Help us fix old issues

[Pogaria]

"Would" should definitely be used instead of "will" here. The only Present tense verb here is "needs", and it belongs to a separate subclause. The simplified structure of the main compound sentence is "If we adopted [...], there would be [...] and [...] would feel [...]".

Yes, your suggestion is the most correct way to write this sentence. However, we don't expect all in-character speech to use perfect grammar. Here are some other examples of issue options where a character uses poor grammar and/or punctuation:

Your phone chimes, as a WotsOn message comes through from your brother: "LOL, M8, ding dong ding dong news Just-yn, POP iz DED, long live GOOD TASTE. U want me to get together a list of other poop-star targets? Haha. I got secure PayBuddy set up, u just say the word, and u strike a blow for music lovers everywhere. BANG BANG BANG! b c-ing u."

"Punctuation is but a way for the elites to once again restrain the exchange of free ideas," begins noted windba— "in order to further hold down oppress and smother and stamp out the honest working men and women of this country into a state of utter and complete impotence," @@HE@@ continues, "so that the entitled and ruthless would be leaders of this world could sit in their castles built on the backs and labor of the commoner," @@HE@@ continues further, "and smugly judge and spit on them in disdain but to that I say no we shall not take on your shackles and chains of punctuation as we will not be bullied into constrained or controlled or ignoble speech..." showing no sign of stopping, @@HE@@ is gently nudged out the door by your guards and — surprising no one — continues as @@HE@@ leaves.

"Who needs some fancy-schmancy cash-draining school system, anyway?" @@RANDOMNAME@@ declares from the front steps of a double-wide mobile home, shotgun in hand. "My Pa raised me and my eight brothers and three sisters without no waste of time schoolin'! My Pa taught me everythin' I need t'know, let all these whippersnappers' Mas and Pas teach 'em what they need t'know!"

Although I personally encourage everyone to use proper grammar, it would be unrealistic for all characters to do so. That would not reflect the breadth of colloquial diction that will always remain prevalent in real-world societies.

Ahoy ahoy - have another grammatical one -

Issue 445 "Evasive Maneuvers"

The text for the first option (Choice 0) ends with:

"the mere idea that a change in which behaviours to reward, and that my organisation should finance that change retroactively, amounts to legislative tyranny."

The first statement - "the mere idea that a change in..." does not agree with "amounts to legislative tyranny." At a minimum the word "that" in the beginning needs to be changed, but I think it would maintain the meaning better if the clause about retroactivity were moved to keep the argument the same:

Suggested solutions -

Just changing the word so it reads: "the mere idea of a change in which behaviours to reward..." would fix it grammatically, but makes the argument completely bonkers and self-contradicting.

Moving the clause so it reads: "the mere idea that a change in which behaviours to reward can be applied retroactively, and that my organization should finance that change, amount to legislative tyranny" would resolve both the grammar and the logic, and I think is probably what the intended meaning was when written.

Conversely, this looks like an editorial error, so I'm going to change it.

[Ko-oren]

The premise of 1224 ("What was supposed to be a celebratory occasion — the addition of a flawless (and enormous) new diamond to the @@DEMONYM@@ National Museum — has instead turned into a national embarrassment. Independent experts have released a statement declaring the stone to be lab-created, casting doubt on whether the valuable display should be considered a ‘real’ gemstone." can be read two ways:

- Independent experts have released a statement that a new diamond is to be created in a lab
- Independent experts have released a statement saying that the diamond, which was added to the museum, was in fact lab-created.

In order to avoid any confusion, consider the following:
"Independent experts have appraised the rock, (and) found the stone to be lab-created"
"Independent experts have released a report declaring the stone was lab-created"
or even
"Independent experts have released a statement declaring the stone was lab-created"

Had to read the premise a few times before I got the intended meaning.

[Laka Strolistandiler]

I, Laka Strolistandiler got an issue #1359 “Covering All the Angles”. There seems to be a mistype in option 1, correct me if I’m wrong.

”The law says we must pay an insane amount for fishing licenses, which we all did,” grumbles Chloe Oz, five-time winner of the competition. “The law says each person can only keep a dozen cowfish per day, which we all did. The law says we can only fish in rivers and streams, which we were all doing. We go by the book and follow all of your inane laws, and yet you still arrest the lot of us! We demand that you let us off the hook, and free fishing while you’re at it. Remove all the hoops to jump through, and we’ll get along swimmingly.”

Now, pardon me if I’m misunderstanding some idioms or something, but I do believe that there should be “insane” here.

Thanks

[SherpDaWerp]

Inane - "lacking significance, meaning or point".

[Laka Strolistandiler]

Inane - "lacking significance, meaning or point".

Alright no problem here, sorry for taking your time!

[Baloo Kingdom]

In the first line of the first option of Dilemna #589 "To Boldly Go", there may be a typo in the word "civilization", as both the forum entry and actual issue entry read, "We should seek out new life and new civilisation,". Could be an error, or could just be me.

