Alyss "Aly" Aquire Entropia Universe has moved into the next dimension, and it seemed only fitting that the Wednesday's Who's Who series adapt accordingly with new graphics. This month's profile presents another member of the Australian community, and a world traveler who represents our universe as an EU Ambassador. Travels Inspire EU Name While traveling overseas, Alyss "Aly" Aquire found that in certain European countries, people had difficulty pronouncing her real life name. She inevitably ended up with various nicknames, but somehwere along the way, she was given the nickname 'Aly' and it stuck. Therefore, she adopted the name both in real life and in many of her online activities. She claims that the rest of her avatar name is "fairly random" and that there was "no real reason for it, other than to 'dress' the name Aly." On The Real Side In Aly's relatively short years (25), she has embraced a life of travel, and it is rare that she will stay in any one location for more than a month or two. This is often due to work commitments as an investment adviser and business development manager which requires her to engage with clients in many locations throughout the world. However, this also plays into her passion for variety. Aly has had the pleasure of living and working in many countries around the world, but calls Dunsborough, Australia home. While getting to the stage where staying put for a while sounds very appealing to Aly, she says, "I love that I have been able to experience so much of the world already," and "I wouldn't be the person I am today if I hadn't embraced the opportunities to travel and experience." Aly also attends as many real life meets with people from EU as possible, and was one of the EU Ambassadors at the GO3 2009 Expo which took place in Perth, Australia from Oct 1st – 4th, and will serve as an EU Ambassador at the iDEF 2009 Expo in Melbourne, Australia from Oct 30th – Nov 1st. GO3 2009 Expo Tim's finger pointing at Aly, Carmen, John Bates GO3 2009 Expo Carmen and Aly demonstrating product Future travel for Aly includes a trip to Los Angeles, California in the US, as well as a trip to Canada, which plays into her plan to experience as much of the world as possible. Despite the travels that afford her the opportunity to experience cultures, hobbies, jobs, people, places and personalities, she seems to be her happiest with good company and conversation, and says, "nothing quite beats it." Aly shared some of the things she loves the most, like animals (all kinds), but is especially drawn to horses, and once was a riding instructor and competitor. She enjoys good conversation, and can spend hours with people talking about everything and anything, and says, "It's impossible not to enjoy the laughter, lessons, and variety that come from a good conversation." She also loves a challenge (small or large), which to her at the very least is a great experience, as well as great fun. A glass of good wine, an engaging landscape, a good book, a good game, and time to disengage from the world allows Aly to simply enjoy the moment. Humor is vital according to Aly, and appreciates a good laugh. She shares that she can also "spend hours dancing away to any and every type of music that gets me moving." She also uses it as a way to stay fit and forget about the world around her for a while. "Music is something I simply couldn't live without," says Aly. "I play the guitar, piano, and drums, and will never turn down a night out with live music." She has at times even serenaded her friends. If all of this travel and activity wasn't enough to keep Aly busy, she was also interviewed for the most recent Entropia Universe Expose' written by Zac Simpson, journalist and fellow Australian. You can read the full article here in Part I, Part II, and Part III. Unique Intro To EU It's not uncommon for someone to learn about Entropia Universe through friends, family members, or even a published article or documentary about gaming. However, Aly's introduction to EU was quite unique, and began in 2005 when she was chosen to represent another developer in a large recruitment drive across several European countries. "This involved going to various gaming conventions," she says, "and was my first real introduction to the world of MMO's." She then became involved with several businesses in virtual worlds in the years that followed, and in the course of these activities, was encouraged to research other virtual worlds to assess their suitability for business. This led her to her first encounter with Entropia Universe through her business partner's avatar. She did some exploring both in-world, as well as the forums, and realized that EU possessed many facets. "It was at this time (2007) I decided I would need my own avatar, as my time in EU was no longer just for business, and offered what was irresistible to a mind like mine; constant challenge and variety, and I knew I would still be exploring it for many years to come." Sociery Associations It was early 2008 when Aly joined her first society called Aussie Troopers. She said the society was very active, and opened her eyes to many new aspects of EU. "It was also the trigger for my beacon addiction, which I still don't understand, but have never been able to shake the addiction since." Aly shares that she fell into tailoring as her main profession, and as a result, her hunting skills were fairly limited. She says that there was a good group of Aussie Troopers who would always take her out on team hunts, and that she would specifically gate-crash Cypherman's hunts because "it inevitably resulted in swirlies (something that always seemed to elude me hunting solo)." Many in-world friendships were born of these team hunts that Aly says have lasted to this day, and has met many of these friends in real life. She is sure that these friendships will continue to bring a smile to her face for years to come. As time passed, Aly realized that the Aussie Troopers had become more and more inactive. It was at the 2008 GO3 Electronic and Entertainment Expo where she met "the brilliant personality of Mulga from Antipodean Army (AA)" and had thoughts that if she had ever moved to a different society, it would be this one. She shares that it seemed that "most of the 'key group' of Troopers