Saturday, May 31, 2014

The Affiliate System is active from some time

Few days ago MindArk announced that “Work is moving forward on the affiliate program mentioned in the State of the Universe Address 2014, though the expected release date has been revised to 2015 due to integration requirements with other planned projects.” But I noticed probably few months ago that some people already have affiliate link. First I noticed this on Pig Benis YouTube channel and now on his website http://entropiaminingguide.com/join-entropia-universe/ where you can see he has affiliate link http://www.planetcalypso.com/?ccode=affibresch130501 . And also you can see that Entropia Life website http://universe.entropialife.com/download/ also has affiliate link https://account.entropiauniverse.com/new-account/index.xml?ccode=affishakle130401&cd

Now we know there are at least 2 affiliate links and they open character creation page. We can’t be sure if Pig Benis and EntropiaLife get some profit from those links yet.

So the system is kind of ready but MindArk are waiting for “other planned projects” that will be integrated with the affiliate system. Sound cool – it will be more than just the usual affiliate system that you see in EVE Online for example.

UPDATE: It seems November 2014 OpaloMan aka oztwo aka Jeff Mathewson got his affiliate link that point to Planet Arkadia. https://account.entropiauniverse.com/new-account/?ccode=affioztwo201411

The Political System in Entropia Universe

The first time I read about the Political System in Entropia Universe I and probably most of the players assumed that this will be some sort of voting system where MindArk ask players at some voting terminals questions like “What weapon do you want to see next?” and players choose from 4-5 options. But now I think it will be way more complex system than that. More like real world political system where people vote for some player to get a position like president of Planet Calypso or Mayor of Twin Peaks. Position that will give him power different than the power of money that the dividend of the CLD gives. May be such Mayors will have the power to change taxes of some new land area or decide where next Miss and Mister Calypso will take place. The president may have the power to get all illegal Arkadians out or close the Calypso Space Station flight to Rocktropia. May be players will be able to vote what society to control some land area and receive tax from it.

But this is just me thinking for 5 minutes. If MindArk spent 2-3 years thinking on the idea of Political System in Entropia Universe it will be way better than that. Something never seen in a game before. This may sound like a clich̩ but at least I don't know of something like this. And seeing that the Political and the Citizen systems goes together it is safe to say that you will need to have Calypso Land Deed to be able to vote. And the more you have the more power your vote will have. It will be like in real life Рrich people will decide the future of the masses. And we will see new profession in Entropia Universe РPolitician. And Politicians will fight not for loot but for the love of the citizens.

The bad news is that the political and housing system is still in the initial design and development stage. As with the taming system, is expected to roll out in several stages during 2015. Long wait, but you will have more time to buy more CLD and vote for me one day. If you want more blog posts.

Friday, May 30, 2014

Arena Commander Sizzle Trailer

It seems all bugs are cleared and Arena Commander may go live next week. The team has also put together a short teaser showing 100% in-game footage where Arena Commander’s AI battling each other in real time! Let's hope some day we will have space mobs that looks and fight like that. BTW you can tell Chris Roberts produced and directed some big movies like Lord of War and Lucky Number Slevin because this trailer remind me of the new 2014 Godzila trailer. And I have to admit that this looks like HD movie quiality. I will defenately play that game and maybe even buy new PC just for it when it is fully ready.


Melee amps will be introduced in next Calypso VU

Breaking news:

Melee amps will be introduced in our next Calypso VU

Starter Packs and Harrier Armor

My thoughts on the Starter Packs

MindArk will start offering starter packs as some other games do. There will be Bronze for 5$, Silver for 15$ and Gold for 40$. With the twist that items offered in the Starter Packs will be non-tradable. As it can be expected most players don’t mind the starter pack, but half see problem with the untradeable aspect of the items.

As most things about Entropia Universe there are a lot of angles you can look at it. And there maybe diferent reasons why MindArk are introducing Starter Packs. I think that the best explanation is to get more new players and more importantly keep them for few months until they can see what great game this is. Entropia Universe is the greatest MMO out there and will be for many years to come. It is the ultimate sandbox game. Even the word game is not correct because t is more than a game. A lot more. The problem is to explain that to someone that never played it. If you try to explain it with words it doesn’t sound as good as the game is. And the other problem is that if you start and try to play the game without depositing money it seems boring. I am a mentor and if I have disciple that don’t want to deposit and ask me what to what can I tell him? Trade this and this, hunt that creature with that weapon and that armor, mine at this land for that resource, craft this blueprint? Nope. All I can tell him is go and collect sweat for few days and come back so we can hunt for 20 minutes. Now if he buy starter pack for 15$ this will be enough to keep him in game for a month. This will be enough time so he can try the different part of the game and decide if he likes it. I think starter pack idea is good and will keep more new players in the game. Sure some will leave. Some people like other type of games.

