NationStates Issues **SPOILER ALERT**

[Trotterdam]

#996 Scripting a Change?

The Issue

@@NAME@@ has been watching closely after a neighbouring country adopted the Maxtopian writing system in conjunction with their own native script, as it has since been prospering. A disputation about whether to follow their example has resulted in various weighty reports from competing ministries to read through.

The Debate

1. You sit down at your veranda on a quiet afternoon and start with the 642 page report by the Ministry of Tourism, which begins: "It is the opinion of the Minister that we should also adopt the Maxtopian script to run alongside our own writing system. This move would make tourism a far more lucrative prospect, business transactions would be easier and it would promote healthier relations with vital trade partners such as Maxtopia and the United Federation. The Minister mandates that it should be taught in schools immediately in order that @@NAME@@ may reap the benefits in no more than one or two generations."

2. As the afternoon progresses, you pick up the substantially heavy report by the Ministry of Culture, which leads off with: "We strongly state that we should not adopt a new writing system. The current script is rooted in generations of tradition and is the only alphabet the vast majority of @@DEMONYMNOUNPLURAL@@ can read or write. The costs associated by implementing a second alphabet would be monumental, therefore the status quo must be maintained. It is further advocated that we must actively encourage greater patriotic spirit and nationalism by explicitly discouraging the use of any foreign script."

3. The sun begins to set and you now turn to the rather voluminous report by the Ministry for Creative Solutions, which starts out with: "It is clear that a new writing system is the only viable, long term solution for this present conundrum. A new system that would accurately transcribe the unique pronunciations contained within our language, promoting greater literacy. This new script shall be drafted with simplicity in mind so that native @@DEMONYMNOUNPLURAL@@ and foreigners alike would have no trouble learning it. It must be immediately enacted upon and made mandatory in all areas of government, businesses and schools."

4. It's now completely dark and so you retire to bed. On the way, you happen to spot your nephew's discarded homework, covered in scribbled rantings: "This homework is stupid! Why do we even bother with writing? What good has it ever done for us? I wish schools would stop teaching it!"

Issue by Chan Island
Edited by Baggieland

[Techolandia]

I have atheism as a policy, and the second option of issue 191 (with the Jehovah's Witness speaking). This also puts the third option (with the anaemic patient speaking) out of context.

[Trotterdam]

I have atheism as a policy, and the second option of issue 191 (with the Jehovah's Witness speaking). This also puts the third option (with the anaemic patient speaking) out of context.

This belongs in the "fix old issues" thread.

[Techolandia]

I'm wondering if this issue can use a new option or two, though, given that my data suggests option 3 is overwhelmingly more popular (75% of data points) despite not usually being available to a nation more than once. That has interesting implications on the issue's dismissal rate.

They could still get it again if they removed Marriage Equality with another issue, but you still have a point. How about drugging the water supply with hormones intended to increase spouses' affection for each other?

[Techolandia]

I have atheism as a policy, and the second option of issue 191 (with the Jehovah's Witness speaking). This also puts the third option (with the anaemic patient speaking) out of context.

This belongs in the "fix old issues" thread.

Only the second part does.

[Trotterdam]

This belongs in the "fix old issues" thread.

Only the second part does.

Jutsa has not currently listed any validity for any option on #191, so posting that the option indeed does not have the validity that you think it maybe should isn't adding any new information. There's still no validity.

[Chan Island]

#996 Scripting a Change?

The Issue

@@NAME@@ has been watching closely after a neighbouring country adopted the Maxtopian writing system in conjunction with their own native script, as it has since been prospering. A disputation about whether to follow their example has resulted in various weighty reports from competing ministries to read through.

The Debate

1. You sit down at your veranda on a quiet afternoon and start with the 642 page report by the Ministry of Tourism, which begins: "It is the opinion of the Minister that we should also adopt the Maxtopian script to run alongside our own writing system. This move would make tourism a far more lucrative prospect, business transactions would be easier and it would promote healthier relations with vital trade partners such as Maxtopia and the United Federation. The Minister mandates that it should be taught in schools immediately in order that @@NAME@@ may reap the benefits in no more than one or two generations."

2. As the afternoon progresses, you pick up the substantially heavy report by the Ministry of Culture, which leads off with: "We strongly state that we should not adopt a new writing system. The current script is rooted in generations of tradition and is the only alphabet the vast majority of @@DEMONYMNOUNPLURAL@@ can read or write. The costs associated by implementing a second alphabet would be monumental, therefore the status quo must be maintained. It is further advocated that we must actively encourage greater patriotic spirit and nationalism by explicitly discouraging the use of any foreign script."

