Entropia Universe Version Updates

VU 5.5 Content List




PROJECT ENTROPIA VERSION UPDATE 5.5
2004-02-17

*** PLEASE READ THIS DOCUMENT IF YOU FIND SOMETHING OUT OF THE ORDINARY IN PROJECT ENTROPIA! IT MIGHT PROVIDE THE INFO YOU NEED BEFORE CONTACTING PROJECT ENTROPIA SUPPORT! ***

General Information
The Version Update 5.5 (“VU 5.5”) for Project Entropia is a major step in the development of Project Entropia. Information about the content of the version update is located in this document. --



VERSION UPDATE FEATURES

New Society system
A completely new society system added. Societies are an integral part of PE structure and development in the virtual universe. Therefore a lot of energy has been put into the design and the functionality. Among the new society features included are:

• Society Themes/Template, with corresponding Society Ranks/Hierarchy within the society. This will allow for advancement, promotions and more responsibility and privileges. Gaining power within a society means you also have more rights to actively perform actions.
• Easy to use search engine, that makes searching for societies very easy.
• Diplomatic Relations, meaning you may set an official posture against another Society to show whether they are your enemies or friends.
• An intra-Society Allegiance system, for internal power struggles about the top position within the society. Make your own candidacy for being the supreme leader and fight for the members respect and their votes!
• Leaderboard High scores, which will show various prosperous societies on a high-score ranking list.
• Detailed Society Info and History. Be known as the founder of a society, add required equipment, choose administration, select areas of pursuit, and much more.
• Member Roster management, an easy to use system for searching for members, add them as friends in an instant, upgrade avatar status within the Soc, or punish the bad apples immediately.

More info about the society functions is available inthe help sections in the actual society system in Project Entropia.



New PvP Zone with avatar looting presented
During a deep-core drilling operation, Omegaton Industries accidentally released toxic fumes in the mountains south of Echidna. This resulted in an excruciating death for all human beings in the area. Mutants and robots have dismantled the mining site, but records of the event indicate a very rich area of rare minerals, the reason Omegaton ventured out there in the first place. However, the zone is considered contaminated and normal protection levels are reduced, meaning any avatar who ventures into this zone is susceptible to looting by others. All stackable items (except ammo packs/cells, decoys, bombs/probes, and PED/PECs) are at risk when getting killed within the zone, along with non-stackable items of all types found within the zone.
The trade terminals supply an anti-toxic shot that allows human to travel within the contaminated zone. The shot is in effect until the avatar is killed in the zone. If killed outside the zone, the shot still stays in effect. If an avatar is killed in the zone, he or she is instantly transported away from the zone to the last resurrection point or to Port Atlantis, if no such point exists. Even the ghosts fear the toxic area.

Participant-run shops added
Added shops to Project Entropia. An avatar may set up a shop on any estate lot he or she owns. The shopkeeper will stand vigilante 24/7 offering the goods the owner put up for sale.

New business lots in Hadesheim available
Several estate lots suitable for the participant-run shops are available in Hadesheim.

Skins usable in tailoring
Animal-specific skins can be refined into leather counter-parts. If you have good enough skill you may add animal leather to any tailoring design by putting the leather into the manufacturing interface. The Berycled coat is rumoured to be the fashion statement during the spring.

New creatures
A lot of new creatures have been spotted by explorers. Someone reported that even the infamous Araneatrox was brutally slain by these new menaces.

General creature update
Several changes has been applied to the creatures on the continent Eudoria. The way they attack, their size and speed, the damage done and health level are revised. Some nasty surprises lurk in the dense Calyso underbrush. Someone even said the snablesnots seems to have caught a cold…

Redesigned outposts
A new technical system added to Project Entropia, adding area-specific line of sight. This means that in some instances you will not see avatars located within buildings while you are outside of them. This includes visibility on the radar. This action enhances client performance and distributes load times.

Chat spam precautions
Some basic level chat spam prevention has been added to the main chat.

Logoff delay
A 20 second logoff delay has been introduced to counter potential misuse of the logoff functions. Even if your client loses connection to the server, your avatar will remain vulnerable during this time period.

Paint cans changes
All new paint cans come with a skill requirement. All old cans can still be used as before and are not affected by the skill requirement limit. If you add new cans to a stack of old cans, the old cans will be affected by the skill requirement.

Space ship enhancement
Take your position and be ready for launch, experience the feeling of commanding a space ship as a gunner, pilot or navigator.

Resting
Avatars may now sit or lie down, as well as placing themselves onto various chairs.

Right-click menu
You will have access to a right-click menu if you SHIFT+Right-click.

Shortcut to Friends
The keyboard key “j” is used for quick access to the Friends Interface. The Friends interface can also be moved outside of the screen, to save space.

Added functions to manufacturing
You may now add several stacks of the same material in the manufacturing interface, if you so desire.

Added Mindforce
Several Mindforce upgrades added, as well as a completely new Mindforce power. Rumours have it there are a revival Mindforce chip in existence.

Blueprint acquiring
The chance of getting a new blueprint while manufacturing is enhanced.

More weapons
New weapons added.

More armor
New armor sets added.

House decorations
Several new ways of personalizing your house is introduced.

More clothes
More festive clothing added.

More items
A news bulletin states that mutants has robbed a Toy Cargo ship… --



KNOWN ISSUES/MISSING FEATURES

You can’t repair a weapon with attachments attached to it. You have to detach them prior to repairing.

Currently, the virtual companies on the Exchange doesn’t offer any shares.

Sometimes attachments may detach from a weapon when logging on.

The Team chat is not always initiated when the Team Leader invites the first member.

All tailored clothes shown as “Uncolored” in the auction, even if they are colored. The items looted from creatures while in the new PvP zone are not lootable by other avatars when killed. Stackable items you bring into the zone work as described above in the document. This will be fixed shortly.

List of 5.5 mini updates 18 Feb 2004
System updated (5.5.0.10) [2004-03-02].

Fixes

• Fixed an issue with the Shopkeeper getting eaten by the wildlife

--

System updated (5.5.0.9) [2004-03-01].

