MindArk's Upcoming Blockchain Project
Over the past year, MindArk has been closely following the cryptocurrency sphere and exploring synergies between the Entropia Universe platform and blockchain technology. MindArk has engaged an external team of cryptocurrency and finance experts to help formulate a unique and innovative token offering.
This project promises to provide MindArk with a large infusion of capital which will enable accelerated and improved development of the Entropia Universe platform, including integration of virtual reality and blockchain technology, and which will ultimately benefit all Entropia Universe stakeholders -- participants, Planet Partners and shareholders.
Exciting times are on the horizon for MindArk and Entropia Universe, and we hope we can count on your interest and support!
More details on DeepToken, MindArk’s token offering, will be made available in the coming days and weeks.
Showing posts with label Developer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Developer. Show all posts
Monday, December 4, 2017
Thursday, November 16, 2017
Post Performance Update
Performance Update
The MindArk development and engineering teams continue to work hard on improving the stability and performance of the Entropia Universe system and to resolve the recent lag issues. Several fixes and improvements have been implemented over the past week or so, and have helped to mitigate many of the issues experienced by participants. However, several performance issues persist and are related to deeper workings of the Entropia Universe platform and thus will take a bit longer to solve.
Our primary focus is to solve the remaining performance issues as soon as possible, resulting in other development projects being postponed and/or deprioritized. Another patch is scheduled for early next week, containing the most recent fixes and optimizations.
We appreciate your patience and understanding during this ongoing process.
The MindArk development and engineering teams continue to work hard on improving the stability and performance of the Entropia Universe system and to resolve the recent lag issues. Several fixes and improvements have been implemented over the past week or so, and have helped to mitigate many of the issues experienced by participants. However, several performance issues persist and are related to deeper workings of the Entropia Universe platform and thus will take a bit longer to solve.
Our primary focus is to solve the remaining performance issues as soon as possible, resulting in other development projects being postponed and/or deprioritized. Another patch is scheduled for early next week, containing the most recent fixes and optimizations.
We appreciate your patience and understanding during this ongoing process.
Friday, September 29, 2017
DPP and Efficiency are not the same thing
AxeMurderer: I don't believe in personal loot pool, but isn't this proof that personal loot pool exists
Charlie|MindArk: No, there still is no personal loot pool.
Charlie|MindArk: No, there still is no personal loot pool.
Actually, this doesn't read like "most efficient hunters = highest returns" at all.
I know plenty of people with low dpp setups turning over high ped, whom would fall into this >50k bracket. If (as you assume) this would be pure high efficiency, they would artificially skew the return % lower.
What the statement actually reads (to me) is that, MA are identifying what cycle amounts are appropriate in identifying loot. I.e. >50k turnover, they expect >98, >10k >97, and all >96.
They've been pretty clear that dpp (or eff, whatever you wanna go with) only affects loot composition (by 7% min/max) and now they've highlighted that crit bonuses only boost this composition factor.
Charlie|MindArk: No, DPP and Efficiency are not the same thing. DPP affects loot composition and critical hit/damage etc affect the DPP. Efficiency directly affects average TT return by 0-7%.
First off, thanks for the update!
Just a slight point about that list; there are presumably a huge number of players who don't fit any category there, namely those with a daily turnover of less than 600 peds or so a day since the test began, but have been around a lot longer than just this year!
I wonder what those returns are ???
It's also nice to see discussion on critical hits, for example, being commented on by MA to clear up some misunderstandings . Please continue to show you have been reading our discussions MA, ty!!!
Thank you so much for the update PLEASE keep them regular - we have a community manager after all.... right?
I at first was liking the changes, but quickly my loot fell off like usual. The hope was in less armor/fap decay.
Problems remain with loot items having zero mu and huge swings of volitity exist.
And as posted above, what about the large group of people that go through say 300-1000 peds? or even 5k peds? Your figures start off at 10k, that's pretty high. I still have never maintained 97% or 90% for that matter for more than a couple of days. What's my return after a week to 1 month? 0-10%. Deposit 100 bucks, have 1-10 dollars at end of month. I would LOVE to see myself have 80 even, but I don't so I still keep my distance from this game.
I remain hopeful for the future and involved from a distance.
Charlie|MindArk: The amount of turnover isn't very relevant to the average return or volatility in return for any individual player. To reach a stable average return it's really the amount of loot instances or creatures killed that matters. As an example, if a player kills 2 Sand Kings spending about 5000 PED to do so the expected loot returned on those 2 kills can vary greatly. If instead killing 200,000 Punies also about 5000 PED the expected loot return is going to be very close to the expected average of 96%+ seen in the 2017 group. A more realistic example of this is perhaps spending 300 PED hunting Proterons vs spending 300 PED hunting small Argonauts where the Argonaut hunt will usually yield similar results and the Proteron hunt results can be all over the place since the loot events are so few.
The reason turnover is chosen as the metric to present these statistics is because number of kills doesn't really say much about which level of players are in which category since anyone can kill a large number of mobs if they are small enough.
still no definition of what the hell turnover means... Is that the amount of ped they deposited, the number of ped they spent in decay, the amount of ped spent in ammo, or the amount of tt value they turned in when they 'turned it over' to the tt?
Charlie|MindArk: Turnover or PED "Cycled" is all PED decayed/destroyed/spent on killing a creature, this means decay for weapons, armor, ammo, healing, attachments etc. It has nothing to do with deposits, trade terminals or repair terminals etc.
Ive done more than 10k turnover but nowhere near those numbers =) how do we know that they are for real ?
Charlie|MindArk: These numbers are averages, most players in each category are going to be either above or below said number.
New players do probably not cycle 10000-50000 ped in 2,5 weeks so their volatility is probably even more obvious than for the mid level small time/softcore players (who most likelly have a larger turnover). So is this 96,94% for new players the average for ONE particular newby or is it an average of the entire newby player base?
They just say
Accounts created in 2017 have enjoyed returns of 96.94% on average since the changes implemented on Sept. 11.
But this doesnt mean every newby who shot 1000 punies got 96,94% in return.
Charlie|MindArk: As mentioned in a previous answer, the most important part for stable returns is the amount of kills or loot events not the amount of turnover. Most new players have very low turnover but hunt mobs like punies and therefore kill a large amount of mobs, like 1000 as you mentioned. This does produce results pretty close to the average for most new players.
How exactly did Loot 2.0 drastically lowered cost of healing?
Charlie|MindArk: Most of the decay from healing and using armor is now compensated for in the loot of the mob. On top of this the actual amount of decay to the armor per damage absorbed was reduced greatly. Overall the cost for healing and armor usage is less than 5% of what it used to be.
It is great that you adjust to lower the fees, even if temporary.
Some questions:
1. Is the temporary test over or still ongoing?
2. Is "returns on average" including costs (repairs)? does it include MU? if so, your MU figures cannot be correct as the auction data is off, there are many items which show MU because of historical sales but really cannot be sold / MU is way lower.
3. Smilgs has enjoyed a tt return of 92.66% since 11th of September and 91.82% before that, the only higher return was when not using the crit buffs for a week - strange coincidence? Losing 15000 peds per month with 39000 peds just before is just as frustrating of an experience...
Charlie|MindArk: Yes it is still ongoing and we hope to be able to keep it this way.
As mentioned earlier it includes all decay of weapons, ammo, armor etc associated with killing the creature. Repairing simply moves PED from one place to another much like buying/selling things from the TT, neither has an effect on loot or MindArk revenues.
The loot system never accounts for markup. Not on markup spent on things like enhancers or limited weapons, nor on markup gained from loot such as oils, items and ESI etc, markup values are just transactions between players. It is always TT in vs TT out. These statistics also do not include any loot that was paid as tax on land areas, so the returns are actually slightly higher than stated here.
If those tests of using/not using crit buffs were done during the last two weeks it would have coincided with the increase in overall loot returns and any result would have been skewed by that.
As for your personal returns I will not answer that here but you already have those answers in a support case and will have to post it yourself if you want it shared.
deflect means it blocked 100% of the damage, that has nothing at all to do with armor decaying less...
Charlie|MindArk: Correct.
I know plenty of people with low dpp setups turning over high ped, whom would fall into this >50k bracket. If (as you assume) this would be pure high efficiency, they would artificially skew the return % lower.
What the statement actually reads (to me) is that, MA are identifying what cycle amounts are appropriate in identifying loot. I.e. >50k turnover, they expect >98, >10k >97, and all >96.
They've been pretty clear that dpp (or eff, whatever you wanna go with) only affects loot composition (by 7% min/max) and now they've highlighted that crit bonuses only boost this composition factor.
Charlie|MindArk: No, DPP and Efficiency are not the same thing. DPP affects loot composition and critical hit/damage etc affect the DPP. Efficiency directly affects average TT return by 0-7%.
First off, thanks for the update!
Just a slight point about that list; there are presumably a huge number of players who don't fit any category there, namely those with a daily turnover of less than 600 peds or so a day since the test began, but have been around a lot longer than just this year!
I wonder what those returns are ???
It's also nice to see discussion on critical hits, for example, being commented on by MA to clear up some misunderstandings . Please continue to show you have been reading our discussions MA, ty!!!
Thank you so much for the update PLEASE keep them regular - we have a community manager after all.... right?
I at first was liking the changes, but quickly my loot fell off like usual. The hope was in less armor/fap decay.
Problems remain with loot items having zero mu and huge swings of volitity exist.
And as posted above, what about the large group of people that go through say 300-1000 peds? or even 5k peds? Your figures start off at 10k, that's pretty high. I still have never maintained 97% or 90% for that matter for more than a couple of days. What's my return after a week to 1 month? 0-10%. Deposit 100 bucks, have 1-10 dollars at end of month. I would LOVE to see myself have 80 even, but I don't so I still keep my distance from this game.
I remain hopeful for the future and involved from a distance.
Charlie|MindArk: The amount of turnover isn't very relevant to the average return or volatility in return for any individual player. To reach a stable average return it's really the amount of loot instances or creatures killed that matters. As an example, if a player kills 2 Sand Kings spending about 5000 PED to do so the expected loot returned on those 2 kills can vary greatly. If instead killing 200,000 Punies also about 5000 PED the expected loot return is going to be very close to the expected average of 96%+ seen in the 2017 group. A more realistic example of this is perhaps spending 300 PED hunting Proterons vs spending 300 PED hunting small Argonauts where the Argonaut hunt will usually yield similar results and the Proteron hunt results can be all over the place since the loot events are so few.
The reason turnover is chosen as the metric to present these statistics is because number of kills doesn't really say much about which level of players are in which category since anyone can kill a large number of mobs if they are small enough.
still no definition of what the hell turnover means... Is that the amount of ped they deposited, the number of ped they spent in decay, the amount of ped spent in ammo, or the amount of tt value they turned in when they 'turned it over' to the tt?
Charlie|MindArk: Turnover or PED "Cycled" is all PED decayed/destroyed/spent on killing a creature, this means decay for weapons, armor, ammo, healing, attachments etc. It has nothing to do with deposits, trade terminals or repair terminals etc.
