What's with all the retirements lately?

[Evil Lord Sauron]

And it's just the same people doing similar things over and over. Something needs to happen, but I don't quite know what

If Frattastan would just take up my offer maybe we'd have a little excitement. But alas he refused.

[The Grim Reaper]

I think the issue is that right now, there's an awful lot of nastiness over not a lot of actual stuff. There's not an awful lot going on, and what -is- going on is much the same as is always going on, over and over and over again in a very short timespan. And even those who are well accustomed to banging heads against brick walls are getting a little bored of it. It's been dead-dead-dead-Someone does something idiotic, we argue for a week-dead-dead-dead-another idiotic thing-dead-.... (you get my point).

And it's just the same people doing similar things over and over. Something needs to happen, but I don't quite know what

A feeder coup always gets stuff going.

I call shotgun.

In all seriousness, I think it would be cool for some of the active regional governments to come together and talk in the interest of the community/s instead of regional ideologies.

Like the Gameplay summit, but a broader interest and player-run rather than moderator-run, less structured - less based on the people who have influence and more based on people who /have/ taken part in the same NS groups, who have the relationships set up to talk in the interest of the community rather than regions.

It's midnight here I'm not completely coherent. What you think I said is probably less accurate than what you think I should have said.

At the essence - we want the same people to stop doing the same thing, yes? We need to bring the NS community together in some way, and create the change we want to see.

If I was drunk this post would make so much sense I swear.

[Starkindler]

The retirements:
People get lives. Go to work, to university, get married, have children. They have less time to waste, and NS soaks up hell a lot of a time. I'm also considering retirement myself.

That's the way of life. People need to raise generation after generation of n00bs to forget launching 10000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 n00kz at each other (reporting the player behind RL North Korea for godmodding) and get on playing well with the community. And when they get pros, they have the duty to raise the next generation of n00bs and so on.

Please don't misunderstand me, I was a n00b once, and I still am. I write short posts, and fail tactics 5eva...

[Cerian Quilor]

The game is doing just fine. Uni and Earth's departure has more to do (from all available evidence) with their personal situations and idiosyncracies than the state of the game itself.

As for why there are 'less' developments in Military Gameplay, its in part because there isn't much to develop. In the same way discoveries of brand new areas on earth and explorations of those new areas...you know, stopped happening/slowed drastically once we explored the entire world.

[Drop Your Pants]

I logged in today to see 2 more gameplayers retiring (not uni/earth) and a third thinking about it

[New Rogernomics]

People moving on? NS no longer enjoyable? Everything's been done in the game?

ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED?!

Games like Bioshock, Fallout, Mass Effect, Starcraft,etc tend to take a lot of time; then there is education and relationships.

[Charles Cerebella]

<snip>

I disagree. Familiarity and consensus breed complacency and inactivity. The reason why gameplay used to be more exciting was because neither side really had any interaction with the other, it would be unknown what your enemies next action would be, and because there was no fraternisation people would be more willing to impose their agenda on others. Today with the increased interaction between both sides, in this forum, in IRC chats and in GCR regions, both play more to the middle ground, avoiding shaking the boat to avoid losing small political gains. No one is willing to take a big risk and break new ground in case it should backfire on them diplomatically.

[Solm]

And it's just the same people doing similar things over and over. Something needs to happen, but I don't quite know what

I shall be waiting for you to make something happen. I have high hopes that you'll change the game soon enough, or else.

[Luxativia]

They always come back.

*cough cough*

---

I'm going to be honest, I think we do need to be doing more to re-educate newbies.
It's been a while since we've had a new player really, really make a name for him or herself.
It just feels like we're not really rotating through them anymore.
We're...in decline, one could say. The game's gotten stagnant, in every aspect.

I have to agree with this. If one truly wants to see what the current state of the game is in check the feeders, sinkers, and roleplay communities. The West Pacific for it's size is by far the most active out of all of them, but when it comes to regions like The Pacific, they can't even think up of conversations they have to post where they rank in the world census report in order to make idle chit chat. While frankly it would hurt for the members of the feeders & sinkers to share government positions... When was the last time a newcomer was a delegate of a feeder/sinker.

[Frattastan II]

Jamie is delegate of The North Pacific, and he joined the region a year ago.
mcmasterdonia became TNP delegate in November; at the time he had been in the region for only 10 months.

TWP has a fast-moving RMB, but I doubt it can be considered the 'most active' feeder/sinker ...

[Feux]

I think a lot of people like to over think this.

[Southern Bellz]

There is almost always something of interest in NS going on. The boring players are the ones who always say the game is boring.

