Runescape - Mobile Beta vs Remote Desktop
The mobile version of Runescape recently entered beta release, and I was so excited to get into the program and try it out. Runescape mobile (not Old School RuneScape, as that was ported to mobile several months before the RuneScape 3 mobile beta) allows players to access the game through a genuinely mobile platform, rather than my unconventional access via remote desktop. With this release, there are some improvements over remote desktop access, but also some surprising shortcomings. Having played now for a few weeks, I have an informed opinion on the abilities and limitations of the mobile beta. I’ll go through a few of the elements for each platform, and evaluate which is better, or which I plan to continue using.
First, the mobile beta is currently only accessible to paid members. Fortunately, that includes players who purchase membership through bonds as I do, but I did not have an active membership when I got into the beta program. I was already planning on using a bond again in the near future, so this wasn’t a tremendously inconvenient condition, but it definitely deserves mention. For players who rarely or never have membership, Runescape will not be available on mobile until presumably the full release. Point to remote desktop for being accessible to f2p and p2p players alike.
Responsiveness or lag is significantly improved in the mobile beta. Admittedly, there are significantly fewer layers for screen and control to go through, so I fully expected this improvement. Still, I was blown away by just how much less lag I experienced. Perhaps because I almost solely play through remote desktop, I was conditioned to expect more lag in the game. All I know is that I can actually participate in combat and other more urgent activities with the responsiveness of the mobile beta. Point to mobile.
Precision is something that all mobile games seem to lack, and the mobile beta of Runescape is no different. I frequently click on something other than what I wanted to, even if I manage to click on something at all. In standard gameplay, it usually isn’t a huge issue. The bigger problem comes in bank and inventory management, when I’m trying to withdraw and deposit specific items, and it might take 3 or 4 tries to get exactly what I want. A lot of that could be due to a current bug where the game seems to almost cache click location, so the click goes through at the previous location where I tapped the screen, but only after I tap it again somewhere else. That may very well improve in time. Still, I don’t think mobile will ever be as precise as playing on a standard PC or accessing via remote desktop. Point to remote desktop.
Preparation to play the game is significantly less for mobile. Got a phone with an internet connection? You’re good to go. Playing via remote desktop can be hindered by a number of different issues. Network access from phone and network access from PC location must be maintained constantly. If the PC disconnects from the internet or turns off and I’m away from home, I can’t play again until I get home and address the situation. Laptop unplugged and the battery dies? Can’t play again until I plug it up and turn it back on. The lack of hullabaloo around getting everything connected and synced up is so nice. Point to mobile.
Combat is sort of a mixed bag. As I mentioned before, the responsiveness of mobile allows me to do combat, where fighting over remote desktop was always annoying. However, mobile currently forces players to use either manual or revolution combat. Legacy combat is completely unavailable on mobile. I’ve grown to like revolution combat better over the past few weeks, but it was certainly an adjustment. If I had to assign a point, I suppose mobile gets a slight edge on combat.
Maneuvering around the game is so much easier on mobile. With remote desktop, I can’t use arrow keys to move the camera around. As such, I’m stuck with using the default camera position facing north at a specific angle. Mobile allows full camera motion, complete with zoom. Looking around is significantly easier now. Point to mobile.
Reliability is another point where both platforms have their issues. With mobile, crowded areas with numerous other players or NPCs will basically always cause the game to crash. I tried mining harmonized runite ore during Trahearn hour a few times before I gave up. Perhaps this would be less of an issue on a higher end device, but my Moto G5 Plus just can’t take it. Remote desktop will certainly lag worse in busy areas, but I can’t recall a single time that the game has crashed on me. The problem is that the lag will sometimes get so bad that my game session will time out before I’m able to interact again. Neither platform is very reliable, so neither gets a point.
Chat is pretty awful anywhere besides playing on a genuine PC with a physical keyboard. Mobile makes pretty good of the software keyboard, but it takes up the majority of the screen, so it’s very difficult to type and see at the same time. Alternatively, remote desktop likes to drop inputs, so I frequently misspell things. Mostly, I just don’t chat unless I’m playing on an actual computer. Point to neither.
Menuing is terrible on mobile. Even beyond the bug I mentioned where clicks go to the wrong place, it is so difficult to navigate between different interfaces. Things are hidden in weird places because of the lack of screen space. Things have certainly gotten better, due to Jagex implementing player feedback. And admittedly, 75% or more of what I need to do is in plain sight. That remaining 25% or so is a royal pain, though. Point to remote desktop.
