Mindark Q&A's (Aug-Sep 06)

This is the replies from the Q&A from Aug-Sep 06. The replies are based on the information I currently have and every reply can be subject to changes later on, based on new information or events.

---

This is the replies from the Q&A from Aug-Sep 06. The replies are based on the information I currently have and every reply can be subject to changes later on, based on new information or events.

---

Mindark Communication:

* Can mindark please get themselves a powerful PR campaign that draws in people from everywhere so we have an even bigger playerbase? Seeing the streets of Hadesheim buzzing in neon and flooded during the day with a lone couple walking the streets at night together would be amazing.

Weâ??re looking forward to a busy year in front of us as our marketing department kick into gear with a range of exciting projects. Weâ??ll keep you updated through the news section of the website.

* Will their ever be a chance of a MA hosted EU convention / meet up?

That could be a fun idea for the future but unfortunately itâ??s nothing we can make any plans for right now.

* Whats going on with "The Entropian" magazine ?

The second issue of The Entropian has been indefinitely postponed. Both MindArk and MMM Publishing really want to continue with The Entropian, as it is a witty and classy publication that participants enjoyed. MMM Publishing could probably answer the question better as to when the second edition will be released. You can find their contact details in the first issue of The Entropian.

* What is MA going to do to stop the 70% of the players leaving in the first month of joining?

First of all, the churn rate of 70% isn't as bad as it sounds considering that Entropia Universe is free to download and many people do that without any idea of what to expect. Many then discover that Entropia isn't for them and leave quickly. That being said, we still want a higher conversion rate into active participants and we hope to improve that statistic during the coming season. On a side note, the Entropia Universe has quite a high number of long-term participants, many whom have been with us for years, compared to the ordinary MMORPG-mean of 5-6 months.

 

* Why did the Terranova Blog controversy got so out of hand? When simple dicussions could have suffice and ensured a potential ally for promoting the game.

I was not involved in the situation and cannot really comment. However, there is always a reason when any "controversy" occurs.

* Will your Press Releases be based less on sensationalism and hyperbole and more on actual facts? The hype is killing EU as people join with far different expectations to whats on offer.

Marketing is a science in itself and those decisions are best taken by the marketing department in conjunction with management and outside consultants. Overall MindArk is very pleased with the result of the marketing activities we plan, and we will continue to market the Entropia Universe as much and best as possible, for the benefit of MindArk as a company and for the community, as more people equals a greater experience and economy, with more opportunities.

* Will MA start treating its player base with a bit more respect in terms of our feedback and wishes? Communicating openly and effectly.

Yes, MindArk already have the greatest respect for the player base and pay attention to all feedback and suggestions. Unfortunately the staff here cannot instantly implement all the wishes and suggestions that come in from such a large player base. We are forced to sort and prioritize community wishes. We will never be able to accommodate every wish and have to reflect upon every idea in light of the greater good and how such suggestions will affect the virtual universe itself.

* Can the community have a definitive answer about trapping creatures (such as araneatrox) and what will MA do to stop this as clearly they allow it to happen and ATH HOFs to result.

MindArk are always working to curb abuse inside the Entropia Universe. Obviously abuse is not a desirable situation for MindArk or the community and in the interest of correctness and fairness we can only move forward with an increased commitment to detecting and dealing with abuse.
Weâ??ll never be able to predict every exploit that people will come up with, but we can move swiftly to stop the situation when it arises.

* Can we have a roadmap?

We are not comfortable giving out to much info in advance as we have competitors who watch MindArk closely to see how we achieve and succeed with the unique business model we work by.

* Which events IRL are you guys going to attend to? any list?

As soon as the marketing department have decided on an event theyâ??re attending weâ??ll always let the community know about it as soon as possible, through the news section of the website. We are thinking about some sort of world tour in 2007, being close to conventions and festivals.

 

Part 3

* Is MindArk going to be more active ingame and will these monitors give usefull info to newbies/mid levels/ubers? do something upon an scamming report to them? if a bug is reported, such as warrior bug, go there and try it out so they actually see what is wrong?

Having more In-World support is a good suggestion and will be discussed further.

* Will MA hold a survey again in the near future with some options about the direction for future development, to see what people like most/first implemented ?

The support department are planning a survey for the near future and we would like to make it as comprehensive as possible so we should be able to include some questions like these.

* When we will get someone to make official statement for MA when something happen?

Me (Marco) and Frank make official statements to the community when they are needed.

