Software User Manual

Leadership Functions

Medal of Communication (MoC) Validation Tool

The MoC validation tool provides a system for automatically processing Medal of Communication awards based on monthly periods of validated eligibility. As of February 2024, monthly awards for the MoC should be processed through the MoC eligibility validation tool. For each month, authorized leaders can validate each member's eligibility for the MoC. The database system automatically awards MoCs based on these validated eligibility periods.

Usage

The MoC validation tool appears in the main management menu under the leadership functions section for members with permissions.

MoC validation permissions exist at three levels:

• Unit level, where a unit leader can see and validate eligibility for members in their unit(s) except themselves.
• Subgroup level, where authorized users can see all members with an active character in that subgroup.
• Global level, for authorized users to see all members.

The MoC tool displays:

• A date selector for changing to another monthly period.
• All members you have the ability to process.
• A selector to Validate the member’s eligibility, or Unvalidate previous eligibility if the validation was performed in error.
• The user who validated the eligibility. The MoC is awarded on a per-member basis. As a unit leader, if a member’s eligibility has already been marked by somebody else (even in another subgroup) there is no action required on your part.
• An indicator when validated eligibility has been awarded by the system. Once a MoC has been awarded for a member's eligibility period, the Unvalidate option is no longer available.

A member's eligibility for a monthly period may be marked at any time, either during the current month or after. MoCs are awarded for each period following the conclusion of that period. MoC awards processed on a daily basis.

• Example: If a member meets MoC eligibility requirements early in the month, the member's unit leader can validate eligibility in the middle of that month. At the conclusion of the month, MoC awards will be immediately issued.
• Example: A member's eligibility for a previous month is validated in the middle of a new month. Within 24 hours after validation for the previous month, the corresponding MoC will be awarded.

Implementing Instructions

• Before validating eligibility for January 2024 or earlier, manually verify whether the member has already received a MoC for the period(s) in question. Validating a member’s eligibility for a period in which they have already received a MoC will result in a duplicated award.

• Process all MoC awards for February 2024 and after through the new tool.

• The Unvalidate option is intended for situations of user error where a member is inadvertently marked as validated. If you disagree with another user's validation of a member's eligibility, consult with that user. Unvalidation actions are specifically flagged in server-side logs.

Announcements

Multiplayer Match Scoring Changes

Why is multiplayer match scoring changing?

In October 2022, the Internet Office published the proposal “RFC: Modifier-based Scoring for Multiplayer Matches”. This proposal identified the limitations in the legacy Legion of Combat (LoC)/Legion of Skirmish (LoS) based multiplayer match scoring and identified the need for a flexible system for scoring matches.

The new multiplayer match scoring is intended to promote play with other Emperor’s Hammer members by providing a system of bonuses for play with members and for play during special events. It is also intended to provide additional flexibility in dealing with our supported game platforms by accounting for the significant differences in each platform in terms of win/loss rates, queue time, average length of play, etc. These updates also establish the framework for extending multiplayer match submission and processing to additional subgroups (i.e., the Secret Order) in the near future.

For those interested in more detail, excerpts from the original proposal are included at the bottom of this document. (Because there are some scoring and functionality changes from the original proposal to the final implementation, for clarity I’m not publishing the entire document.)

What is changing?

Effective 5 June 2024, multiplayer matches submitted through the web site for credit will be awarded a variable number of points (referred to as match points).

• Weighted base points per-game. Multiplayer PvP and PvE games have an assigned number of points referred to as a Base Value. The difference in point values between games reflects the variety of differences in games, for example average difficulty in completing a match.
• Bonus for playing with members. Each game will have a Participation Modifier (expressed as a percentage) that applies a bonus for playing with other members. For example, a particular game might provide a 15% bonus when playing with 2-3 other EH members. Matches in which you played in a team of 3 would receive a 15% bonus of the base value.
• Bonus for special events. Games can have a time-limited Special Modifier to apply an additional bonus for special events or other specifically designed periods of time.
• Points and modifiers are established by subgroups. The base value and any participation or special modifiers are established for each game by the respective Subgroup Commander (i.e., TIE Corps Commander or Grand Master) or their designees (such as subgroup staff).

How are the points used?

• The number of points awarded for an approved match will be made available through the site to the member as well as event/competition organizers, unit leaders, etc. The intent is that processes that currently count MP wins or things like LoC/LoS counts convert to using match points to take full advantage of the new system.
• Match points will be normalized for entry into the two Combat Rating (PvP and PvE) systems.

How are the two Combat Ratings (PvP and PvE) impacted?

Members will now receive normalized Combat Rating points for their approved matches. Raw match points will be normalized to a value suitable for the existing Combat Rating systems. All past matches remain worth 1 Combat Rating point.

Why are match points normalized before being applied to the Combat Rating?

Normalizing match points enables us to continue using the existing Combat Rating (CR) system without significant changes to the rating system, adjacent systems (such as flight wings), or any changes to existing member ranks within the Combat Rating systems.

