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There Inc. Officially Launches Online World
Thanks to Yahoo! for hosting the press release announcing the official opening of There Inc.'s online world. This ambitious PC-based virtual world, created "with over $37 million in funding", is aimed at the 'mainstream market' and highlights socializing and playing, as well as world object creation, since: "70 percent of all objects currently for sale in There are created by members and 80 percent of events in There are organized by members." Real-life money can be converted to in-game currency, and during the Beta, "members... voluntarily spent on average of $7 USD per month purchasing There currency and buying in- world goods." There are even some amusing advertising tie-ins: "Digital versions of Nike's AirMax 2003 and Nike's Zoom Celar have been created... members who buy these Nike shoes for their avatars will find... they can run faster."
The use of real world money in a virtual MMOG is not unique or new with There. Project Entropia has been doing this for what, a year now? That's not to say it's a GOOD game per se, I've heard from several that it's actually very horrible (mostly because you have to shell out real world cash to get anywhere).
"I'm a leaf on the wind. Watch how I soar."
-Hoban Washburn
I don't know how many people There are playing gender games. More than 0 and less than everyone, but it's not something that concerns me. I always assume that the person i'm chatting with is a 30-something fat smelly guy who lives in his mother's basement no matter what his avatar looks like. (Unless they are overtly sexual. Then i assume they're a 13-year-old fat smelly kid.)
That said, the people There are generally pretty mature, but as with just about any community, there are people who like to cause problems. Scammers and griefers are there, but they're definitely not the norm. You can't be killed (skydiving is a popular passtime even though there are no parachutes in There) or have your stuff stolen (someone just hopped on your hoverbike and sped off - hit "retrieve" and it's back). A little common sense and caution should get you through just fine.
The world is pretty cool! It's actually a big sphere, and by big, i mean 6000 km radius in scale. There are only a few islands of land so far, but you could spend weeks just exploring those, and that's not even addressing the vehicles (5 distinct types with lots of customizations), paintguns, pets, custom building, and other activities.
There are skills and they do have some effects in-world, but you will almost never be prevented from doing something because of your skill level and they don't affect competitive events at all. The skill levels are really just a sort of measure of how much time you've spent doing a certain activity. It's not "get skill then do fun stuff," it's "do fun stuff and as a byproduct, get skill level plus skill reward gifts." If you get off on having a title like "Legendary Fashionista" you can work at it, but if you don't care about that you won't notice it's missing. (Skills: Author, Hoverbike Rider, Hoverboard Rider, Hoverboat Captain, Buggy Driver, Club Leader, Dog Lover, Event Host, Fashionista, Merchant, Newbie Helper, Pack Flyer, Sharpshooter, Socializer, Teacher)
The fees are imo reasonable. I believe there are a few one-time setup fees for access and options ($30-$50 or so depending on what you want) and then a minimum monthly purchase of T$. T$ are what you use to buy stuff in There like hoverboards, dune buggies, etc. I think the minimum monthly purchase is $5, with an exchange rate of $1US = 1,770T (or some such), which will get you a good bit of fun.
If you want more you buy them at the same rate or save up for a few months. For comparison, a basic hoverboard will cost you 5,599T. (About $3US.) You can also earn T$ by becoming a designer or hosting events or leading tours, etc.
Pay to play - pure and simple. You just have to decide if the price is right. Whether you think of it as an mmorpg, a virutal world, or a fancy chat program, it's up to you.
If you do end up joining, tell them Jester sent you and look me up some time.
The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.
If you don't like something you buy, you can return it for a full refund within limited timeframes (currently 10 minutes, with lesser refunds as time goes on).
You can also sell or auction anything you buy. Usually for less than you paid, but not always.
And, to answer an earlier question...you can develop and sell (for a startup price, and a per-item 'manufacture' cost) what you developed. They have both skinning and modeling options for many items. Quite a few people are realizing good profits from this.
Also, there are people who broker in-world currency. They buy extra currency from playres at a discount, and sell it to others at a rate slightly lower than you can purchase currency from There. I don't know that anyone is actually profiting this way, either as a player or a broker, but it's certainly a possibility.