* Are there any plans of having a permanent MA representative on the forums, or even better an official MA forum? I'm asking this because sometimes there's a lot of activity from MA's side and then you hear nothing for 2 months (Not only in vacation). For example the trapping issue... no response from MA for a long time. Basically the question is: do you think MA owes it to their playerbase to be represented at all times (again this isnt about Marco having been on vacation, it's about the periods of no-contact that happen more then I personally like) or do you think the representation of MA on private owned forums is more like a favour from MA's side? And, wouldn't it be better to have a MA forum in the latter case.

MindArkâ??s representative on the forums is me (Marco).

* Next HoC on irc?

Not decided, we would rather use the web for such communications. A constant Q&A-section which can also be used as a library for reference would be a good idea.

* Did you enjoy vacation?

Yes, I had a great time. ,-)

* Can MindArk show how fruitful the partnership with Bridge, Kostabi and other partners has been for the players?

MindArk are pleased with these partnerships as they open the door for diversity inside the Entropia Universe. A diverse customer base makes the Entropia Universe more interesting for everybody. Features like these are still in their infancy but we look forward to developing them further in the future.

* Is MindArk willing to admit that collectively taking a holiday is bad for the playerbase, and what can/will be done to prevent that from happening in the future?

Yes, of course, we learn from experience. Company holidays next year will not affect participants in the Entropia Universe.

* What is, in MindArk's mindset, the result of blocking Romania as a country? Will this happen to more countries? Will the measure be taken to other countries as well? What about the reaction of the playerbase, and in particularly the players from Romania who do actively contribute to PE as a whole?

This measure, while crude, should also have been seen as a positive service to the community at large, as it was grounded in providing a secure and reliable system to all participants.
We are in the process right now of lifting the ban on entire countries; we now instead require extra verification of identity for new accounts from "risk" countries.

* What will MindArk do to improve the negative feelings from the playerbase towards the company.

Without meaning to be trite, it is difficult to please everyone all the time. We know that we do have many satisfied customers and we will work steadily to improve the situation for less satisfied customers because that is in everybodyâ??s interest. We can guarantee that we do read the forums and note everything. It is also important to understand that the happy participants in the Entropia Universe are busy enjoying themselves and that the majority of the negative feelings come from a smaller group of people who are vocal about their dissatisfaction. Entropia appears to bring passion into the mix, we even have people who no longer partake in the community or experience that still like to bash us â?? for whatever reasons.

* Rumor has it that a new RL economy based game will go into beta some time this year - If this happen, will MA then try to make PE more enjoyable for new people who can't deposit $20-50K to start playing ?

Obviously, we cannot comment on rumours. However, we already feel that the Entropia Universe should be entertaining on all levels from newcomers to high level participants. We will add to, and fill the gaps that exist in the progression chain within the virtual universe and we have allocated extra resources to accommodate this desire.

 

* This is not a MA flame, but from alot of new people I have heard that they have to leave PE since they simply can't afford skilling up to a lvl where they can actualy enjoy PE like "the rest" of us.

It is tempting to want the â??quick fixâ?? because itâ??s great to have those big skills. At the same time the Entropia Universe does offer participants the opportunity to build skills at their own pace.



Skill Questions:

* Will we ever get better skill descriptions that actually explain what the skills do?
Skill description says actually nothing about its influence. Why can't it just explain like "Aim - skill that modifies hit ability, min dmg and pro standing"? I know that MA does not want to give out certain numbers which would say that hit ability consists of 20% aim, 16.5% RDA etc. but we do not even want to know these numbers exactly (however, it's not clear, why it should be hidden information anyways...)
We need an update to our skill descriptions and we have asked about it since the start of EU.
There are way to many theories, and I think it will just be fair and helpful so people understand the game and enjoy it even more

Yes we could definitely work on those descriptions but they will probably never be as detailed as some of the community wish. Everything doesnâ??t need to be clear and written down, itâ??s part of the entertainment to discover things yourself as a participant, or together with a society, or just by meeting someone running through a forest on Calypso. Again though, we will do some work on those skill descriptions.

* ETA on activating heavy weapons skill, particle beam skill, stamina attribute, and other skills that is not active?

No ETA yet. It will come though (and the heavy weapons icon will change from the confusing Laganus canon).

* Can we have an option to change our secondary professional standings?

Yes, it will come, but is not yet determined when.

* How does MA intend to combat the massive difference in skills between avatars who gained most of their skills 2+ years ago by auto-clicking, against the newer avatars who can no longer skill this way; coupled with the intense slowdown of skills resulting in it being literally impossible to attain such high skills now? Or are avatars younger than 2 years screwed?

The question assumes that we have reached some sort of finished state, which I believe is wrong. The newcomers of today will be veterans for the newcomers a year from now. Given the ever-changing nature of Entropia Universe they will probably ask the same question at that time.

* Will attributes ever be chippeable?

Never say never, but we have no plans to add attributes to the skill implant system at the moment.



