Crypto Kingdom - 1991 Retro Virtual World(City)

[rpietila]

Rhadamanthus will purchase the remaining shares.

We are grateful of staffing the Earl of Arda School for Nobles. I feel it is my fault that the School was not staffed properly upon inception. Now the result is that after paying a "NPC-creation fee" (see my previous post), which is a bit less than it would have cost to have the staff "properly" since 1506, they are now in game, a bit less experienced than they would be otherwise, and with no historical culture. Unless the other players decide to upvote in the thread

I don't know about school, all the ways that it has been organized have been incompatible with me. But I like the architecture of the Earl of Arda School for Nobles, it is simply beautiful. And the location is stunning.

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[smooth]

Secondary offering - Smooth Investment Fund

Smooth Investment Fund is making a secondary offering of 300 units at 97% of NAV. This is a 3% discount off of the value of the underlying assets (which are in general priced at their midprice).

Discount is increased to 17% below NAV (83% of NAV). For the rest of the details see above.

This is the lowest discount that will be offered, and represents an unprecedented value on some of the premium assets in the game!

Any unsold shares by 2014-01-12 01:50:00 will be purchased by me.

Subscriptions (all will be sold at the same price):

Haridimous 12 shares
Lord HH 120 shares (stated purchase amount of 100 million)
--
Available 168 shares

Rhadamanthus will purchase the remaining shares.

Offering is now closed and sold out. Price is 0.83 per share.

I will update the records accordingly.

[paulsonnumismatics]

His Majesty Summer Palace

In a seemingly neverending spree of great projects, we have decided to build a villa to be used in the summertime. The site acquired is basically all of the 2-NW chapelry that the Town sold for 800 million after selling the smooth QC HQ area to him with buildings for 300 million.

The palace will be constructed as soon as we find time with the design, others want to build also and we are happy to prioritize them

Another thing is that the grounds have space for several haws, which the Barons or higher who don't yet have a haw can apply. There are not enough haws for all of the eligible, so the first ones eat the last.

I would like to apply for the Haw Number 4 please. Although that will not be my summer residence, i plan to do some fancy project due its central nature in the chapelry and the fact that everyone needs to pass by it to cross from 2W to 2N and viceversa. Also it will aim to be a visiting tourist point, and will bring some flair to the whole borough, something that was in need before; now with His Majesty Summer Retreat Palace that objective is clearly achieved. But nevertheless, here i present thee:

THE MAXIMOS LABYRINTH

From the Codex Wikipedicus :

In Greek mythology, the Labyrinth (Greek λαβύρινθoς labyrinthos, was an elaborate structure designed and built by the legendary artificer Daedalus for King Minos of Crete at Knossos. Its function was to hold the Minotaur eventually killed by the hero Theseus. Daedalus had so cunningly made the Labyrinth that he could barely escape it after he built it.

In colloquial English, labyrinth is generally synonymous with maze, but many contemporary scholars observe a distinction between the two: maze refers to a complex branching (multicursal) puzzle with choices of path and direction; while a single-path (unicursal) labyrinth has only a single path to the center. A labyrinth in this sense has an unambiguous route to the center and back and is not difficult to navigate.

There will be cool to have a gardened labyrinth in CK! Its also good for contamination! Oh wait. Nevermind, it will be something special, and another reason for foreigners to stop by.

I will contact Dame Roopatra to see if she wants to meet the challenge, and everyone in the game is welcome to propose ideas or modifications to this simple, albeit challenging, project.

Thanks,
Lord Paulson, Esq.

[rpietila]

We appreciate greatly that the Lord Baron has unselfishly dedicated his haw to this public purpose. Since he was not willing to spare the center nor corner for his own needs, we will:
- grant him to use our Summer Palace once per year for a reception;
- build a pavilion or another small structure in the Paulson haw from Royal funds.

[smooth]

Smooth QC update

We have begun production on our new quarry site!

Currently we are operating at a small loss as we clear topsoil from the site to reach the rich stone deposits below. To offset some of the costs we have rented out our drilling equipment (not needed for topsoil and soft rock) along with some NPC staffing. These items will return to Smooth QC once we reach the deeper stone deposits for which they are needed, if not sooner.

We expect to reach the soft stone deposits within one year and begin profitable extraction at that time.

