Bastard Mod From Hell 3

Yes! Reploid Productions' saga has returned to enlighten us of those dastardly alter egos that seek to make your virtual existence a virtual hell. I may add my own little contribution later. For now, you can read what's already been written here.

Two New UN Rankings

Yes, that's right! And one of them is that new feature I was promising all that time ago when I had created some new code for the game. You'll be able to tell what it is when it shows up. With this new UN ranking you can measure a whole new aspect of your nation and look at issues you've so casually answered previously in a different light. That's if you care anyway. Which you probably don't. But the thought's there! The other UN ranking is one I've been lobbying for for a while so I'm glad it's in at last.

This is an exciting new time for NationStates and I'd like to thank Pythagosaurus and SalusaSecondus for adding these UN rankings for me (and for coming up with the description for one of them). I don't know exactly when we'll be seeing them, since the order the UN rankings come in is random and I don't actually know whether Sal's got round to installing them. But you'll know 'em when you see 'em.

Oh, and check out the RSS feed in the sidebar! I'm not sure how it works exactly, but I'm assured it means that people can subscribe to my blog. If you understand it, please enjoy it. Many thanks to Rejistania for explaining how to install it to me.

Invasion Rules Revision

All the mods (and admins o' course) have started work on trying to set up a better way of managing invasions, i.e. making sure that it's the game that stops griefing and not us. So expect to see some big changes on the invading/defending/watching-the-battle-at-your borders-with-a-big-box-of-popcorn front in the future, and a totally radical new way of playing the game through such 'wars'. There'll be some substantial changes to regional management too, which should be interesting.

Nothing's been decided yet, so don't think there's been any rule changes. You can still get deleted for kicking out everyone in the region (if you're a delegate), so mind you keep on the right side of things. So far we have come up with a number of intriguing, and, haha, secret ideas which I may expand on later if we decide to go with them. I'll tell you more when I can!

Company

Max Barry's third novel, Company, has finally gone on sale. Pretty cool. You can read more about buying it here.

New Features

Yes, NationStates has gained two new features courtesy of our admins SalusaSecondus and Pythagosaurus. The new feature that comes with all the issue updates I did long ago has not been installed yet. The new features we do have are thus:

Dossier In Sidebar

Now you can access your dossier no matter where you are looking on the site! EXCELLENT! I don't actually have any nations in my dossier, but I can appreciate how useful it is to others. This addition was written by SalusaSecondus.

Improved Nation And Region Search

Ever had trouble remembering the exact name of a nation who promised to lend you nuclear warheads? Had trouble locating a certain region that you were invited to join? Well, now you've got something other than your memory to give you a hand. If you don't put the exact name of a nation or region, the system will present you with a plethora of possible locations with similar names. This brilliant and oft-requested feature was written by Pythagosaurus.

Misplaced

Modshort #7

This time starring that crazy rascal Euroslavia in this high-budget new episode in the Modshort series. Enjoy, and don't worry: I won't answer a single loose end.

In other news, there's a hilarious thread by Dishonorable Scum to read in the NationStates forum. Check it out!

New Issue

A new issue has been put into the game. Enjoy!

Lancre Cup XIV

It's that time of the month again- well, no, not that time of the month. It's the time of the month when the nations of Lancre grudgingly search through their populace for their true champions of football, a sport of two halves. Or three thirds sometimes, like last month. It happens, it happens.

Check it out by clicking this very big hypertext!

Birthday Boy

It was my birthday yesterday, and, on the whole, I reckon it was one of the better ones. Just me, a few friends, a lot of food and drink, and some movies to watch. Nothing better than taking the piss out of a film we were too distracted to understand (The Prophecy).

I'll tell you all my age now, I think. Before, I felt it would probably skew people's opinions of me and the other mods agreed. But I don't think it matters anymore.

I'm 18 years, and one day old. I started modding at the tender age of 15, which makes me the youngest moderator operating at the moment. If I recall, Yavin, who is retired now, was about 13 and didn't get a lot of good feedback about it so I decided to keep it quiet. I'm old enough to vote, drink, and do, ooh, lots of things now. Should be great fun. See y'all later!

Hello, 2006

Happy New Year! May all your new year resolutions stick. And your UN ones if you are so inclined. I only ever tried writing a UN proposal once and it failed dismally. Can't remember what it was about now, which is probably fortunate. But I digress. I hope 2006 is a good year for you all. Have fun.

