OFFICIAL POLICY: FOOD CHAIN & ORDER OF HYSSOP (Read

[Flanker]

POLICY AND CODE OF CONDUCT FOR THE FOOD CHAIN

Ethos
The purpose of the Food Chain is to enhance the enjoyment of Last Dynasty members who, through choosing to abide by a few rules, will be able to better use the game mechanics to receive far more XP than they would otherwise. Food Chain Management seeks to administer the Food Chain in such a way that the interests of the longstanding and loyal members of the Food Chain will be protected at all times. Administration will be fair and open, and constructive criticism will be welcomed.


Basic Requirements
All chain members must have Leadership trained OR have at least 11 DIRECT vassals.
All members must have at least 200 buffed loyalty. Members must generally have a good reputation and observe clan rules. The Monarch, High Council and Chain Managers retain the right to remove individuals who violate clan or chain rules.


Quotas
The Standard Quota is 100% passed through on a 21 day cumulative basis (capped at 93.75% + 6m per week). A good rule of thumb is: Hunt for 25 million a week and keep Loyalty, Leadership, and Willpower buffed at all times. A more detailed explanation of this quota is explained later.

Reporting
Reporting is based on AC stats, which is mandatory. Updating is automatic and doesn't require any additional work from you. All you need to do is run Decal with ACStats loaded, log into AC, and your data is set. For more information about using ACStats please consult the ACStats FAQ. Ramifications for not updating are explained later.

Failed quotas
Maintaining Quota is the responsibility of each individual chain member. Each member should know exactly where he/she stands where quota is concerned. Quota Failure Policy is explained at the end of this policy.

Vacations and XP holidays
You will be allowed to accrue xp credit in advance - based on cumulative net contribution to the Food Chain.
Should you need to leave the Food Chain (for example 4 weeks in Barbados) the Food Chain Management guarantee that you will be re-inserted as soon as possible on your return. The important thing here is information. Keep the Management informed about your status.

Please be aware- even if the Management approves your staying in the chain during a holiday, the Management may have to temporarily remove you as a result of an Insertion/Removal/Promotion that takes place in your region of the chain. Upon returning from your vacation, notify the Management, and you will be re-inserted immediately.

Recruitment
The Food Chain is currently recruiting between the levels of 50 and 126. Individuals interested in joining a chain under level 50 are encouraged to join our Casual Chain. For more information about all of the Last Dynasty's Chains please read our Recruiting page. Applicants over level 120 will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
New applicants from outside the clan who are 126+ will be placed under the lowest 126 in the chain. A maximum of two characters per player may be a part of the Food Chain at any given time. Our chain is not for everyone: we have higher standards that we expect everyone to follow, standards which may not be preferable to some players. For more information please see the Food Chain Application.

Food Chain Board
Use of the Food Chain Board is mandatory. This is the place for all communication. Failure to check the board may result in temporary removal from the chain, and could occur when the management is inserting or removing others around you. We recommend each member try to spend at least 5 minutes a day browsing the board. Failure to use the board is explained below.

Here is a quick guide to using your time efficiently on the boards.
* Record and learn the names of the individuals three spots above and below you in the chain. (Consult the chain listing for this information)
* When browsing the boards, read all threads titled "All members read", or similar verbiage, first.
* Secondly, read any thread with "ATTN: [name], [name], [name] in the Subject, where one of the names are yours.
* Thirdly, read any thread with "ATTN: [name], [name], [name] in the Subject, where one or more of the names are on your 3-up and 3-down list.

If you do this, you will not miss a beat.

Removal
Members wishing to leave Food Chain must give adequate notice (ideally 1 week before) by posting on the Message Board; Please wait to be chained around before seeking your new home. It is the responsibility of all chain members to swiftly remove those who wish to leave.

Promotion
Promotion of chain members will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Our rule of thumb in the Food Chain will be to promote any member who out levels their patron by 3 levels and maintains that for at least one week. These numbers will vary depending on the circumstances. This is a privilege, not a right, but Food Chain Management will endeavor to make this happen. To request a promotion, contact a Chain Manager. Be sure to explain all relevant information, and then be patient.

Our rule of thumb in the Order of Hyssop will be to promote any member whose %quota column is at least 110% AND is at leat 5% higher than their patron's %quota column. Promotion can happen once every 42 days (two reporting periods). You have to be in the Order of Hyssop at least one quota reporting period to be eligible for promotion. To request a promotion, contact a Chain Manager. Be sure to explain all relevant information, and then be patient.

Insertion
The insertion of new applicants and re-insertion of former chain members will be happening almost all the time. There is no "special insertion day" Therefore, it is that much more important for all members to read the boards. It is the responsibility of all chain members to swiftly insert new members.

