Original project-entropia.com/faq 2002

Partially restored version of the original FAQ on the PE website during 2002

A version from 2002 is also available: Original project-entropia.com/faq 2001

Character

How much control do I have in creating my character?

You have an enormous amount of control in customizing your character to represent who you are or who you want to be. You can elect anything including hairstyle; skin and eye color, facial shapes and body shape. And almost anything in between. This will be further customizable by scars and tattoos. Once you have arrived on Calypso this continues by allowing you a wide choice of clothes and accessories.

Are there different races that I can be?

No, you will only be able to play a human character, maybe in the future development as we open up new planets for colonization will you be able to play other races, but not at present.

How do I create my character?

You create your character through an interface with sliders where you have essentially an unlimited number of options to choose from. When you are satisfied with the way you have shaped your appearance, you select your name and are then ready to take on your role as a new colonist to Calypso.

How many characters will I be able to have?

At present we are allowing one character per account, this may change in the future depending on both popular demand and possibilities.

Will there be different classes or professions I can choose?

No, you choose your way of life and proficiencies based on your actions as you live your virtual life, not through a checkbox in the beginning.

Will I have to choose Stats?

No, everyone starts out equally, there are no points to place on stats, skills to pick or specializations to consider, All of this will happen once you are up and running. Project Entropia is designed to be fast and easy to get going in. Your character will be created over time according to what path you choose, not by decisions made before you have even started.

Are there any animated Emotes?

Yes there will be a number of animated Emotes, and you will be able to combine them with one another. There will be facial emotes; smiling, frowning etc. and body emotes such as waving, bowing or saluting. We are working on pair emotes such as hugging, kissing, dancing and others.

Will characters be allowed to walk around naked?

It will not be possible to walk around completely naked. We discussed this and in the end found nothing that implementing this required many aspects that posed big problems for us.

So what about fashion? Can we choose what we want to wear?

Yes, you have a choice between a very large number of clothes and accessories such as jewellery etc. There will be new lines of fashion introduced on a regular basis. You will be able to have your closet filled with different outfits. Even the different armors you may wear have a distinct design element to them.

Will protecting your name be an option? Can I be the only one with my name?

No, this would be impossible. If Project Entropia was a MMORPG with multiple shards like the other current MMORPG’s in the industry it wouldn’t be a problem since those server shard populations are at most a few thousand, but with PE our goal is to have one huge game world without shards. Since we are projecting for one million players online at the same time in our future. Than if we had unique names it would be an act of desperation to find a name if a few hundred thousand others have already taken it. So our solution is this we will allow repeated names, but to distinguish you further you will have a unique ID number, also, don’t get caught up so much in the name being repeated, your avatar will also be unique in appearance, and physical features drawing further distinction for you as a player.

Where can I store my possessions?

In either one of three places. On your person, in an apartment or in a bank facility. Regardless of where you store the items, they cannot get stolen. Should you however encounter a Player killer while you are not insured, he or she may take your possessions if they kill you.

Can players get drunk or drugged?

Yes there will be bars in Project Entropia, you may also combine chemicals to create various drugs, of either beneficial or detrimental effect. Street drugs are not available in Project Entropia.

Will there be cybernetic limbs i.e. can I become a cyborg?

Yes there are plans to allow for certain parts to be replaced with cybernetic parts that can enhance your body with stronger arms, a more efficient heart etc.

How will reputation work?

Reputation works on your skills, the better you are, the higher your reputation is, when you have reached a certain level people will be able to see your accomplishments when they examine you, expert gunsmith, master cook etc.

What happens when my character dies?

When your character dies you are forced to wander the realm of the dead for a while, either you can try and make it back to a hospital or outpost where you can be revived, or you can wait for one of the resurrection ships to pick you up.

Will I be able to delete and remake my character?

You will be able to remake you character appearance by seeking out a plastic surgeon, if this isn’t enough you may delete the character and start over on a new one.

Will my character be able to marry another character?

Yes you will be able to marry your loved one on Calypso.

Will MindArk support character marriages?

Yes, there are many thoughts around this, we have discussed treating this as a “Mini” society where you get to co-own housing etc. Given enough fore warning MindArk may even provide an officiate to hold the ceremony.

If so, will there be any special clothing, etc. for these occasions?

Yes, there will be many opportunities to arrange the occasion to be as special as you want a marriage to be.

What does an outlaw status involve?

The outlaw status involves a loss of personal insurance for a certain amount of time (hours) and the opportunity for other players to kill and loot the outlaw without penalty.

