Currently there are some issues with the latest Nvidia video card drivers and Entropia Universe/CryENGINE2. We recommend the 182.08 driver for best stability, until Nvidia releases a more stable driver.
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A spokesman announced that the Federal Imperial Navy battle group intercepted the War Titan Typhon just outside the orbit of Hypnos, the sixth planet of the system. In the ensuing battle, the battle group sustained heavy losses. The flagship, Fleet Support Vessel Julius Caesar, as well as the Heavy Strike Vessels Anthony and Vercingetorix and Medium Strike Vessel Boudica were destroyed, all hands lost. Medium Strike Vessel Leonidas rammed the War Titan, temporarily disrupting its fire and allowing the rest of the fleet to disengage from combat. Several other ships have taken heavy damage and some are incapacitated.
Typhon continues unabashed on its trajectory, and it is now clear that it will reach Calypso around midnight on Sunday. The remaining ships of the battle group, among them Heavy Strike Vessels Alexander, Octavian, Rameses and Scipio, and Medium Strike Vessels Damocles and Pompey rounded Hypnos and are in pursuit of Typhon.
Left behind are Heavy Strike Vessel Xerxes, Light Support Vessel Darius, and Medium Strike Vessel Cleopatra, and several smaller incapacitated or heavily damaged ships.
The Federal Imperial Navy has a hotline for relatives of spacers in the battle.
Dear Calypsians,
After an extensive conversion process of the Planet Calypso Colonist MMO to the CryENGINE2 game engine, First Planet Company wish to inform that Version 9.4 will be officially closed down at 00:00 UTC on Monday, August 17th, in preparation for the launch of Version 10, expected to arrive during the following days. Progress updates and latest information will be available at the Planet Calypso website.
Version 10.0 Client Acquisition
The new Version 10.0 client will be approximately 4 GB in size and will be made available pre-launch via BitTorrent; the link to the torrent file will be available on Friday, Aug. 14th via the Planet Calypso website. The Client Loader will also automatically patch Version 9.4 to Version 10.0 as normal via HTTP on Monday Aug. 17th. Please note, as the BitTorrent option will require Third Party Software we will not be able to provide Support for this option.
Version 10.0 Login
It will not be possible to log into the Version 10 environment until a range of internal performance checks have been completed following the Version 9.4 close down. Updates will be posted on the Planet Calypso website informing on its progress.
Your Avatar
Each participant avatar has been converted as closely as possible to its Version 9.4 look. You will have the option to keep this converted look, or, take advantage of a one-time opportunity to recreate your avatar using the full modification range available through the system. This one-time opportunity will only be available following the Version 10 update. Once you have “Accepted” your avatar, the offer will no longer be available. Newly created avatars will use the regular ‘avatar creation’ system.
Release Schedule
In order to manage the quality, and listen to feedback during this comprehensive upgrade of Planet Calypso and the underlying Entropia Platform, systems will be reintroduced over a period of several Version Updates in quick succession.
Version Update 10.0 will begin with the most widely used systems: Hunting, Mining, Crafting, PvP Trade, Auction, CND Asteroid, Banks, Estates, Shops, Land Areas, PvP Combat, Society, Friends List, Ad System, Participant Content, Terminals, Items, Garment Customization, Inventory, Storage, Hall of Fame, Teleport, Chat, Keyboard Mapping, Dashboard, Map, GUI and Gifts.
A detailed Version Update 10 Content List will be available when the new environment is available for login.
The following updates will quickly follow the Version 10 Release:
Version Update 10.1 will see Land Area Management, MindForce Teleportation, Apartments, Televators and Fruit, Dung & Stones.
Version Update 10.2 will include Teaming, Third Person Avatar Navigation, and Audio Enhancements.
Version Updates following 10.2 will include major new systems, along with enhancements to current systems.
Feedback & Support
The Entropia Universe Support Dept. and Entropia Platform Developers will closely monitor the release of Version Update 10.0, and work diligently for all participants during the transition.
Daily updates on mini-patches and performance tweaks will be available through the Planet Calypso website. To assist us in providing timely and efficient support, and software patches as required, we ask that your feedback be submitted via Support Cases through the Planet Calypso website.
“Second Golden Age of Calypso”
First Planet Company’s “Second Golden Age of Calypso” promotion period will unfold parallel to the Version Updates. A range of unique never-to-be-dropped-again items, combined with an updated Calypso story will ensure maximum entertainment and excitement available through the systems being introduced. The official begin-date will be announced on the Planet Calypso website.
An enlarged group of Official Planet Calypso Guides will be available throughout the period to welcome and guide new colonists to our planet.
System Requirements
Minimum, Recommended and Optimal hardware requirements are now available at the Planet Calypso website. While the in-world Options Panel has been updated considerably; allowing a wide range of graphical settings to facilitate varying hardware configurations, this initial release focuses on optimal graphical performance. Minimum and Recommended requirements will be optimized next.
