This week takes us to the Land of Oz for our Wednesday's Who's Who, and we didn’t even have to travel the yellow brick road to get there. This married couple of three years comes to us from Melbourne, a sophisticated world city in the southeast corner of mainland Australia. Melbourne is the capital of Victoria, and is a relatively modern city which is less than 200 years old. It seems that a standing joke in Australia is that Melbourne can experience four seasons in one day. Ozi works as an Intellectual Property and Innovation Consultant where a lot of his time is spent helping companies implement a software solution to manage their IP. He's quite enthusiastic about business and entrepreneurship, has completed a Masters Degree in Entrepreneurship and Innovation this year, and really enjoys helping start-up companies get funded and operational. Missa on the other hand says, "I just work in finance … hmmmm, how do I make an accounting job sound as interesting???" She shares that she prepares the management reports for a few companies, and "… nope, that still doesn’t sound exciting." There seems to be a third member of the family as well. "Kitty" (yes, that’s her name), and Missa rescued her in November 2000 from a couple of 18 year old girls who were more interested in booze and boys than taking care of a cat. She has quite the history, but perhaps that’s yet another profile to be done. Blending EU and Real Life Entropia Universe is definitely a big part of their lives, and both find it more interesting than watching TV. Missa says, "We often find ourselves eating dinner quite late because we’re too engrossed in the game to go and cook it – lol. We’ve decided that EU has made us very lazy with regard to cooking and housework … although we do get out and catch up with friends, and promote a work/life/EU balance." Just this past weekend, Ozi and Missa hosted the Melbourne, Australia Pre Christmas BBQ for fellow EU Australians who could make it. However, it seemed there was sun one moment, and sleet the next, but the weather didn’t stop the enjoyment of a friendly gathering. And speaking of friendly gatherings, Ozi and Missa served as EU Ambassadors at the GO3 Electronic and Entertainment Expo in Perth, Australia, August 1-3, 2008. Both say it was an awesome experience, and Ozi says that the best part of course, was "getting stuck into some beers each night." Missa’s take however, is that they all stayed at the same hotel, and "took over the bar every night – lol!!" They both enjoyed meeting other Aussie players, and it was great to connect with socmate Xaph, whom they had spent so much time hunting with, and talking to in game. They were also entertained by Bagman, who apparently enjoys playing practical jokes, and even sent John Bates on a wild goose chase looking for the media. Meeting Deathifier was also quite the experience they say, and not only enjoyed chatting about Treasure Island, but appreciated learning about the new mobs he’s trying to create. They were also delighted that Mulga had flown 4000 kms just to meet up with everyone. Entropia Personas Dave "Ozi" Epsolon joined EU in November of 2006, and this month celebrates his two year anniversary, although he doesn’t recollect the exact date. "Dave" is his real life first name, and "Ozi" was chosen because he’s Australian, but "Epsolon" came as a result of being stuck for a name. He was ultimately inspired by the Epson printer that was on his desk at the time, and says, "it sounded kinda sci-fi." I read an article in 'The Good Weekend' lift-out of a major Melbourne newspaper, and it sounded like exactly what would suit me," says Ozi. He states that the article was all about Jon "Neverdie" Jacobs and the purchase of Club NEVERDIE. Ozi indicated that he figured if Neverdie invested $100K into EU, then there certainly must be something to it. Ozi was interested in meeting ND, and was able to catch up with him for dinner in May of this year during his last trip to Los Angeles. He said it was a great night talking about the potential of EU, and shares that, "ND’s enthusiasm is truly infectious." Missa joined EU two months after Ozi in mid-January 2007. She says, "you can just imagine our house for those two months though - 'honey, you’re dinner’s ready' … 'come on hon, it’s on the table' … 'Dave ???' … 'wtf are you doing ???' … 'omg, you're on that frickin' game again' … (this is where the dinner gets thrown in the bin and Dave spends the night sleeping on the couch)." Somewhere in those two months, Missa transitioned from sitting on her own watching TV, to sitting in the study. She bought a laptop the month before she joined EU, but at least she was now in the study with Ozi, even though at first she was "playing some crappy puzzle game," while he was playing EU. When it came to choosing an EU name, she said she liked the name "Missa," and had no idea what else to use. However, she thinks she came up with the "Lady" part, and that Ozi came up with the "Saint" part. "Maybe that’s what he