Direction
This week, Direction met to discuss server hosting, logistics, and other topics.

• MonMarty reviewed roleplay systems and worked on Ithania map. Check out his stream here.
• LumosJared reviewed roleplay systems.
• Derpadillo performed individual direction for Quest staff.
• CS_Birb continued to update the server hosting and performed individual direction for Tech Staff.
• QGMK hosted Survival Staff meetings, completed Direction paperwork, and performed individual direction for Game staff.
• Birdsfoot_violet processed paperwork and performed individual direction for Lore Staff.
• BillyTheScruffy performed PR department oversight and direction.

Game
Here are some updates from this past week:

1. In preparation for Kingdoms, alt factions have received an ingame flag to identify them as such. Most alt factions have already received the flag. If your alt faction has not yet received the flag, please submit a ticket so we can help you. The flag does not affect any gameplay currently
2. To add to the first change: the rule stating any alt faction must be labelled in the faction name OR the description by Alt faction, AF, DR, CO or INC has been removed. Note: any Alt account must still receive a faction title to identify them as such
3. PVP Mechanics Update:
   a. Armor is slightly less effective server-wide (which means server-wide damage has increased).
   b. Potion throwing adjusted to be more 1.8 style on MassiveCraft in which you can throw a health potion relatively horizontal and receive full 4 hearts. To throw debuffs, make sure to be walking backwards.
   c. Bows now obey vanilla minecraft mechanics and have a chance, when drawn back fully, to perform a critical strike. The Critical Strike on MassiveCraft multiplies the damage done by 1.2.
   d. McMMO Archery Daze chance to activate has been reduced to 20% at level 1000 Archery
4. You can now craft Lodestones using 8 stone surrounding 1 iron block!
5. You can now use the native Minecraft banner pattern names when specifying what design you want with /banner.
6. The recipes for all Coral types, blocks, fans, and dead variants can now be found here: https://www.massivecraft.com/recipes#coral.
7. We are continuously assisting our playerbase via tickets (50+) as well as rule enforcement.

• BlueChaos worked on MythicMobs and assisted players.
• qgmk aided players, handled reports and appeals, worked on [REDACTED], updated crafting recipes and the website page, and made configuration changes to plugins.
• Effloresce_ worked on MythicMobs, gave training to fellow staff members and assisted players.
• Rahm_Kota identified and flagged alt factions, gave training to fellow staff members and assisted players.
• Sevak updated the PvP scoreboard, assisted with PvP updates and assisted players.
• Fiend_of_Massive worked on the End rework, performed training and assisted players.
• NjMcR performed training, assisted with PvP updates and identified alt factions.

Quest
Quest is working on the Ezekiel project. Most of the quests are already complete and only pending final review before Test implementation can begin. The department has also made quality of life updates and fixes to existing quests.

• Derpadillo Fixed the End Alarm quest and an additional daemon quest.
• Iyyiushi Wrote and reviewed an additional Ezekiel quest. It is currently pending approval.

PR
This week’s PR has been working on a couple of things. Continuing with the 3D modeling project and finishing some models for further testing, we are also working on some customs blocks and textures for those. This coming week we will be putting our focus on updating the in-game voting messages again as well as continuing with the lore-item revision and rewrite. The next MassiveCast episode is also in the making. And as we are nearing the holiday season, there are also some seasonal events being planned.

• Femma: did some general social media upkeep posts. Did the PR Roundup and Podcast coordination/preparations. Also did some tickets on the server.
• Goldifish: worked on some more 3D modeling, and completed 2 models while they are looking to host some more modeling tutorial in the discords.
• indyfan98: worked on custom block implementation and textures, as well as some 3D models.
• Obilvaify: designed some graphics and wrote some content for future posts. Also worked on updating the custom crafting recipe page and continued to record and edit video footage.
• seoulmate: upkept social media posts, did the weekly roundup and worked on the lore-item revision.
• kirishark: did some podcast preparations.

World
This week, World has been getting ready for the winter season. A new collection of winter and festive decoheads has been introduced, Regalia is now covered in snow and we’re working on making its streets more colourful for the season. Additionally, the final touches towards a new Survival map have been made.

• MonMarty: has created a new survival map in world painter, and produced new BO2 packs.
• WaterDruppel: has helped create more BO2s, decorated (mainstreet) shops and did the interior for estates.
• SpunSugar: made the new decohead collection, worked on event assistance and is working on the streets of Regalia.
• Patsie: has been working on the interior of GreyGate Prison.
• Bunemma: did the interior for several (mainstreet) shops and estates.

Tech
Infrastructure upgrades and MCombat work.

