Help us fix old issues

[Fhaengshia]

The description of Issue 1514 (Flushing for Freedom) ends with:

... The aforementioned smart toilets are self-flushing, warm seats and are even able to gratefully thank humans for their deposits.

I think either there is a word missing before "warm seats", or the "and" should be moved from afterwards to before.

[Steelfeather Rapture 1]

I have the Mesozoic Park issue and it only has the first two options active. This is likely a bug. I gained the "free-roaming dinosaurs" notability from the "Here Be Dragons" issue (#556) in the... uh.... 41st session of the Fifth Elect. Pardon, let me go translate that. It's currently the 143rd session, so I need to look back 102 days... Tch, That can't be right. There was no science gain on Friday the 16th. My dating system has errors. Anyways, I think the actual day that my nation gained free-roaming dinosaurs was on February 13th. The exact date doesn't matter. The point is that I should already have dinosaurs on this nation, but Issue #474 ("Mesozoic Park") has behaved as though I don't.

[Pogaria]

The description of Issue 1514 (Flushing for Freedom) ends with:

... The aforementioned smart toilets are self-flushing, warm seats and are even able to gratefully thank humans for their deposits.

I think either there is a word missing before "warm seats", or the "and" should be moved from afterwards to before.

"Warm" is being used as a verb here.

I have the Mesozoic Park issue and it only has the first two options active. This is likely a bug. I gained the "free-roaming dinosaurs" notability from the "Here Be Dragons" issue (#556) in the... uh.... 41st session of the Fifth Elect. Pardon, let me go translate that. It's currently the 143rd session, so I need to look back 102 days... Tch, That can't be right. There was no science gain on Friday the 16th. My dating system has errors. Anyways, I think the actual day that my nation gained free-roaming dinosaurs was on February 13th. The exact date doesn't matter. The point is that I should already have dinosaurs on this nation, but Issue #474 ("Mesozoic Park") has behaved as though I don't.

Yes, that appears to be intentional. You can receive the "Mesozoic Park" issue whether you have dinosaurs or not (as long as you don't have a dinosaur park). If you already have dinosaurs, you won't see options 3 or 4.

[Dexterra]

The description of Issue 1514 (Flushing for Freedom) ends with:
"... The aforementioned smart toilets are self-flushing, warm seats and are even able to gratefully thank humans for their deposits."
I think either there is a word missing before "warm seats", or the "and" should be moved from afterwards to before.

"Warm" is being used as a verb here.

If I may, I think the syntax would be more consistent if that line said something like "the aforementioned smart toilets can self-flush, warm seats and even gratefully thank humans for their deposits"

[Steelfeather Rapture 1]

I have the Mesozoic Park issue and it only has the first two options active. This is likely a bug. I gained the "free-roaming dinosaurs" notability from the "Here Be Dragons" issue (#556) in the... uh.... 41st session of the Fifth Elect. Pardon, let me go translate that. It's currently the 143rd session, so I need to look back 102 days... Tch, That can't be right. There was no science gain on Friday the 16th. My dating system has errors. Anyways, I think the actual day that my nation gained free-roaming dinosaurs was on February 13th. The exact date doesn't matter. The point is that I should already have dinosaurs on this nation, but Issue #474 ("Mesozoic Park") has behaved as though I don't.

Yes, that appears to be intentional. You can receive the "Mesozoic Park" issue whether you have dinosaurs or not (as long as you don't have a dinosaur park). If you already have dinosaurs, you won't see options 3 or 4.

Hold on, I think the issue designers are making an error. I see in the issue spoiler thread that it specifies 3 and 4 are "must not have dinosaurs", but that doesn't make much sense. Those are issue responses which sound to me like what happens when people DO have dinosaurs, and are adapting to their roaming. To eat them or make pets of them, specifically.

[Honeydewistania]

Hello,

Recently I encountered Issue 535 "NationStates Destroys @@DEMONYMADJ@@ Economy". Option one states this:

“This game is an outrage!” says pointy-haired IT-manager Daniel Olaf Santos, who was recently permabanned from the site for repeated trolling and excessive picspam of phallic images. “Too many people waste their time playing silly simulation games and discussing LOLcats and transgenderism when they should be spending their time productively. Our economy cannot afford this nonsense; let us get rid of those online games, NationStates in particular!”

