Developer's blog: The Theatre of Blood & Ver Sinhaza

, Oldschool RuneScape's second raid was released beneath the vampyre castle of Ver Sinhaza. The Theatre of Blood challenged players with six unique boss encounters, testing coordination and skill in ways the game hadn't seen before.

Nearly 8 years later, we're bringing the theatre's dark grandeur to life in HD. This marks our first complete raid remaster, representing our vision of what this raid would have looked like if it was released in 2009.

One of the defining characteristics of the Theatre of Blood has always been its dark atmosphere. The vampyres' blood sport arena needed to feel intimidating and dangerous, yet we faced a familiar challenge: maintaining that dark aesthetic while keeping the game functional. Players frequently voice concerns when areas become too dark to navigate comfortably, so we had to strike a careful balance.

The boss rooms each required their own lighting considerations. We needed visibility for mechanics without sacrificing atmosphere. Take the Pestilent Bloat encounter, for instance. The shadows that indicate danger zones needed to be immediately readable, so we increased their contrast significantly. The room remains dark and claustrophobic, but the information players need remains clear.

Previously, Sotetseg's projectiles had been reusing the Inferno's projectile effects, which resulted in a visual mismatch. We've now created distinct graphical effects for his ranged (green-white) and magic (orange) attacks, making them immediately distinguishable.

HD Packs enhance groups of Oldschool models with custom assets that align with the HD art style. This HD Pack targets the Theatre of Blood in its entirety, covering all six boss rooms, the entrance lobby, the reward chamber, and the surrounding areas of Ver Sinhaza.

The raid's release came years after the original HD era ended, meaning we had no historical references to work from. Everything from terrain overhauls to particle effects needed to be created with careful attention to both the HD aesthetic and Oldschool's mechanical clarity.

All major areas received full environment treatment. Each boss room has its own distinct atmosphere, from the gothic style of Maiden's chamber to the intricacies of Verzik's throne room.

We also extended the restoration to Ver Sinhaza itself, the Icyene Graveyard used by the Sins of the Father quest, and the surrounding ocean. The waters around Slepe Sound and Muskshore Sea now use new HD waters, and the underworld has been added beneath them. Additionally, we fixed some shoreline issues in South Meiyerditch that had persisted with the area's original maps, allowing them to blend together better. The underwater terrain for the ocean has been sampled from the original Meiyerditch shores and should look identical.

This update showcases what our particle system is capable of. We've been gradually using more billboard effects in recent updates, and the Theatre of Blood allowed us to demonstrate this more prominently after fixing a rendering issue that had previously limited their use.

The blazing braziers throughout the raid come in two variants: blood-themed braziers with blazing red magical fires, and smaller bat-looking lantern braziers. We textured them and added the flame effects, inspired from the original Theatre of Blood concept art. Each uses custom particle effects that we configured specifically for this environment, with the billboards themselves being repurposed from the HD era.

Separately, the blood spawns at Maiden now feature dripping liquid effects, based on water effects that were present in the original version of the game.

The reward room received some special attention, with purple particles that emit from the chest when a player receives a personal unique item, along with lighting effects in the surrounding area. We also added realistic candle flame effects that flicker naturally throughout the chamber, creating a more intimate atmosphere for that post-raid moment of anticipation.

Perhaps most interesting from a technical perspective was our reuse of the Mahjarrat damaged form emitters. During the Ritual of the Mahjarrat quest, these effects showed Lucien smoking and changing as he drew power from the Stone of Jas. We've repurposed them for the Maiden of Sugadinti, having her increasingly smoke and alter her blood flow as she takes damage. It's a subtle effect that adds weight to the encounter's progression.

The Dawnbringer special weapon also received enhanced effects, now utilizing both glowing textures and particle emitters to make its presence feel especially powerful and distinct from regular weaponry.

The Ghrazi rapier ornament kit received increased polygon count, similarly to the treatment that the regular rapier received a while ago. Our internal tooling to do this has made some significant advancements since then, allowing us to more easily manipulate models and improve their quality in ways similar to what Jagex did with the RuneScape HD update.

