World Processing Cycle

Each section is listed in order.

World processing

• world queue
• NPC spawn scripts
• NPC hunt

Client input

• read packets
• calculate pathfinding request (if not using clientside pathfinding)

note: pathfinding calculates once at the end to save processing time! do not do it for every move packet
note: if using clientside pathfinding, the server still has to validate the input (like every other packet should)

NPC processing

• if not busy:
  • resume suspended script
  • stat regen
  • timer
  • queue
  • movement
    • theory: movecheck trigger, to conditionally cancel movement (bind effects)
  • modes
    • null, none, wander, patrol, playerescape, playerfollow, playerface, playerfaceclose, op/ap interactions

note: npc stat regen is done at the engine level here, not like player stat regen
note: null mode will set to default mode this tick, which will run starting next tick

Controller processing

• timer
• queue

note: controllers do not exist in these early years. Included for completeness.

Player processing

• resume suspended script
• close interface if strong queued
• primary queue
• weak queue
• timers
• soft timers
• engine queue
  • levelup trigger (queued after gaining a level)
  • area trigger (not in 2004)
  • (maybe run energy restore?)
• loc/obj interactions
• movement (the pathfinding request)
  • theory: run movecheck trigger, to conditionally cancel movement (bind effects)
  • theory/custom: run move trigger, to execute a script when entering a new tile (area system does not exist in 2004)
• player/npc interactions
• close interface if attempting to logout

note: player stat regen is a soft timer
note: player run energy is at the engine level (not controlled in runescript)
note: weak queues were introduced september 2004, and strong came separately after that
note: while movecheck is just a theory, we are able to override freezes with other effects which proves there can only be 1 registered trigger

Player logout

note: this isn't observable to test, so may be swapped with the section below (loc/obj despawn/respawn)

Loc/obj despawn/respawn

Client output

• map update (load new zones)
• player info
• npc info
• zone updates
• stat changes
• flush packets