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."

Comments

So let me get this straight ...

[kalidasa]

If I spend some fraction of a *real* dollar on virtual sneakers, my virtual avatar will virtually run virtually faster? Sounds to me like There Inc. has 1. invented a new way of getting people to pay for advertising - one suspects that the real-world products won't have much if any effect on one's real-world running speed (unless you're an Olympic-class runner, in which case one hopes you'll already know which shoes are best for your job), but the appearance in the virtual world of an increase in speed will "contaminate" the There user's attitude toward the real-world product - and 2. [they have] given themselves a license to print money. After all, the only thing they're selling is a certain configuration of electrons with a remarkably limited use.

Re:So let me get this straight ...

[Anonymous Coward]

Do penis enlargments *actually* work there, too?

Re:So let me get this straight ...

[Anonymous Coward]

[they have] given themselves a license to print money. After all, the only thing they're selling is a certain configuration of electrons with a remarkably limited use.

How have they given themselves a license to print money? They are selling novel entertainment. They make money off of this. You can in turn make back some of the money you've spent.

This is just like buying a physical item, or a piece of software, and re-selling it later when you're done with it.

Re:So let me get this straight ...

[Cali Thalen]

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.

Capitalistic, yes, but I like it too.

[2Flower]

Random spotty review follows...

I've been There for awhile now, and while the initial cost outlay is staggering for an online game (I have to pay WHAT just to get voice chat? I have to pay WHAT to get a compass? HOW much just to hear jukeboxes? etc.) once you have a decent set of clothes and a vehicle or two, you're all set for casual play without a need to buy anything else. I think they should've included more of their 'options' as game features in your basic subscription, but that's the only real money dig they get on you if you're not a fashion hound.

While the product placement is amusing, in the end it doesn't really make a huge difference. Nobody buys the overpriced 'speedy sneakers' when you can just get a hoverbike which plows across terrain at insane speeds to begin with for cheaper. It's more fun to submit your own clothing designs and play marketer yourself rather than spend on corporate marketers; I've designed a few shirts and I'm hoping once key bugs are ironed out, I can start using gmax to make new decorative objects like arcade cabinets.

For a more hardcore if rougher around the edges experience with better user extensibility, check out Second Life -- but I checked it out and passed on it, because at the end of the day I just want the program to work so I can relax and chat with folks. There is a very polished, very simple GUI driven chat client aimed at casual users. I'll save the technical tangles for my day job. :)

Shouldn't that be converting *from* real money?

[stienman]

I doubt they mean you can get real money by playing online - They don't host a currency, they host a coupon or coin system, perhaps. You can, within their framework, convert from real to vitual, but the only way to convert money out is by working for There.

I wonder what they'll do when people start trading stuff external to the game for real cash?

-Adam

*sniff*

[Joe the Lesser]

"with over $37 million in funding",

All that money...dropped on a worthless project...

Oh the waste...the waste!

Not necessarily a new concept

[Winterblink]

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).

The Metaverse?

[Universal Nerd]

I was reading about There a few days back and since I'm in the middle (actually, finishing off) Snow Crash, I was thinking that this online world is a lot like the Neal Stephenson Metaverse, all the capitalism and stuff.

Re:This appears to be stupid

[2Flower]

People with mundane, boring lives play video games to escape, and play as "someone cool." Why would people with mundane, boring lives shell out money just to role-play as themselves?

On one hand, I'd agree with you. I don't like that There has very little social tolerance for playing as something other than what you are; I tried cross-avataring there and it caused some social problems. Nothing on the scale of X-Box Live's verbal abuse, but enough for me to finagle my way through customer support (who are not set up to do this sort of thing, but performed admirably)and get changed to male.

But on the other hand, this isn't a game. It's basically chat, and as such, it's more of an extension of yourself than an RPG would be, where your species, gender, race, class, etc. all play into your stats in some way. Since you're not roleplaying, there's no need to go too far from your norm. For some, it's comforting to be able to drop the layers of abstraction and just TALK to someone, you know?