Not everything went smoothly, of course. We fixed minor z-fighting issues, corrected an animation bug with lightning graphical effects, and resolved a rendering problem on Nylocas Athanatos that had been causing visual artifacts.

The scale of this project meant coordinating changes across dozens of map regions, hundreds of models, and complex particle effects and lighting setups. Each boss room required its own testing to ensure that visual enhancements didn't interfere with gameplay readability.

One unusual challenge was the raid's location itself. We couldn't simply enter the Theatre of Blood on our own to work on it, so we had to temporarily relocate the entire map to Taverley just to view and modify it properly.

Ver Sinhaza's walls posed another compatibility issue. The HD equivalents we initially tried to use were no longer compatible with the current game, causing the roofs above to float. We opted to texture the Oldschool wallkits instead.

The Theatre of Blood represents a milestone for us: proof that we can tackle the game's most complex group content while maintaining both visual fidelity and mechanical clarity. The techniques we developed here will serve us well in future projects.

Of course, we're not done yet. We'll be keeping an eye on how things go and listening to your feedback. Whether you're raiding or just exploring Ver Sinhaza, we hope you enjoy what we've created. Good luck in the theatre!

Developer's Blog 6: Theatre of Blood

Developer's blog 6: Theatre of Blood

Developer’s blog: The Inferno & Mor Ul Rek

Although a big part of this client update focuses on the Inferno, we sometimes include restorations that are in the vicinity of the remaster. In this update, we included the restoration of Northern Karamja, and offers ample opportunities for exploration and enjoyment. This includes the isle of Crandor, the dungeons within Karamja Volcano, and the TzHaar City itself.

Watch the official release video here if you haven't yet seen it! 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7e_0t65RyRg

The act of bringing back the old HD map elements while ensuring compatibility with the OS game is what we refer to as 'Restoring'. During the 

, Karamja received no major upgrades such as areas like Ardougne or Lumbridge did. Therefore, many aspects remained unchanged, such as wall-kits (although roofs 

 upgraded). It did receive a number of small improvements, that were found all over the world during the HD overhaul, such as the introduction of glowing lava, ground heights were smoothened and new terrain was added.

Despite the low complexity, In a large area restore the chances of parts being moved, added or removed entirely is high. Karamja was no different, like this Wheat field that is present in the Oldschool Game, but not in the original HD map. We also decided to upgrade the mining rocks, as they still had the old models in the original HD map.

As for most caves, the Karamja Volcano Dungeon received a full overhaul which we were able to take advantage of. We did have to create some new models in order to make the map fully compatible such as the TzHaar entrance and the Dragon Slayer 2 passage.

HD Packs aim to enhance a selection of OS models by incorporating custom assets, so they align with the HD art style. Other than the various assets we had to create for the Inferno itself, the new city posed some major hurdles for the map remaster aspects...

The Tzhaar city received some major changes back in the day, though most of it consists of atmosphere and model upgrades. Our systems already try to auto-upgrade these aspects and tries to incorporate both into an unrestored map when possible. However, there were some notable fixes to the cave walls and additions to make lava glow fiercely. As part of the Inferno update released in 2017, a large portion of the city was changed, and several new map regions were added.

The scale of the new additions to the cave walls and lava seen in the restore-able maps would make manual implementation exceedingly time-consuming. Therefore, we opted to create and utilize algorithms to aid in generating these features instead.

The new TzHaar creatures have also been remastered in the spirit of HD. By modifying certain parts of the existing HD assets, we were able to create the infernal variants of the TzHaar in HD!

One of the feature requests on Gitlab raised concerns about the green butterfly particles appearing out of place in certain areas. This feedback was valid, and since then, we have been exploring new variations of fairy rings. Our efforts to diversify these will persist as we continue to restore more areas. Not only have we added new particles to the Fairy ring, but to most Inferno monsters and projectiles!

