NationStates Jolt Archive

While this thread is a little premature, I figured I would type this up now since I've been feeling rather nostalgic and pretty bored.

6 years is a long time to devote to an online game. Every year I type another thread like this where I mention the "good old days" and my hopes for the future, so I guess I at least need to stick with tradition. I've seen a lot change in this community over the years, and the hot topic over the past year or two is the "decline of NationStates". Having been here almost since the beginning I can say that yes, a lot has changed both for better and for worse.

The RP community in the 2003-2004 days was rather dismal. The quality of roleplay was abysmal compared to what it is now, and that is a very positive thing to have come as far as we have over the years. Another thing that has changed for the better is the seperation of OOC and IC, as well as the general sense of respect between players. We used to be quite nasty to each other, and I'm ashamed to admit that in years past I was not the most pleasant person at times. The level of play was also much different, and I remember times when you had to be careful what you posted in your regional headquarters because it could be turned against you in RP. Same thing applied to offsite forums, I remember when players would make puppet nations and infiltrate alliances in order to steal information and use it for IC gain. In a wierd way, it was sort of fun, and bitchfests weren't all that common for the most part.

What I do miss however was the variety and creativity. I loved it when players did crazy shit but made it seem completely plausible. I loved seeing nations comprised of vampires/elves/aliens using odd technologies that really didn't give them a huge edge but were extremely entertaining to read about (IE: Sky Furnaces, for you older players). The days of the grand alliances were also hugely entertaining, and there was nothing like seeing a 20 to 30 nation alliance struggling for power amongst similarly sized and often ideologically driven organizations.

Somewhere along the way people just stopped doing off the wall roleplay, perhaps out of a desire to make things more realistic and familiar. But for me the appeal of NS was the fact that it was a fantasy world that could be molded into anything you desired, and people often did things that were not entirely practical or feasible in real life but made for extraordinarily entertaining roleplay. Things like the Underwater Bubble, a giant underwater dome that housed dozens upon dozens of nations were great to read about even though it clearly could not happen in the real world.

But alas, to each their own. There are players who enjoy good competition and who savor realism, and there is nothing wrong with that. What is wrong is the fact that anyone who attempts to do off the wall things is immediately scorned and ignored, even if what they do is well written. Quite frankly people are scared to be creative, and that is what I believe has led to this so called "great decline" in roleplay. This game has, in all honesty, grown very boring. Try to think of something, anything, and I can assure you that it has already been done. The stagnation of new and interesting roleplay is made even worse by the fact that anything short of realistic is frowned upon, which severely limits new RP possibilities.

I admit I've largely done the same thing over the pat 6 years. I've tried hard to take Automagfreek in new directions by killing off Dreadfire and such, but when I've tried I simply don't enjoy myself as much. Sure I've received plenty of flak for killing off my leader and bringing him back, but I could care less because it was fun for me to do. I think that's what I.I. needs... for people to stop caring so much about the status quo and just have fun again. Who cares if what you do isn't realistic or completely feasible? Some of the best fun I've had on NationStates was roleplaying against Melkor's orcs, Kraven's Sardaukar, and so on. One thing I've learned over the years is that if you want things to change, you have to go it alone for awhile and be visible enough that people pick up on it and follow you.

So, I think that's what I'm going to do from now on, go back to my roots and stir the pot a little. For the longest time AMF was MT/PMT/Fantasy, but over the past few years I've reverted to pretty much straight MT. I'm sure I'm probably going to raise plenty of eyebrows and earn a few ignores, but quite frankly I'm sick of how boring things have become. I'm going to start doing off the wall things and try to breathe some new life into this game, because when you've been on a game for 6 years you need something to keep yourself entertained.

Here's to another year, and hopefully a fun filled one loaded with intrigue, carnage, humor, and good times! I'm ready to help carry the torch once more and keep the I.I. wheel turning.

-AMF

Great post! Although I havn't been on NS that long, I can understand what you mean.

Happy Birthday! And best of luck with you ideas. I have always enjoyed reading your posts and I am sure that this will hold true in the days to come.

Happy 6 year birthday! If I could be 1/10 the role player you are, I would be very happy.

Happy birthday

Happy Birthday Auto !
From an old player taking their first tentative steps back into the community :D

Six years, just wow.

I've always enjoyed reading your posts and wish you a happy sixth birthday!

First, I will probably not remain here for as much as six years. I wish I discovered NationStates earlier, even if I don't believe time alone ensures anything. -insert argument about roaches being in Earth hundreds of millions of years first than humans here-

I guess I might do my part to try making something interesting and beyond the usual "Post Losses" level of quality many RPs have: I'm not going to resurrect the Invisible Network, but I'm opening the conspiracy kitchen sink (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ConspiracyKitchenSink) again for the next x years because it's fun to write about.

