As in quarter of an hour! If you haven't already downloaded an IRC client, do it now and join us at #nationstates on the Gamesurge server!
Click here for more details!
19 September 2009
12 September 2009
MaxChat Date Announced
I don't have anything more to add to this except that I hope to see you there! Just follow the link:
http://www.nationstates.net/page=news/2009/09/10/index.html#maxchat5
http://www.nationstates.net/page=news/2009/09/10/index.html#maxchat5
10 September 2009
Regional Flags And More!
Hello everyone, I've been away for a while! Among other things I've had a tooth removed, which wasn't pleasant at all. There is nothing quite like the horrors of mouth pain is there?
Anyway, let's see if I can round up all the changes that have happened while I was mourning the loss of my incisor:
Regional flags! I do believe this is something we've been wanting since... well, November 2002! Thanks to [violet]'s wizardry, regions can now proudly fly a flag symbolising the whole smorgasbord of countries in their membership. Take a gander at the official news post here.
Also, thanks to Pythagosaurus, you can also add regions to your dossier.
There some other tweaks and minor changes too. Founders and delegates may have noticed that new buttons have been added to nations in their regions so they can ban offenders without having to take the long road all the way to regional control. Some graphics have been updated too. If you haven't noticed, I'm not surprised - it's subtle. Go look until you see it.
[violet] has announced an intent to overhaul the telegram system to make it more efficient. A lot of big region delegates will look forward to this I'm sure!
There has been a little more added to the annexe discussion since I last mentioned it. Check out the thread for more details.
The aptly named Imagey Nation has set up a thread in gameplay where he designs seals/logos/heraldic shields for other players' nations. Very snazzy.
[violet] has posted the latest Moderator Olympics in the Moderation forum. I should probably note that about 3000 of my 'Moderator Actions' were deleting issues! [violet]'s also posted all the old olympics (except for the missing first one) in the Archives forum for anyone who feels like reminiscing.
GMC Military Arms has been playing video games instead of modding the forums, the cad, but he does do it wonderfully. Check out his amusing playthroughs of Perfect Dark and Goldeneye here.
I, meanwhile, have been quite fascinated by a game called Dwarf Fortress recently. A rather intriguing part of it is the generation of rather detailed pseudo-ASCII maps which some NSers might be interested in. It generates everything from oceans, rivers and aquifers to mountains, civilisations, geographical data, and wildlife. Climate too. And a bunch of other things. You can download the game (which is still in its alpha stage) for free at http://www.bay12games.com/dwarves/ - though it is very complicated so I fully recommend the wiki project other players have set up to help you get into it. Unlike NationStates this could easily have been called Micromanagement: The Game.
That's all from me for now. Just remember that MaxChat begins in a couple of weeks! I wouldn't want you to miss it!
Anyway, let's see if I can round up all the changes that have happened while I was mourning the loss of my incisor:
Regional flags! I do believe this is something we've been wanting since... well, November 2002! Thanks to [violet]'s wizardry, regions can now proudly fly a flag symbolising the whole smorgasbord of countries in their membership. Take a gander at the official news post here.
Also, thanks to Pythagosaurus, you can also add regions to your dossier.
There some other tweaks and minor changes too. Founders and delegates may have noticed that new buttons have been added to nations in their regions so they can ban offenders without having to take the long road all the way to regional control. Some graphics have been updated too. If you haven't noticed, I'm not surprised - it's subtle. Go look until you see it.
[violet] has announced an intent to overhaul the telegram system to make it more efficient. A lot of big region delegates will look forward to this I'm sure!
There has been a little more added to the annexe discussion since I last mentioned it. Check out the thread for more details.
The aptly named Imagey Nation has set up a thread in gameplay where he designs seals/logos/heraldic shields for other players' nations. Very snazzy.
