Achaea Help Files

Achaea has hundreds of help files to you learn about Achaea. This is a copy of the in-game help file structure. HELP in-game will show you this same menu.

19.4 CREDITS

(See also: HELP CREDIT TRANSFER, HELP ARTEFACT TRADEIN, HELP CREDITMARKET, 
           HELP CREDIT LOANS, HELP LEVELS, and HELP BARDIC)

This scroll covers
    I. CREDITS - what they are and their types.
   II. CREDITS - how to get them.
  III. CREDITS - do I have to buy them with money to have a chance?
   IV. CREDITS - what you can do with them.
    V. CREDITS - what are BOUND credits exactly?
   VI. CREDITS - how to bind them and maybe get a nice BONUS!
  VII. CREDITS - how to convert bound credits to lessons.
 VIII. CREDITS - how to give or transfer them to another adventurer.
   IX. CUSTOMISATION CREDITS - what are these for?
    X. ARTEFACT UPGRADE CREDITS - what are these for?
   XI. CREDITS - more on buying them from the website


I. Credits - what they are, and their types
-------------------------------------------
Credits are valuable things, something like gold, that can be used for 
- buying artefacts (see HELP ARTEFACTS).
- trading with others (see HELP CREDIT TRANSFER).
- buying or selling on an open market (see HELP CREDIT MARKET).
- binding to yourself (see below).

There are five kinds of credits: Credits, Bound Credits, Customisation
Credits, Weapon Upgrade credits, and Artefact Upgrade Credits.

Use CREDITS REPORT to see how many you have of each type of credit (Credits,
Bound Credits, Customisation Credits, and Artefact Upgrade Credits), as well
as other pertinent information about your credits and credit spending.

Use CREDITHISTORY to see your most recent credit transactions.


II. CREDITS - how to get them
-----------------------------
Credits can be acquired in many ways:
- from other Achaean adventurers on the credit market (see HELP CREDIT MARKET),
- from other players via transfers (see HELP CREDIT TRANSFERS),
- as prizes (see HELP EVENTS),
- as a result of a boon (see HELP BOONS),
- from regular art and bardic contest awards (see HELP BARDIC),
- through work as a mentor (see HELP MENTORS),
- through renown and adventures (see HELP ADVENTURES)

Or credits can be purchased with real world money from Achaea using check,
credit/debit card, money order, or many other options(*). Please see:
http://www.achaea.com/credits.

Bound Credits (defined in more detail below) can be acquired in many ways:
- achieving certain levels of experience (see HELP LEVELS).
- trading in artefacts (see HELP ARTEFACT TRADEINS).
- prizes and boons (see HELP EVENTS and HELP BOONS).

Artefact Upgrade Credits (explained in more detail below) are acquired from
various promotional items. (Globes of Shifting Continents, giftbags, and Logosmas stockings.)

Weapon Upgrade Credits are used for upgrading weaponmastery weapons (see HELP WEAPON UPGRADES.)

Customisation Credits can be gained via trade with other players or from 
various promotional items. (Globes of Shifting Continents, giftbags,
Logosmas stockings, Mayaween pumpkins.)


III. CREDITS - do I have to buy them with money to have a chance?
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Many wonder if they will have any chance to compete in Achaea if they can't
spend, or refuse to spend, real world money to buy credits. The short answer:
of course you can do well, even excel! Read on for the long answer.

If you read section II. above, you'll know that there are many ways to get
credits, only one of which costs real world money. Note carefully the CREDIT
MARKET reference. With enough Achaean gold, you can buy credits. Multiple
millions of credits have traded hands on this market, for Achaean gold.
Hundreds, if not thousands, of Achaeans have achieved the transcendent level of
skill in at least three skills, and had enough left over for an artefact or
three, using credits purchased for Achaean gold, or credits gained from prizes
(Achaea has given away almost two million credits and countless millions of
lessons over the years as well).

Do you have a chance? Sure do! Now it's up to you to show that you have what it
takes to survive and even dominate in Achaea.


IV. CREDITS - what you can do with them
---------------------------------------
Credits can only be used in these ways: 
- transfer to other players (see HELP CREDIT TRANSFERS),
- sell on the credit market for gold (see HELP CREDIT MARKET),
- bind: convert to Bound Credits.

You may not spend credits on artefacts, nor convert them to
lessons. You can do either if you bind them, turning them into
bound credits.

Once credits are bound (converted to Bound Credits) then you may:
- convert credits to lessons (see below), and
- purchase artefacts, licenses, and other things that cost credits (see
  HELP ARTEFACTS).

Credits are strictly non-refundable.


V. CREDITS - what are bound credits exactly?
--------------------------------------------
Bound Credits are credits which have been 'bound' to your adventurer.

When you bind a (normal, non-Bound) Credit, it is now a Bound Credit. It is
forever bound to one adventurer and may never be transferred, bought, sold, or
refunded again.

Bound Credits may be
- converted to lessons (1 Bound Credit converts to 6 lessons; HELP LESSONS)
- used to purchase
  * artefacts (see HELP ARTEFACTS),
  * item customisations (see HELP CUSTOMISATION),
  * some licenses and permits (see HELP LICENSES),
  * some furniture (see HELP FURNITURE),

Only bound credits may be spent (or converted to lessons).

