How the XP Leaderboard Is Calculated The XP leaderboard ranks players based on overall activity and engagement, not just raw playtime or grinding one mechanic. XP is earned from multiple categories, and all of them use diminishing returns so no single activity dominates the leaderboard. At the end of each day, XP is calculated and frozen into a snapshot. What you see on the leaderboard is the sum of all XP categories listed below. 1. Time Played XP What it rewards: Actually playing on the server. How it works: - Every time a player connects, the time between connect and disconnect is counted. - Idle time is penalized: - Each idle count subtracts 5 minutes (300 seconds) from that session - All valid session time is summed into total played time XP calculation: The total time played is converted to XP using a logarithmic formula. This means: - Early hours give meaningful XP - Very high playtime still helps, but gives smaller gains over time. The first hours a player spends on the server are worth more XP per hour than later hours. Hypothetical example:
Hour 1 → +100 XP Hour 2 → +80 XP Hour 10 → +30 XP Hour 100 → +5 XPPlaying longer always helps — but each additional hour is worth less than the previous one. Why log scaling is used: Prevents “no-lifing” from overpowering the leaderboard Rewards regular play instead of extreme marathons What is logarithmic scaling? A logarithmic scale is a method for graphing and analyzing a large range of values in a compact form. Unlike commonly used linear functions that show an increase or decrease along equivalent or equally spaced out increments, log scales are exponential, which means increasing quickly by large numbers. 2. Vehicle Distance XP What it rewards: Using and maintaining vehicles in the world. How it works: - Every vehicle movement is tracked using position changes - Distance is calculated between successive position updates - Distances are summed per player across all vehicles - Players who never use vehicles are still included (they just earn 0 here) XP calculation: Total distance driven is converted to XP using logarithmic scaling. Why log scaling is used: - Driving 10 km is meaningful - Driving 1,000 km doesn’t completely dominate the leaderboard 3. Trading XP (Buying & Selling) What it rewards: Participation in the trader economy. How it works: - Selling items earns more XP than buying (because selling injects value) - Buying still earns XP, just at a lower rate - The total value of all sales and purchases is tracked separately XP calculation: - Selling XP uses a higher multiplier - Buying XP uses a lower multiplier - Both use logarithmic scaling - The two are added together into total trade XP Why log scaling is used: Encourages trading without letting rich players snowball endlessly 4. Base Building XP What it rewards: Constructive base building while preventing spam or dominance. How it works: - Counts build-related events over the last 90 days - Only actions within the time window are included - Uses logarithmic scaling to convert total actions into XP Design intent: - Builders gain meaningful XP (typically 100–175 XP) - Enough to influence rankings and break ties - Not strong enough to outweigh trade or long-term activity Why log scaling is used: Ensures base building is: - Rewarded - Visible - Balanced across playstyles 5. Zombie Kill XP What it rewards: Actively engaging with zombies in the world. How it works: - Every zombie kill is logged for each player - Each kill is assigned a weight: either a special value for harder zombies or a default value for normal zombies - Only kills within the current day are counted for daily XP - This is an account-level metric, independent of server XP calculation: - Weighted zombie kills are summed per player - Logarithmic scaling is applied to prevent farming from dominating XP - A soft cap ensures extremely high kill counts do not break balance Default Weighting: - All normal zombies use a baseline weight of 5 XP - If a zombie’s class is not in the special weights table, this default is applied automatically in the calculation Special Zombie Weighting: Some zombies are considered more dangerous and grant extra XP. Current special weights: InfectedSoldierHardJMC | 20 InfectedSoldierHardJMCWinter | 20 ZmbM_Mummy | 10 Why log scaling is used: - Rewards players for combat without overpowering other mechanics - Early kills contribute more per zombie than later kills when volume is high - Allows special zombies to give meaningful extra XP 6. Loyalty XP What it rewards: Sticking with the server over time. How it works: - Loyalty is based on how long ago the player first joined the server - The number of days since first connection is calculated XP calculation: - Loyalty XP increases slowly using logarithmic scaling - Long-time players are rewarded, but not overwhelmingly so What this prevents: - New players being permanently locked out - Old players having an unbeatable advantage 7. Consistency Bonuses (Attendance Rewards) These are flat bonuses, not log-scaled, because they reward behavior rather than volume. A. Recent Activity Bonus Reward: +500 XP Requirement: Player has played on 5 or more different days within the last 5 days Purpose: - Rewards players who show up consistently - Encourages daily engagement B. Weekly Consistency Bonus Reward: +1,000 XP Requirement: Player has played during at least 3 different calendar weeks in the last 21 days Purpose: - Rewards returning players - Encourages long-term consistency instead of short bursts 8. Trigger / Visited Location XP What it rewards: Exploring the map and visiting predefined locations. How it works: - Each server has a set of “trigger locations” players can visit - Each location has a weighted value - Only locations visited within the last 90 days count - Players earn XP proportional to the fraction of total available weight completed per server - Minor penalty for incomplete completion (log-based smoothing ensures partial completion still gives meaningful XP) - Visiting all locations on a server yields full server XP (normalized to 300 XP max per server) - Players using multiple servers can earn up to 600 XP combined XP calculation: - Sum the weights of all visited locations per server - Divide by the total potential weight for that server → gives a completion fraction - Multiply by 300 XP to get per-server XP - Logarithmic smoothing is applied to avoid extreme jumps for small differences Design intent: - Rewards exploration without letting it dominate the leaderboard - Ensures players on smaller servers are not unfairly penalized - Explains XP to players clearly: *“Visit all locations for full XP”* Visual Diagram: Trigger XP Normalization All triggers visited → Full XP (300 per server) Partial triggers visited → Fractional XP (minor penalty for incomplete) 9. Final XP Total The final leaderboard score is the sum of all XP categories: - Time Played XP - Vehicle Distance XP - Trading XP - Base Building XP - Zombie Kill XP - Loyalty XP - Monthly Consistency Bonus - Weekly Consistency Bonus - Trigger / Visited Location XP - Every player appears on the leaderboard, even if some categories are zero. 10. Why This System Is Balanced This XP system is intentionally designed to: - Reward different playstyles - Prevent grinding a single mechanic - Avoid runaway leaders - Encourage consistent, healthy play - Stay fair to both new and veteran players Because everything is log-scaled (except flat consistency bonuses), doubling your effort does not double your XP. The leaderboard reflects engagement and consistency, not abuse. 11. When XP Is Calculated XP is calculated once per day Results are saved as a snapshot The leaderboard does not change during the day This ensures fairness, stability, and performance.