The Writers' Block

[Whovian Tardisia]

There's nothing about the spread of invasive species through the dumping of ships' ballast water, either...

This is giving me ideas about @@ANIMAL@@ mussels and the Order of Violet, oddly enough. May consider.

[Atomic Utopia]

I was thinking of starting to write a chain issue. The idea behind it is a manned mission to mars, where the player would decide how they are going to send people to mars and what they will do there. I have ideas, and intend to make a flowchart of doom if it would be a good idea, however before making a flowchart I would like to see that it is infact a good idea.

[Luna Amore]

I was thinking of starting to write a chain issue. The idea behind it is a manned mission to mars, where the player would decide how they are going to send people to mars and what they will do there. I have ideas, and intend to make a flowchart of doom if it would be a good idea, however before making a flowchart I would like to see that it is infact a good idea.

I was considering a similar idea. To be frank it is a huge undertaking. That's not to discourage you, more a warning.

Just posting to say I'd be open to editing the concept.*

*if it were up to snuff

[Trotterdam]

That sounds really cool.

It's a non-military endeavor that really needs the extended narrative of a chain issue.

I'm no rocket scientist but might be able to help with some of the scientific details. Then again, it's more the politics than the science that we're interested in.

[Atomic Utopia]

I was thinking of starting to write a chain issue. The idea behind it is a manned mission to mars, where the player would decide how they are going to send people to mars and what they will do there. I have ideas, and intend to make a flowchart of doom if it would be a good idea, however before making a flowchart I would like to see that it is infact a good idea.

I was considering a similar idea. To be frank it is a huge undertaking. That's not to discourage you, more a warning.

Just posting to say I'd be open to editing the concept.*

*if it were up to snuff

I have no illusions regarding how big it would be as far as it goes. First thing is first though, I will create a rough draft of the flowchart for the issue tonight, and hopefully by this weekend I will have a semi finalized edition up and start writing the issues proper.

That sounds really cool.

It's a non-military endeavor that really needs the extended narrative of a chain issue.

I'm no rocket scientist but might be able to help with some of the scientific details. Then again, it's more the politics than the science that we're interested in.

Actually, I intend to include both, a little bit of aerospace engineering, nuclear engineering, and some botany.

[Luna Amore]

I was considering a similar idea. To be frank it is a huge undertaking. That's not to discourage you, more a warning.

Just posting to say I'd be open to editing the concept.*

*if it were up to snuff

I have no illusions regarding how big it would be as far as it goes. First thing is first though, I will create a rough draft of the flowchart for the issue tonight, and hopefully by this weekend (after seeing the martian, the book that inspired me to do this) I will have a semi finalized edition up and start writing the issues proper.

That sounds really cool.

It's a non-military endeavor that really needs the extended narrative of a chain issue.

I'm no rocket scientist but might be able to help with some of the scientific details. Then again, it's more the politics than the science that we're interested in.

Actually, I intend to include both, a little bit of aerospace engineering, nuclear engineering, and some botany.

I'll be honest, if we are going to do a proper space chain (not like my test-chain space shuttle crash), I'd like to see it end with the option of an off-planet colony. It's just plausible enough to fit into the issue base. I'd advise you to look into outlining the whole thing as briefly as possible. Then you may be able to recruit other authors here as well.

Go big or go home.

[Trotterdam]

(after seeing the martian, the book that inspired me to do this)

By Andy Weir?

Ha, I read that back when it was available for free on his web page. Good story.

Though for the purposes of our chain issue, an astronaut being stranded probably shouldn't be an event in most story paths

Of course, there are some people in real life advocating a deliberately one-way mission to save costs (with the intent of sending enough support for the astronauts to live out the rest of their lives on Mars, and starring in a reality TV show to help fund the project - no really).

nuclear engineering

Speaking of which, here's one politically controversial way to get your spacecraft into orbit: nuclear pulse propulsion.

This concept has the spacecraft mounted with shock absorbers on an armored "pusher plate". A stream of small (5 to 15 kiloton) fission or fusion explosives are detonated under the plate to provide thrust. While you might find it difficult to believe that the spacecraft can survive this, you will admit that this will give lots of thrust to the spacecraft (or its fragments).

(Personally, no, I do not support this design and think it's insane. I don't care how promising the numbers look on paper, there has got to be some kind of downside to deliberately nuking yourself thousands of times.)

