OOC: First and foremost, this is not a storefront. For those of you who have a hunch what this is about, feel free to skim the ranting below and head straight to the last paragraph thereabout. If I know you, and you know me, and we've discussed horrible designs before, then this is the thread I've been talking about. For now, I shall be doing this solely OOCly as it helps to explain my rationale and the like without IC clutter and formalities.
For many of you, including myself, NationStates is a place we all come to have a good time and enjoy one another's company... and in Ralkovia's twisted mind, blow the shit out of something. It should come as no surprise then, that the level of enjoyment and fun has seriously degraded with the sudden influx of new and beginner nations who either don't bother or outright refuse to read the Stickies and similar tutorial threads there to help them. While this should be none of our concern, it unfortunately forces itself upon us when these new players insist on invading the threads and RPs of our creation and causing havoc in them that could have otherwise been avoided. I know I speak for many of us when I say that a good portion of my threads have failed in the past because a new player failed to read anything and jumped right in.
This, quite contrarily to what I'm saying, is not a rant about the plague of uneducated "newbs," but moreso a call to arms in protection of the old NationStates many of us veterans know and love. I am by no means "noobist," or anti-newbie, discriminatory towards beginning players. We were all there once, believe it or not. GWO was once a tiny nation, as was Greston or Lyras or Salzland. Believe it our not, even I was small once too. That's hardly noticable now, especially with a 4 billion population and a drunk as a Premier. This is beside the fact though, that these new, unmannered players have invaded our forum and are destroying it, whether consciously or not. As quite blatant evidence, take a look at the very forum this is posted in.
While I applaud anybody who takes the time out of his, or her, or it's day to make a storefront, veteran or beginner, the place Economics has become can only be described as deplorable. I come to Econ. looking to buy a new car, or read up on the latest innovation; not to learn about some new player with 5 posts' gun that can shoot miniature nuclear weapons at 1000 rounds per minute out of a barrel no larger than a toothbrush. Normally, we all expect such an "invention" to go the way it would on the old forums; sink below the waves of posts without so much as a recognition. However, nowadays it seems that such technology have become the rule and honest, hardworking storefronts such as Questers' or Lyras' or Vault 10's have become the exception. It's so hard to find something realistic, that it's almost not worth the search.
Problem is, these new, "half-assed" storefronts that utilize "pimpmygun" and the like are so numerous, that it's giving new players the wrong perception on what it means to run a storefront. They pop on, skim the numerous forums to get their bearings; glancing over Economics and seeing how easy it is to make a storefront. Make a weapon on "Pimp," pluck random numbers out of the air, give it a scary name and number designation, and then make a thread selling it. While nothing is inherently wrong with this method, all it does is further the lack of quality that's highly notable on here. I dream of the old days where I wouldn't be able to make it past the first storefront in the thread-list without buying half the stock simply because of sheer awesomeness. Nowadays, I'm lucky if it's the bottom of the third page, although I frequently don't make it that far before facepalming.
See, it's not so much the crap designs that are the problem. I couldn't care less if so-and-so bought this. I'd just I.G.N.O.R.E. Cannon it in RP, as it would eventually die out in Economics. As stated previously, it's the afct that there are so many of these crap storefronts, that new players aren't able to see what a real storefront actually looks like. Further, when we try to help these current storefronts improve, we get the cold shoulder or the "12 year old hissy fit" response. I know you all know what I'm talking about. The " Only post if you're gonna buy," or the "Now get out of my store," or my all-time personal favorite, "It's a game. Games don't have to be realistic." I hate to admit it, but I'm looking forward to the day some new player insists since it's his nation, he can make up the rules of nature that govern it. The designs aren't the bad part, it's the fact that this new generation of players are incapable of change that's the driving force behind my call to arms.
Hence why I'm creating this; the Bureau for the Improvement of Nationstates Storefronts.
Bureau for the Improvement of Nationstates Storefronts is a brainchild of mine, one which I have been discussing with numerous counterparts and associates for quite some time. We are not an IC alliance of storefronts, nor will we ever be, but an OOC organization whose goal is to make Economics a better place. We wish to reinstate the level of quality and fun lost in the year or so after the Jolt transition, and through that help new and beginning players discover the world of NationStates in the manner they should. Through persistance, numbers, sound reasoning, repetition, and calm demeanors, we shall force existing "crap storefront" operators to change their tactics and create realistic designs, as well as offer friendly advice and critiques to any and all who request it. For those who resist this change, things will only become harder down the line as they slowly but surely return to their position as the exception, amongst the rule of quality storefronts.
For those of you who wish to join, simply post below to let me know you're up for it. We, meaning myself and selected people who join, reserve the right to deny anyone we deem unfit for such a role as a Bureau for the Improvement of Nationstates Storefronts Associate/Moderator. This failsafe is in place to prevent the very same thing from happening on the Economics board in here. Keeping the riff-raff out of those who truely know what's up. As I stated above, if I know you, you know me, and I've seen your storefront or sound reasoning before, you'll be accepted with a doubt.
Only the names of these respective members below may ever utilize the Bureau for the Improvement of Nationstates Storefronts name/likeness in their arguments or advice, as well as claim to be aiding or advising in the name or stead of this organization. If any player is to give advice to another player, using the Bureau for the Improvement of Nationstates Storefronts/BINS name/likeness, who is not expressedly notated on this list, please send a Telegram to myself or one of the selected moderators so said person can be dealt with accordingly. Even if your admittance is pending or you are utilizing an alternate/puppet nation, you may not go off and grant advice in the Bureau for the Improvement of Nationstates Storefronts' name or stead until you are put on this list. In case of low possibility of hacking, a back-up of this list will be stored on my hard drive.
Current Members:
Falkasia
Questers
Lyras
Lamoni
United States of Pennsylvania
Dinosians
Ralkovia
Grittonia
Machina Haruspex
The Phoenix Militia
Mokastana
Mikoyan-Guryevich
Cazelia
Yanitaria
Dostanuot Loj
Nachmere
Amastol
Jungastia
Aescentia
Bendira
Crookfur
Tarsus
United Gordonopia
United Earthlings
Van Luxemburg
Yohannes
Orlkjestad