Reading the bolded word shocked me, as it’s a rather offensive term. Previously an issue (about prisons) was also amended to remove this. I get that this scenario is different considering this guy is a trollish pornspammer so it may just be the characterisation, so if no change is made I’d understand. So I’m just wondering if this word should still be included. Thanks!

[Luna Amore]

Hello,

Recently I encountered Issue 535 "NationStates Destroys @@DEMONYMADJ@@ Economy". Option one states this:

“This game is an outrage!” says pointy-haired IT-manager Daniel Olaf Santos, who was recently permabanned from the site for repeated trolling and excessive picspam of phallic images. “Too many people waste their time playing silly simulation games and discussing LOLcats and transgenderism when they should be spending their time productively. Our economy cannot afford this nonsense; let us get rid of those online games, NationStates in particular!”

Reading the bolded word shocked me, as it’s a rather offensive term. Previously an issue (about prisons) was also amended to remove this. I get that this scenario is different considering this guy is a trollish pornspammer so it may just be the characterisation, so if no change is made I’d understand. So I’m just wondering if this word should still be included. Thanks!

Seems fitting for the character so I don’t think it needs any change.

[Honeydewistania]

Alright, thanks for the quick response!

[Wind and Void Rapture 1]

Issue #903 "The Forbidden Fruit" needs to be updated to take into account sortition politics. Most especially, this line from option #4:
“What you call bribes, I call political donations,” divulges politician Stella Grossweiner, who hefts a suitcase that is bursting with cash. “Getting into public office takes millions of silver doves, and the average citizen cannot afford to do so. If you make it easier for politicians to receive donations from altruistic international investors, you could bring equality to politics and give even the most disadvantaged candidates a fighting chance. After all, if some legitimate Blackacrean businessman is actively interested in Avian politics and wants to help some idealist change Wind and Void Rapture 1 for the better, what’s the harm?”

In a sortition government, getting into office doesn't involve any money at all, and the average citizen emphatically can afford to do it. I recommend just blocking this option under a new validity check that stops it from being available to sortition governments.

P.S. Would you please take "Grossweiner" out of the name pool? For very polite nations, perhaps? It's a very rude name that builds misandry into the game.

[Pogaria]

Issue #903 "The Forbidden Fruit" needs to be updated to take into account sortition politics. Most especially, this line from option #4:
“What you call bribes, I call political donations,” divulges politician Stella Grossweiner, who hefts a suitcase that is bursting with cash. “Getting into public office takes millions of silver doves, and the average citizen cannot afford to do so. If you make it easier for politicians to receive donations from altruistic international investors, you could bring equality to politics and give even the most disadvantaged candidates a fighting chance. After all, if some legitimate Blackacrean businessman is actively interested in Avian politics and wants to help some idealist change Wind and Void Rapture 1 for the better, what’s the harm?”

In a sortition government, getting into office doesn't involve any money at all, and the average citizen emphatically can afford to do it. I recommend just blocking this option under a new validity check that stops it from being available to sortition governments.

Thank you. This issue (which is actually #908) will no longer show the last option for nations with sortition.

[Siornor]

Perhaps this is too small to be worth noting but Issue #247, Where There's Smoke, has a bad comma in the second option: "Says liberal activist, @@RANDOM_NAME@@"

[Laka Strolistandiler]

#810 “Armed and Unready” should have a defense force stat check- I do understand that usually conscripts do not make up to their volunteer counterparts, however with enough funding and equipment making said conscripts a worthy adversary should not be an issue to the nation.

[Aredita]

I got issue #427 "They Took Our Gubment!"

It seems to me that since I had the Native Representation policy enacted before I got this issue, I shouldn't have received it at all. Because, how was an immigrant allowed to run in the first place, if they are not allowed to hold an elected office?