Finally
We thank you all for your patience and support during this exciting development. While Version Update 10 has focused on the conversion of the existing Planet Calypso, we hope that you will enjoy the new features that we have gained, like the day/night cycles, improved avatar movement, updated interfaces and much more. Planet Calypso is evolving again, in real time, and we will all once again enjoy the thrill of colonists setting foot on a new land.
Finally, First Planet Company would also like to express our appreciation to the Entropia Platform Developers who have spent many challenging months developing the platform to such a high level. We look forward to a bright future for the Planet Calypso Colonist MMO.
Best Regards
First Planet Company
MindArk PE
A quick update – Version Update 10.0 (or the “CryENGINE2-conversion”) of Planet Calypso has entered the last stage – Test phase. Pending the initial evaluation of this, more information will be released within a week or two.
Exciting times indeed!
Today we are happy to announce the winner of the Kevin Rudolf Video Competition.
It has been a long and difficult journey to find a winner, with over 230 entries to judge, but we now have a clear winner for the grand prize of 1 Land Area, and 1 full set of Supremacy Armor (Unlimited).
We had great fun looking through these videos. It’s pretty safe to say that everyone at MindArk/FPC now know the lyrics of this song very well.
After viewing over 230 entries we managed to break it down to 100, and then with the help of everyone here at the office finally down to 26 and here is when the process became very slow and difficult, so we have decided to add runner up prizes in three more categories.
First Prize
Congratulations to our winner Baxter Bugsy Ewing who will receive 1 Land Area, and 1 full set of Supremacy Armor (Unlimited) for his clear and well-produced video that in a consistent and creative way showcases the core of Planet Calypso.
Runners up
These two entries will receive one Tiger Armor (Unlimited) set each for their very good videos that deserve credit. (click to view)
Bambuco BAM Vuitrago
lex mr chips pringle
Consolation Prize
These eighteen entries will receive one Martial Armor (L) set each for their great and creative effort. (click to view)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18
The “Making The Office Laugh” awards
These seven entries are awarded one Boar Armor (L) set each for their humor and creativity! (click to view)
The full names of the winners of the consolation prizes and the funniest videos will be listed soon.
Thank you to all who participated in this competition!
It all started with the official birth of the MMORPG “Project Entropia” in January of 2003. Now, some six years later, it is called “Planet Calypso” and it’s a time of re-birth, using state-of-the-art technology. A lot has happened since 2003. Both the virtual and real world has evolved. This is also true for MindArk – the company behind it all.
MindArk’s mission
MindArk’s goal is to create a fully immersive 3d virtual universe capable of delivering high-quality entertainment, education, e-commerce, and social networking to everyone, together with a unique Real Cash Economy component for driving real business. The way this is done is using a standardized development platform which is available to planet partners. Each planet partner has presence in the universe through a virtual planet. This planet can contain a variety of activities devised through the planet partners’ preferences. All the planets available together constitute the Entropia Universe. The idea is that a person who has an Entropia Universe account may travel between the planets available without the need to create a new account for each new planet added to Entropia Universe.
First Planet Company’s mission
In January 2009, MindArk created a wholly owned subsidiary called First Planet Company (“FPC”) to develop and market Planet Calypso – the first and the oldest planet in Entropia Universe. Separating this group from the platform developers allowed them to define their own goal of providing a top class MMO, and shed its role as a “test bed” of sorts for the development of the Entropia platform.
The way this goal is intended to be realized is to refocus on game play, storyline, events and an overall engrossing and engaging experience for the user. The most short term reflection of this will be seen in a tidying up of open storylines. Medium term development will be the release of Version Update 10.0 which will be a major infrastructure update and transition to the CryENGINE®2 graphics motor.
Version Update 10.0 – the launch of the CryENGINE2-powered Entropia Universe
MindArk has been highly focused the last year with the integration of the licensed CryENGINE2 into the Entropia Platform. As with most major software development a huge amount of effort and time has been put in the project and MindArk recently entered what is commonly known as “crunch time” – the last stage of a development cycle. Our internal deadline for the final test phase of VU 10.0 is set in late May 2009. Depending of the evaluation during this test period we could expect a public release during the summer.
The integration process has been more of a conversion than an upgrade when it comes to software systems and game play activities, in order to save resources and reduce time. New game play systems and big content additions to Planet Calypso will emerge post-VU10 – some of which will be influenced by community wishes.
Up till VU 10.0 FPC will continue to host events which will have exclusive prizes and loot that is only going to be found during this time period. We will also have several contest and community-based feedback sessions which will influence future development of Planet Calypso. During the VU10-period will have a “Second Golden Age of Calypso” with some of the best prizes and loot ever seen, to celebrate this glorious occasion!
This is a very exciting time for everyone involved. I want to express my sincerest thanks for the very patient Entropia community who has been with us for all this time. We will make the utmost to make your future Calypso experience as pleasant and enjoyable as possible.
Highest regards
-Marco Behrmann
-CEO First Planet Company