had similar thoughts, and as time progressed, nearly all of the active members of Troopers had moved over to join Antipodean Army." Aly considers herself to be a fiercely loyal individual, so it took her a little longer to move over to AA, even though she realizes that moving societies is a natural part of EU. She doesn't regret making the move, and says that AA was extremely welcoming. She shares that there are so many AA members who have played a role in her enjoyment of our universe, but it's been AA members like Gypsy, Shaz, Mulga, Paulus, Biggestglobal, Nick, Brownlow, Browny, Pete, MC, Maddog, Brooksy, Westy, LaLa, Omega, Humps, Fishface, and Serica who have made her EU experience a constantly entertaining and enjoyable one. "Jod also deserves a mention," says Aly, "as he is one of the few that can, and does, drag me into just about anything, and is my constant fashion show, sounding board, and general chat victim." The Antipodean Army is a very close knit society according to Aly, and "full of people who are helping each other out, often making you laugh until your sides hurt." The society, with Serica as its matriarch, "is always encouraged to participate in events such as the World of Firepower (WoF), and it has come to be expected that any event with an Antipodean focus will inevitably be overrun by 'Antz' (the term often used for a member of AA)," says Aly. Even the AA forum is called the Antz Nest, and the AA crest sports a hard working Ant. Early EU Experiences Aly feels she was a particularly blessed newbie, and attributes this to those who were generous in helping her experience a whole new side of EU. Her Mentor was MrTiddles, and "was exactly what I needed," says Aly. "He assisted me with many of the basics, but understood my desire to travel my own way, facilitated by asking A LOT of questions of course." With the help of her Mentor, Aly was able to acquire the main teleporters, and earn her first PEDs as a result of MrTiddles purchasing her sweat well over market price. Different time zones limit their contact these days, but he checks in on Aly occasionally, and she says it's always a pleasure bumping into him both in EU and around the forums. There were two other avatars who were quite helpful to Aly, but the first she never got the name of, and only met the person once at Port Atlantis when she was trying to assist other new players at the time. "He spoke with me, and in a completely random act of kindness, ended up giving me an apartment deed worth over 500 PEDs," says Aly, and "as a newbie, this was an incredible gift, but I silently thanked this 'nameless' avatar whenever I thought of his generosity." The other inspiring avatar was Lexus from The Mental Kangeroos, and whose random acts of kindness make Aly smile to this day. It all started when she wanted a set of Pixie armor, and had gotten the PEDs together by sweating and spending days trying to find people who were selling the pieces she needed. She shares that one day, she ended up stuck at an outpost when this "impressive looking avatar" came to her rescue, and not only gave her an Opalo with ammo, but also the Pixie armor she was looking for. "I was so impressed that someone would not only take the time to help me, but was willing to give so much for nothing in return." It was only recently, that Aly realized that these two helpful people with their random acts of kindness, are actually one and the same. Her memory did not allow her to remember the name of the first avatar, but over a period of time, she was able to get to know Lexus through his constant generosity. It was during a recent conversation that it was learned that Lexus was indeed the unnamed avatar whose original random act of kindness gifted her with an apartment deed. "He significantly changed my outlook of EU for the best, and I am eternally thankful for all he gave me and continues to give as a great friend in game." The following quote is presented in its entirety, because it embodies the mindset of so many Entropians who take the time to pay it forward, and perhaps will become an inspiration to others to be of service to our newbie population … "It was these experiences as a newbie that resulted in me vowing to always assist new players whenever they cross my path. As a new player, I truly believe that those you meet, and the assistance you receive, can make or break your EU experience. I try to pass on my newbie good fortune to every new player I see, whether it be by answering their questions, helping them out of a sticky situation, providing some game-play 'challenges' for them, or simply handing out one of my newbie packs. I am sure my contribution to new players pales in comparison to some of those in the EU community who selflessly give on a constant basis, but I will always do what I can, and am always willing to 'sponsor' anyone running an event for new players. After all, not only is it a pleasure to see new players being introduced to just how impressive the EU community is, but inevitably (although often challenging), the odd one will do or say something that has me smiling for a long time to come. Something I feel is priceless." Favorite EU Hangouts While Aly has her favorite crafting locations, she says she generally wanders all over the place. However, there are a few places that she visits more than others like Twin Peaks, Treasure Island, Port Atlantis, and whenever she has free time, Zychion Citadel at night which seems to be an energy-rich environment ripe for a photo shoot. As such, a test of the night environment at Zychion was in order to witness just what kind of energy Aly was referring to, and it produced the following rather energy-confirming photos. Even the Zychion teleporter emitted electrical charges drawn to Aly's energy, lighting up her dress that gives the appearance of gold lame' fabric, and illuminating all in proximity with a warm golden hue. (thumbnail photos to experience full energy effect) Professional Endeavours While Aly has a passion for everything business related, she decided to try something different. She plays to her creative side, and why she immediately threw herself into tailoring. However, she shares that, "It is most likely my biggest mistake within EU, but once I started, there was no turning back," even