[Aryax]

I received issue 64 in this nation. Option 4 reads:

"Why don't we just kick these unruly kids out, and force parents to home-school them?" asks @@RANDOM_NAME@@, education coordinator for the @@NAME@@ First Omnimenical Church. "That way parents can stress the values they want their kids to have and give them the attention they need."

(bolded for emphasis)
This option still appears in nations with the Atheism policy. Could use a text doppelganger or a validity change.

[Bears Armed]

Re issue #1121 'Tribes and Tribulations' _

The Issue
A [flagbearing] tourist was killed on an island inhabited by an uncontacted, neolithic tribe known as the Maxeliese. The victim’s family is demanding justice, but the matter is further complicated by the fact that the tribe’s island is considered Wezeltonian territory.

The Debate
1. “Those savages murdered my brother!” states Emily English, pummelling your desk in a fit of rage. “As they clearly don’t understand concepts like ‘respect for the rule of law’, you should bomb the island and send them back to the Stone Age! That’ll send a stark lesson to them and any other tribe that wishes to mess with Spare Flagpole!”

<snip>

I do understand that the phrase "bomb... [WHOEVER] ...and send them back to the stone age" is an unhappily all-too-commonly-used colloquial one in RL, but if that tribe actually is 'neolithic' then they're still in the Stone Age anyway. Is the speaker supposed not to know any better? Even when they're in a fit of rage, I'd expect anybody who's reasonably educated/intelligent to recognise that fact and use different wording...

[Patchypatchy]

i got the issue 724: "Your Stuff Is Forfeit"


the issue claims its dealing with criminal asset forfeiture, however most of the context in that issues description and options suggests its about civil asset forfeiture which is substantially different.

[Laka Strolistandiler]

Why am I getting #536 Any Witch Way Spells Disaster despite having high intelligence and compliance? The wording of the issue itself suggests that IC-wise the act of lynching is illegal, thus this problem should not be this large.

#62 Oh, the Angst! implies “rising rates of depression related suicides” despite the nation having a very high cheerfulness stat, which would imply that depression should not the this much of a problem.

[Verdant Haven]

Why am I getting #536 Any Witch Way Spells Disaster despite having high intelligence and compliance? The wording of the issue itself suggests that IC-wise the act of lynching is illegal, thus this problem should not be this large.

The issue is written to suggest that in very remote areas, parts of the population that are rather disconnected from the usual situation in your nation are the ones engaging in this activity. Even in highly intelligent and legally-compliant societies, there are pockets where that simply isn't the case (a high average doesn't mean there are no extremes). The problem being "this large" could literally be two cases. In a largely educated and modern society, that would be more than enough to explode the issue on the national stage. In fact, I'd say the fact that most of your citizens are so intelligent and law-abiding makes them more likely to get upset about this than the citizens of a nation ruled by superstition and vigilantism!

#62 Oh, the Angst! implies “rising rates of depression related suicides” despite the nation having a very high cheerfulness stat, which would imply that depression should not the this much of a problem.

This is definitely a sensitive topic. The unfortunate fact is that depression is a crippling illness, not a willing choice, and general societal cheerfulness doesn't cure it any more than it cures cancer. Many a depressed person puts on a cheerful disposition in public, despite the suffering they experience inside (see: the many comedians, humorists, and artists who suffer from severe depression, and the sad list of how many have died to suicide). Finland has been ranked the "happiest country in the world" over and over for years now, but their suicide rate remains well into the top quartile, nearly 50% higher than the global average.

[Allinburg]

issue 28, option 3:

3. “I agree, but go further: there is never a right time for euthanasia,” says Bishop @@RANDOMNAME@@. “The lives we lead are given to us by the grace of God, and he decides when they end. It is not for us to question God’s divine purpose, no matter how odd or screwed-up it may seem.”

Given the religious nature of the paragraph, it might be wise to capitalise "He" in reference to God, as done in several other issues. (With arguments for/against reverential capitalisation, this is only an optional suggestion for subtle religious emphases in-game, whether it's something the editors care or not is fine by me)

[Laka Strolistandiler]

#810 “Armed and Unready” should have a defense force stat check- I do understand that usually conscripts do not make up to their volunteer counterparts, however with enough funding and equipment making said conscripts a worthy adversary should not be an issue to the nation.

