Global Economics and Trade Help Desk and Q&A

[Yohannes]

Thank you for your advice. I make my own models but I am not that into technical details and I don't think my models are the most realistic.

There is no requirement that your models must be 'realistic', each and every one of us prefer our own style of roleplaying. Like Lyras, he roleplay with heavy NationStates Modern Technology designs ('NS MT'), and I myself used to roleplay with that kind of technology too in the past. You can also have the strict real life modern technology (existing already is a must, and not still in development for the future), or perhaps PMT (this one can kinda mix a bit with 'NS MT' as both can be interconnected in terms of claim of how advanced the design is).

Then there is FT/Future Technology or perhaps Dieselpunk, Steampunk, Fantasy, etc. Airships, ponies, elves, magic, etc. you name it

I am roleplaying with ponies as some of my ambassadors, and the Kingdom of Yohannes have multiple airships operating throughout the nation, so I myself would be a mix of MT (not 'NS MT' but strict MT) and some Fantasy elements mixed together (though I don't use the ponies, elves, airships, etc. as a way for me to gain advantage over other nations... I use them merely because I like Final Fantasy IX... and I roleplay with the good nations and writers @Coalition of Pony States nations!)

The aren't overpowered or anything but I do enjoy making them a little bit ''alternative'' for lack of a better word. I usually give them specs that are comparable to real vehicles.

Yeah by all mean, there is nothing wrong with that bro haha just do what you feel like doing ultimately, its your design after all

In fact, I make models for several of my nations. They all are supposed to have their very own style and one of them is even a steampunk nation.

Perhaps I could sell some of the designs for all of my nations in the try-out storefront?

Yeah why not do that? Tbh just go with it, and see how it goes. and Yohannes is a bit steampunk too yay!

[Stahn]

Okay... Well, no reason to put it off any longer. I'll get working on my try-out storefront and just hope for the best.

[Atlantica]

To create an excellent military storefront, do you have to design your own products? Or can you just use real-life photos and put them alternative designations and configurations?

[Lamoni]

To create an excellent military storefront, do you have to design your own products? Or can you just use real-life photos and put them alternative designations and configurations?

I've always thought it better to sell original designs, myself.

[Yohannes]

Yeah Lam Lam pretty much got the answer to your question.

And also, if you can (although it is understandable that it is not even close to a must have), why not try to lineart/draw your design, instead of taking images from the internet as the primary source of identification for your design. Its fun, and can be challenging (I will confess that I am not good at it myself), but a decently linearted design will easily make its mark over other designs with images grabbed from the internet.

Its also not that hard, you can always use MSPaint, or use free programmes (available for free) such as Gimp and Inkscape

[Novo Wagondia]

I have a quick question I'd like to run by the professionals, as it's been bothering me lately and I'm just curious about it.

If a nation owning a storefront goes inactive, ceases to exist, and leaves the storefront with no identifiable successor or body to look out after it (and I mean long-term inactivity, like over 6 months on the storefront and over 3 months on the nation itself), is it legal to use the designs from that storefront yourself? Of course the ground rules before vacancy still apply (if, for instance, third parties cannot trade the technologies in question), and credit is given to the late designer, but it would be a shame to let good designs wither away when you can't place an order for them (because, of course, you would never get a response). Is there a way to wire the appropriate funds anyway, in a sort of 'boneyard fund' that will become legal tender if the designer should ever become active again?

[Yohannes]

I think the most important thing would be the following: whether you have personally asked, whether by way of telegram or IRC, or any other means of communication, to the player in question if he/she would mind for you to, pretty much, copy his/her designs - for use and IC/in-character export - by your nation?''

If you have not contacted the original designer, I honestly wouldn't recommend doing that, for I think the most important thing is that you have acquired the permission from the original designer, so to speak. And also, some individuals - and quite understandable why also - can be rather quite protective of their IC things (whether they be factbook formatting, embassy programme layout, text formatting, civilian or military designs, etc.)

so I wouldn't personally recommend doing that - unless, again, you have acquired their written permission. For one: just to be safe, really. You will never know whether the person in question actually knows a lot of people in the forums, and will lash back at you with force (and his/her friends will also lash back at you to support him/her)

And two, that is not right anyway. You should always make sure that when you do that, you have asked actual permission from the original creator of the content. I know it can be a 'waste', but its simply not right to do that, and people will soon figure out the truth anyway (people tend to come back from my experience, and they usually found out sooner or later)

Don't worry, some individuals have tried to do what you are asking, in the past

And they usually found out it was not a smart idea the hard way, unfortunately

[Novo Wagondia]

I think the most important thing would be the following: whether you have personally asked, whether by way of telegram or IRC, or any other means of communication, to the player in question if he/she would mind for you to, pretty much, copy his/her designs - for use and IC/in-character export - by your nation?''

