I started playing on Jan 2, 2010. I've played other MMOs before. Alot of them. My resume is either very impressive, or very unimpressive, depending on how you view MMOs! Immediately upon logging in a random newbie wanted to take me around. I tried to ignore her, but after waving at me constantly I figured she had something to offer. Since this wasnt a poorly policed street in some seedy area of town, the offer was probably game related. Whew. I felt safer knowing that, and I bet you do too! She took me around and showed me what the sweating thing was all about. She hadnt been playing much longer than I had, but she had grasped something very important about the game early on --- the game isnt about killing stuff and getting rich, its about sharing your experiences on some level with other players. She was happy being a newbie. Players that miss this point tend to focus on killing the biggest mobs right away, scoring the biggest markups in trading they can, and getting the fattest Halls of Fames on record.

Dont get me wrong, these things do come. But you have limited control over them. Any newbie can get a monster loot rivalling the most experienced player. Focusing on the loot is a recipe for frustration. Dont do it. Take it easy, do what you want in order to keep your fun level up, and enjoy the down time as much as the uptime.

Getting back to the story, she adopted me, and after a couple days I got a PM saying "Have you been to Nea's Outpost yet?" My response was -- "Whats that?" This was the start of my first epic cross continent run. 2 Newbies. The best weapon amongst us was my starter sword. Our best armor was the Settler armor you should never ever ever get -- Which I got. In short, we were totally defenseless and had no idea what we were doing. We eventually made it to Nea's though, regardless. We didnt make any money, but we had fun. Here's a few pictures from that.

When we got there, we Sweated and Sweated, and I learned what SWUNT was. Its a combination of the words Sweat and Hunt, which is exactly what it is. SWUNTing is a super efficient way of noob hunting, where a group of noobs takes on a monster far beyond their individual ability with the help of a couple advanced players. The noobs get bottles upon bottles of sweat. The advanced players get alot of loot for a lower cost than normal thanks to the newbies helping out with their noob weapons. One thing about the SWUNT teams, theyre super efficient, and geared up by players with cash on the brain. If you dont follow the rules, they will kill you without a word. These players try to drag the monsters out of the hunt zones so that they can avoid taxes. Other players will sometimes come by and kill the SWUNT groups for "tax evasion!" Yeah, its really like that.

It was about this time my noob friend disappeared. Gone without a trace. I havnt seen her logon since. I attempted to contact the person who had been advising her, and he played a bit of a joke on me I think. I started asking him about what gear I should use, and he referred me to the most expensive and cost ineffective items in the game for a new player. Why did he do it? Im not sure. He was perfectly nice to my friend. He took her around everywhere. But he had no interest in helping me out, as I discovered after I purchased what he had recommended, only to find out that the cost of playing Entropia with that gear would have been around $200 per month!!! I quickly disposed of the gear, and went to entropedia.info to learn about gear myself. I also wrote down this persons name, and decided I was not going to support him or people like him in any way. The joke, although funny in a ha-ha kind of way, was the kind of thing that makes people think poorly of a community.

I learned about SIB weapons and other items due to this, however, so I guess in a way he did me a favor.

I ended up joining a group led by a guy who had been kind enough to take me to Twin Peaks, another epic journey! I stayed with them for a while, but in retrospect although they were great people I should not have joined them. Why? Because the group itself was far too advanced for my own level of gameplay. This resulted in me feeling pressured to catch up to them, and being frustrated that I could not. No, they did not pressure me. I pressured myself. I did not want to be a burden on their teams. I played hard, very hard. I focused in on the money because I had to in order to play at the level I was playing. I discovered the side of Entropia all the folks who have quit complain about on the messageboards. I discovered the game can be financially cruel. To highlight the games cruelty, note the globals that pop up on a daily basis. A global is any loot over 50 PED. I started playing Jan 2. I did not get my first global until early March. It was a fat one, but until then I had existed off of bare subsistence and deposits. Other players I know personally have globalled their first week. Or even their first day! Ive globalled and had some Halls of Fames a few times since then, but it took 3 months before they got started.

