54
It was more fun since you actually had to do stuff in order to become something...
It was more challenging and unforgiving (for example, home teleport spell could only be used once ever 30 minutes and it'd only take you to Lumbridge.. These days it can be used as many times as you like and it can take you all over the world provided you've activated a stone in that place.. it makes teleportation spells pretty much useless. Gravestones also last longer and you get to keep more items when you die.)
These days the game is pretty much holding your hand all the time, getting easier and easier the more the newer players whine about this being boring, that being too hard and something else having the wrong color :P
...Sometimes I really have to ask myself why I still play this.. x-x