X = pending years before leaving NS

As for Orcs etc that's why I have a steampunk puppet. I don't like mixing Modern Tech with generic fantasy, unless it is not generic and thus involves Silent Hill and Ghost movies grade horror mixed with Left Behind's Book of revelation theme, and more conspiracy kitchen sink of course, or something else that won't make me want to play Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer or the still active NWN1 Roleplaying PWs instead, where I could roleplay oatmeal fantasy with much less effort and time spent writing and the same degree of fun(equally, I'd rather play a Real Time Strategy game or Hearts of Iron 2 than participating of a thread limited to missile spams).

My favorite RP theme is the struggle between the remains of the old establishment and the new revolutionary one, and all the plotting, scheming and hitmen sent because of it. I believe shady struggles for power actually are excellent premises for most RPs, because they naturally combine nation, war and character RPs without truly favoring any of them. Second favorite is psychological horror. A pity it's a tad difficult to get it as more than a collaborative story at best.

One thing I have noticed lately is how quickly people abandoned a post the second it does not go their way lately, might of always been common but only recently have I noticed.

The main problem I have is keeping interest, which is why i make puppet nations to Rp through sometimes to spice things up. I would love for something to happen in FT to drag me in but it just does not seem to be happening.

My RPing will probably suck compared to yours, but all the same: Happy anniversary. :)

Here's to six more years for AMF!

Here's to another six years AMF. Always admired your RPing. I hope you succeed in making things more interesting.

I haven't been on NS that long, so what you describe is "normal" to me.

I have to say I don't like mixing MT and fantasy when it comes to creatures, some people who know me know I have a strong personal dislike of things like furries and elves and stuff which is probably why I don't like mixing them. I just think that they have their own place and that is FT and Fantasy and occasionally advanced PMT.

However I agree wholeheartedly about off the wall RP ideas and know if someone came up with something that was silly but made it sound plausible I wouldn't ignore them.
The way I see it if it leads to a good RP It can be accepted and for the sake of what may be a good RP I may sometimes be willing to lift my "No creature" policy.

This is just one person's opinion others will probably have their own very different ones but hey, good job for sticking with it and hope you stick with it more there's just something about seeing '03s around that gives hope that the game has staying power.

*applause*

I must say I haven't been here that long but compared to where I used to role play most role plays are devoid of shall we say "critical thinking"? It seems to be either straight forward diplomacy or fleet battle. Wheres the espinoage? Corporate slander? Organisations trying to take ove the world? All of these things can play a part.

Ah well, i'll just use them in my own aims.

Six year? Poppyco... wait... [counts on fingers]

Oh, hell, I've wasted my life.

And how have I gone six years without invading anybody? That's it, in the spirit of AMF's retcons, I'm having the Soviets take a reactionary turn. Celtic Communist Indians on the warpath!

...or maybe I'll just do another six years of nothing.

(By the by, nostalgia for the bubble is a sign that something is fundamentally wrong with the universe.)

Six Years on NS? Wow, that's some acheivement. Happy 6th Birthday Automag!

Happy anniversary Automagfreek,i hope that you will post here lots of new posts.

If I could be 1/10 the role player you are, I would be very happy.

Seconded .(My opinion is same as quoted FFS) <<<<<EDIT

(By the by, nostalgia for the bubble is a sign that something is fundamentally wrong with the universe.)

The bubble came back (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=549661) sometime last year.... for about five minutes....

Congrats AMF. (Coming up to my second this July. If you don't count all the puppets I made in 2004 and then let die after a month or two.) And I wholeheartedly agree. It gets awfully boring when the most unique thing about someone's nation is that it's landlocked and thus lacks a navy!!! *shock* The focus on realism is nice, and marks a change from the days when people had two-kilometre long ships and Borg-style collectives in modern tech, but I'd appreciate a little more creativity with nation concepts, and more people who can RP about more than just going to war and shooting things.

Happy anniversary Automagfreek,i hope that you will post here lots of new posts.



Seconded :).

Wat?

Tyranny o/

Tyranny o/

Tyranny o/

6 years already? Wow, I wish I could rp like you.

What a shame 2004 wasn't perpetual, tbh.

II brown-nosing lulz ftw o/

Very happy 6th B-day AMG. I've seen a couple of your posts, and when I get the time, I read them and are quite litterrally taken to another universe in which what you are writing is true.