I ran an experiment with a group of other random noobs, just to find out how cruel, and the results were mixed. Some players found the game to be rather forgiving. Others found it to be horribly expensive to the point of being a financial burden. One player in my group spent over $2000 in 3 weeks. He now logs on once a week or so, because his wife caught him blowing their savings on Entropia. I spent my share as well, at my level of play I had cycled -- which means put through the system, recieved back, and put through the system again --- over 80,000 PED by the middle of March. Yeah, thats $8,000. I didnt withdraw that from my bank account and put it ingame.   My actual deposits were far less.  Thats what I cycled through the game, generated by the game itself! Being money minded at that time, I was a little pissed off I had spent 8 grand, even if it was virtual money!

Its at that point I reassessed what I was doing, and why I was doing it. I knew I was focusing too much on cash, and in doing so not enjoying the game enough. I decided to remedy that.

• First thing --- I left the Entropia Forum boards. The players there in general have an attitude regarding money I found was only helpful in driving other players to focus on it. Its unhealthy. Im a bit of a boardwarrior, so the best choice given the circumstances was for me to leave rather than continue arguing with them. I changed my password on my account to something random, and closed it off. I had amassed quite a few EFD on there, which would have probably paid me 500 PED. But I didnt want it. I wanted out.
• Second --- I said goodbye to the group I was with. Theyre great people, but they were playing on a different level than I was. While Im sure I will one day be at their level, I am not right now. There's less pressure on me to perform, and less need on their end to encourage. It was a good move.
• Third --- I decided to scale back my own operation. Slow down a bit. Take my time. I discovered alot of fundamentals during my first 3 months, but I was in such a rush to keep up with the neighbors I never really stopped to consider what I could do with the data I had gathered, to maximize my output at my current level. I was too concerned with leveling up! So I began a comprehensive analysis of all the data that I gathered. Im still in the process of data entry. Yeah, its that much!
• Fourth --- I went back to my roots. I asked myself why I liked MMOs. The answer was --- I like to explore, help folks out, and relax. I engage in activities only so far as they meet that criteria. No more super grinding. It really doesnt matter. If I buy 100 ore bombs, 100 EN bombs and fix my sword to full capacity --- Im not going to grind away until its all gone. I'll go until I feel like quitting. If its 14 bombs in, fine. If I only hunt for 20 minutes, fine. Theres lots of rumors in Entropia about how if you spend more time, youll make more money. That is bullshit. One of the noobs I was teamed with for my study made more money than me, and played on average 25 hours less per week. Time is not relevant. So dont stress over it.

Nice story, thanks for sharing. I think more people should reassess what they're doing ingame and why more often. Focussing on the real cash aspect isn't bad per se if that's your thing, but acknowledge the moment something turns from challenging/fun to frustration and take action to change that.

Nice to finally hear your story.

Without trying to make it sound like it's all about money, I do want to highlight the issue you came across, and that is trying to "level up" too quick.

I understand in other games, leveling up can occur very quick. However in EU, it's meant to take y-e-a-r-s to progress. Yes, that can be quickened in a sense due to buying skills from other players. However, I believe that some who are used to other MMOs come to EU and, like you, end up trying to do too much too quick. As you noted, your information and understanding of the game wasn't in line with your ingame situation, and that can really wreck havoc.

Good luck in EU.

Happy hoffing. (my little saying which means "good luck", "cya", and those things)

Originally posted by JohnCapital

Nice to finally hear your story.

Without trying to make it sound like it's all about money, I do want to highlight the issue you came across, and that is trying to "level up" too quick.

I understand in other games, leveling up can occur very quick. However in EU, it's meant to take y-e-a-r-s to progress. Yes, that can be quickened in a sense due to buying skills from other players. However, I believe that some who are used to other MMOs come to EU and, like you, end up trying to do too much too quick. As you noted, your information and understanding of the game wasn't in line with your ingame situation, and that can really wreck havoc.

My understanding of the game is still not exactly in line with my situation.   I now have a massive amount of skills I grinded up.  Probably a years worth of skills I built up over a 3 month period.   My skills now exceed my knowledge!  But theres a positive to that, and that is that gaining lower end knowledge is much easier.    Want to know what the average drop rate for a Combibo is at a particular time?  Pull out a nice maxed SIB weapon of choice, and kill a few hundred quickly while running AutoTracker in the background.   

