Malcolm has played RS Gold from the age of a child and has also dabbled in some of the most popular idle games, like Clicker Heroes, Cookie Clicker and NGU Idle. While he loved them however, he thought it could be doing something that was more fulfilling in a way similar to Jagex's top RPG.
"So I decided to design my own game, but never dreaming of how it would even be released, let alone become so well-known," he tells GamesIndustry.biz. "I tried to design something outside of the established idle game mould with a feature-rich game and offered players a option in the way they would like to advance instead of simply increasing the number of players on a daily basis.
After toying with it for while in a closed room I began to combine concepts and gameplay mechanics from classic MMOs with the popular idle game design, making something that is enjoyable in a casual way, while on the move, and fit it into the busy lives of players."
He adds: "While the numbers and stats don't make up the majority of players are most interested in when playing MMOs However, it's what fans of the most dedicated players tend to stick to after exploration is done. Since it's typically central to what long-term players' attention is It was natural to integrate this feature as an integral part of Melvor's game's design. Additionally, it is compatible with common design elements in most idle games."
While he took inspiration from other MMOs but the design of RuneScape was one that he studied closely, making out this world Melvor Idle as a parallel universe with the 20-year-old RPG. "RuneScape was a fundamental touchstone for the game because it was such a fundamental sport for me" the author explains."
As with many others I began playing RuneScape because the majority of my acquaintances at the time was playing the game. Its being an online game was a big part of this, that low barrier to entry combined with RuneScape's branching depth and complexity I kept coming back to it for a long time -- which is something I wanted to emulate with Melvor Idle."
With Malcolm being open about his motivations when he was interviewed, word soon got to Jagex that fan-made game based off its own MMO with Buy RS Gold. A member of staff flagged it to the management team, with director of product management Chris Pfeiffer telling us his team was impressed by "how much was achieved and how well it was in line the game's core values with RuneScape."