[violet] has posted the latest Moderator Olympics in the Moderation forum. I should probably note that about 3000 of my 'Moderator Actions' were deleting issues! [violet]'s also posted all the old olympics (except for the missing first one) in the Archives forum for anyone who feels like reminiscing.
GMC Military Arms has been playing video games instead of modding the forums, the cad, but he does do it wonderfully. Check out his amusing playthroughs of Perfect Dark and Goldeneye here.
I, meanwhile, have been quite fascinated by a game called Dwarf Fortress recently. A rather intriguing part of it is the generation of rather detailed pseudo-ASCII maps which some NSers might be interested in. It generates everything from oceans, rivers and aquifers to mountains, civilisations, geographical data, and wildlife. Climate too. And a bunch of other things. You can download the game (which is still in its alpha stage) for free at http://www.bay12games.com/dwarves/ - though it is very complicated so I fully recommend the wiki project other players have set up to help you get into it. Unlike NationStates this could easily have been called Micromanagement: The Game.
That's all from me for now. Just remember that MaxChat begins in a couple of weeks! I wouldn't want you to miss it!
24 August 2009
Slow News Day
Ever wondered just exactly HOW are you supposed to play NationStates? How do you get started? Never fear! There is a handy online instructional video for all your NS needs.
16 August 2009
New Forum Moderator: Flibbleites
Welcome aboard, Flib! We've been needing some additional WA expertise for a while and Flibbleites, who's been hanging around the UN/WA side of the game since the year dot seemed just like the man for the job. We all look forward to his contribution to the team.
In other news:
The daily update has been, well, updated! Delegate turnover is now recorded every twelve hours instead of every twenty-four. This will add some spice to the raider/defender game! Follow the link for more details.
WA proposals have updated formatting thanks to Pythagosaurus, and players can now link to individual proposals - it's not the simplest of arrangements, but it works! Click here for more details.
Well, that's enough procrastinating from me for now, I suppose. This flat's not going to tidy itself!
In other news:
The daily update has been, well, updated! Delegate turnover is now recorded every twelve hours instead of every twenty-four. This will add some spice to the raider/defender game! Follow the link for more details.
WA proposals have updated formatting thanks to Pythagosaurus, and players can now link to individual proposals - it's not the simplest of arrangements, but it works! Click here for more details.
Well, that's enough procrastinating from me for now, I suppose. This flat's not going to tidy itself!
13 August 2009
We Have Issue Editors!
I'm back from my holiday! I'm certain lots of interesting things happened while I was away but I can't remember what any of them are.
Except for the thrilling conclusion to the issues contest!
I'm pleased to announce that three volunteers have taken up the role of 'Issue Editor' and will be helping me convert player submitted issues into game-worthy dilemmas. Our winners are:
Kandarin
Responsible
Glen-Rhodes
You'll notice they all have a rather nifty badge designed by Charlotte Ryberg. Kandarin seems to be building quite a collection of decorations for his spotlight page!
I'm going to be very busy over the next month or so, so let's hope our new editors are up to the task!
For more details, you can check out the forum post I made.
Except for the thrilling conclusion to the issues contest!
I'm pleased to announce that three volunteers have taken up the role of 'Issue Editor' and will be helping me convert player submitted issues into game-worthy dilemmas. Our winners are:
Kandarin
Responsible
Glen-Rhodes
You'll notice they all have a rather nifty badge designed by Charlotte Ryberg. Kandarin seems to be building quite a collection of decorations for his spotlight page!
I'm going to be very busy over the next month or so, so let's hope our new editors are up to the task!
For more details, you can check out the forum post I made.
30 July 2009
MaxChat V: The Empire Writes Back
Ha ha ha, I only suggested that title as a joke. I didn't realise it was going to get used! Anyway, for the first time in many years, Max Barry is going to be answering player questions in #nationstates, the official NS IRC channel. The official announcement can be read here: http://forum.nationstates.net/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=9894
Very exciting! The event has been tentatively proposed to occur on the 19th or 20th of September, though that may change.