though, "tailoring skills are extremely slow, tough, and expensive to gain." Aly is still unwilling to let it go, and says that tailoring remains one of her main activities, and one of her highest skill levels to date. Creating make-up masks has also been one of Aly's favorite EU past times, but is quick to say that it is very rare that she will sell either the masks or the products of her tailoring for any markup, which in turn means that she loses a lot of PEDs by indulging in these activities. Aly tries to experience as much of EU as possible, and why she finds herself dabbling in everything from hunting, mining, general crafting, event organization, facilitating trades, general business aspects, PvP, and anything and everything that the community adds to EU. For now, avatar customization still remains a favorite past time, and "Although I chipped out my coloring and texturing skills some time back (to focus more on hunting and crafting), I'm glad I did, because I have met some great colorers and texturers along the way." Aly is intensely involved in preparing for the 6th Annual Ms Calypso 2010 event, which she says allows her to indulge in her main EU passion. She admits that her avatar's wardrobe generally takes up the vast majority of her storage spaces, and will most likely continue to do so in the future. Aly enjoys participating in fashion shows, and came in 3rd Place at the CND Fashion Show Contest in May of this year. However, Aly is also quick to admit that her tailoring started to affect team hunts, and as such, she has been more focused on hunting to increase her skills, which in turn will not only allow her to continue with team hunts, but also various hunting events that the society participates in, such as WoF. Her first experience was as support for Team Romania in 2008, and more recently with Team Australia in 2009. While Aly states that the most hunted mob for her would be the Atrox (as a default), one of her favorite mobs is the Hogglo. "It was spurred by a real life gift of a Hogglo statue from Xaph at GO3 in 2008," says Aly, and "It's one of those things that always makes me smile." She shares that, "Nowadays the Hoggies never fail to keep me entertained with their 'duck waddle bounds' and comedic squeals." Her other favorites are Spiders, Formicacidas and Scipulors, even by moonlight. Entropia Reflections As Aly takes a step back from the current Planet Calypso as we know it, she feels that "the progress has been fairly significant (although at a somewhat leisurely pace), and on the whole, has been positive." She finds the planet to be "very good looking" for an MMO, and "it is now MUCH easier for me to promote EU to new players than it was with the previous graphics." Despite the good looks, Aly definitely misses some of the functions that are currently not available. "My most missed is team hunts, although we still do them without the teaming," says Aly, "followed by make-up masks and beacon missions." This list also included teleport chips, but this feature has since been implemented again, even though limited for now. However, Aly admitted to enjoying rediscovering Calypso, and adjusting to the new style of game-play. She also finds PvP and hunting far more enjoyable, and the new locations such as the Athena Spaceport and the Golf Course are great to explore. Personally, Aly feels there are too many unknowns with regard to the Entropia Universe Platform, and she is trying not to have too many preordained expectations of how the new planets will effect EU and her own personal game-play. However, she has no doubts that she will be exploring the partner planets as they come online, and can only hope that they will add to her overall EU experience. Her thinking is, that "With MindArk still holding the reins on the key elements underlying the new planets, I don’t feel there will be any significant impact on my current game play. I have no doubts I will continue to treat EU as a source of entertainment, hopefully with new challenges and content to indulge in along the way. From a business point of view, Aly believes that MA has made a smart choice with regard to the direction they are heading, and focusing more on the underlying platform than on the specific game-play of one particular planet. Aly does have concerns though, such as whether MA will be able to meet the demands of larger companies such as Creative Kingdom, and hopes that they will embrace the challenge with a positive result for both MMO's in general, as well as the current players of Calypso. EU is far from perfect in her eyes, and shares, "I feel that MA has made some considerable mistakes from a consumer point of view, but appreciate they’re only human (not always game gods we would like them to be )." However, she will continue to embrace the freedom to use her own initiative which is one of her favorite aspects of EU, and hopes for a smoother journey in the future Other areas of concern have to do with the graphics update specifically, and finds that it may be challenging to fully embrace the transition due to some of the significant negative impacts like people unable to log in, impact on the economy, impact on new players, impact on how investors may view EU, and the absence of many of the old aspects of game play. However, Aly hopes that the issues will ease over time, and that we will witness a universe that not only looks great, but "truly reaches the vision of a fantastic gaming experience." Improved communication is another key issue that comes to mind for Aly, along with improvements in everything related to a new player’s entry into EU. In giving advice to new players, Aly often finds herself saying "Use your initiative," but follows that up by saying that, "Unfortunately, many players come into EU expecting to have a step-by-step 'hand held' guidance in-world." Her most ardent advice to new players would be to engage their brain and their personality. Also, to join a society, because EU is far more challenging than your standard MMO, and being able to draw from the experiences of more veteran players is of great help. There are other things to reflect upon of course, that don’t take as much energy … MS9 & Aly Feelin' the Purple A very special thank you to: The-Onciest Wednesday's Who's Who Graphics Artist
