If I was MA I would run EU like this.

[Tekkie]

Yep, more fun = more money for the house. I mean, not many heads to a
bar and pay the price for a 50cl shot but getting a 6cl beer.

They have lost a s***load of depositers due to the fact that the
ROI is too bad, and the game become a grinding galore.
People don't mind losing (me included) but when we lose too much, too
fast, interest to do depos cool off.

The biggest mistake I think they do, is to think the amount of people that
could become a player in the game, is limitless. It isn't. Actually, there
are very few percent of MMOG-players that has a interest to use the
game as entertainment based on a RCE-system.
I'm not suprised if most of them has already checked PE/EU/PC out.

Ignoring the user that do play for fun and entertainment (or could be
called Pay n' Play ) is a huge mistake IMO, but, it isn't my game.
They do as they want, but something is very wrong if +70% leave
quite soon after they started, IMO.

Well some others about seem to think that an unproven myth of a theory is enough to keep a player base with limited fun and massive loses.

You Sir have said it better than I have managed to in 15 pages of this thread.

 

[Witte]

IMO this whole topic is just too obvious. The game needs to be more fun and less expensive so more people will play it. Maybe we should mail Minkark with this great idea

 

[Joat]

IMO this whole topic is just too obvious. The game needs to be more fun and less expensive so more people will play it. Maybe we should mail Minkark with this great idea

I doubt we need to do it, I think they see it for themselfs from their
bankaccount...

 

[Tekkie]

IMO this whole topic is just too obvious. The game needs to be more fun and less expensive so more people will play it. Maybe we should mail Minkark with this great idea

Yep, I think it all got too technical and im probably most to blame for that happening.

But yes that is the point, it does need to be more fun and it certainly needs to be cheaper for somebody who wants to play a game. $100 loss in a month is out of order and shouldn't happen playing a game.

Some background to this is I had 4 rl friends who joined EU after me on my recomendation and even though they combined spent alot of money on gear and skills (well alot of money in game terms) they would still have to depo all the time and much more than a regular game, ofc finally they said enough is enough as they were paying into what seems a money pit with very little content or fun returned.

Would I advise another friend to join EU, would I hell. No way would I until its far more entertaining and less of a money drain.

Some examples of why it is dull...

1. landgrab... its great, it happens for 2 days every 18-24-or whenever amount of months, there isn't even a schedule - it might never happen again.
2. cryengine... hmmm Im starting to think thats a joke after so many missed and so late estimates on completion.
3. Go loot yourself an egg, it wont hatch for... ummm years but its something special I promise.
4. Why not tame some animals, they can stand there and do f**k all.
5. Why not get into crafting, that way 99% of the time you don't even have to move your mouse you can just click it.
6. "so what do I have to do to win, whats the point?" ummm nothing actually, at least nobody can tell you with any certain background
7. Lemmy castle/space pirates.. didnt expect anything within a year did you? well yes, its a game, not a government policy.

I can go on but don't really think I need to. My hope is FPC actually do build on the progress they have made, if they don't its lights out imo.

 

[JohnCapital]

All this was over some friends who lost too much in this Universe? While at the same time you admit your profits come from others' losses?

Sorry for their losses, however on the other side of the equation, what about the folks who have survived and even thrived in this Universe without depositing a dime? Tamn, Karmic, etc. I could list a bunch of folks who, while maybe haven't reached lvl 94 in anything, they are able to do in this game what others can't do even with depositing.

And what about those of us (such as myself) who play within a set monthly budget? What I do ingame depends on my ped card, yes, but I'm still able to log in every day and hunt/mine/whatever.

Before you mention it, this does not contradict what I've been saying all this time. Profits can be had at all levels, but the fact is that higher skills make those profits easier to come by.

I'm still not sure what your friends' loss has to do with pre-set goals and whether 95 is better than 94 or not, but whatever. I hope you find happiness in Entropia's future. I truly do.