Land Management and estates:

* Could you remove the percentage based fee on selling things in shops?â??

We donâ??t have any plans to do that at the moment. However, as the shops have been a constant source of problem we intend to completely re-design and rework how they work within half a year, I reckon (no promise though). Once I get a firm VU priority on it I'll put a Q&A for the shops out for discussion with the community.

* What purpose would factories have, would they be able to mass-produce Ammo, ME, Nutrio Bars? Will the factory owners be able to pick out a certain percentage of manufactured wares that should be put into a private terminal, while the rests goes into some kind of storage?
Will the Factories be automated?

Introducing factories will be great. This is a typical example of a system that could be introduced at a basic level and developed over the course of time. We canâ??t offer any details right now as to how it might work, other than it will probably include opportunities to actually have employees.

* Will Hangar-owners be able to hire pilots and give them a certain percentage of the ticket cost in the near future?

No.

* Will Hangar-owners be able to sell real tickets in the near future?

Possibly.

* When are we going to be able to rebuild our houses?
What kinds of advantages will a house owner have in the future? Will he be able to build any kind of business or such if he decided to demolish his house?

Rebuilding houses is on our roadmap, but no ETA yet. Therefore no more info can be given.

* Will landowners soon be able to (if ever) change the minerals found on their land?

It is being actively investigated as we see great potential in it. The diversity displayed in regards to the various animal allocations shown today means there is a need for such influence.

* Will landowners soon be able (if ever) to make robots come to their land?

Maybe. We are toying with some interesting concepts for the future, but I cannot go further into it at this point.

* will landowners get unique mobs other then those avaible already, such as flying mobs. swimming mobs other then the ones we have now?

New DNA will always be supplied.

* What MA is going to do with all those unsold appartments ?
Are they going to stay at auction forever?

They can certainly remain there for the time being. As the number of participants rises in the Entropia Universe so will the demand for apartments.

* Why is CND subjected to "Other Zone" auction fees, but Crystal Palace is not?

I don't know, actually. =)

* When is the next LandGrab? and will there be new/more areas?

The next land grab will be a lot different to the ones we have had. Other rules, other goals and better security against abuse. Once we know when, we will inform the community.

* Will there be a big sale at the end of the year again? (like TI, CND), but for something different? like a continent with building rights?

It's a secret. ,-)

* Have MindArk plans to make it possible to split estates like Land areas in shares and sell them?

Yes, we have but it is quite far in the future.

 

Part 5

* Is MA planing to make a real good shop system to intoduce concurence in game,like rented shop less taxed than auction.

Now that we have some good systems in place within the universe, we are looking forward to expanding them. Examples of such systems would be shops, events, the auction, taming, beauty etc.

* Can we know exactly how work the tax system on the LA ( how the % calculation is made)

More financial data is expected to come later on. No ETA.

* As of now one of the really interesting area of the game, i.e land management is not available to most of the player base. Is there a plan to develop this theme such as introduce very small plots of land for people to get a feel and perhaps add a farming profession (as of now there is really a few professions in the game), faminers can grow crops and also domestic anmals. Of course large landowners of today can make part of their lands farms as well

Thatâ??s an interesting idea and something we will examine.

* Can we expect more things to do with spaceships in the near future then flying up and down on autopilot?

Again thatâ??s another system which would be great to develop and expand. Everybody would love that including us, but without bursting the bubble, it does become an issue of time, resources and priorities. As weâ??ve always said, the Entropia Universe is going to be around for decades and we will continue to develop and expand its content.

* Are you still planning to allow society houses on LG's they aquire? Originally we were going to be able to build our homes and they would stay regardless of ownership.

In some form yes. I am not sure it will be just like that though. Society houses are better used elsewhere than a LG area. But a "hall of fame" for LG-areas would be cool.

* When will the Land Area system be upgraded? (for example you get to choose the plants that grow in the Land Area and these plants affect the stats of the Monsters uniquely )

Way into the future.

* Will there be more specific bills to Land Area owners? (for example electircity bills)

This would fall under the â??Development of Existing Systemsâ?? category. There are lots of similar questions here so weâ??ll try to address this whole subject separately.



Society Questions:

* Can you have society 'wars' where a certain battlefield is given, and two societies can ready up players and teleport off to said battlefield and fight a war and perhaps put certain things on a line as well as keep leaderboards?

Development of Existing Systems is a definite.

* In up coming VU's is there a possiblilty of a Alliance chat option??
Eg . IF our Soc was friendly with another we could chat between each other with out using PM's ?? Who we're allied with would be controled by the Soc leader.

Development of Existing Systems is a definite.