What removes outlaw status?

Outlaw status is removed after a certain amount of hours.

What is character insurance?

Insurance will be available in different forms in order to protect your personal belongings from being looted in the event of being killed.

Can any type of sickness infect my character?

Poisons will exist in Project Entropia. There will be diseases in the game; treatment will come from various skills and players. Disease exposure may come from a creatures touch or from bad weather. And, yes if left untreated you may surely die of it.

Will players need to sleep or eat food and drink water?

Sleep won’t be necessary for players, but food and drink will be needed to replenish your stamina and health. You’ll be able to feed NPC’s with food and water. As well as use a cooking skill, and have farming in the game.

Can players change their avatar names at a later date?

Yes, this is possible there is nothing stopping a player from doing so if they want to. You will have the ability to choose whether you want to display your name publicly or not. The same for society members you will be able to toggle on or off the ability for players to know if you belong to a society. If you do toggle it on whether it’s your name of society status it would be polite to ask first before you click on them to see.

Will cloning your character inside the game have a fee like insurance?

No it will not have a fee associated with it. Although some services within a city hospital will have a fee, for example, putting in new MindForce implants in your avatar.

Is there a minimum size for avatars?

There is a minimum size to avatars, but it isn´t possible to make your character TOO small. It will reflect the normal diversity of human beings. It is still an average size. Obviously there are advantages and disadvantages to being both big and small. If you´re smaller you may be a harder target, but if you´re bigger, maybe you´ll be easier to hit. But that´s where skill comes in. The great thing about PE is the ability to create a totally unique avatar; yes the size, but so much more, from the hair and eye colour to the shape of your face...even your ears!

Will characters grow with age?

Characters will not physically age.

Can you have offspring?

No, this will not be possible in PE.

What is an Outlaw?

An outlaw is basically someone who has attacked or killed another player; the outlaw status allows anyone to attack him or her without risk of becoming outlaws themselves. Being an outlaw is very difficult, where you have little chance to rest and can trust no one, it can also be a rewarding and exciting life where thrills and adventure are never far away.

What kind of equipment will I receive when I first enter Project Entropia?

You will be equipped with basic colonist clothes. Good quality but maybe not the most exciting outfit you can think of.

Will Project Entropia have aligns like good, neutral and evil?

No, this won’t be a feature of Project Entropia. Everybody will begin playing on the same level and from there it will be the players own actions that determine how other players perceive them i.e. as a friend, an enemy, a liar, a cheat etc. Project Entropia will allow the same individual diversity that exists in our normal daily lives.

Will there be audio emotes?

The idea of audio emotes is something we have on our ToDo-list. We also have several upcoming surprises in this development phase, as we believe that emotes and audio emotes are an important part of the PE experience.

Mindforce

What is MindForce, is it a type of Magic?

MindForce is the result of research into the human mind, where the uncharted areas of the brain were made active through the use of implants. These implants allow a person to use psychic abilities. Dealing in offensive and defensive aspects, the user can heal or harm, destroy or create. In short MindForce is where the mind truly overcomes matter.

What is a MindForce aspect?

MindForce abilities are referred to as Aspects. The aspects are divided into offensive, defensive and supportive categories. For instance, healing is an aspect that falls under the Supportive category.

How many aspects are there?

More then 80 Aspects have been planned; if we see a need for more then more will be added.

Can I use my MindForce aspects in combat?

Yes, MindForce in itself can be a terrible weapon, an offensive MindForce user can be a real asset to any party, and lets not forget the healing powers that a supportive MindForce user brings to any endeavor.

What are the implants used for?

The implants are used to access and augment the powers that lie dormant in all people, they allow those powers to be enhanced and amplified to the point where they start to affect the world around the user.

Will implants be restricted by stats and skills?

In a way yes, adding advanced implants to an inexperienced user will not result in any great gains, however a skilled user who upgrades their implants will see massive improvements and new possibilities.

Can I be a healer?

Definitely, a MindForce user will be a valued addition to any party with their ability to heal and even resurrect other colonists.

Is there a gauge such as mana, or magic points needed to use MindForce?

Yes, your psyche is required.

If so, will it regenerate, or will I need to pay to recharge my skills?

Yes, it will regenerate.

How will characters learn aspects?

By trial and error i.e. practice.

Can I research new “spells”?

This is an upcoming feature.

Can I tame animals via MindForce?

No, this will not be possible.

