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“Things Fall Apart” ~ Farewell to a Piece of eCan History
Political debates and analysis
“In these bare paths, these melancholy lands,
What dream, or flesh, could ever have been young?
Life, hopes, and human things seem wrapped away,
With shrouds and spectres, in one long decay.”
~~ “The Autumn Waste” from Alcyone, A. Lampman
When I began this game well over two years ago, there was an institution in eCanada that inspired me with its grand aims, making me realize that eRepublik was more than a game that involved mindless clicking and stat counting. It was a gem in the eCanadian forum community, one of the centre-pieces of a centralized government that demonstrated how this virtual society was reaching beyond the game mechanics to involve players in the game in ways perhaps eRep Labs never fully imagined.
eCanada reached a degree of complexity about a year ago that may never be matched again, or at least not in the same way. Certainly, the inclusion of MUs does add another angle to the game and I suppose the same could be said of the individual missions (and why not a country mission?). But is this an evolution of eRepublik or a de-evolution towards the separation of State from citizen? A compartmentalization of the complexity that created vast networks of community Orgs and forum memberships that brought the hundreds of thousands of eRep players into competition and cooperation with each other that at times defied full comprehension, now boiled down to an increasing simplification of mechanics over role-play.
The game is becoming more understandable, more bite-sized, more like a one-person platform that happens to bump up against the activities of other players. It is becoming much less the fabric that actually required citizens to depend on each other for food and guns, for employment and profit, for checks and balances, and for cooperative war and strategy. But that’s not the purpose of this article; this evolution is only what has inspired the decentralization and simplification of eCanada.
This institution I spoke of ~ perhaps it was a conceit of a naïve group of gamers but I think it more a noble yet Quixote-like casualty of shifting game mechanics and player base/interest. Its condition on departing the New World is a shadow its former self, directing important matters of security and safety of this country, upholding the laws of the land with strict demands of conduct from its members, an oath to duty that all eCanadians could admire for its intention to do good for us all.
Still, it had its detractors, often many at a time who would collectively point out its failures, wondering why such an institution should be allowed to persist. Nevertheless, it weathered those sh*tstorms, tried its best to adapt to the evolving New World. The activity of its members remained a persistent issue, while it had a set of duties that perhaps went beyond what it could reasonably reach. There were times when it shined but these were bright flashes during drawn out periods of cloudy dullness when it searched to better define its purpose.
So as things fall apart, the center cannot hold. So this decaying central state leads to balkanized clanship. So the best intentions of a Constitution and most well laid plans of Legislative Acts shed its flesh to the bare bones of a forum. So in the turning, turning of the widening gyre, more depart from the maddening spin.
So the best lack all conviction, while the worst are full of passionate intensity.
So this is where we bid adieu to this eCan creation that lasted these three years of eCanada, from its early conception. In an age of Mercenary Medals and self-made militias and disappearing profile features, where goes the need for a defender of virtues&values, of security&safety, of honour&duty. When war and economy runs at its own mechanical automation, what happens to the protocols that once bounded its control? Its resting place will be an unvisited archive or a memory of that lofty thing we tried.
So this is where we bid adieu ~ say farewell to a Beta darling
A ) The Supreme Court?
B ) CSIS?
C ) The CAF?
D ) All of the above?
Be proud we tried hard and proud we tried it all together.
farewell
“A proud heart can survive general failure because such a failure does not prick its pride. It is more difficult and more bitter when a man fails alone."
~~Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe
What dream, or flesh, could ever have been young?
Life, hopes, and human things seem wrapped away,
With shrouds and spectres, in one long decay.”