We've built a new office complex at 3-W-C3 which will begin producing rental income immediately (some derived from our own management). The old site is being prepared for rental and should begin receiving income soon. In addition to providing 1.2m stone for the building, the purchase for this new office complex was paid for using a bank mortgage loan on both the new building and land as well as the old quarry site. It is currently planned to spin off these complexes (totaling 20q of developed property) to shareholders as a new real estate company once some upgrades are made to the corporation database.

The past few years have been close to break even with the close-out of the old site and startup of the new site, but profits should ramp up over the next few years and continue for at least 10-15 years. Of course, much depends on the price of stone (which in turn depends on the economy of the Kingdom), but we are confident in our ability to produce at or close to the lowest cost of any of the quarries.

[ChrisPop]

Can someone enter into the crypto-kingdom freenode chat and explain me how to enter the game? I can`t figure out from the OP.

[GreekBitcoin]

Can someone enter into the crypto-kingdom freenode chat and explain me how to enter the game? I can`t figure out from the OP.

There is always someone in there. Just get in the channel and ask.

[ChrisPop]

I have got in the channel and it only was a person who was looking for help like me.

[ChrisPop]

Sorry,it was my bad.I entered into the #crypto-kingdom channel not the ##crypto-kingdom.)

[rpietila]

Announcement concerning the financial dealings of (44) The Grand Hotel Corporation (est. 1464)

History
- The GH wanted to renew its loans from The Hypothecary Bank of CryptoTown, due immediately, sum 1,078 million, with the Grand Hotel in 1-C-A2 as collateral
- The Bank checked the overall situation of the GH and found out that the loan applied, 1,100 million, would have raised the total indebtedness to about 3,100,000,000 based on payback value (less if discounted to present).
- Even if the loan would have been granted against the Bank guidelines, it would have been of such high interest premium as to severely undermine the GH ability to pay it back.
- GH cash flow has been hampered due to years of no hotel pool payouts, but it is also not warranted that the payouts reset at a level that makes servicing the debt possible.
- The collateral value cannot thus be determined with cash flow method, and since it is a protected building, also the other methods are difficult.

- The 1,078 million was transferred to the Bank from GH, deepening the use of the HM overdraft facility
- HM saw the report from the Bank and decided to cancel the overdraft, like has previously been done with the Quarry companies and ABC Corp., due to the inherent risks associated with them and/or unsound financial position. GH has 3 days to make the account positive, and meanwhile normal interest is collected.

- If the GH meets the overdraft of 1,202 million today, the situation resolves.
- If not, the Bank can meet it, in which case the collateral, 1-C-A2, is transferred to the Bank from the GH and the loan is annulled.
- If not, then further negotiations between the 3 parties determine what happens. The debtor is responsible to HM overdraft with all of his game assets.

- HM has resigned from the position of the CEO of the GH, due to an obvious conflict of interest. He sees no problem to continue as the CEO of the Bank.

- As the largest shareholder, The Marquess of North Face has been appointed the CEO of GH.

- Negotiations between the large GH shareholders are ongoing.

[rpietila]

ANN: Countess Roopatra, AOK-S, sick leave

I have granted sick leave to Roopatra. During her travels, she has had an accident that prompts medical examination. Before that is completed, we cannot give any estimate when she is back on duty.

Unfortunately she has proprietary resources on how to make the remaining pool RENTAL work, so it's safe to assume it cannot give payouts in 2 days at least. Meanwhile the pool grows bigger and we are considering giving a bonus payout to better make up for the years of lost income.

[rpietila]

Before stepping down as the CEO, The GH Corp, we will give some hints to the successor:

Why we ended up here:

Years ago, the Town decided to offer NPSK (New Player Starter Kit), and GH stock was selected as one of the assets offered. In anticipation of new equity, the GH managed to take loans from the Bank, to be paid back with the equity raised with the NPSK. The New Grand was built with this money, essentially about 85% loan upon construction.

Not a single NPSK-GH share was sold.

Then came this economic system overhaul, destroying all our cash flow, while the hordes of NPC still wanted to be paid.

We do not claim any mismanagement on our part.


