages in RuneScape don’t only deal with big fireballs and lightning bolts in combat though, we have spells for all sorts of things, including baking pies, enchanting magical jewellery and even turning bones into bananas. These spells are often themed to different sorts of spell books too.' Are there many changes to the in-game trading mechanic? MG: 'No. In RuneScape players are free to trade pretty much anything to anyone, and we have a player run grand exchange stock market, where players buy and sell items from humble potatoes to glorious god swords. 'Prices are calculated by actual supply and demand and so can fluctuate depending on the activity of the players at the time.'How have you listened to fans criticisms of the first game? And have the fans steered the development of the game? MG: 'Definitely, we’ve always been community focused and this year we’re really trying to step that up again. 'The story in RuneScape 3 is going to be shaped by players, week by week over the course of this year. 'We’re doing beta tests for the new HTML5 client and the New Interface System because we really want player feedback to guide our development. We’ve also recently run a poll to see which other storyline players want to see continued next – the Dwarf quest series triumphed over Pirates and Gnomes!' Towering heights: This is the largest of the RuneScape games,  boasting new cities and continents . Can we expect to see many changes in combat? MG: 'We released a brand new combat system last year and have been working with our players to polish it ever since. It’s far more exciting and engaging than ever before, rewarding players for tactical decisions and intelligent use of equipment… as well as being really fun! 'RuneScape doesn’t limit players to only ever adopt one combat style, so you can find yourself switching between brutal 2 handed swords, magical staffs, duel wielding crossbows, tower shields, even summon mighty creatures to do your bidding.'Are there any changes in the Grand Exchange? (answered above) How have you rid the game of unbalanced trading and real currency being traded for virtual goods? MG: 'Rather than make modifications to the gameplay to deal with unwanted activity, we have specialised systems that can detect accounts that are real world trading and deal with them according to our rules. '“Fairness” is incredibly important to us and we don’t ignore the problem like other games often do. We actively hunt those who are generating wealth (also known as gold farming) with the intention to sell, and often seek legal solutions to the problem.'How have the graphics been improved? Do you think it can compete visually with the likes of World of Warcraft now? MG: 'RuneScape is definitely one of the best looking browser games out there and we’re competitive with even the big download-based titles out there. 'The new HTML5 client also gives us a great platform to continue building on, further improving the graphics with better visual fidelity and more visual effects.' Open to everyone: Graphics can be scaled up or down depending on your hardware specifications . What does the future of MMOs hold? Do you think it’ll be a ‘survival of the fittest’ – where we see just one or two dominant MMOs ruling online? MG: 'MMOs have definitely been diversifying and it’s not just a genre full of World of Warcraft clones any more. 'There are many more games on offer and Free to Play is becoming the standard. Players have much more choice now, so it’s not enough to have just a decent game anymore – to survive MMOs will need to be have something really interesting and different on offer. 'The most successful games will be those who can managed to both innovate whilst also listening carefully to their communities.' Lastly, is it true that you own a tank? MG: 'Yes, that is true - and you won't believe how little it costs to insure! The MPG isn't great, though.' RunScape 3 is released in the summer. Follow us on Twitter: @DailyMailGames and on Facebook: Daily Mail Games.
More continents, dungeons and cities promised .
Design 'shaped by players' - ensuring the smoothest possible experience .
Uses HTML5 - resulting in substantial improvement in effects and environments .
'MMOs must do something different to stay alive,' says Jagex boss .
