During 2010 the new Mindforce system is expected to arrive to Planet Calypso. This time the concept is to release a much more complete system than the one available pre-VU10.0. While it is still a couple of months away from release, we would like to check the pulse of the community and see what kind of powers you would like to see in the next generation Calypso Mindforce system? We already have the Teleportation, Nerve Blasts, Firestorms, Wormhole and Resurrection powers, but beyond that? Maybe buffs/debuffs? Damage over time? Mezz/Stuns? Transformations? AoE? Fields? Or maybe you have some unique applications in mind?

Some basic guidelines:
• Please reply in the thread on www.entropiaforum.com.
• Keep each entry short and to the point (very important!).
• Briefly describe the effect the power is supposed to have.
• Motivate why you believe it is a must-have kick-ass power.
• Be on-topic, the feedback is about the powers, not the actual system.
• Do not flame or criticize other entries without constructive motivations or maybe even advance an idea into something new or better or different.

The work with updating the land areas, malls, shops and apartments continue. There’s been general fixes in land areas to improve the overall gameplay experience by making the areas more friendly for hunting and moving, and we’ve made updates and upgrades to the New Oxford area to accommodate for new and old shop owners. The work continues and we encourage feedback and comments from the community to make sure the spotlight stays on the subject.

The item tier and enhancement system has been heavily debated amongst the community. Many participants have questioned the second item ingredient. We would like to share our view and motivation behind the selected design.

We are confident that the system gives the participants who choose to use it more options to customize their items and game play. For casual players it is quick to pick up limited items and just use them as normal as the tiers come automatically and it is very easy to add enhancers that feels right. On the other side of the spectrum are the hardcore players who devise charts and strive for best econ and optimal game play at every instant. They now have a big system to immerse themselves with and explore.

As most of you probably have discovered, enhancers improvement is calculated as a percentage, meaning an enhancer will provide greater benefit on a high end item than on a low end item. E.g. a weapon damage enhancer will give more extra damage on a high damage weapon than on a low damage weapon. To keep the balance, the upgrade cost must be proportional to the actual gain. By including a secondary item as ingredient, the item markup becomes part of this cost. It is up to you to determine if upgrading an item to a certain tier is worth the cost or if you want to ignore the options available.

By adding the secondary item as an ingredient we also get a drain in the economy concerning unlimited items. Drains are essential to have in the Entropia economy system. With a drain in place we have more ability to adjust the balancing and increase drop rates of unlimited items; something we believe is good for the community as a whole.

Another goal of the tier and item enhancements system is to give more participants access to interesting, challenging and more powerful items. For limited items you quickly get to higher tier levels free of charge while the tier upgrade progress with unlimited items takes a lot longer and involves additional costs. At the same time you will add options to a more personal item you could potentially use forever. We wanted to avoid a linear system in which all unlimited items quickly would have 10 enhancers connected as it would have a very high impact on the overall balance.

Upgrading high end items involves a significant investment. As such it will not cater to everyone. However, we foresee that some participants will choose to work as professional tier upgraders, and will offer upgraded items of various tiers for sale.

Enhancers are designed and balanced for being a mass-market item, especially at lesser tiers, but also on higher. The flexibility given by the various enhancers gives you, the player, greater control over how you want to participate. It is also open for additions in the future with new kinds of enhancers, without disrupting the existing market.

Item tier and enhancers is a major system that has significant impact on core activities in Planet Calypso and other Entropia planets. The MindArk balancing team is monitoring the system, analyzing statistics and fine tuning. We are also following forum discussions and reviewing support cases. Your input is much appreciated.

Regards,
The Entropia Platform development team.

I hope to shed some light into the UnL-item Tier upgrade process introduced in VU10.6, as it is currently under speculation.

Let me start with that I have received information from MindArk that there is currently a bug present which blocks the skill and profession associated with the action of upgrading UnL-items. It will be fixed in a mini-update next week.

Please view the Tier Upgrade User Interface. When attempting to upgrade an unlimited item to the next major tier, a profession check is made against the Tier Upgrader profession. If the check is within the Success Rate percentage range the item is upgraded to the next major tier. The Secondary item (the copy of the upgraded item) is salvaged fully (meaning you get to keep the item). The rest of the ingredients are consumed. A percentage of the TT value of the consumed ingredients is added to the TT value of the upgraded item and any excess is returned as residue.

If the check is over the Success Rate percentage but within the Salvage Rate percentage range the item is not upgraded to the next major tier. The Secondary item is salvaged (you keep the item). The rest of the ingredients are consumed. A percentage of the TT value of the consumed ingredients is returned as residue.

If the check is over the Salvage Rate percentage the item is not upgraded to the next major tier. The Secondary item and the rest of the ingredients are consumed. A percentage of the TT value of the consumed ingredients is returned as residue.

One of the many cool new things we’re working on right now is the items upgrade and enhancement system, due for release soon.

Almost all items can be upgraded to new tiers, and the tier system allows for the connection of a number of enhancement chips that can slot into an item. It works like this: you take an item that you want to improve and begin using it. With usage you increase the item’s tier – like when you get normal skill experience. Every new stage (Tier 1.0, 2.0, 3.0 etc) one additional socket slot opens up on the item. For limited items the progress is fully automatic while for unlimited items you need to manually upgrade the tier when it reaches a new stage.

An enhancement chip can be connected to a socket. Chips have different functions (weapon chips may add damage, range, accuracy or durability, while armor chips add defense, and mining finder chips add range or search depth – to name but a few examples) and can be mixed in order for a player to create their own customized version of their favorite item – would you focus on maximizing your damage, or maybe add range and thus creating your own sniper rifle, or maybe be more economical and reduce ammo burn and deterioration? Or a mix – you decide! And if your current mix is unsatisfactory, you can always disconnect and connect other enhancement chips to the slots.

Enhancement chips manufacturing is a new branch in the crafting system. To create the actual enhancement chips, you need blueprints as well as ingredients. Using them, you can create the chips that you can use yourself or sell on to others.

This addition to Planet Calypso will expand the usability of items, making them better and more dynamic than before, making it an easy system even for beginners. It also introduces a high level game to improve the best items to even higher levels, making the enhancement system something for both newcomers as well as veterans.

In an ambition to raise the quality of the colonist experience on planet Calypso, we’re currently messing around with the architecture of the landscape. Where there was sand, there will be blooming deserts. Where there was dirt and water,  there will be white shores and a green sea. And so on, with the expected poetic flair.

But really, a thousand words don’t do this justice. Have a look at these teaser images, showing the state of the land before they were touched by the hands of our Senior game designer Justin Sorrell and World architect Magnus Olin. And then have a look at the images after they had worked their magic.

This is, of course, Work In Progress. Fortunately, it’s progressing forward.