The situation can be solved by:

1) Selling properties. GH owns the Grand Hotel (13 q), GH haw (12 q), the New Grand (15 q) and 16 q of unbuilt land in 3-W, perfectly situated to be a site for a prestigious hotel. Haws cannot be sold without Royal permission, and the keeping of the Grand Hotel is a priority, so only the two other ones are really possible. The 16 q in 3-W can hardly fetch a price that could make a difference, no matter how good a land it is.

2) Loan. Bank is willing to give new loans to its largest customer, only that the same rules apply than everyone else, and currently the margin is high unless the overall situation improves dramatically. Also the pools must work before this is considered.

3) Stock offering at market price. This is very difficult to value, and because the amount is large, it has a high probability of ending up a failure and putting us against the wall with the deadline.

4) Stock offering at a discounted price. If the discount is great enough, all current owners are essentially forced to take part of it, or face a large dilution. It is not questioned that GH properties are more valuable than its loans, the question is how much they are valued. By raising money with this method, all owners are treated equally and the ownership% do not change. After the situation is resolved, the market price is again found and the ones who invested "against their will" can capture the value by selling the excess to the market. From GH side, this is an effortless method of raising money.

ADD: His Majesty convened with himself in the Bank Directors' Club in the Bank Penthouse Suite. While sipping cocktails and viewing the great culture buildings the Prince of OZ had erected, he decided that the Bank is good with receiving the money in full, and their business is not extracting the collaterals and developing them. Therefore the business situation is now as follows:

The Grand Hotel (under management of the Marquess) has now 3 years to close the overdraft to HM, lest they are responsible with it with all their assets.


Bank answers:

We don't want the situation to get out of hand, this has happened before, and corrective measures have been taken by the respective Companies. We are willing to give a loan of 600 mil until 1580 at a AA grade 0.65% interest, with the provision that the Grand Hotel and New Grand hotel lots are jointly mortgaged to all the loans outstanding, and that the ~600 million of new equity is injected to the company.

HM answers:

We support the understanding found with the Marquess, concerning a 1:1 stock offering aimed at the current owners in proportion to their ownership, at a price of 1 million per unit. The owners would have 7 years to participate, with an early payer discount of 1% APR. Connected with a possible convertible bridge loan to meet the unsubscribed amount, this counts as "equity" that the Bank's reasonable terms require.

[rpietila]

The Grand Hotel stock offering GH004

In response to the situation that the combination of events has put us, the existing owners of the Grand Hotel Corp., have decided to strengthen the equity of our company as follows.

- 300 new shares will be issued, and will upon payment receive the same rights and privileges as the existing 700 shares;
- The issue price is determined according to a combination of cash flow + asset value analysis, which is openly visible to whomever it may concern, in the /BANK tab in Char DB;
- The issue price is 2.0 million per share;
- The allocation is such that the existing owners are entitled to keep their relative percentages constant, and if some of them do not fully utilize this privilege (to subscribe 3/7 new shares per each one they own), the remaining ones keep their percentages constant relative to each other;
- The issue is fully subscribed upon announcement: the following shareholders have agreed to purchase up to the following number of shares, totalling 300 new shares;
- This means that only the existing owners have a chance to get allocated any shares;
- The trading will resume as soon as the shares are issued, the loan Bank promised is secured, and HM overdraft ban is lifted. This should coincide with the opening of the pools also to see the actual cash flow, which might be materially better but hardly worse than the conservative estimate.

200 shares - The Marquess of North Face
200 shares - His Majesty
50 shares - The Marquess of Forte Spagnolo
50 shares - The Earl of Tavastia
50 shares - Lord HH
50 shares - The Marquess of Soul

The offering is open for 48 hours.

[rpietila]

Sir Saddam, the Earl of Ramsey has been given the King's Hero medal.

The medal is the first one to be given, and weighs 50 gold. It will be given for game actions that could only be classified as legendary, and will for sure be labelled as such when the popular vote for that becomes available.

"The Earl of Ramsey has been rocking stone markets. When he was building his castle (363 sqm, completed A.D. 1498), he rushed to buy the first offering of Army stone for 250 m/stone. This convinced the Earl of Rome that his pricing was seriously flawed at 138/118. After prices jumpstarted, the administration of the game felt that it is ridiculous that half can be bought from peasants at < half the value (100 m) and that a rehaul in the generation system is in order. Things snowballed, and the Quarry1 was set up. The Earl bought a quarry with a miserably bad geology by his bad luck, but it took decades to learn about it because the code was secret. He is reportedly the first one ever to sell stone at 80 m/stone, the ones whose extraction has cost 150 m at least.

