Join the new world

Looking Back

The biggest challenges I think any new player faced in the past, are the same ones that new players face today. The challenges of being able to feed yourself, arm yourself, earn a decent wage, and generate enough energy to run that cycle again. Rinse, wash, repeat right?

Fortunately for me, and many other of my eGeneration, the game was a lot simpler. There were far fewer things to contend with in order to be successful. Fortunately for myself and many others, there were also a boat load of freebies from the Government, and more than enough citizens who were only to happy to offer help in the form of food, money, or weapons. Thats not to say that those resources don't exist today, but given the demands on the financial resources of the everyday player, its just not realistic to expect the same degree of charity to be available.

Where does that leave the average new player?

Looking Around

For any eNation, the nut we all seek to crack is that of player retention. New players are the lifeblood of any Nation. Keeping them engaged when the mechanics of the game are at first, exceptionally overwhelming, is key. It is not all that difficult to get discouraged or give up when there are so many things you need to grasp out of the chute.

To be honest, the most exciting aspect of the game for most, is likely combat. Success in this arena is tangible in that you gain rank, experience points, and you can see the impact you're having with the simple click of the mouse. The battlefield is like catnip…addictive and it leaves you feeling drunk with power…and then the hangover hits. You need to feed yourself again. You need to arm yourself again. You want more and more energy so you can fight longer, and yet you're stuck with whatever number you start the game with.

There is no doubt that MU's do a great job of handling this issue, with most offering food and weapons in exchange for cheap labour. Its a win/win situation. The MU gets the benefit of maximum return on investment, and the player gets weapons and food on a regular basis. It's a great solution to a big problem, but could we be doing more?

Yes…I believe we can

Looking Ahead

I am pleased to announce the return of the "Pay It Forward Foundation"

A number of years back, I started the foundation with a goal of producing goods and currency to be given to new players. The only caveat of my gift was that I would appreciate them "Paying It Forward" one day, when they find themselves in a more lucrative position.

Would I ever know if the player did as I asked? Of course not, but I operated on the notion of good faith in the hopes that the recipient would actuate on their feelings of gratitude, and reciprocate the same in future.

Over the course of the coming days and weeks, the Foundation will once again be handing out weapons, food, and currency. The wheels of this program are already moving with several jobs already filled, and the spoils of their work already applying traction to the cause.

As an added bonus, I am pleased to announce that I have purchased a House factory as well as a house raw company. With these two building blocks, and a handful of employees, I have already begun to put in motion, my latest venture of the Pay It Forward Foundation…I give you:

The Klop123 In From The Cold Program

This program will provide a free, no strings attached, Q1 house to a new player, to help them earn overtime points and thus, additional wages, as well as an increase to their energy limit.

Its a small start I know, but I am hopeful that I can produce a good number of houses each month, and distribute them accordingly.

This is the future of my involvement in this game.

I have been blessed over the past 5 years, to have been able to do many things, hold many offices, play many roles, and enjoy many many good friendships. I have been the beneficiary of great charity. At this age and stage of my eLife, I am transitioning to that of being a benefactor and a builder.

Before I sign off, I want to touch on something I wrote in a recent article. Klop123 made a very generous donation to me when I returned. I could have easily spent it on weapons, food, or something else solely for my own gain. Instead, and Klop123 I want you to know this, I used it as seed money for the new In From The Cold Program. Thanks to your generosity, many new players will be able to enjoy a free house. Thank you my friend…it was a real pleasure for me to be able to Pay It Forward!

Yours In National Unity,