[Hiring Help/Advice] Checking RSPS Deal Before Paying - Need Expert Opinion

[badstudents]

Hello everyone,

I’m looking for some help from experienced RSPS developers or people who know Near-Reality, Alora, Ikov-level servers.

I was recently offered a package by a developer to set up a customized Near-Reality (NR) based server for me, including:

• Full runnable and buildable server (source/client)
• RuneLite integration
• Trading Post (instead of old GE system)
• Home moved fully to Edgeville (like Alora)
• Custom interfaces / menus (like Alora has)
• Full PVM/PVP, raids working, bossing
• Basic website + account integration
• Modern RuneLite tweaks (HD, better textures)

A few things I want, and need to be sure about:

• I want the server to feel modern — not just RuneLite plugin fake-HD, but an updated cache (newer textures, objects, models if needed).
• Ownership of the full source, cache, and client — no leaks, no reselling later.
• Server polished enough to test login, fight bosses, use trading post, etc.
• Clean and properly organized project (no spaghetti code if possible).

My questions before I pay

• Is what I’m asking for actually realistic?
• Are there any important technical questions I should be asking him first (example: “what cache version”, “is the RuneLite plugin custom”, etc)?
• How can I 100% protect my project from him leaking or reusing it later?
• Should I be asking for a contract or any written proof of delivery terms?
• How much time and investment should this cost me?

I’m willing to pay $20–$30 just for your time to give me an expert review on this setup and help me ask the right questions before I move forward. I want to launch a serious, clean, unique server — not just a copy-paste job. If you wanna hop on a discord call with me or DM me directly I’d greatly appreciate it.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Tigzyy]

Personally, I would suggest going with a freelancer and pay per hour.

Contract work can take a while as they have the money and just need to complete it with sometimes an extended time scale.

By the hour is quicker and can even be less costly (you can make sure it’s polished). As I don’t really think there is a good price on the server being fully complete.

 

[Corey]

Anybody selling you such a setup does not have the rights to it, meaning they have already sold it to other people and will continue to do so.

 

[Kris]

Is what I’m asking for actually realistic?

Nope.

Are there any important technical questions I should be asking him first (example: “what cache version”, “is the RuneLite plugin custom”, etc)?

Who developed the source & where did you get it from.

How can I 100% protect my project from him leaking or reusing it later?

You can't. This scene is infested with leaks. The one you've been offered is also a leak, which was also based on a leak.

Should I be asking for a contract or any written proof of delivery terms?

Doesn't matter. You're not going to be legally chasing anyone in RSPS, especially if they're across the world from you, which is fairly likely.

How much time and investment should this cost me?

Sources are ridiculously cheap in RSPS, if you can find one on sale. The leaks typically go from in the hundreds to low thousands. The authentic ones often tend to only go for around 5-15k as a ballpark estimate. It's rare to see an authentic one for sale, it's typically the previous owners/developers making an exit from RSPS, cashing in the last bits they can.


Reality is that any source you'll be offered will be around 8 years old at this point. They're all infested with dodgy code, so that's naturally a given. Doing a source from scratch is a multi-year investment so you're never going to find one that's fresh out of the oven. We (as a community) only began to understand RS engine at a deep level in the last 3-5 years, prior to that all code was basically recirculated bullshit, so there's that.



Lastly..

I want to launch a serious, clean, unique server — not just a copy-paste job.

Yeah good luck with that one. The best you can do is buy a leak for a relatively cheap cost, spend the next 6-12 months making it unique, getting it up to date, whatever else... and run with it.
Keep in mind developers are extremely hard to find - at this point it sure feels like there are more "server owners" than there are actual developers (ones that are worth calling a developer, that is). Server owners are all competing for the same people so the development costs are really high, often reaching upwards of $100/hr in critical times. The average for a good developer in RSPS nowadays seems to be $50-75/hr.
Do you own math as to what that ends up costing you in the long run. It will be in the several-tens-of-thousands as a bare minimum, without ever considering advertisement costs that need to be laid up before the release of the server too. If you ever want to make a server from-scratch, as I've been doing for the second time with a couple others, you're looking at costs upwards of $250k easily, over multiple years. As I said, just get yourself a leak (that's practically the only option you have ATP) and work on it, if you dare enter this scene to begin with.

 

[SlowDesigns]

Add my discord ilylluviap let's talk