thinks I am," she says as she grins. As a result of Ozi being a smoker, and ducking out now and then, Missa found herself jumping over to his computer when socmates were asking him questions to let them know he had gone outside and would be right back. She said the soc started to get to know her, and it was then she began hating EU a little less. It was over the Christmas holidays 2006 that Missa says Ozi "was pretty much on EU all day," which meant more chats for her with his socmates due to his smoke breaks. It was the 15th of January 2007 when she decided she wanted an avatar, "… and I wanted it then!!!!!!," she says. It took 7 hours to download EU onto her laptop, but Ozi let her create an avatar on his computer. However, they ended up having to share his computer over those 7 hours, so that was fun. Society Associations Initially, Ozi joined The British Army society "as a complete noob," he says, "and at the time, the soc only had one other member." That other person (the General) offered him a Mann MPH if he would join. "Wow, I couldn’t refuse," Ozi said, "but being the kind of person I am, I said to him 'if I get 5 more recruits, can I have a bigger gun?' He said yes, so 30 minutes later, I came back with 5 more people." Ozi wasn’t finished though, because he had then mentioned to the General that, "he should be promoted to Colonel," even though he had only been in game for two days at that point, but at least he would be able to invite and accept new members. Still not done though, because he further made the statement to the General that he should get even a bigger gun if he grew the soc more. Ozi shares that the next time the General logged in, "The British Army had become 42 people, and I got a bigger gun." Unfortunately, they had this new soc, but the General had now gone AWOL. There was a challenge electing a new General, so they decided to start a new society, "Global Alliance," with Ozi as General. The soc quickly grew to 180 strong, and they had a lot of fun learning the game together. Ozi says, "Eventually due to growth, we split into two socs, Global Alliance, and Global Alliance Guard." About two months ago, Ozi felt he was ready for a change, and accepted Lady Trisha's invite to join the Dark Knights society. He shares that he's "still great friends with heaps of guys" in the Global Alliance family, but is happy with the change. Missa was also a part of The British Army with Ozi, and of course followed him to Global Alliance. She said, "It’s a real sense of achievement knowing that we were instrumental in setting up a well-respected society." They came up with the soc name with the help of another player who is no longer in EU, and "wanted a name that would encourage people from all over the world to join us," says Missa. She also shares that, "It’s a great way to learn about our real life world, and to hear different people’s opinions of things happening in their own countries." When Ozi joined Dark Knights, she knew she would have to start skilling up fast if she eventually wanted to join him. She said that Ozi sent her out skilling every day, but "was rapt" when Lady Trisha PM'd her with an invitation to apply to DK. She joined much sooner than she expected to, but says she’s enjoying every moment of it. "We do a lot of soc hunts together, and we have a lot of laughs. Hunting and looking good For Ozi, it’s "hunt, hunt, hunt, and then hunt some more." His favorite mobs at the moment are Neconu, Sumima, Falx, Hogglos, and Crystal Palace mobs, but he also loves hunting Daspletors and big Spiders with the Dark Knights crew. Ozi has also worked hard to build his mindforce skills so he can use his wormhole chip, and unlock Ethereal Soul Language. At one point, he made a good effort to build his taming skills, but got as far as level 19 before going back to hunting. When Ozi hunts, he’s in full warrior mask. The design is taken from the Maori face tattoos from New Zealand, which are among the most distinctive tattoos in the world, and consist of curved shapes and spirals in intricate patterns. It’s quite intimidating up close, but I’m sure it’s fully intended when in combat. Butch Carisbrook from Global Alliance is the mask creator, and is sporting his own Maori –designed mask, and Ozi says it’s part two, which apparently has taken Butch approximately 5-6 hours each to create. That’s a whole lot of patience, not to mention such attention to the intricate details. Ozi shares that the Maori are showcased in a movie entitled Once Were Warriors based on a novel written by Alan Duff with the same title, and well worth seeing. While Missa enjoys hunting as well, she says she doesn’t engage in it as much as Ozi does, but did recently unlock Combat Sense and Medicine. Her favorite mob at the moment is definitely the Hogglos on Treasure Island, but says she’s been visiting NZR’s Longu Land since he added some mid-level Neconu. Missa has been building up her hairdressing and beauty skills, and now has 26 hair styles unlocked, as well as a