Since I am yearning for some more SciFi type of MMO I figured I check out EU. And boy does it feel tough as a EU noob. The basic info isn't too bad though, better than in many other games with the keyboard layout on screen. In the end though you really start from 0. UO, Darkfall or SWG-pre-NGE/CU give you at least a weapon to start with. But hey, it's all skill based and you need to work your way up, so why not really start from scratch. 

Isn't that what many skill-lovers want? Hardcore, hardcore, hardcore. Skills only. Well, EU seems to have that? I see a lot of hate against WoW, LOTRO and other games, or at least the "clones", but EU seems to have it all. Now I am not saying I am loving it or that I will stay, but I will give a fair try.

So in the end - is it the money transactions? It is for free after all, that should prolly satiesfy the biggest hardcore players if they don't want to pay cash for equipement. Or is it lack of PvP or Raids? (I don't know if that exists or not, so I am just guessing).

*shrugs* Guess I am once again the n00B despite many years of MMOs.

I think it's the lack of advertising/marketing the game. EU is not that well known and I've not seen banners or promotional stuff anywhere lately so i'm guessing most people have to find out about EU through friends/co-workers, old articles or simply stumble upon it on sites like these. How did you learn about EU?

There are several PvP zones/events as well as occasional land grab events (raids) but EU does require a different approach than the typical mmorpg, the RCE thingy requires more grinding if you want to start out without depositing which might turn people away. You can also lose money quickly if you're not careful and that requires a certain attitude.

Good luck starting out, be sure to gather as much info as possible on entropiaforum.com and entropedia.info. Joining a society or finding a mentor is highly recommended too.

- none of my friends play

- tried playing back when it was PE and then again a few months ago and I just felt really lost

- haven't heard much about it other than the occasional news about big dollar purchases. Nothing about gameplay or features

flat out its a huge money sink. if u wanna get anywhere relatively easy you have to pay alot of money for gear, weapons, housing, items, etc. thats why i hate Free toplay games, as they offer no real depth, and are in actuality not free, in fact to some degree you pay more for F2P item malls purhcases than you would with games such as wow, eq2, COX, eve online, etc that are flat rate $15. though u can make money off of it, you have to put money into it. and im sorry to all the people that play this game, i see no real value in it. then again thats just my opinion.

I can remember giving this game a try when it was in beta and then after it released but I could never get to grips with the game at all, mainly due to the RL cash idea behind the game, infact I spent more in 3 days than I did on my EQ1 subscription for the month and quickly realised I was going to probably end up spending way too much in the game to justify it.

Also at the time there where rumours going around the game had crime links with money laundering etc etc and that made me feel uncomfortable aswell, ofc all on them where without any proof but the seeds of doubt where already planted.

I understand that some ppl have made alot of money out of the game, but I'm not the type of player that was going to be able to survive in the game with just a $10 budget per month, and so I went straight back to the monthly subscription packages of other MMO's.

I did expect EU to go under about a year after it went live and I'm still amazed that it's still going strong, it's a testament to the determination of the developers to keep the game going and the subscriber base to stick with the game.

It's just an ultra money-sink, of epic proportions.

There is supposedly a margin for progressing without spending money, but I tell ya.. it's gotta be very small.

Your first available thing to do in order to progress and earn credits/cash whatever is to harvest "sweat" from animals. Yeah, sweat, really interesting.

I did the trial and did the math on how long it would take me to get anywhere "sweating" animals and quickly realized it would have been a long, long.. long time.

It's a system designed to be mind-numbing and boring. You're not harvesting hides or slaying beasts, you are.. from what I can gather.. using telekinesis to harvest sweat at a distance. Not much entertainment value involved in a hardcore second job, so you are forced to pay for things.. and boy does that add up quick. Considering every item you own degrades over time, which costs money to repair.

If you have the money to do so, and enjoy doing it, that's great. However, I would need to see a seriously polished masterpiece before I'd ever consider shelling out cash at that rate for a game. I'm talking masterpiece.

Again, some of these posts make it apparent that they were looking for a free money machine, or by the "money sink" comments, couldn't stick to a reasonable budget for their gaming and got themselves into financial straits.  Perhaps they  need their head examined or take a refresher course in high school business math. Perhaps the complexities of a game with the in-game currency closely tied to RL funds eludes them.

