Torn City Newsletter - Summer 2021

[Torn - Online RPG game - Free text based games]() Volume 35 / Summer 2021 Hits Coming Home Hey {NAME}, Football may not have come home this summer, but violence sure did, and this is something we approve of in Torn City. With Elimination just around the corner and World Population Day already passed, Hit Girl Summer is already well underway. Let’s see what else is coming up this quarter, and what we’ve accomplished in the previous quarter too. [Summer 2021 in Torn] In this edition #1 [NEW STOCKS](#section1) #2 [TINY TEARS](#section2) #3 [COMPANY CHANGES](#section3) #4 [GOOGLE PLAY APP UPDATE](#section4) #5 [ENTERTAINMENT DEVICES](#section5) #6 [OTHER NOTABLE UPDATES](#section6) #7 [DOG TAGS RESCHEDULED](#section7) #8 [NEW STAFF](#section8) #9 [MR AND MS TORN](#section9) #10 [FORTHCOMING EVENTS](#section10) #11 [EASTER COMPETITIONS](#section11) #12 [ULTIMATE RACING TOURNAMENT](#section12) #13 [ECONOMIST’S COMIC PRIZE](#section13) #14 [IN OTHER NEWS](#section14) #15 [THIS QUARTER'S FREEBIE](#section15) []NEW STOCKS [New Stocks 2021 in Torn] The release of Stocks 3.0 in April meant we are now able to add brand new stocks to the exchange for the very first time. Alcoholics Synonymous (ASS) was the first new company to be floated on the TCSE, with this alcohol distribution firm providing a Six Pack of Alcohol to those who own its benefit block. Munster Beverage Corp. (MUN) followed a week later. The provision of a Six Pack of Energy Drinks to this company’s benefit block holders should prove a popular draw for many. If you’d like to read more about these new stocks, and find out which are the most purchased and valuable stocks in Torn, check out our [Torn City Times article from the 6th of July](/articles/2068). []TINY TEARS Torn’s latest NPC, [Tiny]( was introduced in mid-June. Tiny is an exceptionally strong NPC who wields a unique sledgehammer weapon that requires a turn to recover if it's to be used a second time. Tiny can be looted for the 40lb Sledgehammer, Energy Drinks, and Stat Enhancers. [Read all about him here](/articles/1623). [TINY TEARS] In addition to the introduction of a new NPC, we also increased the life value for several NPCs, and increased the number of players who can be involved in a group attack from 70 to 100. []COMPANY CHANGES Several changes related to companies were made this quarter, including an important tweak to company effectiveness. The way inactivity affects an employee’s effectiveness has been modified to make the calculation more intuitive. We’ve also fired every player in a starter job who was over 400 days inactive, as the processing of stat points for those who are unlikely to return to Torn was becoming burdensome. Another important change was made to the way work stats contribute to your effectiveness when above the minimum required stats. [A report by KingLouisCLXXII](threads&f=19&t=16227240&b=0&a=0) alerted us to a discrepancy between our description of the effectiveness formula and its actual implementation, so we have now remedied this situation. Player observations and suggestions continue to play a vitally important role in everything we do here in Torn City. In addition to these behind-the-scenes changes, we also made a noticeable improvement to the Lingerie Store. Previously the least-popular company type in Torn, Lingerie Stores are now the seventh most popular firm to run and work for, after we improved their specials and boosted their profits. [Read all about these changes here](/articles/1842). []GOOGLE PLAY APP UPDATE Donations and subscriptions can now be processed via Google Play thanks to an extensive update to the Torn Android app. Players using the Android App may now visit the Donator House to purchase donator packs or subscriptions. The app must be updated to version 1.2.0 to make use of this change. See [this announcement](threads&f=1&t=16230370&b=0&a=0) for details on other improvements we've made to the Android app. And speaking of apps, we’d like to officially promote Manuito’s fantastic Torn PDA application. Torn PDA is a mobile app available for Android and iOS that makes it easier for players to access key game sections and data as efficiently as possible. If you’d like to read more about Torn PDA, [you can do so here](/articles/2112). [Download Torn PDA for Android]( [Download Torn PDA for iOS]( []ENTERTAINMENT DEVICES Several of Torn’s Electronic items have been revamped to make their happiness output more worthwhile, while also enabling players to use up their spare energy. The energy values provided by certain Energy Drinks and/or faction and company bonuses can leave players with surplus energy in non-multiples of five. Since all energy-reliant activities in Torn require energy in multiples of five, these leftover scraps of energy were often wasted. [ENTERTAINMENT DEVICES] To remedy this situation, a number of Electronic items can now be used to exchange 1, 3, 5, or 10 energy for happiness. The Xbox, Xbox 360, and the Playstation have been merged into the Games Console. We’ve also applied this functionality to the Television (formerly Big Screen TV) and both the MP3 and CD Players. Using these devices also provides you with a humorous message informing you of the content you’ve just enjoyed. [ENTERTAINMENT ITEMS] []OTHER NOTABLE UPDATES Automatic Item Equipping - Players who have been inactive for seven days can now be equipped with items if they have a free slot. To equip an inactive player with an item, you merely need to send it to them, and if the