Many people have tried to resurrect the old shock-and-awe type of roleplaying, which I missed unfortunately, and got heavily scorned. I was only able to catch the tale end of this age. Now, all it is is missle spams, navy wanking, and giant 2,000 mt. nuclear cannons.
There's very few character roleplays anymore, few nations willing to try out something such as the Sphere World, or as was said, the Underwater Bubble. The Sphere World had many followers, but they all lost interest after the first post. And the thing is, it's the perfect setting for a really good book! Now, the only fantasy/imagination RPing is lost, and sent to the history books. It's more battles, battles, and crappy diplomacy. Where's the backstabbing of modern politicians? Where's the Black Ops? I saw someone send in a Black Ops squad and had everyone fire their Ignore Nukes.
I forget the names of the nations, but those that combined humans, werewolves, elves, furries, orks, slime creatures, etc etc, were some of the best RPers/writers I'd ever seen. Now, they are rarely seen, and when they are, they almost always use only humans. Another part, I knew a nation that was only WWII tech. He would pit Mustangs and Mosquitos up against jets. You would think that he would have them decimated, but no. He wrote very well, and so almost always won in any sizeable dogfight.

Anyways, enough of this. I wish I could be half as much a roleplayer as you, and that would be a feat of Olympic strength, so to speak. Happy 6 years, and I can only hope to be around that long. Hope to see you on here for a long time yet :) I have an idea....How about my idea of the pyramid of gold/money, except its found burried beneath someones nation. Perhaps a crystal skull is within, that can control the minds of people....Hmmmm....

I guess I might do my part to try making something interesting and beyond the usual "Post Losses" level of quality many RPs have: I'm not going to resurrect the Invisible Network, but I'm opening the conspiracy kitchen sink (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ConspiracyKitchenSink) again for the next x years because it's fun to write about.
Yeah, but as people become more aware of "the warning signs"*, xanatos pileups (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ThirtyXanatosPileup) become the most comon resault, followed by obligitory clarification OOCly on whatever the hell was going on eeven though nobody had a clue what they were doing when they started.

So in the event that happens, either point out that even you, the coniving fiend, has no clue what is really going on, or just say "Roll with the punches and post losses".

*When the plot starts looking like a Metal-Gear franchise...

Likewise, when it was still cool to double-cross people for the hell of it, these happened (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/VizziniGambit)...

I was raised on the stuff...

Auto I remember the days you are talking about, personally I don't believe that reality
should always be required in the storylines folks write here. Unfortunately it seems there are a great many that don't agree.

II brown-nosing lulz ftw o/



I see it a bit differently. Everyone on this game has someone they look up to and feel influenced by, and there's nothing wrong with expressing that. I find it quite humbling that people look at what I write and want to better themselves and be a more effective RPer, and that in turn makes me want to be even better. There were plenty of players that I looked up to (and still do) that drove me to write with greater depth and purpose, and if it weren't for that I probably would have left this game long ago. It's sort of my duty to serve as an influence for the newer players, as it is the duty of all the veterans on II, and when players express admiration to me or the other RPers they identify with (Questers, I'm looking at you) that means that we're doing a good job at keeping the wheels of this community turning.

Congratulations on your six-year anniversary!

My five-year is coming up ... even including my lengthy hiatus from the game.

You're right, man. It is humbling when you read about players who look to you as an influence. You were one of my first major influences, right up there with Isselmere in my book as two players who served as my main role models for what I hoped to achieve.

Damn, I've been around for like 4 years already.

I feel older just thinking about it, I was like 13 when I first started playing this game.

Congratulations! One day, I'll sit down and read some of your RPs in more detail. I haven't really had the time to, but their reputation makes me want to sit down and read them.

Playing around with mad science can be fun. So could diseases - a plague outbreak could be fun to RP.

I dont look up to anyone, in regards to rping, sorry to dissappoint you. I wouldn't really say I'm influenced either, Rping is nothing more than storytelling/describing events when you get down to it, and everyone (except those with certain defects) has the ability to tell a story and thus rp. I tell stories and describe things my own way.

At most i've borrowed someones factbook layout or used somthing similar to like what is found on the CIA world factbook because it was simple and organized, itd be the same as me using microsoft works layouts for typing up a report back when I was in highschool.

international incidents: serious business

While this thread is a little premature, I figured I would type this up now since I've been feeling rather nostalgic and pretty bored.

6 years is a long time to devote to an online game. Every year I type another thread like this where I mention the "good old days" and my hopes for the future, so I guess I at least need to stick with tradition. I've seen a lot change in this community over the years, and the hot topic over the past year or two is the "decline of NationStates". Having been here almost since the beginning I can say that yes, a lot has changed both for better and for worse.

