What unwanted state does your nation carry and why?

[Arayas]

Generally speaking I feel like I have a good handle on what effects are going to happen due to a decision being made on an issue.
But for whatever reason my corruption always seems to go up.
Every issue I answer seems to kick it up every time and I don't know why.

Generally I avoid issue decisions where you take bribes specifically for this reason, it seems that any decision you make that benefits the government; even when it's not actually a corrupt act, seems to raise corruption.

Can anyone explain this and how I can get rid of it?

Also what status does your nation carry that you rather it wouldn't? Maybe you can find help too.

[The Free Joy State]

Corruption is a complicated effect, partially primary (meaning it can be coded) and partially secondary (that means that other backstage hidden stats can interact with each other and with your nation, which is not something we can directly control).

If you have specific instances of issues that you think incorrectly impacted corruption, the Unusual Effects Thread is the place to report them, with the issue name/number, the option you picked and the date you received the issue.

If you received it on a puppet, we also need to know which puppet you received it on.

The OP of the Unusual Effects Thread also provides a useful introduction to the stats on the site.

[The Sherpa Empire]

My nation has same sex marriage because I wanted to legalize polyandry, and they were lumped together in one option.

I also have "no internet" and I am not sure why. Maybe the game confused censored internet with no internet.

[The Free Joy State]

I also have "no internet" and I am not sure why. Maybe the game confused censored internet with no internet.

I'm pretty sure I know the option you're referring to.

Probably #37.2, which gives you more of a local intranet than the internet (the global, worldwide web).

It might be possible to add a policy for government-controlled internet -- perhaps a backstage one -- if there was more call in the base for it. Right now, I don't think there is.

[The Sherpa Empire]

I also have "no internet" and I am not sure why. Maybe the game confused censored internet with no internet.

I'm pretty sure I know the option you're referring to.

Probably #37.2, which gives you more of a local intranet than the internet (the global, worldwide web).

It might be possible to add a policy for government-controlled internet -- perhaps a backstage one -- if there was more call in the base for it. Right now, I don't think there is.

I get that the game isn't broken per se, just something that wasn't a good fit for my nation.

My nation does censor the internet, but "government approved" sites include a lot of foreign content. The censors hate porn, separatist movements, and Hindu or Muslim fundamentalists, but they really don't care how much Brancalandian poetry you're reading or how many Skandilundian hockey matches you're streaming.

[The Free Joy State]

I'm pretty sure I know the option you're referring to.

Probably #37.2, which gives you more of a local intranet than the internet (the global, worldwide web).

It might be possible to add a policy for government-controlled internet -- perhaps a backstage one -- if there was more call in the base for it. Right now, I don't think there is.

I get that the game isn't broken per se, just something that wasn't a good fit for my nation.

My nation does censor the internet, but "government approved" sites include a lot of foreign content. The censors hate porn, separatist movements, and Hindu or Muslim fundamentalists, but they really don't care how much Brancalandian poetry you're reading or how many Skandilundian hockey matches you're streaming.

I'm afraid that's another "issues can't account for every RP situation" situation.

Perhaps consider either drafting a follow-up or a standalone issue that would call for internet censorship, but not a total ban?

[Drongonia]

I allowed polygamy, which looking back on it, I wouldn't want. But I did it because I was in severe need of a civil rights boost, and that was the policy to do it. I hope that at some stage I'll have the chance to get rid of it.

[Ru-]

I selected a pro free market option on an issue for my nation *one time* and now i have a flat income tax that just won't go away

[Autonomous Cleaner Bot Cleaners]

I find it's more fun to stop trying to build an ideologically ...um, ideal nation, and instead just embrace the game engine's idiosyncrasies. For instance Autonomous Cleaner Bot Cleaners is currently building a capitalist (Capitalism policy), hedonist (Marriage Equality, Polygamy, Euthanasia, Cannabis policies), North Korea (No Internet, No Automobiles, No Emigration policies) that is currently rated as "high" in civil rights, political freedoms, and economic power.

