NationStates

Think outside the box that is International Incidents.

I realize that this seems contradictory, given that I'm posting this in II. That is the reason why I say it, though, and if I could, I would say it everywhere else in the game: "Think outside the box that is General", "Think outside the box that is Gameplay", etc. When and if newcomers to II make the mistakes that many others have advised against earlier in this thread, or if they find that the particular style of RP expected in II is not their thing, they should realize that II is not all there is to NS RP. There are other RP forums and regional RP forums for those who look for them. Whatever your RP style, there is likely to be a group of RPers somewhere in NS who share it. It is worth the time and effort to find them.

But suppose that you do fit in, and you do find a good niche in whatever part of NS you first settled into. For such people, I have the same advice: Think outside your box. There are regions, forums, and entire ways of playing the game that may seem alien to you. It may seem easy to hold them in contempt and isolate yourself from them. If you do this, though, you'll only harm yourself and may well harm them. Some of the best friends and allies you could have are out there in NS, if you have the patience with their differences to find them.

by Mirnect » Sat Jan 23, 2010 2:13 am

Don't be afraid to join in threads or sign-up threads. We don't bite



yes we don't bite.

There are several things that I would stress:

-Learn the English Language: Spelling, punctuation, etc. It may seem like a hassle at first, but what little neatness a new nation has in their posts goes a long way in earning respect. Taking a bit of time out of your busy posting schedule to check your usage not only makes it better for the average pair of eyes or your random wandering grammar policeman, but generally better language = a better RP.

-Don't be Afraid to be Original!: So your latest RP may seem a bit out of norm, but that is great for any sucessful new player. A repetition of RP's that can be found on the II and other places is not considered original, and these fads of having hundreds of threads of marriages, or hundreds of "I have hostages", etc. Usually cycle from people who have nothing to write about and thus copy what others are doing. As AMF said, breaking away from the flow makes this place interesting.

-Running from Experienced Players is a mistake: now this can be on a case by case basis, but generally don't be afraid of critique. Experienced Players are usually ready with some good helpful advice for an rp or character development, so pluging your ears and shouting "lalala!" Not only casts a light of ignorance, but prevents really good people from informing you of how to better make an RP fun for all. If you see an RP which is [Closed], avoid it unless you are invited, if it is [Semi-Closed] and has a lot of long, long posts from experienced players, it is best to avoid these areas as well, posting at the climax of a story between these players is usually a bad idea unless you have something really plot changing (in a good way) that makes the story better.

-Don't "haz nukes", "exterminates the ebilz religions", "cibil wurz 500 times a month", etc:, the same is true for governments like uber facists, uber commies, etc. These have been done over and over and over and over (insert "and over" x100000000 times)....and are overdone and make for bland black and white RP styles, avoid these. Also avoid doing a "newspaper style" of posting on more than an once every other time basis.

-Practice Practice Practice! And Have Fun!: The more you are exposed, the more likely your RP style will improve. And remember you are telling a story!

Don't RP to win.

Join NSD.

Zoingo wrote: -Don't be Afraid to be Original!: So your latest RP may seem a bit out of norm, but that is great for any sucessful new player. A repetition of RP's that can be found on the II and other places is not considered original, and these fads of having hundreds of threads of marriages, or hundreds of "I have hostages", etc. Usually cycle from people who have nothing to write about and thus copy what others are doing. As AMF said, breaking away from the flow makes this place interesting.

Yes! No one really wants to see another ball or open and shut war.

Defie yourself, and define yourself in an interesting way, according to your RPing style and priorities. What is your nation like? What is it organised like? How has history shaped you? Is the weather nice? Where is your highest mountain? What are your armed forces like? Are you a government-based nation or still a complete monarchy?

The more you define your nation, the more interest and time you will put into your RPing. And the more interesting and well thought over your RPing is, the higher its quality will be.

Anemos Major wrote:Defie yourself, and define yourself in an interesting way, according to your RPing style and priorities. What is your nation like? What is it organised like? How has history shaped you? Is the weather nice? Where is your highest mountain? What are your armed forces like? Are you a government-based nation or still a complete monarchy?

The more you define your nation, the more interest and time you will put into your RPing. And the more interesting and well thought over your RPing is, the higher its quality will be.

Along with this I would like to add - Learn to take advice and critisism, the good and the bad I might add as it will help you build up in skill and personality.

4 Things that every nation should know:
1. Don't godmod. People hate that.
2. Speak properly. Even if in another language, use good grammer and spelling
3. Try to avoid using nuclear weaponry in a game. Of course, nations can't MAKE nuclear weapons until 100 million population. Plus, people are less likely to RP with you
4. If you find that someone is very mean and is bullying you into RPing with them, remember that YOU DON'T HAVE TO. No one can force you into RPing.

Most importantly, have fun! If you don't like writing something, people sure as heck won't like reading it.

Make some of it for the lulz. I've found that having interesting, funny characters makes you want to write more. Many of my soldiers are funny but in a sickish way, like they are trying to ignore the death around them, which is a true behavior of modern soldiers. Many don't really even know what they are fighting for and only have the government propoganda version, while others actually realize it and sulk because of it.