Stats get computed fast, and you know your profit/loss ratio in a given area, and whether or not it works for you.  No need to spend days figuring it out!   Combibo just dont work for me.   Argonauts, Maffoids, and Feffoids are sweeter mobs for my particular character and skill build -- at least right now.   That could all change tomorrow.   And ive got a few gigs of mining screenshots I with coords I need to plot on a map.    And with a few levels of finders behind me now, Ive learned what particular finders work well for me, and where my particular characters mining depths seem to be most reliable.   My mining drop successes are satisfactory, even if I have yet to hit that uber HOF.

Will I be rich in EU?  No, I dont see that happening.  Will I have fun?  Sure.  Im at a level where Im comfortable, doing things I feel good doing.   Theres alot of strategy left to unlock in the game, and alot of skills needed to gain.   Maybe in a few months I'll actually have unlocked Serendipity, but for now Im satisfied at being in the level 20's skill range.

EU is a great game from the standpoint that I think its actually got it right with skill gain and progression.  Most games want to please their consumer too eagerly, and essentially hand out levels.  This is the WoW approach to gaming.   EU takes the opposite standpoint.   Levels are slow to gain, but every step of the way means something -- so its not a grind like Lineage.

I saw you yesterday, recruiting for your society. 

I wish you good luck. 

I was reading this over thinking it was going to be another bash fest. I was wrong.

Great article, made me want to join the experience...

But then it hit me. I already joined your society . Keep up the good work!

If any new players are looking for a down to earth, new player oriented group consider contacting me and joining my group.  We wont feed you full of fluff about how rich you'll be, or advertise any fancy utilities you'll be restricted from using until "trial period xyz" has passed (or never get to use at all!).  Instead what you'll learn from us is basic survival strategies within the Entropia Universe framework, and how to work within the game at minimal to no cost.

Things I provide personally to the group

• Hunting Statistics
• Group Hunts
• Armed Escorts
• Crafting Statistics
• Personalized Advice
• Guild Contests with Practical Rewards
• Fully featured website with Personal Screenshot archives
• A guild with a development plan
• Voice Chat

Click the image to be taken to our website!

I am interested in trying Emtropia.  But being in a bad spot financialy I am wondering how realistic it will be to play the game for free?  I must make the point that I will not be depositing at all but I do have ALOT of time to devote to the game. 

Is this possable?  I am not looking to get rich or even pay the rent.  I just want to play a Sci Fi based game for free.

Hi,

Yes it is possible.  What you need to bear in mind though is that your first month is going to be very tough, and your first week will be full of one activity primarily -- Sweating and selling sweat to buyers.   Sweat currently sells for 5 PED per 1000 bottles --- youll need to amass a starting cache of 50 PED to get started, so yes it takes a little bit of perseverence.  Collect a few basic TP's (Teleporters) during this time, and find a society that accepts new players.

After you get your 50 PED starting cash, buy and Opalo and 30 PED of ammunition.  Do not hunt alone, but hunt in groups, or SWUNT with a large group.   This is where your society can help you the most starting off.    Because you want to stretch that 30 PED of ammo as long as you can.   The more monsters you kill, the more chances you have of getting a nice fat global to get you started.   The more ammo you have the more monsters will die.  The more people you have....  yeah, you get the picture! 

So yes, to keep a long story short, it is very possible.  It just takes perseverence on your end.

Nice review, very balanced, more people should do it like that.

I never tried Entropia Universe, only knew of that special egg and that resort that sold for 10,000s of dollars (ingame or real? No idea) plus the gorgeous wallpaper screenshots on their site - at least I presume it's ingame pictures and not rendered or concept art. But it sounds interesting.

Only, one thing: 2000$ in 3 weeks?! What the...

Originally posted by cyphers

Nice review, very balanced, more people should do it like that.

 

I never tried Entropia Universe, only knew of that special egg and that resort that sold for 10,000s of dollars (ingame or real? No idea) plus the gorgeous wallpaper screenshots on their site - at least I presume it's ingame pictures and not rendered or concept art. But it sounds interesting.

Only, one thing: 2000$ in 3 weeks?! What the...

 Thanks :-)   There are all sorts of monetary headlines in this game.  The egg, in my opinion, was a PR stunt orchestrated between Neverdie and Deathifier in order to line their own pockets.   Both these individuals are actual multi millionaires now due to tax revenue generated on their ingame holdings, so they stand to gain alot from putting Entropia back into the headlines.

