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Granted, getting free stuff in EU costs time. There is a reason for that though. The items you aquire in game have RL value and can be transferred out of the game should you decide to quit for good. Now compare some of the other games that have start up fees or box sets... lets see... Star Wars Galaxies- 14.99
That's what starter kits for games that offer them cost. As I've illustrated in another posting here, those same funds will but you a basic set of armor, a weapon, a FAP (First Aid) and a fair chunk of change in your pocket for ammo and walking around money. I'm sure some of those also have free download clients, but the RCE nature of Entropia makes it difficult to give every new account something with value. There would be streams of noob accounts every day, ammassing freebies to cash out, sucking loot from legitimate players and cash from MA's corporate bottom line. You have to admit, that'd be no way to run a railroad. If you're really adamant about spending no money to try Entropia, you can try sweating or fruit & dung gathering. That being said, sweating is a hard row to hoe, and most seasoned players will recommend putting 10 or 15 USD in to get equipped. Depositing beyond that is up to you, but it will make the early days of gameplay on Calypso much easier and more like the traditional MMORPGS that most folks try to keep comparing Entropia to. About getting your money OUT of the game: The cash card system as advertised is currently non-existant, and the players ride MA's ass about that weekly. There is however, withdrawal to your bank account. The minimum amount that MA will initiate a transfer for is 100 USD, so if your total expenditure in the game is less than that you can kiss it byebye. If you have more that that much stuff to liquidate in game, Mindark will send you the funds. I don't know of too many other MMORPGS where the company itself will hand you your money back. Before you start going screaming "fanboi" at me, let me introduce myself. I'm the guy that 2 years ago attempted to organize an in-game strike over extreme movement bugs in what was then called "Project Entropia". The result of that was that I was temporarily banned from the game. There was in-game backlash, and I was sent several screenies of teams getting globals under the name "Free AlphaGeek!" My account was restored. A couple of patches later, the movement problems were corrected. Since that time, I've been a regular depositor and continue playing Entropia. I like the game enough to pay for it. I've had some issues with the way MA does things. I still do to some degree. Things like the ATM card really piss me off.
To the plus, MA has recently put the game that was called "Project Entropia" under a seperate subsidiary company, First Planet. MindArk will continue working with First Planet and other companies as the platform developer, and the partner companies will develop their own content on that platform for their own planets. The person MA gave the helm of First Planet to is Marco Berhmann, MA's former community relations person, and a game developer in his own right. While First Planet is still getting its feet under it, I'm rather optimistic about this change, as it has a gamer in charge. That's something Entropia has never really had before.
So yeah. Sweating is hard, just like getting free money in RL is hard. Skilling is hard too, because the equipment and even the skills themselves can add up to a tidy sum. If you amass enough and want to quit, you get your money back. Entropia is different, and that's probably why I like it. Because of the RCE difference, there simply isn't an easy apples and apples comparison to make between EU and traditional mmorpgs. I will say it beats the pants off of Meridian 59, which I beta tested! AG |
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Nice review, thanks! |
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Entropia Universe is not a game of Gambling
General Discussion « Entropia Universe 10/26/08 8:48:49 AM
Well, I'm not gonna research 190 countries laws to provide you with that answer. Why don't you do that research and report back to us? I think what you'll find is that since payment is not required to get in-game cash (TBH though...it ain't easy to get sizeable amounts this way. Damnit, Jim...it's a MMORPG, not a free moeny machine!) that technically it isn't gambling by the legal definition most use. AG |
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Recommended starter gear for Planet Calypso
General Discussion « Entropia Universe 10/26/08 2:30:06 AM
OK, everyone hears the hype about Entropia being free. It is free to play, but to do much beyond walk, talk, and get killed while sweating, guess what? You probably should pay in some, just like most other MMORPGs that are worth playing. Here's the rundown on what a total newcomer needs to begin hunting the wildlife of Calypso instead of being their prey: Pixie Armor Set (M)- 21.0PED The prices listed are for items at full repair values, ans a smart shopper might easily be able to pick up some used items for less that are servicable. So, a complete set of hunting gear would run less than 40 PED ($4 USD). Sweat from mobs currently runs about .005 PED per unit, so that.. what.. 8000 units of sweat? If you're feeling frivolous, spend 3 PED to get your outfit repaired to a nice shiney orange sheen. All the cool colonists do it. So, if you choose a single weapon, get ammo, armor and something to heal yourself up with, a 10 dollar deposit gets you a complete noob kit and over 50 PED in your pocket for whatever else you want to do with it. ...and if you want you can sweat for the next 20 years without spending another dime if you don't wanna. :) There are plenty of other equipment options to mull over. I selected the most common and readily available ones for this posting. Got questions? Post 'em here. Someone will be along to answer. :) Cheers! AG |
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Think of it as a traditional MMORPG with optional fees and occasional random door prizes. That's more the truth of it.