* Is there any form of group ownership going to be added so Soc's can buy land without having to totaly trust the deed holder. Maybe as part of the stock exchange. We need more ways for the general players to be able to invest as that seems to be the direction MA is heading in paying for new updates.

Development of Existing Systems is a definite.

* Are there any plans to extend the functionality of the society? Can we expect more society/contact features? (Soc storage including seeing who has which item, mail system, etc)

Yes, but they are not in the immediate pipeline. Soc storage is the biggest issue though but it is not guaranteed it will come at all.

 

Part 6

Event Questions:

* Can we see an improved event system?

Yes. It will be enhanced over the course of the Entropia Universes development.

* Could we possibly have multiple events going on at once or an event system? Perhaps have regular events then host smaller ones that people could take part in that are just small non-'storyline' based events

Weâ??ll look into this.

* Could we possibly see more main events happen faster in order to create a feel of a 'storyline' in game?

Yes.

* Will MA adapt the Event System so that we can search for events anywhere, and not ONLY the events that were created in that specific location. It's impossible to visit every single Claim Marker and Event Organiser in order to find events to participate in.

The hindrance right now is the bandwidth and intra-server-communication. We like to limit the amount of global systems that communicate with every single server in the Universe. Once we feel such functionality doesn't hurt the performance of Entropia Universe as a whole, it will be added.

* Will NPC corps ever play any part in the storyline, economy of EU? I'm thinking in the lines of hiring and gaining reputation for doing errands, quest or missions for the NPC Corps like Omegaton, FireForge and Affirmative Action Arms. Would be it be possible for participants who choose to work for these NPC corporations to gain rewards and access to, new weapons, armour, tools, blueprints or even a simple cash reward?

Oh yes, both Frank and I have great plans for the mega corporations once the next phase of storyline begins.

* The Robots, we all know they are a threat; but there doesn't seem to be much incentive in fighting them at all. Would it be possible to implement a permament exchange program for robot parts, similar to what has been done before?

I have heard the same suggestions over at RDI about thisâ?¦ ,-)



Mob Questions:

* Will we ever see perhaps mob infighting or sensible teamwork between mobs/mob hatred between species?

Probably not. We don't see that as a priority and the resources needed to develop that are better spent elsewhere.

* Will their be a chance that new mobs will be introduced that newb / mediocre players can kill?

New species are discovered in almost every VU.

* TANTARDIONS! When will DNA be dropped for these? Or is it already? And do they still drop stuff?

I cannot comment on such In-World balancing matters. It has been the policy for years and it still stands, sorry.

* Will there be more possabilities to create new (non-existing) mobs from DNA?

Remember the Globster? More such DNA's will surely be found with more never before seen creatures.

* One of your postings mentioned upgraded AI for mobs, can you say more about what you mean by that, i.e will swarming behavior and aggro leveles change, wil mobs be smarter...

We definitely have plans to allow mobs to group themselves and act in a more natural way. Quite soon, as a matter of fact. ,-)

* With the new AI for mobs, will there be an increase in rewards?

I cannot comment on such In-World balancing matters. It has been the policy for years and it still stands, sorry.

* Where are the native mutants and the volcano that were supposed to be on Treasure Island?

Am I the only one hearing a rumbling in the ground over at TI? ,-)



Loot and Item Questions:

* Could we ever expect a 'ramping up' system so perhaps a bigger gun is always harder to use than a tiny gun? Not as good as some of the limited weapons offer, but better than a flat rate. Think shooting a .22 at 30 feet vs 30.06 in a warzone at 1km

We have no intentions of making any big changes to the way ranged weapons operate in the near future.

* Could we ever possibly have area of effect weapons(balanced to allow mass minimob fragging....perhaps extremely powerful, rare, not too accurate, and slow to encourage teamwork to defend the cannon)

Yes.

* Will you add body mods as are shown in part of the inventory menu and allow us to augment our bodies with electronics/mechanical parts?

Yes.

 

Part 7

* Do you think that ammo will be removed from the terminal in the near, or distant, future? Perhaps when we have factories?

I don't think that basic ammo will be removed from the TT, however deluxe ammo that is only made by the participants is a definite path we would like to pursue.

* When can we expect more Adj/Imp/Mod armors, and possibly, the Modified Shadow?

I cannot comment on such In-World balancing matters. This has been the policy for years and it still stands, sorry.

* Are Mindark just focused on limited weapons now, or are you going to implent more regular (not Adj/Imp/Mod) weapons in the near future?

I cannot comment on In-World balancing matters. It has been the policy for years and it still stands, sorry.

* We got a Real Cash Economy ingame so why isn't decay rate on items given an exact number instead of "medicore" or "good"?
The item is decaying and my money/peds are paying for it so why isn't the information provided directly by MA/EU. Paying customers are not suppose to need to refer to third parties such as PE Wiki, (which may contain incorrect information) inorder to find out how much we are paying!

