Skybox

A skybox is a graphical option that can be switched "on" and "off" under "skyboxes" in the custom options for the game. The skybox is an a set of images that is placed inside a massive cube or sphere that surrounds the player to simulate a further distance of the game environment than there currently is. The skybox is one of the graphical effects that was implemented into the RuneTek 5 engine in September of 2009 but was not actually implemented in-game until nearly two years later with the Clan Citadel update on Tuesday, July 26, 2011.

Currently, the only location that a skybox can be seen is at Clan Citadels, which feature different skyboxes from several different times of day, exactly what skybox is shown at the citadel is determined by a clan member that has abilities to change those settings.

It is expected for skyboxes to added into other locations at a later time, even the main land. Currently, the game uses a "fog" system to simulate a sky in the majority of locations. For a believeable skybox to be implemented into the main world, the games draw distance (how far you are able to see in-game) will have to be increased a considerable amount which will require a progressive loading of environments rather than the current system of loading large "blocks" of environment. Due to the different environments in RuneScape, there will have to be different skyboxes too ranging from day and night and other elements. This is obviously a massive amount of work and it is thought that this is why it has taken so long to add skyboxes to RuneScape.