What The Heck Is ASU?

[Thorns Rose]

I was on Arkadia today and seen in local chat a Spam about ASU. A Union of some sort?..I seen people ask about it in local chat and persons were reluctant to talk about it..WHY? Then someone mentioned there was a new kind of sweat 2x concentrated now..Is this true and is it crafted or a certain blueprint need this stuff? What was the reluctance to speak about this new union and what is this union for anyway?

Can anyone shed some light on both these topics?Is there a new sweat out thats concentrated and lets bring this ASU out in open and what is its purpose?

 

[Fishface]

Yeah, it's some sort of Sweater's Union. I think it stands for Arkadia Sweater Union, or some such.
They seem to spam a lot in the quarry. Something about only buy local sweat. Something about only sell for 3 ped/k.
Something about they only call sweat "ASU" instead of calling it sweat.

It's all been tried before. Sweat boss. Sweat union. Lots of spam. Normally the guy who organizes it does very little sweating. Lots of intimidation tactics. Lots of borderline false stories, such as "If you don't sell through us, we'll make sure you never get a buyer for your sweat."

So as for 2x concentrated sweat? nah. It's just a bunch of hype. Nobody really takes guys like this very seriously.

But then the Mrs went down and went sweating for some evade skills. Some ASU clown sweat-boss thought it would be appropriate to cuss her.

Sooooooo.......

Introducing: Arkadia Sweat Shop (A.S.S.)
We buy up large quantities of cheap foreign sweat at low, low prices and import it to Arkadia. Now selling sweat!! 1.5 ped/k. Buy from us, sell to ASU. Make a Profit!!

We spent a few hours down in the Cel-A.S.S.te Outpost today, sweating, healing, giving out T-shirts, and having a lot of fun. We brought 50k A.S.S. sweat to sell at 1.5 ped/k, but never actually found a buyer for any of it. I wonder if our price is too high?

 

[Thorns Rose]

Yeah, it's some sort of Sweater's Union. I think it stands for Arkadia Sweater Union, or some such.
They seem to spam a lot in the quarry. Something about only buy local sweat. Something about only sell for 3 ped/k.
Something about they only call sweat "ASU" instead of calling it sweat.

It's all been tried before. Sweat boss. Sweat union. Lots of spam. Normally the guy who organizes it does very little sweating. Lots of intimidation tactics. Lots of borderline false stories, such as "If you don't sell through us, we'll make sure you never get a buyer for your sweat."

So as for 2x concentrated sweat? nah. It's just a bunch of hype. Nobody really takes guys like this very seriously.

But then the Mrs went down and went sweating for some evade skills. Some ASU clown sweat-boss thought it would be appropriate to cuss her.

Sooooooo.......

Introducing: Arkadia Sweat Shop (A.S.S.)
We buy up large quantities of cheap foreign sweat at low, low prices and import it to Arkadia. Now selling sweat!! 1.5 ped/k. Buy from us, sell to ASU. Make a Profit!!

We spent a few hours down in the Cel-A.S.S.te Outpost today, sweating, healing, giving out T-shirts, and having a lot of fun. We brought 50k A.S.S. sweat to sell at 1.5 ped/k, but never actually found a buyer for any of it. I wonder if our price is too high?

Oh Man..I thought had to be something shady or strange about a Concentrated sweat 2x...and sadly these people were referring to it as ASU..I thought was something new had to refine/craft.
AS for ASU ..They wouldn't answer questions on what was it for..sounds like a racket to me.
Great Job Fishface on opening A.S.S !! Great going will spread the word for YOUR shop......+REP

 

[Evil Aeon]

"If you don't sell through us, we'll make sure you never get a buyer for your sweat."

OMG this is a sweat mafia Next step is "We saw how you sell sweat to others, here are your cement shoes"

 

[RavenJade]

But then the Mrs went down and went sweating for some evade skills. Some ASU clown sweat-boss thought it would be appropriate to cuss her.

 

[imoyaro]

The individual...

The individual in charge of the group in question has the dubious distinction of being the first person I had to boot from the NBK within a week of when I assumed my current role in our societies. I do hope that provides some perspective...