Part of the Entropia Universe experience is to gain personal knowledge of things, some data is presented as is, some is up to the participants to figure out, as knowledge is power. We believe this aspect of Entropia Universe is quite fun and entertaining, and stimulates curiosity and copperation with other participants in the quest for knowledge. However I don't see why the decay should be one of these really. It will be brought up at the next developer meeting.

* Are real life items still droping ? (Like posters - it was great idea imho).

I cannot comment on In-World balancing matters. It has been the policy for years and it still stands, sorry.

* Will MA ever merge several very similar items into a single item, thereby reducing the confusion and pointless duplication of very slightly different items... for example Handguns, there are many, many very similar guns in stats, why not just merge them and reduce the database overheads.

We want to have millions of items in Entropia Universe, so no, we do not intend to remove items.

* In Issue 1 of The Entropian, MA promised vehicles by the end of 2006. That timeframe is fast approaching it's end.. when are vehicles going to be implemented?

Yes we are still planning for vehicles. A more accurate date is probably mid-2007 I guess.

* Why is the Ravenger series of miniguns the ONLY gun type that is unable to be Amped? (Maybe Lagunus too, not sure) Is this going to change?

Not all items can have all amps. The same goes for certain plasma guns.

* Why does a Focus Charge allow concentration to continue for Sweating, Healing, etc... but NOT Teleportation? It's illogical !

I agree. I'll convey the feelings at the next developer meeting.

* Item drops.. previously it has been said that all items will always drop, from the mob they dropped from before, just the frequency changes. fair enough - but clothes stopped dropping, as did toys and certain high-level stuff. Is it still possible to loot all post-gold items? not just mod/imp/adj stuff, but other stuff which we dont see anymore?

Most items, that aren't "special" (like from campaigns or events), can be found, however, some are very rare.

* Why is there no stats shown on faps?

It will come. It is just a matter of priority.

* Is it possible (I know it is) to show min or even average dmg of weapons based on holder's skills? i believe same goes for other equipment aswell.

It already does?

* Are there plans for more personal terminals? For instance a personal auction terminal?

Yes, we are looking at ways of adding more personalized content to homes and land areas.

* Will we see new and better Fast Aid Packs in the near future? Possibly crafted (non-limited) once which can reach a higher max heal than the Ek-2900?
Or will we see other improvements, such as attachments for FAPs?

Yes, it is in the pipeline, no ETA though.

* How does mining amps work? The info says xx% efficiency but it says nothing about how it actually works or what it does. And that would be nice to know.

Part of the experience is to gain personal knowledge about how things work. Some data is presented as is, some is up to the participants to figure out. We believe this aspect quite fun and entertaining, stimulating curiosity and cooperation with other participants in order to gain knowledge

* When will we get an "opalo" blp gun?

Soon. The same goes for plasma guns.

* Will you change the gauss guns into a better category or new category? And also their damage should be improved.

We are very reluctant to change the stats of any items that are released into Entropia Universe. The auction is currently being reviewed to meet current demands and expectations.

* What about gauss technology weapons? Now we have just 2 Gauss Guns...one limited and one looted in beacon mission. Will be more in close future?

I cannot comment on In-World balancing matters. It has been the policy for years and it still applies, sorry.

* Will we ever get a more fair and logical system for weapons? One in wich the vast magority of weapons are not junk becouse they can never be maxed out.
L weapons do not fill the need by a longshot as currently implemented.

The system is continuously being expanded to give a better and better experience.

* Will we have the abiliy to loot complete armor sets

I cannot comment on In-World balancing. This has been the policy for years and still stands, sorry.

* Will Mindark reflect in the future the genderproportion in the droprate of armor-parts (e.g 30% female avatars means 30% of the looted armor-parts are female)?

I cannot comment on In-World balancing. This has been the policy for years and still stands, sorry.

 

Part 8

* What are the future plans for (L) items? And kind of related, will the tt weapons be removed or changed to make (L) weapons more popular?

I cannot comment on such in-world balancing matters. It has been the policy since years back and it still stands, sorry.

* Will we see more futuristic items instead of ancient katanas and swords?

Yes.



Economy Questions:

* With the recent hyper inflated economy would the idea of a market crash be possible in the eyes of MA, and what would/could you do to make sure we dont see a crash

There wonâ??t be any market crash and you know I canâ??t give details about this.

* When is MA going to start releasing more minerals into the ground so prices are not so outrageous?

I guess we will see new tools in the future that will bring new dimensions to mining.

* What is the average cost to play EU for an hour? average cost per month?

MindArk's business plan states that we aim for a cost of 1 USD per hour.