Lastly, an item from a distant past has been spotted at the establishment of TzHaar-Hur-Zal's shop... Players who have mastered the challenge of the Inferno can start a small dialogue that allows them to swap out their cape for the old TokHaar-Kal cape, which was a reward from the Elder Kiln, original ancestor of the Inferno released in 2012 on the main game. The revision of the game in which this item was released is largely incompatible with our client, therefore it has been remade as accurately as possible. Swapping out the item 

For more, check out the changes for yourself, and good luck to those trying to master the Inferno!

Developer's Blog 5: Inferno

Developer's blog 5: Inferno

To celebrate this year's Halloween, a diverse range of spooky content has been reintroduced following last year's successful event. In this development blog, we will examine the processes behind both this year's and last year's updates, exploring the steps necessary to bring nostalgia to a whole new level.

The standout addition for this year is our very first fully-fledged custom quest. Building on the foundation laid by the ExtendedNPCs feature in 2022, we embarked on an exploration of a system that could accommodate more than just 'fake NPCs'. Both the Easter and Pride events of this year featured one quest each, serving as 'secret' prototypes for these custom quests. This experiment allowed us to gain valuable insights into the requirements of an enhanced Quest API.

You might wonder how all of this is achievable. Ultimately, it comes down to what the server instructs the client to do. Consequently, the client possesses the capability to perform actions typically associated with in-game activities. However, it's important to note that the underlying logic for these actions is typically handled server-side. With all of that in mind, even we were surprised what we were capable of doing!

The quest reintroduces us to the beloved witches Maggie, Lottie, and Wendy, well-remembered from the 2008 Halloween event and Swept Away quest. The trio has made a triumphant return! After a hiatus of 15 years, they've managed to break free from a temporal prison and are eager to uncover the mysteries of the past. Notably, Lottie has joined forces with Professor Oddenstein at Draynor Manor, where they are diligently working on an experiment that holds the promise of revealing the long-awaited answers.

This quest presents distinctive puzzles that challenges players in various ways. Additionally, Draynor Village faces a looming threat that must be thwarted, culminating in an epic boss battle that alludes to the resurgence of a particular mystery figure, that may well see a return in the real game.

Last year's area overhauls have made a comeback, covering most of Misthalin, including Lumbridge, Varrock, Draynor, Port Sarim, and Rimmington. Despite the absence of new overhauls, we hope you'll enjoy the return of these dramatic atmospheric effects for Halloween. We took the 2008 Trick or Treat! as our foundation for this special project. Leveraging the available assets, we performed significant overhauls on various zones. Since we don't have access to the original maps and possess greater capabilities than Jagex had back then, we decided to take it a step further by incorporating an immersive environment.

Surprisingly, one of the bigger challenges was to restore the buntings (the flags that have spooky props hanging from them). This is because the objects consist of multiple models, that then have to line up. This issue in particular is meant to show how something small can quickly become a difficult problem. Don't worry if this becomes overwhelming, it is merely to show you one of the challenges that can arise whilst restoring.

We wanted something that allows us to place the entire structure at once with a specific rotation. Because these buntings have many different models and sizes, we had to create an algorithm that did all of this for us. The algorithm had to do the following:

All of this allows us to create a function that places buntings for us. We then still have to carefully pick spots in which to place them. Because the height normalization affects the first floor, we have to be careful not to use it too closely to roofs, or else they would sink or float. The image below visualizes all the things combined.

One of the noteworthy features is Eek the Spider! Thanks to some engine adjustments, we've successfully restored the original spider's functionality. Old School's Eek now also offers an option to perform its classic animation!

Last year, some of the random events were restored as part of the H'ween update. This gives us the perfect opportunity to delve into some of the challenges with this restore, and why it had been put off for a while.

The primary challenge lies in accessing the designated area. As we lack direct access, we employ a workaround by transferring the entire random event map's data into a location where we have control. In this particular instance, we opted for the Lumbridge Swamp as our destination. From this point onward, we can initiate the restoration process.


Visualization of the restored gravedigger event getting copied into the lumbridge swamp, with the yellow zone depicting the random event region.

You might have noticed that the map includes multiple random events. Just like how Jagex uses templates for Player-Owned Houses, they have a similar method for copying bits of the map to different locations. It's worth mentioning that not all random events use this trick, but the ones you see here certainly do.