To answer your question, the egg was sold to Deathifier from Neverdie for a whopping $69,696 US Dollars.   Ingame that would be approximately 700,000 Planet Entropia Dollars.  Not an unusual sum for an advanced player to have in value of their items on hand!

The images are actual ingame screenshots, just like the pictures I posted on this thread.  Some areas have been redone to have very dense foliage.  Others are more open.

And yeah, $2000 in 3 weeks.   Some people start off believing that the more they spend the more they will instantly make.    They miss the point that the game never guarantees you will make any kind of profit at all, and see a cash grab opportunity.  This guy was like that --- and it got him a couple grand poorer than when he started out!   People do that in all these games though.  Google ZT Online, or check out money spent in Jade Dynasty or Perfect World.... these games are cash cows!

Poked my nose into Entropia years ago, and have remained intrigued by the concept.  Have not had the time to invest, unfortunately, and I feel like this is definitely a game that I'd have to sink serious time into to be even slightly successful in terms of gently extending my capabilities, learning about the environment, meeting people, and having a good time.

Thank you for the info Dar!!  I think I will be downloading the game shortly.   Is you Org recruting?  I am not after handouts,  just an easy and trusted rout to info during game time.

Yep we're recruiting.  Im always on the lookout for people who will increase the general social atmosphere of the group in a well balanced way.   Feel free to come by and check us out on our site.

Cheers!

Nice summary of your experience in game.  I wish more people would write like this, it gives a feeling of the actual game, and dosent have a score attached to it.  I will have to look up your society. I am in between societies right now.

Originally posted by dar_es_balat

Originally posted by cyphers

Nice review, very balanced, more people should do it like that.

 

I never tried Entropia Universe, only knew of that special egg and that resort that sold for 10,000s of dollars (ingame or real? No idea) plus the gorgeous wallpaper screenshots on their site - at least I presume it's ingame pictures and not rendered or concept art. But it sounds interesting.

Only, one thing: 2000$ in 3 weeks?! What the...

 Thanks :-)   There are all sorts of monetary headlines in this game.  The egg, in my opinion, was a PR stunt orchestrated between Neverdie and Deathifier in order to line their own pockets.   Both these individuals are actual multi millionaires now due to tax revenue generated on their ingame holdings, so they stand to gain alot from putting Entropia back into the headlines.

To answer your question, the egg was sold to Deathifier from Neverdie for a whopping $69,696 US Dollars.   Ingame that would be approximately 700,000 Planet Entropia Dollars.  Not an unusual sum for an advanced player to have in value of their items on hand!

The images are actual ingame screenshots, just like the pictures I posted on this thread.  Some areas have been redone to have very dense foliage.  Others are more open.

And yeah, $2000 in 3 weeks.   Some people start off believing that the more they spend the more they will instantly make.    They miss the point that the game never guarantees you will make any kind of profit at all, and see a cash grab opportunity.  This guy was like that --- and it got him a couple grand poorer than when he started out!   People do that in all these games though.  Google ZT Online, or check out money spent in Jade Dynasty or Perfect World.... these games are cash cows!

With Jade Dynasty, Perfect World, etc... you are pretty much guaranteed some kind of character advancement. The money you put into the item malls will affect your character and progress him. In EU it's random. I think most people don't even want to break even anymore, they just want some kind of decent character progression. The more money you deposit might progress you a little or a lot. Its the uncertainty of game mechanics that hold many back.

Originally posted by Briansho

With Jade Dynasty, Perfect World, etc... you are pretty much guaranteed some kind of character advancement. The money you put into the item malls will affect your character and progress him. In EU it's random. I think most people don't even want to break even anymore, they just want some kind of decent character progression. The more money you deposit might progress you a little or a lot. Its the uncertainty of game mechanics that hold many back.

 Granted Ive only been playing for 5 months now, but I dont see any uncertainty in gaining skills.  You use an item and youll gain skill in it.   The numbers arent made plain for you so you can count it out --- how many experience points do you need to reach x goal --- but then again I never really did care for that approach.   I may be oldskool, but I enjoyed the UO approach of: Just do something and you will advance, eventually becoming great at it.