 

[Rumsponge]

There was something about this on the ad screens on Calypso the other day. I couldn't even read it, much less figure it out. I guess the thing I don't get is that ME is considered ammo afaik, and isn't lootable, right? So why wouldn't people just bring a boatload of it with them when they fly to Arkadia?

 

["Nicko" Truman]

There was something about this on the ad screens on Calypso the other day. I couldn't even read it, much less figure it out. I guess the thing I don't get is that ME is considered ammo afaik, and isn't lootable, right? So why wouldn't people just bring a boatload of it with them when they fly to Arkadia?

The idea is to help arkadian sweaters, not buy imported. But I see thanks to a horribly badly thought out public profile now people will hate ASU

On Ark there are crafters supporting this thing by buying at 3/k so that new members will get to enjoy the game a lil' bit easier.

Some people don't like the ASU labeling of the sweat product which has kinda turned into a lil' flaming war hehe.

 

[Fishface]

The idea is to help arkadian sweaters, not buy imported. But I see thanks to a horribly badly thought out public profile now people will hate ASU

On Ark there are crafters supporting this thing by buying at 3/k so that new members will get to enjoy the game a lil' bit easier.

Some people don't like the ASU labeling of the sweat product which has kinda turned into a lil' flaming war hehe.

Well that's the whole thing. Nobody objects to helping new players check out the game for a while. We all had to start somewhere. I know I spent time sweating in the game before I went all out.

The objection that most people would have is the incessant spamming, the entitled mentality, the strong-arm tactics, the intimidation, the swearing, the over exaggeration and self-importance of the self-appointed leader(s), and the overall douchebaggery in the quarry.

Many older players have bought sweat from new players for more than the going rate. I don't think i've ever paid less than 5 ped/k. That's not because some clown decided to call it ASU. That's because it's a nice game and I'd like for others to be able to experience it while they make up their mind if they want to stick around. Go look on the shelf in Celeste North 1#3 some time. See my sweat collection.

Take a step back for a second and just consider. Do you really think that there is a large need for a "buy local sweat" campaign? Do you really think that people bother loading up sweat and taking it from planet to planet to get a better rate on it? I mean really? If a trader wants to take something between planets, it will be weapons, ores, tools, and armors. Why bother with the extra ped that sweat costs on one planet vs another, when you can make 20 ped on a gun, 50 ped on an ore, or 100 ped on an armor?

My whole objection is that there are people who don't feel comfortable sweating in a group where some "sweat boss" wants to micromanage where they stand, which mob they can sweat, and what they can call the sweat once they get it. And then cuss at them when they don't do what the clown wants.

Arkadia has a great community, and the divisiveness of a "sweaters union" isn't really something that lends itself to a community spirit.

My two pecs.

 

[imoyaro]

Public Profile?

The idea is to help arkadian sweaters, not buy imported. But I see thanks to a horribly badly thought out public profile now people will hate ASU

Yeah, choosing a guy with your leader's track record wasn't well thought out. But hey at least most of us will know something smells funny, right?

 

[trance]

Many older players have bought sweat from new players for more than the going rate.

My two pecs.

I ever pay more as the regular asking price for sweet is. I only need 1-2k per month, so really not a problem to give more, and help some new players with this.
Sweaters do some thing and don't begging ppl like other new players maybe do. So why we don't help and give a bit more as they ask ? If i was sweat, 7 years ago, i got 20 ped per 1k sweat, and now what get the new players? 1.8 ? It was much more easy for us old players to get some peds from sweating. Why we don't help the new ppl a bit?

 

["Nicko" Truman]

My whole objection is that there are people who don't feel comfortable sweating in a group where some "sweat boss" wants to micromanage where they stand, which mob they can sweat, and what they can call the sweat once they get it. And then cuss at them when they don't do what the clown wants.


My two pecs.

Yeah I totally agree, tho I must say I haven't seen anyone telling players "u gotta sweat mob x", and honestly I've seen cussing from both sides. But yeah, it's terrible.