~~ “The Autumn Waste” from Alcyone, A. Lampman
When I began this game well over two years ago, there was an institution in eCanada that inspired me with its grand aims, making me realize that eRepublik was more than a game that involved mindless clicking and stat counting. It was a gem in the eCanadian forum community, one of the centre-pieces of a centralized government that demonstrated how this virtual society was reaching beyond the game mechanics to involve players in the game in ways perhaps eRep Labs never fully imagined.
eCanada reached a degree of complexity about a year ago that may never be matched again, or at least not in the same way. Certainly, the inclusion of MUs does add another angle to the game and I suppose the same could be said of the individual missions (and why not a country mission?). But is this an evolution of eRepublik or a de-evolution towards the separation of State from citizen? A compartmentalization of the complexity that created vast networks of community Orgs and forum memberships that brought the hundreds of thousands of eRep players into competition and cooperation with each other that at times defied full comprehension, now boiled down to an increasing simplification of mechanics over role-play.
The game is becoming more understandable, more bite-sized, more like a one-person platform that happens to bump up against the activities of other players. It is becoming much less the fabric that actually required citizens to depend on each other for food and guns, for employment and profit, for checks and balances, and for cooperative war and strategy. But that’s not the purpose of this article; this evolution is only what has inspired the decentralization and simplification of eCanada.
This institution I spoke of ~ perhaps it was a conceit of a naïve group of gamers but I think it more a noble yet Quixote-like casualty of shifting game mechanics and player base/interest. Its condition on departing the New World is a shadow its former self, directing important matters of security and safety of this country, upholding the laws of the land with strict demands of conduct from its members, an oath to duty that all eCanadians could admire for its intention to do good for us all.
Still, it had its detractors, often many at a time who would collectively point out its failures, wondering why such an institution should be allowed to persist. Nevertheless, it weathered those sh*tstorms, tried its best to adapt to the evolving New World. The activity of its members remained a persistent issue, while it had a set of duties that perhaps went beyond what it could reasonably reach. There were times when it shined but these were bright flashes during drawn out periods of cloudy dullness when it searched to better define its purpose.
So as things fall apart, the center cannot hold. So this decaying central state leads to balkanized clanship. So the best intentions of a Constitution and most well laid plans of Legislative Acts shed its flesh to the bare bones of a forum. So in the turning, turning of the widening gyre, more depart from the maddening spin.
So the best lack all conviction, while the worst are full of passionate intensity.
So this is where we bid adieu to this eCan creation that lasted these three years of eCanada, from its early conception. In an age of Mercenary Medals and self-made militias and disappearing profile features, where goes the need for a defender of virtues&values, of security&safety, of honour&duty. When war and economy runs at its own mechanical automation, what happens to the protocols that once bounded its control? Its resting place will be an unvisited archive or a memory of that lofty thing we tried.
So this is where we bid adieu ~ say farewell to a Beta darling
A ) The Supreme Court?
B ) CSIS?
C ) The CAF?
D ) All of the above?
Be proud we tried hard and proud we tried it all together.
farewell
“A proud heart can survive general failure because such a failure does not prick its pride. It is more difficult and more bitter when a man fails alone."
~~Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe
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You seem to be insinuating something with your multiple choice.
Somewhere, I can hear a bugle playing Taps.
I assumed you were talking about the Supreme Court but several institutions came to mind as I read further. I think your list may actually be too short and the answer would definitely be all of the above.
Good riddance to them.
CAF and Supreme Court only need reform to be efficient once again.
The new Criminal Code that you have propose Plugson will give more flexibility to the Justice, and I hoope taht it will get the Court to be more "inquisitive", and less relly on a AG or any external factor to start and end a case properly and faster than now.
In my opinion, CAF need to review they supply method to less relies on IRC activity for the supply, and be more "inclusive". There was a new update today regarding the information available in-game in the roster of a MU. I would get a look to this new tool if a was in a MU HC (which is the case. ) Don't know give at least 1/4 of the funding to member who don't asks for supply, but still are included as member in the gov budget would be nice. (thought, I wonder if there is so much people in the CAF who don't received supplies. Hard to tell when they don't want to disclose any of theirs documents.)
CAF is no longer "The National Army"
That "model" no longer requires to be in existence..
