Join the new world

Good day, eRepublik. There's a great deal to be said about the upcoming election. The candidates are well known, their platforms are expansive, and their VP picks are exquisite. For the most part, this election's clarity leaves little to be desired; however, there is always a bit of room for elaboration, and, as usual, I have taken it upon myself to fill that hole, so to speak.

Overview

In this article, I'm going to be covering some of the BIG issues upon which this election will be decided. These issues include some of the obvious things, such as war, the economy, and citizen retention; however, there are a few less-obvious factors to consider, such as plans for organization and upstanding character.

One important thing to note is that, as much as is humanly possible, I will not be going into the specifics of each candidate's platform.

Oh, and, more so than my last article, the following truly is tl;dr.

And so, with that said, let us begin.

1. War, and Military Affairs

War, as we know, is a most crucial cog in the well-oiled machine that is eRepublik; though, as of recently, someone apparently misplaced the WD-40, because this game has been bugging like it's going out of style; but, I digress. War is one of the most important aspects of the New World. It is one of the best ways of keeping players interested in the game, and is one of the few ways in which we can "keep things moving", as it were. After all, how many people would be interested in this game if we were in a constant military deadlock, too afraid of losing a battle to bother leaving the negotiating table? I'm a huge advocate of diplomacy, but even I know that decreasing the frequency of military campaigns is political suicide - this is best evidenced by the recent lack of fights through which Americans could recharge their wellness. As you may (or may not) know, the result was chaotic. Massive numbers of complaints flooded the shout boxes, and people openly cursed our politicians for failing to "get the ball rolling".

Naturally, the importance of war suggests the critical nature of having a strong military. It could be called ritualistic, the way in which each candidate is expected to explain exactly how the military could (and would) be improved; however, it would be absurd to claim that this ritual is without merit. There is always room for improvement where military matters are concerned - it may not be obvious, but there is always something to tweak, abolish, or improve upon. Remember, the only reason for laying a strong foundation is so that something even more spectacular can be built atop it. What we have now is fantastic, there's no doubting that; however, that doesn't mean that certain things can't be improved. Maybe something in the structure can be better streamlined; maybe there's a way to help our citizens grow stronger in a shorter amount of time (or at least, a way to help them remember to train every day); maybe some of our younger soldiers don't live in a Q5 fortress. I could go through and list every conceivable issue, but I won't - it's more than enough to expect every candidate running to have a comprehensive plan ready and waiting to improve our military, so that we can train stronger, respond faster, and fight harder.

Even if it's only something little, one still sees further sitting on the shoulders of giants. Even if only the smallest tweak can be made to an otherwise flawless program, that tiny improvement is yet another step in the right direction. A candidate who settles for less is hardly a prime choice for President. Even if our President is taking baby steps to improve our military, America prefers proactivity to inactivity.

2. The Economy

One of the most frequently-spouted plans for economic improvement was to acquire regions rich in iron. Incidentally, this was one of the impetuses for marching on Heilongjiang (despite the battle also having served as a block). Long story short, that plan didn't really pan out. We had a lot of iron, yes, but no one was buying guns, because we were sitting in the sort of military deadlock that I mentioned above. Without any kind of engaging conflict, iron becomes useful only as a paperweight, since demand becomes virtually nonexistent. This wouldn't be so bad if people didn't migrate to the iron industry out of a misguided profit motive. Such a shift not only means that people are supporting a dormant industry, but they're doing so in a way that forces other industries to suffer. On one side, you have supply without demand; on the other side, you have demand without supply. If you add those together, you have a perfect formula for economic peril.

In this case, military affairs tie in nicely with economic prosperity. The key to meaningful revenue here is war - whether it's war with Phoenix, a resistance war, or even a training war with one of our allies, we buy weapons en masse, usually without regard for circumstance. Having such wars not only stimulates gun purchases, but thereby benefits the large number of workers in the iron industry by giving them a legitimate reason to produce. In a way, offering war whenever it can be had starts a sort of economic chain reaction, eventually leading us to significant economic gains - and, with a good economy, anything is possible.

Naturally, military provocation of the economy is not the only way to boost business, but it's the first thing that comes to mind. If candidates can dream up a more ingenious means of charging up our economy, then more power to them. The bottom line is, though, no candidate will see electoral success without a solid economic agenda. You show me a country that's content with being poor, and I'll show you a country that's never going to be a superpower.

3. Retention

I don't really have to spend a lot of time on this, as the idea of player retention is a fairly simple one. A lot of new players come to eRepublik, many of whom quickly depart out of sheer boredom. We were all newbies once, and we can all recall the seemingly-countless days spent two-clicking our way to level 5, where we could finally take part in wars, and begin experiencing the wider world of eRepublik.

I'm sure that many of the people that stayed probably considered leaving at some point, likely out of sheer disappointment that the New World wasn't all that we thought it would be; add Lana, a complex government, hundreds of articles, and confusing jargon, and you have a game that inadvertently alienates newer players. I know that I had the patience to wait out my many days as a two-clicker, but a lot of players obviously aren't like that, especially given the remarkably short attention span of people nowadays.

What candidates need is a convenient, fast-firing, relatively inexpensive way of retaining new players, and ensuring that older players don't become jaded with the game. While it's outrageous to expect a program with 100% efficacy, it's reasonable to want something that, for the most part, will actually work. Whatever it is, it requires mass appeal, and the community should ideally support it - we all know what happens when our elected officials try to implement something that their constituents don't like. The point is this, though: If a candidate can't retain players, he won't obtain office.

4. Governmental Structure

While I respect Jewitt's administration, I'd like you to refer to one of my previous comments: there's always room for improvements. In the case of the executive branch, this statement is no less true. Whether getting rid of useless departments, consolidating them into larger departments, or creating new departments altogether, upcoming candidates need to know how to promote synergy within the executive. While each department secretary holds dominion over his or her respective sphere of authority, that doesn't rule out the idea of cooperation, whether horizontal or vertical.

For example: The Secretary of the Treasury has an inherent right to know what the Secretary of Defense (or the Joint Chiefs of Staff) are up to, and exactly where the money is going. That would be horizontal communication; however, within a particular department, communication ought also be maximized. I, for another example, am an Ambassador. I reasonably expect to have the capability to contact any of my superiors, at any time, for any reason. For the most part, I've not had a problem with this; however, information should not be given out on a "trickle-down" basis. I should know what the Secretary of State knows; at least, I should have all the necessary details as are pertinent to the performance of my ambassadorial responsibilities. Even if the truth is horrifying, damning, or just embarrassing, important information is not a luxury; it is not a commodity; and it is not a scarcity - it is an essential resource, vital to the function of every government employee.

Simply put, every candidate needs to have a streamlined organizational plan for the executive branch. There need to be measures ready for enhancing communication within the executive, for expediting the function of each officer thereof, and, eventually, for improving cooperation between the aforementioned officers. Protip: we're all on the same team. We should do our best to act like it.

5. Character

Politics is often quoted as being a game of character, with the most visibly upstanding candidate being catapulted into office. Real politics may not be a part of eRepublik, but the important of having solid character remains undiminished. I don't want to brag on any of the candidates, but I feel somewhat safe in mentioning one of the vice-presidential hopefuls, Max McFarland.

While not everyone knows the extent of Max's operations, everyone knows that he's generally a good guy. He does a great deal for the citizens of the New World, often out of the kindness of both his heart, and of his pockets. Yes, he spends his own money to do nice things for people, if you want it in layman's terms. One of the most notable aspects of his character is that, in return for his gracious services, and saintlike aid, he asks for nothing in return - no repayment, no favors, and no personal glory. Sure, some have challenged his motivations as being secretly, sneakily selfish, feigning humility for personal gain, but the fact that he's spent loads of money, both real and virtual, to support strangers in a fictional world seems pretty unselfish to me. He has his cake, and lets others eat it. Without going on a multi-minute rave over the guy, I can certainly say that MM2 was a prudent pick on Frost's part.

In the same way, every candidate (and VP) has something that makes him stand out - whether it be remarkable accomplishments, a powerful reputation, or a celebrity-like status (Emerick). All of the candidates are remarkable people, and are sincere in their promises to do their best for the sake of our nation. To echo many others before me: America will be the winner, no matter who wins the election. I have the strangest feeling - call it a hunch - that the candidates will all be working closely together after the election is over. With people like this at the highest echelons of power, I see the United States going nowhere but up; this is a testament to the fact that genuine character is one of the most powerful weapons that any politician could wield.

Conclusion

Though this article has covered a few of the big issues, that isn't to say that there aren't other considerations to be made - foreign policy, domestic politics, and intra-alliance diplomacy are a few things I haven't bothered to get into. However, these issues seem secondary to some of the basic concerns that the average citizen will be looking toward as February 5th quickly approaches.

Generally speaking, the candidates seem to have picked up on the importance of these issues, and have also listed a few other goals that they hope to fulfill during their tenure in office - even so, I hope that you shout this article out, not only so that the current candidates hear it, but that future candidates, presidential hopefuls, and politically-minded citizens can gain a bit of insight as to how our world turns, and what's important to our nation; after all, these issues are unlikely to ever completely disappear. And, you may not agree with me, you may not like my choice of issues, and you may think that your candidate has all the answers - in spite of that, let me tell you something: I may be a McFrostland supporter, but I always have, do, and will believe that truth takes no sides.