The MMORPG “Old School Runescape” is one of the most successful MMORPGs in the West. However, the retro MMORPG faced serious problems on July 19th: A patch went live that allowed players to crash the client by typing a word in the chat: “Rainbow.”
This was the problem:
- On July 19th, a small patch went online for Old School RuneScape: The patch came without downtime, it was actually supposed to prepare for an event next week. But for some reason, a 14-year-old exploit became possible with the update.
- Anyone who typed the word “Rainbow” in the text chat caused their own client to crash and the client of anyone who read the word.
- Within a few hours, this exploit spread, and the entire MMORPG had to go offline.
Developers warn hardcore players, then take the MMORPG offline
How did it spread? At the beginning of the chaos, the developers Jagex misjudged the problem. They said on July 19th at 1 PM our time (via Twitter): There was a report that a player had lost connection during a crash at the Zebrak fight. They warned hardcore players to stay away from the area until the problem was solved.
But it quickly became clear that there was much more behind the crash.
Quickly, the news spread that anyone who typed “rainbow” in the chat would cause their client to crash:
On forums Reddit, it was warned to “avoid dangerous areas” as it spread that you could crash the servers with “Rainbow.” Because with a client crash, it was possible to make players incapacitated, who could then be killed by mobs.
A player on Reddit joked: “Imagine losing a hardcore account just because someone types rainbow.”
There were also some jokes: Now it was the day “of the wrath of the homosexuals,” because the rainbow is seen as a symbol of the LGBTQ movement.
Developers react quickly and harshly
Already an hour after warning hardcore players, the developers pulled the emergency brake around 2:15 PM.
Ultimately, Jagex had to take the servers offline for an indefinite period to fix a “serious problem affecting players.”
Players mock about unclean code
This is what it’s about: RuneScape is known for running with a code that is anything but clean. Therefore, mockery, derision, but also nostalgia arose. Because players were already able to crash the MMORPG by typing ‘µ’ in the chat back in February 2009. Some recalled “the old days” and their experiences with the game back then.
Players know exactly what they are getting into with Old School Runescape. After all, they are playing a 10-year-old MMORPG that is based on a 22-year-old MMORPG and replicates the state that this MMORPG had 16 years ago.
A user says: “The code is based not only on a 20-year-old game but on a game that was made by 3 brothers for fun before they really knew what they were doing.”
Although such strange bugs also occur in “newer games.” Much to the chagrin of developers and amusement of players:
New World: New bug causes giant sausages to appear on the screen and crashes your game