appropriate loadout slot is free, the item will be equipped. Grace Period - Because Stocks 3.0 no longer allows players to trade shares while flying, those with Cayman investments found their money could easily be taken by travel muggers - the stock market was previously used to keep this money safe. A huge mugging spree took place as a result, and due to the one-sided nature of these interactions we added in a 15-second mugging grace period upon landing for all travelers. Stocks 3.0 - A number of small changes were made to Stocks 3.0 post-release; red warnings are now provided if a sale will remove your benefit block dividend, stock movements are now posted on the News Ticker, persistent column sorting was added to the Stock Market page, a gold icon will alert you if you have a dividend awaiting collection, and your total stock fees paid has been added to your personal stats. API Log - The Log has been added to the API. Users must have reset their API keys since the 27th of April to make use of this. One Second Turns - Attacking turns now take a minimum of one second to complete. This change was deemed necessary ahead of the eventual release of Ranked Warring, as script-assisted attacks were deemed too advantageous to those who used them. Extra Loadouts - Players can increase their loadout options from three to nine by buying more loadout slots at the Points Building. Rental Extensions - Property rental agreements can now be extended under their existing terms, rather than having to create a new rental agreement from scratch. Advanced Searching - Players can now include multiple factions when performing an advanced search. Hospital Toggle - Revive permissions can now be toggled between 'Everyone', 'Friends & Faction', or 'Nobody' directly from the Hospital page. Organized Crime Icons - A new sidebar icon has been added to indicate when you're in an organized crime, and if it's still in the planning phase or ready to initiate. Temporary Item Loaning - Instead of loaning grenades one by one, this can now be done in quantities of up to 100 at once. Maintenance - Among lots of general on-site maintenance, we moved a database over to a brand new database server, added two new load balancers & two new firewalls, and upgraded network cards across the whole fleet. []DOG TAGS RESCHEDULED November’s Dog Tags tournament has been moved to May in order to break up Torn’s calendar of attacking events. With Elimination coming in September, Halloween in October, and World Population Day having already taken place in July, the Summer and Fall period often proved exhausting even for those with an incessant lust for blood. The Torn team is currently exploring options for other non-attacking events to take place throughout the year. []NEW STAFF Torn’s Community Manager, bogie, has recently welcomed a group of new staff members. Here are his comments on how they and the existing staff have been doing so far. “It has been a very busy few months for staff, but they're all doing a fantastic job keeping up with the reports that continue to flow in from the active player base. Maintaining order and consistency of the rules is a constant challenge, but the staff have a very strict set of guidelines for what they can and cannot do. This guidance ensures that the rules are maintained, players are kept happy without being completely stifled from a bit of harmless banter here and there, and that players can be helped and guided throughout Torn.” “We have recently taken on a group of new helper staff for such roles: Kelsie, cooksie, Heretic, WaywardSquid, LordofFire and MJH, all of whom are settling in brilliantly and showing they have what it takes to be great members of our staff team! They like many others before them have realized the daunting challenge of learning all the nuances that come with being a helper, but in the several weeks they've been on board we've watched them grow from curious new helpers to fantastic staff members with great regular inputs for discussions and a tenacity for the role one always dreams of seeing! Welcome aboard guys, we all look forward to seeing what you can do!” “I recently promoted CJ and Shindig too. Both are extremely hard working and active staff members; CJ proving he's a great addition to the team with his efforts in bugs, and Shindig is one of the most active staff members on the team entirely, both more than deserving of the officer role.” - bogie Applications for staff positions are currently closed, but if you’re interested in becoming a Torn staff member in future, or you’re a current staffer who is looking to move upwards, Moderator BennyH has written up [a fascinating article](/articles/2093) full of insights exploring the various different roles on offer, and how you can progress up the ranks. []MR AND MS TORN [The Mr and Ms Torn competition]( is now in full swing! Entries closed on the 20th of July, but you can vote on player submissions until the 25th of July. The newspaper recently published [a guide to entering this event](/articles/2140), which also contains references to several other guides from years gone by. Here are a couple of this year’s entries which we thought were just about suitable to send out in a newsletter! Ali_Looya [Ali_Looya] Mental [Mental] []FORTHCOMING EVENTS The next event in the Torn calendar is World Tiger Day, a 48-hour bonus period during which all hunting experience is multiplied by five. To make use of this bonus, players must be level 15 or higher in order to fly to South Africa. Upon your arrival, you will be