The RP community in the 2003-2004 days was rather dismal. The quality of roleplay was abysmal compared to what it is now, and that is a very positive thing to have come as far as we have over the years. Another thing that has changed for the better is the seperation of OOC and IC, as well as the general sense of respect between players. We used to be quite nasty to each other, and I'm ashamed to admit that in years past I was not the most pleasant person at times. The level of play was also much different, and I remember times when you had to be careful what you posted in your regional headquarters because it could be turned against you in RP. Same thing applied to offsite forums, I remember when players would make puppet nations and infiltrate alliances in order to steal information and use it for IC gain. In a wierd way, it was sort of fun, and bitchfests weren't all that common for the most part.

What I do miss however was the variety and creativity. I loved it when players did crazy shit but made it seem completely plausible. I loved seeing nations comprised of vampires/elves/aliens using odd technologies that really didn't give them a huge edge but were extremely entertaining to read about (IE: Sky Furnaces, for you older players). The days of the grand alliances were also hugely entertaining, and there was nothing like seeing a 20 to 30 nation alliance struggling for power amongst similarly sized and often ideologically driven organizations.

Somewhere along the way people just stopped doing off the wall roleplay, perhaps out of a desire to make things more realistic and familiar. But for me the appeal of NS was the fact that it was a fantasy world that could be molded into anything you desired, and people often did things that were not entirely practical or feasible in real life but made for extraordinarily entertaining roleplay. Things like the Underwater Bubble, a giant underwater dome that housed dozens upon dozens of nations were great to read about even though it clearly could not happen in the real world.

But alas, to each their own. There are players who enjoy good competition and who savor realism, and there is nothing wrong with that. What is wrong is the fact that anyone who attempts to do off the wall things is immediately scorned and ignored, even if what they do is well written. Quite frankly people are scared to be creative, and that is what I believe has led to this so called "great decline" in roleplay. This game has, in all honesty, grown very boring. Try to think of something, anything, and I can assure you that it has already been done. The stagnation of new and interesting roleplay is made even worse by the fact that anything short of realistic is frowned upon, which severely limits new RP possibilities.

I admit I've largely done the same thing over the pat 6 years. I've tried hard to take Automagfreek in new directions by killing off Dreadfire and such, but when I've tried I simply don't enjoy myself as much. Sure I've received plenty of flak for killing off my leader and bringing him back, but I could care less because it was fun for me to do. I think that's what I.I. needs... for people to stop caring so much about the status quo and just have fun again. Who cares if what you do isn't realistic or completely feasible? Some of the best fun I've had on NationStates was roleplaying against Melkor's orcs, Kraven's Sardaukar, and so on. One thing I've learned over the years is that if you want things to change, you have to go it alone for awhile and be visible enough that people pick up on it and follow you.

So, I think that's what I'm going to do from now on, go back to my roots and stir the pot a little. For the longest time AMF was MT/PMT/Fantasy, but over the past few years I've reverted to pretty much straight MT. I'm sure I'm probably going to raise plenty of eyebrows and earn a few ignores, but quite frankly I'm sick of how boring things have become. I'm going to start doing off the wall things and try to breathe some new life into this game, because when you've been on a game for 6 years you need something to keep yourself entertained.

Here's to another year, and hopefully a fun filled one loaded with intrigue, carnage, humor, and good times! I'm ready to help carry the torch once more and keep the I.I. wheel turning.

-AMF

Aye, good to see another member keepin the world on its toes, congrats on 6 years, man.

Well AMF, I was always more of the comic you were always more of the 'Lord of International Incidents...'

And yes, I do remember the Sky Furnaces but their lord and master was a pain to Rp with actually...

Oh well...

Well, I think my nation, along with the North Defesians just caused a huge international incident, and its turning into a dog pile.

Well, I think my nation, along with the North Defesians just caused a huge international incident, and its turning into a dog pile.

Hey, man, in the grand scheme of this forum, your event is a skirmish. Not saying it ain't important, but things that Automagfreek has participated in, they are real important to this forum's history.

congrats on the six years AMF, I regret not having done any RP's with you, other than that time you saved me from destruction as a side affect of going after BL, for from what I've seen of your posts you're an excellent writer and RPing with you would'a been most enjoyable.

Don't give up on us MT'ers just yet, I know that I at least have something which I hope is rather inventive planned. I hope to see you around for awhile more, who else would us young and ICly righteous democracies have to play the role of a huge, looming, seemingly near invincible specter of evil?