As part of the Christmas update, we thought we'd give you an extra present in the form of a new graphical feature. One which ties in nicely with the festive atmosphere...snow! I know you must be thinking that snow in RuneScape is nothing new, but this snow is different. This isn't just any old snow, this is particle snow!
What are particles?
Particles are special sprites (2D graphics), which are designed to be used in large numbers. We can use hundreds and thousands of particles, at the cost of relatively little processing power, to create effects that would have been too demanding using existing polygon techniques. As with all of the graphical features in RuneScape, this will be scalable, and you can choose your desired level of particle detail depending on your computer hardware.
Where are they?
Your first glimpse of particles will be the snow coming out of the wardrobes that you will enter to get to Land of Snow for the Christmas update. You'll see snow blowing out of the wardrobes in a suitably blustery fashion. Upon entering the Land of Snow there is a further surprise to be seen...
Where could they be in future?
There are all sorts of things we would like to enhance with particles, and we will be adding particle effects to certain areas and animations soon. This Christmas update is just a glimpse of what we have planned, as we didn't want to hold it back any longer. In the future, you could be seeing particles used for all sorts, from fountains and chimneys to fires and magic effects. We'll also be giving other snowy areas a similar treatment in the near future.
If you'd like to discuss this blog on the forums, please visit <a href="http://services.runescape.com/m=forum/forums.ws?16,17,367,60070469">this forum thread</a>.