All the Magos aboard the Imperial Glory gathered in the data control room. They used the cogitator system to run the numbers, establishing a complex data model to calculate the final rewards based on each player's battlefield performance.
Battlefield performance included, but wasn't limited to: the number of enemies killed, the player's impact on the overall battle, the number of people rescued, and the value of any critical intelligence obtained.
Every factor had detailed calculation parameters to ensure the reward amount was accurate.
There were also substantial rewards for the veteran players and the staff who spearheaded the orbital bombardment.
Although they didn't get boots on the ground for the fighting, their contributions were also clearly visible and weighted heavily.
The battle settlement process moved swiftly. They ran the data several times to make sure the final results were on the money.
Daniel then input the verified data into the Contribution Point System and pushed the reward information out to the players.
++Battle Report: The Defense of Tyrian Hive Concludes Successfully++
In recognition of your heroic performance, you have earned a total of **** Contribution Points.
Players with data slates received their reward information immediately.
Those without were directed to return to the Imperial Glory or Lycard Space Station to check their scores.
Why not check in the Tyrian Hive? Simply because the data network hadn't yet been fully connected to the surface, and Daniel wasn't about to roll the dice by exposing the system to potential Genestealer infiltration while his control over the hive city was still shaky.
The Tyrian campaign was a huge payday for the players. Even greenhorns hitting the battlefield for the first time were walking away with 20,000 to 30,000 Contribution Points—enough to buy a basic exoskeleton from the Doraemon Workshop.
In addition to the Contribution Point settlement, Daniel also captured and sent video highlights of the battle to the chat group.
As for the player rankings, Daniel decided to put the brakes on the original system. It wasn't that he didn't want to rank them, but the previous system, which was based purely on Contribution Points, was deeply unfair to combat players.
Farmers and resource players like Doraemon could easily crush combat players in the rankings. A ranking system based purely on those rules would tank their morale and kill their enthusiasm for fighting.
"It's time to launch the Chapter System and the Honor Roll rankings," Daniel decided.
"We need to factor in various contributions when calculating rankings to keep players motivated."
"We also need to level up players' ability to participate in large-scale operations."
After careful thought, Daniel opted to add a War Group system and change the original Contribution Point Ranking List to an Honor Roll. Players who achieved a certain level of honor could form a War Group.
These regiments could take on large-scale combat missions and gain access to auxiliary support forces and specialized military gear.
The Honor Roll would comprehensively calculate a player's overall contribution to the Emperor, assign Honor Points, and use that to rank them.
Daniel immediately put his plan into action, asking Magos Jackdo to draft the War Group system and the Honor calculation model. Once the program was completed, the War Group system and Honor Roll would be launched.
In the real world, the morning was often when the Warhammer Discord groups were most active, as many players would log off after an all-night session to head to work. Despite playing until dawn, they were usually full of energy and feeling refreshed. Before officially clocking out for the day, they were happy to check the chat groups.
The main group had already hit its 2,000-member limit, but the Lobster's recruiting abilities were off the charts. With a large number of people applying daily, the administrators created two new groups: Warhammer OL II and Warhammer OL III.
After Daniel uploaded the battle footage from the Tyrian Hive, all three chat groups instantly blew up, hitting 99+ messages in minutes.
GuillimanRules: "Why! Why! Why was such a killer battle fought without me?!"
Magospro: "Welcome to Old Thirteen's daily pity party."
GuillimanRules: "JPG (I will kill you, heretic)"
Fulgrimnation: "War is still the most fun way to make cash. I walked away with over 300,000 Contribution Points this time."
ILoveNurgle: "I'm taking a bath! I earned 550,000, but my ammo costs were over 300,000. How did you rake in so much?!"
Spaceking: "We caught a big fish! That's how we earned so much. @ Warmaster, hehe, too bad you missed out."
Master Warmaster: "You kids get your time to shine. In a couple of days, I'll show you what a pro really is."
Garry: "A new player who just got 30,000 Contribution Points is nervously sweating in this chat."
Doraemon: "Anyone need exoskeletons, holler at me so I can decide if I need to take out another loan to build another production line."
"..."
********
While the players were enthusiastically chatting about the game, Daniel was equally busy.
He flew to the Tyrian Hive aboard a Valkyrie, preparing to get the ball rolling on the next phase of development with the Hive's top leaders. Daniel planned to turn the planet Atomal into a major logistics base. The reconstruction work had to be meticulous, and a complete management system needed to be established.
Crucially, they could no longer treat the lower classes like second-class citizens as they had before. Those people were valuable labor and manpower.
Daniel also wanted to discuss the issue of linking Contribution Points to local currency. Furthermore, he intended to evaluate powerful local figures like Fax and the Bishop; if they were qualified, he would grant them the authority to issue tasks, effectively making them part of the players' PLAY.
Of course, there was one vital thing he couldn't forget: determining which members of the Tyrian Hive army were truly loyal and which were the deadbeats.
In the next fight, Daniel planned to send the PDF to take point on the toughest targets. He figured those cunning guys would be more than happy to prove their loyalty to the Emperor—which, before the arrival of the Great Devourer, was arguably unparalleled.
With the roar of the engine, the Valkyrie slowly landed on the apron of the Tyrian Hive. Planet Governor Fax, Bishop Hydrak, and Theresa, who had just been promoted to Tech-Magos, were waiting for him on the tarmac. Outside the cordon, a crowd of pilgrims who had heard The Guide was arriving waited patiently.
With the hiss of high-pressure gas, the heavy hatch opened. Daniel stepped out, and many of the Tyrian dignitaries stared wide-eyed. After only a few days, The Guide had changed. His physique had become so imposing that he looked like a god from mythology.
"May the light of the God-Emperor bless you."
Daniel saw many onlookers were infected with sickness, so he used his skills, Blessing and Emperor's Light. Golden light appeared out of nowhere and fell on the people like raindrops.
Their sickness visibly disappeared, and they recovered in moments. This miracle sent the onlookers into a frenzy of excitement, praising the great God-Emperor and The Guide.
Leaving the fanatical crowd, Daniel was ushered into the hive city to discuss the next steps with the dignitaries.
Daniel instructed the Mechanicus to use bio-technology to build greenhouse farms, genetically modify grain seeds, and boost the yields. Now that he was here, he wouldn't let the people of the Imperium continue to subsist on synthetic foods like nutrient paste. With such advanced technology, achieving food independence was certainly within reach.
At the same time, they had to figure out a way to get the children in the hive city into schools. They needed to master basic physics and chemistry to establish a scientific and rational worldview.
Only the basics, though. When it came to advanced fields, the Mechanicus would still select top talents for research. It wouldn't do to have everyone corrupted by Tzeentch.
Faced with Daniel's many requests, Fax, Theresa, Hydrak, and the other senior executives raised no objections. After all, the person standing before them was a genuine messenger of the God-Emperor. To oppose The Guide was to oppose the Emperor himself.
"Sir, have mercy and shine your light on the poor people in the outer city," Bishop Hydrak asked Daniel respectfully after the reconstruction discussion. "They need some miracles to help them get back on their feet."