 

[Joat]

All this was over some friends who lost too much in this Universe? While at the same time you admit your profits come from others' losses?

Sorry for their losses, however on the other side of the equation, what about the folks who have survived and even thrived in this Universe without depositing a dime? Tamn, Karmic, etc. I could list a bunch of folks who, while maybe haven't reached lvl 94 in anything, they are able to do in this game what others can't do even with depositing.

And what about those of us (such as myself) who play within a set monthly budget? What I do ingame depends on my ped card, yes, but I'm still able to log in every day and hunt/mine/whatever.

Before you mention it, this does not contradict what I've been saying all this time. Profits can be had at all levels, but the fact is that higher skills make those profits easier to come by.

I'm still not sure what your friends' loss has to do with pre-set goals and whether 95 is better than 94 or not, but whatever. I hope you find happiness in Entropia's future. I truly do.

But I doubt the list of people doing ok and don't depo, will be that big, if
more and more of those that depo quit or reduce depos.
I don't mind losing some for entertainment, and I don't mind if some profit
from my losses. But I do mind when ROI getting almost pathetic.
When we have bad runs, why should the ROI be so extreme just because
we getting skilled?
IMO, it sure is time for MA/FPC to begin to make it more pleasant to do depos.

 

[Joser]

But I doubt the list of people doing ok and don't depo, will be that big, if
more and more of those that depo quit or reduce depos.
I don't mind losing some for entertainment, and I don't mind if some profit
from my losses. But I do mind when ROI getting almost pathetic.
When we have bad runs, why should the ROI be so extreme just because
we getting skilled?
IMO, it sure is time for MA/FPC to begin to make it more pleasant to do depos.

It's all in the approach. Mindark banks (and rightly so) on people being too impatient to grind it out on smaller budgets. Some people have all the patience in the world and half the fun for us is stretching every last bit of fun out of each and every PED. Some people see it as only a game and throw caution to the wind. These are the people that wind up talking about no return on their $1k deposited. "Where the hell did it go?" It went to all those playing very well within their means.

 

[Karmic]

10 people sit down at a poker table, 2 or maybe 3 walk away ahead at the end of the night. This is repeated thousands of times every day, nobody ever gains a level. You play for the game or you don't, the game changes and evolves, that is good, the game is different than most games out there, that is great. $100 a month loss shouldn't happen in a game? I've watched people drop tens of thousands in a night playing other games. I'm sure John Capital has seen that and more given where he lives. Most MMORPG's you walk away with nothing, sometimes you may sell your character for a little money, or gold, platinum, credits, whatever currency you can under the table for a few hundred dollars. This game you have a much higher upside, and possibly a much higher downside if you wish to risk that. You can play for free, you can do well for free if you really think about it, that style of playing doesn't appeal to everyone and that's fine.

I just don't understand what it is you want that you are looking for here and you haven't been able to find elsewhere. I've played most of the MMORPG type games that have come out in the past 10 years. I can tell you many of them were ruined by companies giving in to the masses to trivialize the game for more mass appeal. Most of those games died a quick death months later. I can name probably 5-10 great games that were killed that way in PM's if you want, probably a lot more that never got that far.

There is a lot of potential in this game, there is a lot that is already out there you may have missed. I still drop off from time to time to try new games but I keep finding myself back here. What it really sounds to me like you need to do is take a break, play a bunch of other games, if you find one you like better, great, stick with it and come back here every few months or so to see if new things have been added that are to your liking. Don't beat your head against the wall demanding the game change to please you, find one you like better.


P.S. you can profit at all levels if you truly want, but it gets easier as you get higher level, I've graphed it . People keep telling me I'll hit that midlevel wall and I just might someday, but I'll have a good time figuring my way through it, of that I can be sure. Also, the less than a million people that have tried this game? that's not even close to the population of the larger games, more people have quit the 5 games I could mention than have ever installed this game. Most people of the hardcore people I know either haven't really heard of this game, or don't play because you can buy skills and they feel it cheapens their effort, and we're talking about people that were willing to grind thousands of alternate advancement points over a 10 year period in a game where you lose experience per death. There are plenty of people left to appeal to, heck just a mac client would gain a few hundred K over a year or two I'd bet.

