An interesting, often ignored game

Well, hackmygame's lineage2 servers were down for the majority of the day, and I really didn't feel in the mood for World of Warcraft, Anarchy Online, or Maplestory. What was left? Well, nothing on my computer, that's for sure. So I took some time and dug through my file of games that I've wanted to try, but haven't for whatever reason.

In there, I found Project Entropia. I didn't play it when I first heard about it, mainly because I didn't have WinXP, or enough ram to run it. Well, both of those have changed, so I figured I'd give it a go. Solid graphics (though not impressive enough for the hefty ram requirements), good music, and a fairly helpful tutorial guide to help you get started.

So, after the download, I dove right in. The first difference I noticed was that you're allowed 1 character per account. Period. There's no deletion, and no second or third accounts. Already I was being put off by the game. No big deal though, I can deal with 1 character. Next, you actually go to create your character. The amount of detail they give you is VERY impressive. Few MMOs come anywhere near the amount of options they give you. Next up was being tossed into the game. No "newbie" area or anything, they just drop you off at a major colony on one of the many planets.

Now here's where it gets interesting. See, the game is technically free to play. The game's economy is based on "Project Entropia Dollars" or credits, however you feel like calling them. 10 PEDs equal $1US. While this sounds like a great way to earn some extra money...let me warn you. You start with 0 PEDs, NO weapons/armor, and well, only 2 ways to earn money. One is called "Sweating" where you run around the wilderness gathering the sweat off of the wildlife to be used for "mind essence" which I'm still not sure what it's used for. Something to do with their version of magic "Mindforce".

Anyways, the other way to go and get oil from the oil fields. Well, that sounds like a better option, right? Well, the oil fields are about a 30-45 minute run across the starting continent. Oh, and the wildlife tends to not like you, and attack you frequently. Thankfully, there's no penalty for death, other than being sent back to the closest revive terminal.

Basically though, you're stuck getting sweat for a while to earn some credits to get some armor and a weapon, or if you REALLY feel like it, some mining equipment. I still haven't reached that part after 10 hours of playing.

There's no levels. It's ENTIRELY skill based. Use a skill (either passive or active) and there's a chance you'll earn experience in it. Earn enough, raise a level in that skill. The skills are VERY diverse and can easily keep you occupied for a long time. You can get a mentor as well, who can point out stuff, and help you along as well. This ties in with the skills as you're considered a disciple for....a LONG TIME. Only certain skills count towards not being a disciple anymore, and like 7 of them require 1800+.

Ok, pick your jaw up off your desk. It's a little extreme, but keep in mind, they made this game for the long haul. At any time you can cash out some in game credits for real life cash. Back when the game first opened, there were troubles trying to get cash sometimes, but that's changed. With in game investments of $25,000US and over $100,000US, they seem to be pretty set. Also, people are constantly putting money in now to start the game, as it REALLY helps out. All in all, I highly recommend giving it a chance if you like Sci-fi, and are willing to sink 50+ hours into the game before you can do a lot. If you can do that, you'll enjoy their VERY robust crafting system. And who knows; you could find yourself liking the game so much that you want to buy a spacestation for $100k US too (as an investment of course).

Trindras

[On an off note, I just wanted to thank all the visitors to my website. Thanks to adsense, I can get a feeling for how many people are visiting each day. All the money I raise from here goes directly to funding my gaming, and that's what keeps me writing :) And as always, feel free to leave comments. I do read them, and will respond to them if they contain questions.]

Community makes the game

While I play the "official" versions of most games, there's a few games that I completely dislike the direction the developers have taken them. One of them is Lineage 2. It's SOOOOOOO slow when you play on NCSoft's server, so emulated servers (L2J) are better, and more legal than the servers running the stolen server files.

Also, NCSoft's servers have a crappy community full of botters and chinese gold farmers. I'm not being racist at all, but I'm being pretty accurate about that statement. So as of late, when I'm burnt out on my other games, I pop onto a certain (as for now unnamed) Lineage 2 server run from Europe. The forums leave a lot to be desired, but in game, people are pretty friendly.

Last night, I was playing my dwarf who I reached level 20 with, and became an artisan. I kindly asked on the global channel a few questions about which weapon I should use (polearms or maces), and if I should worry about getting my own recipes, or if I should just level up and buy them from others. Well, this one kind person whispered me, answered all my questions, and even offered to walk me around to some of the shops AND gave me some adena (in game currency) to help me out! As if that wasn't enough, he went into his stock of gear and gave me some of the best I could use for my level, and it was already upgraded too! We're talking several million adena per piece, which isn't cheap at all.

When I thanked him and bid him farewell, he stopped me, and offered to take me somewhere to train. I accepted, and in the span of 2 hours, he brought me from level 20 to level 52! All because he was trying to help out a new player. I asked him for his main character's name so I could add him to my friend's list and repay the favor somehow, and it turned out he happened to be the RICHEST player on the entire server, not to mention in the top 10 for PKs!

To think he took time out of his day to help me out like that, to me, is what MMOs are all about. A close-knit community that helps everyone out. And even if they happen to be in an "enemy" clan/guild, you still help them, so you have worthy adversaries, is something more games could learn from.

If I wasn't concerned about the legality of the server (emulated servers are in a grey area of the law), I'd share the website and how to connect. As for now, you'll have to settle for the kind person's name: Jogurt.

Welcome to my little corner of the web

Hello :)

My name is Trindras, and I've been a gamer all my life. Hell, growing up, I always got the new Atari systems when they came out, but my gaming habits really picked up when I got an NES back in 1986.

Since then, I've played all sorts of games, spending most of my time and money on RPGs. I've always liked to put myself in the middle of a huge storyline, and see what happens. Growing up playing the Final Fantasy series of games, I've always wanted to play with others. That desire peaked in 1998, when I was shown Ultima Online.

Ultima Online changed the way I looked at gaming. While I didn't have my own PC then, so I was relegated to MUDs (multi-user dungeon) for my online gaming, it prompted me to get a PC in 2000 (when I could afford it), and get started in the new world of MMORPGs.

My first game that I subscribed to (like many) was Everquest. The graphics at the time were pretty good, but the gameplay was phenominal. Only problem was, it was more addictive than crack! At that time I was working 10-12 hours a day, 6 days a week, and playing everyquest at least 6 hours a day, 122+ on my day off. It did however draw me deeper into it's world, and dominated my life, much to the dismay of my then girlfriend.

Over the past few years, I've played many MMOs, including Everquest 2, World of Warcraft, Maplestory, and Lineage 2. The game I keep going back to though is Anarchy Online. It's not that I'm a sci-fi nut, but rather the fact that the community is so great, and there's a hardcore roleplaying community buried deep inside the community itself. I'm currently a General for a clan organization, The Voiceless.

The whole point of this blog is to give you some insight into the life of an MMO gamer. One who plays oh, 8-12 hours a day. I have so much time to play because of a few reasons. The main one being my wife is ill, and needs care daily. The other being that quite frankly, the job market up where I live is awful.

I'll try to post everyday, and keep you up to date with the various things going on in the MMOs I play currently (Lineage 2, Anarchy Online, and Maplestory), as well as random other things going on in my life. Hopefully I won't bore you, and drive you away from reading ;)

Trindras