Fixes

• Applied a fix to creature behaviour while in groups
• Fixed an issue with the Shopkeeper telepads
• Updated the sound engine with a CTD-fix

--

System updated (5.5.0.8) [2004-02-25].

Fixes

• Issues with invisible creatures fixed

--

System updated (5.5.0.7) [2004-02-24].

Fixes

• Issues with avatar creation fixed
• The Umbranoid mutants finally received their clothes back from the dry cleaners. ,-)

--

System updated (5.5.0.6) [2004-02-23].

Fixes

• Issues with decoys fixed
• Fixed an issue with the Drop confirm interface

--

System updated (5.5.0.5) [2004-02-20].

Fixes

• Bombs and probes are now pickable by all players if not activated within 5 minutes
• Fixed an issue with a misplaced auctioneer
• Disabled the 'Most PED' leaderboard in the society terminal
• Disabled the robot hazard alarm

Have a nice weekend!

--

System updated (5.5.0.4) [2004-02-19].

Fixes

• CTD issues fixed
• PvP Trade upgraded
• Fixed an issue with the pier by the hangars NW by Zeus
• Fixed an texture issue with the snablesnot skin textures
• Updated avatar name showing in main chat

--

System updated (5.5.0.3) [2004-02-18].

Fixes

• Corrected an issue where an avatar had difficulty picking up items from the world
• Fixed a potential issue when getting killed while lying down.

--

System updated (5.5.0.2) [2004-02-18].

Fixes

• Fixed an issue where ghosts could pick up oil drums.
• Updated old disbanded society members not being able to join or create a new society.

5-18-2003
Hello!

Its great to be back! I have annoyed the devs to gather info about what is going on. Many of you have questions about the VU and stuff.

Version naming
As the next update is a great architectural change compared to Project Entropia right now, the next VU will be called 5.0. The content part will be called VU 5.1.

ETA of next Version
VU 5.0 will come around the middle of the month, give or take. VU 5.1 will arrive roughly a week after VU 5.0.

What is in VU 5.0?
No content whatsoever. VU5.0 is an architectural change (or re-write, as some of our veterans may remember, as we changed the communication system between the servers last fall) in how the server actually behaves in regards to synching between client and server, how the priorities in data handling and how the server makes better use of its time. Previously several systems where affected by the simple fact that an Avatar was logging in, and this made the physics system (the system that takes care of synching positions, movement etc) freeze for up to a few seconds (other areas where also affected with these freezes, making rubberbanding a painful fact). The server was effectively "locked" from action while this happened. This is removed in VU 5.0. It was not an easy task to do, and there will probably be some initial bugs but the way it has been done, we can make updates quite fast (without any serious downtime), if needed. These "freezes" was the fact that made the rubberbanding an heavy issue when a server was full of Avatars moving around - the physics system did not have the time to make accurate updates. To summarize - the rubberbanding should be lessened by a great amount once VU 5.0 is applied. Minor areas that are also improved by this change is login and logoff time, as well as some transactions and database operations.

What is not in VU 5.0?
We have another area that causes "lag". That is the streaming of buildings, Avatars and items (like when you approach an Outpost, the harddrive is busy loading models and textures, and this causes “lag”). Another is when many Avatars are in your own surrounding, as they are also streamed to your client ("streamed" as in data loaded from your harddrive - not as streamed over the Internet). These areas has not been updated in VU 5.0. They are next inline for major updates, and the tech guys say that they should be ready by VU 5.2 (scheduled about one to one-and-a-half month after VU 5.0). By VU 5.2 many sources of the now infamous (and extremely annoying) CTD (crash to desktop) problems should be eliminated.

Bomb Reimbursement
While I was away the Bomb Reimbursement Programme was performed. This was the programme where a participant while mining blew up an entire stack of bombs instead of a single bomb. Nothing else. Probes has not been reimbursed yet, but will come. If anyone feels that they are affected by the above problem and has not been given their bombs back (check your Storage Terminal), please contact Project Entropia Support.

Random amount of PEDs, PECs, and ammo in the Storage Terminal
Once in a while you may find money or items in your storage terminal that you do not remember placing there. This is often due to lagginess in the loot system, and the items are then placed in your storage terminal.

The Merge bug on the 28th and 29th.
Those that lost ammo and other stackable items during the above time period due to the merging bug will get their items back as soon as the analyzis and Programme has been finalized. I have no ETA on this, though. It is a great amount of logs and database records that needs to be verified and cross-checked, thus it takes a lot of time. Please bear with us on this.

Ideas Forum
I will this week make comments on the ideas in the Ideas forum. I do read them, but I believe that the lack of feedback from us is frustrating. Therefore I will be more active in that board.

Auction problems - items invisible
There are instances where auction items are placed in the avatars inventory, but is not updated correctly, thus not showing to the participant. We are aware of this and an investigation is at hand. This is going to be corrected.



Regards

Marco Behrmann
Community Manager
MindArk PE AB

December 12, 2002 - MindArk sent this note about Patch 4.0 to Project Entropia , a persistent state world currently in open beta:

Yes, there's more! Project Entropia's v4.0 patch contains an extensive amount of new content. Many systems have been overhauled and expanded for your enjoyment. Read about two of these new systems below.

Construction System - The enhanced construction system will keep any would-be mechanic busy with several thousand unique components. Raw materials must be mined from Calypso and refined through several stages to produce finished goods, allowing for specialist professions to evolve from the different aspects of the construction process.

Skills System - With over 50 skills now available, ranging from Combat Reflexes, Courage, Geology and Engineering to Anatomy and Athletics, Project Entropia's skill system allows everybody to develop individual characters. Experience is quickly gained and can benefit several skills at once.

Welcome to the future!

The Project Entropia Development Team

PROJECT ENTROPIA VERSION UPDATE 4.1
2002-12-20

*** PLEASE READ THIS DOCUMENT IF YOU FIND SOMETHING STRANGE IN PROJECT ENTROPIA! IT MIGHT PROVIDE THE INFO YOU NEED BEFORE APPROACHING PROJECT ENTROPIA SUPPORT! ***

Welcome!
The Version Update 4.1 (“VU 4.1”) for Project Entropia is a major step in the development of Project Entropia. Information about the content in the version update is located in this document.

