Torn City Newsletter - Summer 2017

[Torn Logo] Account recovery now available!Volume 22 | Summer 2017 Edition In this edition --------------------------------------------------------------- [Weekly patch lists](#section1) [Account recovery](#section2) [Group attacking](#section3) [Running away changes](#section4) [Wiki roles & search](#section5) [Mr and Ms Torn](#section6) [Elimination](#section7) [The news](#section8) [Chronicals](#section9) [New companies](#section10) [Bookies 2.0](#section11) [Crimes 2.0](#section12) [Summer freebie](#section13) In other news --------------------------------------------------------------- The new profile statuses [Read more]( --------------------------------------------------------------- MarlonBrando's presidential primaries [Read more]( --------------------------------------------------------------- One fish's identity crisis [Read more]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Admus tests Rosary Beads [Read more]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Citizens discuss their goals [Read more]( Connect with us on --------------------------------------------------------------- [Facebook]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [Twitter]( Summer 2017 --------------------------------------------------------------- Hey {NAME} Summer's here, so crack open a cold one, sit back and read what's been happening in your favourite scatological city. This quarter we've been focusing on some important things behind the scenes that most players probably wouldn't have noticed. We've been fixing bugs, bolstering account security, implementing an account recovery system, making improvements to the new player experience, and refactoring/improving many processes to make things more reliable and speedy. We've also been continuing work on an advanced 'Activity Log' which when complete will be an incredible tool for staff & developers, and allow you to view every single action you've made on Torn up to 12 months ago. All these things probably sound a bit boring, but it's absolutely vital for Torn's futurity and long-term survival. As well as all this, we've of course been continuing work on a lot of big projects (most of which you're already anticipating). [Summer time in Torn] --------------------------------------------------------------- []Weekly patch lists Due to popular demand, we're now posting [patch lists]( of everything we release week by week. This only includes updates that are completed and made live during that week, and not work on-going bigger features that have yet to open. On each weekly patch list, we're also including a 'Developer focus' list so you can keep track of the main projects each developer is currently focused on. This should permanently end any long periods of silence from us and assumptions that we're not doing anything! This is something we fully intend on doing (usually) every week on the Tuesdays pushes for the foreseeable future. Some may be delayed or appear fortnightly if we have issues or big updates releasing that require more time. We hope you're happy with this new form of improved communication. If you ever wonder what we're up to, just head over to the bulletin-board and you're now guaranteed to always see recent updates from us. --------------------------------------------------------------- []Account recovery now available We've just released our new 'Account Recovery' system which gives players the chance to regain access to their account in the event that their email address access is lost. If you're reading this, then you probably don't need it, but please follow our checklist to ensure future account safety. Losing access to your TORN account or having it taken over by someone else can be devastating. If we can't verify your identity, it may be lost forever. Make sure that... - You have permanent access to this email address - This email address inbox is secure (ideally with 2FA enabled!) - Use a strong and unique password for your Torn account - Enable two-factor authentication with a mobile phone number - Enter your date of birth and a good secret question answer - Never tell anyone your password or secret question answer Take your security seriously, on TORN and everywhere else on the web. Don't be lazy! --------------------------------------------------------------- []Group attacking changes The mechanics of group attacking have been adjusted to make this feature more realistic, interesting and fun: important for future NPC updates. Previously group attackers would reduce all of the defender's stats by half per additional attacker. A separate system based on 'last hitters' would also reduce their ability to return hits. Basically we were doubling down on the negative effects to the defender's aggression: not only was their Damage & Accuracy reduced, but they were also heavily restricted from retaliating against hits.This meant that the defender was very quickly totally overwhelmed by several attackers, unable to make any hits, and every hit had substantially reduced damage. This has now changed, and the mechanics are easier to understand. Every additional person actively involved in a group attack within the last 60 seconds will reduce the defender's Defense and Dexterity by half making them vulnerable to damage, but not decrease their Strength or Speed (damage & accuracy). Then, the rate of which the defender is able to return hits is also reduced, for example, 5 attackers means the defender can only respond to 1 in 5 hits on average. Basically, the more people actively fighting a single person (whether they hit or miss), the more the defender's aggression (ability to retaliate) and their suppression (ability to dodge and avoid damage) is reduced. --------------------------------------------------------------- []Running away changes Following the group attacking changes, we've also just made changes to the 'run away' system. This merges the 'run away' mechanic (renamed to 'Escape') into the attacking engine, rather than being a feature separate from it. The changes are as follows... - If the defender doesn't cause damage to you on a turn, the 'Escape' button becomes available. - By clicking the available 'Escape' button, you will initiate an 'escape attempt' turn. - If the defender causes damage to you on that turn, you'll remain in the attack. - If the defender does not cause damage, you'll successfully escape (leaving the attack). So whether you successfully escape depends on if the defender causes damage to you or not. Opportune moments to escape are when the defender is frequently missing, unable to make turns due to other attackers, reloading a weapon, or using weapons / items that don't cause you damage. There is a faction tree upgrade which increases the chance of escaping. This will simply increase the chance that the defender will miss on your escape turn. There is also a 'Car dealership' company special which will make the 'Escape' button always available to you. [Running away changes] --------------------------------------------------------------- []Wiki permissions and search facility The new and improved [help wiki]( is now integrated with Torn's user profiles, This means that Administrators, Editors and Contributors will no longer need to sign-in to the help wiki to make edits. If you'd like to become a wiki Editor or Contributor, please head over to [this thread]( and apply. The new wiki also has improved search functionality, making