[MEGATHREAD] Unusual Issue Effects Since New Update

[Caracasus]

Paying buskers to perform decreased Environmental Beauty by more than 20% percent.

Look at the numbers, not the percentages. You're a new nation with a pretty poor environment. Your environment only really dropped by a bit, but given how bad it was to start with, the percentage change was very large.

[Candlewhisper Archive]

Paying buskers to perform decreased Environmental Beauty by more than 20% percent.

Welcome to the game!

Here's your answer:
https://www.nationstates.net/nation=can ... /id=743331

[Fauxia]

Why did enforcing compulsory vegetarianism on Socialist Republic of Bernia lower the productivity of the black market? I understand I have a big black market there, but wouldn't it add an entire industry to the black market?

Also, why did outlawing slavery help the economy on United Provinces of Anarkia?

[Candlewhisper Archive]

Good ones, Fauxia.

Why did enforcing compulsory vegetarianism on Socialist Republic of Bernia lower the productivity of the black market? I understand I have a big black market there, but wouldn't it add an entire industry to the black market?

Your whole economy shrunk by 2.7%, and the black market portion of that shrunk by 1.1%. Ergo, the proportion of the economy that is in the black market has increased.

Also, why did outlawing slavery help the economy on United Provinces of Anarkia?

It shouldn't have done - the issue stats should weaken economic efficiency and output, and half a dozen tests show that is consistent.

However you're right it did. My guess is that a WA resolution kicked in at the same time. Will check with technical.

[Fauxia]

Good ones, Fauxia.

Why did enforcing compulsory vegetarianism on Socialist Republic of Bernia lower the productivity of the black market? I understand I have a big black market there, but wouldn't it add an entire industry to the black market?

Your whole economy shrunk by 2.7%, and the black market portion of that shrunk by 1.1%. Ergo, the proportion of the economy that is in the black market has increased.

Also, why did outlawing slavery help the economy on United Provinces of Anarkia?

It shouldn't have done - the issue stats should weaken economic efficiency and output, and half a dozen tests show that is consistent.

However you're right it did. My guess is that a WA resolution kicked in at the same time. Will check with technical.

Anarkia is not in the WA.

[Candlewhisper Archive]

Fair enough, not that then. Have flagged it backstage as it seems like an aberration.

[Candlewhisper Archive]

Well, it turns out my understanding of the simulation was missing a few bits of information that weren't visible to me. Complex emergent simulation and so on.

So as it turns out, this was the sim working as intended. While you did indeed remove access to slavery, it turns out this was a good thing for your economy through the simulation's rules.
I guess in story terms adopting a more modern and reasonable economy shape must have encouraged investment and made the markets feel more secure, and so on. Wouldn't be the case for all nations, but it was for that one.

Anyroads, thanks for teaching me something new about the game engine.

[Fauxia]

Well, it turns out my understanding of the simulation was missing a few bits of information that weren't visible to me. Complex emergent simulation and so on.

So as it turns out, this was the sim working as intended. While you did indeed remove access to slavery, it turns out this was a good thing for your economy through the simulation's rules.
I guess in story terms adopting a more modern and reasonable economy shape must have encouraged investment and made the markets feel more secure, and so on. Wouldn't be the case for all nations, but it was for that one.

Anyroads, thanks for teaching me something new about the game engine.

It was a pleasure, although it mighta been more of one if I had meant to do it

[La Badlandoj]

657.3 (scrapping political parties) lowered my Political Freedom significantly (~5 point drop, category change from Superb to Excellent). Given the 'partisan loyalty is an impediment to true freedom' line I expected the opposite, though in retrospect my priors were probably wrong. Was I wrong or were the mechanics?

[Jutsa]

I was surprised when I chose that option, too.

I can't remember what the reason was - if I was even told what it was, as I might not have mentioned it...

I suspect the game takes it as "you're outlawing political parties", which means
a) that's outlawing something political and
b) Your nation no longer has opposition parties (because there are no political parties).

I wholeheartedly agree that no-party is different from one-party, but a) I might be wrong and b) NS might also look at it that way.

[Chuching]

Issue 21, Option 2 has negative effect on Law Enforcement. How does installing surveillance cameras in all public places have a negative effect on Law Enforcement?

[Candlewhisper Archive]

657.3 (scrapping political parties) lowered my Political Freedom significantly (~5 point drop, category change from Superb to Excellent). Given the 'partisan loyalty is an impediment to true freedom' line I expected the opposite, though in retrospect my priors were probably wrong. Was I wrong or were the mechanics?

Difficult one here to stat, but my view is that if you abolish political parties then you reduce the ability of the electorate to have government represent their views. It essentially creates a situation akin to the Roman Senate, where there are no visible power blocs, but rather a web of conspiracies and secret under-the-table alliances guiding votes.

Regardless, it is as Jutsa says: you are limiting what people are allowed to do in politics. That's a political freedom drop.

[Candlewhisper Archive]

Issue 21, Option 2 has negative effect on Law Enforcement. How does installing surveillance cameras in all public places have a negative effect on Law Enforcement?

Actually crime rates fell, and compliance rates increased.

No spending change was coded, as it's more about how you use police resources, not adding additional police resources. However spending fell, as a knock on effect from the complex emergent simulation.

The clue from the front end is that ALL departments fell by the same percentage, so clearly you're looking at the game deciding that government has gotten marginally smaller, likely because of the underlying shape of society, rather than any specific coded directions.

It's an unusual thing but look on it as a bonus: you've managed to spend less on a department while increasing its effectiveness! That's a government's favourite thing.

[Candlewhisper Archive]

Early warning - later this evening will be locking this thread and making a new and improved one.

Any questions posted to this thread after this post have a risk of not being answered.

[Candlewhisper Archive]

And here's your new thread:

viewtopic.php?f=13&t=424650

Go on give it a poke. Go onnnn....