Developer console



The Developer console has been around for some time, but was only made available to players with the release of Z-buffering on 15 September 2010. It may, according to Jagex, "prove useful in tracking down the cause of more technical issues with the client on your computer." You can view a list of commands by typing either help or commands in the window. It also displays RuneScape's Build number in the lower right corner.

The latest Build number is Build 803 1.

To get to this console hold down [ALT] then press the [`] (quote/grave accent) or [²] (superscript 2). It is found to the left of the '1' key on most QWERTY keyboards. The tilde [~] is on the same key, on some keyboards. Typing in the alt-key code for ² (Alt+0178) will also open the console. If you find yourself unable to close it, try holding [shift] while pressing any of these buttons, or using the [Alt gr] key. The console is useable on the login screen. At the moment, the developer console can only be used with English keyboard layout, however you can open the console on non-English keyboards by using the on-screen keyboard program.

Commands


When one logs out, all entered commands will be deleted and cannot be retrieved.

Player or Forum Moderators also only have access to the standard Player commands, as the Console is primarily only for Jagex Moderator usage.

Developer Coordinates
The getcamerapos command on the Developer console provides access to the developer coordinates, which allow one to precisely identify any game map square, even in map areas (such as dungeons) where the sextant does not work, as for example to describe the Keldagrim penguin spawn. A map square is described in developer coordinates as a 5-tuple of non-negative numbers (z, x1, y1, x2, y2), with the origin in the unexplored ocean to the southwest of RuneScape.

The x1 and y1 coordinates identify a 64-square by 64-square map block, while the x2 and y2 coordinates provide the offset within the map block. The z coordinate gives the map level&mdash;0 for ground, 1 for the first floor of buildings, etc. While one might expect dungeons to be at negative levels, they are in fact at ground level, but in distant parts of the map&mdash;so descending into a dungeon is like teleporting to a different part of the map. Historically, entering a dungeon was in effect teleporting 200&deg; due north. More recent dungeons have sometimes been placed wherever they may fit, and so the "southern" ground level end of the map and the "northern" dungeon level do not overlap cleanly.

Because the developer console provides the coordinates of the camera, rather than the character on whom the camera view is centred, determining one's own position in developer coordinates takes two steps. First, clicking the compass to align the map strictly north-south, use the developer console to find the camera position and note the "longitude" values x1 and x2. Then rotate the camera 90&deg; so you are viewing due east or west, and again use the developer console to find the camera position and note the "latitude" values y1 and y2. Taken together, these provide the developer coordinates for the square on which the player character is standing.

The conversion from developer coordinates (z, x1, y1, x2, y2) to conventional coordinates (ndeg&deg; nmin [n|s] edeg&deg; emin [e|w]) is as follows:

$$N = (64 \times y_1) + y_2 - 3161$$ $$E = (64 \times x_1) + x_2 - 2440$$

If N is negative, the coordinate will be south of the observatory origin; if it is positive, north. Similarly, if E is negative, the coordinate will be west of the origin, otherwise east.

and converting the other direction:

$$X = (ew == e ? 1 : -1) \times (32 \times e_{deg} + \lceil e_{min} \times \frac{8}{15} \rceil) + 2440$$ $$Y = (ns == n ? 1 : -1) \times (32 \times n_{deg} + \lceil n_{min} \times \frac{8}{15} \rceil) + 3161$$

Alternative appearance
Occasionally the developer console will change appearance, usually in relation to an event.
 * In build 666, the background colour changed from purple to red, probably as a pun referring to the fact that '666' is considered the devil's number and hence, red. Later on, this was confirmed as when the 667 build was released, the colour changed back to purple.
 * During the 2011, 2012 and 2013 Christmas periods the Developers Console featured snow flakes on the interface.

Trivia

 * Pressing the "Page Up" or "Page Down" keys on your keyboard can list the previously used commands in the Developer console.
 * Text that has been copied from another source can be pasted into the console using Control-C (copy) and Control-V (paste). Text in the console can be copied using Control-A (select all) and then Control-C when the console is open.
 * This is the first time ever that Jagex has enabled access to the very tools they use to develop the game. The developer's console available to the players is a restricted version, so players cannot affect the game in any way with it.
 * When the developer's console is open, clicking somewhere will have the normal effect. The keyboard commands, such as the F1-F5 hotkeys or the arrow keys that move the camera position, won't work until the player closes the developer's console again.
 * When one enters a command, the time of entering it is displayed in UTC.
 * The 'cls' command will clear the console, but will not delete the previously entered commands. When one has cleared the console, and then presses Control-A they will still select all hidden previous commands (and any commands not hidden). This can then be copied and pasted somewhere to see the cleared commands.
 * You can not enter text or rotate the camera in the game while the developer's console is open (the only way to rotate the camera is pressing the scroll button down on your mouse).
 * The developer's console can be used as a temporary extra long notes. It can be used to track doors while dungeoneering, especially on large floors.
 * In the "DisplayFPS" command under FPS numbers 0-19 are red, and 20+ are yellow. Red numbers for FPS mean you might experience lag or disconnection.