When you lose with style, it almost feels like winning  I'm not even going to the bet..."

These actions, among others, have been an integral part in keeping the game alive during the critical years around 1500-1520, and we want to express our eternal gratitude with this medal.

Note to others: comparable gameplay is required if you want to attain to this elite club, currently consisting of Saddam and me alone.

[Ale]

The Grand Hotel stock offering GH004

In response to the situation that the combination of events has put us, the existing owners of the Grand Hotel Corp., have decided to strengthen the equity of our company as follows.

- 300 new shares will be issued, and will upon payment receive the same rights and privileges as the existing 700 shares;
- The issue price is determined according to a combination of cash flow + asset value analysis, which is openly visible to whomever it may concern, in the /BANK tab in Char DB;
- The issue price is 2.0 million per share;
- The allocation is such that the existing owners are entitled to keep their relative percentages constant, and if some of them do not fully utilize this privilege (to subscribe 3/7 new shares per each one they own), the remaining ones keep their percentages constant relative to each other;
- The issue is fully subscribed upon announcement: the following shareholders have agreed to purchase up to the following number of shares, totalling 300 new shares;
- This means that only the existing owners have a chance to get allocated any shares;
- The trading will resume as soon as the shares are issued, the loan Bank promised is secured, and HM overdraft ban is lifted. This should coincide with the opening of the pools also to see the actual cash flow, which might be materially better but hardly worse than the conservative estimate.

200 shares - The Marquess of North Face
200 shares - His Majesty
50 shares - The Marquess of Forte Spagnolo
50 shares - The Earl of Tavastia
50 shares - Lord HH
50 shares - The Marquess of Soul

The offering is open for 48 hours.

In line with my current 42 shares, I'd like to buy 18 new ones.

[NewLiberty]

The Grand Hotel stock offering GH004

The offering is open for 48 hours.

Prince Joseph will purchase the full allocation entitled to 50 shares, and offer a vote of confidence for the management team of this historic and venerable establishment.

Further, a statement saluting both the business acumen of the Hypothecary Bank and its conservative management approach to risk, is warranted and a corresponding purchase of Bank shares has been made.

Well done all on a crisis averted.

[saddambitcoin]

Sir Saddam, the Earl of Ramsey has been given the King's Hero medal.

 

Thank you Your Majesty for this honorable award. Some say my actions could be irrational at times, which may be true, however this is a game and I just want to have fun! I am glad I was a part of the first Quarry subgame.

[rpietila]

We accept new players!

It is easy to enter the game as a new player! Just ask any of the admins (we are about 10 atm) to add your information in the /CHAR tab:
- BCT nick in column "B" in the new id's starting from 78
- Name in the game in column "C"
- Age of the character at start in column "O"
- Sex in column "R" (coded as Male(1), Female (0))
- Write the current year in the game in column "AD"
- Write "Visitor" in column "S".

A deposit is not required for starting. To get the game going, you can either/or/both ask donations and favors from the nobles who hang around in Freenode ##crypto-kingdom (or this thread), or make the deposit (contact "saddambitcoin" for payment id) and buy stuff.

The cheapest houses in the game are in 2-W chapelry, it is a peaceful area of 13 small houses in their own lots, no land tax. They take you up to Level 4. The already discounted price is 25 million (25 XMR), but as a special giveaway:

- the King is making 10 million off for new players
- the Bank is giving a 10 million loan against the lot (optional, nobody is forced to go in debt).

We purposefully leave raising the 5 million for your imagination

Sir Saddam, the Earl of Ramsey has been given the King's Hero medal.

I am glad I was a part of the first Quarry subgame.

I remember saying something before any of the sites was assigned:

Quarry subgame starts now

...

Good Luck!
you need it...

Your gameplay in the face of the ultimate bad luck as regards the geology of the site is commendable. I don't mean that receiving the medal is only possible in such circumstances, but they certainly differentiate the men from the bitchers.  

[Roopatra]

ANN: Countess Roopatra, AOK-S, sick leave

I have granted sick leave to Roopatra. During her travels, she has had an accident that prompts medical examination. Before that is completed, we cannot give any estimate when she is back on duty.