 

[Spike669]

That was a lot of reading... I'll post a reply once I got some rest...exausted now

 

[Joat]

It's all in the approach. Mindark banks (and rightly so) on people being too impatient to grind it out on smaller budgets. Some people have all the patience in the world and half the fun for us is stretching every last bit of fun out of each and every PED. Some people see it as only a game and throw caution to the wind. These are the people that wind up talking about no return on their $1k deposited. "Where the hell did it go?" It went to all those playing very well within their means.

Yep, that's true. Some do play it for profit, break even or whatever
reason for eco, but everyone doesn't. Some are very successful in EU
without any depo at all. But when people that do depos, stop depo or at
least reduce the amount, will they keep being successful? Nope.

IMO, it's pathetic everytime someone thinks he knows everything about
a player that keep playing his way, and not the way that will get best
eco. The reason we keep losing is due to we do what we think is FUN,
not what gives the best eco. Ofc, we should lose some, that's not the
point, the point is, why should we lose so extremly much?

I had terrible loot for about a year, so I finally asked MA if something
were wrong (there were some issues with my loot under the bot invasion)
but the ROI were also quite terrible for a long time... too bad to be
"normal" IMO.
They answered the supp case in a way that were satisfying.
Even thou' it finally made me stop playing, and ofc stop depo.

None are suposed to have a linear profit or break even, everyone will
end up with periods where loot is terrible, no matter what we do.
I've seen a lot of people that claiming they never lose, but why have
they quit?
Because the reality cought them too.

 

[ZeMag]

If the game was fun, people would not leave even if that means losing peds. Problem is, normaly those peds dont last long, and in the end you feel a bit unsatisfied with the experience (I know, not all).

Also, for those that play without depositing or depositiong and playing in some eco maner: do you think if everyone did what you guys do it was still possible to MA survive and/or you guys survive? (think hard before answering this one)

In a follow up, do you guys think it is fun to sweat for 10 days and hunt/mine for 1? (I do have to recon I dont have many info about the ways of 'playing right', so I dont know, there may be some fun way of gathering stuff you can then sell, and there may be a very smart way of hunting/mining)

Last note, since I feel wierd everytime someone says that in EU you are free to do whatever you want: do you guys realy believe in that?

Conclusion: I do play EU for a few years now, I have to say that wasnt in a continuos way and I was about to quit once; EU for me is all about the potential - of the game, not of playing it - so, I'll probably stay until the bitter end (probably still very far away); I'm one of those players that kind of allow for others to profit since I deposit and the peds vanish rather quickly in my atempts to have fun; am all in favour for a purpuse to play the game (since I dont realy see all that freedom people talk about, heck, I'm in a RCE that tells me the price of everything and just allows me to add to it, I didnt knew RCEs worked like that)

Finally, not ranting about loots, others do that better than me; just trying to support the thread starter with the idea that this game should be a game (meaning, a fun experience that is guided to some objective. And I do understand that this game has no end - you know what I mean, everything ends, but no story end or something - but life also has no end - death just happens, it isnt an objective - and we tend to have objectives thru it - imposed by society in most cases - and one reason people play games is because they are more fun than whatever we should be doing in real life - games are also real life, but I'll keep that off this thread)

Man, I realy should improve my english and sentence building, you guys probably wont get what I mean oh well

 

[Joser]

Trying to be less veiled now. My point that I've been trying to make is that some people think it's FUN to actually grind it out. The FUN for me is stretching each PED. To each his own. I guess we'll get back to you guys attempting to conform the fun to suit your needs.