range of face and body procedures. She claims that she has spent many long hours skilling on socmates, but says, "It’s a fantastic way to get to know people." She’s probably one of the top 5 hair stylists in EU, but also one who packs a mean ML-35, and doesn’t think twice about using it on a client if they don’t follow the program. (proof is in the video, so be sure to check it out) She recently employed some Entropians to advertise for her, and says it’s working quite well. One particular individual was hired just before the photo shoot, "lochy lochness monster," and while we were in the salon, he dropped off a couple of clients and waved as he was heading out the door for more. In addition to in game advertisers, Missa also has a salon website developed by Raven Oracle Li. The Missa Saint Salon site is quite impressive, so check it out. I can vouch for the heavy traffic that delayed the photo shoot, but it was an opportunity to see Missa in action. Ben Cobra Boner brought his son King Cobra by for a haircut, and Deathifier stopped by for a visit. All kinds of people were coming and going and chatting and getting beautified, but the energy was quite fun, and there was no denying that Missa was in demand. Several clients waited patiently for their turn, but social chat helped to pass the time. It was Bean from Global Alliance who definitely got a workout during his session, but you’ll need to check out the video to see what I mean. "He’s the one who tells Ozi he looks like a Mafia King," says Missa. Mafia King or not, Ozi was quite ready to get his massage on. Guess he didn’t see the stack of towels, and just put it out there for all to see. Ozi is out there at times, but that's what makes him unique and fun. At one point, I thought for sure he was going to engage in musical chairs with Ben Cobra while waiting on Ben’s son, but fortunately, he didn’t. Although, it would have been a sight to see these two warrior-types running around the face sculpting chair. The end result probably wouldn’t have been pretty though. Thoughts about Entropia Ozi considers his investment in EU to be pretty significant, but it’s because he believes in where it is going. He sees a lot of opportunities for those currently playing, and to be able to assist companies when they realize the potential of EU, and want to know how to do business inside the universe. "I think companies that don’t hire some inside knowledge really risk alienating the community, whilst those businesses that embrace it as a shopping and game platform will be hugely successful," says Ozi. When Ozi first joined EU, he wrote a university paper about "how huge this Entropia Universe could get if they focused on making it a platform for Virtual Commerce (about a year before the China announcement)," and thinks that MindArk has made the right move to split Calypso. He claims to be a "total Evangelist telling business people how the future of internet shopping will be in 3D on the EU platform," and "people who say they don’t want shopping planets will probably change their minds when they see they can buy stuff at half the price without leaving their computer." Entropia is definitely getting better according to Ozi, and he’s quite excited about its future. He believes that MindArk has the potential to be the next payment gateway (i.e., Visa/Mastercard) if they do it right. He states that he would most likely buy shares in MA when they eventually go IPO. He does share however, "I personally think EU is still in total infancy compared to what it will be in 5 years," and he can’t wait for CryEngine and the new planets. He still believes that EU can be played at a reasonable cost level, but recognizes the voices of those who are saying it’s getting far too expensive. He hopes that MA/FPC listens to the concerns of the player base, and perhaps incorporate more of a balance with more average loots and less hofs, thinking that this would "please the masses, rather than the few." He also sees massive potential advertising income for MA, "if they can attract millions of players," and, "less money per player with a much larger player base should be the aim." He adds though, "It won’t matter if the players are depositing or not, so I certainly don’t mind non-depositors. I just want to see EU grow." Missa follows Ozi’s lead, and says, "With Dave having done his Masters in Entrepreneurship and Innovation, I leave this kind of thinking up to him." She does believe in the future of EU though, and loves the ideas that Ozi bounces off of her. They both believe that they definitely made the right decision to invest in EU, but also accept the risk involved. As a professional in the EU beauty industry, Missa is looking forward to the CryEngine and the improved game graphics, and feels that it will open up new possibilities for avatar beautification. Advice for the taking Finding a great society is of utmost importance according to Ozi, and one with experienced and helpful people. He says, "Take it easy, set short-term