This week's Wednesday's Who's Who is an Entropian that is not only a seeker of knowledge, but takes the time to share his knowledge with fellow Calypso colonists. He is ready for wherever the next dimension takes us, and will continue on a path of learning and teaching, as well as engaging citizens of Calypso in fun activities. Las Vegas to Calypso John Capital (JC) is a website designer in his late 30's, and lives in Las Vegas, Nevada, (United States) with his wife. JC's wife had children when they married, which they raised together, and who are now "properly on their own," according to JC. He is an avid reader, which would account for the lack of space on his book shelves, but nonetheless JC harbors a thirst for knowledge that has carried over into his virtual life. He says the sense of exploration and having to research and learn things fits nicely into his personality. He wants to know everything he can, and not just "what armor is best for hunting a particular mob," but "Who’s doing what and why? What works? What doesn’t? Is there a better way to do it?" and more. Path to Entropia Over three years ago, JC had heard about people making money playing games, and being the website designer that he is (in JC's words, "read: Geek"), he was intrigued. He said he researched his choices ("we know what they are," he says), and found reports that seemed either too childish or boring for his taste. After much review and weighing of the pros and cons, he settled on Entropia Universe. Unfortunately, he had to wait approximately six months to download the client, because his computer at the time did not meet the system requirements. However, after the upgrade, it was on June 18, 2006 that he gave birth to John Teacher Capital, and has been a citizen of Calypso ever since. Origin of Name During JC's research about Entropia, he said that it became quite clear to him that "capital"ism was a very important factor. He shares that "John" Galt is one of the biggest icons of capitalism, and adds the fact that he (JC) is a "teacher" of a discipline in martial arts (specifically, Jujitsu). Therefore, it seemed a logical progression when making a decision about a name for his Entropia avatar – John Teacher Capital. Earlier Experiences As JC recalls, he spent the first few weeks actually learning the concept of first player view as a result of seeing some screenshots people had posted. "You have to understand," he says, "this was my first FPS or MMORPG ever played." He remembers spending the first few weeks moving around by using the "navigate by mouse" feature. Meaning, that he kept double-clicking the ground of where he wanted to go. "It seems I simply never scrolled all the way into my head before," says JC, and "had no clue how to control my avatar at all." He further shares that not having a manual available made it even more challenging. Entropia Influences In the beginning, JC spent most of his time at Camp Phoenix, which was the spot for sweaters at the time. "Swamp Camp didn’t exist then," says JC, and "no one thought about sweating Ambulimax." He recalls there being one nice guy who would focus and heal people all the time, and when hunting teams were formed, he would often join them. "Here were all these folks in armor blasting away trying to kill big, 'dangerous' Feffoids and Corns," JC said, "but this guy would run with us in OJ pants and nothing else, just blasting away, barely getting hit, never dying, and always giving the feeling that he was one of the guys, not some big over-powered player showing us n00bs how it’s done." According to JC, this Entropian played like "he was part of a team of his peers," when he clearly was not. "Kcjeeper was a class act," shares JC, "and a great inspiration." Because JC had heard so much about thieves and scammers in Entropia before he started playing, he took up a position of talking to no one, and trusting no one. He shares that he was a complete loner at the time when he needed help the most, and everything he learned initially was self-taught as a result of research. "I made practically every n00bie mistake," JC shares, "and invented a few new ones, I think." The Chosen Few During JC's time at Camp Phoenix, he ended up in a group doing a teleporter run over to Zychion, East Scylla, and Fort Troy. Along the way, BlackRain and the Leader of The Chosen Few (Magic MM Minder) had recruited him into the society, and he has been a solid member ever since. He shares that TCF can best be described as "a bunch of folks who can come join you at a moment's notice, or leave you alone for weeks depending on what you’re in the mood for," but feels very lucky to be associated with such a fine group. JC later became the Leader of TCF, and has enjoyed this position for quite some time now. Hunting is what occupies most of JC's time in game, but he also enjoys mining. What he hunts often depends on his PED card, and says he thinks it would be a shorter list to say what he doesn't hunt. He shares that he generally avoids mobs like Daspletor, Falx, Mulaak'f, and Osseocollum, although he recently went on a team hunt that took on Daspletors, so anything is possible. While he may at times be involved in other activities, he says not to look for him in towns, because he's rarely in them, and mostly out in the field hunting or mining. "It’s amazing I know so many folks," he laughs, but says he has Entropia Forum to thank for that. He also has no interest in taming and beauty, other than increasing his overall knowledge about the professions, and shares that he tried his hand at crafting, but it's too boring for him. However, this has been easily remedied by the fact that his wife is also an Entropian, and goes by the Entropian name Winterhart Purple Dragon. It seems that she not only has the interest, but also the talent for being creative in her efforts as exhibited by the distinguishable pattern and colors of the matching outfits that she designed for herself and JC. It was shared that they truly enjoy their time together in Entropia. Other Activities There are many other activities that JC has been involved in, either as a participant, or someone who has created an event for others to enjoy. He believes he was the first, and perhaps only Entropian who has designed crafting contests. The