Quota Failure Policy
The following is the official policy for Quota Failures:
After 21 days of quota entries
If a member falls behind 3.5 million passed up XP, which is the equivalent of not passing up a single experience point for 4 days, one of the following actions will be taken:

1st time:
The member will keep their chain patron, but lose their chain vassal.
The member will be placed in the Applicants Chain so we can track the XP passed up. The member must make the equivalent of old quota for 10 days. If this is accomplished, the member will be placed back in the chain. The member will most likely not be placed with the same patron and vassal due to level conflicts.

2nd time:
Same as 1st time, but member must maintain quota for 20 days.

3rd time:
Removal from chain with option to go to Casual Chain. The member may reapply to Food Chain after three months of being in Casual Chain.

Removals will not happen on a specific schedule. The Food Chain Management Team will post removals as needed. It is up to the individual member to track his/her own quota.


AcStats Update Failure
"Updating your ACStats" refers to logging into Asheron's Call with ACStats (and our clan add-on) loaded. Once logged in, information is automatically sent to our server. The command "Update your ACStats" simply means "Please log into AC with ACStats loaded."

AcStats is our only way of tracking Quota automatically. Therefore, it is mandatory that every chain member update the database frequently.

After a member has not uploaded in a week, "Upload" will show by their name, instead of "Passed" or "Failed". If this happens, that member should contact a manager ASAP to receive help in resolving this issue.

After a member has not uploaded in two weeks, "Old Data" will show. If no contact is made by this member, he/she will be removed from the chain.

Failure To Read The Boards
Communication is key for the chain to move smoothly. Each member must read the Food Chain board frequently to remain informed. Chain Managers will post chain placements, movements, and removals there.

If the members involved in any chain movement do not respond within four days from the date of the original post, a member may be sworn around to complete a chain insertion, move, or removal. Please note that such a removal is not permanent-- the member can be re-inserted once their participation level comes back up.

Quota Explanation
Example:
Member A either has Leadership trained at 163+ or has 12 direct vassals. This will pass up to chain patron 93.75% of XP passed from chain vassal.

Member A receives 100,000,000 XP from chain vassal in one week. Member A will pass up 93.75% of that XP to chain patron which is 93,750,000 XP without generating a single XP personally.

Quota is 100% passed through, so Member A is responsible for passing up the remaining 6.25% either personally or through other followers. If Member A has a loyalty of 250, Member A will pass up approximately (there are bonuses for vassals after 240 hours in game time) 25% of personally earned XP. In this example Member A must pass up 6,250,000 XP to meet 100% pass through. This equates to 25,000,000 personally generated XP.

Since we have capped the pass up at 6,000,000, Member A would only need to personally generate 24,000,000 to meet the Food Chain Quota.
If there is still confusion about what all this means, please contact a Chain Manager for clarification.

ACStats Chain Listing (Short Report):
http://www.lastdynasty.net/ldstats/inde ... egmentID=1

Please use this thread to diagnose your status in the chain. It is the member's responsibility to ensure that they are meeting all requirements. If a chain member has an issue with the report site, it is their job to come to the chain management and try to get the issue resolved. Sometimes there are bugs in the system and mistakes can be made. By staying on top of your own status you can make sure that if a mistake occurs, it is solved immediately.

Please note
The Food Chain Management team can remove a member who is falling below our minimum requirements without warning. Do not let this happen to you.

Order of Hyssop Rules
Please note that your chain managers for the Food Chain are also your managers for the Order of Hyssop. The same general rules for the Food Chain also apply to the Order of Hyssop.

The main difference is with new applicants, quota, and advancement. Quota for the OH 12 million per week. New applicants will be inserted at the bottom of the chain in an order determined by the managers. Promotion periods are every 42 days. Dates will be posted by a manager. Eligibility requirements for promotion is: Maintain a %quota of at least 110% and be at least 5% higher than your patron's %quota. Members who meet promotion criteria and who post their desire for promotion may be advanced past the patron. Please refer to the Food Chain for all other rules and regulation regarding The Order of Hyssop.

Reinsertion of Removed OH Members
OH members who have been removed from the chain may be reinserted into the chain if they desire. Members who are first time removals will be reinserted at the bottom of the OH. Members who have been removed repeatedly are welcome to apply to be placed in the Food Chain, but will not be placed in the OH again until they have completed a 21 day trial period in which they have shown the ability to meet the OH quota.

