Entropia Universe's5th planet after Planet Calypso, ROCKtropia, Next Island and Arkadia is due to be released in Q1 of 2012 and highly anticipated. Are you ready to face beasts with bad tempers and a lot of sharp teeth?
Entropia Universe allows gamers to travel through space between independently developed planets, each with a unique setting and atmosphere. You can bring your items and skills along so you don't have to start with a new avatar and each planet shares the same in-game currency linked to the real U.S. Dollar which means all items have real value.
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Planet Cyrene, developed by Digital Scryers as well as Creative Kingdom Animation Studios will be a sci-fi based planet combined with some fantasy elements in the form of shaman native tribes. CEO and Creative Director Ed Robles III started out with a sneak-peak of the storyline that tells of a human army belonging to the Imperium faction being attacked by another faction called the Turrelions in order to force them to join the coalition. Nearly defeated they speak about a distant planet called Cyrene where their hopes for a better future lie.
MindStar9 from the Planet Cyrene Writing Team continued the storytelling in her semi-official storyline series called Secrets and Covert Operations which can be found in the Media section of the Planet Cyrene forum. In these great series more of the official storyline is revealed as well as some exclusive photos and things players can look forward to. Once Planet Cyrene launches these stories will go on and will lead to role-play events with rewards as well as offer players the opportunity to become part of the storyline and history of the planet.
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The importance of a solid storyline continues in the design of the missions. Assistant Creative Director Kristafer Altergott explains in an interview that there will be no filler missions (e.g. missions for the sake of having missions) and that ideally all the missions will lead to an area with something special going on. He then explains that when you'll arrive on Planet Cyrene you'll be given an introduction on how and why you came to be on the planet and then will be thrown into the action pretty quickly, but in a guided way. When you finish the starter area and are ready to move on to the real challenging parts of the planet there will be multiple paths you can choose, each with a unique experience. The choices you make will have an impact, most importantly the allegiance to different factions within the game. Who you choose to fight and whom you choose to befriend will define your avatar in distinct ways, it will dictate what storyline you receive and who you receive it from.
Besides missions there will be World events. World events are special things that only happen during a certain time or in a certain area. They could be as simple as a Holiday celebration or something bigger that leads to real changes on the planet. The world events help build the history of the planet and the areas they involve.
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The planet will be divided into different continents and offer a plethora of different environments, starting with the huge City of Janus. Controlled by the Imperium and originally built as a vacation hub for the political and military elite it now houses refugees and is one of the main re-cloning centers. It was built in the shape of mankind's most ancient civilizations and no expense was spared in its authentic feel, including a massive Colosseum at its center. It will probably be your starting point or one of the first major experiences on Planet Cyrene when you arrive.
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But Janus is not the only remarkable sight you'll encounter. The Zekkonians, a technologically advanced bee-like humanoid species, inhabit the lands called Zekkonian Royals. Using powerful crystal magic and machines the Zekkonians managed to make a series of islands float in the air away from the dangers below. It is there where the Zekkonian Nobility live but it takes massive amounts of crystals to keep their islands afloat and they are in constant war over these resources. Next to that you'll come across swamp areas, deserts, tree villages, inverted pyramids and all other kinds of amazing settings.
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Of course all these places would be empty and meaningless if there weren't any inhabitants and creatures to fight but rest assured, Planet Cyrene will be teaming with wildlife to battle. Starting in the seas with relatively harmless Armored Whiskerfish, who despite its thick armor is a favorite snack for many creatures like the more dangerous Hackfin or the bane of the Zekkonians called the Merfolken. On land you'll find a whole range of other monsters that run, jump and fly to fight all the way up to the high level area of the Turrelion Outpost where the notorious Duster Gang tries to claim the city for itself. And then of course there's the huge robots and unique boss monsters.
You will not be fighting these enemies empty-handed. With the arrival of Planet Cyrene, whole new sets of armor and weapons and vehicles will be introduced and even Mechs will make an appearance on Cyrene in the future.
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When Mechs arrive they will initially come in three flavors:
- Centurion Mech: The Centurion Mech is a Sons of Remus design and it stands 16 feet high. It can be outfitted with different weapons and armor combinations. Used as guardians of SoR forts and cities, few things on Cyrene are able to withstand the Centurion assault. Often found leading patrols, the Centurion can be piloted or controlled remotely by Sons of Remus Sentinels.
- Imperium M.A.V.: The Imperium M.A.V. is a Multi-purpose Assault Vehicle. Dubbed the Mavrick by its Pilots, the MAV is capable of many duties. It allows the pilot to travel into extreme conditions and can be outfitted for different functions. Also used for building forts in hostile locations, the MAV is equally at home as a vehicle of construction or destruction.
- Fenris Power Armor:The Fenris Power Armor is another Sons of Remus design. Fashioned with a wolf like helmet, the Fenris is a tribute to the Sons of Remus symbol. Standing at 8 feet tall the Fenris is standard equipped with an auto assault shotgun but can also carry a shield made of an extra tough amalgam of metals. The Fenris is used as the grunt for the Sons of Remus but is equally capable of getting the job done alone.
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Next to that, regular sets of armor and weapons will appear, like the Imperium Trooper armor and the XENT TECH weaponry with plasma rifles, machine guns, shotguns and rocket launchers, which are among the most advanced in the universe.
For non-combatants there will be plenty of opportunities on Planet Cyrene too. Mr. Robles acknowledged the importance of a wide variety of blueprints used to craft different weapons, armor and clothing and many of these can also be earned through missions or found while performing such missions. They also plan on releasing a complete line of clothing, uniforms and items on launch and mentioned to keep an eye out on their site for previews.
All in all: exciting times lie ahead for both Planet Cyrene and Entropia Universe as a whole. According to their website registration for new colonists will begin on February 21stbut for those who can't wait to get started there's already an iPhone game launched called Sons of Remus, Lone Wolf and a new version of it coming up soon that provides a lot of improved gameplay functions, better graphics, new weapons and enemies as well as an Android version of the game.
For more information about Planet Cyrene you can check out their official website, the official forum or Entropia Planets with information and a wiki about all the planets within the Entropia Universe.
