[New Chain: @@CAPITAL@@gate] Ask The Author/Editor

[Nation of Quebec]

For the next few weeks, I thought it would be a good idea to post this thread so you can ask me questions about the latest chain, @@CAPITAL@@gate. I won't keep up this thread indefinitely, only for a short term basis.

This was an ongoing project for months for myself and the team, and I'd like to give a big shoutout to Candlewhisper for helping out and for the final push this needed to get added. It was something I enjoyed working on and I'm glad that I was able to contribute to NationStates in this way.

Usual rules apply. I will not spoil anything or reveal stats. I also won't reveal the chain map, as I see that's already being worked out.

Also, if you are unhappy with the chain in any way, please be courteous and measured in your criticism. I won't reply if you're being abusive or rude. The team doesn't look kindly on that behavior.

Ask away!

[Fauxia]

Why did you feel like making a chain? I mean, we did get a new one recently (not complaining though, the more comprehensive chains the better in my opinion)

[Trotterdam]

Can non-democracies get the chain?

[Nation of Quebec]

Why did you feel like making a chain? I mean, we did get a new one recently (not complaining though, the more comprehensive chains the better in my opinion)

I actually started working on this one before TWE was even a thing, but TWE got done faster so it was added first. My main motivations were that there hadn't been a chain in a while, and I wanted to challenge myself with the this project. This was a new experience and it was a labor of love.

Can non-democracies get the chain?

No. The whole premise of the chain wouldn't make sense for a dictatorship, as chances are they're already spying on their citizens and oppressing them.

[Fauxia]

Why did you feel like making a chain? I mean, we did get a new one recently (not complaining though, the more comprehensive chains the better in my opinion)

I actually started working on this one before TWE was even a thing, but TWE got done faster so it was added first. My main motivations were that there hadn't been a chain in a while, and I wanted to challenge myself with the this project. This was a new experience and it was a labor of love.

Can non-democracies get the chain?

No. The whole premise of the chain wouldn't make sense for a dictatorship, as chances are they're already spying on their citizens and oppressing them.

By TWE you mean TEW.

[Jutsa]

chances are they're already spying on their citizens and oppressing them.

Even if they're benevolent dictatorships with loads of integrity?

[Valentine Z]

Stupid question, but what's a chain? Is it for putting in your capital name in issues?

chances are they're already spying on their citizens and oppressing them.

Even if they're benevolent dictatorships with loads of integrity?

I always wonder, can you top in Authoritarianism AND Integrity? Seems quite difficult for me, because More Stalins = More Corruption.

[Fauxia]

Stupid question, but what's a chain? Is it for putting in your capital name in issues?

Even if they're benevolent dictatorships with loads of integrity?

I always wonder, can you top in Authoritarianism AND Integrity? Seems quite difficult for me, because More Stalins = More Corruption.

A chain is a collection of issues on a same storyline, where the next issue you receive depends on the last option you picked. We have three now, An International Incident, The Enemy Within, and @@CAPITAL@@gate

[Tinhampton]

Can you recieve @@CAPITAL@@gate multiple times, or is it get-it-once-and-never-again? Is @@CAPITAL@@gate only available to nations with a designated capital city? And why exactly does Barry Maxman come up again and again, not just in the first couple of chain issues you get... or if you told me that, you'd have to kill me?

[Nation of Quebec]

chances are they're already spying on their citizens and oppressing them.

Even if they're benevolent dictatorships with loads of integrity?

The chain wouldn't make much sense if you don't begin it as a democracy, especially considering certain issues later in the chain.

Though when I did a validity check for the first issue of the chain, it was at 50% of nations, which I believe is higher than Enemy Within.

Can you recieve @@CAPITAL@@gate multiple times, or is it get-it-once-and-never-again? Is @@CAPITAL@@gate only available to nations with a designated capital city? And why exactly does Barry Maxman come up again and again, not just in the first couple of chain issues you get... or if you told me that, you'd have to kill me?

You don't need to have the capital city to get it, and I can't reveal if you can get it again later on.

Barry Maxman (the reference of that name is fairly obvious) does appear in the chain, but only depending on what options you pick. I can't reveal any more than that.

[Fauxia]

Even if they're benevolent dictatorships with loads of integrity?

The chain wouldn't make much sense if you don't begin it as a democracy, especially considering certain issues later in the chain.

Though when I did a validity check for the first issue of the chain, it was at 50% of nations, which I believe is higher than Enemy Within.

Can you recieve @@CAPITAL@@gate multiple times, or is it get-it-once-and-never-again? Is @@CAPITAL@@gate only available to nations with a designated capital city? And why exactly does Barry Maxman come up again and again, not just in the first couple of chain issues you get... or if you told me that, you'd have to kill me?

You don't need to have the capital city to get it, and I can't reveal if you can get it again later on.

Barry Maxman (the reference of that name is fairly obvious) does appear in the chain, but only depending on what options you pick. I can't reveal any more than that.

You can't?! Dang

[Trotterdam]

And why exactly does Barry Maxman come up again and again, not just in the first couple of chain issues you get... or if you told me that, you'd have to kill me?

...Because he's the one the story is about?

He's clearly relevant to the storyline, why wouldn't he be mentioned repeatedly?

Even if they're benevolent dictatorships with loads of integrity?

The chain wouldn't make much sense if you don't begin it as a democracy, especially considering certain issues later in the chain.

Yeah, while I think the basic premise of the chain would be easily applicable to dictatorships, that would require alternate versions for at least three options, and I know that writing an entire chain is already a lot of work even without mirror versions of everything. So while I'm a little disappointed, I can't fault you.

Though thinking about it, this kind of scenario would be even more important in a dictatorship because, if people can't influence the government by voting, their ability to convince the government by actually getting to talk to @@LEADER@@ and convincing @@LEADER@@ of their views (as seen on the #789 3 -> #792 1 path that my observations suggest is disproportionately-often chosen, dictatorships would probably do so less but that would only make things more equal) is that much more important.

Though when I did a validity check for the first issue of the chain, it was at 50% of nations, which I believe is higher than Enemy Within.

Yeah, that one requires a capitalist nation because the building that got bombed was a stock exchange, despite that the nature of the building is completely irrelevant to the plot (except maybe #746 2/3, and even then, only weakly) and it could just as easily have been anything else.

[Nation of Quebec]

The chain wouldn't make much sense if you don't begin it as a democracy, especially considering certain issues later in the chain.

Yeah, while I think the basic premise of the chain would be easily applicable to dictatorships, that would require alternate versions for at least three options, and I know that writing an entire chain is already a lot of work even without mirror versions of everything. So while I'm a little disappointed, I can't fault you.

Another reason why I thought that it wouldn't work for dictatorships is because a Watergate-esque scandal wouldn't draw nearly as much outrage as it would in a modern style democracy. Citizens in a dictatorship would expect that kind of thing from their government, but most citizens in a moderately free democracy wouldn't. A dictatorship could have easily pushed it under the rug. Not so much in a democracy.

[Australian rePublic]

I haven't even seen it, So I can't comment

[Fauxia]

I haven't even seen it, So I can't comment

Q to Nation of Quebec: Does Aussie have a clue?