I'll be honest, if we are going to do a proper space chain (not like my test-chain space shuttle crash), I'd like to see it end with the option of an off-planet colony. It's just plausible enough to fit into the issue base. I'd advise you to look into outlining the whole thing as briefly as possible. Then you may be able to recruit other authors here as well.

Go big or go home.

In the near future, even optimistically, a Mars outpost is more likely to resemble an Antarctica-style research base (or an offshore oil rig, for a commercially-profitable analogue, or for that matter a larger version of the present-day ISS) than a truly self-sufficient colony - a decent number of people living there, but they're reliant on regular supplies from home.

[Bears Armed]

I was thinking of starting to write a chain issue. The idea behind it is a manned mission to mars, where the player would decide how they are going to send people to mars and what they will do there. I have ideas, and intend to make a flowchart of doom if it would be a good idea, however before making a flowchart I would like to see that it is infact a good idea.

The nations already on Mars might not be very happy about that...

[Outer Sparta]

I have no illusions regarding how big it would be as far as it goes. First thing is first though, I will create a rough draft of the flowchart for the issue tonight, and hopefully by this weekend (after seeing the martian, the book that inspired me to do this) I will have a semi finalized edition up and start writing the issues proper.


Actually, I intend to include both, a little bit of aerospace engineering, nuclear engineering, and some botany.

I'll be honest, if we are going to do a proper space chain (not like my test-chain space shuttle crash), I'd like to see it end with the option of an off-planet colony. It's just plausible enough to fit into the issue base. I'd advise you to look into outlining the whole thing as briefly as possible. Then you may be able to recruit other authors here as well.

Go big or go home.

Let's go big, Luna! Make the dream a reality!

[Luna Amore]

I'd just like to share this, because we get threads here every so often complaining that the wrong option effect went through. The only logical solution is that someone accidentally picked an option. It happens. And it doesn't matter how long you've been playing. Even if you are going on 13 years and the issue base is second nature to you:

90 minutes ago: Following new legislation in Luna Amore, the studies of art and philosophy are banned.

Sorry citizens.

[Whovian Tardisia]

Totally support the chain issue. Will have to come up with a fictional planet to avoid pissing off RPers though.

[Luna Amore]

As someone has already noticed, there's an unknown issue out there. Right now, it's a blank piece of fluff thrown in by me as a placeholder, but soon it could be yours! Yes, we need an issue #451. Originally, when I saw we were approaching that number, I thought 'hey, that'd be a good Ray Bradbury/Fahrenheit 451 themed issue'. Golgo had the same idea a little later. Obviously we've done bupkis about it, so now I turn to you.

There only a few guidelines I'm looking for:

1. It needs to have some correlation to Fahrenheit 451.
2. It can't be an Easter Egg.

If you are interested, please make a draft in Got Issues as usual, but please put #451 at the beginning of the title to make it easily distinguishable from other drafts.

[Kaboomlandia]

As someone has already noticed, there's an unknown issue out there. Right now, it's a blank piece of fluff thrown in by me as a placeholder, but soon it could be yours! Yes, we need an issue #451. Originally, when I saw we were approaching that number, I thought 'hey, that'd be a good Ray Bradbury/Fahrenheit 451 themed issue'. Golgo had the same idea a little later. Obviously we've done bupkis about it, so now I turn to you.

There only a few guidelines I'm looking for:

1. It needs to have some correlation to Fahrenheit 451.
2. It can't be an Easter Egg.

If you are interested, please make a draft in Got Issues as usual, but please put #451 at the beginning of the title to make it easily distinguishable from other drafts.

Oh, so it's a mini-Issues Contest? Sounds fun! I might try it.

[Annihilators of Chan Island]

As someone has already noticed, there's an unknown issue out there. Right now, it's a blank piece of fluff thrown in by me as a placeholder, but soon it could be yours! Yes, we need an issue #451. Originally, when I saw we were approaching that number, I thought 'hey, that'd be a good Ray Bradbury/Fahrenheit 451 themed issue'. Golgo had the same idea a little later. Obviously we've done bupkis about it, so now I turn to you.

There only a few guidelines I'm looking for:

1. It needs to have some correlation to Fahrenheit 451.
2. It can't be an Easter Egg.

If you are interested, please make a draft in Got Issues as usual, but please put #451 at the beginning of the title to make it easily distinguishable from other drafts.

