Foooooooruuuuuuuuum Seeeeeeeveeeeeen!!!
*shakes fist*
29 June 2009
26 June 2009
Yet More Features On The Horizon
There are so many interesting threads in the forums I'm not sure even where to begin.
...
OK.
[violet] is currently gauging interest in a possible new feature: annexation - this would allow regions to declare another region as part of their 'empire', depending on whether the annexed region is willing. I think the possibilities for some major interregional power struggles are obvious - and totally awesome. Click the link for more details.
Naivetry, birther of many interesting threads, has compiled a list of offsite forums players have made for their regions!
Marcuslandia's thread on whether regions should be able to opt out of the invasion game is running into six pages now. A lot of back and forth arguing about to what extent regional politicians should be able to play without fearing sudden ejection to the Rejected Realms. He's also trying to solve the difficult question on how an invasion should be defined.
Well I guess that's four threads that caught my eye today. There's a whole lot more that I've mentioned in previous posts, so if you're not up to speed have a look and see what you've missed.
We've got some new secret (for now) features in the pipelines and they're ones I get to be directly involved in! They're a little something a lot of people have wanted for a long time so... keep your eyes peeled!
OK, now that's that out of the way, I'd like to invite readers to suggest new World Census rankings. Be imaginative, be daring. If it's usable, we'll do it, if it's not then no harm done, right?
Send your submissions to me using this format:
Title: What is your ranking called? (Examples: Nudest; Most Eco-Friendly Governments; Largest Pizza Delivery Service)
Description: What descriptor should accompany this ranking? (Example from today's ranking: The following governments spend the greatest amount (per capita) on environmental issues. This may not always be reflected in the quality of that nation's environment, however.)
Stats: What is the ranking measuring? This might be obvious for some, but if you want to go into more detail, you can do so here.
Either leave a comment or send me an e-mail at sirocco@nationstates.net; I'll see if I can wangle winners a custom forum title from Reploid Productions.
...
OK.
[violet] is currently gauging interest in a possible new feature: annexation - this would allow regions to declare another region as part of their 'empire', depending on whether the annexed region is willing. I think the possibilities for some major interregional power struggles are obvious - and totally awesome. Click the link for more details.
Naivetry, birther of many interesting threads, has compiled a list of offsite forums players have made for their regions!
Marcuslandia's thread on whether regions should be able to opt out of the invasion game is running into six pages now. A lot of back and forth arguing about to what extent regional politicians should be able to play without fearing sudden ejection to the Rejected Realms. He's also trying to solve the difficult question on how an invasion should be defined.
Well I guess that's four threads that caught my eye today. There's a whole lot more that I've mentioned in previous posts, so if you're not up to speed have a look and see what you've missed.
We've got some new secret (for now) features in the pipelines and they're ones I get to be directly involved in! They're a little something a lot of people have wanted for a long time so... keep your eyes peeled!
OK, now that's that out of the way, I'd like to invite readers to suggest new World Census rankings. Be imaginative, be daring. If it's usable, we'll do it, if it's not then no harm done, right?
Send your submissions to me using this format:
Title: What is your ranking called? (Examples: Nudest; Most Eco-Friendly Governments; Largest Pizza Delivery Service)
Description: What descriptor should accompany this ranking? (Example from today's ranking: The following governments spend the greatest amount (per capita) on environmental issues. This may not always be reflected in the quality of that nation's environment, however.)
Stats: What is the ranking measuring? This might be obvious for some, but if you want to go into more detail, you can do so here.
Either leave a comment or send me an e-mail at sirocco@nationstates.net; I'll see if I can wangle winners a custom forum title from Reploid Productions.
18 June 2009
Got Issues, Got Soul
I have officially moved on to a new batch of issues so we should be seeing some more new ones in the near future. The batch I'm working on now extends from the 25th of May 2008 to the 29th of September 2008. All issues submitted before then have either been deleted or put into the game.
13 June 2009
Region Lists Tweaks
Another surprise new feature! They're just coming thick and fast aren't they? Just in case you have no idea what I'm talking about, I'll explain. For years, most likely ever since NationStates started, players have wanted to be able to rank regions by size. Well... now you can! You can also see where your region places in terms of that day's World Census ranking. It works by either summing up or taking an average of the ranks of all the region's component nations. It depends on what World Census ranking it is. The official thread is here for your reading pleasure.
