The Almighty NationStates FAQ

[Hobbesistan]

I hope this falls under technical, so...

I would just like to know why there is a 25 Factbook limit, but a seemingly no-limit for dispatches? I said seemingly because there doesn't seem to be any limit so far and I'm not going to test it out with spammy dispatches to test that it's unlimited.

The factbook system (as far as I remember) pre-dates dispatches, so this likely has something to do with it.

[Persia-Kebabistan]

I am currently a W.A, delegate of a region. If I leave my region for a bit and then come back. will I lose Delegate status?

[Ever-Wandering Souls]

I am currently a W.A, delegate of a region. If I leave my region for a bit and then come back. will I lose Delegate status?

If you are outside it during update, yes.

[Frisbeeteria]

I am currently a W.A, delegate of a region. If I leave my region for a bit and then come back. will I lose Delegate status?

Delegates are elected and endorsements are counted during update. If you are absent from your home region during major or minor update, your Delegacy will be lost and your endorsements stripped. Updates run for about an hour each at noon and midnight EST, so be sure to stick around at those times.

[Persia-Kebabistan]

I have made three NS regions, and I noticed that all three of them originated in The West Pacific. Does the region where one originates depend on their location in real life?

By the way, thanks for all of your responses to my questions! They have been very helpful.

[Flanderlion]

I have made three NS regions, and I noticed that all three of them originated in The West Pacific. Does the region where one originates depend on their location in real life?

By the way, thanks for all of your responses to my questions! They have been very helpful.

Assuming you're meaning nations. Nations are randomly put in the 5 Feeders, the Pacific, the West Pacific, the East Pacific, the North Pacific and the South Pacific. You just got really lucky, as the odds of that happening are 1/125.

If you actually were meaning you founding new regions, guessing that you'd be referring to which region the nation you used to found the region came from.

The game doesn't use your RL location for anything more than moderation (basically WA checking and informing schools/law enforcement on occasion for especially dodgy players).

[Bears Armed]

I have made three NS regions, and I noticed that all three of them originated in The West Pacific. Does the region where one originates depend on their location in real life?

By the way, thanks for all of your responses to my questions! They have been very helpful.

Assuming you're meaning nations. Nations are randomly put in the 5 Feeders, the Pacific, the West Pacific, the East Pacific, the North Pacific and the South Pacific. You just got really lucky, as the odds of that happening are 1/125.

The odds of them all being put in TWP are 1/125, yes, but the odds of the second & third nations both being put in the same feeder as the first -- whichever feeder that was -- are only 1/25.

[Persia-Kebabistan]

I have made three NS regions, and I noticed that all three of them originated in The West Pacific. Does the region where one originates depend on their location in real life?

By the way, thanks for all of your responses to my questions! They have been very helpful.

Assuming you're meaning nations. Nations are randomly put in the 5 Feeders, the Pacific, the West Pacific, the East Pacific, the North Pacific and the South Pacific. You just got really lucky, as the odds of that happening are 1/125.

If you actually were meaning you founding new regions, guessing that you'd be referring to which region the nation you used to found the region came from.

The game doesn't use your RL location for anything more than moderation (basically WA checking and informing schools/law enforcement on occasion for especially dodgy players).

Assuming you're meaning nations. Nations are randomly put in the 5 Feeders, the Pacific, the West Pacific, the East Pacific, the North Pacific and the South Pacific. You just got really lucky, as the odds of that happening are 1/125.

The odds of them all being put in TWP are 1/25, yes, but the odds of the second & third nations both being put in the same feeder as the first -- whichever feeder that was -- are only 1/25.

I meant nations. That was an error on my part.

Thanks for responding!

[Aclion]

I've got a couple questions about Z-day. First I understand that new nations can't be made during it. Does that go into effect only while the event is ongoing, and if not when exactly does it start and end? Also Is it possible to send cure missiles/hoards/ect across regions, without moving nations? As I remember it's not. If it's not is there a delay after you move similar to the delay after getting hit by a missile?

[Vegaslovakia]

Is there any rule about how much I can reference something within a joke nation I'm thinking of making? I don't want all of my nations to be deleted because of copyright infringement if the flag happens to be a picture from a movie scene and the nation's title is a quote from that scene.

[Sapitna]

I hope this falls under technical, so...

I would just like to know why there is a 25 Factbook limit, but a seemingly no-limit for dispatches? I said seemingly because there doesn't seem to be any limit so far and I'm not going to test it out with spammy dispatches to test that it's unlimited.

The factbook system (as far as I remember) pre-dates dispatches, so this likely has something to do with it.

Could that not be changed? It's rather an issue.

[Paplem]

How do you become a forum moderator?
I only ask out of curiosity.

[Frisbeeteria]

How do you become a forum moderator?

viewtopic.php?f=16&t=85133

[Paplem]

How do you become a forum moderator?

viewtopic.php?f=16&t=85133

Thank you!

[Viitonia]

How do you add a signature for your account?