What I'm trying to say is that you need to make it realistic. And real life has it's jokes but it also has it's sadistic, creul and sad parts. So don't just go for the morbid, nor the jokes. Have a good mix.

The PeoplesFreedom wrote:Join NSD.

Ha ha ha, no.


NSD has perhaps the largest case of unwarranted self importance NS has ever seen. I've seen them approve ungodly impossible designs simply because the uploader was popular amongst them. Not to mention, most of the NSD crowd is... better to be avoided, in simple terms.

Yeah, some NSDers are pretty cool, but you'll find that quite a few of them are blowhards who don't have a clue as to what they're doing- not to mention, if you're not "OMG LIBERTAD" you're liable to get harassed quite a bit off of NS (or even in NS, via metagaming) for screwing up a design (or just because #d feels like it). The concept of NSD is good, but it really didn't go the right way.

The Grand World Order wrote:

The PeoplesFreedom wrote:Join NSD.

Ha ha ha, no.


NSD has perhaps the largest case of unwarranted self importance NS has ever seen. I've seen them approve ungodly impossible designs simply because the uploader was popular amongst them. Not to mention, most of the NSD crowd is... better to be avoided, in simple terms.

Yeah, some NSDers are pretty cool, but you'll find that quite a few of them are blowhards who don't have a clue as to what they're doing- not to mention, if you're not "OMG LIBERTAD" you're liable to get harassed quite a bit off of NS (or even in NS, via metagaming) for screwing up a design (or just because #d feels like it). The concept of NSD is good, but it really didn't go the right way.

With everything on NS take everything with a grain of salt and you get out what you put in, so if you go looking for a fight or without any sort of open mind you're going to have a negative experience. I can say that I'm not "OMG LIBERTAD" and I don't have any issues with NSD or #d. NSD is an amazingly great resource for technological design and it will get you to improve your technology, by all means if it doesn't you're doing something wrong. The collection of veterans on NSD as well will provide you with endless help to RPing as well. The key there is just to ask and ask with the intention of learning not with getting a simple explanation.

DO NOT go into II and as. Your first post say I RULZ DE WORLD HAHA

1) All spacecraft need radiators.
2) Read Atomic Rockets.
3) Get on IRC.

Join NSD http://z4.invisionfree.invalid.com/NSDraftroom/index.php?

o/

Seriously though, NSD is great. It's got a pretty robust community, it's got fairly extensive resources for getting acquainted with any sort of tech you please, and a large volume of tech you don't. We even have internetdrama! It's like, the perfect thing if you're interested in designing

or an engineer

or really bored

really really really bored

don't give me that look.

Your country is special. It sounds incredibly cheesy, but it's true. It exists on one of the most free-form roleplays of all time, and extreme cases like godmodding aside, virtually anything goes. And in light of that, it should be treated special. Don't just make up a name and use generic weaponry with generic politicians with generic one-liners in a generic democracy/dictatorship/whatever. Your country is more then just a filler space to house tanks. Your country has a history; one that is unique in that only it has that particular history (though for added effect, others may have hands in that history). That history made it what it is. Likewise, and both influencing and being influenced by history, is culture. Geography too. It's the little pieces that come together that form what your country is, and make it a true character in the full pageant.

And it's true, your country is a character. Your character is a story. You should flesh it out with as much creativity as you can muster. It should be your personal achievement, something you can be proud of when you look back on it and say 'I made THIS world'.

The Grand World Order wrote:

The PeoplesFreedom wrote:Join NSD.

Ha ha ha, no.


NSD has perhaps the largest case of unwarranted self importance NS has ever seen. I've seen them approve ungodly impossible designs simply because the uploader was popular amongst them. Not to mention, most of the NSD crowd is... better to be avoided, in simple terms.

Yeah, some NSDers are pretty cool, but you'll find that quite a few of them are blowhards who don't have a clue as to what they're doing- not to mention, if you're not "OMG LIBERTAD" you're liable to get harassed quite a bit off of NS (or even in NS, via metagaming) for screwing up a design (or just because #d feels like it). The concept of NSD is good, but it really didn't go the right way.

Don't be sad because you got trolled out and refused to accept criticism for your dual-barreled tanks and fascist, not to mention racist and sexist political beliefs.

Wasn't it Stok that called us elitist faggots and now is on the IRC channel all the time. See? He joined the Cool Kids Club. You should too!

Keep the arguing OUT of this thread.
Anyways, I offer advice of wisdom
1. Always have some form of pit
2. Read the stickies (the little bulbed thingies)
3. Join a region, or create a new one
4. Develop your country
5. Colonize new lands in International Incidents
6. DO NOT EVER SAY "I CLAIM THE WORLD!" No one will take you seriously... and some might consider invading you
7. NEVER GOD MOD. No explanation required.
8. Adhere to all rules laid out in regions, threads, or the WA (if you are part of it)
9. Keep any god modding in Forum 7 threads... like mine
10. Have fun with Nation States!

Never use "it was on Future Weapons [or any other comparable source]" as a justification for a technology. As Izistan said much earlier, this especially includes Popular Mechanics, etc.