Ive done more than 10k turnover but nowhere near those numbers =) how do we know that they are for real ?
Charlie|MindArk: These numbers are averages, most players in each category are going to be either above or below said number.
New players do probably not cycle 10000-50000 ped in 2,5 weeks so their volatility is probably even more obvious than for the mid level small time/softcore players (who most likelly have a larger turnover). So is this 96,94% for new players the average for ONE particular newby or is it an average of the entire newby player base?
They just say
Accounts created in 2017 have enjoyed returns of 96.94% on average since the changes implemented on Sept. 11.
But this doesnt mean every newby who shot 1000 punies got 96,94% in return.
Charlie|MindArk: As mentioned in a previous answer, the most important part for stable returns is the amount of kills or loot events not the amount of turnover. Most new players have very low turnover but hunt mobs like punies and therefore kill a large amount of mobs, like 1000 as you mentioned. This does produce results pretty close to the average for most new players.
How exactly did Loot 2.0 drastically lowered cost of healing?
Charlie|MindArk: Most of the decay from healing and using armor is now compensated for in the loot of the mob. On top of this the actual amount of decay to the armor per damage absorbed was reduced greatly. Overall the cost for healing and armor usage is less than 5% of what it used to be.
It is great that you adjust to lower the fees, even if temporary.
Some questions:
1. Is the temporary test over or still ongoing?
2. Is "returns on average" including costs (repairs)? does it include MU? if so, your MU figures cannot be correct as the auction data is off, there are many items which show MU because of historical sales but really cannot be sold / MU is way lower.
3. Smilgs has enjoyed a tt return of 92.66% since 11th of September and 91.82% before that, the only higher return was when not using the crit buffs for a week - strange coincidence? Losing 15000 peds per month with 39000 peds just before is just as frustrating of an experience...
Charlie|MindArk: Yes it is still ongoing and we hope to be able to keep it this way.
As mentioned earlier it includes all decay of weapons, ammo, armor etc associated with killing the creature. Repairing simply moves PED from one place to another much like buying/selling things from the TT, neither has an effect on loot or MindArk revenues.
The loot system never accounts for markup. Not on markup spent on things like enhancers or limited weapons, nor on markup gained from loot such as oils, items and ESI etc, markup values are just transactions between players. It is always TT in vs TT out. These statistics also do not include any loot that was paid as tax on land areas, so the returns are actually slightly higher than stated here.
If those tests of using/not using crit buffs were done during the last two weeks it would have coincided with the increase in overall loot returns and any result would have been skewed by that.
As for your personal returns I will not answer that here but you already have those answers in a support case and will have to post it yourself if you want it shared.
deflect means it blocked 100% of the damage, that has nothing at all to do with armor decaying less...
Charlie|MindArk: Correct.
Wednesday, September 27, 2017
Developer Notes #14 - Loot 2.0 Update
Developer Notes #14 - Loot 2.0 Update
One of MindArk’s primary long-term goals is to make Entropia Universe as affordable and entertaining as possible for all participants. Toward that end, MindArk is continually experimenting with various adjustments to in-game systems, with an eye toward lowering cost to play while maintaining a reasonable level of revenue that enables continued development and marketing of Entropia Universe.
Reductions in Cost to Play
On September 11th, we initiated a temporary test in which the MindArk fee for hunting was lowered significantly. In the long term, we hope that a lower MindArk fee will result in increased overall activity and new participant retention, and thereby compensate for the lower short-term revenue. We plan to continue experimenting with these revenue settings in the near future to gather more data.
One of MindArk’s primary long-term goals is to make Entropia Universe as affordable and entertaining as possible for all participants. Toward that end, MindArk is continually experimenting with various adjustments to in-game systems, with an eye toward lowering cost to play while maintaining a reasonable level of revenue that enables continued development and marketing of Entropia Universe.
Reductions in Cost to Play
On September 11th, we initiated a temporary test in which the MindArk fee for hunting was lowered significantly. In the long term, we hope that a lower MindArk fee will result in increased overall activity and new participant retention, and thereby compensate for the lower short-term revenue. We plan to continue experimenting with these revenue settings in the near future to gather more data.
Early data show positive results from those experiments:
Hunters with turnover of more than 50000 PED since Sept. 11 have enjoyed returns of 98.6% on average.
Hunters with turnover between 10000 and 50000 PED since Sept. 11 have enjoyed returns of 97.05% on average.
Accounts created in 2017 have enjoyed returns of 96.94% on average since the changes implemented on Sept. 11.
As noted in a previous Developer Notes, Loot 2.0 drastically lowered the costs for armor decay and healing, which we can now confirm has led to a substantial increase in the usage of those mechanics. This is an example of the type of positive changes we are hoping to identify and implement in other systems: changes that benefit participants (in terms of lower cost to play) as well as MindArk’s revenue, resulting in a better overall gameplay experience and growth of Entropia Universe.
Loot Distribution Changes
As many participants have already noticed, changes have recently been made to hunting loot distribution, specifically regarding loot volatility and loot sizes. The overall net hunting return was not affected by these changes, but rather the frequency and size of various loot outcomes as a means of promoting more interesting and exciting loot outcomes and removing some of the more frustrating outcomes that were previously possible (especially on larger creatures).
Effects of Critical Hits/Damage on Loot
Finally, we have noticed several misconceptions in recent community discussions regarding Critical Hits that we would like to clarify. Critical Hits do not have a direct impact on loot value calculations per se. Since loot is now based on the actual cost to kill a creature in Loot 2.0, dealing more damage via critical hits (or by having higher damage per pec) does result in smaller loot events for a given creature, but this effect is directly proportional to the lower cost to kill and allows more creatures to be killed (i.e. more loot events) for a given amount of PED spent. Also, the composition of loot improves in such cases and results in a lower proportion of Shrapnel in loot. In other words, the use of items or consumables that provide increased Critical Hit Chance or Critical Damage can never have a negative effect on loot returns.
Hunters with turnover of more than 50000 PED since Sept. 11 have enjoyed returns of 98.6% on average.
Hunters with turnover between 10000 and 50000 PED since Sept. 11 have enjoyed returns of 97.05% on average.
Accounts created in 2017 have enjoyed returns of 96.94% on average since the changes implemented on Sept. 11.
As noted in a previous Developer Notes, Loot 2.0 drastically lowered the costs for armor decay and healing, which we can now confirm has led to a substantial increase in the usage of those mechanics. This is an example of the type of positive changes we are hoping to identify and implement in other systems: changes that benefit participants (in terms of lower cost to play) as well as MindArk’s revenue, resulting in a better overall gameplay experience and growth of Entropia Universe.
Loot Distribution Changes
As many participants have already noticed, changes have recently been made to hunting loot distribution, specifically regarding loot volatility and loot sizes. The overall net hunting return was not affected by these changes, but rather the frequency and size of various loot outcomes as a means of promoting more interesting and exciting loot outcomes and removing some of the more frustrating outcomes that were previously possible (especially on larger creatures).
Effects of Critical Hits/Damage on Loot
Finally, we have noticed several misconceptions in recent community discussions regarding Critical Hits that we would like to clarify. Critical Hits do not have a direct impact on loot value calculations per se. Since loot is now based on the actual cost to kill a creature in Loot 2.0, dealing more damage via critical hits (or by having higher damage per pec) does result in smaller loot events for a given creature, but this effect is directly proportional to the lower cost to kill and allows more creatures to be killed (i.e. more loot events) for a given amount of PED spent. Also, the composition of loot improves in such cases and results in a lower proportion of Shrapnel in loot. In other words, the use of items or consumables that provide increased Critical Hit Chance or Critical Damage can never have a negative effect on loot returns.
Developer Notes 13 - Loot-2.0 Statistics
Developer Notes #13 - Loot 2.0 Statistics
The MindArk design team has been closely monitoring the impact of Loot 2.0, recently implemented in Version Update 15.15. We have also been following the many interesting and valuable discussions on community forums and thought it would be helpful to those discussions to share some hunting return statistics.
Net return for all hunting activity since VU 15.15: 94.71%
Net return for hunters cycling at least 100,000 PED since VU 15.15: 97.29%
Net return for hunters cycling at least 10,000 PED since VU 15.15: 94.79%
Net return for accounts created in 2017, cycling at least 100 PED since VU 15.15: 94.87%
Net return for accounts created in 2017: 93.47%
These return rates are very close to MindArk’s targets for Loot 2.0, and indicate that the changes implemented are working as intended. Of course, we will continue to monitor, tweak and improve moving forward.
Happy hunting!
The MindArk design team has been closely monitoring the impact of Loot 2.0, recently implemented in Version Update 15.15. We have also been following the many interesting and valuable discussions on community forums and thought it would be helpful to those discussions to share some hunting return statistics.
Net return for all hunting activity since VU 15.15: 94.71%
Net return for hunters cycling at least 100,000 PED since VU 15.15: 97.29%
Net return for hunters cycling at least 10,000 PED since VU 15.15: 94.79%
Net return for accounts created in 2017, cycling at least 100 PED since VU 15.15: 94.87%
Net return for accounts created in 2017: 93.47%
These return rates are very close to MindArk’s targets for Loot 2.0, and indicate that the changes implemented are working as intended. Of course, we will continue to monitor, tweak and improve moving forward.
Happy hunting!
Developer-Notes #12 - Loot-2.0 Follow-Up
Developer Notes #12 - Loot 2.0 Follow-Up
This installment of Developer Notes attempts to clear up some of the questions and misconceptions related to the Version Update 15.15.0 - Loot 2.0.
Economy Parameter (soon to be renamed Efficiency)One of the most misunderstood features of Loot 2.0 was the introduction of the Economy parameter and its effect on loot calculations. Based on feedback received via support cases and our monitoring of forum discussions, it appears that one cause of confusion is the use of the term ‘Economy’ for this parameter. As such, the Economy parameter will be renamed to Efficiency in the upcoming patch, which more accurately captures the effect of this parameter. Also in the upcoming patch, the tooltip text for the Efficiency parameter will be changed to the following:
Efficiency indicates the cost-effectiveness of a weapon (or weapon attachment) in creating damage. Efficiency values range from 1-100, and higher values indicate better efficiency. Efficiency is an inherent property of an item, and thus is not affected by avatar skills. Weapons that have scopes, lasers or amplifiers attached will display a modified Efficiency value (in orange).
A few additional points about Efficiency parameter will hopefully clear up many of the questions and dispel some of the more common misconceptions that we have noticed:
The Efficiency parameter is not affected by avatar skills.
The largest components by far in loot value calculations are costs, such as weapon deterioration, ammo consumption, armor deterioration, healing costs, etc.
The Efficiency parameter is a relatively small component in loot calculations (no more than 7% of total loot value).
The displayed Efficiency parameter for a given weapon does not correspond to expected overall loot return.
Optimal Loot
Another feature of Loot 2.0 that has sparked lots of discussion and speculation is Optimal Loot.
It is important to note that Optimal Loot only affects loot composition (what you loot), not the loot value (how much you loot). There is no Optimal Loot penalty for hunting creatures that are well below your avatar’s level; in fact most such kills will meet the requirements for Optimal Loot composition.