We have a new feature for telegrams: nations may now select telegrams that are dear to them to be spared should their inbox overflow and old telegrams get purged.
A possible new feature, annexing, is still being discussed. It got a bit forgotten, so I dredged it up again by posting my take on it.
[violet]'s later post on the thread is most intriguing. It casually mentions ANOTHER possible new feature: regional embassies. I wonder that's all about?
Reploid Productions has updated the latest chapter in her Bastard NS Mod from Hell saga. Check it out.
I'm going to be visiting my family for the first week or so of August so I won't be around much during that time. Just a heads-up.
Very exciting! The event has been tentatively proposed to occur on the 19th or 20th of September, though that may change.
We have a new feature for telegrams: nations may now select telegrams that are dear to them to be spared should their inbox overflow and old telegrams get purged.
A possible new feature, annexing, is still being discussed. It got a bit forgotten, so I dredged it up again by posting my take on it.
[violet]'s later post on the thread is most intriguing. It casually mentions ANOTHER possible new feature: regional embassies. I wonder that's all about?
Reploid Productions has updated the latest chapter in her Bastard NS Mod from Hell saga. Check it out.
I'm going to be visiting my family for the first week or so of August so I won't be around much during that time. Just a heads-up.
26 July 2009
250 Issues
I'm a bit late in reporting it, but I'm very happy to say that NationStates has reached a new milestone! There are now a grand total of 250 issues in circulation. I'd like to thank everyone who's submitted an issue, doubly thank everyone that submitted a good issue, and wish the best of luck to future writers of issues.
In other news, Belgium has been liberated prematurely by various defender regions who somehow learned what the password the raiders were using was. This has put the liberation debate into a different light, since the original intent of the resolution is now moot. Congratulations to the defenders, anyway, and hard luck to the raiders. I'm sure they'd have been able to put up a better fight if they hadn't been ambushed. There's still a chance though! If the liberation resolution passes they can rally another attack.
Ah, irony.
Moving on, Erastide has devised a new Security Council proposal category: Open Immigration - this category, if passed, would clear and disable the banlist of a selected region. I haven't had much time to mull over it yet, but the debate makes for an interesting read.
Another liberation-related debate is on whether it's up to the moderators or the World Assembly to ascertain how factually accurate a resolution is. If a liberation tells outright lies to further its argument should it be deleted? But how can mods tell whether something is true or not without psychic abilities? Hmm.
Max Barry has posted to the News page summarising recent additions to NationStates.
The issues contest ends in just under two weeks! I've received one shy of fifty entries. I've been very impressed by the quality of even the losing entries - the standard has been very high! I'm looking forward to being able to take a step back and supervise the budding new editors (whomever they may be...). Still plenty of time for creative NSers to win a position.
Remember, there is also a badge-making competition for designing a little logo to go on issue editors' nations. The winner will be able to select their own custom forum title! Those are like gold dust, don't you know!
Good luck!
In other news, Belgium has been liberated prematurely by various defender regions who somehow learned what the password the raiders were using was. This has put the liberation debate into a different light, since the original intent of the resolution is now moot. Congratulations to the defenders, anyway, and hard luck to the raiders. I'm sure they'd have been able to put up a better fight if they hadn't been ambushed. There's still a chance though! If the liberation resolution passes they can rally another attack.
Ah, irony.
Moving on, Erastide has devised a new Security Council proposal category: Open Immigration - this category, if passed, would clear and disable the banlist of a selected region. I haven't had much time to mull over it yet, but the debate makes for an interesting read.
Another liberation-related debate is on whether it's up to the moderators or the World Assembly to ascertain how factually accurate a resolution is. If a liberation tells outright lies to further its argument should it be deleted? But how can mods tell whether something is true or not without psychic abilities? Hmm.
Max Barry has posted to the News page summarising recent additions to NationStates.