[Gandoor]

How do you add a signature for your account?

ucp.php?i=profile&mode=signature

For future reference just click User Control Panel right below the forum navigation at the top, then Profile, then Edit signature.

[Persia-Kebabistan]

When a mod posts in the forum through their account and a nation replies in the forums, do the mods tend to read and reply to the responses?

Also, when the NationStates Moderators account posts in an RMB, do they get notifications when the post is liked or quoted? Do they read the responses or do they ignore the responses?

---

BTW, these are some previous questions that as of now, are unanswered (I do not have answers for them).

I've got a couple questions about Z-day. First I understand that new nations can't be made during it. Does that go into effect only while the event is ongoing, and if not when exactly does it start and end? Also Is it possible to send cure missiles/hoards/ect across regions, without moving nations? As I remember it's not. If it's not is there a delay after you move similar to the delay after getting hit by a missile?

Is there any rule about how much I can reference something within a joke nation I'm thinking of making? I don't want all of my nations to be deleted because of copyright infringement if the flag happens to be a picture from a movie scene and the nation's title is a quote from that scene.

[Frisbeeteria]

When a mod posts in the forum through their account and a nation replies in the forums, do the mods tend to read and reply to the responses?

Can't speak for every other mod, but I read every new post in Moderation and Technical. I reply when necessary. I generally don't see replies to mod warning posts in most other forums, and rarely reply a second time.

Also, when the NationStates Moderators account posts in an RMB, do they get notifications when the post is liked or quoted?

No.

Do they read the responses or do they ignore the responses?

Depends on when and where. Sometimes we pay attention. Sometimes we don't.

---

The Z-Day question has been answered elsewhere and can be found by searching. The Joke nation question is too hypothetical to provide a meaningful answer.

[Knights Mare Nostrum]

Here's a bit of a question:

I have another nation I'm planning on releasing that has a custom humanoid species in charge. Now, I want to break down the biology of this species in my factbook, and something I want to do is have a sort of diagram/image of the average person of this race, and to convey that I'm obviously going to have to rever

Point is, is nudity or genitalia permitted if it's not in a sexual or trolling context, but rather used for anatomical or scientific explanation? And if it isn't, can i use a censored version?

[Freslia]

I apologize if this has already been answered, but do the issues actually alter the various stats by a percentage or do they alter them by a flat value? In other words, once a stat becomes zero is it stuck there?

[Phydios]

I apologize if this has already been answered, but do the issues actually alter the various stats by a percentage or do they alter them by a flat value? In other words, once a stat becomes zero is it stuck there?

I don't know how issue effects work on the backend, but stats are never stuck at zero. For example, if a stat goes from 0 to 25, that will be reported as a 100% increase on the issue results page.

[Freslia]

I apologize if this has already been answered, but do the issues actually alter the various stats by a percentage or do they alter them by a flat value? In other words, once a stat becomes zero is it stuck there?

I don't know how issue effects work on the backend, but stats are never stuck at zero. For example, if a stat goes from 0 to 25, that will be reported as a 100% increase on the issue results page.

Ah, okay, so on one hand I can resurrect my failed manufacturing sector, but on the other hand I’ll need to be careful if I want to keep my Law Enforcement at zero.

Edit: hold on, follow up, is there a way to remove existing policies? A while back I misread one of the options on an issue and ended up getting some policies I didn’t want

[Aikoland]

I don't know how issue effects work on the backend, but stats are never stuck at zero. For example, if a stat goes from 0 to 25, that will be reported as a 100% increase on the issue results page.

Ah, okay, so on one hand I can resurrect my failed manufacturing sector, but on the other hand I’ll need to be careful if I want to keep my Law Enforcement at zero.

Edit: hold on, follow up, is there a way to remove existing policies? A while back I misread one of the options on an issue and ended up getting some policies I didn’t want

Yes, every policy that can be enacted via an issue can also be removed via a different issue. (Well issues)

Just for ease, this page: http://www.mwq.dds.nl/ns/results/policies.html lists all the issues that add or remove each policy you can have and which option to choose.

[The Blaatschapen]

Hobbesistan, will we get a new part of the FAQ for the trading card game?

And do you need any help with writing it?

[Gandoor]

Hey so I was trying to check something in the FAQ regarding the max number of unanswered issues you can have at once and I noticed that some of the information regarding issues given is several years out of date.

The section about issues here: viewtopic.php?p=24300418#p24300418 and the section about the game mechanics here: viewtopic.php?p=24300399#p24300399 still act as if you can only get up to two issues per day and that issues are processed during the updates, as opposed to the current system of up to four daily issues and issues are processed immediately.

I also noticed that the section regarding customizable fields here: viewtopic.php?p=24300409#p24300409 makes reference to the fact that you can answer the customizable field issues and NOT unlock the field, but they changed it (fairly recently, within the last year I believe) so that any option (sans dismissal) will unlock the field.

It's not really 'OMG THIS NEEDS TO BE UPDATED RIGHT NOW' type stuff, I suppose, but I just thought I'd point this out so the FAQ can be up to date, for the people who actually decide to read it.