Updates on Bans, Restatement of eUS Foreign Policy

Day 4,863, 10:01 • Published in USA USA • by Department of State

Day 4863

Greetings, citizens of eUSA, and friends and foes alike from around the globe.

The entire eWorld has been buzzing with gossip, accusations, trolling, gloating, and assorted kvetching over the recent spate of bans handed down by everyone’s favorite philosopher. Your eUS State Department has been busy trying to keep track of fact and fiction, with an eye toward maintaining stable relationships abroad.

First, let’s attempt to tell the entire story in as few sentences as possible.

Several years ago, certain bot farms began to proliferate in such abundance that wars were won and lost because of them. If you didn’t have a bot farm, you lost. While bot farms became the determining factor in the global power struggle, one farm in particular - located out of The Republik of Macedonia - noticed a strange phenomenon. Several of its bots were showing unusual amounts of damage compared to expectations. Further investigation led to the discovery of a bug in the eRepublik game code; a combination of the deploy button and a damage accelerator led to unlimited energy bars. Quite by accident, this bot farmer had found an exploit which would turn the tables against CODE. This known bot farmer reported the bug to eRepublik Admin, who had the bug fixed within a few weeks. Now, some 15 months later, dozens of top accounts in Serbia, Portugal, Bulgaria, Macedonia, and elsewhere have been banned for having taken advantage of the game bug. These players are extremely angry, having spent lots of money on their accounts throughout the intervening months, only to be banned so long after the bug had been fixed. Meanwhile, CODE tanks are equally angry, having spent lots of money defending against an enemy which had access to unlimited energy bars. Something like 40 or so Diamond accounts have been permanently banned. A similar number of LXX accounts are gone. Most importantly, about 80% of the players who owned these accounts are no longer interested in playing eRepublik. A growing number of CODE players are also beginning to drop out as well, convinced that Admin is guilty of exploiting them for money while their enemies exploited the game for damage. Meanwhile, an impressive international group of citizens is forming a coalition to petition Plato with a comprehensive plan to reform the game.

That’s that.

This has had a huge impact on the State Department and our work. It’s been less than a year since we famously exited the CODE alliance. We were just as victimized by the game exploits that were used against us in 2019, and we subsequently felt unsupported by our allies in CODE. So we underwent the largest Foreign Affairs shift in eUS history, as we publicly declared our intentions to court Asteria with hopes to become full members someday. That is our path, and we will hold to it. Up until this recent earthshattering ban event, we had made excellent strides toward full membership in Asteria.

As of now, the Asteria alliance is in tatters. There is almost no functioning HQ. The key members have been decimated and their offensive power has been decapitated. Hydra is not doing much better. Our alliance, Apollo, continues to function at a high level, but without its parent alliance, it alone will not be able to provide enough defensive firepower. Meanwhile, CODE sits atop the world as the singular power in the game. The world is their oyster right now. There are rumors of war and rumblings about potential targets. It would be wise for every nation that is not copacetic with CODE to prepare as if for war.

Brief editorial section:
Who and what is to blame for the desparate state of eRepublik today?

It is too simple to just blame those who in 2019 abused a game bug. An exploit like that is part of the problem. By far the biggest problem over the years has been the bot farms, as they have dictated far too much control over the military balance of the game, and have led many formerly “clean” nations to travel down that road too. In addition to bot farms are the scripts which Admin has tacitly permitted, the buying and selling of game accounts, a robust black market that robbed eRep Labs of much income, and several other unfortunate game bugs, all of which have exhausted a huge number of devoted citizens to the precipice of quitting. The bans that were handed down could (most would say should) happen to nearly every nation in the game. Even eRepublik Admin has done a miserable job of adhering to the Terms of Service. The game itself is at a critical juncture right now.


Back to the facts:
eUSA will not waver in its global position. We set out to become a worthwhile ally to nations like Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia, Portugal, as well as those members of Apollo and Hydra who are similarly aligned. This is who we are. It is crucial that the world knows this, and it is crucial that we Americans hold fast. It is tragic that our side in the global struggle has suffered such a huge blow from Plato. The nations of Asteria need eUSA, Apollo, and Hydra more than ever before. Nobody knows what Asteria will look like in the coming months. But if you are reading this then you are still logging in, and if you are still logging in then you are encouraged to keep making wise decisions with your resources.

Final Important Note:
As you know, eUSA has been in an unprecedented Training War era during which we have enjoyed numerous opportunities to farm for TP cash and Gold. Today, we want to remind you that these are called Training Wars, not Farming Wars. As several of our TW partners have lost some of their capacity to maintain their side of the walls effectively, it is incumbent upon eUS fighters to do so. Already our Training Wars are being sabotaged by fighters from CODE and others who oppose eUS policy.

Therefore, before you consider your opportunities for farming, check the eUSA CoTD, the eUS and MU Shout Feeds, and Discord for clear priorities. Make sure those priority battles are in good order before you go looking for opportunities to earn personal rewards. Let’s step up our game while our partners tend to their wounds. MU commanders. 2nd commanders, and regiment captains should become even more vigilant about setting Daily Orders in line with up-to-the-minute priorities.

It is time for eUSA to be at her best.


Hail Apollo!
Hail Hydra!
Hail Asteria!

Signed,
The eUSA State Department
The President of eUSA