While we're on the subject of improving the game, did you know we reached version 1.12 five days ago? You can read more about it on the changelog.
We've had some bad lag today, with people unable to access the site and forums at times. We're not sure what's causing it yet, but we will eventually.
UPDATE: It was the region of Texas using a script. Tsk. Details here.
There have been some more discussions on possible changes to the way regions are controlled to regulate the raiding/defending game better since I last posted. Here they are:
Bring back the competition - a novel and surprisingly simple idea for reducing raiders' capability for griefing.
The Update Time Makes Me Wanna Cry - A discussion about the time NationStates updates itself. Updates are a central part of how the raiding game works, so there's some interesting debate here.
While we're on the subject of improving the game, did you know we reached version 1.12 five days ago? You can read more about it on the changelog.
We've had some bad lag today, with people unable to access the site and forums at times. We're not sure what's causing it yet, but we will eventually.
UPDATE: It was the region of Texas using a script. Tsk. Details here.
There have been some more discussions on possible changes to the way regions are controlled to regulate the raiding/defending game better since I last posted. Here they are:
Bring back the competition - a novel and surprisingly simple idea for reducing raiders' capability for griefing.
The Update Time Makes Me Wanna Cry - A discussion about the time NationStates updates itself. Updates are a central part of how the raiding game works, so there's some interesting debate here.
11 June 2009
The Security Council
First things first: I beat my personal record for a high score in Scrabble. 649 points! 649 points! It's crazy, and I had to share.
Yes, my username is Scirocco. What of it? Hmph. Moving on.
NationStates has undergone some more changes since my last post! The Commendation and Condemnation controversy has been mostly quelled (if not totally, I think) by the introduction of the Security Council. The World Assembly forum is now known as the General Assembly.
Now, when submitting a proposal you are asked which council the proposal is being submitted to (Security/General) and then asked what category (C&C/all the 'normal' categories). This has tidied up a great deal of the problems because now the WAers (or GAers now) can keep roleplaying the way they wanted to and deal with C&Cs separately. Also, GA proposals that reach quorum take priority over C&Cs so they won't have to wait several weeks/months if a particularly long string of C&C proposals achieve quorum.
All in all: very nice. With the new forum comes new ideas, particularly looking at the possibility of having other gameplay-centric resolutions. [violet]'s suggested a proposal that would allow the WA to disable a particular region's password. As you can imagine, the implications are... complex. You can read all about it here.
The very first C&C proposal to achieve quorum is a condemnation of the region of Gatesville. At the moment it looks like it might be defeated, but who knows... you can read the official thread here.
Unibot, incorrigible as always, has started a thread exploring yet more possibilities. Some interesting reading to be had there.
One interesting Technical thread I noticed is Marcuslandia's Eliminating regional passwords entirely - a simple suggestion with complicated ramifications. Be prepared for walls of text.
The issues contest is going well so far. Eight submissions have been received and a quarter of them were to my liking. That's not bad! There's also been a number of ideas for 'Issue Editor' badges in the official thread. It's going to be close-fought. Perhaps even more so than the primary contest...
I've also put in a brand new issue. Hope everyone likes it.
Finally... another awesome nacho hat! Waarg!
08 June 2009
Issues Contest!
I've devised a contest that all players are welcome to enter. I know there's plenty of you out there certain you could do a better job than me at editing issues into something halfway-usable so stop sending me telegrams and get out your word processor! All the rules are in the link I just gave, but if you're too lazy here's a copy:
---
Aspiring Writers Wanted!
We here at NationStates need YOUR help adding new, original content to the game! For many years now we've had a system whereby players write their own daily issues and submit them to the moderators. We then edit those submissions and put them into the game. Unfortunately, not many moderators have the time to do this on top of their other responsibilities and RL concerns so what we're proposing is that talented players pitch in and help us edit issue submissions. We know there's a lot of creative people in these forums, so climb out of your favourite subforum and show us what you can do!
This is going to be a contest with the potential for multiple winners (or none at all. It depends how good the entrants are).