Should you decide to quit, liquidate the skills on your avatar as well as selling off your inventory and wind up with more than 1000 PED in cash (100 USD) on your avatar,  you can withdraw those funds. In other words, the company will send you a check or direct deposit the amount into your bank account. I'd like to  hear of a monthly fee game that'll do that!  LOL  NO, you won't get back the money you spent on ammo, mind essence,  etc... but Entropia is a game that it's possible to do some things in without spending, putting in the same amount that you would for monthly fee games, or spend your lottery winnings in.  It's up tpo the player, and  your account keeps going even if you don't put anything in in a given month like the subscription games.

As with any place with cool stuff, there is the temptation to spend. In a RCE game like this, research is crucial to avoid wasting money. Get the minimum weapon that matches avatar skills.  Get armor that provides reasonable protection for the noob mobs, and not because it looks cool. There are dedicated forums, and even a really nice wiki out there that can help a player determine a reasonable equipment loadout, which mobs to try and take on, strategies for sweating mobs (yes, ot does take a long time to accrue PED by sweating. AGAIN, there ain't no free money!

In Entropia, it's up to the player to decide how much the level of entertainment is worth to them. If they can't get any satisfaction here, there's always Maplestory.

I

I won't even consider a MMOG with an item shop or cash purchase system like EVE Online and Roma Victor, or a gambling loot card game like SOE employs in their products.

I want a pure unadulterated classic MMOG design.

Originally posted by AlphaGeek

Again, some of these posts make it apparent that they were looking for a free money machine, or by the "money sink" comments, couldn't stick to a reasonable budget for their gaming and got themselves into financial straits.  Perhaps they  need their head examined or take a refresher course in high school business math. Perhaps the complexities of a game with the in-game currency closely tied to RL funds eludes them.

Wow. I'll add to my list

- the attitude of the fans leaves a lot to be desired

Originally posted by LynxJSA

Originally posted by AlphaGeek

Again, some of these posts make it apparent that they were looking for a free money machine, or by the "money sink" comments, couldn't stick to a reasonable budget for their gaming and got themselves into financial straits.  Perhaps they  need their head examined or take a refresher course in high school business math. Perhaps the complexities of a game with the in-game currency closely tied to RL funds eludes them.

 

Wow. I'll add to my list

- the attitude of the fans leaves a lot to be desired

Just what I thought, no one was rude in their responses of the game until a "Player" responded, shame really.

Sorry gang, just seen one too many "tHis gAmE SuXoRs" laments to have much sympathy.  If the reasons cited had more to do with bugs or problems with the actual game mechanics rather than the economic model, I'd have probably been a bit more tactful in my response.

I've never tried it really, F2p games bother me.

Originally posted by AlphaGeek

Sorry gang, just seen one too many "tHis gAmE SuXoRs" laments to have much sympathy.

No one was asking for sympathy, AG, and to rationalize being insulting with "you don't like the pricing structure so you deserve it" is a bit odd, no?

Its not an easy game to master, that's for sure ;-)

You can't just lump EU in with F2P games. There is one big difference. You can take money out as well as put it in. For me this really is a plus, not a problem. I miss the real economy of SL in MMOs. It makes it something more than a game. So finally I've given EU a try. So far, without depositing, I'm enjoying it. I don't see how sweating is more boring than grinding in other MMOs. And you are in effect making real money, no matter how small. Also, the atmosphere at the Sweat Camp is better than in other games I've played. Which brings me to the community. It is noticeably older. You can tell almost immediately. There is far less inane drivel in chat, people are in the main helpful, and I've seen no abusive behaviour at all. I'm not saying younger people are like this. It's just that the atmosphere is more mature and younger people who play aren't the idiot kind. Maybe it's because of the lack of immediate rewards.

The down side is obviously the cost. So far, having played a bit under a week, I haven't deposited yet. I probably will, as I've just withdrawn $130 from SL, which I haven't played for some time. In SL I pretty much broke even, hence the withdrawals. Ultimately it didn't cost me a thing to play. I don't expect EU to be like that necessarily, although some do break even, some even profit. The point is it's possible to do this. I went hunting for the first time yesterday, funded by PED I'd made sweating, and I can tell you the combat is so much more intense when there is real life money at stake. I do see the cost of consumables like ammo and the repair costs being the main problem. Which is no doubt where MA make their money.

I'd recommend any mature players to try EU. It is a very grown-up game. You might want to deposit eventually, but it's free to download, free to play. You could spend as much on it as the price of a normal game and one month's sub you'd have about 600 PED. And when you start going hunting and working out your profit or loss margin I doubt you'd want to go back to a normal MMO. And at the end you might be left with money in the bank. Just don't lose your head!

