Pre-Runescape
None of the current staff members were around in the Pre-Runescape days when Duke Atreide, under a different name, Gladiator51 (when his still standing devotion to his favorite film started), founded his first site. However, this first site was not for Runescape, but StarCraft and its expansion Brood War as a rapidly growing clan founded by himself and the 2 other founding members, the First Triumvirate, Sir Feed and Sir Aadon.
The clan's name was KSCR, Knights of the StarCraft Realm, which has descended into the current name of Runescape Realm. The clan grew and prospered for more than a year with members totaling more than 250, before slowly falling into disrepair. Over a year later, Duke Atreide was introduced by Hockeyav to a new online game called Runescape.
The Beginning
After being introduced to the game by Hockeyav, Duke Atreide in turn introduced the game to the First Triumvirate, who were rapidly hooked and addicted to this brand new online game. Months and many levels later, the Second Triumvirate was formed with Duke Atreide, Hockeyav, and Sir Feed and they created a new clan for both of their favorite games combined into one site.
The new clan was aptly name KR, Knights of the Realm, with each game having its own "division", one called the old KSCR clan name, and the new one KRSR, Knights of the Runescape Realm. The clan was created on its own, and rather crude, site, attracting many new members which at peak times numbered more than 80 people.
It was then when Duke Atreide decided that the clan needed its own guides to help new members and serve as a reference to other people. He took a break from being the Clan General and started working on the first help site. With Duke Atreide gone, the clan started to fall apart, as Sir Aadon and later Hockeyav joined the new site fully and eventually turned out RSR version 1.0 (v1.0). Originally, like the clan, it contained guides for both Runescape and Starcraft, but soon the Starcraft section was so underused, it was discarded. With no need for both games, a new name was needed for the new clan-less site. Because the old Runescape clan was called Knights of the Runescape Realm, the words "Knights of the" were simply subtracted off, officially marking the beginning of RSR.
RSRv1
Those was the first dedicated Runescape help site created by the Second Triumvirate, but it was more of an experiment than anything else. The site received a few thousand hits per day, compared to RSR now hitting 70,000 and 80,000 hits a day, which was small but useful in helping our site grow. Most of the original guides were written using for RSRv1, which can still be viewed at its original location here. The ever apparent need for a more advanced site using more than just pure html became ever more apparent, with an integrated forum system, member registration, etc., which prompted the move to the PHP-Nuke content management system and RSRv2.
RSRv2
RSR started to became a major Runescape site in this version, the first version to have all the features that are currently in use. The domain name, www.runescaperealm.com, was first purchased to compliment the new design, and is still in use today. The theme used for v2 was very different than the current one, it had a black background and an almost "techno" feel to it. There is only one known surviving screenshot of this version, which is only thumbnail sized:
This is the version where RSR wrote most of its current up to date guides for Runescape 2, converting all the Runescape Classic guides written earlier. One user, who's name remains unknown through the years, suggested that RSR should have a more Runescape-like theme, which Duke Atreide took to heart, prompting the last move to RSRv3.
RSRv3
This was the period of "Chronicles", a wood and stone like theme where RSR grew from a small band to a large, dynamic following. Halfway through this era the old phpBB forums where replaced with the more powerful vBulletin forums, to the applause of many.
RSRv4
The old PHPNuke was finally fazed all the way out, replaced by an integrated portal system to take advantage of vBulletins features. The new portal allowed users to directly submit their guides for posting approval and was able to use bbCode, the code used on the forums, which greatly sped up the process of writing and posting guides.
RSRv5
With the limitations of the old integrated portal system starting to show, a decision was made to completly overhaul the entire site to a more robust and powerful backend. The new site would be powered by Drupal, a simplified system with far greater expansion capablities than before. An extensive call went out to all those willing to help revamp the guides section into the most complete collection of RuneScape knowledge. This new Editor Corps would now play a pivotal role in accomplishing RSR's legendary mission.
Lets make it happen..
RSR has come a long way in its history, moving from one lonely Runescape Clan, to a massively active help site with thousands of users logging on every day to talk on one of the most active Runescape forums in the world. Each month RSR receives millions of visits, and will surely continue its legacy to our goal as the supreme Runescape site. With your help, RSR can truly continue this history page, but the details of what is to happen are up to you!
Written by: Duke Atreide