Yeah, choosing a guy with your leader's track record wasn't well thought out. But hey at least most of us will know something smells funny, right?

Hey let's get one thing clear here, I haven't chosen anyone to be a leader, I just got back to ark last week and heard bout this ASU thing.

I said it would be better if they called it "ASU sweat" cause all this has just led to confusion and bickering. And I have no idea of any track record of said "leader" hehe. I just thought it was a nice thing to try and make it better for newcomers.

 

[Wollongong]

I know at least one person who's some sort of ASU officer, and I trust this person (as much as you can trust one online) to be an individual of integrity. I don't think he'd want to be part of any organization which undertakes activities such as mentioned here.

I'd be very interested in who is doing these bad-approach activities, and what role they have. I am certain that my friend will draw his conclusions and either whip some people in place, or decide to leave a group which isn't meeting his standards of honorability.

 

[TACUTTING]

A sweat leader with a bad track record : P hmm, who can that be , Names PLEASE !

as im mostly on rt ,I miss out most of the dramas around the sweatcamps


A few names pop up in my mind and im curious who it is this time


TAC

 

[Jimmy B]

Sounds pretty comical to me. But if I was running Arkadia I'd stamp it out pretty quick, the first impressions of the game that new players get is critical, this could cast some bad impressions.

 

[Sakuba]

This looks like its the same old argument that has been around since the end of VU9. Vibrant Sweat seemed to be the stabilizer of the entire Entropia Economy and with the value of it being bought donw to next to nothing players are looking to strengthen and support a dead market.

It is my personal opinion that MindArk saw a way to take a larger share of what looked like a lucritive market. By introducing "Synthetic Mind Essence" only available through the Trade Terminals as a type of ammunition was only the first part of this. By then changing all MindForce Weapons and Regeneration Chips to require this Synthetic Mind Essence to operate was the second phase.

This was supposed to be an improvement of the use of mindforce. It may very well be but I am as yet to see that.

Changing focus to Synchronisation and its duration from a set number of "concentration broken" to a set time of ten(10) minutes with a LevelIV chip may have been just another step backwards.

With the introduction of vehicles came the preverbial "straw that brike the horses back". Teleporting has all but become a thing of the past. Many times I have seen plaayers almost screaming for fuel to require a mixture of Vibrant Sweat and Oil be used to make fuel for Vehicles, only their cries to seem to fall upon deaf ears.

It seems the Planet Partners may have seen the need for greater use of Vibrant Sweat to be bought back as we see more and more Blue Prints requireing the use of it. To date I think Calypso is still the only Planet that does not have any Planet Specific Blue Prints requireing it.

Prior to these changes we had a great amount of social activity at Swamp Camp, Nea's Place, Twin Peaks and Port Atlantis. At Swamp Camp and Nea's Place there were always people burning thousands of PED in Mind Essence Healing and Focusing other players twenty four hours of the day. This huge amount of activityis all but gone and has little to do with expanded amounts of area.

With Mind Essence being used as heavily as it was in those days you could make a few PED each week to keep you going until you found your feet and figured out what you wre doing in Entropia. Some people even made it long term survival and for others it is all they ever did and never depoed. Bit still, I believe it balanced the economy and gave it a driveing force.

This whole staement may seem a little off the track of what this discussion is about, but it is the root of the argument. We have a group of players on a planet who are trying to bouy up the local market for a local product but have gone about it very badly and left a bitter taste in everyones mouth. Entropia Participants will never change this situation, it is way out of their control.

 

[FallenAngel]

Sounds pretty comical to me. But if I was running Arkadia I'd stamp it out pretty quick, the first impressions of the game that new players get is critical, this could cast some bad impressions.

from what i have seen of it at the quarry it is pretty amusing and seemed mostly harmless, the only "abuse" i have seen is people getting angry with the person promoting the ASU concept.
i dont really see the problem, the guy/crafter paying more for sweat does it in a amusing way, it certainly helps some new players and the wild claims he makes about how arkadian sweat gives better crafting results is so obviously nonsense that i can only think of it as funny role playing so i dont really understand why people react so angrily to those claims

 

[Wollongong]

The post before this one is a very good one

 

[Sunsout Gunsout]

I hereby start C.A.U. It's the Calypso Ammo Union. You now buy ammo from me for 2x tt. Or I cuss at you and disparage your character.