It seems the items in the starter pack will be limited weapon and healing tool and unlimited armor Default Harrier Scout.


You can’t trade those items, but for me this is not a problem. The weapon and the healing tool will break when you use them anyway. And the armor is not very expensive. And actually is one more reason new players to keep playing, knowing that they have something in the game that worth money.

There is also improved version of that armor named Default Adjusted Harrier Assault Armor .


This armor has nice boost of 8% to your running and walking speed. The effect is called Metabolic Acceleration. If this armor is also in the starter packs, probably that for 40$, I will surely buy one and most of the players will.

In the end I think this is good for the new players, good for the old players and good for MindArk. Everybody wins.

Thursday, May 29, 2014

Star Citizen delay again

Arena Commander or the Dog Fighting Module supposed to go live today but it was announced that it will be delayed again. Today the same day it was supposed to go live. That's what I call last minute delay. And it was scheduled for the end of 2013 when it got delayed to somewhere around March 2014. Then in April on PAX East they announced Arena Commander is coming soon in May. Later they specified it is going to be 29 May. And on 29 of May they say “We got some bugs we aren’t going to launch it.”

People got few days of work just to play the game. And now all this kind of leave bad taste in your mouth. I am surprised there wasn’t much rage on the forums. But most people are fans and ready to wait 2-3 years.


And to be honest I’m not sure if playing the alpha and the beta is smart move. If I play 1 year the game and then I have to start from beginning killing ships to get more money to buy bigger ships I will probably be tired already. And if more people are like that the game can die soon after the full release. And maybe this is way they delay the thing as long as they can and people allow them.

By the time the full game goes live Entropia Universe will have pets and controlled mobs and what not. It will be hard to choose to play Star Citizen at that point.

Management Blog on mindark.com

Here is a nice message from David from MindArk:

Hi,

We will add a Management Blog on mindark.com, this will be one of our communication channels as mentioned in yesterdays roadmap. We will endeavour to keep you informed of important and not so important happenings here at MindArk in the traditional "Blogg" style.

We are here to communicate with you, please forgive bad spelling and grammar as not all have English as their first language. We will not always be able to answer your questions so please be patient.

Not everything we are working on is in this Roadmap, for example Space is an important part of Entropia Universe and small adjustments will be made in coming releases, a major overhaul is needed and we can expect this in 2015.

We will try to cover other questions and concerns through our new blog.

Bringing EU out of the PC is as many of you know a difficult task, so an easier way to bring the EU experience to a wider audience and to engage the new accounts that cannot access the full PC Entropia Universe is to bring only parts of EU to the web-browser and mobile, the roadmap shows you some of the stages we need to take.

I understand Melee amps are ready for deployment, Im not sure of the details but I will try and make a statement asap once I get further information.

All for now.

David

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Creature Control and Taming

Communication and development roadmap

Dear Entropians,


Given the real-cash aspect of the Entropia Universe economy, it has historically been MindArk’s policy to be very careful when releasing information related to future development plans, mainly to prevent undue disruption of the economy. However, considering the plethora of information channels now available to participants to stay up to date on official Entropia Universe and Planet Partner announcements (the Client Loader, Facebook, Entropia Buzz, information from which is also syndicated on many community and planet forums), MindArk has made a decision to be more active in sharing its future development plans with participants.

And the sharing starts now!

Below is a summary of some of the projects the MindArk design and development teams are currently focused on. In future communications we will give increasingly more detailed information on each of these projects, and announce additional projects as they become closer to implementation.

Client & Server Stability

MindArk’s highest priority during the next several releases will be improving stability of the Entropia Universe client. Several of the most common causes of recent client crashes have been identified and our developers are hard at work on resolving those to improve the Entropia Universe experience for all participants.

New Player Experience

Ongoing improvements to the New Player Experience have been implemented with every platform and planet partner release so far this year. These efforts will continue to be a top priority during the rest of 2014 and into 2015 in order to maximise the marketing efforts of MindArk and the planet partners.

Creature Control System Stage 1 - (Planned for June 2014 Release)

You may already be aware of a new feature introduced not long ago which allows officials and planet partners to control various creatures during special events. This system will be extended to participants in the form of Creature Control Capsules, consumable items that will allow you to transform your avatar into a specific creature for a limited time. This fun feature will be made available exclusively through the loot system, and will be monitored closely to prevent abuse.