I'm up for that. Should we share it on the forum or just submit it instantly?

[Gnejs]

If you read Luna's post once again you'll see he says to post in the forum as usual; just mark it with #451 to distinguish it

[Annihilators of Chan Island]

If you read Luna's post once again you'll see he says to post in the forum as usual; just mark it with #451 to distinguish it

Thanks for the speedy reply! I'm on it now!

[Sierra Lyricalia]

Hopefully this is the right place for this.

I have a question about macros. I don't have anything to point to now, of course, but I have an impression that I've sometimes seen pieces of user-defined nation attributes (excerpts of national motto mainly, I think; though maybe classification too?) pop up when an issue calls for the RANDOMNAME macro. E.G. this nation might get a line like "You can't possibly think that's a rational plan," shouts Barack Potentiae, swatting at the nonexistent flies that plague him day and night.

Is there a @@RANDOMMOTTOWORD@@ (or something) macro that picks something like that up for use by itself? So that someone who selected some issue option might get Following new legislation in Sierra Lyricalia, the Space Shuttle Actio regularly buzzes opposition political rallies for a laugh.

Or is it purely a function of the random name generator?

[Bears Armed]

It can also pick currencies and national animals to use as parts of names.

[Luna Amore]

Or is it purely a function of the random name generator?

It's a function of @@RANDOMNAME@@ as I understand it.

[Trotterdam]

Is there a @@RANDOMMOTTOWORD@@ (or something) macro

I don't think there is, but it would be fairly easy to add one to the code. However, I don't think this is a good idea because the pool of options and how good they sound could vary significantly from nation to nation. It's okay in @@RANDOMNAME@@ where even if it causes a not-great name once in a while, there are enough other options that it won't be too common, so it'll just be an amusing surprise when it does work. Having a macro always use a completely random word from your motto would, I think, too often produce something that just doesn't sound good in context.

[Frisbeeteria]

Is there a @@RANDOMMOTTOWORD@@ (or something) macro

I don't think there is

There's some code that randomly picks up words from all the custom fields. I don't remember what it's used for, but it's there. There's no issue-writing macro that will use it, though.

[Wrapper]

As someone has already noticed, there's an unknown issue out there. Right now, it's a blank piece of fluff thrown in by me as a placeholder, but soon it could be yours! Yes, we need an issue #451. Originally, when I saw we were approaching that number, I thought 'hey, that'd be a good Ray Bradbury/Fahrenheit 451 themed issue'. Golgo had the same idea a little later. Obviously we've done bupkis about it, so now I turn to you.

There only a few guidelines I'm looking for:

1. It needs to have some correlation to Fahrenheit 451.
2. It can't be an Easter Egg.

If you are interested, please make a draft in Got Issues as usual, but please put #451 at the beginning of the title to make it easily distinguishable from other drafts.

Are you still accepting F451-related drafts or is it too late? If not too late, how long do we have?

[Luna Amore]

As someone has already noticed, there's an unknown issue out there. Right now, it's a blank piece of fluff thrown in by me as a placeholder, but soon it could be yours! Yes, we need an issue #451. Originally, when I saw we were approaching that number, I thought 'hey, that'd be a good Ray Bradbury/Fahrenheit 451 themed issue'. Golgo had the same idea a little later. Obviously we've done bupkis about it, so now I turn to you.

There only a few guidelines I'm looking for:

1. It needs to have some correlation to Fahrenheit 451.
2. It can't be an Easter Egg.

If you are interested, please make a draft in Got Issues as usual, but please put #451 at the beginning of the title to make it easily distinguishable from other drafts.

Are you still accepting F451-related drafts or is it too late? If not too late, how long do we have?

There's no set time. Have at it!

[Eaischpnaeieacgkque Bhcieaghpodsttditf]

I just want to make sure that there isn't a similar issue already in play. Is there an issue that is like an 'obamacare' issue? I had a rough draft of it in rl written out, but I'm not sure if there is something similar out already. All help is appreciated.

[Trotterdam]

I just want to make sure that there isn't a similar issue already in play. Is there an issue that is like an 'obamacare' issue? I had a rough draft of it in rl written out, but I'm not sure if there is something similar out already. All help is appreciated.

Can you be more specific?

Healthcare is a stat in the game, and there are clearly issues that affect it, like #217 and #107. What exactly do you want to do with it?