* What makes EU not a casino or not gambling? What odds are we playing against?

I don't want to know how the loot system works so don't tell me you cannot reveal sensitive game information.

In the Entropia Universe you develop your avatar by gaining skills, which have a value. Skills are gained through usage, and are not based on loot.

* Will the uber hofs be one day funded entirely from advert revenues or will they continue to be subsidised from the general loot pool (as I think is current practice?)?

I cannot comment on In-World balancing. This is a long standing policy, sorry.

* Will MA start working to enhance the game more for the players and not the investors?

We want to make Entropia Universe attractive for everyone. Investors also benefit the community, as more people come, the economy expands and more goodwill is generated.

* How does MA intend to counteract the massive price markups we have been subjected to over the last 6 months? or is this "just the way it is"?

With a system as open as the Entropia Universe you are going to experience the full range of human behaviour. Resellers and the like are able to exist because people allow them to exist and provide them with the means to exist.

* Will MA ever change their stance on avatar owned items? Currently MA own everything, it's not right as the universe is linked to a real cash economy.

Never say never, but we don't intend to change it any time soon. MA owns the virtual items, but the participants own the value of them. It is a necessary step as long as MA is the one actually making the items and storing them in our databases.

* Will the droprate be increased to accomodate for the boom in prices, or is MA happy to see mk5's going for 15000ped and imk2 for 400000ped?

I cannot comment on In-World balancing. It has been the policy for years and still stands, sorry.

* Is the Opalo and other TT items due to advertising? they are obviously far more economical (especially for newcomers) than any other weapons.. where is the funding coming from if these couldnt be available before?

I cannot comment on In-World balancing matters.

* I have thought of one more question that came up in the course of this thread. The advent of land areas allows us to chose whether we hunt on a taxed or untaxed area. There is some doubt as to whether this tax is taken from the general "pool" or directly from the loot awarded the person hunting or mining in the land area, and even if perhaps a bonus maybe be given to those that choose to hunt on taxed areas. If the tax is not taken directly from the person choosing to hunt in the taxed area, this is in fact penalizing those who take (what should be) the wiser course of avoiding the taxed areas and creates a "tragedy of the commons" situation that is ultimately detrimental to MA's continued existence or the health of EU. Is the tax taken directly from the loot return of the hunter/miner, with no special bonus modifiers for hunting in a land area?

The tax comes from the avatars activities on a land area.

* Will there be any effort to stop the market manipulators who use multiple avatars in the auction?

MindArk are always working to curb abuse inside the Entropia Universe. Often we don't publicly state how we operate as this gives the bad guys information how to cloak their devious doings.

* MA controls the loot for everything (obviously): as far as i can tell the mining economy (of ore drops) has stabilised, with slight fluctuations of the common ores/ens. does MA plan to change certain drops (ie make some rarer ones appear for a while) or is the system going to stay as it is?

I cannot comment on such In-World balancing matters. It has been the policy for years and still stands, sorry.

* With the "improving of the players experience of the Entropia Universe", will we see the loot being upped a bit? or decrease/remove the no loot messages?

I cannot comment on such In-World balancing matters.

 

* Is MA planning to increase a bit the "general" item drop ( loot , BP , ore to craft) in order to reduce the crazy inflation?

I cannot comment on such in-world balancing matters.

* Can we Know how exactly work the advert system for the loot ( does it increase all loot , only create special loot ...)

The information stated in the VU Content List explains this.



Professions:

* Could you open up a larger variety of 'mentor edition' items that are useful and make mentoring more worth it to do it and also more worth it to do it RIGHT?

Yes.

* Will there be an alternative way to manufacture food than the current one? ie, picking up fruits.

Maybe.

* Will Fishing be made a profession in the near future? What will these fishes be used for, if so?

Fishing is cool. ,-)

* Has MindArk got any new professions (chemist, drawing, musician on the drawing board? Some time ago MindArk said a possible profession for the future could be "truck driver" where you could transport items from one place to another, is this idea discarded or is it still something you are looking into?

We are definitely looking into the subject of new professions.

* How are Mindark going to update the melee profession in the future? Will there be amplifiers, and if so, when can we expect them?

No ETA, it is being discussed.

* In an old issue of The Gate, we could read about a certain "Create Colors"- tool. Is there a possibility that we will see such a tool in the near future, or any other kinds of improvements to the clothes-coloring system?
Perhaps a possibiliy to select the Brightness, etc. And possibly a possibility to just bleach/recolor one field instead of all of them. Anything comming up soon?

There will be quite a large update as to how coloring works later on. No details yet though.

* Will pets in EU ever be able to attack and have any use to their owners?

Yes.

* Pilots need more places to fly to. are we getting any interesting places to fly to soon?