 

[Tekkie]

All this was over some friends who lost too much in this Universe? While at the same time you admit your profits come from others' losses?
........
I'm still not sure what your friends' loss has to do with pre-set goals and whether 95 is better than 94 or not, but whatever. I hope you find happiness in Entropia's future. I truly do.

JC, once again I have probably put my view across unclearly causing you to come to the wrong conclusion about what Im saying.

" All this was over some friends who lost too much in this Universe? While at the same time you admit your profits come from others' losses? "
No, like I said when I mentioned it, its just background... its not the sole reason, its part of a much bigger picture. I don't have a problem with making a profit from other peoples losses, I am however saying that I think those people who are paying and depo'ing should get better value for money and I have suggested a way maybe it could be improved and give more reward and goals to achieve.

"I'm still not sure what your friends' loss has to do with pre-set goals and whether 95 is better than 94 or not, but whatever. I hope you find happiness in Entropia's future. I truly do."

Oh please stop thinking im searching for missing happiness, this isn't the case at all. The thread is "If I was MA I would run EU like this" so im thinking about it from a perspective that I believe the majority of people out there want and could make it more fun and even maybe cheaper. When I say im not sure which is better lvl95 or lvl94 im merely pointing out the lack of obvious goals to reach, nothing actually exciting happens when I get there, im suggesting there should be something fun happen when I reach that, something refreshing, something new - it doesn't even have to be much or cost MA anything - just something is better than "Nothing".

Ideas for this could be for example a pop-up loot box like we get at christmas with gifts in

Reaching level 10 could be a free event ticket for an event hosted by ma at a dedicated event zone, and only people who reach lvl10 can join. This would give you the chance to teleport to a new area you havent seen before, compete against your peers for 1 2 or 3 hours (however long the event is) against a new mob you havent seen before.... and its absolutely free, all your ammo is free and to counter this you only loot points - not actual loot, but if you win the event you win 200ped. These events run once a week. Its costing MA 200ped per week to make X number of players happy.

Reaching level 95 could be a statue of a hunter that looks cool in a house or appartment.

Reaching level 100 could be a house.

Reaching level 110 could be a swimming pool for the house grounds.

See what im saying? This is a level up system that doesn't take anything away from what you like about the game as it is, with the mystery and the finding out things - its doesn't take any of that away but it gives extra to skillers/players and costs MA very little money indeed. Above all, its fun and players see recognition for reaching a goal.

You can expand this system to include whatever, my examples are simply off the top of my head but the event ticket idea could be a regular thing you get at every lvl 10,20,30,40 but each has a new enviroment and new mob. The items I would suggest are just cool things such as statues, medals, musical instruments? you know, things that aren't going to give you any long term advantage over anybody or effect the economy too much, Just fun surprises

 

[Tekkie]

Trying to be less veiled now. My point that I've been trying to make is that some people think it's FUN to actually grind it out. The FUN for me is stretching each PED. To each his own. I guess we'll get back to you guys attempting to conform the fun to suit your needs.

Very true and totally agree, and im sure we both agree that some people don't enjoy that, they have a very differant opinion what fun is.

So why not try and please everybody by adding features to appeal to differant kinds of customer?

 

[Joat]

Trying to be less veiled now. My point that I've been trying to make is that some people think it's FUN to actually grind it out. The FUN for me is stretching each PED. To each his own. I guess we'll get back to you guys attempting to conform the fun to suit your needs.

Nah, it's just that YOU said a player who lose a lot have no clue where it
goes. I DO know where they goes. It's my type of gaming that makes the
system less rewarding, the question is, why do we have to lose so much?

I wrote this in a earlier post, I know it's hard to take notice of all posts done thou' :

....
The game has survived due to people lose, not due to "playing smart"
and other crap ideas. No money in = no future, pure and simple.
Seriously, for some at least, the trying to get a constant break even or
profit, is the fun part in PE/EU/PC. Never were my prio1 thou'.
....