I am back in CryptoKingdom, thank you for the well wishers.

I am catching up on work as we speak. I will start with the architect/BI orders in my inbox, so those are coming soon. Sorry for the delay everyone.

[NewLiberty]

Writing a history
In the following week, everyone who writes a history of his doings in the first 150 years in the CryptoKingdom, and posts it here, receives nice rewards in the form of gold, gold items, land, money, badges, medals, Honors, promotions, NPC promotions, NPCs, stone, clothes, ancient culture and science, and if there is anything else that could be gifted/bestowed.

Anyone is encouraged to give from his own to the storytellers!

The Opus of Joseph and Asenath.

Joseph of New Liberty is deeply grateful for finding the growing community of the Crypto Kingdom in its earliest days.  Having spent most of his younger years traveling in many lands and on the waters in both military and business pursuits, it was with great delight that the discovery of such a concentration of intelligent, industrious and wonderful people had formed such a cluster around the mysterious and perhaps unique fountains of youth.  The tales of these travelers, and their ultimate choice to settle here is one that speaks to a quality of discernment shared by most in the Crypto Kingdom, which gives this choice of destination great merit for these adventurers were not without many other options, and so it bears telling...

Joseph is the seventh son born to the union of an aging Southern Baron "Roy John" and a Baltic Baroness of the Frederick linage.  As the rules of primogenitor dictate, despite a privileged heritage, no inheritance would be expected to one thus born and so seeking to distinguish himself, gathered his weapons and armor and an innate propensity for military tactics and cleverness to work as a captain of the wall.

After not very long in this vocation, opportunities for distinguishing were swiftly apparent as the free city of his noble birth in the Caucasus borders the Ottoman Empire and fell under seige by their expanding forces.  Whilst patrolling the wall and investigating reports of disturbances in the night, the wall collapsed underneath young Joseph due to the Ottoman's tactic of undermining.  It is perhaps from this formative experience that Joseph has developed a predilection with constructing perimeter defenses and his attention to the Barbican at the Southern extent of the old town.  The collapsing stones crushed many of the invading miners and Joseph, grabbing a pick from one of those fallen ones, made quick deaths for the others and then having no other exit from the collapse, made his way into the Saracen encampment through the tunnel.
 
Due to the suddenly breached city wall, and the ensuing chaos, Joseph emerged from the tunnel and entered the nearest tent only to find that it was filled with captured women from New Liberty and other nearby cities and their eunuch harem guards.  Having the advantage of surprise and one very young quick-witted captive women, who upon seeing him enter created a distraction, Joseph was able to defeat these guards and free the women and himself and took that woman with him on a stolen horse.  Her name is Asenath.

These two, having lost their home city to the siege, adventured Northward to escape the advancing Ottomans, and after traveling through many cities and countries in this land and others, even captaining ships across ocean voyages, often heard rumors of a great land of wisdom and enlightenment that had discovered the secret of eternal youth from two special fountains of water.  Having learned in their extensive travels that the greatest virtues are love and life, (and the first depending on the second of these), they explored far and wide to discover this city of wonders and if possible add their resources to its success in the hopes of making a home there.  The stories of these adventures both together and on their own leading to the discovery of the truth of this are abridged here (with only some brief mentions), it is enough to know that Joseph of New Liberty discovered the Crypto Kingdom during the early times of its foundation, and once established there, sent for his dear friend Asenath.

Upon arrival in CryptoTown Joseph quickly took up residence and began drinking the mystic waters, and worked to establish a noteworthy presence acquiring some decent lands and improving some of these.  With a deep interest in the arts and sciences Joseph set about creating centers for appreciation of these and bringing in many foreign artifacts to populate the places within the town where these can receive the appropriate care, and seeking out any with the aptitude for crafting novel or interesting devices with either practical uses or artistic merits.  

The House of New Liberty:

Among the more interesting members of the household are the tinkers and artisans who having traveled together and now ultimately settled have been busily crafting devices for measurement and discovery learned in their travels.  Some of the works have great utility as well as being mechanically interesting.  Prince Joseph maintains an active letter writing campaign betwixt other men of the sciences and has shared plans of each of these devices and their components and spends many idle hours taking measurements and notes to share with his colleagues afar.  Visitors to the NL city palace are invited to review:

- The Armilliary

A large stationary and sturdy model big enough for a young child to climb inside and recline.  Visitors to Prince Joseph's City Home have seen it in the Piano Nobile front room that looks out upon the Grand Hotel across the boulevard, and younger guests may have had the opportunity to contemplate their own place in the world from within it's rotating spheres.