Are there a maximum number of implants I can have?

You can only have one implant at a time.

If so, can I control people as well?

No.

Will MindForcers be able to communicate with ghosts? If so, if I am a ghost and want to stay that way for a while, can I tell the MindForcer I do not want to be resurrected?

There will be some sort of communication between the ghost and the MindForcer. It will be up to the ghost if he or she wants to be resurrected and up to the MindForcer if he or she wants to provide the healing service.

Will armour protect against MindForce attacks?

It is likely armour will protect against some forms of MindForce attacks, but it depends on which aspect is used.

Does upgrading your implant mean getting the ability to learn new aspects while keeping the old ones?

Yes, that is correct. You keep everything.

If you lose aspect access, do you lose your skill levels as well?

No, you do not lose skill levels.

Regarding MindForce, will implants cost and degrade over time?

Yes, they will cost and will suffer degradation.

Economy and Commerce

How do I access and use the bank in Project Entropia?

Once logged on you press the bank button on the HUD which will take you to the banking window.

Which credit cards will be accepted?

Alll of the major international credit cards that are used today will be accepted, for example Visa, Mastercard and American Express.

What does it mean that the financial system is live?

Project Entropia uses an economy model that is directly linked to the real world. If you want to buy something in the virtual world, you can transfer money in a number of different ways into the game economy. At this point your money is exchanged for PED (Project Entropia Dollars.) And ready for you to use. Should you make money in the virtual world you can also withdraw it to your real world account and thus actually make money in a virtual world.

Other products have seen users trading their items on online auctioning sites to make some money off all the hours that they have spent in game; with project Entropia this is not something that will be necessary. Every item has a real value already in the system. And trading between users is encouraged in every way.

What are the accepted means of payment for Project Entropia?

We are looking into many different ways, Credit Cards is a definite. Checks, pay pal and many other services are also possible in the future.

Will Citizens be forced to spend real money in Project Entropia?

No you will never be forced to pay anything, if you do pay real money into the system that is your decision entirely based on what you want to achieve.

How will trading between Citizens be carried out?

Trading between citizens is done either Face to face, where you will open a trade window where you can see the item and talk to the seller, or there will be an auctioning system where you can look at and bid on items that other colonists have put up for auctioning.

Is there an auction system in Project Entropia?

Yes there will be an advanced auctioning system where colonists can sell items to the highest bidder. It will be a good place to make really good deals.

Is it true that Project Entropia will have advertisements from Real life vendors?

Yes, Project Entropia will have a semi transparency to the real world where companies can advertise their products and even sell them through virtual stores and other ways. The fact that The PED carries a real life value makes the system a perfect E-trade solution.

Who can advertise in Project Entropia?

Any company that is interested can place an ad in Project Entropia, the way that advertisement is carried out can be discussed with MindArk to ensure the best results.

Also societies and even single colonists can place advertisements to inform about either whom they are or things that they are selling.

Why would anyone want to advertise in Project Entropia?

It is a brand new way to reach a very wide audience, People from all over the world will see the ads, and a wall in a Project Entropia city may see more traffic than any real world location in the course of 24 hours. Making it an enormous potential for building Brand name recognition.

What is the PESE?

The PESE is the Project Entropia Stock Exchange, A place where virtual stock can be traded. It is going to stay true to a real life stock exchange in many ways, and will offer yet another way for Colonists to make a little money (or a fortune with a little luck and skill)

Will we be able to research the companies traded on the PESE?

Yes companies traded on the PESE will publish reports, and you will be able to find out other pertinent information, information that is vital in making good well-balanced decisions on the PESE. There will also be other channels of information about these companies.

Can I start a Virtual company?

Yes you can start a company, providing Goods or services to other colonists. There will be a contract system that allows for fairly complicated deals to be arranged.

Can I hire people or NPC’s to work for me?

Yes you can hire both people and NPC’s. The contract system will allow you to bestow rights on other users to act in your behalf, but also limit them in many ways. When hiring an NPC the system is very much similar.

What kind of businesses can I run?

Anything you like basically, as long as you can provide a goods or service that people are willing to purchase and that can be accommodated by the Business and Contract systems. Shops, bars, protection services etc., all are possible.

Will I be able to advertise for MindArk and Project Entropia?

Yes, should you be in control of a site or publication that has a good coverage of our target audience MindArk may be interested in running advertisements with you.

Are we forced to use our credit cards?

Project Entropia is truly a free game to play and enjoy. You will not be asked to provide or reveal any of your credit card details when entering Project Entropia.