I do understand the fun in your type of gaming, nothing wrong with that
type of gaming IMO. It's actually interesting to see how far some can get
without depo, or at least eco-gaming. Same with ppl playing 100% manually
(as I do) and see how far we can get without ac or chipping.
The annoying part is crappy ROI when getting skilled...

 

[Tekkie]

10 people sit down at a poker table, 2 or maybe 3 walk away ahead at the end of the night. This is repeated thousands of times every day, nobody ever gains a level. You play for the game or you don't, the game changes and evolves, that is good, the game is different than most games out there, that is great. $100 a month loss shouldn't happen in a game? I've watched people drop tens of thousands in a night playing other games. I'm sure John Capital has seen that and more given where he lives......

Hmm well I don't like comparing EU to poker but you do have valid points. So lets look at poker... It started being slightly complicated until some fella came up with texas hold'em, all of a sudden more people could understand and play the game, its popularity has exploded because of the way its marketed to potential customers to cover all pockets. If I want to play poker I can play at almost any level I choose, I can also make sure I don't bet too much by picking suitable blinds level, choosing NL PL or Limit, entering a tournament, change for a bit of fast action in a turbo tournament, go mad and enter a super turbo, try out a short stacked, possible test my luck at an elimination tournament, compete heads up or against 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9 ---- 100's of other people if I choose. And while im doing this I earn bonus points too, can attend free tournaments with a chance to win money.

From what is basically a simple card game it has been marketed so well and adapted to meet the taste of as many people as possible that it has been a GREAT success!

Now compare the divercity of how poker is marketed/packaged and sold compared to EU, im sure you can agree EU has alot of work to do.

 

[Witte]

But I doubt the list of people doing ok and don't depo, will be that big, if
more and more of those that depo quit or reduce depos.
I don't mind losing some for entertainment, and I don't mind if some profit
from my losses. But I do mind when ROI getting almost pathetic.
When we have bad runs, why should the ROI be so extreme just because
we getting skilled?
IMO, it sure is time for MA/FPC to begin to make it more pleasant to do depos.

I think all this has very carefully been considered by MA. We can of course say "no its wrong, it should be done like etc", very easy to say. But it is MA who has all the numbers and has to pay the bills in the end of the day.

Al in all I agree that the current situation will not result in (considerably) more players. But I do not think that MA is going the wrong path. Splitting the game/platform, and introducing new 3d party developers should result in more to do, with more focus on game elements, and of course many new participants. In fact, I think this is the right strategy for a platform like this.

The current cost to play is based on the current situation, and is thus maximized for the current player base. All we can do is wait and see if MA will do it right when and if a larger audience is reached.

 

[Tekkie]

How about adding an option to the event system of an entry fee then your gun/fap/ammo costs are all included in this...

On registering you automatically get in your inventory event gun/event fap/event armour - nothing decays and you have x ammount of ammo, these are the only items you can equip whilst in the event zone. Event costs 10 ped, you loot points instead of loot therefore no effecting the ecomomy in any way, skilling is reduced, winner gets 40% of tickets sold 2nd gets 35%, 3rd gets 15%, MA get 10%.

What we have is a way you can play at a fixed loss for every hour played but you can compete, have fun, be part of the community, you might even make money

It doesn't effect any of the guys who like to grind away or self discover things about the game....its just an extra choice if you so choose to take part.

 

[Karmic]

Hmm well I don't like comparing EU to poker but you do have valid points. So lets look at poker... It started being slightly complicated until some fella came up with texas hold'em, all of a sudden more people could understand and play the game, its popularity has exploded because of the way its marketed to potential customers to cover all pockets. If I want to play poker I can play at almost any level I choose, I can also make sure I don't bet too much by picking suitable blinds level, choosing NL PL or Limit, entering a tournament, change for a bit of fast action in a turbo tournament, go mad and enter a super turbo, try out a short stacked, possible test my luck at an elimination tournament, compete heads up or against 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9 ---- 100's of other people if I choose. And while im doing this I earn bonus points too, can attend free tournaments with a chance to win money.

