Goobergunchia
30-05-2006, 06:22
Since I haven't had my own Internet connection for the last week, I've been generally doing my Internet activities in the Academic Computing PC Lab in the basement of the Parsons Engineering Building here at Mudd. As such, I've been doing more dedicated web-browsing than my usual multitasking, and the results are somewhat saddening.
Yesterday, I did a fairly proper NationStates scan, like I did in the days of old when NationStates was my primary Internet activity. I found a game that I no longer recognized. The ADN forums were almost dead; as of today, there is no response to my post of 24 May to a thread on inactivity. The Nasicournian forums are scarcely more active. As for some of the other major offsites, some were reasonably active (most notably the Meritocracy and the Pacific), but none with the names that I once knew and loved. There were quite a few familiar names, but they were all those who I have found myself on the opposite side of much political arguments throughout these last couple years. The NationStates forums proper were similar; still active, but an unfamiliar place to me. The names were not that of those posters who I have shared much with.
The name I hear cited frequently as a place where many of the old NationStatesers have gone is CyberNations. I investigated that site briefly, but did not see it as a place I could greatly enjoy. For one thing, the New Pacific Order appeared quite prevalent, and I really do not need to witness the legions of Francos triumph yet again. But more importantly, CyberNations' main claim is that they are like Nationstates, but with real military action, etc. Unfortunately, when I looked at the site FAQ, I determined that the chief determinant of battle outcomes is random, which doesn't appeal to me. I'm a fan of the more real-time, deterministic nature of NationStates raider play, not some random factor that is set automatically by the server. Or in less technical terms, I'd prefer to do my attacks and defenses myself - I have fond memories of the 2 AM, 3 AM counter-invasions of last summer.
So it seems that for the first time since I cared, I don't have a real home on the Internet anymore. No forums to check and read, no actions to undertake, no random chats to kill time in. (I did not check IRC recently, but my 17 May appearance on #nationstates and #nationstates_general (on the occasion of my third anniversary) turned up only a couple of my older friends, as most of them have long since passed on to elsewhere.) And I rather miss not having that world to fall back on. It was a constant that I could always depend on in the latter half of high school, and now it's gone. I won't realize the full impact of this until after summer math, but I know that AIM and single-player gaming can only get one so far. Having a more regular Internet hangout is something that's really kind of nice, and I've had one since, say, World of Warcraft even existed.
If there are any defenders left, please keep an eye on Democratic Underground for me. My nation will cease to exist sixty days after this post, when the server update reaches that region.
To reply, go to my LiveJournal (http://goobergunch.livejournal.com/32156.html?mode=reply), as I'm not going to be checking these forums anymore. NSwiki will be my last and only NationStates holding.
For the last time,
The Liberal Unitary Republic of Goobergunchia
Founder, Democratic Underground region
Officer of Nasicournia (Ret.)
Advisor to the Alliance Defense Network (Ret.)
Yesterday, I did a fairly proper NationStates scan, like I did in the days of old when NationStates was my primary Internet activity. I found a game that I no longer recognized. The ADN forums were almost dead; as of today, there is no response to my post of 24 May to a thread on inactivity. The Nasicournian forums are scarcely more active. As for some of the other major offsites, some were reasonably active (most notably the Meritocracy and the Pacific), but none with the names that I once knew and loved. There were quite a few familiar names, but they were all those who I have found myself on the opposite side of much political arguments throughout these last couple years. The NationStates forums proper were similar; still active, but an unfamiliar place to me. The names were not that of those posters who I have shared much with.
The name I hear cited frequently as a place where many of the old NationStatesers have gone is CyberNations. I investigated that site briefly, but did not see it as a place I could greatly enjoy. For one thing, the New Pacific Order appeared quite prevalent, and I really do not need to witness the legions of Francos triumph yet again. But more importantly, CyberNations' main claim is that they are like Nationstates, but with real military action, etc. Unfortunately, when I looked at the site FAQ, I determined that the chief determinant of battle outcomes is random, which doesn't appeal to me. I'm a fan of the more real-time, deterministic nature of NationStates raider play, not some random factor that is set automatically by the server. Or in less technical terms, I'd prefer to do my attacks and defenses myself - I have fond memories of the 2 AM, 3 AM counter-invasions of last summer.
So it seems that for the first time since I cared, I don't have a real home on the Internet anymore. No forums to check and read, no actions to undertake, no random chats to kill time in. (I did not check IRC recently, but my 17 May appearance on #nationstates and #nationstates_general (on the occasion of my third anniversary) turned up only a couple of my older friends, as most of them have long since passed on to elsewhere.) And I rather miss not having that world to fall back on. It was a constant that I could always depend on in the latter half of high school, and now it's gone. I won't realize the full impact of this until after summer math, but I know that AIM and single-player gaming can only get one so far. Having a more regular Internet hangout is something that's really kind of nice, and I've had one since, say, World of Warcraft even existed.
If there are any defenders left, please keep an eye on Democratic Underground for me. My nation will cease to exist sixty days after this post, when the server update reaches that region.
To reply, go to my LiveJournal (http://goobergunch.livejournal.com/32156.html?mode=reply), as I'm not going to be checking these forums anymore. NSwiki will be my last and only NationStates holding.
For the last time,
The Liberal Unitary Republic of Goobergunchia
Founder, Democratic Underground region
Officer of Nasicournia (Ret.)
Advisor to the Alliance Defense Network (Ret.)