A Modest Proposal to Plato

Day 3,398, 14:50 Published in USA USA by Gnilraps

Day 3398 of the New World
March 10, 2017


A Modest Proposal to Plato for (very) minor tweaks to eRepublik

Dear Plato,
I know I’ve been sort of a troll lately, publishing all kinds of silly things which make fun of you and our game. Like my fake interview article, or that direct frontal assault on how things have been going around here lately.

But today I vow to set down my sarcasm stylus and instead offer a few small tweaks that aren’t going to really solve any big problems but it might make things more interesting for those of us who keep hanging around.

So this is my serious face.



Idea #1 - Rocket Factory





OK it’s been a while since I completely downgraded that useless piece of garbage. It was too much work, too much expense, and too little benefit. And by now? I can do more damage with a Q7 weapon than I can with a top tier Rocket.

You yourself haven’t even touched this thing since day 2330 (that rocket factory promotion week), and you haven’t made any changes to it since day 1926 when you significantly increased cost/damage ratio. Ahem... it's now day 3398.

I say let’s do it again.

Crank that b**ch up. Give me 100 Million per rocket and I just might be tempted to rebuid my factory. Better yet, give me an Aircraft-only Bomb that I can drop for 50K damage and we’re really talking.

And if I haven’t convinced you yet, just think about how suddenly alluring that Combat Stash might be… you know the one that people used to snatch up for 9.99e but now sits unpurchased? (Admit it Plato, that sucker ain't selling so good no more).

Remember, we want to play. We like you and this game. We want fun toys. Gib us fun toys.


Tl;dr - Increase Rocket Factory to produce 100Mil ground and/or 50K Air bombs





Idea #2 - Actual Newspaper Subscriptions





Let’s be honest, Plato, nobody is actually “subscribed” to my newspaper.

I am speaking as the hands down most well-read newspaper man in eUSA, and perhaps in all of eRepublik.

Yes, I know that according to my newspaper page I have .

That number doesn’t mean much to me, and it means even less to everyone else. Why?

Because only in eRepublik is a “subscription” not a subscription.

You do understand that everywhere else in the world, including the internet, when someone subscribes to something it means that they are agreeing to automatically receive new content as soon as it’s available, right?

But in eRepublik, the “subscribe” button is a “like” button.

OK, so here’s the idea:

Cancel all subscriptions. Wipe the slate completely clean. Everyone starts with 0 subscribers. Also kill off the endorsement feature. I like it, but we’re going to combine it with the subscription idea.

Now, every time someone reads an article, the publisher gets paid. It can be a small amount, let’s say 1cc, paid to the publisher from the reader.

HOWEVER…!!! If someone is a SUBSCRIBER, s/he gets to read the latest article for (let’s say) half price. Once the article is published, every subscriber gets a PM link sent. The publisher even gets to design what that PM looks like. If the subscriber wishes to click the link, they pay the reduced rate instead of the full price to read the article.

So let’s say I am publishing this here article. Before I publish, Plato asks me what I want the “Subscriber PM” to look like. I say:



Or whatever. I tossed that together in 5 minutes. Obviously I’d spend a lot more time developing my PM if you’d just PLEASE do this.

And while we’re at it, how about a “Media Mogul” Pack which, for 9.99/month I get access to really cool stuff that an intrepid newspaperman would want, thereby increasing the likelihood that people will want to read my trash every time I publish it. COME ON PLATO... WORK WITH ME!!!

Tl;dr - Make subscriptions actual subscriptions. Take my money.

P.S. - Adjust the Media Mogul requirements. 1,000 subscriptions is like 10 subs per citizen for some eNations. Give the medal instead for every 1,000 “reads”.



Idea #3 - Cap Off Combat Orders






I really think people love combat orders. I think it’s a good idea.

I also think it needs a teensy weensy tweak.

If you were to pole the New World, you would discover that most eCitizens are frustrated at the fact that Credit Cards Rule.

I mean, I would love to go head to head with Colin some day just to see how much money he’d be willing to spend against me. Can you imagine an all-out epic mini with 5,000cc per 1,000,000 combat orders in a Ground battle? It would be expensive, but fun.

However, this is not how to design a massively multiplayer game. The trick here is to find the balance so that non-paying players are having fun. That ship sailed a long time ago in the New World. But there are a few little things that could be done to bring it back.

If Plato created a limit to how much money could be offered in combat orders, it would force a new era of diplomacy and warfare.

I am not advocating a limit on the size of the Combat Orders. I am talking about a limit on the total amount per mini that can be spent.

By doing so, you force Defense Departments to get creative about when they spend, how they communicate their spending plans, and how to think through which battle divisions should receive which funds… and it will mitigate against all-out-Visa wars.

Tl;dr - set a CO limit per mini-battle






That’s really all I have time for right now, but if so moved, I’ll publish a few more deep thoughts similar to these.





You may now return to your regularly scheduled clicking