3. The sun begins to set and you now turn to the rather voluminous report by the Ministry for Creative Solutions, which starts out with: "It is clear that a new writing system is the only viable, long term solution for this present conundrum. A new system that would accurately transcribe the unique pronunciations contained within our language, promoting greater literacy. This new script shall be drafted with simplicity in mind so that native @@DEMONYMNOUNPLURAL@@ and foreigners alike would have no trouble learning it. It must be immediately enacted upon and made mandatory in all areas of government, businesses and schools."

4. It's now completely dark and so you retire to bed. On the way, you happen to spot your nephew's discarded homework, covered in scribbled rantings: "This homework is stupid! Why do we even bother with writing? What good has it ever done for us? I wish schools would stop teaching it!"

Issue by Chan Island
Edited by Baggieland

I'm particularly glad this one got accepted. It's now the first issue in the game where all of the options are entirely written down.

Also, does this put me back in the lead as most-published non-editor? I'm not sure.

Cheers Baggieland!

[Luna Amore]

#996 Scripting a Change?

The Issue

@@NAME@@ has been watching closely after a neighbouring country adopted the Maxtopian writing system in conjunction with their own native script, as it has since been prospering. A disputation about whether to follow their example has resulted in various weighty reports from competing ministries to read through.

The Debate

1. You sit down at your veranda on a quiet afternoon and start with the 642 page report by the Ministry of Tourism, which begins: "It is the opinion of the Minister that we should also adopt the Maxtopian script to run alongside our own writing system. This move would make tourism a far more lucrative prospect, business transactions would be easier and it would promote healthier relations with vital trade partners such as Maxtopia and the United Federation. The Minister mandates that it should be taught in schools immediately in order that @@NAME@@ may reap the benefits in no more than one or two generations."

2. As the afternoon progresses, you pick up the substantially heavy report by the Ministry of Culture, which leads off with: "We strongly state that we should not adopt a new writing system. The current script is rooted in generations of tradition and is the only alphabet the vast majority of @@DEMONYMNOUNPLURAL@@ can read or write. The costs associated by implementing a second alphabet would be monumental, therefore the status quo must be maintained. It is further advocated that we must actively encourage greater patriotic spirit and nationalism by explicitly discouraging the use of any foreign script."

3. The sun begins to set and you now turn to the rather voluminous report by the Ministry for Creative Solutions, which starts out with: "It is clear that a new writing system is the only viable, long term solution for this present conundrum. A new system that would accurately transcribe the unique pronunciations contained within our language, promoting greater literacy. This new script shall be drafted with simplicity in mind so that native @@DEMONYMNOUNPLURAL@@ and foreigners alike would have no trouble learning it. It must be immediately enacted upon and made mandatory in all areas of government, businesses and schools."

4. It's now completely dark and so you retire to bed. On the way, you happen to spot your nephew's discarded homework, covered in scribbled rantings: "This homework is stupid! Why do we even bother with writing? What good has it ever done for us? I wish schools would stop teaching it!"

Issue by Chan Island
Edited by Baggieland

I'm particularly glad this one got accepted. It's now the first issue in the game where all of the options are entirely written down.

Also, does this put me back in the lead as most-published non-editor? I'm not sure.

Cheers Baggieland!

You and Singapore no2 have 20 in game. Granted 5 of yours are under a different nation.

[Trotterdam]

Today I want to introduce you to a fun bit of circularity.

I observed two months ago that #129 had a new option added and guessed that it was probably a communist option (confirmed soon afterwards by Candlewhisper Archive), but while I suspected that it probably had the same effect line as capitalist equivalent, I was reluctant to write it in my notes until I actually saw the option in question, which, to this date, still hasn't been reported in this thread.

Well, I just now noticed that NSindex had in fact known about this new option for a full month before I did, including the full option text, which as I suspected is very similar to the capitalist option and probably has the same effect line... but the NSindex editors didn't make that deduction, and in fact a recent editor specifically marked the option's effect line as "unknown" in the article, citing me because my site doesn't have that effect line yet.

This is why it's useful to post all your reports to a single source, people.

[Candlewhisper Archive]

This is why it's useful to post all your reports to a single source, people.

Totally! This is why we're proud to announce a new Single Point of Access issue reporting service to run in tandem with NSWiki, this thread and Trotterdam's stat cruncher. Overseeing this new unified approach will be a Committee for Commissioning of Oversight, which will coordinate the SPA with other similar initiatives, such as last years Unified Reporting Service, and next year's proposed All-inclusive Report Thread.

[Trotterdam]

This is why it's useful to post all your reports to a single source, people.

Totally! This is why we're proud to announce a new Single Point of Access issue reporting service to run in tandem with NSWiki, this thread and Trotterdam's stat cruncher. Overseeing this new unified approach will be a Committee for Commissioning of Oversight, which will coordinate the SPA with other similar initiatives, such as last years Unified Reporting Service, and next year's proposed All-inclusive Report Thread.

[Land Without Shrimp]

Don't see all the options posted for 997 yet - so thought I'd share. Wasn't aware we had another follow-up to this chain!

