This story is being submitted as the second in a series of monthly articles about the Michigan Militia Cadets. (April, 2009)The ChoiceAs a newly appointed Colonel in MMC, I've been thinking quite a bit about my experiences thus far in Entropia. It has been an interesting journey of growth and knowledge, starting from the very first day I arrived in Port Atlantis wearing my tattered, worn Standard Colonist Suit.
I have also been spending a fair amount of time at the “Sweat Camp” northwest of Port Atlantis, meeting new players, providing focus for “sweaters”, and listening to conversations typed in the general “white” chat around the turret.
One topic that seems to come up daily is, “Should I deposit”?
Well, the choice is simple, really.
It is either yes, or no.
It is really a matter of personal preference, determined solely by how you want to play the game. This choice will also be based on your own personal Real Life (RL) financial situation, and whether you want to simply have “fun” in Entropia or view it as a potential “business investment” and approach it as such.
From my own experience, I began sweating my very first day and continued to do so for a couple of weeks before I made the decision to deposit.
Why, you ask? Because sweating is slow, difficult, and not terribly exciting to do hour after hour, day after day... just for enough ped to do what I really wanted to do.
Hunt.
Besides, I already have a RL job, earning RL money, so frankly I don't want to spend all my “free time” in a game “working”. I don't mind making ped ingame... in fact I enjoy it quite a bit. There is nothing quite like a nice global (or HoF) to spice up a hunt and boost my ped card a bit. However, I never want to become a slave to ped, worrying about every single ped I spend or make. I can simply budget my RL income to meet my Entropia ped needs and desires.
So, after visiting the main
Entropia Universe Website and filling out some personal information, I pressed a button and had some ped.
Simple, right?
Well, yes. However, the challenge AFTER deciding to deposit was learning to restrain my desire to buy everything on auction. O.o
How to TITAN UP your spending habits...Can this game be played without depositing? Of course it can, with strategic planning, smart decisions, hard work, a lot of patience, and a little bit of luck. One person who has all of these traits is our very own
MMC COLONel,
Titan Up Uranus. What follows is a brief online interview I had with Titan about his experiences in Entropia:
Chrome: “How long have you been an active player in the Entropia Universe?”
Titan: "I've first played Entropia when it was still referred to as Project Entropia. I left the game and only came back to it a couple years ago."
Chrome: “Have you ever deposited? If so, how long did it take before you made that decision?”
Titan: "I have deposited (sigh), but only twice for a combined $55 USD. The first time I deposited, I was home with the flu and the combination of feeling ill and feeling bored led me to send $30 into the EU coffers. The second time I deposited was to buy some very undervalued black pants off auction, which I promptly re-sold for a tidy profit."
Chrome: “Tell us a little bit about your experience with dung...”
Titan: "Dung dropping used to be one of the most rewarding and entertaining aspects of Entropia. Nothing was as humorous as strategically placing a steaming pile under an obnoxious ore-buyer, or tossing some around PA and watching the orange jumpsuits fighting over them.
From dropping smaller piles I graduated into 'dung art' by drawing elaborate pictures. I made a bit of a name for myself and had a feature story written about some of my work in the Entropia News Network, and YourMom took an interest and made a movie. Word got around and a few players commissioned dung artworks for their own enjoyment. The beauty of dung art was that everyone gathered around, dancing and chatting, for a couple hours until the noob-cleaners came around. My biggest dung picture used thousands of dung.
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MA changed the rules on dropping items so dung could only be dropped in piles of 1 thousand. I then started collecting dung for a dung-art comeback. In a year and a half I collected one million dung, and earned the title "The King of Dung". Entropia has never been the same since!"
Chrome: “What do you find to be the most challenging aspect of Entropia?”
Titan: "The most challenging aspect of Entropia is quitting! I have tried to quit more times than most people try to quit smoking, yet the nicotinesque draw of Entropia is as strong as ever. I even chipped out once and lost a tonne of skill in the process. Now I just live with the addiction."
Chrome: “Any advice you could give new individuals looking to play with little or no deposit?”
Titan: "You always get out of Entropia what you put in. That does not mean you need to deposit! Just don't expect to see your name on the Hall of Fame list on a daily basis unless you do. I am currently writing a guide to help other players follow in my footsteps. The guide is entitled 'NEVER SWEAT AGAIN: A Guide to Trading' and it will include easy to follow steps to effective trading and tips on markets with room for profits.
I play regularly and I have never had to sweat mobs for an hour to go on a 3 minute hunt. It took me a while to learn that the few PED I that can be made from sweating can easily be doubled or tripled in a short amount of time.Thanks Titan... looking forward to the trading guide!!!
Chrome