That's it for this blog! Enjoy the event, and the quest!

— Leyline, and the rest of the HDOS team

Some special mentions in relation to the quest, thank you all!

Developer's blog 4: Halloween

Halloween

During the ongoing restoration process, we found that the next popular area to focus on should be Waterbirth Dungeon. Although the dungeon was partially updated during the HD overhaul, it mostly included terrain and atmospheric changes that were largely out of place and were seemingly unfinished.

The difficulty and complexity of an area restore is highly dependent on the level of overhauls the area has had past the 2007 era (Oldschool). This should normally make the dungeon relatively easy to restore, however, we felt this area deserved a bit of extra love due to its popularity and symbolism in Oldschool RuneScape. These so called remasters can be much more complex, as we try to replicate overhauls as Jagex would have done it.

It wasn’t long until we realized that a simple restore wouldn’t be enough to make this area truly come to life. One of the prime components to an area overhaul are upgraded wall-kits (the models that make up the cave walls in this case), something even the restored version seemed to lack.

Secondly, the terrain (everything that makes up the landscape such as overlays, underlays and tile heights) appeared to be updated to a grey-ish style. This style is similar (but not identical) to the Lighthouse dungeon terrain.

As a third point, the atmosphere had a strange orange tint. We can only assume this was a design choice, but one that didn't really work with the improved render distance and the modernized style of caves.


Part of the restoration process means we have to be able to add, manipulate and erase the objects on a map. Our so-called Map Builder is able to generate these new map files and insert them into our cache (meaning areas are preprocessed just like any other).

As you know, RuneScape consists of tiles that your character can stand on. Each region contains a grid of 64x64 tiles. If a region has 4 floors, it can consist of 4096 tiles. When looking at the game on a fundamental level, it is not much more than each of those tiles having a set of 'rules', which the player navigates through. In a restore and remaster we can modify the objects present on a tile, whilst still having to adhere to the collision rules that Jagex determines.

Modifying the existing map is done using our own hybrid tools. If you have ever played a game such as Minecraft or Terraria, then you may be familiar with WorldEdit mods. Although editing tiles by hand can be very useful, particularly when making small changes, a combination of manual edits and code can be especially powerful when targeting a large area while retaining detail.

The first major obstacle in remastering this area is upgrading the wall kits mentioned earlier. To accomplish this, we need to create new walls. We began by drawing inspiration from the already restored Lighthouse dungeon, as the two dungeons are interconnected and share a similar fantasy style (dagannoths).

The Lighthouse dungeon actually utilizes a relatively common cave wall kit with a unique gray coloration. To preserve the green coloration used in the Waterbirth maps, we took the HD kits and recolored it. Because RuneScape's engine actually uses the 

 as opposed to RGB, the values will seem meaningless in most cases, adding a layer of complexity.

Now that we have the desired new kits, the next step is to replace the existing caves with the new ones. Given the sheer number of tiles that require replacement, manually performing this task would be excessively time-consuming. Since the new HD kit incorporates a gradient object that smoothly transitions the cave into the black void, we devised an algorithm to somewhat automate the process. Fortunately, we already had an algorithm in place for this purpose. Ardougne was one of the first locations to receive remastered cave walls using the initial version of the cave wall generator, which dates back to HDOS v281.

As we begin to witness the results, it becomes apparent that we have also accumulated a significant amount of unnecessary clutter that needs to be eliminated. To do this, we can add some code to refine the process and remove excess objects ourselves.


Due to the characteristics of the newly installed wall kit, we have created an additional problem. To smoothen the cave terrain shape and the minimap, not all tiles are squares. An overlay placed on top of the underlay can cause a square to become a cut-out of the original tile. These cut-outs can be used to create a smoothness, often seen in paths like Varrock, and are used in every cave.