By . Talal Musa . PUBLISHED: . 10:25 EST, 14 May 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 15:53 EST, 14 May 2013 . It is one of the most popular games on the planet - serving an ever-growing community of millions. And with Runescape 3 around the corner, MailOnline talked to CEO of Jagex, Mark Gerhard, about the game, the challenges facing free-to-play games and...owning a tank.What is it about Runescape that has made it so successful? MG: 'It’s because RuneScape is unique! It’s always been easy to jump in: it’s free to get started and runs from your web browser and doesn’t the need any download. 'The gameplay is also different from most other online RPGs – RuneScape is about freedom to do your own thing without restrictions; you can be any type of character you want, you can explore a whole world, you can choose from a wide variety of gameplay from crafting to fighting, from trading to questing – it’s all up to you. It’s also less action intensive than most similar games, which makes it a more relaxing experience that you can take at your own pace.'How has the world of Gielinor been tweaked? Are there new kingdoms and different ways to travel? MG: 'Gielinor has always been evolving in the 12 years of RuneScape’s history. We’ve added new continents, new dungeons and new cities. 'There are also many ways to travel, whether running, using teleport spells, spirit trees, fairy rings or even hot air balloons! Recently we added an easy way to travel called the Lodestone Network, which is ideal for new players to hop between important game locations quickly.' Pretty as a picture: With the updated graphics engine, RuneScape 3 rivals Warcraft's visual fidelity . What inspired monster design in Runescape? MG: 'A huge variety of things really, spanning from world mythology, childhood memories to the colourful corners of our own imaginations. 'Sometimes is great just to ask an artist to explore ideas using a few keywords to get the creative juices flowing, and then build the backstory of the monsters after the creation of the concept art, turning the “normal” process on its head. 'As a company we have a strong background in traditional storytelling so there are always some crazy ideas floating around.' How did you develop / design different spells? MG: 'Spells tend to start with a written design since they are generally very practical and have a strong motive behind their addition to the game. 'We need to think about their cost to cast (mages use rune stones to release magical energy, a bit like mystical batteries) and the amount of damage they do to opponents. RuneScape is an Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (MMORPG). Players travel around the land of Gielinor battling monsters and trading. With more than 200million accounts created, it was recognised by the Guinness Book of Records as the largest MMORPG in the world. 'Mages in RuneScape don’t only deal with big fireballs and lightning bolts in combat though, we have spells for all sorts of things, including baking pies, enchanting magical jewellery and even turning bones into bananas. These spells are often themed to different sorts of spell books too.' Are there many changes to the in-game trading mechanic? MG: 'No. In RuneScape players are free to trade pretty much anything to anyone, and we have a player run grand exchange stock market, where players buy and sell items from humble potatoes to glorious god swords. 'Prices are calculated by actual supply and demand and so can fluctuate depending on the activity of the players at the time.'How have you listened to fans criticisms of the first game? And have the fans steered the development of the game? MG: 'Definitely, we’ve always been community focused and this year we’re really trying to step that up again. 'The story in RuneScape 3 is going to be shaped by players, week by week over the course of this year. 'We’re doing beta tests for the new HTML5 client and the New Interface System because we really want player feedback to guide our development. We’ve also recently run a poll to see which other storyline players want to see continued next – the Dwarf quest series triumphed over Pirates and Gnomes!' Towering heights: This is the largest of the RuneScape games,  boasting new cities and continents . Can we expect to see many changes in combat? MG: 'We released a brand new combat system last year and have been working with our players to polish it ever since. It’s far more exciting and engaging than ever before, rewarding players for tactical decisions and intelligent use of equipment… as well as being really fun! 'RuneScape doesn’t limit players to only ever adopt one combat style, so you can find yourself switching between brutal 2 handed swords, magical staffs, duel wielding crossbows, tower shields, even summon mighty creatures to do your bidding.'Are there any changes in the Grand Exchange? (answered above) How have you rid the game of unbalanced trading and real currency being traded for virtual goods? MG: 'Rather than make modifications to the gameplay to deal with unwanted activity, we have specialised systems that can detect accounts that are real world trading and deal with them according to our rules. '“Fairness” is incredibly important to us and we don’t ignore the problem like other games often do. We actively hunt those who are generating wealth (also known as gold farming) with the intention to sell, and often seek legal solutions to the problem.'How have the graphics been improved? Do you think it can compete visually with the likes of World of Warcraft now? MG: 'RuneScape is definitely one of the best looking browser games out there and we’re competitive with even the big download-based titles out there. 'The new HTML5 client also gives us a great platform to continue building on, further improving the graphics with better visual fidelity and more visual effects.' Open to everyone: Graphics can be scaled up or down depending on your hardware specifications . What does the future of MMOs hold? Do you think it’ll be a ‘survival of the fittest’ – where we see just one or two dominant MMOs ruling online? MG: 'MMOs have definitely been diversifying and it’s not just a genre full of World of Warcraft clones any more. 'There are many more games on offer and Free to Play is becoming the standard. Players have much more choice now, so it’s not enough to have just a decent game anymore – to survive MMOs will need to be have something really interesting and different on offer. 'The most successful games will be those who can managed to both innovate whilst also listening carefully to their communities.' Lastly, is it true that you own a tank? MG: 'Yes, that is true - and you won't believe how little it costs to insure! The MPG isn't great, though.' RunScape 3 is released in the summer. Follow us on Twitter: @DailyMailGames and on Facebook: Daily Mail Games.
new dungeons and new cities. 'There are also many shaped by players, week by week over the course new cities and continents . Can we expect to see