Originally posted by LynxJSA

Originally posted by AlphaGeek

Again, some of these posts make it apparent that they were looking for a free money machine, or by the "money sink" comments, couldn't stick to a reasonable budget for their gaming and got themselves into financial straits.  Perhaps they  need their head examined or take a refresher course in high school business math. Perhaps the complexities of a game with the in-game currency closely tied to RL funds eludes them.

 

Wow. I'll add to my list

- the attitude of the fans leaves a lot to be desired

Lynx (alpha) he troll don't even read the BS he writes.

They are desperate for new players becose the economy FALLS APART ppl runs away we will see in about year what is EU.

Those guys are ass kissing monkeys download the game and you will see many mid ubers players try to sell out before it sinks.

CE2 will not help them at all.

And look at how many ppl post on this forum dude 2 guys from the all MMO think about it...

Read the signature i made it will tell you about the compagny.

If you liked EU just play afterworld same game whith REALY small cost they will eat EU once they go out of beta.

Originally posted by AlphaGeek

Should you decide to quit, liquidate the skills on your avatar as well as selling off your inventory and wind up with more than 1000 PED in cash (100 USD) on your avatar,  you can withdraw those funds. In other words, the company will send you a check or direct deposit the amount into your bank account. I'd like to  hear of a monthly fee game that'll do that!  LOL  NO, you won't get back the money you spent on ammo, mind essence,  etc... but Entropia is a game that it's possible to do some things in without spending, putting in the same amount that you would for monthly fee games, or spend your lottery winnings in.  It's up tpo the player, and  your account keeps going even if you don't put anything in in a given month like the subscription games.

I'm curious - I've never played the game myself, and have seen the claim posted before that you can get the money back (usually it's made in the context of justifying having spent large amounts of money), but have never heard anyone say that they in fact did quit and got their money back.  Has anyone ever really received money back from the company?

I just downloaded and installed the game, so far it seems pretty massive. I'm digging the graphics and character creator. Is there a way to fight with just your fists since you don't start out with any money or a weapon? I really don't want to spend actual money on this game, at least not yet since I'm just trying it out, but if you have to spend rl money to get in game currency then I'd rather just keep looking. I want to start fighting things, but I don't know how combat works. Every time I go out find a monster and try it just doesn't seem to work. If anyone can tell me how combat works, or knows of a way I can get some money or weapon without spending real money I'd be grateful. If there's only one server, and anyone's playing, a hand me down pistol or knife would kick ass right about now lol. I can give my characters name if anyone can help a newb.

Originally posted by bmdevine

Originally posted by AlphaGeek

Should you decide to quit, liquidate the skills on your avatar as well as selling off your inventory and wind up with more than 1000 PED in cash (100 USD) on your avatar,  you can withdraw those funds. In other words, the company will send you a check or direct deposit the amount into your bank account. I'd like to  hear of a monthly fee game that'll do that!  LOL  NO, you won't get back the money you spent on ammo, mind essence,  etc... but Entropia is a game that it's possible to do some things in without spending, putting in the same amount that you would for monthly fee games, or spend your lottery winnings in.  It's up tpo the player, and  your account keeps going even if you don't put anything in in a given month like the subscription games.

I'm curious - I've never played the game myself, and have seen the claim posted before that you can get the money back (usually it's made in the context of justifying having spent large amounts of money), but have never heard anyone say that they in fact did quit and got their money back.  Has anyone ever really received money back from the company?

YES they are honest you will get youre money it will only take two months each time… the problem is you cant take out more taht 30000 peds per month so is long long time for youre money.

It take 1s to deposit two months to take out.

There is ppl that claim is less time, I can only tell mine own experience for me it was 7 months to get the total money I owned in game i quited back in 2005/2006.
 

Originally posted by ilydamdris

I just downloaded and installed the game, so far it seems pretty massive. I'm digging the graphics and character creator. Is there a way to fight with just your fists since you don't start out with any money or a weapon? I really don't want to spend actual money on this game, at least not yet since I'm just trying it out, but if you have to spend rl money to get in game currency then I'd rather just keep looking. I want to start fighting things, but I don't know how combat works. Every time I go out find a monster and try it just doesn't seem to work. If anyone can tell me how combat works, or knows of a way I can get some money or weapon without spending real money I'd be grateful. If there's only one server, and anyone's playing, a hand me down pistol or knife would kick ass right about now lol. I can give my characters name if anyone can help a newb.