The issues contest ends in just under two weeks! I've received one shy of fifty entries. I've been very impressed by the quality of even the losing entries - the standard has been very high! I'm looking forward to being able to take a step back and supervise the budding new editors (whomever they may be...). Still plenty of time for creative NSers to win a position.
Remember, there is also a badge-making competition for designing a little logo to go on issue editors' nations. The winner will be able to select their own custom forum title! Those are like gold dust, don't you know!
Good luck!
25 July 2009
Discord And Chaos In The WA
I'm tired and I don't have much time for pontificating so I'm just going to summarise recent events:
- The proposal to liberate Belgium has reached the floor and is now being voted on by the World Assembly. With liberation proposals been written left, right and centre I can't help but feel that maybe the defenders are spreading themselves a little thin. Reclaiming one region will be difficult, regardless of password restrictions. Organising a way of reclaiming several regions will be much harder.
- A temporary ruleset has been written up by Ardchoille for the Security Council. This has been quite a formidable task in many respects and it's still in the process of being beaten out on the anvil. We need rules that are clear, concise, and appropriate. I just hope we can manage it quickly, because a lot of players are rather losing their patience!
- Voting times on proposals that have reached the floor has been reduced from a week to four days.
- We've had a few glitches and bugs popping up here and there but they've not caused too many problems.
- I've finished the latest batch of issues and am waiting upon admin to give me the next.
16 July 2009
La Mort d'Ordinateur
My laptop has kicked the bucket, given up the ghost, and pushed up the daisies. You know there's something wrong when error messages predicting an imminent failure of your hard drive disc haunt your every virtual step. Ah well. I'm under warranty so I guess it'll either get fixed or replaced. I don't know when though. Fingers are crossed that it will be soon!
As you can imagine, this makes it difficult for me to contribute to NationStates as much as I'd like so new issues are probably going to be a bit rarer over the next couple of months. Don't worry about the competition though! That's still on track. I've had around thirty-five submissions so far! Not bad at all! There's still about three weeks until the contest ends, so there's no need to be anxious about not having written an entry yet.
Due to the new feature I and Pythagosaurus have developed, I decided it was high time to give past issues a bit of a make-over where needed. Sadly, all my changes disappeared with my laptop, so that may have to wait a bit longer. In the meanwhile, though, you can report typos and grammatical errors and such to this thread.
As you can imagine, this makes it difficult for me to contribute to NationStates as much as I'd like so new issues are probably going to be a bit rarer over the next couple of months. Don't worry about the competition though! That's still on track. I've had around thirty-five submissions so far! Not bad at all! There's still about three weeks until the contest ends, so there's no need to be anxious about not having written an entry yet.
Due to the new feature I and Pythagosaurus have developed, I decided it was high time to give past issues a bit of a make-over where needed. Sadly, all my changes disappeared with my laptop, so that may have to wait a bit longer. In the meanwhile, though, you can report typos and grammatical errors and such to this thread.
08 July 2009
Liberation And Customisation
We've had two new features added to the game in as many days! Let's cover the new 'Liberation' WA proposal category first.
Liberation is a new Security Council proposal category that [violet] suggested a while back. The general idea is to give the WA the power to remove the passwords from invaded regions to give defenders a chance at throwing out invaders. How effective this will be remains to be seen, but I'm optimistic that this will give the raiding/defending game a bit more balance and also put an end to the 'game over' scenario that's been a blight on the R/D game for a while.
Goobergunchia has almost immediately submitted a 'Liberate Belgium' proposal for the delegates to vote on. Belgium has been a particularly infamous case of the afore-mentioned 'game over; scenario so it should be interesting to see how it goes. Though it reads 'Liberate belgium' because the code doesn't automatically stick a capital letter on the beginning - I'll see if I can get that changed. You can read more about the debate over liberating Belgium here.
Other thoughts I'd like to hear your opinions on:
I've set up a new sticky in the Security Council forum for discussing things. If you have any problems, let us know.