Ideologically it's a complete mess, but it's also kinda fun ^.^

[Phydios]

Crazily high income tax. I don't know why it's so high, and it's not worth caring about- but if I could change it directly, I'd knock it down 40-50%.

[The Sherpa Empire]

Crazily high income tax. I don't know why it's so high, and it's not worth caring about- but if I could change it directly, I'd knock it down 40-50%.

That's something the game tends to do if your government actually does anything.

[Revolucionario Cuba]

Barren inhospitable landscape
I am a touristy nation for God's sake

[Arayas]

I find it's more fun to stop trying to build an ideologically ...um, ideal nation, and instead just embrace the game engine's idiosyncrasies. For instance Autonomous Cleaner Bot Cleaners is currently building a capitalist (Capitalism policy), hedonist (Marriage Equality, Polygamy, Euthanasia, Cannabis policies), North Korea (No Internet, No Automobiles, No Emigration policies) that is currently rated as "high" in civil rights, political freedoms, and economic power.

Ideologically it's a complete mess, but it's also kinda fun ^.^

Well that's fine but if you're trying to do it's annoying

[Ghost Land]

On this nation, my civil, economic, and political freedoms are a bit too high - I guess it's because really the only way they can go is up, but I'd like to have over 10,000 milliStalins with a kick-butt economy and crazy-good defense forces.

[Trotterdam]

I find it's more fun to stop trying to build an ideologically ...um, ideal nation, and instead just embrace the game engine's idiosyncrasies. For instance Autonomous Cleaner Bot Cleaners is currently building a capitalist (Capitalism policy), hedonist (Marriage Equality, Polygamy, Euthanasia, Cannabis policies), North Korea (No Internet, No Automobiles, No Emigration policies) that is currently rated as "high" in civil rights, political freedoms, and economic power.

Hedonist and no internet? But then where do they get their porn?

Barren inhospitable landscape
I am a touristy nation for God's sake

Hey, mangled ruins can be appealing to look at in their own way.

[Marxist Germany]

Taxes are way too high, Id rather have it drop to 30%, and legalise divorce.

[Stormcalling]

Generally speaking I feel like I have a good handle on what effects are going to happen due to a decision being made on an issue.
But for whatever reason my corruption always seems to go up.
Every issue I answer seems to kick it up every time and I don't know why.

Generally I avoid issue decisions where you take bribes specifically for this reason, it seems that any decision you make that benefits the government; even when it's not actually a corrupt act, seems to raise corruption.

Can anyone explain this and how I can get rid of it?

Your government gives corrupt officials too much power to protect themselves against criticism. Steadfastly avoiding issues where the leader takes bribes does mean there's at least one properly honest official in the government (dear @@LEADER@@), but it doesn't mean that nobody else in the government takes bribes.

[Arayas]

Generally speaking I feel like I have a good handle on what effects are going to happen due to a decision being made on an issue.
But for whatever reason my corruption always seems to go up.
Every issue I answer seems to kick it up every time and I don't know why.

Generally I avoid issue decisions where you take bribes specifically for this reason, it seems that any decision you make that benefits the government; even when it's not actually a corrupt act, seems to raise corruption.

Can anyone explain this and how I can get rid of it?

Your government gives corrupt officials too much power to protect themselves against criticism. Steadfastly avoiding issues where the leader takes bribes does mean there's at least one properly honest official in the government (dear @@LEADER@@), but it doesn't mean that nobody else in the government takes bribes.

Are you saying having an authoritarian/totalitarian state automatically increases courruption?
I generally choose issues that side with a free press/free speech stance but having a free press doesn't seem to be a status.

[Stormcalling]

Your government gives corrupt officials too much power to protect themselves against criticism. Steadfastly avoiding issues where the leader takes bribes does mean there's at least one properly honest official in the government (dear @@LEADER@@), but it doesn't mean that nobody else in the government takes bribes.