[Edit by Dave Mustaine: Updated Recruiting policy. Modernization]
[Edit by Oof to add the new ACStats Chain Listing:]
[Edit by Heatmiser: Removed link to old chain page.]
[Edit by Heatmiser: Added 126+ insertion policy.]
[Edit by Heatmiser: Added OH policy.]
[Edit by Oof: Updated the OH promotion policy.]
[Edit by Oof: Updated the OH Removal/Reinsertion policy.]

New ACStats Chain Listing (all chains):
http://www.lastdynasty.net/stats/

[Heatmiser]

FOOD CHAIN INFORMATION FOR NEW MEMBERS

Here is some information regarding the Last Dynasty's Chains

http://www.lastdynasty.net/recruit.htm

You must read this post in it's entirety before posting your Application.

APPLICATION FOR ENTRANCE INTO "Food Chain"

In order to streamline the application process, this thread will be used to deliver important information for those with intent to join "Food Chain".

The obvious purpose of an XP chain is to maximize the nature of the allegiance system. It is important to understand that belonging to any XP chain can be trying. Sometimes being a part of a chain requires knowledge beyond what is needed to simply play Asheron's Call. A chain is not for everyone.

We do have a quota system to make sure that everyone pulls their own weight. For new entrants, this is not always an easy transition from not being concerned with a specific amount of XP needed to be earned personally. This will take dedication on your part.

Remember, the Food Chain has a team of managers well versed in XP Chain dynamics. Feel free to ask them any questions you may have about being in a chain.

In addition to joining "Food Chain", you are also joining the Last Dynasty Monarchy.

About The Last Dynasty: http://www.lastdynasty.net/CoC.htm Read it.
Below this post, you will find "Food Chain" policy.

By posting your Application, you are stating that you have read, understand and intend to abide by the policy.

The actual thread that you will post your application to is linked at the end of this policy.

NEW APPLICANTS:

When you get to the Application process, you will be posting the following information in the application thread:

NAME:
LEVEL:
CLASS:
LOYALTY:
LEADERSHIP(if trained):
# OF DIRECT VASSALS:
EMAIL:
OTHER CHARACTER NAMES USED:
LOCATION YOU GENERALLY HUNT FOR XP SPECIFICALLY:
ESTIMATED XP PRODUCTION PER WEEK:
PREVIOUS & CURRENT CHAIN/S:
REASON FOR LEAVING CHAIN/S:
VN BOARDS NAME:
REFERENCES:
MY NAME SHOWS UP ON THIS LIST. (YES/NO):
I HAVE READ AND AGREE WITH CHAIN POLICY(YES/NO):

Do not leave any fields blank.

The process can take up to two weeks, sometimes longer if there are any reasons for us to put you on hold. Please be patient.


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IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT XP TRACKING:
To join the chain, you must be running ACstats with our XP tracking add-on. The add-on feature allows us to use our own Tracking system and to have your data sent to our server.

Here is a complete set of instructions: http://www.lastdynasty.net/ACstats%20guide.htm

In order to upload to our database, you must be a part of the Last Dynasty clan. Therefore, we recommend that you pledge to someone--anyone--in the clan BEFORE you post your application.

NOTE: You MUST be running ACStats and be shown on our Master List page BEFORE YOU APPLY! Failure to do so WILL result in your Application being put on hold for at least 14 days.

Download the source file that allows you to upload to our server here .

Access the Master List here.

If you are still having trouble, consult this FAQ and Troubleshooting thread, found here:

ACStats is a requirement for our chain, so if you cannot get it working, you cannot join the chain. As a last resort, start your own thread asking for help. Make sure to give specific information about your situation. "I couldn't get it working" will no longer be an accepted excuse. There are no exceptions.

Remember, complete this part BEFORE you post your application.

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KEEP IN MIND:

You are joining us. We are not joining you. You will need to conform to our rules. We will not adjust our rules to accomadate you. We will however adjust the rules to accomodate the chain.

APPLICANT CHECKLIST:

(1) Download & Install Latest Version of Decal
(2) Download & Install Latest Version of AcStats
(3) Download Last Dynasty Chain Registry Entry
(4) Install Last Dynasty Chain Registry Entry
(5) If necessary, pledge to a member of LD as specified above.
(6) Verify that your name is showing up HERE
(7) Enter your Application (See link below)
(8) Chain Managers Verify ACStats and other Reqs
(9) Get Inserted in to Chain by checking the boards frequently and following directions.


Chain Management Team:

Oof: General Manager
Dave Mustaine: New Applicants and Placement
Phade: Promotions and Removals
Heatmiser: Quota and ACStats Compliance

Enter your application in this thread:
http://www.lastdynasty.net/board/viewtopic.php?t=9

[Edit: Flanker-Font Adjustment]