***READ***
OLD CLAIM RODS EXPIRATION MISMATCH
***READ***
From the time the Project Entropia universe servers come back online, all old claim rods (ie. claim rods placed before the VU 4.1) will have an expiration time of 168 hours (one week), counting real time (not server uptime). The corresponding Claim Deeds show *NO* time limit, and stay in the inventory until 168 real hours has passed since the first avatar login since the VU 4.1 (ie. it is very possible to have claim deeds in the inventory after a week’s time pointing at Claim Rods that have expired)! The old deeds will also sometime show an expiration message twice, with some time between. We are sorry about this irritating bug. This is due to a bug in the synch between the rods and the deeds.
All claims found *AFTER* the VU 4.1 have the correct time synch, and the time limit will vary depending on the size of the claim (from one hour and up). Your Claim Deed will hold the current information, including the time limit.

***READ***
CONSTRUCTION COMPONENT REDESIGN
***READ***
The VU 4.1 has a revised component handling system in place. Do not worry - no old knowledge or money is lost by this. All components are transformed into stackable heaps of items, to reduce strain and loading delays. We will also adjust the values of the components, but without any actual loss or gain for anybody. For example - before VU 4.1, a "Component A" was non-stackable and had a value of 20 PEC. When it later is made stackable, its value might be, say, 4 PEC a piece instead. If a crafter has a "Component A" in his/her inventory the component will, after the VU 4.1, be transformed into 5 stackable "Component A" instead (keeping the total value of 20 PEC). Some low-level components may stack as an amount of zero items. If that is the case, please stack more items together or sell the component. The value is the same as before – no money is lost!

***READ***
MELEE WEAPONS UPDATE
***READ***
To update the bugged swords and knives you have to place the item in the Repair Terminal. That will eliminate the bug with the melee weapons doing only one point of damage and not showing decay on the client properly.

VERSION UPDATE FEATURES

Exchange
The Project Entropia Exchange is up! Here you can trade shares in various companies and organizations. The list of companies will increase as more and more are introduced. In the initial launch two entities exist – Sphere Ordnance (the Calypso ammunition manufacturer) and Friends of MindArk.

Society
The society terminals have been reopened, and have gone through a complete redesign. Now you can create your own society, or join others. Expect the functions to expand considerably in future VU:s.

City Protection
The outposts and cities of Calypso have received some automated defence systems helping colonists who find themselves chased by a predator. These defence systems will kill all hostile entities coming within range. Beware of hot shell casings!

Death
The death system is updated. Now a dead avatar is visible as an eerie ghost by live avatars.

Clothes
New clothes are present in Project Entropia, ranging from different underwear as well as more strict business suits.

New Blueprints Designs
There are several new designs available among the blueprints.

Music Galore!
The jukeboxes around Calypso now have a wide variety of music available. Also, the jukeboxes can be found in many more places than before, warranting a lot of cool music around.

Dance Extravaganza
Together with the new and expanded jukeboxes, there has also been a redesign in the Emote department – a new section has been created called “Dance”, which brings you several new dances to perform.

Special Christmas Surprise
Ho ho ho.

Tweaks in the Skill System
The skill system has been tweaked.

Project Entropia Time
There is a universal MindArk Time (or Calypso Time) present in the Project Entropia universe. Press the “C” button (as in “Clock”) to see the current Calypso Time. This is the time that is used in all systems in Project Entropia, including the Claim Rod Expiration Time limit.

World Size
The continent of Eudoria is completely opened up, allowing for a land mass approximately three times the size compared to the size before the VU 4.1. This also means that there is a new map present.

Claim Rod Expiration Time Limit
Claim Rods have had their old time limits shortened considerably, which now ranges from one hour and upwards, deepening on the size of the claim. Drill Towers are not affected by the Time Limit.
NOTE: When the VU 4.1 comes live, all old claim rods will have a time limit of 168 hours (one week) until they are removed. Please also check the “Read Section” above and the “Known Issues Section” below for further info.

Alternative Methods of Transferring Money into PEDs
You can visit the Project Entropia web shop https://shop.project-entropia.com to generate a receipt to use for money transfers with your real-life bank. The functions are available under the “Alt. Payment” button, at the bottom.

General Stability Update
A variety of technical systems in Project Entropia have undergone a big workout and are leaner, meaner and cleaner.

Updated Mobile Service Centers present
New MSC:s are present – several of the MSC Deluxe version have enhanced entertainment facilities and an Exchange terminals present.

Construction Components Redesign
The VU 4.1 has a revised component handling system in place. All components have been transformed into stackable heaps of items, to reduce strain and loading delays. Please also see the “Read Section” above.

Melee Weapons Bug Fixed
The bug that made melee weapons deal minimal damage and not update the condition on the client correctly has been fixed. Please note that you need to repair your weapons in order to update their status.

Attributes and Blueprint Quality Rating Values Fixed
The avatar attributes (Strength, Agility, etc.) and the Blueprint Quality Ratings were shown wrongly on the client, indicating values up to the millions. The correct values are now shown.

Autostacking Feature
All stackable items will automatically stack in the inventory, if possible. Old items have to be merged manually the first time though.

Sphere Ordnance Corporate HQ
One of the corporations, namely Sphere Ordnance, that are on the Exchange has a HQ located in Hadesheim.

Disable Sound Enhancement
The option to Disable Sound the sound under the Setup menu in the Login screen has been tweaked. If you experience sound problems during Project Entropia participation, please try to disable the sound and see if the problem persists.

Updated Sounds
Many sounds have been updated.

Blueprint Books Looks Updated
The looks on the blueprint books have been optimized.

KNOWN ISSUES

Radar is not updating all the time
Yes, we know. It has become better though. It will be completely fixed in the future.

Yes, you can run through trees
This is not a bug.

Crafting
Every time after you have pressed the “Take All” button in a crafting window and if there are two or more crafted items present, your have to restart the crafting process as the “Manufacture” button becomes stuck.