very first contest can be found here, but there are several more that followed, here, here, and here. With the success of the first four contests, JC involved the community in crafting a couple more times, and can be viewed by visiting the threads here and here. Perhaps he will consider reviving this fun contest in 2009. Other interesting events designed by JC include Help Recover My Family Heirloom, as well as Oil Rig Field Trip III, and Pwn Zychion – PvP Event. JC enjoys being creative and designing ways in which the Entropia community can come together to expand their involvement in our virtual environment beyond general professions. He has even gotten the Entropia Forum members to participate in EFD contests like the Best Team Name, Part I and Part II. Beyond in-game and forum events, another opportunity presented itself to JC that found him becoming an Entropia Ambassador in real life when MindArk participated in the CES in Las Vegas conventions in 2008 and 2009. "Meeting other players and MindArk employees was a great experience," says JC, and "being able to share the Entropia Universe with new folks has been loads of fun." Covert Operations Research, learning, and sharing new knowledge keeps JC quite active, but never to the point where he isn't tuned in to the trials and tribulations that Calypso endures from time to time. He is ever ready to do his part to keep our colony safe, even if it means flying below the radar. At the end of the most recent Robot War, he realized that there was more he could do in an attempt to further protect our planet from residual attacks. In a very secretive mission, he contacted several Leaders in the community to join him in a covert operation that launched an offensive strike against robot ships circling the perimeter of Calypso. The mission was effectively called Operation General's Beacon, and since the mission was successful, I have permission to share the secure transmission received by the chosen Leaders in the community who joined JC in this covert operation that took down several robot ships threatening our civilization with further destruction. SECURE TRANSMISSION Decode Authorization: 349-EN234 From: JohnCapital (The Chosen Few) Recipient List: Alice (Rising Potentials) Casay (Damage Inc.) Danielleyourmom (Pyrates of Calypso) Gandolf (Odysseus Templars) Kalanen (Church of Lootius) Kitten (Delta Force) MindStar9 (JetStar Alliance) Twitchie (Skillin' Villains) Begin Transmission ================================= My fellow leaders: First let me congratulate you and your teams and the wonderful job you all did during this latest robot assault. With your efforts and those of your respective crews, we have again preserved the human race here on Calypso. However, it occurs to me that this was a war of Defense that we won. In standing with proper military strategy, the best defense... To this end I have, under difficult circumstances, managed to get a hold of a robot ship summoning beacon class 35 version 1110. I propose we band together and make a small proactive offensive strike against this robot ship. The objective will be thus: Invade, steal their resources, and blow up the ship. Attack date: Sat. Jan. 03 '09 Attack time: Classified at this time Attack Location: Classified at this time To prevent breach in security, most details of this assault will be given at a later date. There is also the possibility that I will by then procure multiple beacons, thus allowing a wider assault on the robot scourge. I request a response in the affirmative or negative as to your ability to join this guerrilla assault group. Let us show Calypso residents what can be done when united. John Teacher Capital - General, The Chosen Few ================================= End Transmission According to JC, the objective of this covert operation was to raid the targeted robot ships, steal their resources, and sabotage them. However, any further details of the operation cannot be revealed, or made public, because "The less the robots learn, the better," says JC. He does share that perhaps other offensive strikes will take place in the future, and appreciates those willing to step forward and continue the fight against the robot forces invading our planet. Entropia Perspective Whether hunting, mining, event planning, coordinating and leading covert operations, or just relaxing, there's no mistake that JC is quite connected and enamored with his roots in Entropia. However, while he feels that most adjustments in our game-play have been good, he remains objective. He is not adverse to becoming vocal when he feels that MindArk has made poor moves, and clearly states that, "If you’re right, I’ll back you, but if you’re wrong, I’ll call you on it." He makes note of a few good things that come to mind, like the storage units after tabbed sections were added, removing abused actions like trapped mobs and the flying bug. He also commented on MindArk's obligation to crack down on cheating, and feels that they're doing a much better job of it, but still have room to improve. Things have changed quite a bit from when JC joined Entropia, and while he feels he missed out on some opportunities, like looting an A105 and attaching it to an Opalo, he not only appreciates what he can take advantage of currently, but looks forward to what the future holds. According to JC, "This is the only form of entertainment where, if I want, I can sell my possessions for whatever they’re worth at the time, and get even a slight refund on my entertainment funds." He shares that it's much different than trying to get your money back after watching a bad movie, or after having a bad day at the poker table where your money is gone. "I can hit the withdraw button at any time," says JC, "although I have yet to make my first withdrawal." He has ideas about how the future of Entropia may impact or influence his game-play, but for the time being, he is waiting for the implementation of the CryEngine2, as well as the Entropia Platform expansion that will add planets to our existing solar system. In the meantime, there is one other activity that he engages in that I found to be most amusing. RipperSnapper Fishing with an Opalo In the words of JC ... Happy Hoffing Special Thanks To: Globex Designs for graphics assistance.
