Did you guys see this?

The only competitor to SL when it comes to RL cash economy MMORPGs announced this:


http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/07/25/entropia-universe-licenses-cryengine

More details here including video:
http://account.entropiauniverse.com/pe/en/rich/5084.html



Maybe this will force Lindens to act up a little and realize they are not the only RL cash platform out there. I mean all this hype about SL has certainly made people check it out, but when all they find is this laggy, non-scalable platform it is no surprise most people leave.

For example, one of SL's major strengths that most new people care about is the complete freedom to design your avatar (building probably does not appeal to average consumers), but when not even that feature is stable (for example check this long term AV bug: http://jira.secondlife.com/browse/VWR-1620 and also the ruthed bug) SL will never be a mainstream product.

Personally, I would prefer SL to this competitor because of SL's freedom but most people might actually prefer beautiful graphics and atleast a semi stable environment.

I wish someone (google?) would clone these two games with RL economies and take the best out of them and make a 3rd alternative.

Can't even try this game because it's only for Windows. I am a Linux user. Mac users out of luck as well. No threat to SL for me.

I can only imagine the type of beefy computer hardware needed to run that.

A google entry into the market would indeed be an intriguing development.

Apparently the learning curve in Entropia is even steeper than here and it's a lot harder to make progress but yes it does have potential.

...and then there's that thing about getting animal sweat that is just, well, real gross!

I know, they are both extremes and actually entropia has a lot more common with traditonal games but everyone still compare SL and Entropia because they both base their game currency on RL cash economy.



You know, I would prefer SL since I am not a hardcore gamer and SL's freedom appealed to me but with all these graphic bugs and the lag I am getting increasingly frustrated.


Perhaps SL should just change graphics engine too to something more beautiful and stable and even if it means less flexibility so be it.

The laggy enviroment and all the bugs is what keeps SL from ever becoming mainstream imo.

You need money to play Entropia, and a continual supply of it because the items which make the game fun degrade and have to be repaired. You can get PEDs (the currency over there) by obtaining and selling sweat from animals, but you can't just go AFK - It requires intervention on the user's part - and sweat sells for peanuts anyway. It makes camping look worthwhile.

You can't build stuff.
You can't script stuff.
You can't hump stuff.

So what use is a pretty landscape once you've explored it?
(And it's not easy to explore without getting killed thanks to the beasts a-roaming.)

If I want pretty graphics and a vast area to inhabit, I'll just get the next version of GTA when it comes out for the PC.

If you have $Ls to spare and would like to try Entropia out, you can convert them to PEDs over at the Dreamland Stock Exchange (http://dreamland.anshechung.com/dse/dse.php?fct=HOME), but the commission isn't nice, and you have to arrange to meet an Anshe Bank official at the New Oxford Teleporter in order to get your PEDs.

I tried it for about an hour. They have it set up so gathering sweat is so frustrating that you want to put money into it...but stuff is so much more expensive there than in SL...and all pre-made by the company!

The only thing I can think of is they're trying to grow slowly and have a firmer foundation of players than SL does.

But yeah...content creation that rivals SL's possibilities is the only thing that'll make a good competitor.

No, there are player created content, for example all clothes I think... but sure, Entropias game company controls -a lot- more than Linden Labs.


but still, if they get this super graphics upgrade as they write about and SL remains buggy and laggy they might actually steal some (or a lot) of the RL cash economy MMORPG customer base. Did you know for example Anshee Chung has business in Entropia?


Believe me, I am an SL supporter sort of. I would like this competitors graphics and stability but with SLs freedom.

However, ease of content creation is the only thing which differentiates SL from the virtual world competition. In terms of user centric supprt, service oriented policies (e.g. giving advanced notice to major policy changes). reliability, scalability, performance, graphics etc. the competition currentl has the lead.

Clearly for China support, service, reliability, scalability, performace etc. won out over content creation.

So which will happen first - LL radically change their ethos to be customer focused? or the competition adding proper and easy content creation support?

Matthew

No, that's not true. You cannot upload custom textures. Everything is made by Mindark, the Swedish firm behind EU.
She won a banking license...which cost her about $50,000? I can't remember. I provided a link to her stock exchange above, on which Anshe Bank Entropia is listed. The shares are below their IPO value two months down the line, and there's been no communication with shareholders regarding the business in all that time.
All it really has in common with SL is that it's an MMOG with a virtual currency.

Entropia's pretty...and it's interesting...until you realize it's a cash-leech strapped to your neck. The economy is even more locked-down there than it is in SL. Think creating a product, marketing it...and actually seeing it sell in SL is tough...baby...it ain't nothing compared to the already-entrenched tycoons in Entropia.

Besides...I can't change my avatar into a werewolf, there...or do half the interesting content creation things I enjoy in SL.

There's really not much in common between the two. I play EU every once in a great while (like when I get an email from MindArk saying play or account will be deleted) but it is nothing like SL in any way, shape, or form. Well, that's a bit strong - it is virtual and things like that - but 99% of that game is unlike SL.

