NationStates Modern Tech Community Thread

[Layarteb]

Ahoy~

Just saw this thread.

Welcome aboard, Matey!

Ghant, you bring up some excellent observations and some great points on power projection and other factors that go into what makes a nation great (again). I plan to, next time around, develop a point system - Layarteb, if I recall correctly, has expressed interest in assisting me in developing one - to better formulate the truest rankings of power in Astyria, and perhaps it will become something people elsewhere use, who knows.

Thanks for your response, it was great to read!

Yes I shall put it into Excel so that it is the easiest thing in the world to use.

[New Aeyariss]

I have my own views on this that have often conflicted with others. For many people, “power” is hard power, i.e. their force projection capabilities. While this is without a doubt an important factor in measuring a nation’s power relative to nations, I don’t think it’s an absolute, end all be all.

I’m a firm believer that the pen is mightier than the sword. More specifically, that a nation with a robust economy and a strong international diplomatic presence can be more effective than a nation that has a strong military with likewise strong force projection capabilities.

In modern day, the wall between pen and the sword became far thinner than in the past ages.

The end of the cold war has been death of the industrial era, and with it industrial era warfare. Today we live in the age where nation-state lost monopoly on violence. While terrorism and insurgencies are not something unique to modern era, the way they appeared today are certainly unique. With nation-state monopoly of violence, the very way the conflicts are carried out today changed too. Long ago the war was clear - Germany fought France or Poland fought Russia. Today multiple groups of Catholics blow up protestants in Northern Ireland and vice versa, while British government tries to maintain order. Tanks and planes were replaced by SMGs and bombs, cities became the battlefields, and anyone connected to the enemy side is a valid target. Even the combatants in such wars are not clearly defined - when in Syria alone there are over 100 armed groups, often completely at odds ideologically...

Some have said that Ghant is a weak nation because it’s military is lacking, but I disagree. In an MT setting, military capabilities matter less than international diplomatic clout, given the presence of international rule of law and progressive societies that generally frown upon the wanton use of military power in order to achieve foreign policy goals. That line of thinking is more PT.

Society becoming more progressive is TBH in no way indicator of lack of military conflicts - in fact from what I see as now, Globalization only awakened conflicts long buried and created new ones. War is as old as humanity itself, and so far no one successfully changed human nature, which is in fact reason of all wars.

In addition to that, any law is only valid as long as there is an authority to enforce it at gunpoint. On NS there is none, and it was proven by the Empire of Greater Nihon recently. If there is no baton behind the law, then why bother? There is so much opposition to slavery on II, and yet, some slaver nations are decade old and hadn't been eradicated so far. If slavery failed to be eradicated, then other problems won't be too. After all, such nations will always find ideological friends with whom they will trade and mutually support each other - successfully bypassing any chance of containing them.

Wars of the future will be lower in scale, because modern conventional wars create enormous costs. They still, will however exist, only in changed forms. Non - military aspects will increase on value, while violence will become more selected, it's targets more carefully managed, and methods of delivering violence will change wholeheartedly. The wars will slowly develop into series of proxy conflicts, with both sides willing to let some aspects of international policy go. Take for example Bushido Solutions Int. - a Nihonese PMC having very deep links with Imperial Nihonese Army, and owned by Nihonese political establishment (Shogun Kojiro having secretly huge part in particular). Due to it's status as PMC, hired by a foreign county, it is a perfect proxy for Nihonese interventions in third world, where most likely valuable resources needed to feed large economy of resource - less Nihon are located. Not to mention that Gunpeitai could also integrate them with paramilitary proxy group it supported, armed, trained and even created, and use them alongside conventional forces. That is the reason why Nihonese invested so much in light infantry - formations based on C3D2, employing rather "covert" tactics and cheap in costs of deployment make perfect combatants for hunting Guerillas and overthrowing regimes in third world counties while allowing Nihon to claim that "they are all just mercenaries and volunteers" as happened during the short lived Toskajin crisis, where forces of local Nihonese diaspora were instantly joined by Imperial Nihonese Army units claiming to be something else, as well as volunteers and contractors to wage an asymmetric war that never came.

Then come non-kinetic weapons of war - media, economy, politics, etc. For example during recent conflict Nihonese used a network of corporations located in county that had free trade treaty with both Nihon and the Bayan to exploit the fact that Bayan's currency became instable due to political situation, and crash it. About cyberattacks I won't speak, because they were SACTO trademark for a while. Add to it possibility of manipulating enemy's media to cause public reaction or lawfare (t.m. using international law to purposefully damage your opponent).

