Changes to Credits and More

Changes to Credits

This update should be seen as a partner to the changes announced earlier today regarding XP. To accompany this change, the Regent’s Office has authorized a substantial change to the Salary policy.

Take some time to read this.

Why Make Changes?

The salary policy had languished in time. The salary policy has not seen any major revisions since its inception. Minor revisions and some updated values have been made, but sparingly and limited in scope and breadth. With the advent of the XP policy, the credit policy remained mostly unchanged. Where the methods by which we issue awards have advanced, the Salary policy has fallen behind.

The remainder of the Possessions system has grown. There are now many more options and methods for the membership to spend their credits, but the methods for earning credits have not scaled equally. The primary method by which members interact with the possessions system, outside of using items in storytelling, is purchasing items from stores. Purchasing requires credits.

Additionally, the number of available credit sinks have increased. For example, at the inception of the salary policy, members had primarily had 1 character to use and outfit with possessions. Members now have 6 available characters to kit and outfit, but their earning potential has not increased to match. Several of those character slots also have associated credit sinks. We’ve made the race longer, but not afforded more fuel.

This change addresses some of that concern.

What’s Changing?

The Name

The Possessions Salary Policy is being rebranded. This policy will now be called the Credit Award policy. Why? The truth of it is: most of the things awarded by the policy aren’t salary. The name was not really accurate. This new name more aptly reflects the purpose of the policy.

The Numbers

Our primary goal here was to bring the Credit System in line with XP. When XP went live, credits weren't really a part of that conversation. This was an opportunity to bring the two together. We earnestly tried to make everything increase, but the math worked out that some declines were necessary. There are only 5 areas where credit payouts decrease. Everything else remains the same or increases.

Participation:

First, in participation. This mirrors the XP policy changes. Previously, participation across all activity types provides a flat rate, with several types adjusted for the medals awarded. This will no longer be the case. Participation credits will be based on the tier level of the event. It will appear as follows:

	Participant	Organizer
Tier 1	825	1650
Tier 2	675	1350
Tier 3	525	1050
Tier 4	375	750
Tier 5	225	450

Crescents:

Like Participation, Crescent credit values mirror the XP Policy. Values of credit award will vary by tier. The values will appear as follows:

Placement	T1	T2	T3	T4	T5
None	0	0	0	0	0
Cr-Q	275	225	175	125	75
Cr-T	550	450	350	250	150
Cr-E	825	675	525	375	225
Cr-S	1100	900	700	500	300
Cr-A	1375	1125	875	625	375
Cr-R	1650	1350	1050	750	450
Cr-D	1925	1575	1225	875	525

Novae:

Novae serve as an extension of crescents. As these will exclusively be awarded for Tier 1 activities, their values are extrapolated from the above table. The Novae Values will appear as follows:

	Old Value	New Value
Bronze Nova	1200	2,200
Silver Nova	1800	2,475
Gold Nova	2700	2750

Clusters

Like the others before them, Clusters are being brought into line with the XP policy update.

	Old value	New Value
Cluster of Ice	9	60
Cluster of Fire	3	5
Cluster of Graphite	9	60

What does it all mean?

Here is the change in as few words as possible:

1) Credits mirror XP
2) Values participation increase, except Tier 5, which remains the same.
3) Values for running comps increase.
4) Crescent values increase, except Tier 4 Ruby and Diamond and Tier 4 Amethyst, Ruby and Diamond.
5) Clusters increase.

The Bottom line

We’ve run the numbers. We’ve done tests. More Credits for you.

The total change results in a net increase of 48% credits awarded. That’s 1.5x what you’re presently making.

Gaming, Art, Fiction all see a greater than 100% increase. Fiction, seeing a total increase of 174%.

While individual categories may reflect dramatic increases, looking at the overall picture the change is not as dramatic. The “tier 5” activity types end up seeing a net 14% decrease, coming exclusively from the top end crescents. As many members are consumers of various types or tiers of activity, losses on the top end of those Tier 5 activities will be made up for in other areas.

The bottom line is simple: More money for you to get the items you want.

Slugthrower Ammo

We just got through the upgrade blitz. We wanted to add one more thing.