To tell the truth personally I think very poorly of games that take all the mystery out and leave nothing up to chance.  Wondering why is an essential part of the human experience.  One that translates very well into the MMO genre if it is allowed to do so.  Stripping that away, well... it strips away something of a worlds personality.   If that uncertainty drives people away, it has not driven me away --- instead drawing me towards the product.

It has nothing to do with gambling, to pre-empt that strike.  It has everything to do with simply enjoying a little bit of mystery.

Originally posted by dar_es_balat

Originally posted by Briansho

With Jade Dynasty, Perfect World, etc... you are pretty much guaranteed some kind of character advancement. The money you put into the item malls will affect your character and progress him. In EU it's random. I think most people don't even want to break even anymore, they just want some kind of decent character progression. The more money you deposit might progress you a little or a lot. Its the uncertainty of game mechanics that hold many back.

 Granted Ive only been playing for 5 months now, but I dont see any uncertainty in gaining skills.  You use an item and youll gain skill in it.   The numbers arent made plain for you so you can count it out --- how many experience points do you need to reach x goal --- but then again I never really did care for that approach.   I may be oldskool, but I enjoyed the UO approach of: Just do something and you will advance, eventually becoming great at it.

To tell the truth personally I think very poorly of games that take all the mystery out and leave nothing up to chance.  Wondering why is an essential part of the human experience.  One that translates very well into the MMO genre if it is allowed to do so.  Stripping that away, well... it strips away something of a worlds personality.   If that uncertainty drives people away, it has not driven me away --- instead drawing me towards the product.

It has nothing to do with gambling, to pre-empt that strike.  It has everything to do with simply enjoying a little bit of mystery.

Mystery is a good description. Maybe if you get lucky someone will spill some beans with some useful information on how to maximize skill gains and have a steady character progression.

I always thought of EU as a casino but I changed my mind. I think its more like owning a boat. You either Bust Out Another Thousand or it's a hole in water you throw money in.

Heheh  I like that acronym, BOAT.   Ive owned a boat.  Actually two.   One sank while I was sleeping on it.  The other was a great deal of fun but in my living situation it was rather silly to have.   The costs of owning a boat pale in comparison to the costs of owning cars!   The cheapest car I had was ironically enough a 1960 Ford Thunderbird.  Gorgeous piece of machinery and easy to work on.   Most expensive?   Honda Civic.   Even my tricked out Saab 900's were cheaper to own and maintain!   Funny thing is I ride my bicycle to work, so a car is really just a fun machine in my life. 

My point in this segue is theres alot of expensive things.   Most of them could be prioritized to the point of irrelevance, and logically speaking should.   But we do things because we love doing them.  Computer gaming is no different, and the games we play have even less value financially -- but theyre what keep us happy.    In that regard I think theres more common ground in this discussion than difference.   The only truly fundamental difference we have is whether or not we would spend time and possibly money on a product like EU.

I say yes.  You seem to say no.

I'll leave you to the hobbies and money sinks you enjoy while I enjoy mine. :-)

Originally posted by dar_es_balat

Heheh  I like that acronym, BOAT.   Ive owned a boat.  Actually two.   One sank while I was sleeping on it.  The other was a great deal of fun but in my living situation it was rather silly to have.   The costs of owning a boat pale in comparison to the costs of owning cars!   The cheapest car I had was ironically enough a 1960 Ford Thunderbird.  Gorgeous piece of machinery and easy to work on.   Most expensive?   Honda Civic.   Even my tricked out Saab 900's were cheaper to own and maintain!   Funny thing is I ride my bicycle to work, so a car is really just a fun machine in my life. 

My point in this segue is theres alot of expensive things.   Most of them could be prioritized to the point of irrelevance, and logically speaking should.   But we do things because we love doing them.  Computer gaming is no different, and the games we play have even less value financially -- but theyre what keep us happy.    In that regard I think theres more common ground in this discussion than difference.   The only truly fundamental difference we have is whether or not we would spend time and possibly money on a product like EU.

I say yes.  You seem to say no.

I'll leave you to the hobbies and money sinks you enjoy while I enjoy mine. :-)

Thanks, may your HOFs be daily and loss from decay be low!