Cormac AMA

[Xoriet]

What is your best memory on NationStates? What was your worst memory?

Which newer regions, if any, do you think have the most potential to improve in the future and why?

Which older regions, if any, do you think could use a change, and what do you think that change should be?

Who are the most promising upcoming players in your opinion?

[King Bradley]

Do you have any NS role models?

[McChimp]

Who is your favourite grandchild?

[Russiyskaya Respublica]

Former communist? Huh, elaborate?

[Lord Dominator]

Who is your favourite grandchild?

Subtle much?

What's your favorite liberation that you participated in, and favorite raid that you participated in?

Likewise, favorite raid and liberation that you didn't participate in?

[Xoriet]

Who is a player you would love to see stick around for the long term?

Who is a player you think should probably retire?

As a self-proclaimed Sinkerite with associated Francoist leanings, how do you feel about Sinkers all getting along and working together, and why should Feeders doing the same be considered any different? If this is the case, how does this belief interfere with the bemoaned lack of Gameplay conflict in the GCRs?

[Apulita]

Rate all the GCRs from best to worst. (However you want to measure that).

[Kostrorleauny]

What do you believe that Balder needs in order to re-establish itself as a successful and prosperous entity? You cite liberation as an answer to previous questions, but how would you personally go about doing this if you were in charge?

[Cormactopia Prime]

Who are some of the active players that you respect most?

Wow, there are a lot. I'll narrow it down to five, which are in no particular order:

1. Koth, for always being a steady rock for the regions he's in and being a great admin.
2. Jakker, because to me he has always been the best example of how to lead a raider region and keep it professional but also fun.
3. HEM, for being such a successful Founder and leading gameplay's most professional forum administration team.
4. Vinny, for his skill and passion for defending in an era when that is rare.
5. Imki, because she has this no nonsense attitude and an honesty about her that I think is really admirable, and pretty badass.

Who are some of the more promising players you would most like to see move to another region?

I would like to see Roavin move to a region other than TSP. I think he can do better.

What issue in Gameplay do you think really needs to just be dropped and never be brought up again?

TSP banning Tim and Escade.

What issue in Gameplay do you think isn’t taken seriously enough?

These days, forum destruction. Responses to forum destruction have been eroding and becoming less consistent for years.

If UCRs are to become more important and integrated in general gameplay, how might this be achieved by the community without getting Koth's proposal (because we probably won't)?

I honestly don't think I have an answer to that. If I knew how to make UCRs more important again, I would probably be working toward that.

Why is your name Cormac? (ORIGIN STORY!!!)

When I first started playing this game, I started in the WA General Assembly, which is RP. When I started gameplay I assumed it was also RP, and the "Minister of Foreign Affairs" for my nation was named Cormac, so that was the name I took. I just kept it over the years. I am also part Irish so it's a tribute to my heritage as well, which is why I made my nation Celtic-themed and went with the name Cormac.

Rank raider orgs by the most meaningless metric you can think of.

I'm not even sure I know which raider orgs are still active at this point, but if you can give me a list then I can work with that.

Why were you so critical of the FRA when you were a citizen of Lazarus?

The FRA, in my view, became more about the organization itself and not about its member regions. People became too focused on the organization and becoming part of its elite, to the point that its UCR member regions withered and died due to the drain on member regions. It's just not a good model for running an organization like that, because an organization without active member regions is an organization without a consistent pool of recruits. In addition to that, over the years I saw the FRA engage in sketchy, subversive behavior, particularly in British Isles and Ainur, that I didn't think was appropriate for a defender organization. I think it damaged the FRA's credibility and defender credibility in general. So I was just never a fan.

I would promote XKI to GCR status. I would demote Balder to UCR status, because I mean, it's already almost there.

Would this make me a former GCR delegate ex post facto?

Yep!

Who are you favorite GamePlayers and your least favorite?

It's really hard to say who my favorites would be, because there are so many gameplayers who bring value to the game. And I would decline to name my least favorites for the same reason I declined to name my least favorite GCR Delegates, too much drama. So I think the question is too broad.

What is your best memory on NationStates? What was your worst memory?

Best memory will always be the raid of Christmas. It was just good fun when I was still new and not jaded and cynical about gameplay.

Worst memory was the situation preceding and during my resignation as Pharaoh in 2013, due to very serious RL stuff. It was a bad time.

Which newer regions, if any, do you think have the most potential to improve in the future and why?

The Empire of Mare Nostrum has potential. It has some seasoned players, but has opportunities for new people, and it has enthusiasm behind it.

Which older regions, if any, do you think could use a change, and what do you think that change should be?

Most of the Feeders and Sinkers. They badly need shaken up, they've become stagnant and complacent and too dominated by an elite few.

Who are the most promising upcoming players in your opinion?

Benjabobaria from Osiris and TBH, hands down is the most promising, I think. Also Rachael and Lynxi. I'm probably forgetting people.

Do you have any NS role models?

I don't think so. I have people I respect (I named five above, but there are others), but I've always been very much a chart my own course guy.

Who is your favourite grandchild?

I refuse to play favorites. I hate <3 all of you equally.

What's your favorite liberation that you participated in, and favorite raid that you participated in?

There was a liberation in the UDL that I really enjoyed, but I can't remember for sure which region we liberated now, because it was years ago. I want to say it was Furry Federation, but it could have been a different region in that same time period. Anyway, in general big, chaotic UDL liberations, when actually successful, were a blast. They were so hilariously disorganized but sometimes, somehow, they worked, and it was amazing.

