This is a step-up from the previous site, in which reputation meant nothing. And to ace, auth, or members who don't care about XP, the system remains the same, with a new daily limit. The issue is that, unlike before, upvoting content now translates linearly into EXP (once auth get around to it, the system is not automatic). To prevent advantageous upvoting, the daily cap prevents that.
I agree with the displays of appreciation, and use of the Samaritan's Speakeasy has already yielded much EXP gain for users. However, I cannot just look past the argument that an entire quarter of the requirements for 1000 EXP is sedated by reaching a high rep count. Granted that at least a year is required for Ace Membership, and the rate at which EXP is being given has been steady, the trajectory we are on does not greatly deviate from what we had planned. I hope that, if we are morbidly wrong in our planning, users will make it clear that the requirements need change.
Yes, this was most definitely not decided less than 24 hours ago hahAha
An EXP guidelines thread is currently in the works. I'm hopeful it will be refined and publicized in the next few days. I can't say my own contributions are frequent thanks college, though I am addressing points brought up by users in the process.