Planet Partners CAN improve loot return to attract more players to their planet

Yes, I know that since you were little child your grandmother told you stories that only MindArk controls the loot and loot return percentage in Entropia Universe. That Planet Partners cannot control how much you loot in this massively multiplayer online gaming universe. If this wasn’t the case every planet partner will try to offer players bigger and bigger loot return until it hits 99.99% average loot return.
Now let’s look at the difference between the two Alienware promotions on Planet Arkadia.
In the first promotion for hunters and miner you get the laptop inside your loot window. That means that the loot is 100% controlled by the loot algorithm. There is no difference if you loot laptop for 19 000 PED or oils for 19 000 PED. It just God’s will. The chance to hit that 19k loot is the same on every planet.

Now in the second Alienware promotion for crafters you get that additional 2 x 19 000 = 38 000 PED loot only on planet Arkadia. Bonus on top of the regular loot. The loot pool on Arkadia is now 38 000 PED bigger than the loot algorithm wants. The 2 laptops for 19 000 PEDs are not controlled and added by the loot algorithm, but from Planet Arkadia.

Now you may say: 38 000 PEDs is nothing and don’t affect the game much. It is true, but what if tomorrow Neverdie decide to give 1000 PED bonus for every global. I am sure he will still make tons of profit and players will rush to go to RockTropia.

Planet Arkadia Launch Date Announced

Alienware

Planet Arkadia will be launching on 24th May 2011. Just a reminder, the winning date for the "Launch Date" competition will be the actual date that Planet Arkadia launches. If for any reason, there's a delay the new date will be applicable to determine the winner. The date will be based on UTC, known in-world as Entropia Time.
You will have the chance to loot real life items in the form of Alienware gear when Planet Arkadia launches. All items are kindly sponsored by Alienware.
Alienware is an American computer hardware company and a wholly owned subsidiary of Dell, Inc. It mainly assembles third party components into desktops and laptops with custom enclosures for high-performance gaming. These products also support graphically intense applications such as video editing, simulation, and audio editing. Alienware also offers for sale rebadged computer peripherals, such as headsets, computer mouses, monitors and keyboards. Their hardware has distinctive "sci-fi" styling, typically including decorative lighting.
Alienware was founded in 1996 by Nelson Gonzalez and Alex Aguila. Alienware's corporate headquarters is located in The Hammocks, unincorporated Miami-Dade County, Florida, near Miami.

Items to be looted:
2 X Alienware M11x Laptops
5 X Alienware TactX Keyboards
5 X Alienware TactX Headsets
5 X Alienware TactX Mice

Alienware Loot

How Loot works in Entropia Universe and Alienware Promotion

Loot

First thing to be clear on is that MindArk are in charge of the distribution of loots, not the creation of the items. For example, if Planet Partner create a gun, then they advise MindArk that the gun is for hunting loot and then MindArk set what it loots from and at what frequency. Hence apart from knowing that a gun can be looted, the Planet Partner has no more information as to where it can be looted.
In the example of the Alienware products, that is a promotion between Planet Arkadia and Alienware. So Planet Arkadia provide MindArk with either a 3D model or a certificate and request that it be placed randomly as loot across all professions in the quantity Arkadia Studio specify. Full details of the event will be made public on Arkadia Forum prior to the launch of Planet Arkadia.
Some people are too excited about this and expect that this will be like BONUS LOOT, but I expect this items to be like INSTEAD LOOT. So you must loot something with value more than 19 000 PED to have the chance to get the laptop instead of your regular loot. In other words you have the same chance to get 19 000 loot on Calypso and on Arkadia during the opening day and every other day. Of course if you are trader you can sell that laptop to some rich player for a lot more than it actualy cost and make good profit there. And you can always keep it for yourself and have a reason to spend few more years in the game.
To clear some other speculation up - no where was announce that this is a one off promotion with Alienware - Arkadia relationship with Alienware is very good and it is likely you will see similar promotions to support new product releases from Alienware. Planet Arkadia are also working on other promotions in the future with other well known brands.