able to take part in [hunting sessions]( ranging from Beginner through to Advanced, where players use energy to hunt various animals in exchange for cash rewards. World Tiger Day runs from noon July 28th to noon July 30th. International Beer Day is next on the agenda, with this event taking place from noon August 5th to noon August 7th. Beer Day makes all beer items five times more effective than usual, so this is a fantastic opportunity for players to acquire themselves a heap of cheap nerve. Or at least it would be, if some players hadn’t worked to manipulate the price of beer to a three-year high of nearly $4,000! The big event everyone is preparing for is Elimination 2021. This competition sees over 12,000 players split up into twelve individual teams, each of whom then battle against the rest to preserve tickets and avoid losing lives. A guide that explains why new players should participate in Elimination was [published in the newspaper recently](/articles/2092), but [the Elimination Wiki]( also explains how this event works for anyone who is new to Torn City. We’d encourage all of our players to take part in Elimination 2021, as it often proves a great way to make new friends - and some enemies too! And if you want to help choose which teams are on offer in Elimination 2021, check out the poll posted by Sugarvalves in [General Discussion](forums&f=2&b=0&a=0). Tourism Day arrives in late September once Elimination has finished, with this travel-based event running from noon September 26th to noon September 28th. During this time, the travel capacity for all players is doubled, allowing you to bring back more items when you return from foreign destinations. This buff to travel capacity applies to your base value and also to any booster items or specials, such as suitcases, job specials, and books. []EASTER COMPETITIONS This Easter we ran a number of Community Events alongside an auction and a raffle, giving away tens of billions of dollars’ worth of prizes as a result. Our [Easter Bunny Art Competition](threads&f=62&t=16219393&b=0&a=0) was one of the hardest competitions we’ve ever had to judge, with the calibre of entries far surpassing our expectations. The winner was Chii-Chan for their exceptional drawing of a strangely muscular Easter Bunny NPC, but if truth be told, there are many entries that could have won, so well done to anyone who placed or received a special mention. [Easter comp] Duke also had a little fun this Easter with his [island giveaway contest](threads&f=62&t=16219396&b=0&a=0). Duke generously put up four fully-upgraded Private Islands as prizes, and all he asked for in return was a pathetic begging video. The entries to this competition were absolutely hilarious, but the production values on display in Djakker’s entry were something else entirely. [Easter comp]( The winners of our other Easter Competitions can be seen in our Community Event round-up article [linked here](/articles/2109). We also gave away a number of items via our [Lucky Dip](threads&f=62&t=16219399&b=0&a=0&start=0&to=21359717) and auction events. Look out for a brand new selection of Community Events in the near future, including the return of Leslie’s “I Hate Mr and Ms Torn” competition later this month! []ULTIMATE RACING TOURNAMENT The qualification phase of the Ultimate Racing Tournament ended on the 8th of July, with thousands of competitors whittled down to just 48 qualifying drivers. The main tournament runs from the 15th to the 25th of July. Thank you to all of those who entered, and to the many stewards who helped us to put on 30-40 races every single day. If you didn’t qualify, look out for the URT’s prize races that will take place over the weekend of the 24th and 25th. These races are open to everyone, and pay out prizes for players finishing in various positions, such as 1st, 7th, and 69th. Nice! []ECONOMIST’S COMIC PRIZE Torn’s economist, Lt_Wolf, now offers a $100 million monthly prize to his favourite comic of the month. The first winner of this prize was PunKake for his creative depiction of Torn’s territorial war system. [Torn’s territorial war system] June’s winner was Slockins101 for his accurate depiction of faction life. [Torn’s faction life] July’s winner will be announced in early August. If you’d like to submit a comic to the Torn City Times, [please read this article](/articles/2119), as it covers what you need to do in order to be considered for publication. To view the newspaper’s current comic submissions, [click here](p=main)! [] IN OTHER NEWS [What to do, what to do]( by Roadhousee [Honored (The Big 500)]( by Missterial [2021 - Using Firearms in Mr./Ms Torn Picture]( by Andyman [25k Speed record](threads&f=16&t=16234548&b=0&a=0) by Xanty [40 years young and 16 years playing]( by Numpe [Jeeze Ched, buy a girl dinner first]( by Exie [First ELO of 3000]( by Bodybagger [16 years, 5 months, 5 days (Or 6,000 days)]( by Icebluefire [100bil defense](threads&f=16&t=16234479&b=0&a=0) by KRobert [Next new NPC should be female]( by NSFlygirl1966 [1b bs club, 547 days]( by Abir [Happy Pride Day]( by TheUltimateSalt [Money mugged: 50B]( by Spliffy [Faction Honors 3.0]( by Jimmy007 [TUS 25k under 3 days]( by Sword [Result of PA experiment with 4 Law Firms](threads&f=2&t=16230533&b=0&a=0) by maledict []THIS QUARTER'S FREEBIE [Take freebie]( As with all our quarterly newsletters, we like to give you all a little treat for being part of the best online RPG community in the world. Click above to claim it! 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