To best achieve Optimal Loot:
Be sure to have the Hit Ability and Damage profession requirements maxed (10.0/10.0) on the weapon your avatar is using.
Avoid over-amping (using a weapon amplifier that adds more than 50% of the maximum damage of the weapon to which it is equipped).
Minimize healing costs and the need to interrupt damage dealing to heal.
In general, the lower the cost to kill a creature, the higher the proportion of loot composition will be Optimal Loot. There is no inherent “kill timer” for each creature; Optimal Loot is calculated based on costs, not on time.
Crafting, Resources and Economy
MindArk is working on restructuring and streamlining the item situation in Entropia Universe. This involves many changes to the crafting system and loot distribution, with the goal of reducing the number of components, resources and similar items in the universe, to ensure that the majority of items have a place within the economy.
The balance between looted and crafted items, along with items from other sources such as events, competitions, strongboxes, etc., will be improved to strike a better balance.
New blueprints will use existing components and resources as much as possible to sustain a thriving and interdependent economy between crafting, mining and hunting.
This installment of Developer Notes attempts to clear up some of the questions and misconceptions related to the Version Update 15.15.0 - Loot 2.0.
Economy Parameter (soon to be renamed Efficiency)One of the most misunderstood features of Loot 2.0 was the introduction of the Economy parameter and its effect on loot calculations. Based on feedback received via support cases and our monitoring of forum discussions, it appears that one cause of confusion is the use of the term ‘Economy’ for this parameter. As such, the Economy parameter will be renamed to Efficiency in the upcoming patch, which more accurately captures the effect of this parameter. Also in the upcoming patch, the tooltip text for the Efficiency parameter will be changed to the following:
Efficiency indicates the cost-effectiveness of a weapon (or weapon attachment) in creating damage. Efficiency values range from 1-100, and higher values indicate better efficiency. Efficiency is an inherent property of an item, and thus is not affected by avatar skills. Weapons that have scopes, lasers or amplifiers attached will display a modified Efficiency value (in orange).
A few additional points about Efficiency parameter will hopefully clear up many of the questions and dispel some of the more common misconceptions that we have noticed:
The Efficiency parameter is not affected by avatar skills.
The largest components by far in loot value calculations are costs, such as weapon deterioration, ammo consumption, armor deterioration, healing costs, etc.
The Efficiency parameter is a relatively small component in loot calculations (no more than 7% of total loot value).
The displayed Efficiency parameter for a given weapon does not correspond to expected overall loot return.
Optimal Loot
Another feature of Loot 2.0 that has sparked lots of discussion and speculation is Optimal Loot.
It is important to note that Optimal Loot only affects loot composition (what you loot), not the loot value (how much you loot). There is no Optimal Loot penalty for hunting creatures that are well below your avatar’s level; in fact most such kills will meet the requirements for Optimal Loot composition.
To best achieve Optimal Loot:
Be sure to have the Hit Ability and Damage profession requirements maxed (10.0/10.0) on the weapon your avatar is using.
Avoid over-amping (using a weapon amplifier that adds more than 50% of the maximum damage of the weapon to which it is equipped).
Minimize healing costs and the need to interrupt damage dealing to heal.
In general, the lower the cost to kill a creature, the higher the proportion of loot composition will be Optimal Loot. There is no inherent “kill timer” for each creature; Optimal Loot is calculated based on costs, not on time.
Crafting, Resources and Economy
MindArk is working on restructuring and streamlining the item situation in Entropia Universe. This involves many changes to the crafting system and loot distribution, with the goal of reducing the number of components, resources and similar items in the universe, to ensure that the majority of items have a place within the economy.
The balance between looted and crafted items, along with items from other sources such as events, competitions, strongboxes, etc., will be improved to strike a better balance.
New blueprints will use existing components and resources as much as possible to sustain a thriving and interdependent economy between crafting, mining and hunting.
Developer Notes #11 - Loot 2.0
Developer Notes #11 - Loot 2.0
Later this month, MindArk will be releasing a special Loot 2.0 Version Update that will overhaul the way in which hunting loot is calculated and distributed. Many of the features and systems added over the past few years have gradually led to this update, which will significantly improve overall loot returns for the vast majority (upwards of 98%) of participants.
The information in this Developer Notes article is intended to inform participants of the upcoming changes and to gather initial impressions and feedback to help ensure a smooth implementation of this exciting update. Please bear in mind that the changes described below are still being finalized and tested, so some specific details may be changed upon release, while other changes may require additional refinement or testing and therefore may not appear in the initial Loot 2.0 release, but instead in subsequent patches or Version Updates.
Loot Changes
Loot calculations will be optimized and improved to better factor in the various costs associated with hunting activity, including: healing, ammo consumption, buffs, tool and armor deterioration, attachments, and more.
A special hunting bonus pool will be implemented that will distribute funds from various sources, including skill misses, PVP, marketing and special events, which will improve overall loot returns for all participants.
A new Economy rating parameter will be introduced, on a scale of 1-100, that indicates the efficiency of a tool and which influences loot calculations. This change from the once dominant damage/pec model will provide the design team with more freedom to release exciting and interesting items with a wider range of damage output and special effects. For example, our team will have the ability to create powerful new items that provide access to challenging and exciting content without dramatically increasing cost to play. Existing items will be assigned Economy values that reflect their relative efficiency to one another and to the entire array of items in the universe.
Avatar skills will play a role in loot calculations and this role will be expanded in future Version Updates. Imagine new professions that offer hunting specialization opportunities and a way to incrementally increase net loot returns for dedicated and active hunters.
MindArk has been monitoring the community discussions concerning so-called 'loot waves' and will implement changes in the Loot 2.0 and subsequent Version Updates that will address this issue by improving the distribution of resources and items, with the goal of ensuring that loot opportunities are more interesting, dynamic and fair for all participants
Ammunition will be removed from hunting loot. This change has been requested by many participants over the years and will assist participants in more accurately tracking their results.
Loot value calculations and the composition of the items in loot will be affected by properly matching avatar skills and gear to the creature being hunted, rewarding efficient kills with more interesting loot. For optimal loot, it will be important to avoid inefficiencies such as low damage output compared to creature health, excessive time and cost to kill, overkill damage, unmaxed weapons and other factors. This system is intended to reward game knowledge, which has traditionally been an important and unique aspect of success in Entropia Universe, and to provide opportunities for participants to improve their loot returns via experimentation, optimization and specialization.
Also in the Loot 2.0 Version Update will be a range of improvements to various other systems with an eye toward lowering costs and increasing enjoyment for all Entropians. An example of such are the following planned changes to armor:
Armor Changes
Armor now decays significantly less per point of damage absorbed.
Armor no longer has a minimum decay based on total protection, it will now always decay proportionally to the amount of damage absorbed.
Armor can now absorb all incoming damage down to a minimum of 0.1 point of damage taken, instead of the previous 1.0 points of damage.
Armor and armor platings now decay independently based on the amount of damage they each actually absorb, rather than both decaying as if absorbing the full amount of received damage.
Armor decay is now linear per point of damage absorbed, rather than increasing in cost per damage absorbed.
A profession level requirement will be introduced for non-(L) armors. Meeting the required level results in the armor offering full protection at all condition values. If the profession requirement is not met, armor works as before, with protection decreasing relative to condition.
Our design and development teams have been working very hard on these important changes for many months now, and MindArk looks forward to incorporating valuable feedback from our wonderful and passionate community leading up to the release of Loot 2.0!
Later this month, MindArk will be releasing a special Loot 2.0 Version Update that will overhaul the way in which hunting loot is calculated and distributed. Many of the features and systems added over the past few years have gradually led to this update, which will significantly improve overall loot returns for the vast majority (upwards of 98%) of participants.
The information in this Developer Notes article is intended to inform participants of the upcoming changes and to gather initial impressions and feedback to help ensure a smooth implementation of this exciting update. Please bear in mind that the changes described below are still being finalized and tested, so some specific details may be changed upon release, while other changes may require additional refinement or testing and therefore may not appear in the initial Loot 2.0 release, but instead in subsequent patches or Version Updates.
Loot Changes
Loot calculations will be optimized and improved to better factor in the various costs associated with hunting activity, including: healing, ammo consumption, buffs, tool and armor deterioration, attachments, and more.
A special hunting bonus pool will be implemented that will distribute funds from various sources, including skill misses, PVP, marketing and special events, which will improve overall loot returns for all participants.
A new Economy rating parameter will be introduced, on a scale of 1-100, that indicates the efficiency of a tool and which influences loot calculations. This change from the once dominant damage/pec model will provide the design team with more freedom to release exciting and interesting items with a wider range of damage output and special effects. For example, our team will have the ability to create powerful new items that provide access to challenging and exciting content without dramatically increasing cost to play. Existing items will be assigned Economy values that reflect their relative efficiency to one another and to the entire array of items in the universe.
Avatar skills will play a role in loot calculations and this role will be expanded in future Version Updates. Imagine new professions that offer hunting specialization opportunities and a way to incrementally increase net loot returns for dedicated and active hunters.
MindArk has been monitoring the community discussions concerning so-called 'loot waves' and will implement changes in the Loot 2.0 and subsequent Version Updates that will address this issue by improving the distribution of resources and items, with the goal of ensuring that loot opportunities are more interesting, dynamic and fair for all participants
Ammunition will be removed from hunting loot. This change has been requested by many participants over the years and will assist participants in more accurately tracking their results.
Loot value calculations and the composition of the items in loot will be affected by properly matching avatar skills and gear to the creature being hunted, rewarding efficient kills with more interesting loot. For optimal loot, it will be important to avoid inefficiencies such as low damage output compared to creature health, excessive time and cost to kill, overkill damage, unmaxed weapons and other factors. This system is intended to reward game knowledge, which has traditionally been an important and unique aspect of success in Entropia Universe, and to provide opportunities for participants to improve their loot returns via experimentation, optimization and specialization.
Also in the Loot 2.0 Version Update will be a range of improvements to various other systems with an eye toward lowering costs and increasing enjoyment for all Entropians. An example of such are the following planned changes to armor:
Armor Changes
Armor now decays significantly less per point of damage absorbed.
Armor no longer has a minimum decay based on total protection, it will now always decay proportionally to the amount of damage absorbed.
Armor can now absorb all incoming damage down to a minimum of 0.1 point of damage taken, instead of the previous 1.0 points of damage.
Armor and armor platings now decay independently based on the amount of damage they each actually absorb, rather than both decaying as if absorbing the full amount of received damage.
Armor decay is now linear per point of damage absorbed, rather than increasing in cost per damage absorbed.
A profession level requirement will be introduced for non-(L) armors. Meeting the required level results in the armor offering full protection at all condition values. If the profession requirement is not met, armor works as before, with protection decreasing relative to condition.
Our design and development teams have been working very hard on these important changes for many months now, and MindArk looks forward to incorporating valuable feedback from our wonderful and passionate community leading up to the release of Loot 2.0!
Monday, September 26, 2016
2016 in Entropia Universe
2016 So Far!
Greetings Entropians!