Multitasking is impossible on mobile. Switching apps logs me out almost immediately. Afk activities that I would normally start and then do something else, now require the full attention of my device. I can’t turn the screen off, I can’t switch apps to respond to messages or check on something. I can’t even use the browser to look up something about the game if I need to research a slayer task or something. Meanwhile, on remote desktop, I can switch back and forth between chat clients, browsers, or anything else and check back in before I log out.
Battery use is pretty steep on both, but mobile definitely burns through noticeably faster. This isn’t a huge issue for me personally, since I’m almost always within range of a charger, but it would definitely be problematic for someone who depends on their battery to last most of the day. I can probably run a battery out from full to empty in about 2 or 3 hours on mobile. Remote desktop probably takes closer to 4 or 5, but I haven’t done tests to determine the exact longevity of either. Point to remote desktop.
Data use I haven’t managed to pin down yet. I would assume that remote desktop uses more data, since it has to send screens and controls, rather than mobile using a lot of resources from the app itself. At the same time, mobile requires a constant connection, while remote desktop allows me to start an activity and turn my screen off or disconnect until I need to interact again. Given the widespread availability of unlimited mobile data plans, I doubt many people are hurting for data. I’ll call it a draw, but I might investigate data use more later.
So which will I continue to use? Both. Each platform shines in its own right. Remote desktop is much better for low interaction and afk tasks. I can click a few things and ignore it for multiple minutes. Plus, remote desktop allows me to set the cursor at a specific point and continuously click on the same location. The Hefin agility course and high level alchemy are so much easier if I can tap anywhere on my screen, rather than paying attention to where I have to click. Alternatively, mobile is much better with high intensity tasks that prioritize timing. Activities like pyramid plunder and hunter training are so much easier with the responsiveness of mobile.
Even for activities that I would rather do on remote desktop, mobile is a nice backup. If my laptop is unavailable because of an internet outage or forced Windows update, I can still play if I want to. More importantly, mobile is available when I have an active bond. Instead of wasting money on purchased time, I can get the most of my investment. Being unable to play while f2p is much less frustrating that having wasted coins on a bond that I can’t maximize the use of.
All in all, I’m pretty pleased with the Runescape mobile beta. There are definitely some places for improvement, but that’s expected of a beta. Before the app is fully released, I anticipate that Jagex will have fixed most of the bugs and cleaned up the interface quite a bit. For now, it’s a very convenient alternative to the complicated process of playing via remote desktop.
First, the mobile beta is currently only accessible to paid members. Fortunately, that includes players who purchase membership through bonds as I do, but I did not have an active membership when I got into the beta program. I was already planning on using a bond again in the near future, so this wasn’t a tremendously inconvenient condition, but it definitely deserves mention. For players who rarely or never have membership, Runescape will not be available on mobile until presumably the full release. Point to remote desktop for being accessible to f2p and p2p players alike.
Responsiveness or lag is significantly improved in the mobile beta. Admittedly, there are significantly fewer layers for screen and control to go through, so I fully expected this improvement. Still, I was blown away by just how much less lag I experienced. Perhaps because I almost solely play through remote desktop, I was conditioned to expect more lag in the game. All I know is that I can actually participate in combat and other more urgent activities with the responsiveness of the mobile beta. Point to mobile.
Precision is something that all mobile games seem to lack, and the mobile beta of Runescape is no different. I frequently click on something other than what I wanted to, even if I manage to click on something at all. In standard gameplay, it usually isn’t a huge issue. The bigger problem comes in bank and inventory management, when I’m trying to withdraw and deposit specific items, and it might take 3 or 4 tries to get exactly what I want. A lot of that could be due to a current bug where the game seems to almost cache click location, so the click goes through at the previous location where I tapped the screen, but only after I tap it again somewhere else. That may very well improve in time. Still, I don’t think mobile will ever be as precise as playing on a standard PC or accessing via remote desktop. Point to remote desktop.
Preparation to play the game is significantly less for mobile. Got a phone with an internet connection? You’re good to go. Playing via remote desktop can be hindered by a number of different issues. Network access from phone and network access from PC location must be maintained constantly. If the PC disconnects from the internet or turns off and I’m away from home, I can’t play again until I get home and address the situation. Laptop unplugged and the battery dies? Can’t play again until I plug it up and turn it back on. The lack of hullabaloo around getting everything connected and synced up is so nice. Point to mobile.
