Mystery of the RS Universe-PT1

I was checking out the forums looking for thoughts about the new chat update, among other things. Was going through the RS skills forum. Maybe I just never paid much attention but it seems that there are a lot of people saying "I want 99 in skill X how much of what should I do to get there?" Inevitably they have less then 50 levels in that skill.

I have to laugh for 4 reasons.

1) Sorry....but if you have over 70 in a skill I expect that you are a master at it. A level 70 smith knows how to make bars, what's good to smith, not good to smith etc. A level 70 crafter doesn't ask what's needed to make snakeskin armor. A level 70 agility person doesn't ask for directions to Werewolf Arena. It's probably just a "Jax thing" but it really annoys me when people who have really high levels in a given skill have no idea about all aspects of the skill. I am NOT saying that a level 70 crafter knows all the tricks to fast glass making. But I think it's reasonable that they know it's soda ash plus sand plus furnace plus glass pipe. That kind of thing. Which means on the way to 70 you should be experimenting with your skill. You're training to be a master in it! I've got a pretty good feel for agility training now. I know what I would train on and what I wouldn't anymore. But I've been to all the spots. And honestly, they all have a reason for existance. Doing the most "uber" thing 700k times....don't care what the scores say you are not a master of anything.

2) Level 85 is 25% of the skill needed. Before planning on getting to 99 maybe they should work on getting to 85. (See point 1 above for how they should get there).

3) Most importantly.....wtf? Are you trying to create a totally one dimensional character? Oooh, people will think you're really cool if you have a skill cape? Come on now.

4) Let's say I decide to get 99 in, hmmmm.....magic! Get 1million gp. Buy a bunch of runes. Buy a bunch of yew bows. High alch til my brain goes numb.

What have I accomplished? I have a 99 mage cape. I possibly made a profit. Oh but guess what? I'll gain a ton more mage xp when I go about doing all the other RS stuff too. And here's the kicker: Every step of the way I was probably funding auto'ers, gold farmers and bots.

Yeah, I find it really ironic that the people who scream about the "baddies" ruining the game are also the first people to tell you to high alch yourself to 99. Been woodcutting lately? Botville. Been flax picking lately? Botville. Mined any rune ess? Botville. If you don't like bots then why in the world are you supporting them?

5) Ok..I said four but here's a fifth. I'm all for sharing knowledge. I'm happy to tell you how I got to level 72 agility and what I would do the same and differently. I've got my speed farming guide up and will have my agility info up soon. Having said that, I see too many people parroting the same BAD advice.

Example: A level 34 agility person saying that Brimhaven is the best way to get to level 60 agility.
Example: A level 30 crafter extolling the virutes of green d'hide armor making.

I see too many people fighting for space or resources at the number one best places/ways to level. Except a lot of times those aren't the best ways. Or even if they are....they aren't the best ways for you.

So what's my point with this? I'm going to start writing some guides of my own. My perspective on how to do stuff for low level/mid level folks. I'm not high level and I'm not going to pretend to say "This is how to get to 99". But I feel pretty comfortable saying "Here's what I did to get from this level to this level. Here's what I would do differently." Most players, I believe, are just looking to get a start on their RS careers. They are casual and they aren't looking to become expert merchants or money makers. Just to have some fun. So that's what I'm going to focus on. Low cost, mid level supporting skill level ways to do stuff.

And if anyone reading this wants to put anything into the mix I'll be thrilled to see it.

Thanks