No, unfortunately you can't fight with your fists, only with melee/ranged weapons which do cost money. Without depositing you have a few options of acquiring PED's. The first is sweating mobs, sweat can be sold but it does take time to gather enough of it. Second is finding a mentor willing to give you a weapon to start out with. Getting a mentor is advisable even if they don't hand hand out free stuff, their knowledge help is often far more useful. Third is finding/joining a soc that might hand out equipment to trainee sections (i don't know if any out there still do). Last is participating in free events, check entropiaforum events section regularly and listen to Atlas haven radio, they hold many impromptu competitions. In the meantime get a good feel of EU, talk to people and if you do like it, the price of a regular game / subscription will get you a long way if you play it smart.

There is one more way to get money, and dont know why no one is talking about it. Oil rig. Place in middle of PvP zone, crawling with Atroxes where oil barrel is spawn every 5-15 min. Each barrel is worth between 5 and 15 ped, so if u can survive long enough its great way to make money. Was there, done that. I make my way from zero to over 40,000 ped in 3 years. No minning, hunting, just pure rigging 2-4 hours per day. Thinkin about it like an extra job. After 3 years cash out and leave with almost 4000$.

Originally posted by bmdevine

I'm curious - I've never played the game myself, and have seen the claim posted before that you can get the money back (usually it's made in the context of justifying having spent large amounts of money), but have never heard anyone say that they in fact did quit and got their money back.  Has anyone ever really received money back from the company?

If you check out the most popular forum for Entropia ( www.entropiaforum.com ), you'll see a number of threads where players benchmark the time from request to money in hand. The time does seem variable, anywhare from 1.5 to 6 weeks. Guess it depends on countries involved, bank policies, etc.

Some of these examples were players leaving game, some merely selling off surplus skills or inventory.

This is not to say that everyone in game makes a profit, not by any means. It does say that the game is different from your run of the mill FPS.

Originally posted by kicek.1

There is one more way to get money, and dont know why no one is talking about it. Oil rig. Place in middle of PvP zone, crawling with Atroxes where oil barrel is spawn every 5-15 min. Each barrel is worth between 5 and 15 ped, so if u can survive long enough its great way to make money. Was there, done that. I make my way from zero to over 40,000 ped in 3 years. No minning, hunting, just pure rigging 2-4 hours per day. Thinkin about it like an extra job. After 3 years cash out and leave with almost 4000$.

Surviving at the oil rig these days would involve a pretty significant outlay of PK equipment and the ability to fend off high maturity atrox. Sure, it's possible, but not for the beginner, or even the mid-level player.

Originally posted by AlphaGeek

Originally posted by kicek.1

There is one more way to get money, and dont know why no one is talking about it. Oil rig. Place in middle of PvP zone, crawling with Atroxes where oil barrel is spawn every 5-15 min. Each barrel is worth between 5 and 15 ped, so if u can survive long enough its great way to make money. Was there, done that. I make my way from zero to over 40,000 ped in 3 years. No minning, hunting, just pure rigging 2-4 hours per day. Thinkin about it like an extra job. After 3 years cash out and leave with almost 4000$.

Surviving at the oil rig these days would involve a pretty significant outlay of PK equipment and the ability to fend off high maturity atrox. Sure, it's possible, but not for the beginner, or even the mid-level player.

As I found out one day, Ahh, the memories ;-)

If you've got the money and the skills, sure, I'd recommend it ;-)

Originally posted by kicek.1

There is one more way to get money, and dont know why no one is talking about it. Oil rig. Place in middle of PvP zone, crawling with Atroxes where oil barrel is spawn every 5-15 min. Each barrel is worth between 5 and 15 ped, so if u can survive long enough its great way to make money. Was there, done that. I make my way from zero to over 40,000 ped in 3 years. No minning, hunting, just pure rigging 2-4 hours per day. Thinkin about it like an extra job. After 3 years cash out and leave with almost 4000$.

Full of shit !

Oil rig was free in at beginning we made ppl stay in lines and each will get one free baril.
From cK killing miners in pvp and bomb carpeting and ppl geting stronger and going to get free oil at the rig for ammo the rig was dead , you will need to fight for it or be old respected player that every one know.
No you will not get free oil.

Ther is exploit you can try (get two accounts get killed at the rig don’t TP just stay there to look) another character ready to TP from the outpost you will need medium TP chip to TP in one jump, ppl did that but ther is almost always someone at the rig so the opening is not worth the time.