Taming Stage 1 - (Planned for Autumn 2014 Release)

Some of you will be happy to hear that we plan to (finally) reintroduce Taming to Entropia Universe. In the first stage the core functionality will be quite similar to the original taming system, with added improvements to usability and fun-factor. Initially, pets will be to able accompany your avatar in its Entropia Universe travels, with more pet abilities and features planned for later stages (see below).

PVP Improvements - (Planned for Autumn 2014 Release)

Various improvements to PVP combat have already been implemented this year and more are planned after the summer, including adjustments to the landgrab and fort systems.

Taming Stage 2 - (Planned for Late 2014 / Early 2015 Release)

In this stage it is planned to implement additional skill-based taming abilities which will expand the capabilities of tamed creatures beyond the pre-VU10 taming system. In addition, a limited number of stables will be made available that will fulfill various roles within the taming system such as stabling, feeding, expert training, trading and more.

Creature Control System Stage 2 - (Planned for Winter 2014 Release)

Through a new Battle Octagon interface, your avatar will be able to control various creatures and challenge other avatars to battle in special CCS octagons. With lots of options for attack and defense customisation, each battle promises to be unique and exciting, especially considering the possibility of creatures and robots from different planets engaging in reckless combat against one another!

Taming Stage 3 - (Planned for Early 2015 Release)

Battle Arenas will be introduced which will allow tamed creatures to battle one another. Each battle will be unique, with a wide range of offensive and defensive pet buffs and upgrades along with customisable attack and defense profiles.







Web-Based Battle Arena - (Planned for Early 2015 Release)

A web-based Battle Arena game is planned for early 2015. The game will be developed as a cross-platform solution available on the web and for mobile devices, and will have direct ties to the Entropia Universe taming! system. Players will have the opportunity to acquire, upgrade and customise their pets for battle against the pets of others.

Entropia Universe participants will have the ability to acquire Battle Arena Deeds and share in the revenue and excitement of the Battle Arena action. 200,000 Battle Arena Deeds will be offered via the Entropia Universe in-game auction and upcoming webshop at 100 PED each. Revenues generated from the Battle Arena Deed offering will be used exclusively for Battle Arena development and marketing. More detailed information about the Battle Arena Deeds will be made available very soon.

Affiliate System - (Planned for Early 2015 Release)

Work is moving forward on the affiliate program mentioned in the State of the Universe Address 2014, though the expected release date has been revised to 2015 due to integration requirements with other planned projects.

Citizenship & Political System - (Planned for Early 2015 Release)

The announced political and housing system is still in the initial design and development stage. As with the taming system, we expect to roll out this system in several stages during 2015. Further information will be made available as each development milestone draws closer.

Regards,

David Simmonds
CEO MindArk PE AB

New Platform Partners for MindArk

Dear Entropians,

Many companies and organizations in various sectors, public and private, have shown interest over the years in leveraging the Entropia Universe platform to enhance their own business, products and services. Of course, MindArk is always eager to explore new opportunities and will soon be announcing the first such partnership project, separate from the existing Entropia Universe product. Full details will be made available on the MindArk.com website very soon.

Regards.
David Simmonds
CEO MindArk PE AB

Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Happy Birthday Planet Arkadia

On the the 26th of May 2014, we celebrate the 3rd Anniversary of Planet Arkadia.

These last 3 years have been both very interesting and very challenging. Whilst we have added a lot of content, waged war on a number of bugs and slowly but surely expanded our planet into one of the best in the Entropia Universe, we can assure you that this is just the beginning.

We have a lot more content planned out for the coming years and we hope you will all join us for the coming adventure. Much of what we have planned, we cannot reveal at the moment as we do not wish to spoil the surprise... But sufficed to say that if you are happy with what we have delivered so far, then you will continue to be pleased with what we plan on going forward.


We'll be hanging out in game all day, so why not come join us for some celebrations... and maybe a surprise or two

So, with that said, we thank you all for giving us this opportunity to create something special together with you!

Best Regards,
Arkadia Studios

New starter packs to be released

Explore even more!

New starter packs to be released

Starting your avatar's career is about to get much easier. With a selection of three brand new starter packs featuring the new Harrier Armor, Weapon, Fast Aid Pack and more, you will be ready to jump right into action.

The new starter packs, labelled Bronze, Silver and Gold, will be available for $5, $15 and $40 respectively. The Silver and Gold packages will also contain an amount of PED, the currency of Entropia Universe, so you can participate in the economy right from the start.

Starter packs will be available to new players at account creation. For existing players, the starter packs will be available in the web shop that will soon be launched at https://account.entropiauniverse.com.