The MindArk team has been hard at work on the upcoming Version Update 15.10, and we’d like to take this opportunity to share some previews of the VU, as well as review some of the progress made so far in 2016.
Earlier this year we implemented a new Dynamic Event System, which has been used to create some very exciting Robot Invasion events on Planet Calypso. The Calypso team will be releasing an additional Robot Invasion dynamic event suitable for lower level avatars in the upcoming release.
MindArk will continue to expand and improve this system based on data and feedback from the Calypso implementations, and provide increasingly powerful and flexible tools for our content producers and Planet Partners to create engaging dynamic and storyline driven events in the future.
One of the exciting new features that will be implemented in VU 15.10 is an expansion to the Housing system that will enable production of resources from CLD Plot estates. The first type of production to be implemented will be Gardening, allowing CLD Plot estate holders to grow various plants that will be used in the construction of new components for crafting.
Entropia Pocket, the new smartphone app featuring a two-step authentication code generator to complement the existing Gold Card security system, is currently in soft launch and is scheduled for full release in the fall.
ComPet (www.competgame.com), is currently in open beta and the ComPet development team continues to integrate feedback and improvements in preparation for the full ComPet launch.
Finally, our marketing team would like to share some promising statistics from MindArk’s intense marketing efforts over the past year:
-the number of active participants has grown by more than 51% over the past 12 months.
Greetings Entropians!
The MindArk team has been hard at work on the upcoming Version Update 15.10, and we’d like to take this opportunity to share some previews of the VU, as well as review some of the progress made so far in 2016.
Earlier this year we implemented a new Dynamic Event System, which has been used to create some very exciting Robot Invasion events on Planet Calypso. The Calypso team will be releasing an additional Robot Invasion dynamic event suitable for lower level avatars in the upcoming release.
MindArk will continue to expand and improve this system based on data and feedback from the Calypso implementations, and provide increasingly powerful and flexible tools for our content producers and Planet Partners to create engaging dynamic and storyline driven events in the future.
One of the exciting new features that will be implemented in VU 15.10 is an expansion to the Housing system that will enable production of resources from CLD Plot estates. The first type of production to be implemented will be Gardening, allowing CLD Plot estate holders to grow various plants that will be used in the construction of new components for crafting.
Entropia Pocket, the new smartphone app featuring a two-step authentication code generator to complement the existing Gold Card security system, is currently in soft launch and is scheduled for full release in the fall.
ComPet (www.competgame.com), is currently in open beta and the ComPet development team continues to integrate feedback and improvements in preparation for the full ComPet launch.
Finally, our marketing team would like to share some promising statistics from MindArk’s intense marketing efforts over the past year:
-the number of active participants has grown by more than 51% over the past 12 months.
-in-game revenue has grown 10% year-on-year for the first 2 quarters of 2016.
All of us at MindArk would like to thank you for your dedication to Entropia Universe and for helping to make the first half of 2016 so exciting. We look forward to continuing to improve the Entropia Universe platform in the second half of 2016, as well as presenting a wide range of exciting events and content for all of our participants to enjoy!
Best regards,
Klas Moreau
CEO MindArk PE AB
All of us at MindArk would like to thank you for your dedication to Entropia Universe and for helping to make the first half of 2016 so exciting. We look forward to continuing to improve the Entropia Universe platform in the second half of 2016, as well as presenting a wide range of exciting events and content for all of our participants to enjoy!
Best regards,
Klas Moreau
CEO MindArk PE AB
Friday, July 31, 2015
Compet Bulletin #7
In the previous ComPet bulletin we talked about player versus player pet battles. While the PVP pet battles are a central feature of ComPet, there are also many other cool features! In this ComPet bulletin we will take a look at the City Management feature.
Concept of the stables, which allow you to view and manage your pets.
City Management
Every ComPet player will have their own city to manage, where various useful structures can be built. The structures will for example offer the ability to recruit new pets, train existing pets, generate resources, and gain access to various other features and content.
The city itself and the buildings within can be upgraded in order to access new functions and pet bonuses. The city is also the main user interface from which most of your activities in ComPet originate.
ComPet will offer an exciting raid feature, where players can attack the cities of other ComPet players and pet battle them for their resources. Of course, this means defending your own city from attacks will be an important part of a successful strategy in ComPet!
Olivia, the ComPet app guide.
We are also very happy to introduce Olivia, the ComPet in-game assistant!
When ComPet is launched, Olivia will guide you through the game, providing you with information and advice when you need it.
Follow us on Twitter @playComPet to receive more exciting updates on the ComPet app!
Visit www.ComPetGame.com now to reserve your ComPet deeds.
The ComPet app is still in development. As such, any features, systems, and graphics of ComPet mentioned or shown in this document may be subject to change.
Concept of the stables, which allow you to view and manage your pets.
City Management
Every ComPet player will have their own city to manage, where various useful structures can be built. The structures will for example offer the ability to recruit new pets, train existing pets, generate resources, and gain access to various other features and content.
The city itself and the buildings within can be upgraded in order to access new functions and pet bonuses. The city is also the main user interface from which most of your activities in ComPet originate.
ComPet will offer an exciting raid feature, where players can attack the cities of other ComPet players and pet battle them for their resources. Of course, this means defending your own city from attacks will be an important part of a successful strategy in ComPet!
Olivia, the ComPet app guide.
We are also very happy to introduce Olivia, the ComPet in-game assistant!
When ComPet is launched, Olivia will guide you through the game, providing you with information and advice when you need it.
Follow us on Twitter @playComPet to receive more exciting updates on the ComPet app!
Visit www.ComPetGame.com now to reserve your ComPet deeds.
The ComPet app is still in development. As such, any features, systems, and graphics of ComPet mentioned or shown in this document may be subject to change.
Tuesday, June 23, 2015
ComPet Bulletin 6
We are currently testing the stability of the battle system. Here's a screenshot of the prototype in action!
Please note that this is a prototype built for game design and testing purposes only. It does not represent what the final product will look like. Any and all graphics shown are subject to change.
The picture shows a pet battle in full swing.
Please note that this is a prototype built for game design and testing purposes only. It does not represent what the final product will look like. Any and all graphics shown are subject to change.
The picture shows a pet battle in full swing.
The two players take turns choosing what ability their pet will use next. The key to success in battle is to manage your pet’s health, mana, stamina, abilities and cooldowns in order to overcome your opponent. Just before the battle begins, you choose your ability set and apply buffs to your pet in order to maximize the effectiveness of your strategy and play style.
In the final product your pet will battle in vibrant environments, and have a vast amount of different abilities to choose from, which will cater to all play styles and strategies.
The pet battle is just one of many aspects of ComPet. Stay tuned for more updates and info as ComPet develops!
Follow us on twitter @playComPet to receive more exciting updates on the ComPet app!
Go to www.competgame.com now to get your ComPet deed!
In the final product your pet will battle in vibrant environments, and have a vast amount of different abilities to choose from, which will cater to all play styles and strategies.
The pet battle is just one of many aspects of ComPet. Stay tuned for more updates and info as ComPet develops!
Follow us on twitter @playComPet to receive more exciting updates on the ComPet app!
Go to www.competgame.com now to get your ComPet deed!
Saturday, February 28, 2015
State of the Universe Address 2015
State of the Universe Address 2015
Greetings Entropians,
First of all, everyone here at MindArk would like to extend thanks for your participation and support of Entropia Universe throughout the past year. Our plans for 2015, outlined below, have been designed to provide an increasingly exciting and rewarding real-cash economy gaming experience for you. But first I’d like to briefly review some of the improvements to Entropia Universe that were accomplished in 2014.
2014 Highlights
Social Interface Redesign
Early in the year the chat and messaging interfaces were completely redesigned to improve communication and encourage enhanced social interaction between participants. New features included offline messaging, custom chat channels, avatar profiles, and much more. Subsequent version updates refined the new interface and provided additional features.
Infrastructure & Performance
Ongoing improvements were made to the Entropia Universe platform infrastructure, including hardware and software upgrades and enhanced development tools. Starting late in 2014 and continuing early this year, our development team conducted several stress tests in order to profile performance and identify areas for improvement. Valuable data was gathered from those tests, which will help to improve client and server performance moving forward in 2015.
New Player Experience
Ongoing improvements to the New Player Experience were implemented with every Version Update and partner release during 2014. These efforts will continue to be a top priority during 2015 in order to maximize the marketing efforts of MindArk and the planet partners.
Webshop
MindArk implemented a web-based shop available on EntropiaUniverse.com where participants are able to purchase various items and consumables, including special Starter Packs ideally designed for new participants.
Creature Control System
A fun new feature allowing avatars to assume the form of various creatures was implemented in the form of Creature Control Capsules. This system is also available to planet partners to help enhance storyline events with controllable creatures and NPCs. Capsules for additional creatures will continue to be added in future Version Updates.
Taming
The long awaited return of the taming system was unveiled last fall, sporting new features along
with former functionality. Stable estates were also auctioned during 2014, and will soon provide services and enhancements for pets.
Support
With the closing of MindArk’s office in Mexico during 2014, support operations were relocated back to the Gothenburg headquarters. This change has resulted in a better overall support experience for our customers, with faster response times and much improved support ticket satisfaction ratings.
PVP Improvements
Several improvements to PVP interaction were implemented in 2014, including the disabling of auto-arget functionality in PVP areas. Additional tweaks and improvements are planned for mid-2015.
2015 Roadmap
Taming
The second stage of the Taming system will be implemented in the upcoming Version Update.
Pets will gain passive buffs that can be unlocked at various levels of experience. Stables will gain the ability to offer several new time-limited pet buffs as well. Additional functionality will be added to the Taming system in Version Updates throughout 2015, some of which will be coordinated with the ComPet application.
ComPet Application
Work is progressing well on the design phase of ComPet, which is currently planned for release in Q4 of 2015. The ComPet website will be launched within the next two weeks and will provide ongoing updates and info on the ComPet project.
Citizenship & Housing System
Development of these systems was unfortunately delayed in 2014 due to the critical infrastructure upgrades taking quite a bit more development time than anticipated, along with several other projects receiving higher priority in the second half of 2014 and early 2015. The housing system will be implemented incrementally, starting in mid-2015.
Space
In order to improve the quality and quantity of space content, we are working on several new features and systems. Those new features will be developed and released incrementally during 2015 and into 2016. The first stage of the Galactic Transport system will likely be included in the Version Update currently planned for June, and will offer transport missions with rewards drawn from the Galactic Transport pool that is funded by auction transfer fees.
To create the potential for more exciting and rewarding PVP activity in space, there are plans to refine the balancing of spaceships and spaceship weaponry in order. Along with that rebalancing, additional PVE space content is planned for Q3/Q4 2015.
New Player Experience
As we have done for the past couple of years, MindArk and the planet partners intend to continually improve the experience for new participants, in hopes of better engaging our customers and thereby improving conversion and retention rates and maximizing our marketing efforts.
EU Client
The effort to overhaul and modernize the various user interfaces of the Entropia Universe client will continue in 2015. This is an ongoing project with the goal of unifying and streamlining the many existing user interface elements to improve usability and aesthetics.