If you're going to make a flag or a logo for yourself, save it in PNG file format. It will look much nicer, seriously.

Contrary to what seems to be popular belief, NSD is not a club of elitist pricks. People who say that just generally can't take genuine criticism. Please join, as others have said, for the sake of the sanity of anyone who plays even semi-realistically.

Video games are generally not the greatest basis for an entire nation. Elements, yes. There are some exceptions, but please, no massive lasers or cannons that knock planes down with shockwaves or summat.

This applies to many films, as well.

Also contrary to what seems to be popular belief, it is sometimes fun to roleplay deficient areas in one's nation. Not every nation is some perfect democratic society where socialism actually works and people all get along and everyone gets what they need ad infinitum. There will always be corruption, there will always be murder and crime, there will always be budget shortfalls, there will always be technical hijinks, etc. I personally do not recommend using the economy calculators because they're generally very unrealistic, I suggest using some spreadsheet software, a good head, and research to formulate your own budget, GDP, etc. (the easiest way to do this is to start at a GDP per capita and go from there). Be realistic, add flavor, don't have some perfect nation with no internal strife. My two largest political parties agree on nearly every issue except for foreign policy, its hilarious because otherwise they should be in coalition but they really hate each other. Remember, no country irl is perfect; in fact they're mostly all far from it. There is no such thing as a real utopia.

That being said, there can be such a thing as too depressing or dark, but that end of the spectrum is generally very subjective because, let's face it, we humans are used to tragedy.

Communication, communication, communication. This game isn't about some adversarial game of "I win u lose giv me concessions nd ur password," of course victors must reap rewards and losers must swallow defeat, but neither side can impose anything: a good working relationship OOC is key. The point of NS RP is to create a story, to write a fictional history. Going into a roleplay with the intention of winning is the worst mentality you could ever possibly have. Communicate with your adversaries and allies, either through MSN/Live, AIM, or especially IRC (very popular amongst many NS regions and communities). Talking to one another makes things very easy. You don't have to pre-define everything that will happen in an RP, but it helps to flesh out a very general idea. No need to set winners and losers in stone, but consider all of your options, and keep an open mind towards both outcomes.

Don't be afraid to start a roleplay off of the internal strife I outlined above. Of course civil wars are beaten to death, but a self stomp is often a great way to kindle RP and friendship with other roleplayers.

Learn to detect OOC sarcasm through text. It isn't as hard as everyone says so long as you get to know the person on the other side of the modem, and it will really pay off if you think you're getting trolled or otherwise. Keep a thick skin and a stiff upper lip.

Word count isn't everything, but try to drag out your posts with narrative and 'fluff' without allowing it to become too fluffy; find a balance between substance and narrative that keeps it interesting and engaging without dragging it out to the point of painful. Long posts don't necessarily mean substance, but you can't have much of any substance if you don't try for it.

Develop a unique culture, but try to make it make sense. Keep it even somewhat rooted in reality. You may think this limits creativity, but it really doesn't, it limits outlandishness. Don't be another $_nation_generic_culture, which are usually cookie cutter states with no real defining characteristics, or a nation of Afrikaner-Pacific Islander-Russian Cossacks who live in a sub-arctic tundra and practice Hinduism.

There are lots of other things I can't even begin to think about mentioning, many of which have probably already been mentioned. Take care to find out which sources you can and can't trust in this thread, for example everything I ever say is a lie.

That was an exercise in the sarcasm thing.

Don't be Kalasparata.

/thread

Use of Future Weapons or anything else on the military/discovery channel runs the risk of contracting STDs.

Don't do it.

Izistan wrote:Use of Future Weapons or anything else on the military/discovery channel runs the risk of contracting STDs.

Don't do it.

For FutureWeapons and stuff like that, basically take it case-by-case. Basically things that they have tested for real or are well within practicality range, like missiles, rifles, tanks, are fine. Things that are concept-only and have not yet even been tested in labs should not be played with in MT. So essentially, its ok if it has been tested and works. For things like laser directed-energy weapons, stick to what has been at least tested (like the one that melted a window pane in a laboratory), but remember to factor in what this means for your forces. For example, a laser DE weapon would need a large platform to operate, such as a heavy truck, which in MT would normally be slow and guzzle, no, deep-throat, fuel. If you were to find a way to overcome these problems or reduce their impact on effectiveness, still look at the practical implications.

Have no idea if this has been said yet but...

When you get into a war with a more experienced player/ larger nation and they advise you to back out/call it off, ya' might want to listen to that advise... [cough] *Polish Denmark* [/cough]

Belkan Provinces wrote:Have no idea if this has been said yet but...

When you get into a war with a more experienced player/ larger nation and they advise you to back out/call it off, ya' might want to listen to that advise... [cough] *Polish Denmark* [/cough]

I stood down when u told me to, so awesome.

Don't godmod. Annoying noobs.

Don't post useless OOC shit in IC threads!

Read previous line for a second time!

Also one-line IC posts just plain suck in 99% cases.

Join NS Draftroom as mentioned earlier.

Consider joining some RP region, some are passworded and have some more or less high requirements before acceptance like Haven and Gholgoth, but there are also very good completely open ones like Greater Dienstad.