We plan to release the starter packs for new accounts in early June and the webshop for existing accounts within a couple of weeks.

-Note that the Starter Pack items are non-tradable, i.e. its items can not be transfered between accounts.


Seven Million Polygons ship in Entropia Universe

If you follow my blog you know I am going to play 2 games Entropia Universe and Star Citizen. Entropia is the ultimate sandbox and Star Citizen has most detailed spaceships so far in a video game. One can only imagine what will Entropia looks when technology allows vehicles in Entropia Universe to have the details of Star Citizen. Like The Star Citizen Cruiser will have 7 Million Polygons. And no doubt someday internet bandwidth and computer power will make possible flying such detailed ships in MMO like Entropia. Until then we can stockpile peds to buy bigger ships. Because it is fun to fly 7 Million Polygons ship that you can sell for zero dollars in Star Citizen but completely different to fly 7 Million Polygons ship that you can sell for 10 000 dollars in Entropia Universe.



Planet Toulan Trailer

The first Arabian-themed MMO to be brought to the online world, Toulan is Beladcom's Free-To-Download flagship title. With no subscription fee and set in a renegade distant planet that is rebuilding itself after a 600-year-old apocalyptic war, Toulan is developed on the Entropia Universe platform, utilising stunning graphics and gameplay elements to bring players the ultimate online gaming experience.

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Entropia Universe 14.7.2 Release Notes

Resurrection Changes

When using resurrection devices, every attempt will now be successful. The most simple skill and device will resurrect an avatar with 1 health point as before; resurrecting an avatar up to 100% can be achieved with higher skill levels and devices.
Two items already present that will be affected by these changes are, "First Gen Resurrect Chip VIII" and "Rakzum´s Pouch (L)"

General

  • An issue that caused invisible walls to block Arkadia dungeon gates has been resolved.
  • Quest repeat timer now working correctly.
  • Various crash fixes and stability improvements.
  • Chat messages with links should no longer be spuriously rejected for being too long.
  • Clicking an avatar link will no longer take you back to the top of the chat.
  • Explosive mounted weapons no longer inflict damage to creatures.

Known Issues

  • Mining claims are missing smoke effect and are only visible within 35m.
  • Messages for expiring items in auction are displayed incorrectly with “Sold” text.

Thursday, May 15, 2014

Entropia Universe 14.7.1 Release Notes

Fixes

  • An issue causing certain creatures to be untargetable has been corrected.
  • An issue affecting the use of sliders in the avatar creation interface has been corrected.
  • The global events list now works properly again.
  • Seats in Vega class motherships now work as intended.
  • An issue affecting chat tab filters has been corrected.
  • An issue affecting the display of several hairstyles has been corrected.
  • An issue allowing the team target feature to disrupt chat has been corrected.

Known Issues

  • There is an issue affecting the smoke particle effect on mining claims.

Boorum


Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Entropia Universe 14.7 Release Notes

General

Fixes


  • Team target marker is now removed when the tagged avatar dies.
  • Fixed lighting issues with the Nifty Pattern Pants (M,C) and (F,C)
  • An issue preventing some auction messages from being updated correctly has been fixed.
  • The Omegaton Stove A-3 (C) visual model has been improved.
  • Quest counters now display high values correctly.
  • Shower Cabin is no longer extremely bright with above high graphic settings.
  • It is now possible for a society leader to manage society owned land areas even if the leader does not hold any shares in these lands.
  • Spacecraft and estate deeds can now be pawned in banks.
  • Fixed issue when avatars and NPC:s would twitch when switching stance.

Changes/Additions

Added an in-world HUD indicator for the nearest waypoint.
The consumption rate of enhancers attached to unlimited items has been reduced by 50%.
Players that are targeted by the Set Team Target action will now receive a notification.
  • If a vehicle is targeted then all avatars in that vehicle will receive the notification.

Social

Bug fixes


  • Fixed an issue where UIs would not register fast mouse wheel scrolling.
  • Avatar names with special characters will no longer stop chat.
  • The /pos command now work in dynamic areas.
  • Entries in the contacts list no longer expand occasionally for no apparent reason.
  • The expanded entry in the contacts list no longer be minimized when another avatar logs on or out.
  • Entries in the contacts list no longer show incorrect context icons for some avatars.
  • All chat channels are now logged in the main chat log.
  • Chat window no longer prevents numpad enter from functioning normally.