Missing icons on clothes and items
On certain PC configurations sometime the item icons in the inventory becomes invisible, or you receive a dummy icon called “Unable to show”. If this happens to you, please update to the latest video card drivers, check if Project Entropia officially supports your video card, and also change the video settings on the Setup button in the initial login screen. If this fails, please contact the Project Entropia Support.

Blueprint missing designs
If you check the “Stats” button on a blueprint, you do not see the designs (ie. which components that is required to make the blueprint component or item). To get the info about the different designs, you must load up the blueprint into a Construction machine. Sorry about the inconvenience.

Claim Rod Expiration Time Mismatch
From the time the Project Entropia universe servers come back online, all old claim rods (ie. claim rods placed before the VU 4.1) will have an expiration time of 168 hours (one week), counting real time (not server uptime). The corresponding Claim Deeds show *NO* time limit, and stay in the inventory until 168 real hours has passed since the first avatar login since the VU 4.1 (ie. it is very possible to have claim deeds in the inventory after a week’s time pointing at Claim Rods that have expired)! The old deeds will also sometime show an expiration message twice, with some time between. We are sorry about this irritating bug. This is due to a bug in the synch between the rods and the deeds.
All claims found *AFTER* the VU 4.1 have the correct time synch, and the time limit will vary depending on the size of the claim (from one hour and up). Your Claim Deed will hold the current information, including the time limit.

PROJECT ENTROPIA VERSION UPDATE 4.3
2003-03-04

*** PLEASE READ THIS DOCUMENT IF YOU FIND SOMETHING STRANGE IN PROJECT ENTROPIA! IT MIGHT PROVIDE THE INFO YOU NEED BEFORE APPROACHING PROJECT ENTROPIA SUPPORT! ***

Welcome!
The Version Update 4.3 (“VU 4.3”) for Project Entropia is a major step in the development of Project Entropia. Information about the content of the version update is located in this document.

VERSION UPDATE FEATURES AND UPGRADES

New Construction Areas
Two new areas of construction are introduced; Weapon Attachment Construction and Tool Construction.

Avatar Health Increase
The Avatar now gains Health when becoming more experienced.

New Avatar Animation and Emotes
A new “Away from keyboard” emote has been implemented to show fellow colonists when a participant is away from the keyboard. Also, several minor enhancements to the animations have been performed - most notable the new turn animation when an Avatar turns around.

More Trade NPCs
Several new trader NPCs have been introduced. Some of the terminals have been removed. Among the new traders is the Technician, who sells blueprints.

New Armor Available to Crafter
Several new armors have been introduced that are craftable only – some of these are the Trooper, Expedition and the Vampire.

Decoys
A new tool called the decoy has been introduced. This tool can throw a chasing monster off track for a short while.

New Skills
Several new skills have been introduced, together with skill icons.

Avatar Professional Standing Present
All avatars get a professional standing based on their expertise. This can be viewed in the Avatar stats section. If someone scans you, that info will also be visible.

New Transfer Amount Interface
To enhance functionality for those using the mouse, a new Transfer Amount UI has been introduced. It is most noticeable on the PED Card, where you now can withdraw PEC as well as PED.

Death Sequence Changed
When you die you now get the option to insta-teleport yourself to the last used Revival Terminal. If you have never used a Revival Terminal you still must travel to one.

Speed Bar on Tools
Several tools have a speed bar like the one on ranged weapons. Even more tools will have this in the future.

Increased Monster Behavior
Several monsters have been blessed with smarter behavior.

Changes to Refining
In order to increase performance you now must place a stack in a Refiner that is dividable by three (for Ore) or two (for Energy Matter) before you try to refine.

Problems Entering Doorways and Stairs Fixed
The problems when going up ramps, stairs or through doorways have been fixed.

Society Editable
You can now edit entered society information.

Carry Capacity
Instead of being binary as before, the carried weight gradually slows an Avatar down. If you carry more than 250 your Avatar can only walk.
NOTE: This limit will be reduced in future VU:s – please use your Storage Terminals. Also, carrying large inventories will reduce your performance and increase slowness to your experience.

Changes in the Traders’ Stock
The trade terminal will no longer sell weapon attachments, clothes or blueprints. The new place to find blueprints and books is on the Technician Trader. The number of Fast Aid Packs available will drop to the FAP-5 only. The rest will be removed from the stock entirely.

Items Info Touch-ups for Components
Several components have had their look changed in the Items Info window.

Mining Re-spawning Rebalanced
Mining areas will function much better now. Claim rods will disappear when they should.

Enhancement to the Autostack Function
The autostack function has been enhanced.

Closed Door Functionality Changed
When approaching a closed door, you will be notified about this.

Visible Shooting Bug Fixed
Sometimes you could see people with no ammo firing their weapons on your client. This has been fixed.

Blueprint Book Appearance Change
The upgrade routine on the blueprint books (when your book becomes more luxurious with more and better blueprints) has been updated.

No Longer Possible to Scan the Dead
You cannot use a scanner tool on restless souls.

Drill Towers Enhancement
The Drill Towers (which come automatically when you find a big deposit of ore or energy matter) have been enhanced.

Society Deletion after Seven Days
If a society does not consist of at least two members + one founder it will be removed automatically after seven days.

Updated Look on Drill Tower Deeds
The deeds associated with the Drill Towers have their own look separating them from the ordinary claim deeds.

Updated Sound Ranges
Several sound ranges have been tweaked.

Spelling Errors Fixed
Several spelling errors have been fixed.

The Robots are up to Something...
Rumors about a new robot attack are floating around.

Monsters Maturity Level Shown
The monsters will have different sizes showing their maturity/difficulty level.

Added Mouse Wheel Support
You can now scroll with a mouse wheel in most interfaces.

Bandwidth Optimisation
Several updates have been done to decrease the amount of data needed for communication between the client and the server. NOTE: In the Client Loader, in the “Options” section, you should enter your connection speed. Entering the wrong info here will result in lower performance, as you will get packet loss and sub-optimised data streams. You will NOT get better performance choosing a connection speed higher than you have, as this will choke your client.

