Is Runescape declining?

While the increase of people with 99s definitely started with skill capes, I don't think it's the sole reason to attribute to it. It's become a lot easier to train skills since Fall 06, which might have been because Jagex was appealing to the game was becoming about getting 99s after the skill capes. Also money has been more plentiful to the point where 100M gp isn't even average. But 99s have become more "realistic" as well as more money for buyable ones.

To me the fun in RuneScape is getting to a certain level, probably why when it became more realistic and the point of the game became about getting 99s that it became unfun. If you're going to be repeating the same task there has to be a finished state, it's a lot more fun when it doesn't take 10 hours of the task to get just one level. So I can understand when time spent in the higher levels is minimized as well as the time to get the money is minimized.

But on the "Master of Shallowness", I think that is relevant to someone who gets 99 in a skill and someone is like WOW NICE LEVEL YOU SHOULD MAKE A GUIDE FOR *SKILL*! Because they have 99 doesn't mean they have more ability to make a guide for a skill than anyone else XD... having 99 shows that they know their way they got 99 but it doesn't mean it is the best or only way. XD

I don't think that RS ever really had glory days or not. Everyone always looks into the past and remembers how "great" they were, but honestly, they weren't that AWESOME. Yeah, you had some awesome times back then in 2005 or whenever, but you had to bank sit forever to get any items you wanted & 1/2 of the players were botters. I had great times, but now ain't so bad.