If you have not contacted the original designer, I honestly wouldn't recommend doing that, for I think the most important thing is that you have acquired the permission from the original designer, so to speak. And also, some individuals - and quite understandable why also - can be rather quite protective of their IC things (whether they be factbook formatting, embassy programme layout, text formatting, civilian or military designs, etc.)

so I wouldn't personally recommend doing that - unless, again, you have acquired their written permission. For one: just to be safe, really. You will never know whether the person in question actually knows a lot of people in the forums, and will lash back at you with force (and his/her friends will also lash back at you to support him/her)

And two, that is not right anyway. You should always make sure that when you do that, you have asked actual permission from the original creator of the content. I know it can be a 'waste', but its simply not right to do that, and people will soon figure out the truth anyway (people tend to come back from my experience, and they usually found out sooner or later)

Don't worry, some individuals have tried to do what you are asking, in the past

And they usually found out it was not a smart idea the hard way, unfortunately

Of course; I wouldn't ever do that without some kind of permission from a moderator or somebody who co-controls the storefront (or, ideally, the storefront owner himself/herself, if they were ever to become active again, so best case scenario I'm able to buy it as I normally would). Thank you for the help; I'll hope they'll be able to rejoin us all on the living side.

[Yohannes]

Yeah hehe

[Common Territories]

I have a quick question I'd like to run by the professionals, as it's been bothering me lately and I'm just curious about it.

If a nation owning a storefront goes inactive, ceases to exist, and leaves the storefront with no identifiable successor or body to look out after it (and I mean long-term inactivity, like over 6 months on the storefront and over 3 months on the nation itself), is it legal to use the designs from that storefront yourself? Of course the ground rules before vacancy still apply (if, for instance, third parties cannot trade the technologies in question), and credit is given to the late designer, but it would be a shame to let good designs wither away when you can't place an order for them (because, of course, you would never get a response). Is there a way to wire the appropriate funds anyway, in a sort of 'boneyard fund' that will become legal tender if the designer should ever become active again?

I have actually ran into this issue in the past with a subsidiary company operated by a friend went inactive. Someone decided to take literally everything and rename everything; including products I actually owned that were purchased through me to my friend. A mod report later and it was explained that no matter how inactive the person goes, you cannot use their work as your own or you will face punishment; in my case, the guy who stole from me and my friend got in trouble for taking my products and my friend's storefront.

So in essence: I would not do it or you could face moderation intervention.

[Neu Engollon]

I have a quick question I'd like to run by the professionals, as it's been bothering me lately and I'm just curious about it.

If a nation owning a storefront goes inactive, ceases to exist, and leaves the storefront with no identifiable successor or body to look out after it (and I mean long-term inactivity, like over 6 months on the storefront and over 3 months on the nation itself), is it legal to use the designs from that storefront yourself? Of course the ground rules before vacancy still apply (if, for instance, third parties cannot trade the technologies in question), and credit is given to the late designer, but it would be a shame to let good designs wither away when you can't place an order for them (because, of course, you would never get a response). Is there a way to wire the appropriate funds anyway, in a sort of 'boneyard fund' that will become legal tender if the designer should ever become active again?

I have actually ran into this issue in the past with a subsidiary company operated by a friend went inactive. Someone decided to take literally everything and rename everything; including products I actually owned that were purchased through me to my friend. A mod report later and it was explained that no matter how inactive the person goes, you cannot use their work as your own or you will face punishment; in my case, the guy who stole from me and my friend got in trouble for taking my products and my friend's storefront.

So in essence: I would not do it or you could face moderation intervention.

^^^This. Just do your own thing. No one on NS has a trademark on general concepts of military or civilian technology. If you think about it long enough, you should be able to come up with your own version, add your own details, and make it unique. If you are not able to put your unique twist on something, it's best left alone. There's just no call for plagiarizing, no matter if they are still here or not. Often times, too, old players return at a later time, sometimes with a newer nation, but can still lay claim to their old storefronts. Like Common Territories, I have been plagiarized more than once, and it is not a good feeling, let me tell you.

[Southern Qing]

How can I make a storefront logo using Paint.NET? I am having technical issues with my computer so I cannot download anything.
I am also planning on making a company that makes household and hygienic products such as soap, toothpastes, shampoos and detergents

[Yohannes]

How can I make a storefront logo using Paint.NET? I am having technical issues with my computer so I cannot download anything.
I am also planning on making a company that makes household and hygienic products such as soap, toothpastes, shampoos and detergents

The player behind Tippercommon is the resident logo designer of GE&T. I would recommend for you to telegram him, as I am sure he will be more than happy to offer his recommendation/suggestion hehe

Edit: The real life player behind Tippercommon told me off because he dislike people telegramming him :<

Go to the following Internet Relay Chat (IRC) channel, if you want to ask his advice, as this IRC channel is where you can find Tippercommon usually: http://client00.chat.mibbit.com/?server ... =%23Pardes

Click the above link

[Emmerian Republic]

How do I make a storefront for PMCs and how to create your own logos and designs for the storefront.

[Common Territories]

How do I make a storefront for PMCs and how to create your own logos and designs for the storefront.

Im not sure what you're asking with that first question so I will wait for clarification on that. But as the owner of the largest PMC business on NS, I can help you with some tips and suggestions if that's what you're looking for.