Those who don't will wear the scarlet letters "tt".

You can find me by looking for someone with red-armbands and a stupid mustache.


But, seriously, yeah...read the ASU adverts on the Caly screens (dress code? speech code?). Anyone who takes this group seriously and wants to join it deserves to have their avatars balls cut off.

(disclaimer: avatars balls, in-game, not RL balls...real ones is a no-no. That is against rules, right JC? See, I learned my lesson )

 

[Wollongong]

I hereby start C.A.U. It's the Calypso Ammo Union. You now buy ammo from me for 2x tt. Or I cuss at you and disparage your character.

Those who don't will wear the scarlet letters "tt".

You can find me by looking for someone with red-armbands and a stupid mustache.


But, seriously, yeah...read the ASU adverts on the Caly screens (dress code? speech code?). Anyone who takes this group seriously and wants to join it deserves to have their avatars balls cut off.

(disclaimer: avatars balls, in-game, not RL balls...real ones is a no-no. That is against rules, right JC? See, I learned my lesson )

Could someone put a screeny of those adverts here?

 

[Fifth]

Nah, no need to look for MA's greed in this case. MA is greedy, that's true, but plans to increase someone's revenues using the the "sweat market"... C'mon, there's no "sweat market", the few peds that are circulating there wouldn't be worth anyones attention.

At some point the depositers started to look for reasons why their returns (loot) is so bad. You know, another variety with the same old story. There was a group of players who started to demand that MA has to take steps to cut down the "flow of free peds outside economy". There was support cases, there was threads on this very forum. So, finally, MA listened to these demands. That's it - no conspiracy, no shady deals, just a simple cause and effect.

Maybe they went a bit too far, i'm not sure the whole remake was needed in the 1st place. Anyway, that's what happened. If we (majority of players) are not happy with the results today we should prolly think twice before demanding something?

 

[Ludvig|MindArk]

Could someone put a screeny of those adverts here?

Here is the ASU ad I have seen ingame:

 

[K-Max]

If ASU group would just promote themselves as local sweaters group selling sweat at a fixed price without some hokey gimmickry like 2x concentration, ASU sweat is better then normal sweat, call sweat ASU not sweat etc. The whole ASU concept would not be so controversial IMHO. I have seen the ASU sellers at the quarry and I can see how people get confused, it took me about a week to figure out what ASU was, if they just advertised it as local sweaters group asking fixed pricing for sweat none of this non-sense would exist.

I have never sweated in an ASU sweat team but whole idea of a sweat leader that is just hilarious. Really I don't think anyone needs someone to tell them point sweat tool sweat, sweat, sweat. Do they have a drummer also so everyone sweats rhythmically

 

[Alice]

first i thought, thats easy
ASU was the Abgassonderuntersuchung in germany, its just AU now i think
thats some check up on the exchaust gases etc. of your car

but doubt they got that in EU yet
so i thought its a astronomic space unit

ok, its just another sweaters union
ah well, cant guess everything

funny one tho

Here is the ASU ad I have seen ingame:

sweaters with a taste of dressing except the usual sand camo newcomer clothes? awesome
i like(d) to sweat in style too

problem is, if someone has rulez, prolly to charge more pedz for the sweatz, it doesnt make a good impression

but seriously, who would even consider to import sweat to other planets
newbies? i doubt they pay the transport fee of dunno, 5 ped? (not up to date with pilot rates) just to get some ped more
in either case, sweater units, seen that, been there even
ya, i was in one too when i started :=)
some kind souls obviously felt pity with us and really paid a bit more
but long term, that wont work


the usual background blabla of how vehicles lowered the price and that the effect of synthetic ME from tt is pretty low and made MF useful finally i leave for now
however, if sweat would be used more often in crafting as ingredient it would be better than just have it as ammo/fuel ^^

(i think i still have 16k sweat since 4 years by now, it just wont go down; no fear, i wont import it to arkadia, promise!)