AG |
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Well, let's do a little comparison on monthy costs. Here's month-to-month fees on several popular games: City of Heros/Villans 11.95 If the OP would have deposited a similar sum, they would have been able to get a complete starter kit for hunting or mining, and had some pocket money left. What sets Entropia apart from these pay-to-play games is that if you don't feel like paying for a given month, you don't get cut off from the game. The OP mentions sweating the native wildlife of Calypso. That's a common activity for noobs that want to get some cash without depositing. Gathering dung or fruit for resale are also popular. An explanation of sweating for those unfamiliar with EU (Now called Planet Calypso, which is the first planet in the Entropia Universe. Others will follow, my guess is 1st q of 09...) is this: The wildlife of Calypso exude a "vibrant sweat" which can be combined with mined material to produce "Mind Essence", which is essentially the fuel for psionic powers such as teleportation, healing, etc, etc. Gathering this sweat for resale costs a player nothing but time to do. However since EU is RCE based, it takes time to gather enough for any amount of in-game cash. No suprise here, MA is a company that wants to profit, and too many freebies will keep that from happening. Sweating also allows newcomers to familiarize themselves with the user interface, and how stuff works in general. Sweat sales are always P2P, which reinforces the concept that the game is a social experience, and that a players in-game experience is linked to the other colonists on planet Calypso. So, what am I saying? I'm saying "screw the idea of making money here, it's a freakin' game!" I'm also saying that if a player pays in the same 10-15 dollars per month, they will have lots of fun. If they want bigger bang, they can pay in more bucks, but that's entirely up to them and their budget. :)
AG
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FIRST PLANET COMPANY TO TAKE OVER PLANET CALYPSO
General Discussion « Entropia Universe 10/25/08 6:53:17 PM
Many of the previous posters on this board have stated that they couldn't tell if Entropia is actually a MMORPG or not. MindArk, the company that created Entropia Universe, over the past year has announced several partnerships that will lead to new planets in their universe. In addition, MindArk has created a new subsidiary company, First Planet Company. First Planet will take the helm of the game formerly known as Project Entropia, while MindArk will continue to develop, support, and promote the Entropia platform. What was "Project Entropia" will now be renamed "Planet Calypso" and will be a planet partner in Entropia Universe. Marco Berhmann, former community relations rep for MA, has been given the helm of First Planet. In several postings on the largest EU player forum, Marco has given glimpses into where the product will go from here, but the most assuring thing I heard was his assertation that in his viewpoint, Planet Calypso is indeed a game. This is welcome news in my opinion. As a PE/EU/PC player for 3 years now, I'm more optimistic about the future of the game than I've been for quite some time. Below is a copy of the press release issued by MindArk and First Planet.
AG
FIRST PLANET COMPANY TO TAKE OVER PLANET CALYPSO This is a day of great fortune and aspirations, of excitement and hope, of respect and history. Continued operation and development of the planet Calypso is to be handled by MindArk PE AB subsidiary First Planet Company AB. I have been asked and I have accepted the role of CEO and Creative Director for First Planet Company, along with the responsibility of developing and marketing the MMORPG "Planet Calypso". The Calypso journey began in mid-2002 when the commercial open trial phase started, leading up to the gold release of "Project Entropia" on the 30th of January 2003. I still remember the launch day as if it were yesterday. At seven minutes to midnight VU 4.2 was applied and Entropia officially went live. In April 2006 Project Entropia evolved into "Entropia Universe". And, now the online game known as Entropia Universe will evolve again to become "Planet Calypso". The "Entropia Universe" brand will continue as the name of the platform all planets will operate on, continuously developed by MindArk PE AB. The creation of First Planet Company allows for focused and efficient development of both the Entropia Universe platform as well as development of Planet Calypso. First Planet Company will act as a partner planet within the Entropia Universe. My vision is to supply the resources needed for the creative team to allow them the freedom and time to create interesting short- and long-term storylines, enhance and polish game-play, add role-playing aspects, and cater to events. It is also important to develop participant-based tools for creation of activities, add depth to the various activities present today, and of course introduce new activities not before seen. My role will be to bring and maintain a coherency to the Calypso history and storyline. The over-arching goal is to make Planet Calypso a truly kick-ass Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game! All virtual items, records, PED's, and item values will still be maintained by MindArk PE AB - as before. The change applies to the development side of game-play, design, content development and storyline. With highest regards and a commitment to a fun and exciting future, Marco Behrmann |
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