There've been a whole bunch of bugs affecting the WA recently, probably as a result of all the admins tweaking and adding things of late. The current resolution at vote is still on the World Assembly page despite voting ending a day ago and there's been a lot of other WA-related oddness reported in the Technical forum. OK, the last one's not WA-related but it is odd.
Now, moving on,
I don't want to spoil too much, so if you'd like the new issues I put in recently to be a complete surprise then stop reading now.
HERE BE SPOILERS
The second feature in the game is something that you guys have been wanting and demanding for six years so I'm quite honoured to have had the chance to be responsible for it. I've contributed stuff to the game before, but this is the first time I've been able to create something new rather than add to what was already there.
The new feature:
I have devised three special issues that give your nation brand new customisable fields (akin to national animal, currency, etc.) - I won't mention what they are specifically for those who'd rather wait and see - if you pick particular options. After the issue goes into effect, you can edit the new field(s) from your Settings page.
Everyone will be able to get these issues except those whose population is not high enough and those who have already chosen an option which gives you a field. This rewards players for sticking with the game.
I wrote all the issues (that's why there's no editor), the new descriptors, the automated telegram you get when a field becomes available, and decided how the whole thing would work. So yeah, if you can't already tell, I'm really quite proud of this! It's my one major contribution to the mechanics of NationStates. I'd like to thank Pythagosaurus who wrote all the code to take care of the new macros I made up and implemented the feature into the game for me. We put a lot of work into getting this right for you all, so let us know if you run into any problems!
Will there be any more special issues in the future? I'm not opposed to the idea, though three should be enough for now. If there's anything you guys think NationStates just couldn't be without then let me know and I'll maybe consider it. Just don't submit special issues to me for editing because that would be really annoying.
Oh, and I had a lot of fun reading this thread here (don't click the link if you don't want to be spoiled). You guys are cute.
Liberation is a new Security Council proposal category that [violet] suggested a while back. The general idea is to give the WA the power to remove the passwords from invaded regions to give defenders a chance at throwing out invaders. How effective this will be remains to be seen, but I'm optimistic that this will give the raiding/defending game a bit more balance and also put an end to the 'game over' scenario that's been a blight on the R/D game for a while.
Goobergunchia has almost immediately submitted a 'Liberate Belgium' proposal for the delegates to vote on. Belgium has been a particularly infamous case of the afore-mentioned 'game over; scenario so it should be interesting to see how it goes. Though it reads 'Liberate belgium' because the code doesn't automatically stick a capital letter on the beginning - I'll see if I can get that changed. You can read more about the debate over liberating Belgium here.
Other thoughts I'd like to hear your opinions on:
- Liberation proposals are inherently quite urgent - should they get higher priority in the queue than other WA resolutions? Or perhaps just other Security Council resolutions as the General Assembly crowd might not like that at all?
- Should any changes be made to voting times/quorums?
- What rules should govern how Liberation proposals may be written?
I've set up a new sticky in the Security Council forum for discussing things. If you have any problems, let us know.
There've been a whole bunch of bugs affecting the WA recently, probably as a result of all the admins tweaking and adding things of late. The current resolution at vote is still on the World Assembly page despite voting ending a day ago and there's been a lot of other WA-related oddness reported in the Technical forum. OK, the last one's not WA-related but it is odd.
Now, moving on,
I don't want to spoil too much, so if you'd like the new issues I put in recently to be a complete surprise then stop reading now.
HERE BE SPOILERS
The second feature in the game is something that you guys have been wanting and demanding for six years so I'm quite honoured to have had the chance to be responsible for it. I've contributed stuff to the game before, but this is the first time I've been able to create something new rather than add to what was already there.
The new feature:
I have devised three special issues that give your nation brand new customisable fields (akin to national animal, currency, etc.) - I won't mention what they are specifically for those who'd rather wait and see - if you pick particular options. After the issue goes into effect, you can edit the new field(s) from your Settings page.
