A Modest Proposal
In the last few months several changes have been made to NS in the wake of the failure of NS2. Most of these have been cosmetic, though two major changes have been made to the actual game play of NS. The first have been WA liberations. The second has been the doubling of regional updates. Both of these changes are clearly designed to impede the operations of raiders in NS. It has become quite clear that the population of Nationstates is playing two different games. One is playing a game where Nationstates is supposed to be a simulation of the world they would want to live in, where everything functions according to democratic principles and the “bad guys” always lose due to the might of right. The others are trying to play an actual game where both sides in a conflict can win or lose depending upon variables such a strength, vigilance, and strategy.
I think there is no denying that the world of Nationstates is less than it was a few years ago. The only way to avoid the stagnation of Nationstates is to encourage conflict, not to diminish the possibilities for it through rule changes. This is what most major game play changes in NS have had the effect of doing, going back to the establishment of founders. The problem is none of this shall be reversed as long as those who run this game listen to majority opinion. The majority are afraid of losing their regions to raiders, so they will support any measures taken against raiders, not thinking of the larger game play consequences. The needs of the game of Nationstates and the wants of the majority of its players are therefore seemingly irreconcilable.
I propose to reconcile the irreconcilable by splitting NS in two, just as Solomon decided to split a boy in two who was contested by two fathers. The thing is though, unlike a little boy, splitting NS in two will not kill it, but make it better and stronger. My idea is simple. The current world of NS with all its existing regions and nations shall become Peace-World. Peace-World will function exactly as NS does now. However; players will have another world to play in if they choose. This world shall be called War-World. War-World will be the same as Peace-World, except that there will be no WA liberations, updates will be once a day, and there will be no founders for player created regions. Every region in War-World will be vulnerable to attack. Every nation currently in NS will have the option of transferring over to War-World. Every new nation created after the inception of War-World will have the option of choosing which world they wish to inhabit when they create their nation. Players that grow tired of the world they currently inhabit will be able to move, thought it would not be an instantaneous process like switching regions, but instead more like applying for WA membership.
In keeping with the idea of War-World being more violent and anarchic than Peace-World, the War-World version of the WA shall be called the League of Nations and member nations will be free to ignore resolutions that they don’t wish to implement. The League of Nations will also not be able to condemn individual regions and nations the way the WA can. Besides the previously stated differences, the League of Nations shall function in an manner identical to that of the World Assembly.
This proposal, if implemented would allow all players in NS to participate in the game they want to play.
Input and constructive criticism is welcomed.
I'm not saying defenders are some kind of goody two shoes angelic group, because they're not. But this idea is what gives them a reason to exist, and it's why their behavior towards raiders sometimes leaves much to be desired. If it were only about competing with other military organization, the warzones would have worked, at least from the defender side. But they don't; they fail because there's no one there to defend.
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