RuneScape, the iconic award-winning online adventure game, has received the most important update in its 15-year history with the launch of NXT, an all-new proprietary visual engine and game client, Jagex Games Studio announced today.
In development for over two years at Jagex, NXT delivers a total graphical overhaul and myriad technical improvements for RuneScape‘s ever-growing band of players. To experience this stunning new version of gameplay in Gielinor, players can download the NXT client right now and sign in with their RuneScape account information. Gamers can also see the new NXT-powered world in a brand new trailer.
Having welcomed over 245 million adventurers to the game world, the arrival of NXT is a landmark evolution for RuneScape as it celebrates its 15th anniversary. NXT provides the opportunity to adventure through a new lens, with the game’s rich environments rendered with massively extended draw distances, up to four times greater than before, along with all-new water effects, complete with real-time reflection and refraction, full dynamic lighting and shadow casting.
However, NXT is more than just an impressive graphical overhaul; its release marks a significant milestone that transitions the game from a legacy Java-based title to a modern, future-proof MMO. The arrival of NXT is just the start of a process to further enhance the game’s visuals; continuing NXT development will also see the introduction of normal maps, higher-resolution textures, volumetric lighting and an improved animation system.
“The new NXT game client is another big step forward for RuneScape,” said Phil Mansell, Vice President of RuneScape at Jagex Games Studio. “The development team has done a fantastic job engineering a new client that brings significant improvements to visuals while also making it run much faster. It’s been a few years in the making but has been well worth it, as NXT isn’t just a one-off upgrade, it also enables even more new features for the future. Current players have already got a taste of what NXT offers in recent closed beta tests and its full release is a great reason for former players to check out what’s new in RuneScape.”
NXT Key Features:
- ● Massively extended draw distance, up to four times compared to Java client
- ● Fully dynamic lighting and shadow casting over RuneScape’s vast world
- ● Real-time reflection, refraction and ambient occlusion in all environments
- ● Atmospherics augmented with physically correct light scattering
- ● Improved performance across an even broader set of PCs from across the past 12 years
- ● Built-in support for DirectX12, meaning better future proofing
- ● Support for wide range of operating systems, including Windows XP to Windows 10, OSX 10.7+, and Ubuntu 14.04+
XT Client: http://www.runescape.com/download
Launch Trailer:
New Screenshots:
