Status Kwê[Afr|Eng]

Day 2,300, 10:12 • Published in South Africa South Africa • by Wilpanzer

Hello Hallo Dagsê Howzit Heita Aweh Sawubona Molo Unjani Hoezit Shalom and Heito Potato 🙂

I hope you all are having a delicious day, for it's raining here and continuous rain emits an aura of depression on many South Africans - especially non-coastal residents.

I decided to return to eSA after being in the eNetherlands for about two months. I had really enjoyed the change in political and social scenery with eNl, but after seeing DB's emigration article I realized that there wasn't much "fight" left in eSA. In fact, the forums seem too quiet nowadays and that just hints that even the core members of our community are struggling to keep eSA alive.

Current Affairs

I think one has to recognize that we live in a very volatile e-world. A lot of social aspects stay the same, but often the admins and the elites force change upon the different communities to maintain a competitive spirit. eRepublik has rapidly lost much of its political and economic value, but the admins have amplified the role of war through tournaments, ranks, mines etc.

I believe this has brought great imbalance to the game. When I first started playing eRepublik I saw a wealth of variety in a country's structure. Military Units had hierarchical structures, competitions, roll call and effective communes. There were regular discussions about the country's constitution and government as well as semi-political debates about current affairs and ideologies.

Today the game seems "lighter", but worse off as a result of streamlining. Somewhere down the line the developers changed their focus. One of the eRepublik admins once said that eRep had a great advantage and that was that it possessed a vibrant community. eRepublik was far more enjoyable in the past and we ironically enjoyed it more without the party political system, "new" economy, tournaments, rankings, formal alliances and free spins.

eRepublik was based upon the innovation and imagination of its players. The many wiki pages, wars, governments, treaties and alliances were formed by the players. The admins merely acted as administrators.

I think that is the game's greatest loss. By putting all focus on war and competitiveness, the admins have destroyed the meaning of eRepublik. War no longer has to make sense, politics no longer have to make sense, the economy no longer has to make sense...it's all about YOUR ranking on the leaderboard.
What to do?

I suggest we ride it out 🙂
Something many designers, builders and developers learn, specifically in the IT sector, is that every piece of code has an expiring date. Like code gets older, ideas get older and the product ages. The admins have determined a very odd course of action, and therefore maintenance is neither an option or solution for them.

Let's play eRep as a wargame and see what happens.
[Afr]

Dagsê dagsê!

Ek hoop julle mense geniet ook die bietjie sonskyn wat ons deesdae kry. 🙁

Ek het besluit om terug te keer na eSA nadat ek so twee maande in eNederland was. Ek het rerig die verandering in politiese en sosiale landskap geniet, maar nadat ek gesien het dat DB oorweeg om te beweeg het ek besef dat daar nie baie gees in eSA meer oor is nie. Die forums blyk om bietjie te stil te wees en dit dui half aan dat tot die kernlede van ons gemeenskap struikel om eSA lewendig te hou.
Aktuele Sake

Ek dink dat 'n mens moet herken dat ons in 'n baie wisselvallige wêreld leef. Baie van die sosiale aspekte bly dieselfde, maar die admins en elites forseer baie verandering op die verskillende gemeenskappe ten einde die mededingende gees in die ewêreld te handhaaf. eRepublik het onlangs vinnig politiese en ekonomiese waarde verloor, maar die admins het tog die rol van oorlog aangevul deur die gebruik van toernooie, range, myne ens.

Ek glo dat dit die balans van die spel versteur het. Toe ek aanvanklik eRepublik begin speel het, het ek 'n rykdom in verskeidenheid in lande se strukture gesien. Militêre Eenhede het hiërargiese strukture, roll call en effektiewe communes gehad. Daar was gereelde gesprekke oor die land se konstitusie en regering sowel as semi-politiese debatte oor aktuele sake en ideologieë.

eRepublik was eens gebaseer op die innovasie en verbeelding van sy spelers. Die wiki bladsye, oorloë, regerings, verdrae en alliansies is gevorm deur spelers. Die admins was blootweg net administrateurs.

Die spel lyk "ligter" vandag, maar ook swakker as 'n gevolg van vereenvoudiging. Die admins het op 'n tyd besluit om hul fokus te verander. Een van eRepublik se admins het eens gesê dat eRep oor dinamiese gemeenskappe beskik het, dat dit eRep spesiaal gemaak het. Dit was ver meer genotvol in die verlede en ons het ironies meer genot gevind sonder party politiek, die "nuwe" ekonomie, toernooie, range, formele alliansies en loterye.

Ek glo dit is die speletjie se grootste verlies. Deur al die fokus op oorlog en mededinging te plaas het hulle die hele betekenis van die spel vernietig. Oorlog hoef nie meer sin te maak nie, die ekonomie hoef nie meer sin te maak nie en die politici hoef nie meer sin te maak nie. Alles gaan oor jou plekkie op die leaderboard.
Nou wat sê jy nou?

Ek stel voor dat ons net die storm trotseer.
Iets wat baie ontwerpers, bouers en ontwikkelaars leer, spesifiek in IT, is dat elke stukkie kode oor 'n vervaldatum beskik. Soos kode verouder, word idees sowel as die finale produk ook ouer. Die admins het 'n baie snaakse plan van aksie gekies, en daarom is handhawing nie 'n opsie of oplossing vir hulle nie.

So, kom ons speel 'n oorlogspel en sien wat gebeur 🙂