Favorite raid was definitely Christmas. I doubt anything will ever even come close to topping it.

Likewise, favorite raid and liberation that you didn't participate in?

I've really thought about this and I really can't get anything to spring to mind, honestly. I can't think of anything really memorable that I missed.

Who is a player you would love to see stick around for the long term?

Definitely Jakker! The game wouldn't be the same to me without him being around in some capacity.

Who is a player you think should probably retire?

Me.

As a self-proclaimed Sinkerite with associated Francoist leanings, how do you feel about Sinkers all getting along and working together, and why should Feeders doing the same be considered any different? If this is the case, how does this belief interfere with the bemoaned lack of Gameplay conflict in the GCRs?

I would like to see Sinkers all getting along and working together, but Balder's current leadership and foreign allegiances make that impossible. I would certainly like to see the remaining Sinkers become closer, and maybe even revive the Pan-Sinker Security Pact, because I think despite differing in alignment they have far more in common at this point than they have differences. I think Feeders could, in theory, do the same thing, but I think the differences between some of them are much more significant -- and much more historically rooted -- than is the case with the Sinkers. I don't think GCRs being in conflict with each other is necessarily the solution to what ails gameplay. The issue is largely, though not entirely, a lack of conflict, but that conflict could just as easily be GCRs against (some) UCRs as it could be GCRs vs. other GCRs.

Rate all the GCRs from best to worst. (However you want to measure that).

From best to worst in descending order:

1. Osiris
2. Lazarus
3. The Rejected Realms
4. The West Pacific
5. The East Pacific
6. The Pacific
7. The North Pacific
8. The South Pacific
9. Warzone Europe
10. Warzone Airspace
11. Warzone Sandbox
12. Warzone Asia
13. Warzone Australia
14. Warzone Africa
15. Balder

What do you believe that Balder needs in order to re-establish itself as a successful and prosperous entity? You cite liberation as an answer to previous questions, but how would you personally go about doing this if you were in charge?

Balder needs either an authoritarian Delegate-based government run by a genuinely Sinkerite Delegate who is exclusively committed to Balder, or it needs a robust democratic government with a citizen assembly, open to more people without the proliferation of PNGs that have been imposed in order to make it an imperialist echo chamber. After that, the key is recruiting more people, both from within Balder and from elsewhere in the game, to create a diverse, fun, vibrant community. But you can't recruit them under the present system, it's too unappealing.

[Saint Block]

Do you think settling in game disputes with a game of chess would be a good idea?

[Glen-Rhodes]

At least TSP is ahead of Balder ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ silver linings

[Cormactopia Prime]

Do you think settling in game disputes with a game of chess would be a good idea?

For less serious stuff, sure. Though I would lose all the time because I'm no good at chess.

[Xoriet]

If you were given the choice of choosing one existing region and one existing ideology or lack of ideology permanently and could never leave or switch again, which region and ideology or lack thereof would you choose?

Which region have you ever been on bad terms with that you wished hadn’t been the case?

If you could go back in time and stop any coup in NS history, which one would it be?

Which coups, if any, do you in hindsight wish had succeeded?

How do you feel about your career on NS when you look back on all of it?

[Hesskin Empire]

How do you think gameplay can be spiced up without new site features. (So just using what we have now)

[Feux]

Do you think I'm one of the cool kids?

[Little St Nick]

As an ex-delegate of Christmas, what picture would you choose for this year's advent calendar? (It will also get flown as our regional flag for a day). Answer on a telegram please, and we'll reveal the answer in December!

[King Bradley]

Who are your top five up and coming regions, and what advice do you have for them?

[Unibot III]

You're the third person to talk about reviving the UDL this month. I BURNT ALL THE FUCKING TIGHTS, CORMAC. THEY'RE ALL GONE.

There was a liberation in the UDL that I really enjoyed, but I can't remember for sure which region we liberated now, because it was years ago. I want to say it was Furry Federation, but it could have been a different region in that same time period. Anyway, in general big, chaotic UDL liberations, when actually successful, were a blast. They were so hilariously disorganized but sometimes, somehow, they worked, and it was amazing.

Furry Federation was a liberation of ours, and if I recall correctly it was a double-event where we liberated two regions in one night and it was a goddamn hot mess full of disciplined and handsome leadership, organization, precision, and very very mature, patient and intellectual chatlogs.

Question for the floor: What changes would the NS World Fair need to make to secure a successful relaunch?

[Benjabobaria]

Name a few in-game experiences that taught you a lot about gameplay.

[Sovreignry]

Who is your favorite UDL Chief Lieutenant and why is it me?

[Milozoldyck]

Of any NS player, I think you have the most similarities to me. Do you see any similarities between us or our styles, and if so, who would you say has the most similarities to you as a player?

[Tim-Opolis]

Would you rather be Commended or Condemned?

[KhanterWinters]

I would probably drag another problem here and get in a lovely PNG wall BUT
Would you make a Big Drama Coup to Balder, or just Coup 'em and Banject without answering any question?
I am up to follow Drama if you would/could coup

[Consular]

I just wanted to say I really enjoyed the amount of times Liberate Balder was said in this thread.

[Indo-Malaysia]

How do you recommend a couch potato (I swear it's definitely not me) easing back into gameplay and updating?