As a result of the differences between the older wall kit and the new one, there is now a noticeable gap in the cut-out where the old wall used to be, resulting in holes in the walls. To resolve this issue, we have developed an algorithm that can dynamically adapt the cut-out shapes based on the placement of the walls. Manually addressing this problem would be an incredibly tedious and time-consuming task. While a portion of the algorithm was already integrated into the Cave Wall Generator, the nature of the thin walls and the presence of a unique outer wall that doesn't require any surrounding terrain necessitated the creation of a new, more versatile algorithm. This updated algorithm also has the ability to reverse the process or account for water, meaning that all shapes can be mirrored when needed.
The comparison provided below illustrates the terrain without the primary and wall objects, creating the illusion that the cave has expanded in size.

While the restored grey terrain may appear more modern, it is evident that it does not align with the chosen green style that we aim to maintain. To strike a balance between the two aesthetics, we can explore the possibility of blending elements from both styles. RuneScape HD introduced the concept of ground blending, which allows different types of terrain to interact and create seamless transitions. For instance, when light sand is placed adjacent to dark rock, the sand in the vicinity of the rocky terrain will naturally adopt a darker shade. Additionally, past overhauls introduced new patterns in the terrain, adding further depth and variation. Interestingly, the tunnels leading to the boss room have already undergone a mixed terrain overhaul. Taking all of this into consideration, we can replicate a simplified overhaul that combines both the green and grey terrain, aiming for a harmonious fusion of the two styles.

You may have noticed that the dungeon still lacks some detail. Some NPCs are unrestored, lights are out of place, the atmosphere can be improved, and additional decorations could be added. All of these elements are part of the restoration process and are addressed individually.

As previously discussed, the redesigned shapes of the wall kits can lead to compatibility issues with the existing terrain. This concern extends to the decorations placed on the walls as well. The provided comparison reveals the modifications made to the water streams, ensuring they are properly aligned and no longer appear to be floating. Additionally, the introduction of swamp bubbles and strategically placed lights enhances the immersive atmosphere within the dungeon.

There is undoubtedly much more involved in a remaster than what has been showcased here. Regrettably, it is impossible to cover every aspect within the confines of a single blog. We hope you enjoy this remaster, and feel free to ask any questions in our Discord. See you in the next one!

Developer's blog 3: Dagannoth King's Remaster

blog-dagannoth-kings

Hello everyone, Brainfree here, it has been sometime!

2 years ago, trauma struck my world. I met my biological mother for the first time, and reunited with my biological father after 15 years. My father ended up passing, and I  failed to break my mother out of her addiction, and instead ended up breaking myself. My spirit was broken ever since. In the middle of that, my house was struck with back to back hurricanes, and I ended up loosing many precious things from storm surge. My family is alright, and we're in the middle of repairing the house still. I am here thanks to my friends and family as they didn't give up on me, even when I gave up on myself. I often feel I don't deserve them. Finding myself again through my passion, this project, surrounded by friends and community who care, has helped me start to heal and recover myself. It'll take time. I still have shame and guilt for the neglect I put onto those who care about me, but I want to try and make things right, and must be better.

I would like to thank the the team, my friends, for not giving up. I am sorry for stress and uncertainty I put upon them.

I am sorry to the community for what I have caused.

One of the things that meant the most to me were the people who still cared for the project, from the beginning, the highs, and the lows. Remembering the passion shared in making this project, helps me realize  we made something special. Seeing Mod Mat K still playing our client still feels like a dream, and I remember him trusting us, giving us a chance, when no one else would. Such things should be cherished.

One of the ways I feel to make things right is by repairing and unwinding the neglect, and getting things back on track. So with all of that said, let us move forward, starting with todays long awaited update!

RLS Update - 2 years worth of plugin updates!

The Plugin Subsystem has somehow held (mostly) together thanks to Leyline and the team maintaining it. But now, it and all of the plugins within it have been brought back up to date, along with a few new plugins! I am also now delegating and entrusting J3 to help maintain, and develop the plugin subsystem, so I can focus on other work. I would like to see the project more open so such situations like this have less of an effect. Besides updating everything, I added some QOL things such as the ability to favorite plugins, sorting sidebar tabs, and improve searching. The more detailed breakdown can be seen in the changelog.

It's been a long time coming, but after popular demand, I buckled down and improved the UI scaling. It was never finished, and still could be improved in another update, but it seems the results have been well received.

with a resurging heart, I hope everyone enjoys.