it easier to find relevant content. --------------------------------------------------------------- []Mr and Ms Torn The annual Mr and Ms Torn competition opened up on the 5th of July, so if you want to stand out among the usual array of boobs, buns and blood you'd better get cracking. The competition will run until the 25th of July and will adhere to the usual format, with player votes being used to decide who will be crowned Mr and Ms Torn 2017. And for those of you who reject society's definition of beauty and attractiveness, there will be a very special competition run shortly after Mr and Ms Torn by none other than Leslie himself. Yes, that's right. The Spin The Wheel Guy, who is now an active NPC, is going to pass judgement on the people of Torn. In entering this competition you will be waiving your rights to self-respect, dignity and the application of libel laws. Don't say you weren't warned. [Mr and Ms Torn Competition] --------------------------------------------------------------- []Elimination September, the month you're all waiting for. Each person will be provided with four team options, one of which can be joined. Work with your team to build score against the other 11 and survive the subsequent eliminations. If you remember last year, a lot of the action came down to the last few minutes before a team was due to be eliminated - it turns out thousands of people attacking within a single minute makes the servers sad. This year we'll do as much as we can to avoid this, but it's not something we have total control over. We're looking at adjusting the scoring mechanics, but the 'once per day' elimination of a team is the whole spirit of the competition. We do have a new database server since the last elimination however (the one that handles attacking), and will have 5 new front-end servers very soon. Time will tell! [WYSIWYG Editor] --------------------------------------------------------------- []The news The Newspaper is continuing to look for new reporters to contribute features and articles on a regular basis. Excellent pieces have already been published by [Rainbowsaurus]( [Harley]( [Platinumdevil]( and [Detective]( but there's always room for more content in addition to the regular postings by IIIlusionist and Sugarvalves. We're also hoping to encourage more people to send news snippets to the paper by developing some form of submission system. This will allow the newspaper to cover a broader range of informed news stories, which will be conveyed via a bulletin-style post and another potential method of news delivery which we're in the process of developing. A semi-automated news feature is also being considered, with trackable achievements such as major faction victories, significant stock slumps and other statistical milestones all capable of triggering an alert. This system would allow players to receive an objective update on the city's latest happenings, with the forums then able to devote themselves solely to the discussion of what people reckon about stuff. --------------------------------------------------------------- []Chronicles The new Torn Chronicles have been written and are currently undergoing minor tweaks to ensure they make sense and provide you with the answers you've been waiting for. A select group of newspaper employees have been chosen to help with this process, and Torn thanks these people for their continued assistance. The Torn Chronicles will be released later this year, starting with The Birth of Torn. --------------------------------------------------------------- []New companies In addition to the ongoing development of the companies system, the next quarter should see the introduction of several new company types to augment the thirty-five in place at present. Various industries are currently under consideration, with Mines, Refineries, Security Firms and Pharmaceutical companies all potential additions. Our direction will be informed by the price gaps which exist in the company system at present, and the requirement for new specials which enhance gameplay. Ash is currently working up a list of potential companies and perks to this end, and he will be monitoring [this thread]( if you wish to propose any additions of your own. --------------------------------------------------------------- []Bookies 2.0 The bookie team has been absolutely awesome for years, manually providing tens of thousands of players with daily real-world matches and events to bet on. This team works tirelessly to create popular matches and credit winnings within 24 hours of ending. Something we've been wanting to do for a long time now is take most of this workload off of staff and fully automate the bookie. It's been a huge challenge, but initial tests are looking good and could hit the casino soon. There are several major advantages to a fully automated bookie... - Almost instant pay-outs upon match completions - Many more matches included daily - Reduced possibility of human mistakes We'll likely release the new system with limited bet amounts, gradually increasing them over time as we ensure reliability of the system. One downside is that there may be fewer sport types available initially, and players will not be able to make requests for individual games (as it'll all be handled automatically). We're excited to see how this will turn out however and I know players will be excited to see more matches, faster payouts and increased accuracy. [Bookies 2.0] --------------------------------------------------------------- []Crimes 2.0 Hi there! I'm Alice, and I'm creating story content for Crimes 2.0. Work on Torn's new and improved crimes system continues, and the first crimes are currently being brought to life with stories of all sorts. Starting with Search for Cash and progressing all the way to Assassination, crimes will offer you new and interesting ways to spend your nerve, whether you're a brand new player leveling for the first time or a veteran Torn citizen looking for a new challenge. The crimes system is set within the existing world of Torn City. It offers behind-the-scenes glimpses into the lives of everyday citizens, and demonstrates the way in which simple actions can determine the course of events. Individual crime types have their own distinctive mechanics, which are interwoven to create a series of unique games within games. Each one is logically set within the world of Torn, building on previous crimes and hinting at deeper stories which will take time and imagination to uncover. As you progress, you will recognize logical patterns, meet familiar characters and gain mysterious insights. Citizen of Torn City can puzzle over these clues, hunt for valuable items and piece together stories on their own or with their faction. There is much to discover and collect as you progress and unlock new crimes, but beware! There's always a risk of ending up in jail or in the hospital! Initial release of the Crimes 2.0 system is still a way off due to its ever increasing depth and complexity, but we'll see it one day in the near future! [Crimes 2.0]( --------------------------------------------------------------- []Summer 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. To redeem your one-time-use +250 energy boost logout of Torn then simply [login via this link](. Enjoy... Use it wisely! You're receiving this newsletter because you registered at [www.Torn.com](. Not interested anymore? [Unsubscribe here](.