Chrome
Elite
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Several years ago, I was quite content playing a (new to me) online sci-fi game with a real cash economy based on a single planet called Calypso. After a couple of years, MindArk announced that it planned to diversify the game by creating a "Universe" and adding other planets to the game.
Here is an original quote from almost four years ago in Sept. 2008 <bold red added>:
I found this fascinating, as it seemed MindArk was looking to partner with other companies, expand the universe, and hopefully expand the playerbase.
Too good to be true?
As I assume most people are aware, MindArk had planned to sell Planet Calypso to SEE. This would have allowed the various Planet Partners (partnered in business with MindArk) to compete with each other for our business as players/customers. A small survey here on PCF last year (Feb. 2011) confirmed that most people (90%) believed these planets would be competing against one another:
Planet Partners or Planet Competitors?
Obviously Calypso was not sold to another company, and MindArk retains control of the most prosperous, well established planet in the platform.
How can the other Planet "Partners" possibly compete for business with a planet (Calypso) owned by the very company (MindArk) they are partnered with?
To make matters worse, MindArk decided to offer Calypso Land Deeds so that players/customers could invest money in Calypso (MindArk) in return for an estimated annual return on investment based on Planet Calypso revenue.
I understand that in the future, other planet partners may have the opportunity to offer their own version of land deeds, but this certainly doesn't help the "partners" currently trying to earn money now. They weren't even given the opportunity by MindArk, who is supposed to be in business with them.
Lastly, MindArk employees running the Calypso "planet partner" are now in charge of making decisions for rebalancing missions for the entire platform?!?
What ever happened to the planet "partner" vision?
Here is an original quote from almost four years ago in Sept. 2008 <bold red added>:
Dear Entropia Universe Participants,
A few notes regarding Planet Partners:
As Entropia Universe gears up for the implementation of the new CryENGINE2 graphic engine new partners are being accepted to build their own planets. Each partner we hope will introduce new exciting and diverse content to cater for all types of Internet users, i.e. gamers, social networking, entrepreneurs, entertainment, news, culture, sports, etc.
The partners are chosen for different reasons, for the content they can bring to Entropia Universe, for the contacts in entertainment areas we don't have etc, but we believe the diversity of the partners will allow Entropia Universe to attract a wider range of Internet users.
The Entropia Universe platform was built to allow partners the freedom to build their own planet with very little interference from us; this is the only way to really bring diversity into Entropia Universe.
We understand the frustration of our users not knowing all of the future plans for Entropia Universe & Mindark, but important information must be released at the right time, Official information can only be found on www.entropiauniverse.com or www.mindark.com
Regards
David
I found this fascinating, as it seemed MindArk was looking to partner with other companies, expand the universe, and hopefully expand the playerbase.
Too good to be true?
As I assume most people are aware, MindArk had planned to sell Planet Calypso to SEE. This would have allowed the various Planet Partners (partnered in business with MindArk) to compete with each other for our business as players/customers. A small survey here on PCF last year (Feb. 2011) confirmed that most people (90%) believed these planets would be competing against one another:
Planet Partners or Planet Competitors?
Obviously Calypso was not sold to another company, and MindArk retains control of the most prosperous, well established planet in the platform.
How can the other Planet "Partners" possibly compete for business with a planet (Calypso) owned by the very company (MindArk) they are partnered with?
To make matters worse, MindArk decided to offer Calypso Land Deeds so that players/customers could invest money in Calypso (MindArk) in return for an estimated annual return on investment based on Planet Calypso revenue.
I understand that in the future, other planet partners may have the opportunity to offer their own version of land deeds, but this certainly doesn't help the "partners" currently trying to earn money now. They weren't even given the opportunity by MindArk, who is supposed to be in business with them.
Lastly, MindArk employees running the Calypso "planet partner" are now in charge of making decisions for rebalancing missions for the entire platform?!?
In the end this means that some missions will have their rewards increased while others will get decreased.
Also, this is a MindArk decision that all planet partners has to follow...
Me as a planet partner am in charge of this re-balancing project...
What ever happened to the planet "partner" vision?