TL;DR

• The map is split into hexagons called hexes.
• Your station earns tMAST for every hex where it picks up ships that day.
• Each hex pays 0.223 tMAST a day.
• If other stations cover the same hex, the best station gets the full amount. The next gets half. The next gets a quarter, and so on.
• Your station must be online at least 80% of the day to earn a reward.
• Online more than 95% of the day? Your hex reward is doubled.
• Every good day adds 1 point to your Seniority Score. When two stations are equally good, the one with a higher Seniority Score comes first.
• A bad day halves your Seniority Score. Seniority Protection stops that.

The Basics

The map is split into hexagons. We call them hexes.

When your station picks up a valid AIS message from a ship inside a hex, that hex counts for you that day. One message is enough.

Each hex pays a base reward of 0.223 tMAST a day.

Your station must be online at least 80% of the day. Below that, it earns nothing that day. See Station Uptime: How It Works.

Sharing a Hex

If you are the only station that is collecting data from a hex, you get 100% of the base reward. You will be ranked first in the hex.

If other stations cover the same hex, the stations are ranked in order:

• The station that picks up the most ship messages comes first.
• If stations pick up about the same amount (within 20% of the best one), the station with the higher Seniority Score comes first.

Then each place gets half of the place above it:

Amounts are rounded. Every station in the hex gets something. Your dashboard calls this crowding.

Example. Three stations cover the same hex. Station A picks up 100 messages, B picks up 97 and C picks up 55.

A and B are within 20% of each other, so seniority decides between them. B has the higher Seniority Score, so B comes 1st and A comes 2nd. C picked up far fewer messages, so C comes 3rd, whatever its seniority.

How Your Daily Reward Is Worked Out

Your reward = HEX reward + Area of Interest bonus + Station bonus

• HEX reward. Add up what all your hexes pay. If your station was online more than 95% of the day, double it.
• Area of Interest bonus. Some hexes are marked on the map as Areas of Interest. They pay 1x or 2x extra base rewards each. See Area of Interest Bonus.
• Station bonus. Some stations get an extra percentage of their hex reward such as MastNode Founder series nodes.

You can see this breakdown for any day in your station's reward history.

Seniority Score

Your Seniority Score is a count of the days your station has an uptime greater than 80%.

• Every day online at least 80%: +1 point.
• Every day online less than 80%: your seniority score are cut in half.
• A new station starts at 0.
• You cannot buy points. The only way to get them is to stay online.

Seniority only matters when your station shares a hex with a station that picks up about the same number of messages.

Example. Your station has 400 points. It goes offline for a weekend.

• Saturday: 400 becomes 200.
• Sunday: 200 becomes 100.
• Monday, back online: 101. Then +1 every good day.

It takes 300 good days to get back to 400.

Seniority Protection

Seniority Protection stops a bad day from halving your points.

• You must have it before the bad day. It cannot be added afterwards.
• It covers up to 3 bad days in a row.
• It costs 100 tokens per Seniority shield
• It only protects your Seniority Score. You still earn nothing on a day below 80% uptime.

To purchase Seniority Shields, you must first ensure that you have the minimum station security bond fully bonded to the station.

Tokens used to purchase Seniority Shields are burned and removed permanently from circulation.

Getting Your Rewards

Rewards are added to your wallet every night.

To move tMAST to an external wallet, your station needs to hold at least 10 tMAST. This is the security bond. It does not change how much you earn. See the Security Bond Quick Guide.

How to Earn More

• Put your antenna high, with a clear view of the water.
• Keep your station online more than 95% of the day.
• Pick a spot where there are few or no other stations.
• Get Seniority Protection before you do maintenance.

FAQ: Rewards

How much will my station earn?

It depends on how many hexes it covers, where it ranks in each one, how long it stays online and any bonuses. For example, a station that is alone in 10 hexes and online more than 95% of the day earns 10 × 0.223 × 2 = 4.46 tMAST a day.

My station is new. Am I at a disadvantage?

Only if you share a hex with an older station that picks up about the same number of messages. If you are alone in a hex, you get the full amount. If you pick up far more messages than the other stations, you come 1st.

Can someone buy their way to 1st place?

No. Tokens do not affect your place. Only ship messages and seniority do.

Does every station in a shared hex get paid?

Yes. Each place gets half of the place above it, so lower places get less.

What happens if my station goes offline?

If it is online less than 80% of the day, it earns nothing that day. Its Seniority Score is also halved, unless you have Seniority Protection.

Does a station near a busy port build seniority faster?

No. Seniority only counts days online. The number of ships makes no difference.

Can I get Seniority Protection after my station has gone down?

No. You need it before the bad day.

Why can't I withdraw my rewards?

Your station holds less than 10 tMAST. Once it reaches 10 tMAST, you can withdraw.

Where can I see how my reward was worked out?

Open the day in your station's reward history.