And, to answer yet another post, it's quite a bit more than a chat / IRC program, as there are activities set up in-world such as scavenger hunts, quests, races, and other contests. Some are sponsered by There, and others are run and financed completely by players.
I have been beta testing There since April, and they're just now starting to accept paid subscriptions. And yes, while they're ramping up, the world isn't open nearly 24/7. Support is active 5PM-11PM Wednesdays through Saturdays, and the world itself is open 11AM-3AM those days. They plan on expanding the hours as the world matures.
It's an interesting place. I'm not into chatters or IRC, so it's odd that I've developed a liking for the place. But then again, I'm an old MUD'er so I'm used to the idea of a semi-game, semi-chat environment.
Chaos, panic, disorder...my work here is done.
If you are looking at it from a purely chat standpoint, then there's the emoting ability of the avatars and their customizability. While you're talking, they respond to keywords in your text and make gestures or smile, frown, nod, etc. In addition, there's an extensive list of emotes that you can easily and unobtrusively use that involve more dynamic or dramatic expressions and they can be used with various degrees of emphasis.
For instance: 'yay' will get you a fist-pump salute (for male avatars - females have a separate set), ''yay' gets you the two-fists in the air pump, while '''yay' does a backflip ending with the fists in the air. That's just one of hundreds that include normal things like wave, clap, angry, happy, sad, sexy, surprise, and comical ones like blowkiss (actually blows kissy lips to your target), daggers (actually shoots a dagger at your target), bodywave (80's-style dance), nightfever (Travolta eat your heart out), handstand, doh, etc.
In addition, your avatar is amazingly customizable in size and shape (though limited to human, you can get some very weird-looking humans) and in appearance because people are designing and selling literally thousands of different outfits for avatars. You can get lots of different hair styles in a rainbow of colors, earrings, glasses, and a wide variety of eyes. (Mine are all-black like evil Willow from Buffy the Vampire slayer.) And hey - if you don't see something you like you can design your own and pay a fee to submit it for addition to There. You can either just make 1 for yourself or you can sell copies to everyone in the integrated auctions.
That kind of thing may not be important to you in a chat program, but it's a lot of fun to watch and can give you clues to peoples' personalities that normal chat doesn't. Do i want to go chat with the bald woman in the black, low-cut bustier and fishnets, the ponytailed girl in khaki capris and a wtf t-shirt, or the blue-spiky-haired guy with the tattoed bare chest and leopard-print speedos? (All combos that i have seen.) That's probably the coolest part about There for me - you can be you, but without worrying about the normal restrictions of life. My avatar (avie) has short brown hair and all-black eyes. I have short brown hair and blue eyes. My avie wears either green shorts and a blue and red hoody-sweatshirt or some dark blue futuristic body-armor-ish stuff. I wear khakis and button downs or jeans/sweats and t-shirts. He's me, but without the restrictions of society and reality.
The games are not of the bejeweled variety. They're things like dune-buggy racing on user-built courses with ramps, banked turns, and raised platforms. Or trick contests on hoverboards, or scavenger that range across vast islands. There is a 3-d world.
Oh yeah - and those buggies and hoverboards are customizable too. You can submit your own paint schemes and models. My buggy has a taxi cab paint scheme and i've seen hoverboards that look like sharks, butterflies, swarms of bees, and dragons, to name a few.
I often spend hours just exploring the landscapes. The main islands are a tropical paradise with beaches, desert valleys, haunted tiki huts, and lost mayan temples. An Egypt-themed island has to-scale pyramids, a sphinx, and a realistic temple you can explore. Tyr is an island shrouded in perpetual darkness, with a starry, moonlit sky, glowing crystal formations, giant boneyards, and a climbable tower in the middle with a glowing crystal beacon at its top. Saja is a floating city in the clouds. (P.S. GOD lives on a cloud near Saja. She's a blonde woman in khaki capris and a white t-shirt. She never speaks to anyone or goes anywhere.) I also like to visit the North and South poles of There - strange physics glitches.
The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.