Today I want to do a case study on reputation management in Entropia Universe. This is something we don’t talk about. It’s also one of the reasons some players never get a chance at the game. Reputation really is everything in EU. Let’s take a look at the sad case of KenoZuki TheGreySoldier OneOfMany to see what we can do to avoid destroying our career before it’s started.
KenoZuki TheGreySoldier OneOfMany
KenoZuki just started playing Entropia Universe in the past 30 days or so. That is all I need to classify KenoZuki as a new player. New players usually have a steep learning curve. After all Entropia Universe isn’t like the games you’re used to.
Shortly after joining Entropia KenoZuki signed up as an earnPED member. As always I try and be available to help new players learn the game. I’m always happy to try and explain a game mechanic or find an article to provide to help you get ahead. I did the same for KenoZuki.
Payment History For KenoZuki
I could see that KenoZuki was using the website to complete offers. We accepted KenoZuki into our in game society and invited KenoZuki to participate in out in game events. I will provide screen shot payment proofs below once I pull them off my laptops hard drive (my puppy decided to play entropia and I can’t revive the laptop now).
On June 17, 2019 at 10:05 PM I paid KenoZuki 10.03 PED.
On June 21, 2019 at 5:43 PM I paid KenoZuki 10.04 PED at Zychion Citadel. I always love it when I see members Farming Free Defense Skills At Zychion Citadel. In this case not so much considering KenoZuki was cheating the system.
On June 24, 2019 at 7:31 PM I paid KenoZuki 39.36 PED. Again I paid the withdrawal at Zychion Citadel.
On June 30, 2019 KenoZuki again wanted to make a withdrawal from earnPED. This time for 44.16 PED. At this point I had already ignored several warnings. I knew KenoZuki was cheating the system but I was trying to give KenoZuki a chance to be honest.
At this point I asked KenoZuki how they were earning PED so fast. I already knew the answer but wanted to see what I would be told. That’s when KenoZuki was kind enough to send me the following screen shot:
A Clear TOU Violation
As you can see KenoZuki was running well over 24 browser windows at once trying to earn PED. This is a CLEAR violation of the earnPED Terms Of Use as well as the Hideout.TV TOU. There is no way to classify this as earning. This is the most blatant case of fraud I have ever seen from one of my users and it’s something I absolutely WILL NOT stand for.
I have said it before and I will say it again. All of this was created to help you earn PED. The advertisers are spending good money in order to get their ads in front of you. And if you respect that you will slowly earn what can become a large amount of PED. I personally made over 600 PED with a similar system before founding earnPED. And I did it the right way; one PEC at a time!
If you abuse it you lose it end of story. Sweating earns less than 5 cents per hour. And the price of sweat is dropping with no sign of ever recovering. Taking advantage of the advertisers and sponsors is unacceptable. Taking advantage of my kindness is unacceptable. Most importantly destroying your reputation is unacceptable.
A Chance At Redemption
After seeing that the earnings were blatantly fraudulent I still gave KenoZuki a chance. They had been honest about how they were doing it so I figured they deserved that much. I told KenoZuki that if they would wait until the charge back period passed I would honor the earnings if they were allowed to stand.
All KenoZuki had to do was wait to be sure that the earnings were not charged back. I also told KenoZuki that I’m under a contractual obligation to report any member I suspect of abusing the earnings system but I was hesitant to do so.
Instead of accepting my offer KenoZuki decided to tell me how everything works. Then decided it was a good idea to report ME for harassment and start spreading lies about the situation in hopes of hurting my business. Not only is this unacceptable; it’s something only a child would do.
Entropia Universe runs on a real cash economy. There are tens of thousands of dollars up for grabs. Why would I ever do business with someone who has absolutely no integrity? Would you want to trade or do business with a liar and a thief? I know I wouldn’t. Not only will I not do business with such people in game; I will not allow them on this website.
The EU community is tight knit. Everyone knows my reputation. All KenoZuki has accomplished is destroying his own reputation before their career in EU even got off the ground. As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words. Don’t take my word for it. The screenshots above tell you everything you need to know.
Reputation Beyond Reproach Fatteus Fatty Thorsson
We can compare the above situation with that of Fatteus Fatty Thorsson. Fatty has been a good friend of mine almost since I started playing EU. He truly represents what earnPED believes in: helping others learn to play smarter and earn more. I can not say enough about how honest of a guy Fatty is. I don’t just consider him a fellow gamer; he’s a real friend.