Updated performance when Transactions are Being Made
Several improvements have been made throughout Project Entropia to ensure maximum security when trading, constructing and mining.

Increased Speed in the Systems
Several optimisations to reduce “lag” and slowness in the systems have been conducted. This should increase performance in trading, mining, shooting, inventory management, etc.

“Undead” Monster Bug Resolved
The haunting bug of dead creatures striking back from the dead has been fixed.

Sound Bugs Fixed
Several sound bugs have been fixed.

Bug in the Skill Ranking Fixed
A bug resulting in no Skill rank at level 510-520 has been fixed.

Reduced CTD Rate when Clicking on a Blueprint Book
A bug often resulting in a CTD (Crash To Desktop) when clicking on blueprint books has been fixed.

Jukebox Can Now be Shut Off
For those music haters out there ,-)

KNOWN ISSUES

VISA Use Temporarily Disabled
Until the 3d Secure system is in place, the use of VISA in the Project Entropia Bank interface is suspended. Several alternative payment systems are being developed, in addition to the ones existing already on the Project Entropia web page (in the “Webshop” --> “Alt Payment” section).

Radar is not updating all the time
Yes, we know. It has become better though. It will be completely fixed in the future.

Yes, you can run through trees
This is not a bug.

Missing icons on clothes and items
On certain PC configurations sometime the item icons in the inventory become invisible, or you receive a dummy icon called “Unable to show”. If this happens to you, please update to the latest video card drivers, check if Project Entropia officially supports your video card, and also change the video settings on the Setup button in the initial login screen. If this fails, please contact the Project Entropia Support.

2003-04-04
VERSION UPDATE FEATURES

Auctions
Auction houses and independent auctioneers have been added throughout the continent of Calypso. These points of trade will increase the commerce between participants and societies. Everything that normally can be traded between participants can be traded on the global auction market.

Enhanced Communication between Participants
Several enhancements have been made to ensure secure communication between participants. A new special Society tab has been added for intra-society communication. A “Friends” list has also been added, in which a participant can add friends to and chat with them directly if they are online, regardless of distance. All messages sent and received through the Friends-list are also saved in the client folder, in a file called “FriendChat.txt”.

Clothes Making
The avatars now can make clothes using raw material from the fauna of Calypso. The system works a lot like the construction system with raw material, a blueprint of the design one wants to make, and a special machine for performing the action.

Colorize
Participants can also colorize their newly created clothes to suit their own style and feeling.

Added Uniforms
Official MindArk representatives present in Project Entropia will have distinct clothing showing they are officials. Also, several of the NPC traders have received special clothes.

Avatar Information Sheet Present
A new section displaying the Avatar skill, skill levels, skill ranks, and skill XP has been designed. The section also has info about the avatar name, social status and professional standings. This information section has also been prepared for future implementation of avatar reputation, fame and credibility, as well as background, trivia and statistics.

Added Boxing Ring
Boxing rings have been added. These work like limited PvP areas where combat can take place. The rules are set by the participants.

Added Production Platform
An Omegaton Survey Probe Ship has dispatched an automated production platform. This platform has gone missing and Omegaton has even denied any knowledge about its whereabouts. Rumor has it that it indeed functions and is pumping crude oil out into the open, free for grabs!

Added Catwalk
A catwalk stage has been built just outside the fashionable Nymphtown, to enhance fashion shows, dance competitions, and other kinds of entertainment.

Added Range Information to Items Info
The items info view port now displays the range for all ranged weapons.

Changed Condition Function
Items now stop working at a condition of 10%, instead of 0% as before.

Several Updates in the Skills Section
Many new skills have been added. More details are also now available on the descriptions of several skills.

Fierce Monsters
Several monsters have evolved on the Calypso surface.

More Items
The stock of items present in Project Entropia has been expanded, with new weapons, armors, tools, and other items.

Added Support for Credit Cards
The Project Entropia Bank now has support for Visa once again. In the future, Diners Club, and American Express cards will also be supported. NOTE! THE VISA FUNCTION WILL COME ONLINE A FEW DAYS AFTER THE ACTUAL VU IS RELEASED!!

Robots are Gaining Strength
While attempting to strike at Calypso settlements several times already, the robots have something else up their collective sleeve. Some unconfirmed data reports at least one new type of robot never before seen.

Support for DirectX 9 Implemented
Project Entropia now has DirectX 9 support. Please note that from this update forward, Project Entropia requires Microsoft(r) DirectX(r) version 9.0, which can be obtained from Microsoft's official site: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/directx/.

New Entry Points for Newcomers
Newcomers to Calypso will find themselves closer to civilized areas.

New Sound Engine
Project Entropia now has a completely new sound system in place, which will grant Project Entropia much better options using sound and music as mood enhancers and to create cool effects.

Ghost Jumping
The restless soul of a dead Avatar can now jump.

General Updates to the Client Software
Several fixes and updates have been performed on the Project Entropia Client Software to increase stability and performance.

Client Error Messages Updated
The error messages given to participants when they fail to connect to Project Entropia have been updated and are streamlined.

Zombie Creatures Be Gone
The problem with “undead” creatures striking back after they have been killed has been fixed.

Rebalancing
Almost every system has been reviewed and rebalanced somewhat.

KNOWN ISSUES

Yes, you can run through trees
This is not a bug.

Missing icons on clothes and items
On certain PC configurations sometimes the item icons in the inventory become invisible, or you receive a dummy icon called “Unable to show”. If this happens to you, please update to the latest video card drivers, check if Project Entropia officially supports your video card, and also change the video settings on the Setup button in the initial login screen. If this fails, please contact the Project Entropia Support Team.

Tab key does not work
The function of the tab key has gone missing.

Society chat and Kicked Out Members
When a society member is kicked out of his or her society, the former member is still allowed to use and listen to the Society Chat messages, until the former member logs off Project Entropia.

Reverb
Project Entropia now supports environmental effects set in applications like Creative(r) Surround Mixer(r). If you experience exaggerated reverb effects in Project Entropia you should check your surround mixer settings, and disable “game effects” if necessary.