[Frattastan II]

The boring players are the ones who always say the game is boring.

[Gavin Novawk]

It's just a matter of whether you're happy with the status quo or willing to get involved.

[Cormac Stark]

I personally don't think a GCR coup is the answer. As Frattastan pointed out, virtually no one (except yours truly) was impressed by the recent coupish in The West Pacific and the excitement from the December coup in Osiris lasted only a few days. Granted, these were not coups of the intensity we've seen in the past but I don't think we need to upend the entire government and culture of a Feeder or Sinker and purge a few hundred nations for amusement.

I agree with Charles Cerebella that the problem is everyone being too concerned with playing politics in the middle. Things are going to get boring when everyone in NationStates is trying to please all of the people all of the time and doesn't want to ruffle any feathers, or when finally feathers are ruffled it's over something that creates a lot of drama but doesn't really add any excitement to the game.

That said, I'm not sure this has anything to do with the recent retirements. Too soon to tell, and I know for sure boredom wasn't a factor in at least two retirements. These things happen in cycles and it seems to me this is the time of year for retirements, but if it's a trend we'll know it soon enough. My understanding is that NationStates did go through something of a downturn in the past and it could well be the case that's happening again and it will take a while for something or someone to come along and give it a good kickstart with something unexpected.

[Tramiar]

I logged in today to see 2 more gameplayers retiring (not uni/earth) and a third thinking about it

Oh good... I was really hoping this whole thread wasn't just because of Uni and Earth retiring. 2 retirements are hardly something that requires a thread about "all the retirements".

And I meant good for that reason. Not good that more gameplayers are retiring. >.>

[The Blaatschapen]

<snip>

I disagree. Familiarity and consensus breed complacency and inactivity. The reason why gameplay used to be more exciting was because neither side really had any interaction with the other, it would be unknown what your enemies next action would be, and because there was no fraternisation people would be more willing to impose their agenda on others. Today with the increased interaction between both sides, in this forum, in IRC chats and in GCR regions, both play more to the middle ground, avoiding shaking the boat to avoid losing small political gains. No one is willing to take a big risk and break new ground in case it should backfire on them diplomatically.

I suggest to kill off this forum and Technical. That way the fraternizing will have 2 venues less to happen in

[Cephal Talleyrand]

I disagree. Familiarity and consensus breed complacency and inactivity. The reason why gameplay used to be more exciting was because neither side really had any interaction with the other, it would be unknown what your enemies next action would be, and because there was no fraternisation people would be more willing to impose their agenda on others. Today with the increased interaction between both sides, in this forum, in IRC chats and in GCR regions, both play more to the middle ground, avoiding shaking the boat to avoid losing small political gains. No one is willing to take a big risk and break new ground in case it should backfire on them diplomatically.

I suggest to kill off this forum and Technical. That way the fraternizing will have 2 venues less to happen in

I honestly don't think that would even make a dent at this point. It's almost become in the same manner as any given MMO between competing guilds and factions these days. In fact, the current state of R/D kind of reminds me of the way Ultima Online was when I retired from the scene on a few servers. Enemies everywhere but they're all trying to keep the Status Quo because nobody really wants to fall and nobody really wants to let anything new rise without much of a fight. Still, the times the guilds clashed in Feluccia was interesting and when things broke loose and the battles for territory and rights to resources were interesting.

It's more of a mixed interest thing right now and I'm sure there is always a way to introduce a little chaos and theatrical entertainment. Haha.

[Belschaft]

You know what would make things interesting? Make all the defenders raid and all the raiders defend.

*nods*

[Solorni]

You know what would make things interesting? Make all the defenders raid and all the raiders defend.

*nods*

I think everyone will retire then

[Todd McCloud]

I logged in today to see 2 more gameplayers retiring (not uni/earth) and a third thinking about it

Oh good... I was really hoping this whole thread wasn't just because of Uni and Earth retiring. 2 retirements are hardly something that requires a thread about "all the retirements".

And I meant good for that reason. Not good that more gameplayers are retiring. >.>

No, I knew of others' retirements. Just didn't know how public they wanted it known. So I tried to make it a bit vague.

[Drop Your Pants]

I think everyone will retire then

Your just afraid we'd be too good at raiding if we all did it

[Querria]

I am the reason people are retiring. They heard I joined the game and retired because they can't stand how smelly I am Fear me. This is totally not a sarcastic post.

[Frisbeeteria]

This is totally not a sarcastic post.

What it actually is is a spam post. Knock it off.

[Solorni]

I think everyone will retire then

Your just afraid we'd be too good at raiding if we all did it

I do think that defenders would make better raiders than raiders defenders