What does a $23k loot look like?

A new All Time High for the crafting profession was achieved today in Entropia. Not bad for a single click of the mouse.

New Oxford Blues

Some time ago Mindark introduced New Oxford. It was supposed to be the EU cultural center which brings in real life artists/designers and their work. I have been working freelance for many years in commercial art, so the initial concept of New Oxford was extremely exciting to me. I personally thought it would add another layer to Entropia Universe giving those of us within the EU community a splash of culture with a Science Fiction twist.

When it was finally implemented my first impression was that the area was a "Diamond in the rough". I thought overtime new elements would be added to the Gallery and like most real life art galleries it would be ever evolving with something new all the time. Vexxed Generation also setup shop selling new clothing designs in limited editions. All designers and artists have some of their real life works and clothing, or at the least high quality prints, for sale in EU also.


OK so Mindark setup a good frame work, it did, however, meet with mixed reactions from the community since many of the artists lacked that Science Fiction edge and Vexxed seemed to drop off the face of the earth when real life items were ordered( I think this problem has been fixed now). Paintings in the gallery ranged from very high to reasonable in price, but once you have seen the full gamut there is no reason to actually go back to the Gallery. The artist lectures are nice and it is interesting to see just what makes them tick, gives them inspiration, and a little insight into being successful as a working artist.

While I think Oxford could be a very popular success it sort of lacks being updated more frequently and new fresh Science Fiction, Surrealistic, and/or Futuristic type artists are lacking. While I personally like the art and the artists in the Gallery there should be a good mix of the current fair and others who could have more of a pulse on a Science Fiction themed MMO. There are countless illustrators who could capture the spirit and minds of the community in EU, just check out Spectrum 13: The Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art and you will get what I am saying.

Maybe I am impatient and these things will come to us in time. Recently MA has introduced an option for users to upload personal content which can be sold to other participants. I personally think this is a huge plus even though I am a bit hesitant to upload any of my current works (I am still a dinosaur when it comes to the digital painting). A participant gallery, which would showcase player designs, is seriously lacking and with so much empty space in the Academy and Art Gallery I am not sure why something like this has not been offered. As it stands now participants have to show their works in their apartments and sell them in shops.

New Oxford is close to my heart and I want to see it succeed. I like the fact MA put development time into such a place I just hope they keep up with it or start giving the players more access to the Gallery. Keep it fresh with content the users know and can appreciate and I think it will be the glowing beacon it should have been all along.

Charging for Support?

The following support case snippet came from a player who believes he may have lost an item due to a bug. There were precious few details he could provide support, and the item was one of very low value. Their response was interesting.

Support employees and their salaries are liabilities paid out of the economy. The idea of limiting the amount of time a single player can tie up support with dozens of needless cases is intriguing. Consider the recent fishing expedition for an Unlimited Korss. All the work that went on behind the scenes dealing with that case - we paid for it. And it was all a sham.

In a world where it's free for anyone to play, am I crazy or is charging for certain types of support a great idea? Certain types of support would have to remain free, and maybe $100 is a bit steep, but the concept of a support tax is growing on me.

6.5 critical Entropia developments from 2006

In case you missed them, here are the top 6.5 stories coming out of Entropia Universe in 2006.

1) Bot Users Banned. A handful of well known Entropia veterans were locked in 2006, under suspicion of cheating. How? They own(ed) very efficient gear and reportedly used illegal hunting bot software to have their avatars hunt 24/7, virtually guaranteeing them profit. Using third party software that interferes with EU is expressly prohibited in the EULA. In an unprecedented move, Mindark came down on them hard, suspending their accounts and their gear. The value of these accounts and their assets, currently in limbo, suspected to be $100-$300k USD. Mindark's lips are sealed regarding this issue, and it will be interesting to see what resolution, if any, takes place in 2007.

2) The Egg. A long hunting event in which some of the biggest mobs the game has ever seen culminated in the looting of an Egg. TT value? 6 PED. That $0.60 item was sold for $10,000 in anticipation of something emerging from it of far greater value. Many speculate that Mindark wanted to see what happened with the Egg before assigning a reward. It got them some press, and recent events in game look like they might be getting close to resolving the storyline. For now it remains a $10,000 novelty, and Mindark's response to all inquiries regarding the status of the story result in a rehearsed "Ahh, the Egg."

3) Cash Cards Implemented. Detractors point out that it's just simple bolt on technology from a co-branded debit card provider. But these new cards gave all player instant access to their in game funds. Withdrawal time went from four months to four seconds overnight. A real step forward in blurring the line between real world and virtual world. Unfortunately there have been some kinks in the system, the worst of which has brought the system down temporarily. The NY Times picks up the story.

4) Mall Auctions. Three shopping malls were auctioned. Total sales surpassed $170k. Critics were quick to point out that there are already an abundance of shopping options in EU, and adding malls were superfluous. One of the malls seems to be doing quite well, but the other two have not gained much traction. It's reported that one of the buyers took out a personal bank loan to cover his $70k investment.

5) Record Loots Found. A single loot worth over $50k found in late 2006. That shattered the previous record, also set in 2006 of $19k. More details about this in a forthcoming post.

6) Event System, Video, and Ad System Introduced. These systems have been some of the most enriching additions to EU to date. The Event system has been well received and widely used for player run contests, some of which have become hugely popular. And the Ad system has allowed Entropians to unleash their creative abilities to promote their in-game products and services. Mindark has continued pushing the envelope in 2007 with the addition of user generated images and videos.

6.5) Windowed Mode. Mindark (re)introduced windowed mode for the client software. Users rejoice. This makes the list out of the sheer usefulness. It probably took developers an hour to add. That may have been their best hour of 2006.

Honorable Mentions: #2 Hunting ATH goes to exploiter, Eomon Migration, Robot War, The Entropian Magazine launched & folded after one issue, New Oxford "City of Culture" arrives