[PM]At This Point in Time...
In my last article, I wrote about the problems most Congressmen and women have when they write long, boring, drawn out Manifestos. In this one, I'm going to have two basic outlines.
The first will be a normal PM Manifesto which most candidates produce. It will have Foreign and Domestic Policy (basic outlines, nothing fancy from me), small portions of Military and Economic reform (which every candidate promises).
The second will be what a winning manifesto in the UK should look like.
We'll see if you can spot the differences.
The Basic Manifesto
Hello people of [Insert Country Here]!
I am _______, and I am running for President of this Great Nation with the support of the [Insert Party Name here]. I wanted to introduce myself and give you some details as to what I stand for, and what I intend to accomplish if you put your trust in me.
[Insert Basic Domestic, Foreign, Economic, and Military Policy]
[Insert Basic Summary or Exit speech, trying to incite hope and joy.]
Sincerely,
[Candidate Name, Party]
[List of relevant positions held]
Now, that's most countries. That shows the support of standing behind policy and thought, and showing you what they intend to accomplish, and most importantly how.
Moving on, here's a basic outline of what a winning PM Manifesto in the UK should look like at this point, with all the boredom and infighting that occurs.
Hello People of the UK!
I am _______, the candidate for the Prime Minister elections representing absolutely no party! I r batshit crazy, and I intend to do the following if you choose to elect me as your leader:
1. Invade every possible target at least once. I do not care if we lose a region or two, we'll get them back over time. The least I can do is make it fun to yell at someone else for a change, instead of each other.
2. Fix whatever tax system is currently in place so we can actually make money from it.
3. I'll spend money on letting people have fun. Remember, I r batshit insane.
In closing, a vote for me means actually logging in to do something.
Thank you for your time,
____________,
Batshit Insane
Let's see if you can spot the subtle changes, and actually do something about it.
Sincerely,
Just Another Guy
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[Politics]Politicians Only Say What You Want to Hear
In the next week, you'll all hear about Congress "Manifestos" and things people plan on doing to represent their "regions" [you could also substitute constituents/voters/public here]. There are five basic promises, regardless of aim of almost every single Manifesto produced in Erepublik, and very rarely do their differ from Country to Country.
I will say, to dispel any doubt, I am highly disheartened at the ability and processes (or lack thereof) within the Erepublik Political System. Basically, I think beyond the power to vote "Yes" or "No", Congress is a joke. You can make just as much of an impact in almost every Theatre regardless of your political alignment or title.
Promise #1 - "I will represent you, the voter."
This is the more basic promise in Erepublik. "Fighting for the Little Guy!" or perhaps "The Government for the People, by the People!" can be popular campaign slogans for this type of promise.
Truthfully, it means very little, however, and there are two reasons for it.
See, problem number one with most regions is that within the gameplay mechanics, regions that do not contain high RM or high economic value are merely pawns on the World Scale. They have been used by almost every Alliance or group of countries trying to stimulate or produce war, and can be swapped, taken, given, or lent on a moments notice. Regional representation, in short, means nothing since most regions are worthless.
Problem number 2 lies in the sheer activity/population rate of Erepublik. As a Congressman or woman, you could represent anywhere from 10-7000 people. Odds are if you are managing 10, most if not all are two clickers or inactive because the region is dead or carries no value. If you are in a region of 7000, such as Florida, you have so many to represent that basically you can't represent them all equally.
What the politician should do: Produce your manifesto, and lay out your own ideas. If people support your thoughts, then you can represent those thoughts in Congress, but please, don't pretend to do something that you do not.
Promise #2: I will get us a Q5 Hospital!
You can basically substitute any "Infrastructure debate here", but most Congressmen or women will debate the need/placement of hospitals.
In short, let your military place your hospitals. They'll more than likely know better which regions to make your fortress or main regions, and it sure as hell shouldn't be any medium resources, which is basically pointless.
What the Politician Should Say: I'll allow those who know better to do their jobs without getting in the way.
Promise #3: Look at my Sig for all the titles I've held!"
This is basically a promise of "see how much crap I've done, so you should trust me". While it's nice to know people are experienced in perhaps a Presidential run, or looking at a brief resume, remove the Newspaper, Book Club, Library Card Number, and any other useless information from your title. If you have a newspaper, we can see that because, duh, we're reading it. We don't need to know you're the editor, I'd say that's fairly obvious.