Affiliate System
Work is moving forward on the affiliate program mentioned in the State of the Universe Address 2014, though the expected release date has been revised to 2015 due to integration requirements with other planned projects.
Marketing
MindArk plans to continue to expand and refine its marketing efforts in 2015 in order to maximize the number of new participants joining Entropia Universe. As outlined above, our marketing efforts in 2014 were very promising and we plan to become even more aggressive in 2015.
Entropia Platform Third-Party Partners
Companies and organisations around the world now have the opportunity to leverage the Entropia Platform for marketing, promotion, production assistance and training
MindArk is already working closely with several parties that plan to launch services during 2015 that will harness the power and flexibility of the Entropia Universe platform. Details of one of those projects will be announced within the next couple of months. Stay tuned!
Planet Partners
Planet Toulan
MindArk was excited to bring its newest planet online early last year. Though still in its beta release, Planet Toulan promises to bring exposure of Entropia Universe to a previously untapped sector of the online gaming audience and add a unique Arabian theme to the existing planet partner roster. Full release of Planet Toulan is expected mid-2015.
Planet Cyrene
The long-awaited full launch of Planet Cyrene is planned for 2015.
Planet Arkadia
Planet Arkadia did a wonderful job with its content development, marketing, and event management efforts during 2014, and plans to carry that momentum forward into 2015.
Rocktropia
Rocktropia will continue its efforts of implementing popular brands into its content, building on its success with King Kong and other Universal Studios properties.
I hope that all of you are looking forward to the exciting releases coming up in 2015 and that our planned developments help you to enjoy Entropia Universe more than ever before. We at MindArk are committed to continually improving the content, quality and capacity of Entropia Universe in order to offer as enjoyable and exciting a Virtual Real Cash economy experience as possible.
Best regards,
Klas Moreau
CEO MindArk PE AB
Greetings Entropians,
First of all, everyone here at MindArk would like to extend thanks for your participation and support of Entropia Universe throughout the past year. Our plans for 2015, outlined below, have been designed to provide an increasingly exciting and rewarding real-cash economy gaming experience for you. But first I’d like to briefly review some of the improvements to Entropia Universe that were accomplished in 2014.
2014 Highlights
Social Interface Redesign
Early in the year the chat and messaging interfaces were completely redesigned to improve communication and encourage enhanced social interaction between participants. New features included offline messaging, custom chat channels, avatar profiles, and much more. Subsequent version updates refined the new interface and provided additional features.
Infrastructure & Performance
Ongoing improvements were made to the Entropia Universe platform infrastructure, including hardware and software upgrades and enhanced development tools. Starting late in 2014 and continuing early this year, our development team conducted several stress tests in order to profile performance and identify areas for improvement. Valuable data was gathered from those tests, which will help to improve client and server performance moving forward in 2015.
New Player Experience
Ongoing improvements to the New Player Experience were implemented with every Version Update and partner release during 2014. These efforts will continue to be a top priority during 2015 in order to maximize the marketing efforts of MindArk and the planet partners.
Webshop
MindArk implemented a web-based shop available on EntropiaUniverse.com where participants are able to purchase various items and consumables, including special Starter Packs ideally designed for new participants.
Creature Control System
A fun new feature allowing avatars to assume the form of various creatures was implemented in the form of Creature Control Capsules. This system is also available to planet partners to help enhance storyline events with controllable creatures and NPCs. Capsules for additional creatures will continue to be added in future Version Updates.
Taming
The long awaited return of the taming system was unveiled last fall, sporting new features along
with former functionality. Stable estates were also auctioned during 2014, and will soon provide services and enhancements for pets.
Support
With the closing of MindArk’s office in Mexico during 2014, support operations were relocated back to the Gothenburg headquarters. This change has resulted in a better overall support experience for our customers, with faster response times and much improved support ticket satisfaction ratings.
PVP Improvements
Several improvements to PVP interaction were implemented in 2014, including the disabling of auto-arget functionality in PVP areas. Additional tweaks and improvements are planned for mid-2015.
2015 Roadmap
Taming
The second stage of the Taming system will be implemented in the upcoming Version Update.
Pets will gain passive buffs that can be unlocked at various levels of experience. Stables will gain the ability to offer several new time-limited pet buffs as well. Additional functionality will be added to the Taming system in Version Updates throughout 2015, some of which will be coordinated with the ComPet application.
ComPet Application
Work is progressing well on the design phase of ComPet, which is currently planned for release in Q4 of 2015. The ComPet website will be launched within the next two weeks and will provide ongoing updates and info on the ComPet project.
Citizenship & Housing System
Development of these systems was unfortunately delayed in 2014 due to the critical infrastructure upgrades taking quite a bit more development time than anticipated, along with several other projects receiving higher priority in the second half of 2014 and early 2015. The housing system will be implemented incrementally, starting in mid-2015.
Space
In order to improve the quality and quantity of space content, we are working on several new features and systems. Those new features will be developed and released incrementally during 2015 and into 2016. The first stage of the Galactic Transport system will likely be included in the Version Update currently planned for June, and will offer transport missions with rewards drawn from the Galactic Transport pool that is funded by auction transfer fees.
To create the potential for more exciting and rewarding PVP activity in space, there are plans to refine the balancing of spaceships and spaceship weaponry in order. Along with that rebalancing, additional PVE space content is planned for Q3/Q4 2015.
New Player Experience
As we have done for the past couple of years, MindArk and the planet partners intend to continually improve the experience for new participants, in hopes of better engaging our customers and thereby improving conversion and retention rates and maximizing our marketing efforts.
EU Client
The effort to overhaul and modernize the various user interfaces of the Entropia Universe client will continue in 2015. This is an ongoing project with the goal of unifying and streamlining the many existing user interface elements to improve usability and aesthetics.
Affiliate System
Work is moving forward on the affiliate program mentioned in the State of the Universe Address 2014, though the expected release date has been revised to 2015 due to integration requirements with other planned projects.
Marketing
MindArk plans to continue to expand and refine its marketing efforts in 2015 in order to maximize the number of new participants joining Entropia Universe. As outlined above, our marketing efforts in 2014 were very promising and we plan to become even more aggressive in 2015.
Entropia Platform Third-Party Partners
Companies and organisations around the world now have the opportunity to leverage the Entropia Platform for marketing, promotion, production assistance and training
MindArk is already working closely with several parties that plan to launch services during 2015 that will harness the power and flexibility of the Entropia Universe platform. Details of one of those projects will be announced within the next couple of months. Stay tuned!
Planet Partners
Planet Toulan
MindArk was excited to bring its newest planet online early last year. Though still in its beta release, Planet Toulan promises to bring exposure of Entropia Universe to a previously untapped sector of the online gaming audience and add a unique Arabian theme to the existing planet partner roster. Full release of Planet Toulan is expected mid-2015.
Planet Cyrene
The long-awaited full launch of Planet Cyrene is planned for 2015.
Planet Arkadia
Planet Arkadia did a wonderful job with its content development, marketing, and event management efforts during 2014, and plans to carry that momentum forward into 2015.
Rocktropia
Rocktropia will continue its efforts of implementing popular brands into its content, building on its success with King Kong and other Universal Studios properties.
I hope that all of you are looking forward to the exciting releases coming up in 2015 and that our planned developments help you to enjoy Entropia Universe more than ever before. We at MindArk are committed to continually improving the content, quality and capacity of Entropia Universe in order to offer as enjoyable and exciting a Virtual Real Cash economy experience as possible.
Best regards,
Klas Moreau
CEO MindArk PE AB
Wednesday, November 12, 2014
Developer Notes #10 - Galactic Transport
Developer Notes #10 - Galactic Transport
In the upcoming Entropia Universe Version Update 15.1 (currently scheduled for early December), planet-specific auction sections will be removed. This change will result in a single unified auction, something that many participants have requested and something that MindArk believes will result in a more efficient and dynamic interplanetary economy.
After VU 15.1, buyers will have three options when winning an auction that was listed from a planet that differs from that of the buyer:
In the upcoming Entropia Universe Version Update 15.1 (currently scheduled for early December), planet-specific auction sections will be removed. This change will result in a single unified auction, something that many participants have requested and something that MindArk believes will result in a more efficient and dynamic interplanetary economy.
After VU 15.1, buyers will have three options when winning an auction that was listed from a planet that differs from that of the buyer:
1.Pickup at Origin - Items won from auction will be placed into the buyer’s inventory on the planet of origin (the planet where the auction was created). Buyer must then travel to the planet of origin to retrieve the items from storage.
2.Normal Delivery - Items won from auction will be transported to the buyer’s storage at the buyer’s current location after a specified period of time (TBD, approximately 1-4 hours). This option will incur a small transport fee, based on the weight of the items to be transported.
3.Instant Delivery - Items won from auction will be transported immediately to the buyer’s storage at the buyer’s current location. This option will incur the same transport fee as Normal Delivery, along with an extra convenience fee.
The transport fees collected for the Normal and Instant Delivery options will be held in a special transport fee pool. In a subsequent Version Update, transport missions will be made available that can be claimed by spaceship pilots via a queue system that incorporates the available transport fee pool, pilot skills, time limitations, and ship cargo capacities.
Those missions will take the form of cargo boxes which must be delivered to a destination in return for a PED reward funded by the transport fee pool. Cargo boxes are at risk of being looted by other participants in cases where the transporting ship is defeated in space combat; the looted cargo boxes can then be delivered to the assigned destination by the looter to claim the original transport mission reward. Note that the cargo boxes will correspond to the value of the transport mission reward rather than the actual items traded via auction sales. In this way piracy of cargo boxes will not negatively impact interplanetary trade.
It will still be possible to transport goods and resources through space in the current manner, though changes will be made in upcoming Version Updates to address currently existing issues and loopholes that allow for risk-free transport of goods and materials through space.
MindArk believes that this new Galactic Transport system will result in increased activity and efficiency in the interplanetary market for goods and materials, along with more accurate and informative market history data that will benefit participants on all planets. It will also make for a much more exciting and engaging gameplay experience in space and pave the way for further development of space systems including combat, hunting, transport and resource gathering.
The transport fees collected for the Normal and Instant Delivery options will be held in a special transport fee pool. In a subsequent Version Update, transport missions will be made available that can be claimed by spaceship pilots via a queue system that incorporates the available transport fee pool, pilot skills, time limitations, and ship cargo capacities.
Those missions will take the form of cargo boxes which must be delivered to a destination in return for a PED reward funded by the transport fee pool. Cargo boxes are at risk of being looted by other participants in cases where the transporting ship is defeated in space combat; the looted cargo boxes can then be delivered to the assigned destination by the looter to claim the original transport mission reward. Note that the cargo boxes will correspond to the value of the transport mission reward rather than the actual items traded via auction sales. In this way piracy of cargo boxes will not negatively impact interplanetary trade.
It will still be possible to transport goods and resources through space in the current manner, though changes will be made in upcoming Version Updates to address currently existing issues and loopholes that allow for risk-free transport of goods and materials through space.