 

[Neil Stockton]

The "2x concentrated" was just a joke I made during the sweat chat wars a couple days ago.

ASU is just a secret code word that some Arkadian sweaters use to sell sweat in chat... hoping that the importers from Caly will not know the secret password. I like to support new sweaters, but there are a couple problems with ASU.

1) The current tactics are IMO market manipulation
2) Some new Arkadian players won't know the secret password
3) Some sweat buyers won't know the secret password
4) Sweat traders from off-world can lose their investment
5) It makes no distinction between "professional sweaters" and newbie sweaters
6) It reinforces the idea of sweat as welfare rather than a commodity
7) It fosters an attitude of prejudice and bigotry against "foreigners"

I think I'd support ASU if they stopped the strong arm tactics against players from other planets, and instead created a system where all sweat advertised as ASU was verified as from newbies, not professional sweaters. Now that would be beneficial. They also discourage use of TP chips, which I totally don't get.

BTW, I have nothing against professional sweaters... except that they lower the sweat price, making the newbie sweating experience less enjoyable.

 

[FallenAngel]

If ASU group would just promote themselves as local sweaters group selling sweat at a fixed price without some hokey gimmickry like 2x concentration, ASU sweat is better then normal sweat, call sweat ASU not sweat etc. The whole ASU concept would not be so controversial IMHO. I have seen the ASU sellers at the quarry and I can see how people get confused, it took me about a week to figure out what ASU was, if they just advertised it as local sweaters group asking fixed pricing for sweat none of this non-sense would exist.

I have never sweated in an ASU sweat team but whole idea of a sweat leader that is just hilarious. Really I don't think anyone needs someone to tell them point sweat tool sweat, sweat, sweat. Do they have a drummer also so everyone sweats rhythmically

the thing that you, and others seem to be missing is this is all being promoter by a buyer of sweat who is helping new people. from what i saw he made up a funny game around this with language and rules and other really non-serious stuff, i assume to amuse himself, and it certainly gave me a laugh or two at the quarry.
the sweaters that are sweating in a asu team and are now advertising asu sweat are only doing it because of encouragement from this one buyer?
i have a friend on ark who spends a lot of time helping out new players and got a pm from them a while ago saying "have you heard about this guy sirmixalot" "you should see the way he is helping out new players".

nobody is forcing anyone to buy sweat at any price as far as i know nor are all sweaters on ark refusing to sell unless at asu prices so i really dont understand all the fuss

maybe its me but pirate drama and sweat conspiracies make the game more interesting its just a bit of harmless role playing unless one is taking oneself to seriously

 

[mastermesh]

Wonder if they are paying royalties to Arizona State University for trademark use?

 

[Neil Stockton]

the thing that you, and others seem to be missing is this is all being promoter by a buyer of sweat who is helping new people. from what i saw he made up a funny game around this with language and rules and other really non-serious stuff, i assume to amuse himself, and it certainly gave me a laugh or two at the quarry.
the sweaters that are sweating in a asu team and are now advertising asu sweat are only doing it because of encouragement from this one buyer?
i have a friend on ark who spends a lot of time helping out new players and got a pm from them a while ago saying "have you heard about this guy sirmixalot" "you should see the way he is helping out new players".

nobody is forcing anyone to buy sweat at any price as far as i know nor are all sweaters on ark refusing to sell unless at asu prices so i really dont understand all the fuss

The chats are not quite that innocent... they tell anyone trying to sell sweat that they are not welcome on the planet and they should leave etc. To you it looks like harmless fun, but not if you're on the receiving end of the abuse.

 

[mastermesh]

The chats are not quite that innocent... they tell anyone trying to sell sweat that they are not welcome on the planet and they should leave etc. To you it looks like harmless fun, but not if you're on the receiving end of the abuse.

Maybe MA should make sweat tradeable only in pvp zones?

 

[Theren Strange]

Half the sweaters are probably 12 yr olds who have mistaken a joke and taken it seriously and now Ralph & Piggy are being chased around Arkadia by bunch of other kids waving a pigs head.