[MEGATHREAD] Unusual Issue Effects Since New Update

[Bears Armed]

That's an interesting question. I believe crime is kind of strange, as legalizing things tends to increase it.

It's that way for a good portion of issues and options, actually. I can see three reasons as to why this might be the case.

1) Crime is more of a measurement by the WA, where something which is perfectly legal in your nation may be considered criminal activity by WA standards,
2) Legalizing things associated with crime will encourage people to do more daunting and more criminally-minded things, or
3) It's something else entirely, like maybe taking into account economics and compassion and wealth gaps etc.

I've queried this in the past, and was told that it's '1'.

[Jutsa]

Thank you, Bears Armed. :3

That is mildly misleading, though, if it doesn't record how many laws of your own nation are broken on average.

[Luna Amore]

Thank you, Bears Armed. :3

That is mildly misleading, though, if it doesn't record how many laws of your own nation are broken on average.

All stats are a reflection of international standard/World Census standard. Without a fixed point of reference, all stats would be meaningless.

So yes, you can legalize terrorism. But I'd venture a guess that most reasonable people™ would say that would increase crime.

[Trotterdam]

Though in the case of graffiti specifically, I can also see 2 being involved as well. Note that the option in question mentions "racist expletives". Graffiti can be used as a rallying call for extremist groups, as a way for street gangs to mark their territory, and so on.

[God Fearing Devoted]

I created miniature weapons for miniature soldiers (children). Why would Defense force DROP?

[Fauxia]

I created miniature weapons for miniature soldiers (children). Why would Defense force DROP?

Because in that issue, the context is that you were using bigger weapons.

[Trotterdam]

Adding smaller weapons to your arsenal doesn't mean you don't still have larger ones.

No nation is going to use child soldiers but kick all adults out of the military.

Well, this is NationStates, so maybe someone would do that, but most won't.

[Fauxia]

Adding smaller weapons to your arsenal doesn't mean you don't still have larger ones.

No nation is going to use child soldiers but kick all adults out of the military.

Well, this is NationStates, so maybe someone would do that, but most won't.

They bigger weapons are being used less, though

[Candlewhisper Archive]

I created miniature weapons for miniature soldiers (children). Why would Defense force DROP?

Simulation oddity, basically. The issue didn't direct defence forces to change at all, instead focusing on increases to arms manufacturing. Due to a combination of knock on effects, you ended with small changes to a multitude of stats, including a very small shift in defence forces.

However, I agree that increased military spending maybe should have been appropriate. I wonder if this was veered away from on the basis that the issue mentions the government turning a profit, and an increase in taxation burden might have seemed wrong for that.

[Roumberre]

This nation.
just now.
Issue 663.
Option 3.

Why does cutting foreign aid decrease my people's average Lifespan by 0.56%, even though "that money could more usefully be spent here" was a major reason for the cut?

[Candlewhisper Archive]

Interesting one that.

Game engine simulation choice, made by the designers.

The primary stats assigned to the issue are appropriate, the resulting stats are from the emergent sim. There's no conscious decision by the team to affect that stats, though I can see how it came about.

Assign story to that as you choose, or just see it as one of those things.

[The Harambe Gorillas]

Issue #483 "Do you want fries with that?"

Picking the option: ""The problem isn't wages, darling," says a 'chatty cathy' working the counter at Papa Pallocci's Pizza Pagoda. "It's all the 'part time' hours - the 'seasonal' work, 'overtime', 'no overtime', 'zero-contracts' – before you know it, we'll all be working part-part-part-time! We should go back to a simple work-week for all us slaves to the retail industry. 8-5. Sure, it'll make places hard to staff, but who wants a burger at midnight anyways?" completely nuked my Wealth Gaps stat.

From 360.18 to 2.26 in an instant. I can see it maybe reducing Wealth Gaps a tiny bit, but completely nuking it from such a massive stat is asinine. Especially for an Anarchy.