Current "Optimal" system specs (this is _before_ the graphics upgrade):

* Windows XP* (No Macs, no Linux, no Vista).
* 2048 MB RAM.
* Intel Pentium D/Core duo, AMD Athlon 64 X2 Series or better.
* GeForce 7800 Series or higher, ATI Radeon R 520 Series (XT 1800 or higher).**
* Latest NVIDIA driver - Get it here. Latest ATI driver - Get it here.
* Direct X compatible sound device.
* 3 GB of free Hard drive space.
* Direct X version 9.0C.
* Broad band internet connection(ADSL or better).

Minimum is much lower (but much higher than SL) but most graphics intensive games I've played, minimum reqs are usually a complete joke and you really need "optimal" to get things to run and look the way they were meant. From looking at the specs, if you can run Oblivion ok you should be fine with this.

I like games though, so I might give it a try. Anshee Chung started as a gamer (sounds like we must have played Asheron's Call around the same time) so that may be a lot of her interest as well.

Perhaps she is rich enough now to simply kick back and play games again without having to worry about how to make money from them ^_^

This is clearly a gamers-centric version of SL. Frankly I'd love to see some of this incorporated into SL myself, but I'm also hooked on the content creation potential here and I suspect that is going to have the greater longterm draw for me.

If anyone could improve this type of environment...google would be the one.

I love everything google. Soon it's going to be called the google-net! You watch

It's true. Entropia is a bit like a virtual casino, I get that but like SL they are drooling for RL companies to establish or atleast have commercials ingame.

And you're right, there's no ability to upload textures but players have the ability to create stuff from the available textures and trade etc... there are a lot of auctions... You can get an ATM card and withdraw RL cash from your gaming accounts balance. The game currency is tied to the US dollar. So, the press usually name Entropia SL's only current competitor, right or wrong.

In my opinion, SL should concentrate on fixing bugs, improve graphics a lot and reduce lag. Entropia should just open up its economy more to prove it's claim to be a RL economy platform.

But I would like the most is if Google makes an avatar platform of Google maps (as the rumours say) and sweap the rug away from both these games.

the graphics are ^$#$@#@!(*&^%!#& wow

the rest? nah

2gb?? Seeya, wouldn't wanna be ya! Actually, I would, but that's ridiculous.... my computer isn't even a year old and my 1gb is already passé. That sucks.

From the TOS that you have to agree to when attempting to sign up:

"As part of your interactions with the System, you may acquire, create, design, or modify Virtual Items, but you agree that you will not gain any ownership interest whatsoever in any Virtual Item, and you hereby assign to MindArk all of your rights, title and interest in any such Virtual Item."


There might be player-created content, but it aint player-OWNED content.


- Newfie

I don't see how EU can be compared to SL. EU is a traditional MMORPG, no real virtual world. As for the economy: everyone and their dog can craft the same sales items, and what they are able to build is predetermined by the game engine. Take EQ, DAoC, WoW or any other MMOG, sell virtual currency and get rid of the "no eBay sales" policy, and you have EU.

SL on the other hand is a communications medium in form of a virtual world (with resident-made game-like content). SL is only limited by the imagination and building/scripting skills of its residents; creativity instead of grind work.

oh Entropia Universe.................walks past and says No Thank you.

Just browsed the screens, graphics look great, dunno about the avatars though, they all look pissed or something

Lol the Avatars look chunky like C64 graphics
And the key layout is just insane, I spent the first few sessions trying to stop running, I eventually ended up running out of the city and off in to the wilderness and got eaten by something 10 levels higher.

I also play Entropia. It is a money sink if you want it to be. Some rich players have deposited literally thousands of dollars and bought houses or land. You can't build your own house and the land price is really expensive. Everything costs, ammo, bombs for mining and everything wears out and needs repairing.

I am in a society and all the members turn their noses up at SL but have never even tried it.

I played Entropia when it was in it's vastly elongated Beta. I still log in from time to time to see what is happening.

I'd say Entropia really needs a graphics upgrade. The avatars for example look a tiny bit better then newbie SL avatars, but that is as far as it goes. You can't improve them all that much due to the fact that most content is controlled by Mindark. No uploading custom textures or buying photo realistic skins/prim hair here.

So given the lack of customization, they really need to be able to offer something better right out of the box.


As as others have commented Entropia is a money sink for the vast majority of people. Indeed one of the comments from Beta is that playing in Entropia is a bit like putting money in a slot machine.

You hunt critters or mine the ground to get items of value. The items required to do this cost money and wear out or are consumed in the process. What you get back in item value is at least in part based on random chance (Although Mindark refuse to reveal the way payouts are determined). This makes Entropia in effect one big casino.

Given all the posts on the banning of gambling in SL, has anyone given any thought as to what would happen to the Entropia business model if the same were to happen there ?