SPECIAL

Scan
The first time you scan an entity in Project Entropia after VU 4.4, your will transfer your level in “Enemy Scan” to the four skills “Scan Human”, “Scan Animal”, “Scan Robot”, and “Scan Mutant”. The skill Enemy Scan is removed. For example: You have Enemy Scan level 50. The first time you scan an entity you will gain level 50 to “Scan Human”, “Scan Animal”, “Scan Robot”, and “Scan Mutant”.

April 25, 2003 13:58:26 GMT

A quick update - the lag reducing efforts are being tested inhouse, and moves along nicely. The main area that is addressed is rubberbanding, synching between client and server and primarily that kind of lag. We have also reduced load on the databases. Login and logoff is also sped up.

Minor areas in 4.5 is the client lag when entering cities (which lag due to data being loaded from your harddrive) and when many avatars are in view. These areas will be better, but the big improvements there will be in 4.6, or later.

Updates in the auction are being done. It is mainly bugfixes and no new functionallity.

The main content part of VU 4.5 is the ability to team up and share loot.

VU 4.5 will come in two parts, with about a week of each other, in the first half of May.

Lag has been pretty bad the last few days. The reason for this is a great influx of new participants. This makes the 4.5 VU even more needed.

Lag Kills! Defeat Lag!

PROJECT ENTROPIA VERSION UPDATE 5.1
2003-06-13

*** PLEASE READ THIS DOCUMENT IF YOU FIND SOMETHING STRANGE IN PROJECT ENTROPIA! IT MIGHT PROVIDE THE INFO YOU NEED BEFORE CONTACTING PROJECT ENTROPIA SUPPORT! ***

Welcome!
The Version Update 5.1 (“VU 5.1”) for Project Entropia is a major step in the development of Project Entropia. Information about the content of the version update is located in this document.

We are still heavy at work with the mission to reduce lag and increase performance. In the upcoming VU 5.2 the new Item Management System will be in place, and once it is, we envision that all problems correlating to items will be solved once and for all. This release will make way to this major upgrade. Please check the Known Issues section in the Support section on the Project Entropia web site for current issues. Also, the best place for up to date info about what is going on is the Project Entropia Developer’s Post forum on the Project Entropia web site.

VU 5.1 is expected to arrive around the 20:th of June. The date may change though.

VERSION UPDATE FEATURES

Attachment crafting level 6-10
Attachment crafting on level 6-10 is in, together with the associated components needed. At the moment none of these designs require Lysterium. ,-)

The Project Entropia Newcomer Shuttle Port
Just south of Port Atlantis the Federal Empire has built a Shuttle Port, where all newcomers arrive when coming to Calypso. This area has information booths available, giving the basics of Project Entropia.

Project Entropia Transfer Center
The old Project Entropia Bank is replaced by the new Project Entropia Transfer Center.

New deposit option
For those who do not have a credit card a new pay-by-phone option is implemented in the new Project Entropia Transfer Center. Just pick up the phone, dial a number, and you get PED to your avatar, while your phone bill is charged.

Avatar Trivia and Avatar Background
The avatar has the possibility to make a personal presentation of himself in the Avatar Interface that will be visible to other Avatars.

Rebalance success rates while crafting and mining
Generally you will succeed with your action more often, but the output value is reduced.

Rebalanced skill advancement
Several skills now have a higher increase rate, mostly those that have less skill checks per time frame. This mostly affects mining and crafting, and does not affect hunting much.

Rebalanced attribute advancement
The attributes now increase in greater steps than before, especially at lower levels.

Possibility to learn from mistake
When failing using a skill the avatar still has a small chance of raising the skill.

Dynamic XP message
The XP gain messages have been updated somewhat.

Society in target square
When targeting an avatar the society the avatar is a member of will show in the target square.

Feedback on 15% Condition
When an item is deteriorated to 15% of its full Condition a message will tell the participant it’s a good time to consider repairing the item.

Recharge delay bar on melee weapons
When using a melee weapon a delay bar will show when the weapon is ready for use again.

What killed the avatar?
When being killed the avatar will get a message in the chat window that says what killed the avatar.

Trader NPC’s have “uniforms”
All the trader NPC’s (Technician, Auctioneer, etc) have similar clothes as other NPC’s of the same kind, to distinguish them more easily.

Change of stock in the Trade Terminal
The Trade Terminal will have new weapons available, the Omegaton M2200 and the Sollomate Busho.

New weapons
New weapons are added.

New tools
New tools are added.

New armors
New armors are added. Shadow is no longer king of the hill. ,-)

Updated component names
Several components have name updates, mostly the word “Parts” have been added.

NPC’s are talkative
Several NPC’s have a lot more to say.

New NPC’s / Monsters
New species will inhabit the continent.

Tougher NPC’s / Monsters
Bigger, meaner and more dangerous forms of already existing npc’s will appear.

More NPC’s / Monsters
Despite all hunting the numbers of existing monsters is steadily growing

The NPC’s / Monsters will make more sounds
Several new sounds have been implemented on the NPC’s / Monsters.

NPC / Monster AI is optimized
Several of the Monsters have new AI controlling them. Expect less passive monsters.

Lost ruins
Somewhere on the continent a ruined city has been found. Unfortunately the coordinates to its location were lost in the transmission.

Minopolis
The new city of Minopolis founded, located some distance north of Nymphtown. This is a city designed in a new way, with a more distinct look than the old outposts.

Added facilities to outposts
Storage terminals and auctioneers will be present in more outposts than today.

New looks of the old outposts
Several outposts have new looks.

Changing skies
The first step in the future Weather system is in place – the sky will change depending on where you are on the Eudoria continent.

Items in auction
The avatars will always see the items they select.

Healing is reduced when moving
If you are trying to heal using a medkit when moving the result will be diminished to about a quarter of the normal heal rate.

Deterioration per use
Weapon attachments now have the correct “deteriorate per use” set.

New animations and sounds when dying
The avatar can now be killed in more varied ways than before.

New animations and sounds when using melee weapons
New animations and sounds added to a variety of melee weapons, most notable on the powerfists.