Everyone will be able to get these issues except those whose population is not high enough and those who have already chosen an option which gives you a field. This rewards players for sticking with the game.
I wrote all the issues (that's why there's no editor), the new descriptors, the automated telegram you get when a field becomes available, and decided how the whole thing would work. So yeah, if you can't already tell, I'm really quite proud of this! It's my one major contribution to the mechanics of NationStates. I'd like to thank Pythagosaurus who wrote all the code to take care of the new macros I made up and implemented the feature into the game for me. We put a lot of work into getting this right for you all, so let us know if you run into any problems!
Will there be any more special issues in the future? I'm not opposed to the idea, though three should be enough for now. If there's anything you guys think NationStates just couldn't be without then let me know and I'll maybe consider it. Just don't submit special issues to me for editing because that would be really annoying.
Oh, and I had a lot of fun reading this thread here (don't click the link if you don't want to be spoiled). You guys are cute.
06 July 2009
Jolt Forums Update
I'm thinking OMAC/Jolt didn't appreciate Max tampering with the nationstates2.net redirect because they've taken away our access to the moderators' private forum over there. Either that or wiped it. And if they have wiped it, it's not unreasonable to guess the rest of the forums may follow. SO - again, if you have any threads still on Jolt that you want to save, here's a step-by-step guide on how to back up forum threads to your hard drive.
You can find a link to the Jolt forums by clicking the redirect link I posted above.
You can find a link to the Jolt forums by clicking the redirect link I posted above.
02 July 2009
Oh, OMAC!
They really don't give one crap about their players do they? Now that NationStates 2's been wiped, visiting the NationStates 2 website brings you to one of Jolt's other games without so much as an explanation. What a kick in the teeth. Players really are just numbers with dollar signs in OMAC's eyes and they're not afraid to show it.
However! Even though Max Barry doesn't have the rights to the game, he still owns the domain! www.nationstates2.com now redirects to an announcement explaining what's what, a link to NS2 support, and the NS2 forums. Like what should have been done in the first place.
To finish... here's how our players reacted to the news: The Loss of NationStates 2
Have a good day.
However! Even though Max Barry doesn't have the rights to the game, he still owns the domain! www.nationstates2.com now redirects to an announcement explaining what's what, a link to NS2 support, and the NS2 forums. Like what should have been done in the first place.
To finish... here's how our players reacted to the news: The Loss of NationStates 2
Have a good day.
01 July 2009
How To Use Tags In NationStates
I've been hearing that a lot of people don't know how to use tags in their telegrams/RMB/whatever! It's in the FAQ guys! Here's the appropriate part copy/pasted:
Oh, and NationStates 2 closed down today. Bye bye, NS2.
You can use some BBCode-style tags to improve the look of your telegrams, Regional Message Board posts, and (if you control a region) your regional World Factbook Entry. These are:
- Bold: [b]Hello[/b] becomes: Hello
- Italic: [i]Hello[/i] becomes: Hello
- Underline: [u]Hello[/u] becomes: Hello
- Regions: [region]The Pacific[/region] becomes: The Pacific
- Nations: [nation]Testlandia[/nation] becomes: [flag deleted by Sirocco] The Borderlands of Testlandia
You may optionally specify "short", "long", "flag" and "noflag" formats. If you omit these, the default is "long+flag".- [nation=short]Testlandia[/nation] becomes: [flag deleted by Sirocco] Testlandia
- [nation=noflag]Testlandia[/nation] becomes: The Borderlands of Testlandia
- [nation=short+noflag]Testlandia[/nation] becomes: Testlandia
The following tags work in Regional World Factbook Entries, but not telegrams or Regional Message Board posts:
- Links: [url=http://www.maxbarry.com]Hello[/url] becomes: Hello
- Colors: [color=blue]Hello[/color] becomes: Hello
Oh, and NationStates 2 closed down today. Bye bye, NS2.
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:
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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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