Yes. Space will open up later on, as well as more planets.

* When will crafters be able to repair items?

It is an idea that has been tossed around quite a bit, and my guess is that they will later on, yes.

* To follow up on taming developments, any ETA as to when the improvements may take place, what direction (higher level features i.e hunting pets, fighting in arena, riding them, using for transport)? Will there be additional pet related equipment available (like armor, attachable weapons, saddles, etc.) Also will there ever be a non (L) brush, as those of us that tame a lot hate to see the item disappear. Will the skillgains in taming be able to grow normally, as they have been slowed down lately considerably

Taming is one of the areas that will get attention in the near future.

* Are you going to speed up the process of bringing components back into use?

With new blueprints, new ingredients come. Components are part of this.

* Customized content ? I mean ... design our own clothes, weapons, items in general. Even if it's planned for a distant future.

Yes, it is on the road map. We just need ways to maintain the security and integrity of Entropia Universe as well as make sure we don't breach copyright laws.

* When will there be new BP sectors such as colour mixing and jewelry?

Later on. Exactly which new areas that will come are not yet decided, but there will be more.

* Will there be an autocrafting feature so that crafters wont have to use illegal 3rd party software?

We are actively looking into ways to remove boring repetition and supply means to get a better experience.



Technical and UI etc Questions:

* Can you get a phone deposit system that works again?

We had a phone deposit system before but were not satisfied with the results it gave. We can certainly look at the issue again.

* Is there any plan, in near future, to allow universe modification by non MA developers, eg. as it is happening in Second Life?

Yes we have an exiting idea for the expansion of the Entropia Universe but youâ??re going to have to be patient because we have quite a task list to get through before we set our next mega idea in action.

* Are there any plans to integrate something like team speak into the game for teams and socs? (This can be implemented without need of extra servers for the communication)

It has been discussed but it is not a path we feel we need to venture into right now â?? the programs available are quite good at what they do.

* When will a new graphic and physics engine be implemented? Since this is very much needed as EU is getting way to old graphics.

Itâ??s in the pipeline and should be implemented very soon.

* When will we have an ingame Mail system?

Probably during 2007.

* When will the chat system be upgraded? Right now the chat system aint very good.

A better system would be able to be customized with skillgains/damage in one box that is movable and then soc chat and others in another box(es).

The next generation of the chat/communication system will be fully customizable.

* Will you soon improve the auction? with search functions, sorting by price or and or type etc etc.

The auction is currently being reviewed as it is one of the older systems in Entropia Universe, and as such requires attention to bring it up-to-date and meet the demands of tomorrow.

* Can you get some kind of bug hunting system? like, people that go searching for bugs and report those to you, and they get a reward, and depending on the bug they get a reward presented ingame, say, every first monday of the month or something like that?

According to the EULA you must file a support case when you find a bug. At certain times MindArk has given rewards to bugs discovered, if deemed critical and the reporter is the first one reporting it.

* Participants asking for a long time for the implementation on a lending system. Can we expect this in the near future ?

No. We don't believe a general lending system will be beneficial to Entropia Universe, and the security around it is very complex. The indications we have are that if a lending system is introduced it will create monopolies and remove a large part of the fun factor from Entropia Universe.

* Will the servers improved soon to reduce lag and make Eu ready for asia release?

I cannot discuss the technical side of things regarding the servers and backbones. But rest assured that MindArk is well prepared for the ventures we engage in, as if we would make a "broken launch" onto a new market, it will only hurt ourselves.

 

Part 10

* Isn't it possible to send people a reciept when they withdrawal to give them faith that the withdrawal transaction is really on it's way. Especially because it takes so long time? It can be frustrating when you are not sure if the withdrawal is going troughtor not - and to the person it is imporant, since it is his real life money?

More information and transparency about the withdrawals will be added to the Entropia Universe web site during the fall.

* Would mindark consider a feed providing auction prices including buyouts to better help the community see the economy movements?

Maybe.

* Can we have a clarification about the cash card taxe?

The correct fees are now displayed on the Entropia Universe website at: http://www.entropiauniverse.com/pe/en/rich/5716.html

* Can we have a "bug" list on the EU web site (and other usefull updated list like lock list , abuse list ...)

Maybe.

* Will the map system be improved soon ?

It is not in the pipeline right now.

* will there be imporevements to the radar system (ability to see further and identify spider from fugabarba)

Yes, the radar will receive updates soon â?? probably with more fog of war measures in PvP areas and cloaking and anti-cloaking items/Mindforce.

* Will EU ever be multi-threaded and non-blocking so that it doesn't freeze completely while accessing eg. storage, auction, etc. and so it can take advantage of all new processors (dual core)?