Leader becomes founder
Prior, the founder of a society was titled “Leader”. This is changed to “Founder”.

None becomes Freelancer
Prior, an avatar not a member of a society had society rank “None”. This is changed to him or her being “Freelancer” instead.

New music
A lot of new ambient music has been added.

Skill management system changed
The skill management code has been optimized to increase performance. This will decrease the strain on the systems, and will reduce the login and logoff times.

Several performance / lag fixes
Many steps have been taken to increase performance and to reduce lag. We are still in the process of making several heavy upgrades, which will come in VU 5.2.

Audio system
The audio system is optimized.

Database
The database is optimized. This will help performance, until the major re-write of the item management system is implemented in VU 5.2.

ADDED: Gamma selection
You will be able to select your Gamma setting, making those with dark monitors see better.

SPECIAL

The below is currently tentative, and might not make it to VU 5.1.

Teams
You have the opportunity to form temporary groups with other avatars. You will see the other team member’s health status. A series of click-commands are also in place. Loot distribution is automatic within the group, and every member has full insight on what is going on. Items will be distributed randomly among the members, while stackable items are split as evenly as possible throughout the group.

PROJECT ENTROPIA VERSION UPDATE 5.2
2003-10-15

*** PLEASE READ THIS DOCUMENT IF YOU FIND SOMETHING STRANGE IN PROJECT ENTROPIA! IT MIGHT PROVIDE THE INFO YOU NEED BEFORE CONTACTING PROJECT ENTROPIA SUPPORT! ***

General Information
The Version Update 5.2 (“VU 5.2”) for Project Entropia is a major step in the development of Project Entropia. Information about the content of the version update is located in this document.

VERSION UPDATE FEATURES

SYSTEM UPGRADES

Item Management System
The Item Management System of Project Entropia has been extensively upgraded. This means that the internal system handling all items and transactions has been upgraded, to increase performance and to reduce the number of issues occurring in regards to item manipulation.

As Project Entropia is built to utilize maximum security, all item manipulation and trades are conducted on the secure server, before the client shows what’s going on (the Project Entropia client does not hold any vital data whatsoever). This has sometimes caused confusion, as the client predicts actions. These predictions have sometimes shown incorrectly on the client, even though everything is perfectly okay on the server. The most common area where misunderstandings occur is the shown ammunition when quickly logging off and logging on again.

One obvious change is that the participant may notice some of his or her items become ”faded” into a blue-gray icon when moved. This means that the item is currently being handled by the server and cannot be manipulated until the server says so. This has always been the case, but before it was not shown to the participant.

Inventory
The inventory functions have been revamped. One of the areas that has been an issue for participants using slow connections is synching of items between the Project Entropia Servers and the client software on the participant’s own computer. The major reason for participants’ timing-out, crashing, starting with ”no inventory in newbie clothes”, etc was due to the sheer number of items in the avatar inventory. Even though no real problems were derived from this, it caused confusion. Therefore, we have made several upgrades to reduce this behavior.

One major change is the introduction of ”container” items, which are boxes, cases, chests, etc in which items are stored. The system only synchs items between the server and client that are in the currently used container, meaning that a participant will not experience long load times while logging onto Project Entropia, but will experience somewhat longer load time while manipulating cases of different kinds, as the containers are synched when accessed. With the containers, the synching of items has been distributed to many different areas, instead of one giant area. Please feel free to put seldom-used items in a special container and leave them be – then that container won’t use your connection or disturb your load times.

In future releases more types of containers will be implemented, even such that will bring a reduction to the weight carried in it. At the moment a participant cannot drag items to a closed container, but must open it to place items inside.

An inventory can at most show 500 items. More items than that in an inventory will render the additional items invisible. MindArk strongly recommends that participants restrain themselves to have inventories with max 200 items. More items will cause performance hits on you, loss of connection and possibly other strange effects, especially if you have a lesser connection (below 2Mbit) or have an ISP of lesser quality.

Auction
The auction system is completely redone to eliminate the issues with ”stuck items”. Also, the interface has been redone to utilize for much meaner and leaner operations. The new auction has a fee of one PED for each item put on the auction, to reduce ”Spam”. When VU 5.2 is applied, all current bids are nullified and returned, and all items offered are also returned to respective participant. The new auction will therefore be completely empty directly after the VU 5.2 is applied.

Another area that is upgraded is how transactions in the auction are handled. Instead of the participant needing to visit the auctioneer to get the latest info, all such messages are handled in real time. If a participant is offline, the message will be stored until he or she logs on again. All money is also transferred the moment a change occurs. The only thing that has to be manually collected is an item won.

Crafting
As stated above, the major reason for having performance problems is due to a high number of items. One of the most cumbersome areas is crafting, or more specifically, the blueprints. Therefore there have been changes to the crafting system. The number of unique blueprints has been reduced to about half, and some crafting categories have disappeared (Tool, Weapon, Armor, and Attachment Components, and Tailoring Materials) completely. The associated skills have also been removed. Some skills have also changed name (the old “Assembling” skills are now called “Manufacturing” instead, and the old “Manufacturing”-skill are removed). Those who have blueprints and/or skills in these areas should read the ”Compensation” section, below, before contacting MindArk.

The crafting system overall has been changed in that way that there are no longer any overlaps between lootable items and craftable items. All craftable items are craftable only. Therefore, a whole range of new craftable items is introduced. With this, several new minerals and EnMatters have been introduced as well.

Tailoring now works more like the rest of crafting. You have a raw material; you use a refiner on it and get a refined piece of material you can use together with a blueprint to make clothes.

The Manufacturing Interface is also revamped, and more logical than before. The participant is also informed on the relative chance of success, based on skills, blueprint QR and the level of difficulty.

Overall, the crafting system is somewhat easier to manage, with fewer steps needed from start to finish.

We are very much aware of that this is a major change and can feel like a letdown for some participants. This simply had to be done; otherwise the crafting area of Project Entropia would hamper performance across the board for every participant.