All Slugthrowers now have a choice of 12 ammunitions. Unlike other upgrades, these are not purchased. These are selectable aspects, with an allowable custom aspect.

Upgrades are still available for purchase, but I drew a line at charging for ammunition. That's going too far. Sooooo, these are selectable aspects. We thought it would be fun to introduce some more customizability for your pew pews.

Enjoy!

Here’s the list of available aspects:

==== 
* Armor Piercing - {{item_name}} has been loaded with Armor-Piercing rounds.  High ballistic velocity, combined with a tungsten rod core, makes this round particularly effective at punching through standard body armor.
* Hollow Point - {{item_name}} has been loaded with Hollow Point rounds. Featuring a small cavity, this round is designed to maximize energy transfer.  Rounds fragment on impact, making these rounds highly effective against organic matter.
* FMJ Ball-{{item_name}} has been loaded with standard Full Metal Jacket ball ammunition.  Featuring a soft, dense core, surrounded by a “jacket” of firmer metal, these rounds are designed to deform on impact, enabling substantial penetration.
* Incendiary Rounds - {{item_name}} has been loaded with Incendiary rounds.  Featuring a volatile chemical agent, these rounds ignite on impact.  The materials burn at such a high temperature that they can ignite impacted targets.  These rounds are often quite effective against vehicles.
* Tracer Rounds-{{item_name}} has been loaded with Tracer rounds.  Every third round is a tracer. Featuring fast-burning pyrotechnic compounds, these rounds emit a bright red or green light.  This allows the round’s trajectory to be easily tracked by eye, making it easier to put rounds on target.
* Scattershot- {{item_name}} has been loaded with scattershot.  Featuring multiple small durasteel projectiles, housed with a sabot.  When fired, the sabot is discarded, and the projectiles spread over an area.  These rounds have a short effective range and are best utilized in close proximity to the target.
* Cryo Rounds-{{item_name}} has been loaded with Cryo Rounds.  Featuring a small amount of Cryoban, these rounds freeze the target solid.  Each round deposits a minuscule amount of Cryoban. As a result, the effectiveness of the round is limited to a 3-inch radius immediately around where it impacted.
* Explosive Rounds-{{this_item}} has been loaded with Explosive Rounds designed to detonate upon impact with a target. Upon detonation, they create a localised shockwave and a minor fragmentation explosion designed to both injure with shrapnel and stagger the target. The explosive effectiveness diminishes with distance to the target. 
* Slugs-{{this_item}} has been loaded with durasteel slugs. A solid and large slug, it has a low effective range but a high penetration rate. Effective mainly at close to medium range. 
* Rubber Bullets -{{this_item}} has been loaded with Rubber Bullets. These bullets are less than lethal but will still injure a combatant. They are most effective at close range and rapidly lose effectiveness at medium to long range.
* Pepper Ball - {{this_item}} has been loaded with a special Pepper Ball projectile. These feature a fragile shell that explodes upon contact. It then releases a non-lethal cloud of powder that is designed to incapacitate the target. It is effective at close to medium ranges. 
* Blanks -{{this_item}} has been loaded with Blank Rounds.  These rounds feature no projectile.  When fired, the chemical agent used to propel a standard round detonates but only produces the sound and a small flash from the weapon’s muzzle.
* Trick-Shot-{{this_item}} has been loaded with specially crafted ammunition that was designed to ricochet, curve, and bank off of surfaces predictably without deforming too harshly. Due to the loss of weight inherent to the construction, these projectiles have less stopping power as a result.
* Microrockets- {{this_item}} has been modified to fire microrockets instead of normal projectiles. Propelled by internal propellant reserves, they continue to increase in speed as they travel, increasing range marginally and penetration substantially at medium range. (A more gyrojetty direction) However, the lack of an initial explosion makes these projectiles incredibly ineffective at very close ranges.
* Paintball - {{this_item}} has been modified to fire thin plastic balls that contain a color of paint.  These balls can be used for tagging a target for later identification, or just for a friendly match of team versus team.  It’s hard to deny you’ve been hit by balls when its color is all over you.

Thank you for reading and remember: any questions relating to the Possessions system, item mechanics, or features can be emailed to Regent Staff at [Log in to view e-mail addresses].

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