I cannot comment on such matters.

* When will we be able to tweak more aspects of Entropia Universe ? The graphic options (screen size ... 1024*768 is ugly on my 19" flatscreen ... fog distance, etc), the HUD (the other parts that haven't been changed yet), the chat (something IRC-like would be awesome).

It's coming quite soon.

* When will there be cycles of day and night?

Later.

* Is a "pack item" auction will finally come.Its specially whanted for sell Full armor set.

Maybe, but not likely.

* Will the help system for newcomers ever be updated? 10s upon 10s of newcomers leave everyday due to the fact that they have no clue what to do. Maybe make a tutorial when they start the game?

Yes. This system will be updated before Christmas.

* Could we possibly have an upgrade in the combat systems so teams are more useful? Perhaps multi-person weapon systems?

Possible future development.



Abuse and Cheaters/Third party tools:

* Will a clear and non-evasive answer ever be given about Auto-Clickers and 3rd party software?

It is clearly stated in the EULA and you all know that MindArk do not endorse the use of any Third Party software in connection with the Entropia Universe. All external software is prohibited on the basis of fairness of experience. Software that may offer a participant an unfair advantage over any other participant is in contradiction of the EULA. The discovery of such software may result in the locking or closing of a participants account.

* Is Mind Ark responding to the current increase in 'hunting bot' usage? Numerous people have been reported but there has not been any action that shows the playerbase that MA is taking notice.

Yes MindArk is responding but obviously we canâ??t tell you how â?? that would just give cheaters more information.

* Will MindArk take actions against anyone cheating, exploiting, scamming and what not, regardless of uber-status?

Definitely.



Misc Questions:

* Can we possibly see other ways where newcomers could perhaps do certain jobs and have a way to make money like sweat gathering is at the moment?

It would be more interesting to see participants providing jobs and needing services that could be fulfilled by newcomers. A system like the Entropia Universe has so many possibilities. Again itâ??s a matter of time, resources and priorities. Itâ??s also worth remembering that MindArk is in fact a business with all the normal responsibilities and commitments of a business operation.

* Refferal System - I want create a website(s) to refer people to EU - Give me banners, links and incentives. Ie...Reffer Edition rewards when the person you refer reaches a certain Prof Standing.

We have some banners available on the website and we will expand that area with more content in the future. We have also publicised the Entropia Universe Ambassador program where we would like to help people with good ideas. Read more at the website.

* Will Mindark implement Avatar Food in the near future, and if so, how will that food work? Will it boost certain attributes/stats for a certain time, or will be used for survival?

Food in some way is planned. No details yet though.

* How many real active players do we really have ingame?

We don't publish that figure for business confidentiality reasons.

* Can we have "players online" counter on entropiauniverse web page ? If not - why ?

We have no plans for this at the moment, but there may be other interesting ideas like having a live feed from Calypso somewhere on the website.

* If the MMO underlying EU is not up to scratch how can you hope to create your virtual universe?

The Entropia Universe is always evolving; it is part of the vision. If some things work less than expected they will be enhanced.

* Why did MA change the style between Eudoria and amethera? I.e. maps and landscape.

To add diversity, and make it interesting to explore.

* There are tons of information available regarding distant planets in the universe, such as Gorgon or Janus 2. When will we recieve more updates to the space-system, ie, the ability to travel (freely) and land on asteroids and such to explore them for certain rare and uncommon minerals or creatures?
I know this is a huge update, but what kinds of updates could we expect in the short-term?

It's coming but will take a while.

* Will the Exchange Terminals ever work? (I think I heard they used to a while ago but were terminated because it was part of some legal stuff with the game? If that is true, will they ever come back?)

Yes, when corporations can be founded and traded. It will take a while yet though.

* Will there be improvements to the beacon system? like, more different tt beacons?

Development of Existing Systems.

* Will there be other "quests" then robot beacons? such as, alien beacons? underground dungeons?

Yes.

 

Part 11

* Is MA planning to increase the "game" part again with new activities to game play like lumberjacking , or MA will increase the "investor" system with more LA , apartment..

Both. However, in the near future attention is on more "game" like additions.

* Will there be a Quest system for anyone? (like collecting a certain amount of items for the quest) If so what will the gains be?

We have been looking into it, but I cannot say more at this time.

* Are there any continenets on Planet Calypso that we haven't discovered yet? If so what are your ideas on this?

Who knows, if you haven't found them? ,-)

* Is the game going to become more realistic? (for example the Geography of the continents)

Of course this is something worth concentrating on.
__________________________
Regards

-Marco Behrmann
-Director of Community Relations
-MindArk PE AB

 

Well there is a lot of "promises" in here :search:
But i wonder shouldn't there been a VU release out by now?