You may not sell or transfer Bound Credits to other adventurers. They are, in
effect, bound to one adventurer forever.


VI. CREDITS - how to bind them and maybe get a nice BONUS!
----------------------------------------------------------
If you want to bind a credit to you, use the following: 
   CREDITS CONVERT <#> TO BOUND CREDITS

For example, CREDITS CONVERT 1000 TO BOUND CREDITS will take 1000 (normal,
not-Bound Credits) and will bind them to your adventurer, giving you 1000 Bound
Credits.

  The BONUS!
  ----------
  Every adventurer will receive a bonus gift of 2.5 lessons per Credit on
  the first 1000 Credits converted to Bound Credits. This is automatically
  applied to any bound House or City credits purchased from organisational
  sales. You do not gain bonus gift lessons in any other way, such as
  trading in artefacts.


VII. CREDITS - how to convert bound credits to lessons
------------------------------------------------------
If you want to convert Bound Credits to lessons, do this:
   CREDITS CONVERT <#> TO LESSONS

For example, CREDITS CONVERT 10 TO LESSONS will take 10 Bound Credits and
will convert them to lessons, giving you 60 Lessons. Guess what you can
do with that!


VIII. CREDITS - how to give or transfer them to another adventurer
------------------------------------------------------------------
If you wish to transfer credits to another person, you may do so using:
   TRANSFER <x> CREDITS TO <person> FOR <x> GOLD.

For example, TRANSFER 10 CREDITS TO MAYA FOR 1000000 GOLD will take 10
(normal, not Bound) Credits from you, give them to Maya, and take far
too much gold from Maya (assuming Maya agrees to the transaction)!

If you want to give someone credits for free, then specify 0 gold. This works
at any time and does not require the agreement of the recipient. Lucky person!

If you specify some amount of gold except 0, then adventurer will have to be in
the realms and must AGREE to the transaction.

To transfer Customisation Credits use:
   CUSTOMISATION CREDITS TRANSFER <#> to <person> 


  Restrictions on Transfers
  -------------------------
  You may not transfer credits obtained within Achaea (i.e. not
  purchased with real world money from Achaea) to any of your
  alternate adventurers. See HELP CREDIT TRANSFERS for details.

IX. CUSTOMISATION CREDITS - what are these for?
-------------------------------------------------
Customisation credits can be used to add reactions or alter descriptions of artefacts or items.

These can be used either in our CUSTOMISATION REQUEST system, or for reactions
or special requests by emailing customisations@achaea.com.

Customisation credits cannot be used for artefact pets, but may be used for
descriptive customisation of minipets via the in game customisation system.


X. ARTEFACT UPGRADE CREDITS - what are these for?
---------------------------------------------------
As their name suggests, Artefact Upgrade Credits can only be put towards the
cost of upgrading an artefact. These are valued at a 1:1 ratio to standard credits, and are used when upgrading an artefact* via the ARTEFACT <artefact> UPGRADE syntax.

These can also be traded in for 3 lessons per credit
ARTEFACT UPGRADECREDIT TRADEIN <# of credits to trade in>

(*) These only apply to artefacts that have levels. For example: upgrading an
    Orcsplitter battleaxe to a Stonereaver battleaxe, or upgrading a Sash of
    Wisdom to a Sash of Caymus. They cannot be used to upgrade pet
    functionality.


XI. CREDITS - more on buying them from the website
---------------------------------------------------
To buy credits from our website, go to: www.achaea.com/credits. Once there,
you will be able to purchase them with credit card, debit card, and various
other options(*). You can also print out order forms to send in checks and
money orders. 

(*) These other options may include such things as Western Union, WebMoney
    Transfer, TravellersExpress MoneyGram, Print&Pay, Personal Check, PayNova,
    MoneyBookers, HyperWallet, eCheck, Check by FAX, e-Gold, NETeller,
    Paymate, and numerous options that may vary from country to country.


  Payment by Credit and Debit 
  ---------------------------
  All credit transactions are fully encrypted and secure, and are
  handled by a third-party, reputable service. After you have
  purchased credits, they will usually appear in your adventurer's
  account within minutes. If, for some reason, you'd rather not use
  the website, you may mail a check drawn on a US bank, or a money
  order denominated in US dollars. 
 
 
  Checks and Money Orders
  -----------------------
  If you wish to purchase credits with cash, check, or money order,
  please go to www.achaea.com/credits and select one of those
  options on the order form. It will create an order form which you
  should print out, and mail with your order. 


  Large Purchases
  ---------------
  If you wish to purchase 2000 credits or more at once, such packages
  are available for purchase at a significant discount on the website.


Disclaimer:
-----------
Achaea is a functioning world, and while we guarantee you will not lose any of
the credits you buy, no such guarantee can be provided for what you purchase
with the credits themselves. Naturally, we wouldn't be in business very long if
this happened frequently, but as it is a world, your actions have consequences,
and the actions of others can result in consequences for you. It's this
dynamism in the nature of the world that people enjoy about Achaea. Thus, it is
possible that the perceived or real value of the things you purchase with
credits, or your ability to use those things, may both rise and decline during
the course of play.


(See also: HELP CREDIT TRANSFER, HELP ARTEFACT TRADEIN, HELP CREDITMARKET,
           HELP LEVELS, HELP BARDIC)