Issue #997: Not A Second Time

The Story So Far
With the Toronto Stock Exchange bombing unlikely to ever be forgotten, Land Without Shrimp has remained vigilant against the possibility of terrorist attack.

The Issue
In recent months there have been a number of lone-actor terror attacks across the world, wherein everyday vehicles are weaponised and used to run down innocent pedestrians along crowded city streets. These attacks have proven difficult to predict or prevent. After one such attack in Toronto, there is determination from all involved that there cannot be a second.

The Debate
1. “It’s near impossible for intelligence services or law enforcement to catch these lone actors,” observes city planner Amber Gennaro, while suspiciously eyeing a nearby food truck. “So we must make it equally impossible for them to commit these acts. Knee-high concrete barriers dividing traffic from pedestrian walkways positioned along all major streets and bridges, the busiest areas car-free and accessible only to well-funded public transport, and we need thorough background checks and audit trails for vehicle rental and purchase.”

2. “You’re right that law enforcement can’t predict these attacks easily,” agrees Diego Meyer, Professor of Sociology at Toronto University, who never locks his own car as a matter of principle. “However, we can at least try to interrupt the radicalisation process that turns loners into terrorists. We need a nationwide ‘Prevent’ program, with monitoring and infiltration of radicalising internet communities, a hotline for anonymous tip-offs, and early intervention. That’s how you stop terrorism.”

3. “If we haven’t stopped terrorism, it’s because you, the government, have not put law and order first,” argues Officer Katniss Stuckmann, of the Toronto Police Department. “We need the powers to arrest and detain suspicious individuals before they carry out terror attacks, and to prosecute those who are engaging with terrorist ideologies or groups. Also, we need to ensure that the population’s weapon capabilities are limited, by blocking general access to anything that might be used to carry out terror attacks, be it explosives, corrosives, ballistics, or automotive vehicles.”

4. “Well, I say,” says Steffan Bush, a gentleman boulevardier smelling faintly of a 10-year old matured Famous Moose . “Seems to me that most of these road raging chaps are all of a religious disposition - be they violet, yellow or cyan - that frowns upon good old liquid courage. You know what would keep the boys away from our automotives? An ignition interlock device requiring a hefty bouquet of giggle water on your breath! A glass of wine a day keeps the terrorists away, as I’ve always said.”

5. “That guy was from Kawandaland,” points out taxi driver Velma Herrelko, while nearly running over a group of children at a zebra crossing. “Just like all those dodgy minicab drivers who have been undercutting my business recently. Hey, you know, if you just said that Kawandalandians ain’t allowed in Land Without Shrimp, you’d fix this. Oh, and the Maxtopians and Bigtopians too, they’re trouble. And those Brancalandians, with their beady little eyes. Hell, just say no to immigrants and you’ll never have terrorist problems again.”

If this has already been posted and I just haven't seen it here...my apologies!!

[Candlewhisper Archive]

I wonder who the author is. Damn fine writing.

[Gnejs]

I hear they say it's all in the editing.

[Candlewhisper Archive]

Oh yes, indubitably. Also some excellent editing there.

[Jutsa]

Thanks guys.

Both of these are very good additions.

We're almost at 1,000! Too bad it'll take a while longer to actually be added...

Will 999 be reserved as well, or not?

[Jutsa]

Oh! Also, don't feel the need to apologize if you pasted an issue twice; honestly I'm alright with it, since you never know if you've found a new issue, option, can confirm name randomness/fixedness, find a typo in the previous report, or know what the internal numbering is.

@Issue 129: I'll update that when I go through NSIndex for all the other stuff I've got to double-check on.

[Techolandia]

Will 999 be reserved as well, or not?

If so, an issue dedicated to a variant on the YK2 bug seems appropriate. I'm thinking an Easter egg where each option is the leader of a different nation written by that nation (except the last option).







As the 1000^th issue approached, several advisers have pointed out that the current issue system was only designed to accommodate three-digit issue numbers. Unfortunately, more pressing matters, like child welfare, writing education, vehicle-based terrorism, and whatever issue 998 will be about, took up your attention. Now, with the next issue approved scheduled to breach the quadruple-digit barrier, you must frantically take action.

The debate:

1. Jutsa writes this option. Basically taking frantic action to revamp the entire system. "While adding four-digit anchors for each issue in the issue list" sounds like a good phrase. Jutsa doesn't actually have to do it.

2. "Why bother with such a laborious process," begins Sarah Green, who is in charge of Techolandia's domestic affairs, as she starts coding a macro instruction. "You could just switch to base-12 and not have to deal with this as often, but even when we reach 1,728 in base-ten, we've already developed a way to solve the problem until issue # that we're making open-source that will fix this until issue #65,536. And in the future, why don't you have two separate leaders, one for domestic affairs and one for foreign affairs, so neither will get overloaded with issues?" She puts in a repeat loop, finishing the macro. She then runs it, doing all of Jutsa's work in less than a second.
Fallout: @@NAME@@ uses foreign code to solve technological problems.

