Thought I’d spend some time to clarify a little about how I’ll work, and my responsibilities as a Community Manager.

First of all I will hang a lot around the community forum and in-game to pick up the latest buzz and concerns. Right now I’m pretty new in the job, so all the information you require are not necessarily something I’ll know right off the bat; however I am in that position that I can direct the questions to the right people and then bring their answers to you via Entropia Gateway, where I’ll continually post.

When I’ve gotten settled, I’m planning on also doing frequent live chat Q&A’s.

I will take over the newsletters, which will come out on a steady basis from here on. I will also work on updating the website, and I’ll work on acquiring feedback from the community via surveys that will be available on our website.

I really want to keep in touch with the non-English speaking forums. So if you running a non-English forum and haven’t yet gotten a mail from me yet, please contact me so I know where to send information in the future. Its important for these large communities not to fall behind on information.

Emma and Simon are still the ones you’ll contact regarding FPC sponsored events.. However, I might be relieving them off some duties, so if you’re running a major event, we might talk. However, direct your inquiries to Emma first.

Of course, if you have anything on your mind, feel free to contact me!
Yours,
Hanne

As there’s been some questions about this, here’s a quick reminder:

MindArk: Develops the Entropia platform, that all planet partners will use. Responsible for Engineering and Technical issues, such as loot balancing and creature AI. Also lag, bugs, uptime,and game engine falls into their jurisdiction.

First Planet Company: Planet Partner and developer of Planet Calypso. Responsible for design and gameplay issues such as usability, design flaws, busted graphic models and textures. Also responsible for events and Calypso storyline.

For example, MindArk have developed a system they call Quests/Missions. When they’re done at their end, its our turn. At FPC, we’ll use the system they’ve created, but we’ll design and create storylines around it, and use the possibilities it gives to give the colonist a way into Calypso’s lore and economic landscape.

As Marco has mentioned before, we’ve been working on a new quest system which we call Assignments. With the Assignment-system we are hoping to achieve a smoother way to integrate the storyline of Calypso, and let people have a personal relation to the Calypso lore. It will also be another way for the colonists to get into the economy.

A preview of the system with just a few assignments is planned to arrive in FPC’s content release in the middle of February. And when it hits, we would really appreciate feedback from you lot. We are going to put up a survey about the assignment-system to get an overview of your general opinion, so I ask you to please take your time to fill it out.

For starters the assignments are going to be for the newcomers and lower skilled avatars, but soon we will also implement assignments for all levels.

Hi everybody,

My name is Hanne Gulbrandsen and I’m happy to announce that I’ve joined First Planet Company (FPC) as the new Community Manager. I’ve been an active Calypso resident since 2003, and now I’ve joined the developers with the task of filling the gap between the company and the community. I may be known to some of you already both in-game and at EntropiaForum as the avatar Silicon Skam Chip.

As your new Community Manager I’ll be working closely with you guys and gals, I will be your go-to woman. My main task will be to stand for a steady and reliable flow of information. This flow goes both ways: to and from the community, as well as to and from the developers. If you have any ideas or input on how to improve communication, they’re very welcome.

My Calypso persona, Silicon Skam Chip will have to be left behind. I will have a new Community Manager avatar that you will all be meeting in-game soon. I will also have new accounts at Entropia Forum, and Entropia Gateway blog that reflect my new status.

I’m really pleased that FPC has taken this step and are committing to increased communication with the community. I’m proud to play a major role in that, and I look forward to some great times ahead.

Ok, let’s get to it.

Regards,
Hanne Einan Gulbrandsen,
Your new Community Manager.

We bet you’re wondering what’s going on with the Mall event. We would, if we were you. Well, it’s been put on hold as you’ve noticed but it will restart in the middle of February. All rules and prizes still apply as stated before the Winter holidays, stay tuned and we’ll let you know when this thing shifts into gear again.

Some of the creatures on Planet Calypso have mysteriously disappeared! This phenomenon have been observed before, in relation to the organized abduction of the legendary LazerZoid that’s rarely spoken of but sometimes whispered about. While official sources deny any attempt at a purge, they offer this as an explanation: “They’ve probably just migrated to greener pastures. Besides, the planet just got safer. Enjoy it while it lasts.” Yeah, well, tell that to the hunters, G-man. We probably haven’t heard – or seen – the last of this.

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.