From what is basically a simple card game it has been marketed so well and adapted to meet the taste of as many people as possible that it has been a GREAT success!

Now compare the divercity of how poker is marketed/packaged and sold compared to EU, im sure you can agree EU has alot of work to do.

Certainly EU has a lot of work to do, i agree. I don't think it should try and model itself too closely to other games though. It was more marketing and getting on TV that increased the exposure, not the invention of Texas Hold em which has been around possibly 100 years and played at the WSOP since 1970. Texas hold em is a simple game to learn but very very difficult to play well. Most people lose a lot more money than they lose here and yes, as you said there are a lot of varieties to choose from. We do need more variety here, but people also need to stop whining when they add new stuff that appeals to people that aren't them. The makeup system is a good example, I don't use it, but I don't see why adding it was such a bad thing according to the forums.

 

[thoreau]

So lIf I want to play poker I can play at almost any level I choose, I can also make sure I don't bet too much by picking suitable blinds level, choosing NL PL or Limit, entering a tournament, change for a bit of fast action in a turbo tournament, go mad and enter a super turbo, try out a short stacked, possible test my luck at an elimination tournament, compete heads up or against 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9 ---- 100's of other people if I choose. And while im doing this I earn bonus points too, can attend free tournaments with a chance to win money.

EU is exactly like this today.

You can play at any level you CHOOSE. No artificial level requirements.

You can make sure you don't spend too much by picking suitable mobs.

You can enter player run events that feature more economical weapons or switch to events that feature speed.

You can do PVP as an elimination tourney.

You can hunt solo - in a group of 2 to 12 or work with 100s against a robot invasion.

And while you are doing this you earn bonus points (skills and loot) that you can either use or sell to pay for more gameplay.



You really have no idea what you're talking about. EU is exactly that way you describe. We have levels today. They are called professional standings. In fact, I just leveled up today and went from level 17 ranged laser (dmg) to level 18. As a result I unlocked RDA. Talk about motivation for skilling! In addition, my GeoTrek AL15 now shoots a little faster and it gives me a little more range. Only 1 more 'level' and I have the item MAXED. I want to get out there and grind that next 'level' so bad....

Dude, you need to open your eyes.

 

[JohnCapital]

Tekkie, I owe you an apology. Somehow I got focused on the 94 same as 95 thing, and some other semi-offtopic issues and completely missed the point of this thread. Someone with a clearer head was able to explain what I was misunderstanding and everything makes sense now.

I can appreciate seeing some of the things the other games are doing and seeing the huge customer base they have. And I can understand the thought that if MA does those, the players will follow.

That may or may not be the case. However, one issue does come to mind.

MA has intentionally grown slowly. They've admitted it. And frankly, I'm glad they are doing that.

Can you seriously imagine what PA, Twin, or any of the other main hang-outs will look like if MA suddenly had 10X the players? or 100? Imagine the hunting/mining spots. It would be rediculous.

Once new planets are in place, we'll have much more room that MA/FPC doesn't have to oversee as closely. They'll share a bit of profits in exchange for placing the burden on other people's shoulders.

I think (hope. pray.) when that is in place, you'll see plenty of content, and with it, plenty of players for us to take peds from.

 

[ZeMag]

Actualy JohnCapital, I think you are right in many ways when you say that the platform thing (the new planets) is a well played card by MA that will solve alot of the things we are complaining about.
Actualy, it is known that some of the planets wont look as Calypso at all, what means everybody will be able to play EU as they prefer (as is, or as whatever will be on those planets).
Therefore, the one that like it (love it) as it is, will still have it in Calypso, and others may end up joining the other planets (I kind of see other planets with some good game ideas and the RCE platform MA offers kicking some of the big companies out there, and foresee this big companies adapting so they are closer the MAs business model).

Well, thats all for now, have a soc hunt to be in

 

[Lavawalker]

Wow this thread has grown long since I last visited.

