Next Island, a new free-to-download and free-to-play virtual world developed on the Entropia Universe platform is now accepting sign-ups for its open beta expected mid March. The first 1000 players who sign-up now at www.nextisland.com will get a virtual goods starter pack and will have the opportunity to help shape the development of this new online world.
Envisioned as a beautiful and exciting paradise, Next Island is designed to attract the rapidly growing virtual world community looking for the next world to explore and the opportunity to turn virtual enterprise into real-world cash, as well as new users to the virtual world gaming experience.
1. Real Estate Mogul: Buy virtual real estate or improve the property by buying a home to put on the property. Sell your property to other players. Collect payments from other players who want to hunt or mine on your land.
2. Event or Party Promoter: Organize an exciting in world event or party and charge for tickets. Access your inner performer or act as a DJ to create an out of this world experience.
3. Time travel crystal trader: Collect and sell valuable crystals that facilitate time travel. Upon launch, Next Island will be the only virtual world where time travel is possible. Explore the Ice Age in 18,000 BC, the Amazons in 300 BC or other periods in history or the future.
4. Inventor: Create new tools that help players become more efficient at hunting, hairdressing or any of a number of other professions. Use your smarts to become a top player.
5. Hunter: Hunt alone or work with others to kill creatures. There are a huge amount of creatures or “mobs” in Next Island. Creatures often carry loot that players can collect when they kill the mob. Collect the loot and then sell valuable skins and other items to other players or at auction.
6. Manufacturer or Tailor: Gather raw materials and make products using blueprints and patterns that become more sophisticated as your skill level grows.
7. Industry Expert: Develop a high level of skill in your chosen profession like mining, crafting, healing or mapmaker. In Next Island there are over 200 professions. Become an expert and sell your services to other players. There is a market for services and skills that are time consuming to acquire.
8. Trader: Sell your goods or represent other players to sell their items. Monitor in-game auctions to get the best price for your goods. Represent other players to sell their items for a profit.
9. Artist or Graphic Designer: Express yourself and create cool art to sell. Become a virtual Picasso.
10. Resource Gathering: Players in the world rely on other players to gather critical resources to help their business grow. Some items that players collect and sell are minerals, fruit and even dung for fertilizer.
Entropia Universe is the first virtual world network to operate a real cash economy. Developed by MindArk, Entropia Universe was granted official status by the Swedish Financial Supervisory Authority (Finansinspektionen) to operate a bank, which will serve as the central bank for all the planets within Entropia Universe. Its currency, the PED, can be exchanged and taken out for real money as all currency exchanges are at the fixed rate of 10 PED for every 1 USD.