[The Free Joy State]

In the first line of the first option of Dilemna #589 "To Boldly Go", there may be a typo in the word "civilization", as both the forum entry and actual issue entry read, "We should seek out new life and new civilisation,". Could be an error, or could just be me.

We have British writers. We have British editors. We don't have a standardised system of spellings (as long as they are consistent within issue).

"Civilisation" is the British spelling.

No change needed.

[Baloo Kingdom]

In the first line of the first option of Dilemna #589 "To Boldly Go", there may be a typo in the word "civilization", as both the forum entry and actual issue entry read, "We should seek out new life and new civilisation,". Could be an error, or could just be me.

We have British writers. We have British editors. We don't have a standardised system of spellings (as long as they are consistent within issue).

"Civilisation" is the British spelling.

No change needed.

Huh, never knew that, thanks for the clarification, and thank you for your time.

[Qvait]

In issue 365, entitled "A Busload of Worry", the issue uses the term "sexual preference" within one of the options:

“This is disgusting, and I shouldn’t have to see it,” pines prominent homosexual, Llywelyn Horner, for once abandoning stereotype to be seen without feather boa, “Qvait should be a nation intolerant of intolerance, and what could be more intolerant than this? Have you any idea what damage this fundamentalist advertisement will do to young people struggling to come to terms with their sexuality? We should ban this ad, and instead educate children to be free about their sexual preference, without deference to religious or cultural orthodoxy.”

I believe that the term should be replaced with "sexual orientation", especially since the character using the term is a homosexual. It's one thing to hear it from a heterosexual who doesn't know better, but people attracted to the same sex will seldom use "preference" when referring to their orientation as it implies voluntarism in one's sexual attraction. The American Psychological Association considers the use of the term "sexual preference" to be a "heterosexual bias" and prefers the use of "sexual orientation".^[1] A Google Search of the term "sexual preference" will also shed light on the controversy surrounding the use of the term. I hope we can change "sexual preference" to "sexual orientation".

Sources:

1. "Avoiding Heterosexual Bias in Language". American Psychological Association, 1991.

[The Free Joy State]

In issue 365, entitled "A Busload of Worry", the issue uses the term "sexual preference" within one of the options:

“This is disgusting, and I shouldn’t have to see it,” pines prominent homosexual, Llywelyn Horner, for once abandoning stereotype to be seen without feather boa, “Qvait should be a nation intolerant of intolerance, and what could be more intolerant than this? Have you any idea what damage this fundamentalist advertisement will do to young people struggling to come to terms with their sexuality? We should ban this ad, and instead educate children to be free about their sexual preference, without deference to religious or cultural orthodoxy.”

I believe that the term should be replaced with "sexual orientation", especially since the character using the term is a homosexual. It's one thing to hear it from a heterosexual who doesn't know better, but people attracted to the same sex will seldom use "preference" when referring to their orientation as it implies voluntarism in one's sexual attraction. The American Psychological Association considers the use of the term "sexual preference" to be a "heterosexual bias" and prefers the use of "sexual orientation".^[1] A Google Search of the term "sexual preference" will also shed light on the controversy surrounding the use of the term. I hope we can change "sexual preference" to "sexual orientation".

Sources:

1. "Avoiding Heterosexual Bias in Language". American Psychological Association, 1991.

Worth remembering that characters may be incorrect or biased, but -- considering that this does seem at odds with the characterisation here -- I've gone ahead and changed it.

[Qvait]

Worth remembering that characters may be incorrect or biased, but -- considering that this does seem at odds with the characterisation here -- I've gone ahead and changed it.

Thank you!

[Laka Strolistandiler]

I, Laka Strolistandiler had recently got Issue #102 “For Whom the Road Tolls”- and I am quite disappointed with it.

To begin with, opinion #2 is literally voiced by a lobbyist, and I do believe that I’ve outlawed lobbying in some of the previous issues. Nether the less, I have a socialism policy enabled and as such lobbying and especially words like “ I don't want to be forced to share my space with a bunch of malodorous working-class people” should’ve been not said in a socialist state.

[Bloody Buttered Blooming Onions]

For issue #58, the issue line says: "Members of weird religious cult the Order of Violet are asking for the government to appease their mighty deity by offering Her a sacrifice of the human variety."

Shouldn't there be a "the" for the third word, so it reads: "Members of the weird religious cult the Order of Violet are asking for the government to appease their mighty deity by offering Her a sacrifice of the human variety."

[The Free Joy State]

I, Laka Strolistandiler had recently got Issue #102 “For Whom the Road Tolls”- and I am quite disappointed with it.

To begin with, opinion #2 is literally voiced by a lobbyist, and I do believe that I’ve outlawed lobbying in some of the previous issues. Nether the less, I have a socialism policy enabled and as such lobbying and especially words like “ I don't want to be forced to share my space with a bunch of malodorous working-class people” should’ve been not said in a socialist state.

We have an issue to ban corporate lobbying (#234), which -- while there is no on/off policy -- we can control for, but not to ban political lobbying (such as here).