goals and have fun making new friends and exploring. Chasing big loots is a mugs game, focus on getting the best average loot you can and be happy if you get lucky with a big one." He also says to research what items mobs are dropping, and hunt the mobs that are less hunted. He doesn’t offer much advice outside of hunting, as he says, "I’m a crap miner and crafter." From Missa’s point of view, she feels that networking in the game can really help to expand your understanding of EU. "It’s a complicated game," she says, "and I’ve often seen people come in who may have played another MMO in the past and don’t tap into the knowledge of the existing player base." EU is so different than other games because of the RCE factor, and definitely feels it’s important to not only learn from other players, but also make good use of the Entropia Forum where a wealth of knowledge and a helpful community exists. The Draw and the Payoff There’s no question that friends from around the world have a great influence on Ozi and Missa’s involvement in EU. They enjoy people’s opinions on world events from different countries, but Ozi says, "I wish we had a bigger friends list, as I could easily top 300 if MA would let me." He doesn’t like that he can’t add everyone to his list, and slimming down the list isn’t always an option given the type of involvement Ozi has enjoyed in game. Ozi has an opportunity to travel overseas in his real life profession, so he’s been able to meet up with quite a few EU people he’s actually been able to share a meal with. He’s caught up with Mylcat and Rohini in Singapore twice, and was able to meet several others at the GO3 Expo in Perth, Australia. He and Missa are hoping to get to Europe next year sometime, and even talk about making "a pilgrimage to the Holy Land in Gothenberg." Helping people out has always been a passion of Ozi’s, and so far, he’s had 7 Disciples graduate, but he still hasn’t unlocked Mentorship. He usually has 2-3 chat windows going at all times while he hunts from people at the Sweat Camp who have added him to their friend list, or while opening up free wormholes at Port Atlantis. He doesn’t mind chatting, as long as they understand his silence when he’s finishing off a mob. In turn, he said, "I know I would have loved to have had someone experienced that I could PM when I had a question." He really believes that the new players deserve what help he is able to offer them, and shares that, "The best part is to see people a year later who have developed into experienced players themselves." Ozi ran the Global Madness events with Neverdie at CND for a few months in 2007, and says it was incredible fun, but he got real busy in real life and wasn’t able to continue it. He says, "Events are a lot of fun, but the Aussie time zone makes it difficult." However, he does share that ND is quite approachable, and would encourage anyone to have a go at creating an event. He further states that "the live audio system really adds a lot of depth to the events." Given my own event planning experience with ND, I can certainly echo this endorsement. A graphics artist by the name of amine “Ezekiel” manaa designed amazing signatures and other unique offerings after each Global Madness weekend event. Here is an example of one that he did for Missa. This was before her makeover of course. Ozi admits that, after promising Pink and Force Majeure for about 3 months that he would attend a Pink Saturday, he finally pulled an all nighter recently to make it, and says he had a blast. He was able to come in 3rd place, and enjoyed a team hunt on Daspletors when the afterparty ended. Missa says that she loves the fact that EU is something that she and Ozi can do as a couple, and agrees that the Global Madness events were so much fun. She remembers jumping around to every TP in game advertising it the first weekend they had it, and proudly says, "It was a sell-out, and an absolute blast." Meeting people who play EU has always been a part of the enjoyment package, and a big part of what keeps them coming back, but Missa remembers having a recent experience with a new player that gave her pause to think for a moment. The new player chatted her and asked, "Why don’t other people in black armor chat to me?" Missa felt it was quite sad, but remembers when she and Ozi first started off in game, and she was nervous about approaching people who were well dressed or had cool armor and weapons. She says, "You never know who is behind the avatar, and where they will be in 1-2 year’s time." Quite adamantly she shares, that "It’s so important for the future of EU that the existing player base welcome in the new players and assist where they can." One Thing is for certain Regardless of what this couple engages in, it’s quite clear that they are serious about the investments in their EU professions, and after spending time with them on an adventure I am not soon to forget, it’s going to take more than my words to share the fun. So I offer you the action as well. >