MindArk believes that this new Galactic Transport system will result in increased activity and efficiency in the interplanetary market for goods and materials, along with more accurate and informative market history data that will benefit participants on all planets. It will also make for a much more exciting and engaging gameplay experience in space and pave the way for further development of space systems including combat, hunting, transport and resource gathering.
Tuesday, October 14, 2014
Developer Notes 9 - Version Update 15.0 Preview
Taming
As announced in an earlier Buzz article, Version Update 15.0 brings Taming back to Entropia Universe. In this first phase, each planet will feature one low-level tamable creature:
Existing pets work as they did in the old taming system, though those types of creatures cannot currently be tamed. Additional tamable creatures will be added in future Version Updates.
Shrapnel
Right click menu of Shrapnel in inventory
Shrapnel, a new stackable resource, will be introduced to hunting loot in VU 15.0.
All creatures on all planets will drop this new resource as a symbolic representation of salvaged battle debris, regardless of the type of weapon(s) used to defeat the creature. Shrapnel will replace a portion of the total loot value formerly dropped in the form of ammo, animal oils, tier components, paint cans, etc.
Shrapnel is not used as a crafting component; instead, Shrapnel can be converted to Universal Ammo at a ratio of 100:101, or sold to the Trade Terminal at face value.
Looted Stackables
The first phase of an effort to improve the distribution of looted stackable resources will be implemented in VU 15.0, starting with a majority of Planet Calypso creatures. Veteran participants will recall how several years ago most types of looted stackables could only be looted from particular creatures.
The benefit of returning to that method of distribution is a reduction in the number of different items looted in a particular hunting session, as well as more a more interesting hunting experience that allows hunters to leverage wisdom gained from previous hunts.
Loots for creatures on other planets will be adjusted in the upcoming partner releases after 15.0.
As announced in an earlier Buzz article, Version Update 15.0 brings Taming back to Entropia Universe. In this first phase, each planet will feature one low-level tamable creature:
- Arkadia - Nusul Puny
- Calypso - Bristlehog Puny
- Cyrene - Young Arret
- Rocktropia - Panther Puny
- Toulan - Tabtab Puny
Existing pets work as they did in the old taming system, though those types of creatures cannot currently be tamed. Additional tamable creatures will be added in future Version Updates.
Shrapnel
Right click menu of Shrapnel in inventory
Shrapnel, a new stackable resource, will be introduced to hunting loot in VU 15.0.
All creatures on all planets will drop this new resource as a symbolic representation of salvaged battle debris, regardless of the type of weapon(s) used to defeat the creature. Shrapnel will replace a portion of the total loot value formerly dropped in the form of ammo, animal oils, tier components, paint cans, etc.
Shrapnel is not used as a crafting component; instead, Shrapnel can be converted to Universal Ammo at a ratio of 100:101, or sold to the Trade Terminal at face value.
Looted Stackables
The first phase of an effort to improve the distribution of looted stackable resources will be implemented in VU 15.0, starting with a majority of Planet Calypso creatures. Veteran participants will recall how several years ago most types of looted stackables could only be looted from particular creatures.
The benefit of returning to that method of distribution is a reduction in the number of different items looted in a particular hunting session, as well as more a more interesting hunting experience that allows hunters to leverage wisdom gained from previous hunts.
Loots for creatures on other planets will be adjusted in the upcoming partner releases after 15.0.
Thursday, May 29, 2014
Management Blog on mindark.com
Here is a nice message from David from MindArk:
Hi,
We will add a Management Blog on mindark.com, this will be one of our communication channels as mentioned in yesterdays roadmap. We will endeavour to keep you informed of important and not so important happenings here at MindArk in the traditional "Blogg" style.
We are here to communicate with you, please forgive bad spelling and grammar as not all have English as their first language. We will not always be able to answer your questions so please be patient.
Not everything we are working on is in this Roadmap, for example Space is an important part of Entropia Universe and small adjustments will be made in coming releases, a major overhaul is needed and we can expect this in 2015.
We will try to cover other questions and concerns through our new blog.
Bringing EU out of the PC is as many of you know a difficult task, so an easier way to bring the EU experience to a wider audience and to engage the new accounts that cannot access the full PC Entropia Universe is to bring only parts of EU to the web-browser and mobile, the roadmap shows you some of the stages we need to take.
I understand Melee amps are ready for deployment, Im not sure of the details but I will try and make a statement asap once I get further information.
All for now.
David
Hi,
We will add a Management Blog on mindark.com, this will be one of our communication channels as mentioned in yesterdays roadmap. We will endeavour to keep you informed of important and not so important happenings here at MindArk in the traditional "Blogg" style.
We are here to communicate with you, please forgive bad spelling and grammar as not all have English as their first language. We will not always be able to answer your questions so please be patient.
Not everything we are working on is in this Roadmap, for example Space is an important part of Entropia Universe and small adjustments will be made in coming releases, a major overhaul is needed and we can expect this in 2015.
We will try to cover other questions and concerns through our new blog.
Bringing EU out of the PC is as many of you know a difficult task, so an easier way to bring the EU experience to a wider audience and to engage the new accounts that cannot access the full PC Entropia Universe is to bring only parts of EU to the web-browser and mobile, the roadmap shows you some of the stages we need to take.
I understand Melee amps are ready for deployment, Im not sure of the details but I will try and make a statement asap once I get further information.
All for now.
David
Wednesday, May 28, 2014
Creature Control and Taming
Communication and development roadmap
Dear Entropians,
Given the real-cash aspect of the Entropia Universe economy, it has historically been MindArk’s policy to be very careful when releasing information related to future development plans, mainly to prevent undue disruption of the economy. However, considering the plethora of information channels now available to participants to stay up to date on official Entropia Universe and Planet Partner announcements (the Client Loader, Facebook, Entropia Buzz, information from which is also syndicated on many community and planet forums), MindArk has made a decision to be more active in sharing its future development plans with participants.
And the sharing starts now!
Below is a summary of some of the projects the MindArk design and development teams are currently focused on. In future communications we will give increasingly more detailed information on each of these projects, and announce additional projects as they become closer to implementation.
Client & Server Stability
MindArk’s highest priority during the next several releases will be improving stability of the Entropia Universe client. Several of the most common causes of recent client crashes have been identified and our developers are hard at work on resolving those to improve the Entropia Universe experience for all participants.
New Player Experience
Ongoing improvements to the New Player Experience have been implemented with every platform and planet partner release so far this year. These efforts will continue to be a top priority during the rest of 2014 and into 2015 in order to maximise the marketing efforts of MindArk and the planet partners.
Creature Control System Stage 1 - (Planned for June 2014 Release)
You may already be aware of a new feature introduced not long ago which allows officials and planet partners to control various creatures during special events. This system will be extended to participants in the form of Creature Control Capsules, consumable items that will allow you to transform your avatar into a specific creature for a limited time. This fun feature will be made available exclusively through the loot system, and will be monitored closely to prevent abuse.
Taming Stage 1 - (Planned for Autumn 2014 Release)
Some of you will be happy to hear that we plan to (finally) reintroduce Taming to Entropia Universe. In the first stage the core functionality will be quite similar to the original taming system, with added improvements to usability and fun-factor. Initially, pets will be to able accompany your avatar in its Entropia Universe travels, with more pet abilities and features planned for later stages (see below).
PVP Improvements - (Planned for Autumn 2014 Release)
Various improvements to PVP combat have already been implemented this year and more are planned after the summer, including adjustments to the landgrab and fort systems.
Taming Stage 2 - (Planned for Late 2014 / Early 2015 Release)
In this stage it is planned to implement additional skill-based taming abilities which will expand the capabilities of tamed creatures beyond the pre-VU10 taming system. In addition, a limited number of stables will be made available that will fulfill various roles within the taming system such as stabling, feeding, expert training, trading and more.
Creature Control System Stage 2 - (Planned for Winter 2014 Release)
Through a new Battle Octagon interface, your avatar will be able to control various creatures and challenge other avatars to battle in special CCS octagons. With lots of options for attack and defense customisation, each battle promises to be unique and exciting, especially considering the possibility of creatures and robots from different planets engaging in reckless combat against one another!
Taming Stage 3 - (Planned for Early 2015 Release)
Battle Arenas will be introduced which will allow tamed creatures to battle one another. Each battle will be unique, with a wide range of offensive and defensive pet buffs and upgrades along with customisable attack and defense profiles.
Web-Based Battle Arena - (Planned for Early 2015 Release)
A web-based Battle Arena game is planned for early 2015. The game will be developed as a cross-platform solution available on the web and for mobile devices, and will have direct ties to the Entropia Universe taming! system. Players will have the opportunity to acquire, upgrade and customise their pets for battle against the pets of others.
Entropia Universe participants will have the ability to acquire Battle Arena Deeds and share in the revenue and excitement of the Battle Arena action. 200,000 Battle Arena Deeds will be offered via the Entropia Universe in-game auction and upcoming webshop at 100 PED each. Revenues generated from the Battle Arena Deed offering will be used exclusively for Battle Arena development and marketing. More detailed information about the Battle Arena Deeds will be made available very soon.
Affiliate System - (Planned for Early 2015 Release)
Work is moving forward on the affiliate program mentioned in the State of the Universe Address 2014, though the expected release date has been revised to 2015 due to integration requirements with other planned projects.
Citizenship & Political System - (Planned for Early 2015 Release)
The announced political and housing system is still in the initial design and development stage. As with the taming system, we expect to roll out this system in several stages during 2015. Further information will be made available as each development milestone draws closer.
Regards,
David Simmonds
CEO MindArk PE AB
Dear Entropians,
Given the real-cash aspect of the Entropia Universe economy, it has historically been MindArk’s policy to be very careful when releasing information related to future development plans, mainly to prevent undue disruption of the economy. However, considering the plethora of information channels now available to participants to stay up to date on official Entropia Universe and Planet Partner announcements (the Client Loader, Facebook, Entropia Buzz, information from which is also syndicated on many community and planet forums), MindArk has made a decision to be more active in sharing its future development plans with participants.
And the sharing starts now!
Below is a summary of some of the projects the MindArk design and development teams are currently focused on. In future communications we will give increasingly more detailed information on each of these projects, and announce additional projects as they become closer to implementation.
Client & Server Stability
MindArk’s highest priority during the next several releases will be improving stability of the Entropia Universe client. Several of the most common causes of recent client crashes have been identified and our developers are hard at work on resolving those to improve the Entropia Universe experience for all participants.
New Player Experience
Ongoing improvements to the New Player Experience have been implemented with every platform and planet partner release so far this year. These efforts will continue to be a top priority during the rest of 2014 and into 2015 in order to maximise the marketing efforts of MindArk and the planet partners.
Creature Control System Stage 1 - (Planned for June 2014 Release)
You may already be aware of a new feature introduced not long ago which allows officials and planet partners to control various creatures during special events. This system will be extended to participants in the form of Creature Control Capsules, consumable items that will allow you to transform your avatar into a specific creature for a limited time. This fun feature will be made available exclusively through the loot system, and will be monitored closely to prevent abuse.