Interesting discussions, ideas and ideals.

I saw one post earlier talking about Entropia appealing to a small niche of the market;

Sure I agree with this, though if it becomes any more niche/smaller, we will all be working on ways to sell our loot and manufactured items to the mobs

Progression is important in any system, providing goals for those whom are not good at goal setting will give people something to strive for (motivate them), rather than being bored shitless with grinding day in and day out.

However with that being said, I do not believe in a level based progression system like other standard MMOs - WoW, EQ/2, VG etc, even though this already exists in Entropia with what you can use and what you can tackle at certain progression levels with relative ease.

Level rewards however for this profession progression/levelling is another story and I feel this is something that should be looked at, as it will keep participants inspired and motivated that they have been gifted for their progressive achievement in the community both the planet owner and/or platform provider.

A few ideas have been offered in the past regarding this:

As per usual, don't forget to read the links in my posts, otherwise you miss half of what I am on about

https://www.planetcalypsoforum.com/forums/wishlist/133667-activity-points-rewards-alternative-me-items-3.html#post1644215

and another idea that would assist on the PED loss front making the expense of day-to-day participation easier to accept with some form of guaranteed reward in sight of continuing the level of expense.

Hypothetical example provided with the idea:

https://www.planetcalypsoforum.com/forums/general-economy-discussion/134520-markup-something-deserved-3.html#post1655662

Let us be honest, your not going to get too far in Entropia as a sweater, dung, fruit and stone collector.

Yet there is nothing in Entropia as of present that presents a viable enough reason/attractive enough offer for 85%+ of participants who join Entropia that are grounded (sensible) in the real world financially to invest into the skill based system on offer. ie. To deposit to skill/level/progress & ultimately invest long term ! (especially now in a time of world recession to last 5-7 years or more)

'Side Note - Aside from the unsincere fed to those newcomers by other deluded (self-consumed in believing things are or will be different to what they are presently) and/or out of touch participants (primarily established long-term participants, highly skilled, LA ownership 1-2k usd, shop ownership under 500 usd, high end equipment *costing* 2k-10k usd+ today under 100-200usd a piece. Back from a time when Angel armour and adjusted faps were TT'd for their PED value much like shogun armour and fap-35s are today by most) & MA staff alike, whom encountered Entropia through a roadshow event put on by MA, until they find out how things really are Which is where the majority of MindArks' self inflicted for the most part, bad reputation in the real world media stems from at present

Thus remaining primarily low key/level participants in their financial input into the system and hence very slowly progressing in the virtual world. *snail trail several years long achieving what a deposittor achieves in several months or less*

I feel Marco's approach of storylines will eventually bring a lot to the table in time to come.

It is still early days and even though the wrap ups of old storylines have not had a great amount of interest towards them by the masses, I would expect the future ones to involve more of the community at all levels in a semi-non-bias fashion.

ie. All can contribute and come out from the participation with some form of reward (not necessarily an item ofc) to the level of their contribution/skill&profession-level.

I hope the above will be the case with what Marco intends to do with future storylines & events as what disturbs me the most right now is the strength & reality of the public eye sentiment of resentment where even a direct competitor can confidently post in official statements things like this, drawing a direct comparitive reference to Entropia Universe as its' only established rce-game competitor without even having to use the words 'Entropia Universe' in the statement:

3. Starting from the date of the Beta release we intend to hold special events and tournaments between players, societies and corporations on the periodic basis. Prize founds for such competitions will be build up and nominated with <erased>. This will let players to gain assets in virtual world, but will not turn our game into a casino, because the events’ outcomes will not be random but will depend mainly on participants’ skills and knowledge.

Sincerely yours,
<erased> development team.

Pretty sad really.

Anyhoo ... *cracks whip* back to it for me, keep up the good discussion, I am glad to see a healthy discussion is at hand, even though it has gone off-track a few times with a difference of opinion.



Cheers and have fun !!
Sparkz