How secure will the player trading system be?

We can assure you that our system will be secure by the fact that we will use Unique ID numbers for all items so they can be tracked. We will also encode every single Calypso PED with an ID number for security purposes as well. There will also be a secure backup server system if the game does crash.

How will players handle the issue of real life tax in our respective countries?

Well the tax issue varies greatly from country to country, and the local user will have to follow its own tax income laws. So in this case MindArk cannot report for you to any tax authority. You as the player of the game with any income you earned have the sole responsibility of reporting your own income to your countries tax authorities. Also, in some countries Project Entropia may be considered a hobby, and not actual work. But, if it is considered income as work than for example in the U.S. you can claim other exemptions. For example your computer, your Internet connection, etc…

Note: MindArk AB does not claim to be a legitimate source of Tax advice. In all cases you need to consult with a professional who is briefed on your current tax laws.

Will players be able to own their own shops?

Yes, players will be allowed to set up there own shops. Also, if they prefer they can also become a traveling salesman.

How can players have jobs and create real life income inside the game?

Yes, that´s true this was one of the ideas for Project Entropia. To build the first virtual world that player´s can actually work, and make a living by transferring funds out of the game. Players will be able to set up shops or to manufacture certain items in a specific trade that they can sell, and make a realistic income out of. There will also be the opportunity for players to become a day trader at the (PESE) Project Entropia Stock Exchange. If politics is your thing be elected Mayor of your player settlement. This requires of course a settlement of many players that are active in the world.

What is this transaction fee I keep hearing about?

Yes, we MindArk AB will charge all players within the game world a percentage surcharge for all transactions. Consider it a developer tax for using our game. This is one of the ways for us to make an income from the game. That is also why Project Entropia is a free game to play.

Will PE have real life Internet merchants in the game, if so what kinds?

Well that is hard to say at present. But, we will have merchants that come from every continent that users access our game from. Hopefully this means that your country may be covered with an Internet merchant.

Will the Calypso bank offer many services to players?

The bank at this point will only have few and simple services for players.

Will players be taxed when making personal transactions between themselves?

No, players will not be taxed in this instance.

How will you ensure that the game economy will not fade and hit bottom?

Don’t you gamers hate it when after playing an MMORPG for a few months, getting your stats up etc. you see stuff of value lying all over the ground discarded. When this occurs you know the game economy has become worthless. Now in Project Entropia this will not occur due to the fact that the currency has real life value.

Can player shop owners create a franchise system within Project Entropia for their brand name store outlets in the game?

As this opportunity exists in real life it should also be possible within the virtual universe of Project Entropia. Further consultation with MindArk will be necessary however when the question becomes actual.

Will sellers be allowed to set a reserve price at Project Entropia auctions?

Yes, this will be possible.

If all PED and PEC are always on a character, does this mean they are in a character`s inventory all the time?

Yes it does.

If a company wants to lessen the profit of another company, is it possible to go in the shop and break things, harass customers or block the entrance?

No, this type of harassment will not be tolerated.

Will there be a sort of society or business partner´s bank account added in?

No, there are no plans for this type of banking system at the moment.

Storyline and Quests

Why is it called Project Entropia?

The answer to this question can be read under the World Information-section of the website.

Why is the World called Calypso?

The world is called Calypso after a siren in ancient Greek mytology who called Odyssesus and attracted him to her island. The human colonists were beckoned to the planet in this way. Hence, the name Calypso.

Will there be a storyline?

Yes there will be a storyline, the world is dynamic so the actions of the colonists that inhabit Calypso will shape this storyline and how it unfolds. There are several key points that are set to happen in the future, but actions taken by the users can alter this to completely different situations.

Will there be quests?

Yes, there will be quests.

Are quests static or dynamic?

Both will exist.

Will there be “tutorial” quests or missions?

Yes.

Can we create our own quests?

Yes, the contract system will allow for user-generated quests.

Can we create sub-plots if there is an already existing storyline?

Yes, your actions will be recorded and the storyline will evolve with those actions, so your every step could be a sub-plot in that fashion.

Development Process

When MindArk sees something that they have implemented has gone wrong, will it be removed?

In the case of an obvious bug it will be removed and corrected. In the case of social tools and systems such as bars and quests we will try to leave it up the the players as much as possible to solve any issues that might arise. This is part of our commitment to creating a world - just like real life, its users will steer any developments.

Will Project Entropia be developed further in the Future?