Combat is sort of a mixed bag. As I mentioned before, the responsiveness of mobile allows me to do combat, where fighting over remote desktop was always annoying. However, mobile currently forces players to use either manual or revolution combat. Legacy combat is completely unavailable on mobile. I’ve grown to like revolution combat better over the past few weeks, but it was certainly an adjustment. If I had to assign a point, I suppose mobile gets a slight edge on combat.
Maneuvering around the game is so much easier on mobile. With remote desktop, I can’t use arrow keys to move the camera around. As such, I’m stuck with using the default camera position facing north at a specific angle. Mobile allows full camera motion, complete with zoom. Looking around is significantly easier now. Point to mobile.
Reliability is another point where both platforms have their issues. With mobile, crowded areas with numerous other players or NPCs will basically always cause the game to crash. I tried mining harmonized runite ore during Trahearn hour a few times before I gave up. Perhaps this would be less of an issue on a higher end device, but my Moto G5 Plus just can’t take it. Remote desktop will certainly lag worse in busy areas, but I can’t recall a single time that the game has crashed on me. The problem is that the lag will sometimes get so bad that my game session will time out before I’m able to interact again. Neither platform is very reliable, so neither gets a point.
Chat is pretty awful anywhere besides playing on a genuine PC with a physical keyboard. Mobile makes pretty good of the software keyboard, but it takes up the majority of the screen, so it’s very difficult to type and see at the same time. Alternatively, remote desktop likes to drop inputs, so I frequently misspell things. Mostly, I just don’t chat unless I’m playing on an actual computer. Point to neither.
Menuing is terrible on mobile. Even beyond the bug I mentioned where clicks go to the wrong place, it is so difficult to navigate between different interfaces. Things are hidden in weird places because of the lack of screen space. Things have certainly gotten better, due to Jagex implementing player feedback. And admittedly, 75% or more of what I need to do is in plain sight. That remaining 25% or so is a royal pain, though. Point to remote desktop.
Multitasking is impossible on mobile. Switching apps logs me out almost immediately. Afk activities that I would normally start and then do something else, now require the full attention of my device. I can’t turn the screen off, I can’t switch apps to respond to messages or check on something. I can’t even use the browser to look up something about the game if I need to research a slayer task or something. Meanwhile, on remote desktop, I can switch back and forth between chat clients, browsers, or anything else and check back in before I log out.
Battery use is pretty steep on both, but mobile definitely burns through noticeably faster. This isn’t a huge issue for me personally, since I’m almost always within range of a charger, but it would definitely be problematic for someone who depends on their battery to last most of the day. I can probably run a battery out from full to empty in about 2 or 3 hours on mobile. Remote desktop probably takes closer to 4 or 5, but I haven’t done tests to determine the exact longevity of either. Point to remote desktop.
Data use I haven’t managed to pin down yet. I would assume that remote desktop uses more data, since it has to send screens and controls, rather than mobile using a lot of resources from the app itself. At the same time, mobile requires a constant connection, while remote desktop allows me to start an activity and turn my screen off or disconnect until I need to interact again. Given the widespread availability of unlimited mobile data plans, I doubt many people are hurting for data. I’ll call it a draw, but I might investigate data use more later.
So which will I continue to use? Both. Each platform shines in its own right. Remote desktop is much better for low interaction and afk tasks. I can click a few things and ignore it for multiple minutes. Plus, remote desktop allows me to set the cursor at a specific point and continuously click on the same location. The Hefin agility course and high level alchemy are so much easier if I can tap anywhere on my screen, rather than paying attention to where I have to click. Alternatively, mobile is much better with high intensity tasks that prioritize timing. Activities like pyramid plunder and hunter training are so much easier with the responsiveness of mobile.
Even for activities that I would rather do on remote desktop, mobile is a nice backup. If my laptop is unavailable because of an internet outage or forced Windows update, I can still play if I want to. More importantly, mobile is available when I have an active bond. Instead of wasting money on purchased time, I can get the most of my investment. Being unable to play while f2p is much less frustrating that having wasted coins on a bond that I can’t maximize the use of.
All in all, I’m pretty pleased with the Runescape mobile beta. There are definitely some places for improvement, but that’s expected of a beta. Before the app is fully released, I anticipate that Jagex will have fixed most of the bugs and cleaned up the interface quite a bit. For now, it’s a very convenient alternative to the complicated process of playing via remote desktop.
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