Wednesday, July 18, 2007

The Bucket Theory and Motivational tools

I think sometimes we all underestimate just how much money Mindark can funnel out of EU just soley from decay of usable items. Its like poking a small hole in a large bucket of water if you get enough small holes it will drain a lot of water out of that bucket. The more people play and decay the more PED(Project Entropia Dollar) is funneled off the system.


I think when Mindark's financial numbers fall short we will see events happen, like the current one called "The Animal Kingdom", which plants more people in chairs in front of their computer decaying away in Entropia Universe. Uber items and the new repairable weapons are motivational tools to keep people depositing and playing just like the events and huge All Time High Hall of Fame loots.

Its a fine line though if you release to many great items well they become not so rare if you don't release enough good items people will think its impossible "so whats the point" Mindark has to keep that carrot close enough to smell it yet far enough away only a few actually get one now and then.

When you take away the gleam of MOD MERC, MOD FAP, IMP MKII, and others you start to see what they are and mean. They are purely motivational tools to continue participating in the Entropia Universe. Sure in the hands of the right hunter an IMP MKII is an efficient weapon but they make up any loss in that one hunter's efficiency by the 50-100 other hunters not hunting as efficiently trying to loot another IMP MKII. Also most high end items would be considered a "windfall" for those willing to sell them at the current going rates.

So you have to ask yourself now and then what is it that motivates you in Entropia Universe? To some its looting great items or resources, others its being a Land Baron in its many forms, others its all about the "sale", some its all about fun and socializing, and others its all of the above. MA needs to keep all these different personality types happy while still being financially successful. As long as people participate in Entropia Universe one thing will always remain constant, that bucket will never be full and it will always take more money to keep it from draining.

1 comment:

MJB said...

I don't mind my own small hole in the bucket staying small. The problem is, that with each succesive version update (VU) it seems to get easier and easier to heamorage peds, making the hole bigger.

My worry is that there is no regulation to how much you can loose!

At least the slots in vegas guarentee a return rate of 80%-90%.

It's too easy too loose your shirt, even on low level hunts. Unless you want to opalo hunt snables for ever.

Good post by the way. But I think you need to update it a little more regularly! :p