Taming Stage 1 - (Planned for Autumn 2014 Release)
Some of you will be happy to hear that we plan to (finally) reintroduce Taming to Entropia Universe. In the first stage the core functionality will be quite similar to the original taming system, with added improvements to usability and fun-factor. Initially, pets will be to able accompany your avatar in its Entropia Universe travels, with more pet abilities and features planned for later stages (see below).
PVP Improvements - (Planned for Autumn 2014 Release)
Various improvements to PVP combat have already been implemented this year and more are planned after the summer, including adjustments to the landgrab and fort systems.
Taming Stage 2 - (Planned for Late 2014 / Early 2015 Release)
In this stage it is planned to implement additional skill-based taming abilities which will expand the capabilities of tamed creatures beyond the pre-VU10 taming system. In addition, a limited number of stables will be made available that will fulfill various roles within the taming system such as stabling, feeding, expert training, trading and more.
Creature Control System Stage 2 - (Planned for Winter 2014 Release)
Through a new Battle Octagon interface, your avatar will be able to control various creatures and challenge other avatars to battle in special CCS octagons. With lots of options for attack and defense customisation, each battle promises to be unique and exciting, especially considering the possibility of creatures and robots from different planets engaging in reckless combat against one another!
Taming Stage 3 - (Planned for Early 2015 Release)
Battle Arenas will be introduced which will allow tamed creatures to battle one another. Each battle will be unique, with a wide range of offensive and defensive pet buffs and upgrades along with customisable attack and defense profiles.
Web-Based Battle Arena - (Planned for Early 2015 Release)
A web-based Battle Arena game is planned for early 2015. The game will be developed as a cross-platform solution available on the web and for mobile devices, and will have direct ties to the Entropia Universe taming! system. Players will have the opportunity to acquire, upgrade and customise their pets for battle against the pets of others.
Entropia Universe participants will have the ability to acquire Battle Arena Deeds and share in the revenue and excitement of the Battle Arena action. 200,000 Battle Arena Deeds will be offered via the Entropia Universe in-game auction and upcoming webshop at 100 PED each. Revenues generated from the Battle Arena Deed offering will be used exclusively for Battle Arena development and marketing. More detailed information about the Battle Arena Deeds will be made available very soon.
Affiliate System - (Planned for Early 2015 Release)
Work is moving forward on the affiliate program mentioned in the State of the Universe Address 2014, though the expected release date has been revised to 2015 due to integration requirements with other planned projects.
Citizenship & Political System - (Planned for Early 2015 Release)
The announced political and housing system is still in the initial design and development stage. As with the taming system, we expect to roll out this system in several stages during 2015. Further information will be made available as each development milestone draws closer.
Regards,
David Simmonds
CEO MindArk PE AB
Wednesday, April 16, 2014
Developer Notes 8
Developer Notes #8
Limited/Unlimited Item Balance
In order to improve the balance between limited and unlimited gear, MindArk has been refining the rate at which unlimited items gain tier levels. This effort has resulted in a decrease in the number of uses required for tier increases, especially at higher tier levels. Further reduction is planned in several steps during the next few version updates, allowing the MindArk design team to monitor and implement incremental changes while reducing the risk of disrupting delicate item market values.
To further improve balance between limited and unlimited items, the consumption rate of enhancers attached to unlimited items will be reduced by 50% in Version Update 14.7, currently scheduled for May 13.
Account Liquidation Auctions
A special liquidation auction of items from terminated accounts will be listed on Friday, April 25 and Monday, April 28.
The following items will be listed on the Planet Calypso section of the Entropia Universe auction by the avatar MindArk Official Liquidator for a period of 7 days, with a starting bid of 1 PED.
Group A - Friday April 25
Group B - Monday April 28
Limited/Unlimited Item Balance
In order to improve the balance between limited and unlimited gear, MindArk has been refining the rate at which unlimited items gain tier levels. This effort has resulted in a decrease in the number of uses required for tier increases, especially at higher tier levels. Further reduction is planned in several steps during the next few version updates, allowing the MindArk design team to monitor and implement incremental changes while reducing the risk of disrupting delicate item market values.
To further improve balance between limited and unlimited items, the consumption rate of enhancers attached to unlimited items will be reduced by 50% in Version Update 14.7, currently scheduled for May 13.
Account Liquidation Auctions
A special liquidation auction of items from terminated accounts will be listed on Friday, April 25 and Monday, April 28.
The following items will be listed on the Planet Calypso section of the Entropia Universe auction by the avatar MindArk Official Liquidator for a period of 7 days, with a starting bid of 1 PED.
Group A - Friday April 25
- Improved A-3 Justifier Mk.II
- Shadow Harness (M)
- Shadow Helmet (M)
- Shadow Gloves (M)
- Dagger Of Despair
- Omegaton A203
Group B - Monday April 28
- Modified Omegaton Fast Aid Pack
- Shadow Arm Guards (M)
- Shadow Shin Guards (M)
- Starkhov AS-98
- Ancient Omegaton M2870
- Laganaus Arms Personal Cannon
Friday, February 28, 2014
Controlled Mobs
In the last release, a new feature was introduced which allows MindArk and planet partner official avatars to morph into one of the many creatures found in Entropia Universe and interact with participants. This new system creates possibilities for interesting events and unique content. In the patch deployed on Wednesday, support for shared loot was also added so that participants of all levels can take part when controlled mobs are used in special events.
MindArk has provided strict guidelines for the use of these special controlled mobs to ensure that our participants’ enjoyment of Entropia Universe is not affected in a negative way. This includes avoiding interfering with participants located in shop containers or revival areas, or who are crafting or interacting with auctioneers or terminals.
Please note that officials have no control over the loot received when controlled mobs are defeated; the normal loot calculation for the mob is performed in all cases. In future partner releases, mobs created especially for this new system will be introduced and may include special event-oriented items in their loot. The distribution of such items would also be handled by the usual loot algorithm, not by officials.
We hope you enjoy this fun new feature of Entropia Universe and look forward to our partners employing it the create more engrossing and exciting events. Ultimately we plan to extend a skill-based version of the controlled mobs system to participants which could also be very interesting.
MindArk has provided strict guidelines for the use of these special controlled mobs to ensure that our participants’ enjoyment of Entropia Universe is not affected in a negative way. This includes avoiding interfering with participants located in shop containers or revival areas, or who are crafting or interacting with auctioneers or terminals.
Please note that officials have no control over the loot received when controlled mobs are defeated; the normal loot calculation for the mob is performed in all cases. In future partner releases, mobs created especially for this new system will be introduced and may include special event-oriented items in their loot. The distribution of such items would also be handled by the usual loot algorithm, not by officials.
We hope you enjoy this fun new feature of Entropia Universe and look forward to our partners employing it the create more engrossing and exciting events. Ultimately we plan to extend a skill-based version of the controlled mobs system to participants which could also be very interesting.
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
State of the Universe Address 2014
Greetings Entropians,
MindArk is happy to report great progress achieved in many areas of Entropia Universe in 2013. The MindArk team spent much of the year improving the user experience and upgrading infrastructure to improve performance and accommodate more simultaneous users.
2013 Highlights
Entropia’s 10 Year Anniversary
2013 began with MindArk celebrating the ten-year anniversary of Entropia Universe. Special events were held, and hundreds of special TEN Edition items were looted throughout the year to celebrate this exciting milestone.
Infrastructure Upgrades
A series of major infrastructure upgrades was performed during 2013. These upgrades have helped to improve server capacity and stability, and allowed for faster and smoother deployment of Version Updates, patches and hotfixes. These upgrades also help our developers and partners to more efficiently develop new content and systems by streamlining the internal development pipeline.
Marketing
MindArk vastly increased its marketing efforts in 2013 resulting in a more than 110% increase in the number of new participants compared to 2012. Those marketing efforts also resulted in a very encouraging 57% increase in the number of new depositors. By all significant measures such as average simultaneous users, new accounts, and daily economic turnover, overall activity in the universe was at an all time high during 2013, due in large part to the MindArk’s latest marketing efforts.
New Player Experience
Additional improvements to the new player experience were implemented in 2013, carrying on the focus given to this area in late 2012. These efforts have synergized well with the marketing efforts described above, and have contributed to the improvement in conversion rates and participant retention. A series of player-contributed YouTube tutorials were also created in cooperation with MindArk, and new participants were encouraged to view those informative videos to get off on the right foot in the Entropia Universe adventures. The new player experience is an area that will continue to have MindArk’s attention moving forward, as it is an essential component of the growth of the universe.
Payment Processing
Many participants were thrilled with the addition of Paypal as an official Entropia Universe payment processor in the second quarter of 2013. In addition, new participants have the option of purchasing special starter packs via Zong, Paypal’s mobile payment solution.
Avatar Graphics
A major overhaul to the avatar graphics and creation system was implemented early in 2013, resulting in incredibly realistic looking avatars and enhanced avatar customisation possibilities.
Moon Estate
A new type of estate management opportunity was offered in 2013. A group of participants pooled their resources and bid 1.5 million PED to acquire the rights to manage the first such estate, which subsequently was launched as the Monria moon estate in May 2013.
New Systems/Features
Several exciting new exciting features were introduced to Entropia Universe in 2013 which have been widely approved by participants. Those features include mission and skill progress trackers modules, as well as new types of consumable items that buff avatars in various ways. In addition, weapons and other items introduced in 2013 sport interesting new abilities, for example: life leech, faster reload speed, or damage blocking. New convenience items were also introduced toward the end of 2013, including portable trade and repair terminals and auto-loot pills.
Veteran Appreciation/Cost to Play
- As promised in the 2013 State of the Universe Address, MindArk implemented several changes and features that helped to reduce the overall cost to participate in Entropia Universe, including:
- Average TT returns were increased across the board for hunting, mining, crafting and other activities.
- Removal or lowering of many unpopular fees, such as the armor equipping fee.
- Increased the unlimited item tiering speed.
- The minimum condition of most items lowered to 3%, freeing up a large number of PED, especially for owners of older UL weapons.
- Reduced the volatility of many activities, especially for lower level avatars.
- Decay and ammo consumption were removed when using a weapon not aimed at a valid target.
2014 Roadmap
MindArk has ambitious plans for the development of Entropia Universe in 2014, with planned primary focus on the following areas.
Systems Development
Social Interface - A completely overhauled and improved social interface has been under development for the past several months, and is getting close to implementation. This upgrade will bring several long-desired features, including offline messaging, custom chat channels and much more.
Affiliate System - An affiliate system is under development which will allow participants to earn PED by referring new Entropia Universe participants.
Premium Accounts - Still in the early design stage, MindArk is planning to offer premium account upgrades for a small monthly cost. Benefits of the various premium account types are still being decided, but may include such features as increased storage limits and increased number of simultaneous auctions. We are also considering making premium account upgrades available via daily mission tokens as well as special lootable items.
Citizenship & Housing System - Development of these systems was unfortunately delayed in 2013 due to the critical infrastructure upgrades taking quite a bit more development time than anticipated, along with several other projects receiving higher priority in the second half of 2013 and early 2014. This project now is now tentatively planned for release in Q4 of 2014.
