Information and Tips about 'PID'

Introduction

Okay, so, everywhere I go I see people arguing about the PID (priority system) in RuneScape 2007 and how it actually works. So I thought I'd post this to help you guys understand the true system and hopefully end all these little quarrels.

Contents

What is PID?
P Id is the "Player Identification
Things which PId determine:
• If 2 or more people click an NPC or Item at the same time, who gets the Item or who gets put into combat with the creature (or who gets "first hit" if in multi-combat zones)
• Who gets the first hit when 2 or more players attack eachother at the same time. (Crucial when PKing or Staking)
• Both lighting fires at the same time (only 1 fire per spot so it determines which player's fire actually lights)
• Barricades/rocks etc at Castle Wars. Very useful if playing competitively. (example: If one person lights a barricade and another uses an explosive potion on it at the same time, it determines which way the object is destroyed).
• Agility obstacles such as the Pipe at the Gnome Course where only one player can climb through at once.
• Buying stock in shops. (useful for when there's very limited stock like scimitar store on Ape Atoll)

As you can see, having a "better" PId than other players in RuneScape is VERY beneficial to you.

How is PId calculated in 2007?
This is probably the biggest subject people argue about when it comes to the RS2007 version of the game. Some point in 2009, (I believe it was when Overload/Extreme potions were added to the game,) there was an update to how PId was calculated which completely changed how it worked. Now, what a lot of people think is this is how it works in RS2007, which is NOT TRUE!!

How it was calculated after the update. (2009-present).
In 2009-present day RuneScape, PId was a slot randomly given to you when you log into the game worlds, between 1-2000. Now, when you login, say there were 1000 people already logged in, you would be player number 1001. If someone logs out, you would be "bumped up" and therefore be 1000, and so on. So the longer you stay logged in, the better PId you would be. (The lower the better)

But... You can forget all that because that's ALL WRONG when talking about RS2007.

So how is it really calculated?
In RS2007, PId is calculated using your IP address. Now, as I'm sure most of you know, IP(v4) addresses consist of 4 numbers separated by dots. (example: 123.45.67.89). 67,

[i]67/8 = 8.375

This number you are left with, is your PId. The closer this number is to 0, the better. This means you will have a better chance of pretty much everything than someone with a higher PId than you (assuming you click at the same time and have the same distance between your characters and whatever you both clicked).

How can I improve my PId then?
Well, assuming you've already read the above section, I'm sure you understand that the lower the third number of your IP address is, the better your PId. I'm not entirely sure about the whole changing your IP address system so this isn't going to be the best part of the guide, but in most cases, switching off your router/modem and waiting 5 minutes should give you a new IP. If all else fails, Google is your friend.

How can I see if my PId is better than someone elses?
I'm sure many of you are familiar with the "follow dancing", when 2 or more people are following eachother and your characters walk round in circles simulating dancing. Well, if you follow someone, and get them to walk one pace, you can tell by how soon you move if your PId is better than them. (also works if you're being followed).
If the follower:
• move at the same time as the person doing the moving, the follower has better PId
• stand still for a half second (game tick), then the person being followed has better PId.

Okay, thanks for reading and I hope that clears up any confusion about the priority system RuneScape uses. I also hope this will help stop all the arguments I see posted all over the place (Youtube/Twitch/forums etc).

Originally written by Asphixia