Changes/Additions

  • Creating a new chat tab should now immediately show the tab naming UI.
  • Added an option to hide tutorial messages in the message center.
  • Added time since last login in the contacts list for friends and society members.
  • - Logging in while incognito or invisible will not update the timer.
  • - There is an new setting in the privacy options to hide your last login time.
And something not in the release notes:


Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Star Citizen Galery in Gamestar magazine

If you still wonder to lay Star Citizen or not this gallery of screenshots and concept artwork provided to Gamestar magazine in Germany will make you decide. BTW it seems like Germany has a lot of Star Citizens fans. I guess Germans like technology and space. And this game will have the best graphic for a space game for the next 5 years or so. Enjoy:































Blizzard veteran joins Star Citizen team

I like probably most of you spent my time as a kid playing WarCraft 2, StarCraft, StarCraft: Brood War and Diablo 2. And I bought StarCraft 2 and Diablo 3, but they are not on the same quality level as the old games. Even today I prefer to replay StarCraft and StarCraft: Brood War campaigns instead of StarCraft 2 campaign. I even didn’t finish the StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm campaign. Blizzard was my favorite game company but I fear I will never buy game from them again. No wonder they are now making some card game and other stupid games. And for years fans expected some mysterious project named “Titan” may be the next gen MMO. But no one is expecting it now.


And now the news is that lead producer of Diablo 3 Alex Mayberry will join Star Citizen team. He will work as an executive producer at the studio. Mayberry will oversee all development on Star Citizen. He will also be responsible for managing the company's development studios across the world. For some this may be great news, but I think we can expect just more ways to delay content in order to get more of bakers’ money. Star Citizen may be the only game other than Entropia Universe that I will play, but I see when they use Jedy tricks to get more of my money and that piss me of. Remember the release of Dog Fighting Module in December last year. For me it was clear to them that it won’t happen then. But people spent more for holidays in December then they do in March or May or whenever that DFM comes out. That move made them more money, but I wanted to buy Hornet for 140 $ and now I will stick t my pledge of 40$ for Aurora and alpha access.


Let’s see what that Blizzard geek does for the game. And let’s hope it is not too bad for the community.

Massive Oratan forces detected!

Arkadian Colony Defence - Massive Oratan Attack!

IFN Intelligence: Massive Oratan forces detected!


Date: 13 MAY 3011
Time: 15:52 hrs
Location: Classified

Regan and Edwards was laying in the sand dunes. They had been out for seven days on a Long-range reconnaissance patrol.

The spot they found gave them a perfect view over the valley where the Oratans had their biggest settlements. Edwards was looking in her binoculars as Longshot was tracking the Oratans movements in his sniper-scope.

The Oratans was building up a huge staging area in the valley and more Oratans arrived all the time in small units.

'Clever bastards.' Edwards mumbled for herself. 'They come and go in small teams and take detours...'

'Yeah...' Reagan whispered as a reply. 'Seems like the intel-dudes were right about their demand that we do some old fashion recon as an addition to the orbital surveillance.'

'Yupp...' Edwards replied while she kept taking photos and counting the enemies forces. 'What troubles me though is that we still have no clue about where they come from. We should have decimated their numbers well enough by now but they just keep coming.'

They continued their mission for a couple of hours until Edwards finally whispered;
'Time is up. Let's pull out and head back to Celeste. Bossman's team is on its way back already. I'm just going to send up the rest of the data.'

'Good.' Said longshot, still viewing the Oratans in his scope. 'Tell them that I want a Capricciosa with extra cheese.'

'Will do. But that means an extra session in the gym for you.' Edwards replied with a smile.

'You got it boss.' Longshot whispered while crawling backwards from their hiding spot.


The IFN are calling on Arkadia's loyal colonists, to assist in plugging the gaps in our defensive lines and bolster the IFN combat forces. Colonists of all levels are encouraged to attend. This attack is liable to be a heavy and sustained attack for an extended period of time, so people from different time-zones are encouraged to join and leave in at their convenience.

If you are able to lend support, please assemble at REPULSE FIREBASE (Coordinates 15015, 15047).

The attack are estimated to hit on Friday the 16th May 2014 @ 19:00 and expected to end on Sunday the 18th May 2014 @ 19:00

*****

Due to issues arising from previous engagements, we once again ask colonists to please NOT shoot from the walls or from under the entrance of the base, as this causes the Oratan to become UNREACHABLE and spoils the event for other participants. We kindly ask that all players actually advance into the field and engage the enemy forces.

*****

The Oratan are, once again, likely to be throwing all they have at this base including the largest and strongest warriors they can muster. As with previous engagements, IFN Command will be deploying Commandos from Alpha Team to assist colonial fighters with paramedical duties.

Please arrive early and ensure all equipment is clean and in good repair, and you have adequate supplies of ammunition.