War has changed. People are as willing to kill each other as they were long ago, because they are people. The form may be different, but essence is the same.

[Ghant]

Yes I shall put it into Excel so that it is the easiest thing in the world to use.

I'd suggesting using a Google Docs spreadsheet so there can be some degree of collaboration and visibility. They have already been used to great effect in certain roleplaying communities such as Maredoratica.

[Layarteb]

Yes I shall put it into Excel so that it is the easiest thing in the world to use.

I'd suggesting using a Google Docs spreadsheet so there can be some degree of collaboration and visibility. They have already been used to great effect in certain roleplaying communities such as Maredoratica.

You have to build it first and Excel is superior in that regard. Google Sheets accepts .XLSX uploads so it isn't a problem there.

[Ghant]

You have to build it first and Excel is superior in that regard. Google Sheets accepts .XLSX uploads so it isn't a problem there.

Sounds like a solid plan then. I look forward to seeing it!

[Ardoki]

This thread looks really interesting, I'm glad there is now a thread for MT (the FT one is awesome). I'll definitely watch this closely.

[The Macabees]

There are a lot of different flavors to NS and truth extends to the MT community as much as it does to any other. Different players often have different definitions of what constitutes MT. What is your style of MT? How is different from the others? How do you compromise when you have to reconcile different approaches?

[New Aeyariss]

There are a lot of different flavors to NS and truth extends to the MT community as much as it does to any other. Different players often have different definitions of what constitutes MT. What is your style of MT? How is different from the others? How do you compromise when you have to reconcile different approaches?

I have been usually leaning towards "harder" MT, at least in terms of technology, but I can accept virtually anything personally as long as it does not breach certain borders.

[Inyourfaceistan]

This isn't a tag or anything but...

So I wrote this little puppy up awhile ago: http://www.nationstates.net/nation=inyo ... /id=670335

What do you guys think?

[Stormwrath]

Certainly interested in this, as I am considering to dip my toe into MT for once.

[-AlEmAnNiA-]

This isn't a tag or anything but...

So I wrote this little puppy up awhile ago: http://www.nationstates.net/nation=inyo ... /id=670335

What do you guys think?

Arguably, this sort of thing should hardly ever be needed.

The tech, even if it's more rigidly defined with "MT" or "Contemporary Tech," should always just be background to the overarching story of the RP. Having good communication between all parties is crucial for the success of any RP. This entry you've linked seems more like another OOC tool that leads to senseless arguments about things that, ultimately, don't matter.

[New Aeyariss]

Arguably, this sort of thing should hardly ever be needed.

The tech, even if it's more rigidly defined with "MT" or "Contemporary Tech," should always just be background to the overarching story of the RP. Having good communication between all parties is crucial for the success of any RP. This entry you've linked seems more like another OOC tool that leads to senseless arguments about things that, ultimately, don't matter.

On the contrary: It matters a lot. If someone brings a completely unrealistic design that violates not only "MT" but the very laws of physics too, then it should be a concern - otherwise the RP stops being "MT".

[-AlEmAnNiA-]

That wholly boils down to communication between the parties involved in the RP

[Uttland]

This is great! Glad that this thread exists. Coming in to say hi and see what what this is all about.

[Aeyariss]

That wholly boils down to communication between the parties involved in the RP

Indeed, though I can see the appeal of adapting to such norm when other RPers are engaging in some form of competitive writing instead of the more casual story telling form of RolePlaying.

I just found it easier like this; "If you don't like one another; don't ever RP."

Save all the troubles.

[New Aeyariss]

That wholly boils down to communication between the parties involved in the RP

Indeed, though I can see the appeal of adapting to such norm when other RPers are engaging in some form of competitive writing instead of the more casual story telling form of RolePlaying.

I just found it easier like this; "If you don't like one another; don't ever RP."

Save all the troubles.

TBH, sadly that is an issue. This site is nowadays filled with teens that always will explode upon first issue that falls on them.

That is why I was so bent on establishing "RPer's ethics..."

[New Aeyariss]

http://forum.nationstates.net/viewtopic ... 5&t=395488

Advertising for everyone.

[Achesia]

Tag, didn't know this thread existed before. Nice!

[Ghant]

After much delay, the NS MT Advice and Assistance Thread is finally up! The companion thread to this thread, the Advice and Assistance thread features a glossary of terms pertinent to MT RP as well as helpful guides, and community discussion about those terms and guides (feel free to suggest new ones there). Hope to see you all around there!