Project Entropia is going to continue its development as the Dynamic universe it is, storylines, content and rules can all be added and changed as we progress. And the world itself will take on a lifelike feel due to its constant development.

Will Project Entropia have expansions? If so, will they be free as well?

Expansions as such are not planned, when development of a new system is completed, we will update Project Entropia to bring whatever changes needed into effect. The expansions in themselves will be free from cost, there are no plans to create a pay system for any expansion whatsoever.

Will you remove exploits; fix bugs and problems after release?

Yes we will constantly work to upgrade the system, and the design team. We’re doing this to ensure that the safety systems for our users are kept updated and that no one will be able to exploit a bug for very long, we will address any problems detected immediately. When the bug is detected all those who have used the exploit and not reported its existence, may be subject to account termination.

Does MindArk AB develop anything else besides Project Entropia?

No we are focused on delivering Project Entropia as the leading edge in online virtual entertainment. Project Entropia will continue its process of evolution in-house and requires a full compliment of programmers and artists to continue its growth.

How long has it taken to develop Project Entropia?

Project Entropia has been in full development since 1999 in its current form. The development process has seen developments in server structuring and capacity to handle the enormous user loads that Project Entropia involves.

What are the voting booths I have been hearing about?

The voting booths will be in place so that the users can influence the development process, listing the possible development paths and giving everyone a chance to move the process in the direction that they would like to see. This allows us to ensure that the most wanted developments get implemented first.

How are you planning to implement new rules and systems?

As we get the steps drawn up by the user votes, design and testing of the new systems will begin. When completed we will simply add the new system, inform the testers that it is in place and move on to the next step. The whole process is designed to incur minimum disturbance in the system.

When are the developments going to appear?

Each new development will be implemented as soon as we have tested it in accordance with our specifications for security and stability. As the process is fluent the update process is fast and relatively low in friction.

When will PE go gold?

Sometime in 2002.

Technical

What art software do the artists at MindArk use?

The artists here use 3d Studio Max and Photoshop.

If I need installation help, who do I contact?

For this type of help you would contact the support department. support@project-entropia.com

When you log out, or suffer a break in connection, where will your avatar appear when you reconnect?

Your avatar will reappear where you last logged out or experienced the break in connection.

Is Project Entropia going to have 3d sound?

Yes.

Is Project Entropia a zoned or seamless world?

Project Entropia will be seamless.

Will there be a translation server?

This is being discussed by the development team, and has not been decided on yet.

Will there be real physics used in the game?

There will be real physics used in the game including air resistance, friction, gravity, bounce, force and mass.

Will the 3D game engine use portal technology?

No. It will use Occlusion Culling.

Does Project Entropia use a real world physics engine?

We have not bought in an outside engine but rather decided to develop our own. This was in order for us to be able to address our specific needs.

What graphics engine is used for Project Entropia?

Project Entropia uses the NetImmerse graphics engine.

Can citizens use macro programs in Project Entropia?

No, this will not be possible.

How will lag be treated in Project Entropia and what happens to your character when you loose your connection?

First of all, the goal is to eliminate lag from Project Entropia, but if you do experience a short lag of one or two seconds it shouldn’t break your connection. In the case of an actual break in connection when you return to the game your character will be in the position you lost it, just like when you log off officially.

How will MindArk deal with server reverts?

When Project Entropia is officially released the aim is not to have any issue with server reverts at all. As there are items of value involved in the game, this point is something we must pay close attention to.

Will Project Entropia be ported to the X-Box, PS2 or any other platform such as Linux?

Not at the time of official release, but these are areas we may look into for future development.

What type of Internet speed connection is MA going to lease out?

None, we will not be doing this.

Can you estimate the system requirements for Project Entropia at open beta launch?

Supported Operating Systems

• Windows 98
• Windows 98 SE
• Windows Millennium
• Windows 2000 Professional
• Windows XP

Supported Memory Configurations

• Required Memory -- 128 Mb
• Required Video Memory -- 32 Mb

Supported Graphics Cards

• GeForce2
• GeForce3
• GeForce4
• ATI Radeon
• PowerVR Kyro

The five cards above are officially supported and tested by PE. There are probably several others that will work, but haven´t been extensively tested yet.

Other Requirements

• Latest Drivers Installed
• DirectX 8.1 Runtime Installed
• Pentium III/500 MHz minimum; 800 MHz is better
• 56 K modem link

ALL OF THE ABOVE COULD BE SUBJECT TO CHANGE!