How do I enter?
Very simply. Write a new, original daily issue according to the official guidelines and send it to sirocco@nationstates.net
Please send only one issue.
What happens then?
If you show promise, I will send you an e-mail and go over your issue, raising points, giving advice, et cetera. If I'm still unsure, I will ask you to submit a second original issue. If I approve of your second submission, then you will be taken on as an honourary issue editor. If your first submission doesn't show promise to me, then I'll send you an e-mail telling you that you have been declined.
What's in it for me?
Winners will get the one or two issues they sent put into the game. They will also receive a special 'Issue Editor' badge on their nations to show off to everyone. They'll also have the glory (infamy?) of being credited on every issue they edit. We haven't designed the badge yet (I don't even HAVE Photoshop), but maybe someone can come up with one?
If I win, what will I be expected to do exactly?
Issue editors will be sent the raw data for issue submissions by myself. You edit them and send them back to me where I'll add the code needed to change player stats and maybe a few minor tweaks if they're needed. There's no need to worry about deadlines, you're free to complete them at your own pace. Hopefully you'll find the experience and skill-developing involved its own reward.
How long do I have to submit my issue?
The competition will be ongoing until midnight on the 8th of August 2009.
---
I'm hoping for a good turnout with this contest, and anyone with above average English skills will be in with a chance of becoming an editor. Good luck!
In other news, we're definitely closing in on a solution for the C&C problem. Players should see some differences to the game very soon to take new ideas into account.
The forums have passed the load tests. With flying colours I might add! Here's the official news post.
And finally, in closing, the old, old region of Belgium has been invaded and is about to be destroyed by the region of Macedon. This has caused a lot of debate over whether the regional influence system is as effective against griefing as it was supposed to be. I'll write up a post looking at influence and the raider/defender game in more detail at some point in the near future. It may be time for a change.
---
Aspiring Writers Wanted!
We here at NationStates need YOUR help adding new, original content to the game! For many years now we've had a system whereby players write their own daily issues and submit them to the moderators. We then edit those submissions and put them into the game. Unfortunately, not many moderators have the time to do this on top of their other responsibilities and RL concerns so what we're proposing is that talented players pitch in and help us edit issue submissions. We know there's a lot of creative people in these forums, so climb out of your favourite subforum and show us what you can do!
This is going to be a contest with the potential for multiple winners (or none at all. It depends how good the entrants are).
How do I enter?
Very simply. Write a new, original daily issue according to the official guidelines and send it to sirocco@nationstates.net
Please send only one issue.
What happens then?
If you show promise, I will send you an e-mail and go over your issue, raising points, giving advice, et cetera. If I'm still unsure, I will ask you to submit a second original issue. If I approve of your second submission, then you will be taken on as an honourary issue editor. If your first submission doesn't show promise to me, then I'll send you an e-mail telling you that you have been declined.
What's in it for me?
Winners will get the one or two issues they sent put into the game. They will also receive a special 'Issue Editor' badge on their nations to show off to everyone. They'll also have the glory (infamy?) of being credited on every issue they edit. We haven't designed the badge yet (I don't even HAVE Photoshop), but maybe someone can come up with one?
If I win, what will I be expected to do exactly?
Issue editors will be sent the raw data for issue submissions by myself. You edit them and send them back to me where I'll add the code needed to change player stats and maybe a few minor tweaks if they're needed. There's no need to worry about deadlines, you're free to complete them at your own pace. Hopefully you'll find the experience and skill-developing involved its own reward.
How long do I have to submit my issue?
The competition will be ongoing until midnight on the 8th of August 2009.
---
I'm hoping for a good turnout with this contest, and anyone with above average English skills will be in with a chance of becoming an editor. Good luck!
In other news, we're definitely closing in on a solution for the C&C problem. Players should see some differences to the game very soon to take new ideas into account.
The forums have passed the load tests. With flying colours I might add! Here's the official news post.
And finally, in closing, the old, old region of Belgium has been invaded and is about to be destroyed by the region of Macedon. This has caused a lot of debate over whether the regional influence system is as effective against griefing as it was supposed to be. I'll write up a post looking at influence and the raider/defender game in more detail at some point in the near future. It may be time for a change.
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