• CS_Birb setup the MongoDB on M4, migrated S2 and S4 to M4, performed a WIP spindown of M3, began working on building Velocity plugin to replace Bungee plugin currently in use. Further migration to M4 ongoing
• Fourthirteen performed work on MCombat.

Lore
Lore Updates:
Changes Submitted by, Birdsfoot_violet, and MonMarty

Bi-yearly Proficiency System overhaul. This time however, a super minimal one.

1.) To accommodate the recent changes in Proficiencies, the Application Template has been changed. We scrapped a lot of unnecessary data like Personality and visual traits that never mattered, and put more emphasis on Abilities and Proficiencies and some more modern concepts that were missing in the older dated Template. The Template Thread now also has 3 example Applications on it for players to source. Overall, the Template should be shorter and easier to work with for players.
https://forums.massivecraft.com/threads/character-applications-template.54735/

2.) Magic Bolt 1 is gone, and it is replaced with Ranged Combat Category: Caster Ranged Combat. Caster Ranged Combat is now an all-new Magic themed casting set of 5×4 Prof Point buy stuff.
https://wiki.massivecraft.com/Ranged_Combat_Category#Caster_Ranged_Combat

3.) Schooling is gone. Too many issues. Wasn’t practical. School system has been deleted, but the lore is still around. @❂ FireFan96 Is still extracting the old school lore to make sure they stay canon and present in lore for those who want to incorporate them into their backstory. The page is not yet done, it can be found here when it is tomorrow:
https://wiki.massivecraft.com/List_of_Major_Academies

4.) Honed Skill 3 was removed from all Racial Boosts in Proficiencies, because some changes in Schooling made Honed Skill defunct as a Racial Boost. It was replaced with Honed Skill 2 in all cases. Honed Skill 3 was removed, and so 4 & 5 became 3 & 4

5.) Finally, the reason why most of this is happening, is to facilitate the implementation of Progression Talents. Progression Talents streamline the skills of Characters in Progressions, because Proficiencies are balanced for live-server RP, not for Progressions. The Talents are balanced for progressions, in the sense that it should make a marketplace of demand for Talents, as opposed to an overabundance overly-skilled characters that can do everything. This system is OPTIONAL meaning it can also just be completely ignored for those who do not understand it, or don’t care about written Forum Progression.
https://wiki.massivecraft.com/Progression_Talents

Questions? Make a ticket. But please make sure to read before sending in questions.

I have an ongoing Application Review!
You do not need a re-review. But you can request one if you want to update to the new Format.

I have an approved Application!
You do not need a re-review. But you can request one if you want to update to the new Format.

I was going to post my Application!
You need to format the Application to the new Format.

I had Magic Bolt 1!
You need to format the Application to the new Format and submit for a re-review.

Some of my Racial boosts were changed!
If you are going to make edits, you don’t need a re-review, can just ask for a tagging, but if you change anything else, you should ask for a re-review.

Overall, you don’t have to ask for a re-review on your app if you don’t want to, unless you are taking this opportunity to change your app to the new format, change around more than 10 Proficiency Points, or want to add Progression Talents to your app, in which all cases, you must ask for a re-review.

General Artifact Rules added to the page.
https://wiki.massivecraft.com/Artifacts

The only afflictions barred from Caster Ranged Combat are Cratos, and Phantom Type Undead.
There are no other current restrictions on it.

Slizzar who reveal the identity of other Slizzar automatically surrender Kill-Perms to the Slizzar they out, including any help that Slizzar may pay for or get assistance from.

Ailor Lineages have been scrapped from lore altogether. For categorization purposes, the Ailor are defined by Culture on the Proficiency page, which can be neatly categorized into 5 main categories.

Ailor were given a single pool of 11 Abilities to choose 3x from found here: https://wiki.massivecraft.com/Ailor#Summary_of_Racial_Abilities This list includes 5 new Abilities written just for Ailor, and a bunch of standard Abilities that benefit mundane designs.

Cultures now define Racial Boosts, for each category we set them to 5 different potential Boosts, to compensate for the 3 that existed for the older Lineages, and making sure some flexible choice exists. https://wiki.massivecraft.com/Proficiency#Racial_Boosts

Clarification has been added to Evading Dash under Light Ranged Combat that clarifies the ability is not meant to be used to chase after people, only to escape or re-position.

World System Updates:
Submitted by Monmarty

The first Regalian Lower House Assembly has been pinned on the Calendar here: https://forums.massivecraft.com/calendar/lower-house-assembly.1855/event?id=2014 See rules on how to get involved in the Lower House here: https://forums.massivecraft.com/threads/assembly-explained.96507/

Event Updates:
No New Updates

Roleplay Updates:
No New Updates