Thank you for your answer, what about this?

[Aryax]

Issue 582.2 (shown below) should probably not appear in nations with the Atheism policy:

“Not even then are we truly safe!” preaches Matthias Rodriguez, a belligerent religious leader who previously accused you of colluding with demons. “That ‘game’ is nothing short of the work of the damned, what with the conjuring of cyber demons in our beautiful nation! Have you even looked at a Sedgetoise? It’s clearly modeled after the devil, and the Amorlax represents a forbidden depiction of the archangel! Did you know that you have to evolve them? In the name of all that is holy, forbid this Maxey-Pokey-Heresy!”

[Verdant Haven]

#810 “Armed and Unready” should have a defense force stat check- I do understand that usually conscripts do not make up to their volunteer counterparts, however with enough funding and equipment making said conscripts a worthy adversary should not be an issue to the nation.

Thank you for your answer, what about this?

I think the idea with this one is that the issue isn't about equipment or funding - it's about morale and the intellectual capability to learn warfighting techniques. The text is clear that you have a bunch of MBTs in action in addition to plenty of soldiers (so you're not missing the warriors and equipment), and that one of the major contributors is that the enemy is well-trained and motivated. All the equipment and training in the world can't make a person want to fight, and won't make up for a person who just is unwilling or unable to learn.

Even the incomprehensible might of the American military-industrial state has been pushed around and embarrassed by motivated guerrillas, never more-so than in the last big conflict where we used conscription to fill our ranks. That included very specifically attempting to use technology and training to make up for lowered standards of recruitment, and the result was an utter disaster (see "Project 100,00" - better known by the nasty nickname "McNamara's Morons") - double the casualty rate, triple the KIA rate.

Issue 582.2 (shown below) should probably not appear in nations with the Atheism policy:

“Not even then are we truly safe!” preaches Matthias Rodriguez, a belligerent religious leader who previously accused you of colluding with demons. “That ‘game’ is nothing short of the work of the damned, what with the conjuring of cyber demons in our beautiful nation! Have you even looked at a Sedgetoise? It’s clearly modeled after the devil, and the Amorlax represents a forbidden depiction of the archangel! Did you know that you have to evolve them? In the name of all that is holy, forbid this Maxey-Pokey-Heresy!”

The issue of religious stuff coming up for atheistic nations is one of my personal side-projects - it's incredibly pervasive! This particular option is one of more than 60 that I have on a list I'd like to get adjusted. Just need to take the time to try and get an internal consensus about about which ones need changing - some it's a couple words, some it's a validity for the option or an opportunity for a doppelganger, and for a couple the entire issue probably just needs to have a validity slapped on it and call it a day. Good looking out - file this under "working on it!"

[Umbratellus]

The issue of religious stuff coming up for atheistic nations is one of my personal side-projects - it's incredibly pervasive! This particular option is one of more than 60 that I have on a list I'd like to get adjusted. Just need to take the time to try and get an internal consensus about about which ones need changing - some it's a couple words, some it's a validity for the option or an opportunity for a doppelganger, and for a couple the entire issue probably just needs to have a validity slapped on it and call it a day. Good looking out - file this under "working on it!"

On the topic of which, I just want to ask, besides #1014 are there any other issues able to give the atheism policy to extremely secular nations (like mine)? I don't know if I'm just unlucky but I've gotten #1014 twice and have not seen hide nor hair of #70, #196, or #939 (and I don't qualify for #1325). I'd rather not take the hit to political freedoms if I can help it but I don't know if I'm locked out from the other issues. I kind of feel like the game treats me as though I have the atheism policy already and thus mostly prevents me from having access to it (haven't seen the terrorist event chain either). Could just be my perception or the way the issues roll though.

[Therimenjas]

I just got issue #1363 ("In My Defence") in Therimenjas despite a lack of local law enforcement. This issue needs a validity check for negative law enforcement scores.

[The Seven Seas]

From issue #600, "Making a House a Home", option 5:

...founder of several, competing local governance associations.

I don't think that comma should be there.