[Candlewhisper Archive]

Agree, that issue is very heavy handed. Not especially exceptional in that though, so I'll just tag it for review as I work through the issue base.

May be a while/

[The Order of the EZIC Salt]

Solver: The Order of the EZIC Salt
Issue #311
Choice 3

So I just solved this issue and my cheese exports doubled; it went from 467.83 to 929.76 (98.7%). Any reason why? I'm not sure what having the criminals do some work has to do with making lots of cheese.

[Drasnia]

Solver: The Order of the EZIC Salt
Issue #311
Choice 3

So I just solved this issue and my cheese exports doubled; it went from 467.83 to 929.76 (98.7%). Any reason why? I'm not sure what having the criminals do some work has to do with making lots of cheese.

Prisoners can return life with life by tending our crops and feeding the hungry.

Looks like to me, the Cheese Exports stat is being used as a stand-in for prisoners producing and distributing food.

[Candlewhisper Archive]

Yeah, it's tenuous. *scribbles a note for future edit*

[Absoloutley Corrupt]

issue 059 option 3, a ban on all alcohol, increases civil rights.

[Candlewhisper Archive]

issue 059 option 3, a ban on all alcohol, increases civil rights.

That's an oldie that one, and frequently complained about.

Essentially you went from being a nation where all drugs were mandatory to being one where drugs are not mandatory and alcohol is banned.

Actually, this is an outcome that I've frequently called entirely illogical, and will be looking to fix shortly. My big stat review is counting up from zero, and is currently on issues 52-54, so expect this one to be fixed very soon, hopefully.

[God Fearing Devoted]

After legalizing fracking, obesity went up. I assume because coal mining is good exercise?

[Trotterdam]

After legalizing fracking, obesity went up. I assume because coal mining is good exercise?

That's bound to be a secondary effect.

I suspect that it's because the game calculates Obesity from Health instead of the other way around, so random things that the game sees as unhealthy can make them fatter too. But it could also easily be something else, like some flapping-butterfly effect from changes to your economy also affecting the food market, I don't know. It's almost certainly not directly coded into that issue, however.

[Ransium]

After legalizing fracking, obesity went up. I assume because coal mining is good exercise?

That's bound to be a secondary effect.

I suspect that it's because the game calculates Obesity from Health instead of the other way around, so random things that the game sees as unhealthy can make them fatter too. But it could also easily be something else, like some flapping-butterfly effect from changes to your economy also affecting the food market, I don't know. It's almost certainly not directly coded into that issue, however.

This is correct. Fracking killed a butterfly, which failed to pollinate an orchard, which caused fruit and nut prices to go up, which forced your citizens to make less healthy choices. Or something...

[Jutsa]

Brilliant! I never would have even thought about that. o_o

[The Order of the EZIC Salt]

Issue #115, this nation solved it (Picked option 1).

So after making languages a part of school curriculum, all of a sudden Cheese Exports, Pizza Sales, Beverage Sales, Basket Weaving, Trout Fishing, Arms Manufacturing, Automobile Manufacturing, Timber Woodchipping, Furniture Restoration, Retail, Book Publishing, and Agriculture all increased by 4% or more. What's the big deal? What does learning a new language have to do with any form of agriculture and manufacturing at all?

[Phydios]

Issue #115, this nation solved it (Picked option 1).

So after making languages a part of school curriculum, all of a sudden Cheese Exports, Pizza Sales, Beverage Sales, Basket Weaving, Trout Fishing, Arms Manufacturing, Automobile Manufacturing, Timber Woodchipping, Furniture Restoration, Retail, Book Publishing, and Agriculture all increased by 4% or more. What's the big deal? What does learning a new language have to do with any form of agriculture and manufacturing at all?

Sounds like your economy in general got larger, and that gave every industry a boost. Many effects are not directly coded into the game- they're caused by connections to effects that are directly coded. These indirect effects are also called "secondary", "emergent", or "knock-on" effects.

[Candlewhisper Archive]

Phydios is right, though for the record the effects are too heavy handed, and will be subject to review in the near future.