Goodbye, 2005

Ah, what a year. It's been a busy one for NationStates Mods, that's for sure. We've shifted through about ten and a half thousand tasks, received three new mods (Tsar, Fris, and Euro), lost three mods (Ineptia, Myrth, and Unfree People), and acquired a whole new administrator (Pythagosaurus) and a smattering of promotions here and there. It would take an ice age to relate all the hundreds of thousands of stories and things that have happened, but you've got this blog to look through all the way back to April should the fancy take you so we'll leave it at that.

Christmas is over. I got heartily sick on chocolates, brussel sprouts (for which I admit having an inordinate fondness), christmas pudding (just LOOKING at it made me feel ill. My sweet tooth is rather deformed - I can't stand most sweet things.), roast potatoes, odd little quiche-like things, and, of course, walnuts (which I also enjoy a lot). I received many CDs, books, chocolates, much sheet music, a portable CD player, and, for some reason, a '3D Doodle Kit' which simply consisted of two pencils, red and blue, and a pair of 3D glasses. Weird.

Hogmanay's coming up, a time that we Scots traditionally enjoy a lot. Great fun, first footing and all that. Lots of shortbread. Lots of dancing. Lots of alcohol. Lots of Robbie Burns. Lots of Auld Lang Syne. Who'd want to miss it, eh?

Then, just four short days afterwards, it'll be my birthday. It's a shame really. I've got Christmas, Hogmanay, and my birthday all within the space of ten days and then suddenly it's the long, long barren valley of other people's birthdays to traverse before anyone spends anything on me again. I wouldn't mind so much if people didn't keep giving me their gift and saying 'now this is for your Christmas and your birthday'. I appreciate the present, I really do, but you wouldn't have said that to someone who'd been born in June would you? You can't say anything of course. Just grin, smile, and nod. Ach, well, it's not important, I'm feeling in a good mood.

I'll maybe even say how old I am when the 4th of January comes 'round!

See you all next year! Happy Hogmanay!

Happy Holidays!

Merry Christmas everyone! Or happy holidays! Whatever you prefer, I don't mind! I hope you all enjoy yourselves.

Lancre Cup XIII: The Final

Well, I wasn't in this one (in fact I got thrashed in the first round. Ah well.), but it was a smasher all the same. Dregruk vs Tonca, both very active and upstanding members of Lancre. I must add that Yesnono who has been busy organising and working out the worrying calculations required to make the system a just and fair one and has done a great job. No, a fantastic job is the best way to put it I think. The whole ideology of the Lancre Cup is that it's all about letting your hair down and having a really good time. There's no skill needed so who gives a toss about rules? Some of the games had three teams playing each other on the same pitch which I thought was brilliant. Yesnono embraced the humour of the whole enterprise with great enthusiasm and has given it a zest I found difficult to dispense constantly. So cheers, Yesnono! Yeh've been great!

Anyone wanting to read the progress of the Lancre Cup may do so here.

Lancre Cup XIV should begin some time in January next year. If you want to participate you're going to have to join Lancre!

The Mod That DEATed Christmas

Modshort #6!

'Tis the season to be jolly, so just for the hell of it I've given the Modshort a festive theme.

Enjoy!

Prehistoric Mathematics

We have chosen our new admin, as some people will already know (we haven't gone out of our way to keep it secret). For those who don't, he is... drum roll please...

Pythagosaurus

Yes, I know almost none of you will have heard of this guy, and yes, his name is really awkward for choosing a nickname. We'll just have to stagger onwards anyway. Even if 'Pyth' is just stupid and 'Pythag' just sounds wrong. But that's not important. What is important is that he's sacrificing a lot of his spare time to help out the game, and I'm very appreciative of that. He'll be a valuable part of the team. Unless we decide not to have him. Which could happen. You never know.

Anyway, Pythagosaurus will be working on the game, adding new features wherever appropriate, taking some of the load off [violet] and Sal's perspiring shoulders, and being subservient to my every demand should I ever wish there to be changes to issues, mwahahaha. Indeed, he's started on something already, and this is exclusive knowledge, so pay attention: he's updating the nation-search system to make it easier for people trying to find a nation that they can't quite remember the name of. Fascinatin' stuff.

One of the gameplay ideas that sprung from our sessions caught on and it might just be put into the game. I can't tell you what it is, but I can say that it involves regional politics in a fairly major way.