Compensation
There is an automatic compensation system in place when you load up Project Entropia the first time after the VU. If you are entitled to any compensation you will receive messages to that effect. Obsolete blueprints and components will be changed to current blueprints (with QR 1) and into minerals. Items/money stuck in the auction will be returned to your personal storage facility. Also, those affected by lost Quality Rating (including QR on converted blueprints) will be reimbursed for this, in a compensation system, where the participant can select which kind of compensation he or she desires. In this compensation system obsolete skills are also taken in consideration.

PCGamer Quest
Those participants that joined Project Entropia through the client distributed on the PCGamer (US) edition also have a special quest available.

MIXED FIXES/UPGRADES

In no particular order:

If you lose connection to the chat server the system automatically tries to re-logon, without the need to re-logon Project Entropia.

Added a connection indicator in the client. A three-lights display is located by the radar. If the load is light, they are green. If the load is heavy, it changes to yellow, and if the load is high, it changes to red. This display is updated a couple of times per minute.

Added functionality to the Friends-list, indicating when friends come on- and offline.

Added new, more Asian looking face textures to Avatar Creation Interface.

Upgraded the performance substantially in the Fast key Interface.

Added new music and sounds.

”Nothing to loot here” – The frequency is reduced, but you will still encounter critters with no loot. It’s not a bug.

Updated an instance where client-to-client synch mismatched in PvP Trade.

The Hadesheim Siren is now silenced when no attacks are in progress.

Updated functions when stacks are split, to show more accurate info in the client.

Update the servers extensively to reduce lag and performance slowdowns.

Several new items added, especially high-level equipment.

T-key changed to move stuck avatars to a random location, instead of a fixed.

Fixed so newbie clothes should not multiply.

Fixed an issue with claim deeds not being removed after deposit was depleted.

Updated the defense turrets.

Updated that both parties engaging in a PvP Chat gets automatic focus in the Chat window.

Fixed an issue with blueprints weighing double if inserted into a blueprint book.

Fixed an issue with items picked up from the ground weighing incorrect.

Fixed a minor issue with the selected title being reset to the top one in the Avatar Information interface with each login.

Fixed an issue with being able to vote multiple times in the Vote Booth.

Fixed an issue where uncolored clothes could not be used in the Coloring Interface.

Further secured the Trade Terminal Interface.

Upgraded how the teleporters behave if the system is under heavy load.

Upgraded the looks and functionality on the various Loot Interfaces.

Empty blueprints books are now sellable.

Fixed issues in the Repair Interface when using the quick-buttons (not making items un-accessible anymore).

Quality Rating on Blueprints associated with Value, meaning that Value will rise with higher QR, to the max of one PED at QR 100.

Fixed an issue with a full inventory covering buttons in the auction.

Fixed an issue with current value/condition not always showing the correct amount in the auction.

Several upgrades of functionality in the PvP Trade Interface, most noticeably the removal of ”Cancel” functionality once ”Accept” is pressed. You may however cancel once the order confirmation is presented.

Clothes and armor with a value/condition of zero are not wearable (exception: newbie clothes).

The autofire bug (the weapon could uncontrollably fire due to an ALT+TAB change) is eliminated.

Fixed an issue with the PED Card while withdrawing PEC, making the PED Card crash.

Fixed an issue with ever-active decoys.

Corrected a client bug when merging two full stacks, one stack would go missing.

Corrected some tool tip errors.

Added more detailed error messages for rarer instances.

Fixed an old issue that allowed avatars to chat even while dead using the Focus button.

Fixed various graphical glitches.

An avatar should only have one set of newbie clothes.

Many items have enhanced looks in Items Info view port.

Fixed a potential issue with the mouse pointer focus changing when someone requests a PVP Trade or PvP Chat. The pointer does not automatically change to pointer mode now.

Fixed ”leveling” of blueprint books (visual leveling).

Enhanced the Trivia/Background info.

Enhanced the messaging when leaving/entering PvP zones, to ensure the message is displayed.

Fixed the prefix elimination on ”Uncolored” clothes when colored.

Fixed an issue with commands being sent to the Main Chat instead of the PvP Chat.

Fixed an issue with NPCs just spinning round and round.

Rebalanced success rates while crafting and mining. Generally you will succeed with your action more often, but the output value is reduced.

Rebalanced skill advancement. Several skills now have a higher increase rate, mostly those that have less skill checks per time frame. This mostly affects mining and crafting, and does not affect hunting much.

Update to the PvP Chat informing the other party when the first party left the chat.

Fixed so the Avatar busy message is shown correctly.

Updated the boxing ring bell to have a two second delay.



KNOWN ISSUES/MISSING FEATURES

In no particular order

You can’t repair a weapon with attachments attached to it. You have to detach them prior to repairing.

Currently, the virtual companies on the Exchange don’t offer any shares.

The drill tower cannot be accessed. The minerals within it will be transferred to the avatar’s Personal Storage Facility.

Sometimes attachments may detach from a weapon when logging on.

The Team chat is not always initiated when the Team Leader invites the first member.

_________________
Regards

-Marco Behrmann
-PE Community Manager
-MindArk PE AB

Hello crew,

Today’s update was a minor bugfix-update. Most noticeable is the increased spawn rate for the new minerals, and the completely new Support Section.

The PE web page and Support is a work in progress and have some glitches right now, it will be fixed the following days. For those of you who get an error when watching - this is due to an updated DNS entry (meaning that the pages are now at a different address, and the servers on the Internet that act like "phonebooks" sometimes are slow to update this info).

Please familiarize yourself with the new Support section. Mail to Support will still work, but will soon be shut off. You get the picture when you browse the new Support. You may change your login the first time you enter info into the Account info. Please note that the account info given here is for everything you do with PE and/or MA.

This update includes several lag fixes, but we still have some lag monsters that needs to get killed. The devs have found a major culprit and will annihilate him as soon as possible (even if it might take a while).

In the future, the annoying "overweight when logging in" bug, as well as the "HoF strangeness" bug, will be fixed.

A note to miners, some resources expiry dates acts up, showing strange data (like expiry on the year 24567). Such deposits should be extracted as fast as possible, as they may disappear within a minute’s time.
_____________
Regards

-Marco Behrmann
-Director of Community Relations
-MindArk PE AB