3a. A non-capitalist nation with a large information technology sector suggests letting the government directly take control of the situation. (only available for capitalist countries)

3b. A capitalist nation with a large information technology sector says that the private sector would deal with the problem more efficiently. (only available for non-capitalist countries)

4. A nation with high scientific advancement and intelligence points out that because numbers are stored on computers in binary, there won't be a problem until issue #1,024.

5. Candlewhisper Archive assures @@LEADER@@ that NationStates has already dealt with the problem and that there's nothing to worry about.

6. A nation with high political apathy and drug use, the leader covered in silly string, suggests you ignore the problem and have fun partying.

7. Your Minister of Procrastination walks in, having not bothers to come until the next minute. @@HE@@ points out, "You know, @@LEADER@@, the next issue doesn't have to be #1,000. Issue #911 is still TBD; that would be a great number for another followup to The Enemy Within. And then there''s issue #952; I'm thinking pollution caused by bicycle-manufacturing companies. You thought bikes were environmentally friendly."
Fallout: @@LEADER@@ was too busy dealing with terrorism and bike-manufacturing pollution to patch the IK1 bug.

[Jutsa]

that's what I assumed was going there.

[Techolandia]

that's what I assumed was going there.

I put in a draft now. You get to write option #1.

[Trotterdam]

#253 2 is unavailable on some nations (proably due to No Judiciary).

[Trotterdam]

So, guess what? After a full month, I have finally seen this effect line again for only the second time ever. This time, I'm recording for posterity who it's on: Westerlandium.

Now it's only been two days until a third sighting. On The Vaporeon Collective.

Yup... I see a pattern...

[Jutsa]

Self-found: #970.7 did not appear for me on this account, and I am not an atheist state, so therefor the validity is probably "must lean towards being religious"

[Techolandia]

Will 999 be reserved as well, or not?

If so, an issue dedicated to a variant on the YK2 bug seems appropriate. I'm thinking an Easter egg where each option is the leader of a different nation written by that nation (except the last option).







As the 1000^th issue approached, several advisers have pointed out that the current issue system was only designed to accommodate three-digit issue numbers. Unfortunately, more pressing matters, like child welfare, writing education, vehicle-based terrorism, and whatever issue 998 will be about, took up your attention. Now, with the next issue approved scheduled to breach the quadruple-digit barrier, you must frantically take action.

The debate:

1. Jutsa writes this option. Basically taking frantic action to revamp the entire system. "While adding four-digit anchors for each issue in the issue list" sounds like a good phrase. Jutsa doesn't actually have to do it.

2. "Why bother with such a laborious process," begins Sarah Green, who is in charge of Techolandia's domestic affairs, as she starts coding a macro instruction. "You could just switch to base-12 and not have to deal with this as often, but even when we reach 1,728 in base-ten, we've already developed a way to solve the problem until issue # that we're making open-source that will fix this until issue #65,536. And in the future, why don't you have two separate leaders, one for domestic affairs and one for foreign affairs, so neither will get overloaded with issues?" She puts in a repeat loop, finishing the macro. She then runs it, doing all of Jutsa's work in less than a second.
Fallout: @@NAME@@ uses foreign code to solve technological problems.

3a. A non-capitalist nation with a large information technology sector suggests letting the government directly take control of the situation. (only available for capitalist countries)

3b. A capitalist nation with a large information technology sector says that the private sector would deal with the problem more efficiently. (only available for non-capitalist countries)

4. A nation with high scientific advancement and intelligence points out that because numbers are stored on computers in binary, there won't be a problem until issue #1,024.

5. Candlewhisper Archive assures @@LEADER@@ that NationStates has already dealt with the problem and that there's nothing to worry about.

6. A nation with high political apathy and drug use, the leader covered in silly string, suggests you ignore the problem and have fun partying.

7. Your Minister of Procrastination walks in, having not bothers to come until the next minute. @@HE@@ points out, "You know, @@LEADER@@, the next issue doesn't have to be #1,000. Issue #911 is still TBD; that would be a great number for another followup to The Enemy Within. And then there''s issue #952; I'm thinking pollution caused by bicycle-manufacturing companies. You thought bikes were environmentally friendly."
Fallout: @@LEADER@@ was too busy dealing with terrorism and bike-manufacturing pollution to patch the IK1 bug.

Should I give it its own thread?

[Feria-Alkaline]

Heads-up that Paris O'Hara in 991 is a randomized female name, I believe. Also, I think the "Religion is legal" might not be what you need for option 2... Mine doesn't have it, and religion isn't expressly outlawed. Not sure what it is, though.