• All members will maintain their existing Combat Rating for both PvP and PvE. In addition, there is no change to the number of points required for each rank.
• All normalized match points award a minimum of one Combat Rating point. No game is worth less than it currently is.
• Games with higher base values or applied modifiers award more CR points, reflecting the relative increase in difficulty in achieving wins in those games and bonuses from grouping up with other members. All pilots will generally expect to see an increased rate of progression within the two Combat Ratings. With ~87% of members currently only achieving a rank within the first ten ranks of each rating system, existing capacity remains in these systems to stratify member performance.

The formula for the normalized Combat Rating points was determined by assessing the average Base Value for all existing platforms while also considering the relative rate of progression through the Combat Rating ranks. The normalized value for each match is computed automatically by the site and no additional work is needed on your part. Most matches are expected to award between 1 to 3 Combat Rating points.

But I like math.

The formula for normalizing match points to Combat Rating points is: (Match Points + 3) / 4. Thus, a 1-point match would award 1 Combat Rating point. A 6-point match would award 2.25 Combat Rating points.

What about the Legion of Combat and Legion of Skirmish?

Pilots in the TIE Corps will continue to receive the LoC and LoS as they currently do (one per winning match). However, a member’s standing within the Combat Rating system will be determined by their total Combat Rating points without regard to the number of LoCs or LoSs they have been awarded.

For both historic reasons and past data quality issues, existing match data and LoC/LoS records do not match for some pilots. This will be corrected at launch with a data quality update. Some pilots will see an increase in their LoC/LoS count to match the number of previously approved matches in the system, while others will see some pseudo-matches created to account for LoCs/LoSs in the system that did not have corresponding match data (for example, LoCs/LoSs restored from old member records). This will happen automatically and no work is required on your part.

What about the multiplayer killboards?

At launch, the multiplayer killboards (PvP and PvE) will continue to show the same data they currently do (one killboard point for each approved multiplayer match).

In the near future, we will convert the PvP and PvE killboards to reflect match points. We will provide ample warning of the killboard conversion date to provide entities currently using this data time to adapt to the new system.

What is the impact of this change on subgroup competitions such as Ace of the TIE Corps?

Subgroups will provide updated rules for these events (when applicable) at a later date. No immediate change is expected for these events due to this update.

What is the impact of this change on the Monthly Squadron Evaluation (MSE)?

The TIE Corps will publish updated guidance for completing the MSE at a later date, likely concurrent with changes to the multiplayer killboards. No immediate change is expected with the MSE due to this update.

What are the base values, participation, and special modifiers for each game platform?

The web site provides a table of these values; on the left-side navigation links, select Multiplayer Game Points under Data Center. The information displayed on the site is considered authoritative since it reflects the actual data used for computations when the match is submitted. These values are set by the respective Subgroup Commander or their designee.

How do I view the number of points that were awarded for my match?

While logged in to the site, select View multiplayer match reports from your main management menu. Expand any match report to view the total number of points awarded for the match, as well as number of Combat Rating points the match is worth.

Relevant excerpts from “RFC: Modifier-based Scoring for Multiplayer Matches”:

Situation

The current system of recognizing multiplayer performance within approved multiplayer (MP) platforms is an evolution from the days of XvT/XWA matches lasting 10 minutes that were played only within designated combat event times. This was later expanded with the “24/7 Legions” pseudo-event. The current system fails to take into account radical differences between approved game platforms in areas such as difficulty and average win/loss rate (collectively, the average time to make and complete a match). This results in certain platforms being heavily favored over others for activities and rankings related to multiplayer victories (e.g., killboard rankings, competition placements, Combat Rating and Flight Wing advancements, etc). As a second order effect, the introduction of new game platforms becomes a contentious issue over the possibility of “breaking” existing recognition systems by introducing games that are “too easy” or that possess exploitable game mechanics. This stymies the decision-making process regarding game platform adoption and reduces the ability of the EH to respond to emerging games.

The current system also fails to effectively incentivize MP gaming with other EH members by providing no advantage within the organization’s recognition system and performance metrics for grouping up with other members. Interestingly, many of our most highly-ranked pilots within the various Combat Rating systems largely achieved these results without playing with other EH members.

Proposal

Transition to a score-based match recording system that leverages configurable Base Values and Modifiers that directly incentivize play with other EH members.

Advantages:

• Provides a customizable system for accounting in differences between game platforms.
• Incentivizes play with other EH members.
• Supports Secret Order development by decoupling XP generation from Group-specific awards (i.e., LoC/LoS) with their known inherent problems.
• Reduces the risk of new game platform adoption and level of analysis required before members can receive credit for participating in these games.
• Supports Group-specific requirements.
• Simplifies scoring rules for club competitions such as Raise the Flag, Imperial Storm, and others where game platforms are already taken into account.
• Provides a mechanism for linking real-world game activity with lore/RP-based elements.