Brainfree's return, the great resurgence!

Brainfree's return, 2 years worth of plugin upscales, UI Scaling improves and more!

It's been a long time coming, but the plugin subsystem is now moving
into open beta. This lays the groundwork for us to add any plugins that users
desire. I would like to thank everyone for their patience, and to all users who
helped us iron out the major bugs during closed beta.

I am one guy, and I am a perfectionist. If it was up to me, I would wait to release a nearly flawless
system. But given that everyone is asking for plugins, and people are reporting that remaining bugs are minor,
I feel it's time to open the beta to all users and continue the work in a public scope.
Once this initial release is stable, the remaining plugins people want can be enabled.


So yes, many more plugins (core and hub) will be added in the future.

There is a lot more work I wanted to do, and plan on doing.
I tried to get the performance loss to a minimal, but it remains a work-in-progress, so if you
spot any problems, please let us know.

The goal of HDOS is to restore the game we grew up on.
It was never and will never be about plugins, plugins simply remain a feature within HDOS.
My passion is not in plugins; I enjoy working on new and exciting things, things not done before,
artistic thing, and things that tickle my passion. My heart simply isn't into plugins, so I would hope
people can come to understand and respect this. This client is meant to be enjoyed, and with all that said

Developer Blog 2: Plugin Beta is here!

Plugin Beta is here

HDOS is an entirely standalone client, as opposed to other third-party clients that work via 'client injection' — modifying the binary code of the official Jagex client.
Modifications to the game engine can be performed because the client is written independently of the official Old School RuneScape client. HDOS uses a newer, more modern engine than Oldschool RuneScape: RuneTek 4, instead of the older RT3 engine. With this in mind, unique features and capabilities can be performed, and bugs can be encountered that would otherwise not exist on other approved clients.

This client was among the first clients to receive Jagex's approval, alongside RuneLite.

Development of HDOS had officially begun on 8 May 2020, taking the official 530-revision client as a base.
The majority of the client's core has been carefully refactored and structured, allowing for easier modifications and additions as if it was Jagex working on the engine back in 2008 and beyond.

Although the engine base is RuneTek 4, it has been heavily modified to allow for newer features:

Inheriting the old tek led to some challenges. The old fixed pipeline and rendering
techniques used by the engine (while great for its time) were becoming more deprecated over time,
meaning GPU vendors were phasing them out and they were becoming slower and slower over time.
It was nearly required for us to solve this problem. We wanted as many users to enjoy the client
without needing good or even decent hardware; any hardware within the last 10 years was the aim.
The high performance on higher-end systems (500 FPS) translates to usable (30-50 FPS) performance on
lower-end systems. With that said, some of the modifications we have done are as follows:

The requirements to run HDOS are roughly:

Some other modifications we've worked on:

A comparison of the original 2009 RSHD client (left) and the HDOS client (right).

A comparison of the extended view distance

To start, we will be taking a look at the main feature of HDOS: Restoring and remastering. These are recurring terms that we use to describe the process in which we upgrade specific content within the project. If you are reading this blog and have not yet seen our 

 that beautifully demonstrate the two, then you should!

Restoring content means bringing back what once was and making it compatible if necessary. This content often cannot be copy-and-pasted over freely; careful work goes into rebuilding areas to ensure the gameplay still reflects oldschool. The complexity of these restorations can vary greatly — something we will be diving into in future blogs.

Lumbridge was one of the first areas to be restored. Although the area wasn't restored in the early stages of the client, it still showed a visual representation of HD. This is thanks to our methods of automatically upgrading assets: 

. However, this will only work if the assets existed in both 2007's release and the 2009 client HDOS is based on. This is what we call 

Remastering content, however, is the means of upgrading new oldschool-specific content that did not exist in the 2008-2011 era. Because we have no means of using existing assets, we have to make our own. This can be done in the forms of the following:

. A full area remaster in the style of Al-Kharid.

In the next HDOS developer blog, we will be detailing the inner workings of the plugin system, as well as client optimization and performance.