- Astrolabs

Joseph and Asenath both developed an affinity for these while aboard ship and learned well their use for navigation across the ocean.  These serve a more functional purpose than the armilliary sphere because they are easily portable.  By measuring the relative positions of the stars and planets, position on the open seas can be determined.

- Clockwork timepiece

Spring driven large timepiece.  Some effort has been made by the artisans to make smaller versions but the accuracy falls off sharply, yet the work continues.  If the process is improved sufficiently a clock tower may be commissioned for the city in an appropriate place.

- Spyglass

This metalic tube is affixed with ground and polished glass of exacting proportions such that it can provide a magnified view.  In conjunction with the torquetum it provides for accurate readings of positions of the heavenly bodies.  

- Torquetum

Used to take astronomical measurements of the horizon, equatorial  and elliptic.  Joseph's fascination with the heavens is both practical and intellectual.  In matters of navigation it finds its practical uses, and much of the newer mathematics and methods of calculations are derived from the study of the motions of these lights in the skies.


The Artisans:
The artisans that fabricate these item are primarily contracted workers overseen by New Liberty's own master artisan who coordinates the manufacture under Joseph's supervision and instruction.  Asenath, while taking great interest in the product of these endeavors finds more interest in practical matters, however is adept at putting the finished items to good use.  Asenath also has developed some ciphers based on the mathematics which are used by Joseph in his letter writing campaigns when dealing with novel matters of science.  These letters are sent with the full knowledge that most scientific advancement may be put to military uses and there is no reliable method of sending a message that can not be intercepted.  Encoding is required.

Joseph and Asenath have been building the instruments and encouraging foreign scientists to visit the CryptoTown through their efforts but have been careful to protect the secret of the towns success, the wondrous waters from any in foreign lands that are not worthy of this knowledge.  Their support of music, the arts, and sciences is renown and they are often seen together attending the opening night of each new production in the marvelous Crypto town theaters, or when its performers visit other taverns and clubs, as well as entertained by the chanting of the monks at the Cathedral and often walking the grounds of the university area.  In the interim, as people of letters, their scientific curiosities are advanced by their own experiments which are shared at the irregular meetings of The Circle (a secretive group of nobility with an interest in the sciences within the Crypto Kingdom that gather to share knowledge).  Many of the presentations are fueled by the work of these artisans, who make the devices needed.

In addition to the professional tinker employed in the household, there is an accomplished chirurgeon who since living in Crypto Town has not seen a single sick person and has kept busy with alchemical productions and managed to fabricate distillates of mercury, phosphorous, potash, rudimentary gunpowder (black powder), opium, sulfur and metallic sulfates, arsenic, and some solvents and acids including the sulfuric acid described by Rogers Bacon.  Some experimentation on the addition of metallic sulfates to black powder has resulted in some brilliant pyrotechnics derived from methods used in the far east.

The travels of Joseph and Asenath frequently met with violent opposition, and in one such encounter this method was put to an unusual military use.  Though outnumbered and cut off from any possibility of retreat or escape, their company made use of the superstitions known among their pursuers by spreading rumors of a powerful magician supporting them that could conjure jinn (Arabian evil spirits) to fight for them.  The rumor was then stoked by soaking their campfire logs in copper sulfates and alcohol causing the fires to burn a very bright blue (the blue jinn reputed to be among the eldest).  The enemy lost morale and and battle was avoided with no casualties.

During the time in Crypto Town the New Liberty chirurgeon has been able to reproduce this effect (though its use is confined to the outdoors due to the odors).  A colonnade pavilion was contemplated and designed for the architecture competition for its display and for use as for celebratory events and may yet be constructed one day if a suitable site is selected, likely in the New Liberty Haw, or possibly atop the Prince's city estate or along the walls.  If this fireworks science is further advanced it could also be a visual delight at dusk for special jousting events and other celebrations.

We look forward to hearing more of the past engagements of our fellow nobility here.