What the Politician Should Say: I've worked hard to improve __________, and would love to be your representation in Congress.
Simple, straightforward.
Promise #4: I will improve the Military
Reality check, in Congress, no you won't. In almost every country that has existed for more than two months, only a select few actually make suggestions or changes to a military. This is for a reason. Yes, there might be a 10 person committee, but it sure as hell doesn't contain any politicians.
It's the Politicians job to negotiate and politic, and Military should always be distanced from those kinds of people.
What the Politician Should Say: I'll work hard to maintain a strong bond between our Military Leaders and keeping our Congress informed.
Promise #5: I r teh Bomb, vote for me.
Half of a manifesto talks about why you think you're the best. As I've said in the beginning, I believe Congress to be a huge waste of time outside of some minor adjustments such as monitoring slight tax changes (when needed), perhaps a little money printing and MPP/Wars. Otherwise you get to vote yes or no.
Sounds like the job of a Level 1 employee who hasn't passed his 90 day trial period, personally. There's no originality, no flair, and the possibility of being in Congress is limited. Enjoy.
What a Politician Should Say: I will work hard within the job to ensure it's done properly.
As you can tell, the politics module needs more options (much like the Economy Module and War Module, but hey). It's just too simple to enjoy beyond three months.
Just Another Guy read more
[What is Fun]Parameter Overload: Cannot Compute
There are definitely various types of players in Erepublik. Some of us enjoy the controversy of Political gains, some of us the conquest of the military. Some of us actually enjoy the hours of countless diplomatic talks, while others mainly laugh at how they perceive diplomacy to be utterly boring and uneventful enough to spend the kind of time required to be good at it.
Either way, there is definitely a fine line between what is, and isn't fun in Erepublik to many people.
The Statesman
The Statesman is the man or woman, usually appointed or elected to represent a country. They probably aren't the greatest business mind or military tactician in Erepublik, but rather can convince an Eskimo to buy Ice, and that it's the best investment said Eskimo will ever make. He/She is convincing, heartfelt, and prefers to spend long hours in both forums, IRC, MSN, and other forms of communication. They usually proclaim an Alliance, MPP, friendly relations, or even perhaps a negotiation on the behalf of a third party as their greatest achievement in Erepublik. There are probably very few true Statesmen in any country, and a few in "Training".
The Tactician
Many of the people in Erepublik, whether they are daily citizens or Statesmen as outlined above forget that strategy actually does play a part in Erepublik. There are tactical manuevers, regional planning, conflict assessment, and other various strategies placed by the "Tactician" type Erepublikan. Many of these types of players aren't as widely known throughout the General Halls, so to speak, but those in Power Corridors know them well. They are usually behind mass attacks, large scale defenses, and meaningful battles, although from time to time they may be asked upon for smaller, or less planned Resistance Wars. This is usually a very select few, if not a single person in each country.
The Grunt
The Grunt is, as the name goes, the Worker Ant of the Colony. They are given orders, whether it be politically motivated, economic (coordinating workforce), voting in ATO/TO Squads, or just generally representing their country or group. They do so through forums, working, training, fighting, etc. Wherever an order needs to be carried out, the Grunt does so happily. This section usually makes up a Minority, however a large Minority of the country.
The Two Clickan - Now includes more dead people!
Yes, the Majority of every country is either two clicking due to boredom, or dead. They just work, train, and barely learn to follow basic orders. Many of them, oddly enough, barely bother to fight. Most countries busy themselves trying to catch the attention of two clickers to make them active, or catch young players before they leave because they do not understand Erepublik. This is an overwhelming Majority of almost every country in Erepublik.
So where do you draw the line?
Well, the Majority of us are going to be having the most fun during conflict. Case in point: X invades Y.
The Politicians of X are going to be politickin to defend their position of invasion, justifying it for one reason or the other. They'll spend countless hours on IRC, forums, etc talking to allies and enemies alike, looking for "conflict resolution", whether that's total annihilation or diplomatic peace.
The Politicians of Y are going to politickin to defend their country, gather MPPs and countries willing to defend with them, etc, with both allies and enemies alike.
In short, the Statesmen actually have to represent something during conflict.
Tacticians will be planning strategical attack, withdraw, and counter points during the conflict on both sides. This is obvious.
Grunts will be..well....doing grunt work. In short, they'll have something to do.
