[eToast] #5 | Who is Sarah Voorhees? +MUs, good or bad?

Day 1,534, 07:45 • Published in Netherlands United Kingdom • by Bernard Hoffington

In this edition we speak to Sarah Voorhees. If your unfamilliar with who this person is, to put simply she is MU commander of the Dutch National Guard and 24 time congresswoman of the eNetherlands. We also have an article from long time politician of the eNetherlands and eUSA, Garmr, talking about how MUs effect a country and whether they are good or bad for national interests.

This edition's article titles:
1. Who is Sarah Voorhees? By Sarah Voorhees
2. Military Units - A blessing or a curse? By Garmr



Writer : Sarah Voorhees
Who is Sarah Voorhees?
Interviewer: missingno

How did your eLife start, have you always been a citizen of the eNetherlands?

My eLife started when I came across this site from another gaming board. It sounded interesting, so I joined. As far as my citizenship goes, yes I have always been a citizen of eNL.

What were your initial goals, did you ever want to try and become the president of eNL?

My initial goals were to learn the game and start a company. I soon found myself enjoying politics and war more though. Also, yes I have ran for president 3 times as the IDP party president.

Your presence in congress has been quite controversial due to the fact you have very little forum activity yet you win a majority of votes almost every election. What can you say this is down to?

I will be honest and say my looks seem to play a role in my popularity, but I also would like to think that my activity in the game has played a role as well. During my stay I have invested much gold into rebuilding eNetherlands each time we have been invaded. I know I haven't been active on the forum, and to some this seems controversial, but to be honest I don't care about the forum because I have come a higher understanding. That understanding is, the forum has never once stopped Poland from invading us, nor does it add anything of lasting value to the actions taken in the game. In reality it just seems like another level of politics that serves no purpose other than entertaining the ego's of the political elite. So you might say I take my inactivity on the forum as a point of pride.

What are your current goals, are you just two clicking to level up or do you have some ambitions you want to achieve?

My current goals are to increase my military level and keep my MU ready for battle with the help of some awesome MU members. Seriously, thank you to my captains for their support and work on the MU!

Tell me a bit about yourself, what do you do outside of erepublik. Do you study or work?

I recently got married last year to my hubby of 3 years. I work as an office manager at a materials testing lab. I am also working to finish my BS in Technical Management this year as well. So you can see I have alot of work, but never too much to not have time for my beloved eNetherlands.



Writer : Garmr
Military Units - A blessing or a curse?

With the introduction of military units (hereafter referred to as MU’s), the admins implemented a way for military leaders to guide their soldiers in a more detailed manner, rather than just the campaign of the day, set by the CP. It became possible to unite players in different groups, and even in groups within that group, all able to have a different target battle set out for them. This limits overkills in battles, and makes it easier to focus on multiple battles.

Another big bonus is the free bazooka and energy bar. It adds a lot of damage, even for a player with a low hit. It has greatly improved the value of casual and newer players on the battlefield, which was mostly dominated by the top tanks. It gives a good incentive for players to follow the order of the day, rather than fight somewhere else (and pursue the very, very bad mercenary medal).

So far so good, right? Now where the main problem lies with MU’s, are the non-governmental ones. Obviously, there are plenty of fine non-governmental MU’s out there. At least, their intentions are honest and they try to act in the benefit of their respective nation. Sadly, good intentions do not always equal good results. Because of lack of communication, something for which both the leader(ship) of the MU and the MoD have equal responsibility, MU’s may set their orders to irrelevant battles.

To give a little explanation here, alliances have a headquarters, where the military masterminds pick battles where the alliance as a whole will fight. To fight elsewhere means you are potentially harming your alliance, and with that your country, and with that yourself. You may think ‘But hey, if I do damage on another front, the enemy will be forced to fight on the other front as well!’. No, this is very wrong. The battle you fought in will be ignored, and won at a later time when the important moments of the high priority battle have passed.

Now, as said before, there are surely MU’s out there that are active and motivated, and just need a gentle hand to steer them in the right direction. These are not the main problem, as this problem can be solved with a couple of clicks. The real danger lies in MU’s who think they don’t need guidance, and even worse, the MU’s that are lead by inactive people. Only through proper education such MU’s can be improved or, if that fails, they must be removed. This is something that should be prioritized by everyone who understands the importance of a coordinated military.
It takes little time, and gains a huge profit - relevant damage wise.



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[eToast] #5 | Who is Sarah Voorhees? +MUs, good or bad?
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