Congratulations, Pythagosaurus (Pythy?), I hope you have as great a time as we mods do (ironic grins all round) making NationStates a better game for all the users. Stick at it and keep up the good work!

In other news, I'm not going to do any issue editing until I've finished my Christmas shopping. Distraction is the enemy here, and there's not that much time left... I can almost hear Santa's sleigh bells ringing now...

Holidays, Holidays

Regular readers (I must trust in my heart that you exist) may be wondering where I've been these last few days. The answer is, of course, that I have been Christmas shopping. I am NOT going to be caught out this year! I've nearly got all the pressies I need, and I do pride myself on always getting the perfect present for the perfect occasion, and I shall share with you some of the do's and don'ts of Christmas gifts.

DO:

• Give gifts that you made yourself. A sure hit. Why not write your intended recipient a song? A poem? Something to show you truly care.
• Give them a really good book.
• Give them a really good film. Nothing deep and philosophical. Just something you can relax, watch and enjoy without having to think too hard. Like Jurassic Park. If you want to sympathise with the plight of modern scientific ethics then read the book. If you want to see dinosaurs eating people then Spielberg's your man.
• Give them chocolate oranges. 'Nuff said.
  
• Give her necklaces, bracelets, earrings, whatever. As long as it glitters, she'll love it.
• Give him plain black T-shirts. It's bliss to have a few of those in supply.
• Give the parents scarves. Parents LOVE scarves. I don't know why.
  
• Show that you truly care. Awwwwwww...

DON'T:

• Give them fruit of any kind. I know how it sounds, but believe me: the stomach will automatically rebel at the sight of those squashy satsumas and waxy Macintosh apples. With the prospect of chocolates, brussel sprouts, and all those other delights your taste for fruit will be incredibly diminished. It's just not worth the effort.
• Give them 'joke' presents.
• Give them scented candles, incense, or any other olfactory-orientated device. Why? Because EVERYONE DOES IT. By the end of June their house will smell like an exploded shampoo factory and they won't thank you for it.
  
• Give them what you gave them last year.
• Give them what you gave their friend last year.
• Give them what you got from their friend last year.
• Give them a pet without express permission.
• Introduce them to NationStates. They'll always connote Christmas with the first day they got sucked into NS addiction. They probably won't even send you a card next year.

So, yeah, there you go. I hope this proves useful to any of you who are stuck for ideas.

In NationStates-related news, I've started work on a new issue. Should be with you soon.

On A Roll

Woohoo! That's three issues put into the game just over the last few days. There's only about ten or so issues remaining in this batch. Once I've gone through them I'll have lots of lovely new issues to consider. Ah, bliss.

In other news, we've been chatting to the few hopeful applicants who made it past the quiz at a top secret location. We blindfolded them and dragged them from their homes just to be sure that no... indiscretions would be made. We've already had to... 'remove' one... mwahahaha...

In short, everything's looking fine and dandy. You'll find out who our new admin will be soon.

Twice As Nice

Yes, today is a great day for two reasons.

First reason: Euroslavia has been promoted to game moderator! He's been a forum mod for about four months and has shown great enthusiasm in everything he's done. He won't have access to the issue editor until I say he's good enough (the idea of substandard issues being released... it fills my heart with a dark, dark chill... brr...).But I'm sure he'll be a great game moderator! Congratulations, Euro!

The second thing is that [violet] has put in the issue fixes! I'm practically somersaulting with joy here. The upshot of this? Well, first of all we're going to be able to have new issues, and secondly that some time later a new feature will be added to the game which will (hopefully) make you answer your issues in a totally different way.

One of the issues I'm going to put into the game was co-edited by Euroslavia. I'm not going to give away anything about it here. I'll just tell you that it is issue #191 and is the 190th issue to be put into the game.

Please Take Your Hands Off Your Buzzers

Anyone who dithered over whether they should apply for the prestigious title of NationStates Administrator have left it too late because the search is over and our new admin will be announced soon (how soon I cannot say).

In the meanwhile, you can take a look at the answers to the quiz here: CLICK ME!

Be warned: you may not understand the answers any more than you understood the questions!

The Assault

Modshort #5!

Now, as ever, this is best viewed when put to 'fast'. Oh, and it'll be much cooler if you imagine 'Flight of The Valkeyries' is playing.

For some reason the site destroyed my last try at this one so I've made another. Hopefully it won't disappear! Enjoy!