Old School RuneScape players have spoken, and the results of the new skill pitch poll are in! Sailing has been chosen as the community’s favorite skill pitch, and will move forward into the refinement stage. Over 178,000 votes were cast in total, making this a massive turnout for the game’s player base.
This poll represents a significant change in the way the Old School RuneScape team is approaching the game’s development. By taking player feedback into account much earlier in the design and development process, the team is able to focus their efforts on content that players want, and avoid wasting time on content that players don’t care about.
Sailing is an open-world skill that will allow players to explore the uncharted seas of Gielinor, take part in various maritime activities, and upgrade their own ship. Early feedback from the community has already been taken into account, including concerns about the navigational mechanics and the risk that the skill might feel like a minigame.
Unfortunately, not all of the skill pitches could be chosen. Taming, while popular, did not receive nearly as much support as the other two skills, so the team will not pursue it further. However, Shamanism came very close to winning, with just a 3% difference in votes. This popular skill pitch will be going into the team’s backlog for refinement at some point after Sailing is complete – assuming the community still wants it by then!
Although the votes were close between Sailing and Shamanism, the team ultimately decided not to run a tiebreaker poll, as this approach had too much potential to hinder the development process. The team wants the community to come together during the refinement phase, and to focus their efforts on creating the best skill possible.
The Old School RuneScape team wants to thank everyone who participated in the poll, and assures players that their feedback is still important, even if their preferred skill did not win this time. The team is still open to adding more skills in the future, and players will have the chance to make a significant impact on the development of Sailing.
All players are invited to keep an eye out for future updates on what’s next for Sailing. This exciting project is sure to be a collaborative effort between the Old School RuneScape team and the game’s passionate community.