Melvor Idle strips away the images and 3D environments from RuneScape as well as other MMOs and distills it down into a game with a menu-based interface in which players can manage their abilities, inventory and quests. In combat, completing battles with a winning streak earns players XP and loot, which is then invested into whichever level of skill tree or upgrade players prefer, and performing repetitive tasks like making or cutting wood can yield the same benefits with RS Gold.
Malcolm has been playing RuneScape since his youth, and has also played many of the leading idle games, like Clicker Heroes, Cookie Clicker and NGU Idle. While he enjoyed them however, he thought this genre could offer something else that was rewarding in the same way as Jagex's most popular RPG.
"So I set out to come up with my own idea, not even imagining that it would actually be released, let alone become famous," he tells GamesIndustry.biz. "I was looking to create something different from the standard idle game mold, something that was feature-rich and gave players actual choice about how they wanted to progress instead of just increasing the number of players on a daily basis.
After toying with the idea for a bit in a closed room I began combining concepts and gameplay mechanics from classic MMOs alongside the popular idle game model, resulting in something that is enjoyable in a casual way, while on the move and integrated into a player's busy lifestyle."
He goes on to say: "While the numbers and stats aren't the things that players love about MMOs however, it's the thing that people who are devoted fans tend to gravitate towards once the exploration has been completed. As it's often so central to what the longest term players focus on it makes sense to incorporate this into a core part of Melvor's game's concept. Plus it meshes very well with the design elements that are common to many idle games."
In his quest to draw inspiration from other MMOs however, the structure that was the basis of RuneScape was one that he was particularly attentive to, laying an entire world created by Melvor Idle as a parallel universe to the 20-year-old RPG. "RuneScape was an essential gaming platform because it was such a fundamental sport for me" he explains."
As most of us I was one of them. I started playing RuneScape due to the fact that a majority of my friends at the time had it. Its being a browser-based game was a huge part of this, and the very low entry barrier combined with RuneScape's deep branching and complexity were what I kept coming back to the game for quite a long time -- something that I wanted to emulate with RS Gold 2007."