PVP - Lots of improvements and enhancements to player vs. player (PVP) combat are planned for the second half of 2014. More information will be made available in a future Entropia Buzz developer notes article.
New Player Experience - Among MindArk’s highest ongoing priorities is improving participant conversion and retention, and one of the best ways to accomplish that is to continually find ways to improve the experience of new participants. As such, we plan to continue working closely with our planet partners in 2014 to implement systems and features that make Entropia Universe as exciting and user-friendly as possible for new participants.
Legacy Systems - Progress is ongoing for the reimplementation and refinement of various legacy systems.
New Systems - Several other interesting new systems are in the early development stage, and are planned for release in Q3 and Q4 of 2014 depending on prioritization of the other projects mentioned above. More details and teasers will be released throughout the year, so be on the lookout!
Marketing
MindArk plans to continue to expand and refine its marketing efforts in 2014 in order to maximize the number of new participants joining Entropia Universe. As outlined above, our marketing efforts in 2013 were very promising and we plan to become even more aggressive in 2014.
Planet Toulan
MindArk was excited to bring its newest planet online last week. Though still in its beta release, Planet Toulan promises to bring exposure of Entropia Universe to a previously untapped sector of the online gaming audience, and add a unique Arabian theme to the existing planet partner roster. Full release of Planet Toulan is expected mid-2014.
Cost to Play & Balancing
Continuing with the improvements made in 2013, MindArk plans to further improve average returns for many activities. One example would be the removal of the clothing equip fee in an upcoming platform release.
Infrastructure & Development Tools
Additional improvements to the Entropia Universe infrastructure and development tools are planned, which will allow MindArk and its planet partners to more efficiently develop and deploy new features and content, while minimizing server latency and downtime during patches and version updates.
Deed and Estate Management
Several new deed and estate management opportunities are planned for 2014. One of these will be announced in the upcoming planet partner release scheduled for early March.
Entropia Platform
Several major public and private organizations have expressed interest in making use of the Entropia Universe platform and collaborating with MindArk for future projects.
In conclusion, MindArk is looking forward to an exciting and productive 2014 for Entropia Universe and hopes all our participants will enjoy the improvements and efforts we have planned.
Best regards,
David Simmonds
CEO MindArk PE AB
Saturday, November 9, 2013
Melee Amps are coming soon to Entropia Universe
The melee amps will be implemented in the game soon according to Kim from Calypso team. They will work a bit different than ranged amps. In addition to other benefits they will also absorb some of the decay of the weapon which makes them last longer which will be a big plus for melee users.
Monday, November 4, 2013
David from Arkadia on Bound items and Game Economy
The Viceroy quest will remain permanently, it's the Skull Candy edition that is short term. As of this coming update (due Tuesday) players will be able to hand in their armor to get the TT value returned if they so wish (we do listen to your feedback hey!)
The Viceroy quest gives a very good example of how these types of quests for bound items work. Needless to say that the stats on the Smuggler armor make it obvious that it will be a much more costly and arduous quest than the Viceroy. People speculating that this armor would be introduced at half the cost of Angel or even 2500 peds is simply way off the mark.
These quests are not designed at all to appeal to the players who want the cheapest option (as is highlighted by the Viceroy quest, a budget conscious player will always choose the Gremlin armour).
The benefits to the economy by creating a broad base of demand on many items that otherwise have little value is a key consideration.
These quests have a major part to play in the story development of the planet and especially in developing the identity of the players who undertake the quest. Simply put, if you see someone wearing that armour then they are a genuine Smuggler, not someone who purchased the armor from auction.
The quest for the Smugglers will be much more involved than the Viceroy quest. It won't simply be a matter of collecting resources, but rather a broad mix of story driven missions, instance raids, resource collection, task completion etc. It is being designed to take a considerable amount of time to complete with a variety of rewards that are focused on developing the players identity as a Smuggler.
Quests that include bound items are by no means designed to become a major part of the Arkadian nor Entropian economy. It is anticipated that these quests will appeal to a portion of the community but not all. So if it sounds like it doesn't suit you as a player, then likely you are not who the quest is designed for. We want the game to have a broad appeal with different options of gameplay.
Arkadia has a great many quests in development (some of which you will see in the update following next weeks update).
I would encourage people not to jump to conclusions about the doom of the Real Cash Economy, that is definitely going to remain as the central tenet of Arkadia and EU.
I hope that has helped clarify our position and I look forward to bringing you lots of exciting new gameplay involving the Smugglers of Arkadia.
You seem to giving no value to the fact that Gremlin can be sold and therefore the funds withdrawn in the future. I contest that we have players who do value that and hence there will always be demand for tradable items like the Gremlin armour. I am also saying that there are players who don't value that as highly as many think and are therefore willing to complete a quest for a bound item/items. Of course the quest presents a challenge which is enjoyable to complete and the fact the item is bound adds value because it shows everyone you as a player undertook and completed the challenge. You are right in saying that with the Viceroy quest in place the likelihood that Gremlin will ever cost 10,000 PEDs has been reduced to almost zero, but I'm not sure you'll have too many players who think the prices should ever get that high anyway. The existence of Limited armours also plays into this mix, and I believe is currently having a much greater impact on the price of Gremlin than the Viceroy quest.
What you have stated yourself is that the Viceroy quest has put an effective floor on the value of an armour set. The biggest risk here is for Arkadia; in that if the balancing of the economy is managed in such a way so that there is oversupply of tradable armours so that no one undertakes the quest. This would simply mean our investment in development of the quest and the armour is no longer used by players. It does raise a question neither of us can answer, that being, if the Gremlin was selling at 101%, would anyone still undertake the Viceroy quest.
The benefit of the Viceroy quest was never expected to see massive price increases. It's about having a benefit, about seeing a MU rise by a couple of percent here and there. Viceroy is also a relatively small quest PED wise and as such will never create a total shift in value across the universe.
What is more relevant here is the current problem of a centralized auction history which means it's quite difficult to ascertain the impact of a single quest.
I really don't see the link here, the Chelydra armour is not even remotely similar to the Smuggler armour? As I said the Smuggler quest will be a very arduous quest that will be costly, so unless all players have an infinite supply of both funds and time then you won't see an infinite supply of Smuggler armour entering the game.
Like every new addition within any economy it will have an impact, I'm not denying that it will have an impact. I'm saying it's a positive impact and not a negative.
You are right that the management of Arkadia is very focused on the economy of the planet and is not out to mess with the economy to have short term activity increases that have long term negative consequences.
As I pointed out above, a quest such as the Viceroy Quest has the effect of setting a floor on the value of items. ie the value of Gremlin will always be compared to Viceroy, in essence I'm saying that gremlin is a relative bargain right now due to it being both cheaper than Viceroy and being tradable.
I think a bigger discussion that may develop here is how much value does the playerbase place on an item being tradable and therefore giving the option to withdraw the funds at a later date. It's always been assumed that it's a highly valuable trait and yet the Viceroy quest demonstrates that it's not the main driving factor for every player.
The Viceroy quest gives a very good example of how these types of quests for bound items work. Needless to say that the stats on the Smuggler armor make it obvious that it will be a much more costly and arduous quest than the Viceroy. People speculating that this armor would be introduced at half the cost of Angel or even 2500 peds is simply way off the mark.
These quests are not designed at all to appeal to the players who want the cheapest option (as is highlighted by the Viceroy quest, a budget conscious player will always choose the Gremlin armour).
The benefits to the economy by creating a broad base of demand on many items that otherwise have little value is a key consideration.
These quests have a major part to play in the story development of the planet and especially in developing the identity of the players who undertake the quest. Simply put, if you see someone wearing that armour then they are a genuine Smuggler, not someone who purchased the armor from auction.
The quest for the Smugglers will be much more involved than the Viceroy quest. It won't simply be a matter of collecting resources, but rather a broad mix of story driven missions, instance raids, resource collection, task completion etc. It is being designed to take a considerable amount of time to complete with a variety of rewards that are focused on developing the players identity as a Smuggler.
Quests that include bound items are by no means designed to become a major part of the Arkadian nor Entropian economy. It is anticipated that these quests will appeal to a portion of the community but not all. So if it sounds like it doesn't suit you as a player, then likely you are not who the quest is designed for. We want the game to have a broad appeal with different options of gameplay.
Arkadia has a great many quests in development (some of which you will see in the update following next weeks update).
I would encourage people not to jump to conclusions about the doom of the Real Cash Economy, that is definitely going to remain as the central tenet of Arkadia and EU.
I hope that has helped clarify our position and I look forward to bringing you lots of exciting new gameplay involving the Smugglers of Arkadia.
You seem to giving no value to the fact that Gremlin can be sold and therefore the funds withdrawn in the future. I contest that we have players who do value that and hence there will always be demand for tradable items like the Gremlin armour. I am also saying that there are players who don't value that as highly as many think and are therefore willing to complete a quest for a bound item/items. Of course the quest presents a challenge which is enjoyable to complete and the fact the item is bound adds value because it shows everyone you as a player undertook and completed the challenge. You are right in saying that with the Viceroy quest in place the likelihood that Gremlin will ever cost 10,000 PEDs has been reduced to almost zero, but I'm not sure you'll have too many players who think the prices should ever get that high anyway. The existence of Limited armours also plays into this mix, and I believe is currently having a much greater impact on the price of Gremlin than the Viceroy quest.
What you have stated yourself is that the Viceroy quest has put an effective floor on the value of an armour set. The biggest risk here is for Arkadia; in that if the balancing of the economy is managed in such a way so that there is oversupply of tradable armours so that no one undertakes the quest. This would simply mean our investment in development of the quest and the armour is no longer used by players. It does raise a question neither of us can answer, that being, if the Gremlin was selling at 101%, would anyone still undertake the Viceroy quest.
The benefit of the Viceroy quest was never expected to see massive price increases. It's about having a benefit, about seeing a MU rise by a couple of percent here and there. Viceroy is also a relatively small quest PED wise and as such will never create a total shift in value across the universe.
What is more relevant here is the current problem of a centralized auction history which means it's quite difficult to ascertain the impact of a single quest.
I really don't see the link here, the Chelydra armour is not even remotely similar to the Smuggler armour? As I said the Smuggler quest will be a very arduous quest that will be costly, so unless all players have an infinite supply of both funds and time then you won't see an infinite supply of Smuggler armour entering the game.
Like every new addition within any economy it will have an impact, I'm not denying that it will have an impact. I'm saying it's a positive impact and not a negative.
You are right that the management of Arkadia is very focused on the economy of the planet and is not out to mess with the economy to have short term activity increases that have long term negative consequences.
As I pointed out above, a quest such as the Viceroy Quest has the effect of setting a floor on the value of items. ie the value of Gremlin will always be compared to Viceroy, in essence I'm saying that gremlin is a relative bargain right now due to it being both cheaper than Viceroy and being tradable.
I think a bigger discussion that may develop here is how much value does the playerbase place on an item being tradable and therefore giving the option to withdraw the funds at a later date. It's always been assumed that it's a highly valuable trait and yet the Viceroy quest demonstrates that it's not the main driving factor for every player.
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