The CAF is an MU, rather a set of 3 MU's. Not unlike the many other MU's it has the same capabilities and boundaries and rules that they must play by
Sure they can still use the name CAF, but at the end of the day they are nothing special, and should no longer be recognized as such..
CSIS was always a waste of time, and the "courts" - don't get me started...
Actually scrap that last comment about the Courts
Their actually so ridiculous and hypocritical, that to read them now classifies as "Comedy Gold" http://tinyurl.com/4zf6cq
Good book.
Yes good timing to do away with the courts.
CAF is an MU, and Rolo Tahmasee is a thieve.
@Max Maher: The CAF doesn't rely on irc activity for supply. We use the forums.
^^ True, they use a convoluted forum supply system that confuses and turns off new recruits from activity
The supplies that are not given out to the now disenfranchised noobs, can now be spread out among the elite..
none of the above.
plugson. noble heroic human.
Sperry, I'll need to read it then.
All I knew is that the book was inspired by line from a poem that was taken froma play that also inspired another book, which a certain PP/MU leader likes very much. Sorta full circle around here.
oliver, the description of that inspiring institution is all of the above yet the multiple choice definitely is not. As we are seeing in current markets, contractions are followed by expansion/rise. We just need the people to build it back up again.
Good Article
There seem to to be very few veteran players who want to do anything extra or new and there seem to be very few new people filling the talent/activity gap the veterans leave open.
The institution(s) of which you speak never really did anything for me. Always seemed to be much ado about nothing, or at the very least a collectivist response to something which didn't require a state-owned solution.
And in this game, there is no monopoly on the use of force, and people are only bound by their own goals, morals, and whims.
The ecan forums may soon be trimmed quite a bit. Though not to the degree of the erep forums.
Congress members, Please accept my change of citizenship request! Thank you very much
@Rolo - So wait rolo. Your calling us just another MU. Then just like the other MU's I wont show the books to the public.
Glad that's sorted.
The horse is already out of the barn. At the time these institutions should of impressed and included us, they disappointed and pushed us away us with corruption, entitlement and idealogic greed.
Like Plugson, I'm disappointed we couldn't make them work but I'm happy they're dead.
@ Cozza
If your funding Critirea and amounts are the same as the other MU's ie = equal, I don't care what you do with your funding. If you do a crappy job supplying your members, they will leave and join other MU's and you will lose that funding
and you can't call yourself the "National Army" anymore
We still sorted?
"The horse is already out of the barn. At the time these institutions should of impressed and included us, they disappointed and pushed us away us with corruption, entitlement and idealogic greed."
x2
"If your funding Critirea and amounts are the same as the other MU's ie = equal, I don't care what you do with your funding. If you do a crappy job supplying your members, they will leave and join other MU's and you will lose that funding"
x2
Plug is and always will be awesome.
Plug, I have a mancrush on you.
There, I said it.
plug: don't try to deflect attention. The institutions you list are as you described. Personally, however, i still think you, yourself, fit the description more amply. Good journey.
You are describing the devolution of this game and the article is still up? Impressive.
All of the Above, at least as we know it. The Supreme Court was always a curious role playing tool to me. I much preferred the mob mentality, as long as there were no valid arguments to the contrary. Rolo didn't have to be 'tried' in court. He's guilty, he admitted it and we should move on. 1ronman was caught red handed. The proof was right there. You either believe it was real or that it was fake. No need for a long drawn out court case.
CAF's usefulness has come and gone. People can supply themselves by working for their own companies. They can get a very good salary by working for someone else's company. Other MUs have come up over time that do just as good a job, if not better than CAF. CAF needs to be privatized or be subjected to the same rules as other MUs. no more special treatment.
Finally, CSIS. What'd CSIS ever do? Really... It was essentially a group of people pretending like they mattered by running 'covert' operations. The time has come to retire these three beasts.
I can't believe it took me so long to find this ;__;
~hyuu~