User:RAZER/EU
Entropia Universe is a massively multiplayer online virtual universe designed by the Swedish software company MindArk, based in Gothenburg.
Character creation[edit]
Before beginning the game a player has to choose a name for his avatar, which must be a first name, a last name and a nickname of which all 3 names will be visible to all the players in game. The name can not have any profanities in and can never be changed, unless MindArk thinks the name is inappropriate. Next the new player will need to create his or her avatar and can choose to adjust about everything, from sex to height to eye, hair and skin color.
During the process of creating your avatar there will be some personal info asked which will not show up for anyone in-game. This info is used by MindArk to verify that you are real when you wanna withdraw money out of the game. Giving them false information, could end you up not being able to withdraw any money.
After initial creation further physical modifications can only be achieved through the services of other users acting as hairdressers or plastic surgeons, for example.
Contrary to most other MMO's every person is only allowed ONE avatar and having more then one could end a player up banned from the game loosing any funds they have invested in the game. This drastic measure is implemented to don't give players the opportunity to cheat or farm, which could really influence the game and it's players in a negative way because of the real money that is involved.
Because of the 'only one avatar per person' rule people should be careful when they wanna start the game over from the beginning (no idea why people would do that) because when starting the game over with another avatar that will be your second one and you could be banned from the game. If for some reason you do wanna start over, the smart thing to do is contact MindArk asking them to delete your previous account. This is also on situation where filling out your real information is needed, because they will most likely ask for some form of identification, before deleting your account.
Security[edit]
The standard security for the Entropia Universe consists of just your user name and password, but because of the Real Cash Economy, and the 1000's of dollars some players have inside the game, players have the choice to secure their account in a way that is much stricter then most game, using the Gold Card System. This system consist of a Gold Card with a chip on it and a Card Reader. This system is also seen with bank all over the world and as far as we know has never been cracked or hacked to access the Entropia Universe.
Gold Card
Card Reader
Deposit and withdraw[edit]
Entropia Universe' rather unique and basic feature is the "Real Cash Economy". The in-game currency "Project Entropia Dollars" (PED) has a
fixed exchange rate of 10:1 with the US Dollar. Consequently every item, service or activity in the game has a value linked to the 'real world'.
Depositing[edit]
Money can be transfered into the game by the following methods:
- bank transfer
- credit card/debit card (Visa or MasterCard)
- Paynova
- Paysafecard
- PayByCash
- Ukash
- PED Certificate, issued by Mindark and often given away for promotion
PED Certificate holder front and back cover
PED Certificate holder inside
Further info on the Depositing page.
Gameplay[edit]
Cost to participate[edit]
The cost to participate in this game is really something every player decides for him/her self. There are numerous examples of people not spending any real cash in the game and all do it by gathering sweat or participating in free contests to win some free items. But, there are also examples of people spending 1000's of dollars of real money in the game and actually have made this game their job. For these 2 extremes you have to play smart and be very careful of what you spend your money on and how and when you sell your items. You have to know the market and economy very well, so these are probably not for somebody that just wants to play to have some fun for a few hours every month.
A third way to play the game is to decide how much you wanna spend each day, week, month or year and deposit that amount into the game and just play with that and expect the money to be gone. Some months you will be lucky and it will take you all the way to the end of the month (or even further) and some months you are unlucky and it will all be gone before the end of the month. To keep your spending's in check you have to have the discipline not to add more money when you are out, just stop playing for a while or go and gather sweat to get some extra cash.
The general idea is that with an amount between 15 and 25 dollar you should be able to play the game for a month and have fun, but you have to play within your skill levels when it comes to tools, weapons and creatures.
Partnerships[edit]
MindArk has partnered up with semi-independent "Planet Partners", who each develop their own planet. Each planet has its own theme (such as rock on Rocktopia, or Treasure Hunting on Arkadia), and its own mobs (creatures).
The opening of planets has caused a lot of excitement among players, who now travel through space to play each planet. Calypso, the original planet of the Entropia Universe, is still owned by MindArk (through a subsidiary), but is also considered player owned. Players have been offered the opportunity to buy one (or more) Calypso Land Deeds (CLD), which offer them a monetary return of 25% of the weekly revenues of the planet. While these 60,000 CLD are intended to be about Citizenship and not investment (only), the expected profit is currently the main reason for people to purchase them.
MindArk states to be working on systems to implement the citizenship part of the deeds (voting, land ownership), which the population waits for in anticipation.
Planets[edit]
Entropia Universe, or Project Entropia as it was called back then, was created in 2003 with only one planet called Planet Calypso. With the anticipation for more planets in the universe the name was changed to what it is called now.
The second planet was released on April 6th 2010 and is called Rocktropia and is owned and developed by NEVERDIE studios of long time Entropia Universe player
Jon 'NEVERDIE' Jacobs. The theme of this planet is music, which is seen throughout the planet.
The third planet to be released was Next Island on December 8th 2010. The theme of this planet is paradise and it indeed looks like that, with nice beaches and landscapes.
The fourth planet that was launched is Planet Arkadia on May 25th 2011. The theme of this planet is Treasure Hunting which you can do both in-game as outside the game.
The fifth planet that was launched is Planet Cyrene on May 1st 2012. This was a soft launch to let excising players on the planet and test things out. When the full launch is planned is not know at this time.
Space, while not really a planet, this is a different area in the Entropia Universe, connecting all planets. Space is developed and managed by MindArk themselves and allows the players to travel from one planet the the others in their space ships.
Tech Stuff[edit]
Systems Requirements:
| Very High Settings |
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| High Settings |
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| Medium Settings |
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These requirements should be considered the minimum system requirements for Entropia Universe:
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| Low Settings |
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If your system falls below the Medium Settings requirement you may still be able to participate in Entropia Universe, but your visual experience will be hampered. If you use Medium Settings on a system below Medium Settings requirements, you may suffer from low frame rate. If you use Low Settings, there may be artifacts such as white texture-less avatars, no ground vegetation, short draw distance and no shadows.
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Official Websites[edit]
- Entropia Universe Portal – Official website
- Planet Calypso – Official website for Planet Calypso
- ROCKtropia - Official website for Planet ROCKtropia
- Next Island - Official website for Next Island
- Planet Arkadia - Official website for Planet Arkadia
- Planet Cyrene – Official website for Planet Cyrene
- Planet Toulan – Official website for Planet Toulan
- Theryon Wars – Official website for Theryon Wars