Are you saying having an authoritarian/totalitarian state automatically increases courruption?
I generally choose issues that side with a free press/free speech stance but having a free press doesn't seem to be a status.

I run a bunch of nations. I don't track the process with mathematical precision, because I enjoy thinking about all the nations in a narrative sense mistakes and all, but I've gotten the impression that one of the background factors in the simulation is that moving political freedom towards 85 causes corruption to pressurize downwards, whereas moving political freedom away from 85 causes corruption to pressurize upwards. If you look at your region's corruption rankings, you can see that the five least corrupt nations also have high political freedoms.

There are also some issues that only ever increase corruption in the model. Your most recent issue decision (disappearing people) is a good example of an issue that is remarkably hard to square with a concern for anti-corruption. If someone with money is put in lethal danger by the state, they'll likely do anything to avoid being killed, which is going to overwhelm any compunctions they might otherwise have about bribing their way out of trouble. If your enforcers aren't all wealthy, even murderous scumbags will be inclined to take the larger bribes. If anyone catches your murderous scumbags taking large bribes, well what's another body on the count, eh? If your enforcers have better moral standards than that and therefore don't always approve of killing people, the problem might actually be worse, because whatever heroes hide in the dark shadow of your government will take even small bribes to avoid having to kill people. Your nastier enforcers will take big bribes, while your nicer enforcers will take small bribes, and there isn't anyone this hush-hush policy will tend to out as taking bribes, since accusing the government of corruption creates trouble for the government.

That's kind of the thing you have to notice to parse corruption effects from totalitarianism. Accusing the government of corruption creates trouble for the government. It requires investigations to be set in order, it requires those investigations to be able to target very powerful people, and it will stall other government works while allegations are being examined. If a government can just... disappear people... doesn't everything work so much more swiftly if the government simply does exactly that? There's no reason to let complainers go around spreading terror against the government.

[Candlewhisper Archive]

I find it's more fun to stop trying to build an ideologically ...um, ideal nation, and instead just embrace the game engine's idiosyncrasies. For instance Autonomous Cleaner Bot Cleaners is currently building a capitalist (Capitalism policy), hedonist (Marriage Equality, Polygamy, Euthanasia, Cannabis policies), North Korea (No Internet, No Automobiles, No Emigration policies) that is currently rated as "high" in civil rights, political freedoms, and economic power.

Ideologically it's a complete mess, but it's also kinda fun ^.^

It's also fun to attempt to build an ideologically ideal nation, and see it go wrong. Utopian Archive is my one for that. I answer issues there according to my beliefs, but have ended up with a nation that I would very much not want to live in.

Main thing is not to get worked up over it. The game is meant to be fun, and meant to be funny.

[Autonomous Cleaner Bot Cleaners]

Hedonist and no internet? But then where do they get their porn?

Terracotta and cave paintings are about to make a big come back.

[Bears Armed]

Hedonist and no internet? But then where do they get their porn?

Maybe they just have frequent orgies instead?

[Czechoeuropa]

Mandatory religious worship simply because I agreed with a religious dude in ONE issue.

[The Free Joy State]

Mandatory religious worship simply because I agreed with a religious dude in ONE issue.

Having scanned your recent effect lines, I know what caused that.

And, as an aside, if you ever believe you got an incorrect effect, please do see the Unusual Effect Thread (though there is no need here; this is an expected effect).

It wasn't just agreeing with any old religious guy. It was that you answered 1066.1, where the speaker calls for you to "hail the simple purity of one correct faith."

"One correct faith" implies mandatory religious worship.

You will be able to get rid of that policy in the future.

[Candlewhisper Archive]

Hedonist and no internet? But then where do they get their porn?

Porn existed before the internet, you know!

I remember brown paper bags, sticky-floored basement shops full of men pretending it was perfectly normal to be staring at a shelf of DVDs with explicit covers, and polite refusals to offers from working ladies hovering near the doorway.

Man, the internet takes all the stress out of these things.

It'd make a great issue for no-internet nations. Except it wouldn't, if you know what I mean.