Been There, wouldn't do that ... some thoughts tho

[2TecTom]

Well, it's a cool but hardly a new or novel concept or implementation. I suspect it will never reach it's full potential for the basic reason that it's elitist, non-productive, proprietary and restrictive.

How is it elitist? Why, of course, the prices. The cost is simply too high for more than a few affluent first-worlders to afford.

It's not very productive other than sheer entertainment. How could spending time there be profitable other than as a diversion from real life?

As well it's OWNED. The company tells you what you can, and can't do.

I propose someone, (hey Carmack) create an open 3D system that anyone can access or contribute to. What we really need is an evolving 3D net world. Wouldn't it be cool to have a way to do this that's not dependant on one company?

Perhaps some clever hacker could create an open 3D protocol that would allow for 3D worlds to be easily created and used by everyone. On this note, WTF ever happened to VRML?

Some further notes on There....

[MilenCent]

There has Will Harvey, the kid who created Music Construction Set way back when, also a C64 computer port of Marble Madness, and Zany Golf and The Immortal for the Amiga, on board. It's nice to see him finally get a new project.

Also there is a guy I've talked to, not in person but online, Jeffery Hunter (I think that was the name), who was once working on WorldsAway, which was an earlier attempt at this kind of virtual world thing.

There itself seems to be inspired (though vastly changed) by the Habitat line of virtual worlds, of which WorldsAway was one. I was rather involved with WorldsAway once upon a time, and they even had a article in Wired magazine once upon a time, but word is that management was clueless and forced out the good guys, of whom Hunter was one. So at least I know it's in good hands.

Hunter was cool. I ran some fairly gonzo events in WorldsAway once upon a time, I mean really weird stuff, blow your freakin' mind stuff, and he helped a little from his seat On-High. I took it for granted back then but now I see that most management would rather not try that kind of oddness. There must be something cool happening there. (Pun not intended.)

Anyway, There. I signed up for the beta but never got the disk in the mail, and didn't hear from them for the longest time. Now they send me e-mail every couple of weeks begging me to buy their program thingies. I'm sorry, but a purchase fee, a subscription fee, *and* people can spend real-world money for in-world advantages?

I'm sure there are people out there who can afford all that but currently I'm not one of them. Also, when I was in WorldsAway I discovered it to be an immense time sink. I don't think I'm ready for that kind of commitment to a non-human-female kind of thing at the mo'.

I tried the game during the Beta....

[Cherveny]

Found it kind of funny actually. Everywhere I went, I felt like I was in a virtual simulation of a tourist trap, where the only point was to buy items, and for vendors to take your money away.

I've been There

[theghost]

There has problems, but it's interesting. It is not the Metaverse, it's a commercial product. It's pay for play, but it's probably about 1/2 game (treasure hunts, buggy racing, hoverboard tricks, trivia contests, etc.), 1/2 3-d chat service (with amazing emotes and an incredible amount of avatar customization).

I have fun in There. I thought it was worthwhile to invest a few $ to play around with the cool hoverboards and other stuff and to log on occasionally to chat, explore, and play with no pressure. It's no Evercrack, but that's part of what i like about it. A good way to think of it is that you are creating your own fun with the tools they provide and those tools are good and getting (mostly) better.

Feel free to ask if you have any more specific questions. I'll try to answer honestly with the good and the bad.

Re:I've been There

[theghost]

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.

Re:I've been There

[theghost]

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.

Willingly Entering The Matrix?!....

[kommakazi]

This adds a whole new possibility to the origin of The Matrix...perhaps the machines didn't really enslave humankind but we all rather enslaved ourselves in a virtual word and the machines just took over, trapping us there. Perhaps The Matrix will come true now, as technology advances I'm sure There.com will march right aongside until you do have to hook up right through the back of your neck for the ultimate virtual experience. As people find living in a perfect virtual world is easier than dealing with real life, more will join till everyone just lives life there and the machines do take over. Or perhaps we just willingly leave the machines in charge of the real world, so we can live our fantasy lives inside There.com. It's madness I tell you! Pure madness!