Fatty is the kind of guy that would give you the shirt off his back. In fact he can be a little too giving and caring. There’s nothing wrong with that. In fact I think we need more people like him if we want Entropia Universe to last another 15 years.
A few weeks ago Fatty helped his wife get started in EU. He wanted to share the game he loves with the people he loves. In addition he helped her set up an earnPED account. And then they both got banned.
For no apparent reason their earnings were charged back. Shortly afterward they were unable to access the offers and videos that allowed them to earn. As soon as I heard about this I did everything in my power to help Fatty and his wife.
A Good Reputation Takes You Places
As soon as I heard about the problem I leaped into action. I started calling and e-mailing the people in charge of the earnings system. Knowing Fatty as well as I do I was able to give them a list of examples showing his flawless reputation.
I was able to go to bat for them because I knew they would never intentionally cheat the system. In fact they were extremely grateful to be able to have a system that allowed them to earn PED. I did everything I could to stress Fatty’s honesty, loyalty and integrity to everyone who would listen.
This led to me being able to help Fatty and his wife file an appeal. We knew the reason they received a ban was because the system detected two accounts earning from the same IP address. This is NOT against the TOU for any of the advertisers or sponsors. Each person is allowed 1 account. If there are multiple people in a household each person is allowed 1 account.
As long as there is not more than one account per person it is not a violation. You wouldn’t want to use each others affiliate links; and they didn’t. In addition they each have an in game account. Each account has been verified using government issued ID.
The Result
Fatty has been fighting his ban and charge backs for several weeks now. But he hasn’t been fighting it alone. I’ve been right there with him working to convince everyone that his reputation proceeds him. And I will continue to do so.
We recently received a ban appeal decision telling us there is nothing that can be done to lift the ban. This is unacceptable to me. While I do not have the power to change anything I can keep fighting. And I’m willing to do that because I know Fatty would never violate the TOU. He would never try and take advantage of the advertisers. Not only does he greatly respect what’s been built here he truly appreciates it.
At the end of the day there may be nothing I can do to get Fatty’s ban lifted. But I can promise you I will never stop fighting for him. I’ve even started speaking with other sponsors and advertisers to try and give him alternative earning avenues. The only reason I will go to bat for Fatty is because of his reputation. It’s why I will trade with him, hire him and have his back.
Wrecking Your In Game Reputation
Wrecking your in game reputation ends your career. Players will not trade with you or hire you. You will find yourself ignored or blocked by the people you need to do business with most.
KenoZuki was angry that you can make more from a real job than you can from Entropia Universe. The truth is I know several players who make MORE than a full time income from Entropia. I know for a fact there is a non-depo player who has made over $50,000 in the past 18 months.
But you could never make any real money without a great reputation. You won’t find people willing to partner with you or invest with you. There have been people try and play long term without a good reputation and they NEVER last.
I’ve seen players destroy their in game reputation over Sweat. One player recently tried to sell account bound Strongbox Keys. Butters lost 10 PED to someone selling worthless Blueprints when he first started. At the end of the day lying, cheating and stealing is simply not tolerated within the Entropia community and the players are not stupid.
If you are a liar, thief, cheat or simply greedy and dishonest it will come out sooner or later. People will figure it out and it’s what you will be known for.
What You Can Do About Your Reputation
As in life in game it takes forever to build a good reputation and seconds to destroy it. When you first start playing realize that you do not know the game. Realizing that you are a new player who can learn from long term players will gain you a lot of respect. It will also make you look much less stupid because we tend to know what we’re talking about.
Most importantly treat everyone with the same respect and honesty with which you would like to be treated. Not everything is a scam, not everyone is out to get you. But above all keep your word and do not take advantage of others. There have been times I’ve paid players MORE than they asked for simply because it was the right thing to do.
Take as much pride in your reputation as you do your skills. Make sure your reputation is protected and beyond questioning. Be like Fatty; so honest it’s sickening.
If you are an honest, caring and above board player we would love to have you as a Member. Joining earnPED is FREE so be sure and sign up today! You can watch Videos and complete Offers in order to earn PED but you’ll also meet some great players. But be warned; anyone like KenoZuki TheGreySoldier OneOfMany will not be tolerated in game or on this site. We are here to build each other up; not tear each other down.