Two Clickers will have 8 more clicks. How fun is that?
Fact is that most of the time, outside of direct conflict 98% of every country does nothing but work and train, while they are represented by 2% of the population. During times of conflict, everyone has something to do, whether it's represent their nation, talk trash, troll incessantly, or otherwise. Enjoy the Ride.
Cheers
Dish read more
[Scripts]Don't Risk Using Them
It is against the rules in Erepublik to use any Auto-Function Script.
The use of any Auto-Action Script, such as auto-donate, is against the ToS of Erepublik, and this rule will be enforced. Those who use such scripts are doing nothing but risking the assets and capabilities in those Organisations. I would highly advise against using them, unless you don't care about the Money, Companies, Gold, and other items, as if action is taken against those Orgs they will be lost, without any recourse.
Be smart, play within the rules.
Sincerely,
Dishmcds read more
[MPPs]Strength in Numbers, No More
From the new Erepublik Insider: The Cost of an Alliance will be raising from 30 G to 100 G.
A More Organised Approach
In today's World there are several countries which you can call "Strong Military Nations" in terms of damage dealt. I'll list a few below, and examine the effects the new rules will have on various types of Defense and Warfare.
Hungary - 15 MPPs
The United States - 15 MPPs
Indonesia - 13 MPPs
Serbia - 11 MPPs
Croatia - 15 MPPs
Sweden - 8 MPPs
Obvious: I am including countries of 2,000 or so citizens, or with active, strong populations that can deal larger amounts of damage. Sweden is probably the weakest country on that list, however most of it's population is older, stronger, and can do more damage than a normal Erepublikan. Once again, if I didn't include your country, it's not because I don't love you. It's because I don't need that many examples.
Strength In Numbers, No More
In Beta, we all remember epic battles of large numbers of citizens moving to countries with active MPPs to fight. From Germany's invasion of Poland to the US's invasion of Canada, fighters flocked from all over the World to partake in battles, gain experience (back then, it was only rank), and have fun.
At the introduction of V1, they introduced a Gold Cost for MPPs, which reduced this a little. Smaller nations such as Ireland (a founding member of the NA), The Czech Republic, and even medium sized nations had to reduce the number of MPPs they carried. The US, at the introduction of the pay system, carried more than 20 MPPs at once. It became a more strategic place, considering that cost came out of their monthly earnings, and what they could spend both domestically and in their military.
Over time, that has decreased however. At the start of V1, 30 G to a country was a decent bit of money to pay a month. Some countries, if they would have continued, would have paid upwards of 600 Gold per month strictly for MPPs. 30 Gold is not what it once was (especially since, at one point, you couldn't buy it), and more and more people earn more per day.
We saw during the renewal of the Hungary-Romanian war, all the way through French Toast and into the Invasion of the US just how detrimental an activated MPP was going to be in terms of military victory on invasion. Honestly, that's what makes a successful direct invasion so impressive, because we all know how hard it truly is to accomplish against MPPs.
However, with today's announcement, we turn to a new Era. We'll most certainly hear that this system kills small countries. While it will be more detrimental to a country with a daily intake of 2 G than a country with a daily intake of 20-50+, it will carry various benefits:
Positives
-I cannot see any country carrying more than perhaps 5 MPPs, even the rich ones. The countries on the receiving end also have to pay, so if they have a lot of protectorates, they'll have to decide how to split their protections.
-Smaller countries will most likely only carry one MPP, making it more interesting as to who they will carry. Foreign Relations, for all you Political Students out there, just got really interesting ;)
-Erepublik will be more interesting.Someone will most likely try to invade a smaller or medium size nation once the MPP counts are reduced, and the other will counter. We all know how much an aggressive war drives Erepublik, and it will make things quite interesting around the Globe, from the Nordics to North and South America. I'm sure, somewhere, somehow, this will drive "moar RAWR".
Negatives
-This is most certainly more beneficial to larger countries with more tax intake. It will put many smaller countries at risk, however some will argue that it merely diversify our Erepublik Globe.
-The cost will certainly hurt the larger countries, even though they'll just try to make up for it from either their tanking or tax budgets. Going from 500-600 Gold per month to 2000 isn't a small jump for any country.
Overall, this is a good thing for Erepublik. We all wanted to know when it would truly get interesting again.
Today, I think you got your answer.
Dish
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