As for the description of "malodorous working-class people", characters can be biased, they can be rude, they can be bad or even stupid. Even in a socialist society, there may be snobs.

For issue #58, the issue line says: "Members of weird religious cult the Order of Violet are asking for the government to appease their mighty deity by offering Her a sacrifice of the human variety."

Shouldn't there be a "the" for the third word, so it reads: "Members of the weird religious cult the Order of Violet are asking for the government to appease their mighty deity by offering Her a sacrifice of the human variety."

It seems within acceptable usage as-is.

[Aryax]

Issue 578, option 4, could use a text or a validity change:

“Do you realize how many jobs that would cost, you blithering idiot?” foams union organizer Emma LeCarré, diplomatic as ever. “Our arms industry employs people in every one of your marginal electoral districts, so you’d better listen to us... and if the fat cat bosses aren’t running things well, then maybe it’s time we re-nationalized! Under government control the factories will be churning out guns and ammo at twice the rate! And twice the price...”

My nation is an Autocracy and does not hold elections, so the commentary about electoral districts just doesn't work. Also it has always striked me as odd that Socialist nations can receive this option as it talks about renationalizing (theoretically all my industries are already under government control).

[The Free Joy State]

Issue 578, option 4, could use a text or a validity change:

“Do you realize how many jobs that would cost, you blithering idiot?” foams union organizer Emma LeCarré, diplomatic as ever. “Our arms industry employs people in every one of your marginal electoral districts, so you’d better listen to us... and if the fat cat bosses aren’t running things well, then maybe it’s time we re-nationalized! Under government control the factories will be churning out guns and ammo at twice the rate! And twice the price...”

My nation is an Autocracy and does not hold elections, so the commentary about electoral districts just doesn't work. Also it has always striked me as odd that Socialist nations can receive this option as it talks about renationalizing (theoretically all my industries are already under government control).

Thank you for bringing this to our attention.

This issue has been amended.

[Laka Strolistandiler]

Hello! I recently got an Issue #444 “Virtually Assured Destruction” and would like to give a few complaints.

To begin with, why would my missiles be poorly maintained? Both my military raiting and arms spending are pretty high, and I don’t think that, especially taking into account my high technological level missiles should be called “poorly maintained”

Furthermore, opinion 1 includes this phrase:

“but I’m sure the nuclear industry would jump at an ongoing contract to recycle the plutonium for us”. Now, I hate to repeat myself, but Laka is a socialist economy, not just market socialist but a full-on socialist with all of its industries nationalized. How in the goddamn would the nuclear industry “jump at the contracts” in the socialist society, I personally don’t know.

Possibly a validity change is needed or a change in wording.

Edit: I also got issue #839 “ Partisanship Too Far?" Wrongly Asks Opposition”.

Option 1 literally has words: “Clearly the root of the problem is the media capitalizing on existing tensions...”. Now I don’t with all honesty know how someone can capitalize on one’s tensions IN A SOCIALIST STATE.

Possibly a validity change is needed.

[Laka Strolistandiler]

Bump

[SherpDaWerp]

I also got issue #839 “ Partisanship Too Far?" Wrongly Asks Opposition”.

Option 1 literally has words: “Clearly the root of the problem is the media capitalizing on existing tensions...”. Now I don’t with all honesty know how someone can capitalize on one’s tensions IN A SOCIALIST STATE.

Possibly a validity change is needed.

To "capitalise on" something is just a turn of phrase, it doesn't imply anything related to actual capitalism. The meaning is closer to something like "the media benefiting from existing tensions" except with the added connotation that they had to actively do something to benefit.

Here, it means the media used the tensions to rile up the populace, which they would benefit from by increased engagement, which is not necessarily capitalism-based.

As another example... many regions capitalised on the new regional banner addition.

[Seanat]

Just got issue #684 "Murder Most Deniable?" and the first option suggests an embargo, but I have the Autarky policy.

[Seanat]

I got issue #201 which has in the intro "devastating the nation’s foreign trade" while having the Autarky policy.

[The Free Joy State]

I got issue #201 which has in the intro "devastating the nation’s foreign trade" while having the Autarky policy.

Just got issue #684 "Murder Most Deniable?" and the first option suggests an embargo, but I have the Autarky policy.

For your information, that this has now been amended. Thank you for bringing this to our attention and for bearing with us.

[Tierra Fuego]

Got Issue # 1333 Married With Benefits? (regarding immigrants marrying citizens and then seperating)

Conflicts with the policy Permanent marriage.

[Seanat]

Yet another autarky incompatibility on issue #449 where the first option argues "we can finally be independent of foreign natural gas"

[The Free Joy State]

Got Issue # 1333 Married With Benefits? (regarding immigrants marrying citizens and then seperating)

Conflicts with the policy Permanent marriage.

Amended.

Yet another autarky incompatibility on issue #449 where the first option argues "we can finally be independent of foreign natural gas"

Taking this backstage for discussion.