As for the second, you can use program like GIMP or Paint.net to make logos. This guide should help a ton on that. Though you can also find help from someone on making such pictures too.

[Emmerian Republic]

How do I make a storefront for PMCs and how to create your own logos and designs for the storefront.

Im not sure what you're asking with that first question so I will wait for clarification on that. But as the owner of the largest PMC business on NS, I can help you with some tips and suggestions if that's what you're looking for.

As for the second, you can use program like GIMP or Paint.net to make logos. This guide should help a ton on that. Though you can also find help from someone on making such pictures too.

What do i need to know about creating a PMC storefornt,

[Common Territories]

Im not sure what you're asking with that first question so I will wait for clarification on that. But as the owner of the largest PMC business on NS, I can help you with some tips and suggestions if that's what you're looking for.

As for the second, you can use program like GIMP or Paint.net to make logos. This guide should help a ton on that. Though you can also find help from someone on making such pictures too.

What do i need to know about creating a PMC storefornt,

Ahh.

Well the basics I have found is making your product, your men, stand out as elite warriors that can be more useful then your potential customer's own military forces. The issue here is the PMC's are not a hot market because people can simply make up troops as they like. So you either have to have a good eye catcher or be able to make people want you to fight for them. In many cases, people detailed how good their men are and what they can do; they further described their training, equipment, and proficiency at their job. Others would even RP for their units.

But I came to my size primarily because of hard work. It took time, experimenting, hours of work on product and versatility, and pure unadulterated drive to make it in the business. Here are some tips I think you can use:

1: Troop bio page.
People want to know what they're buying no matter what. If your an arms dealer, they want to know the weapon and the specs to go with it. If your a PMC then they want to know how good your forces are, how well trained they are, and what equipment they use. So describing and showing how good these forces are is very important. This can also mean showing how good your storefront/PMC is; by basically making a clean and efficient looking storefront, you can attract customers to at least look at what you offer. Be sure not to wank the specs but make your men look like the best people can hire. Just avoid the wank, making false claims, and making your boys look good.

2: Please your customer.
Any businessman will tell you that the customer is everything here. My success, as reported to me by customers and reviews, is partially due to me being very loyal to my customers. I do what I can to please them and make sure they enjoy their time finding what they need. A happy customer is more likely to flaunt your PMC and come back for more services. But this tip can mean many things, from offering better ease on your storefront to having generous discounts.

3: Have a Niche.
We all can't be that fictional PMC that is stronger then some countries, like in Hawks or something. I got my strength through years of hardship and hours of hardwork, but not everyone wants or gets that. Some PMC's focus on smaller operations using elite teams to do jobs while others focus on the naval front of PMC services. You gotta find what you want to do and make it look as good as possible, or, adapt to what people are looking for.

4. Make the storefront easy and detailed.
A clean storefront is a must. The PMC business requires a lot of info usually so finding a way to make information eye catching and short is nearly impossible. Some people hate to read all the info and some do. So I found that offering both is the best strategy. Put plenty of detail in your operation but have sections describe what the person who doesn't want to wait/learn to do to skip all the boring stuff. Your storefront should look clean yet full of info concerning your PMC and its soldiers.

These are just some hints, as they are kinda garbled since im tired (it's late here). But TG me or visit here and these people would be happy to also assist you in your efforts to establish a PMC business. You can also continue to ask questions here if you'd like and others can help too.

[Khoor]

I have a question. How do people make the pretty logos for their companies?

[Common Territories]

Logos are usually made through using a drawing program, such as MS Paint or Paint.net. They use pictures and other art combined with their own works to come out with a piece to use. Or some all do it from scratch. Here is a link that may also help to answer your question.

[Mizialand]

I have a question. How do people make the pretty logos for their companies?

Honestly I think GIMP, a free photo manipulation programme will be the best for such jobs. You can also visit this guide to help you with the basics of image designing.

[Common Territories]

Hey everyone. I was looking for some input on my storefront. I get views and I did a lot of work into each product, but im worried about how slow sales are. So any tips on getting customers walking in or tips in general you want to throw out is very much appreciated.

Wolf Armaments

[Lamoni]

It looks like your storefront is okay (though the number of packages might be a tad excessive). Maybe if there were some RPs where your stuff played a prominent role.

Also, you need to get out there and advertise your stuff. People are simply too lazy to look for stuff on GE&T by themselves, of late, and therefore there is a plethora of "I want x, y, and z" threads on GE&T.

[Common Territories]

It looks like your storefront is okay (though the number of packages might be a tad excessive). Maybe if there were some RPs where your stuff played a prominent role.

Also, you need to get out there and advertise your stuff. People are simply too lazy to look for stuff on GE&T by themselves, of late, and therefore there is a plethora of "I want x, y, and z" threads on GE&T.

Will do Lam Chops. Thanks for the advice.

[Lamoni]

You're welcome.

[Astholm]

I've given my nation a reboot, so all past RPs on here are now no longer within the new canon of Astholm.
Anyway, how could I improve my new storefront?