Hello is there a game designer?

Day 1,514, 12:31 • Published in Poland Poland • by Sollf

Because You know... I haven’t seen him lately from, well from the beginning?



Ohh that explains everything...

Don't get me wrong I am not saying in this article that the game is shit because it is (wut?), its rather that its not. To be honest eRepublik it a game that I quite enjoy or I was enjoying (not really sure of it now) for a long time now. But you folks know, the game is changing, I am changing... and lately I am sick of it.

So if you guys wanna hear some polish asshole who will say you how to make yours own game then stick around and let the show begin.

Lets clear one thing first. Erepublik is a game based on community, right? Well I thing so because all of the interaction among players that is going on practically all the time. I thing so because all the players that are a pain in my ass demanding a new comics strip (for my sake that are 4 now only polish players), and all those who hate me so much that want me to dine in hell (cheers guys!), and not in that cool spartan way... Finally I think so because there are so many players who say something like this:

- “Its not the thing It was at my beginnings. The game has no point nowadays.”
- “So why do you play?”
- “I don’t know... Well I have some friends here and its always nice to hang here wit them”

Without the community the game is truly nothing. There are many more sophisticated and playable browser games. But only eRepublik with its country based system gives the felling that you are a part of some grater mission. It encourages you to play with others, support one another and even if there is no other way... troll them to death!

I am pretty sure you already know that Alex (can I call you that way? Alexis is soooo like in that tv show “Dynasty”). You knew that form the whole beginning when you and George started making this game. So tell my what went wrong? Why is yours public relations staff one of the most incompetent in the whole eWorld (I hope you will get the joke...)?!

In a community driven game you have a very poor relation with you players.

I don't say you should really listen to us all the time. Steve Jobs was such a successful man also cause all of the Apples pr research was done when Steve was shaving... We are the players, not the designers, and we don't really know what the best for us. But for god's sake! We should have a feeling that you do care and listen! Cause you know what you have now? A game in witch most of the players think that the admins are a bunch of monkeys that will make every bad decision that there is to make. Only for the sake of draining money form ours pockets. And that’s but thing in a game witch earns money on players buying in game items (gold in eRepublik mostly). Most of us don't really want to do that. We thing that we can't and should not support you while you are making a bad job. So what do we do? Most n of of us don't buy any gold and make fun of those who do. But this is now only a matter of bad pr. We make fun of mastercards cause...

The game is horrible unbalanced.

What do I do when I have to fight and don't have any chances of wining? Do I run, cry or beg for mercy? Nope I am a clever guy, so... i cheat. If a band of punks will try to beat the hell out of me what will I do? I will thing of every dirty trick that I have at hand that will make me survive this situation. The same thing is happening here. If I cant catch up with with old players what will I do? Fight there where I can win Will I buy gold? Nope, I don't respect the admins, so I dont want to support them. So Ill make some multiple accounts. Why not? It's worth the risk and its only a game. The same situation is with countries in eRepublik. If they can win because the other countries with more players are more powerful, they will make multiple accounts to catch up with them. Its as simple as that. Balancing the game is a difficult task, but you are not even trying!

When you have a game with no time line going to the end, you have to give a chance for players to catch up with those who are playing much longer. And there is none of this in eRepublik. New and old players, we are all training the same way... So if 2 players are training exactly the same way, the older one will always be victorious (more powerful).

And you know what? The game is boring.

I know, know. Most of the players enjoy only the war module. But if there is a war, there must be a idea behind it to be interesting. The way eRepublik is made all the wars are ongoing, there is no stop to them. Why not? The most interesting war for me in the game was when ePoland didn't have any wars open, and any training wars (who does remember whats that?) either. Then our president attacked eLithuania, and after a 1 day the war was closed cause eLithuania swapped regions. It was hell of a fun with all the emotions on top of the battle! Polish press spammed with articles praising and touting ePolish president. And now? Now nothing – every war is just another war. More doesn’t mean better.

But there is one more reason for that. Admins you have killed the political module. You may say that players most enjoy wars, so you are developing this side of eRepublik. But a good designer wood understand that politicians make wars interesting. They give them reasons inside and outside countries. They wont do that now. In a military driven state we have a democratic system that is no use for the players. The whole eWorld is building government structures outside the game mechanics, which lead to military driven state with no place for interesting politics. Redesign the political module, make it something more then a pm spam race for political parties... And when will you do that thing of it like of a game, not a realistic democratic system... because you know there is no real democracy if you can see the outcome of the elections during them! But its a good decision for a game, relay! It gives the players in the game chance to organize themselves, cheat, plot and troll other players. It gives them some space for the game! Think of that! Redesign the system this way that political parties must be active every day! Not only on the elections.

I know, I know... I am a bit of an asshole there. I ask for much and don't give any recipe for game fixes. Why not? Advice costs Alex and I don’t relay recall your humble person buying any gold from me...

Ps. Sorry for my poor English. Haven’t used it to much lately and its a bit rusty.



Yep, I know what you are thinking now. This advice will be free. When some pain in the ass is trolling you that the game is poor, the last thing you should do is trying to silent him. Deleting a article is a sign of weakness. A true pr manager (not the monkeys you got there) would... and this will be shocking... answer my accusation. A great one would pm and ask if I wold like interview some of the eRepublik pr staff and post the interview in my newspaper. Why? This way you will show the players you care, shut my mouth, and show some sympathy (and this one you need very, very much).