Sparqs
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Posts posted by Sparqs
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Your tech level is just a number. It only matters in relation to other people's tech levels. If the #1 nation in the game has 100 tech, then having 100 tech is very good; if the #1 nation is at 10,000 tech, then having 100 tech is very bad. Tech trades are a positive-sum transaction in a zero-sum game because both buyer and seller gain in relation to everyone else. Taken as a whole, the game is zero-sum because your absolute infra, nation strength, tech level, etc. are irrelevant; what matters is relative power. You gain relative power when you gain in relation to everyone else. you lose relative power when you lose in relation to everyone else, or everyone else gains more than you do. Having nation strength is not like having stuff in the real world in that having more of it is tangibly better regardless of what anyone else has.
You certainly make an interesting point, but it seems to differ from your previous statement where success is related to infrastructure. You said
There you appear to use the term "succeed" to refer back to the statement "Whether or not you have infrastructure is a completely separate question" - this suggests that success involves a gain in infrastructure. While much of this game involves power derived from others and thus results in a balance that brings it close to zero-sum, I do not believe that to be the case for the game as a whole. From a strict view, the constant fluctuation of the player base would seem to preclude that. If everyone brings in more productive players, everyone gains. From a looser view, the myriad interactions possible within the game suggest multiple ways to play, and that relative power isn't the only win condition. One does not have to beat one's opponent down in order to improve one's own position in CN.you are arguing for is not an entitlement to play the game, but rather an entitlement to succeed at it -
If you siphon the gas out of my car, then indeed you are preventing me from driving my car since I cannot drive it without gas. If you are attacked in-game, you are still playing the game, period. Whether or not you have infrastructure is a completely separate question.
Perhaps what you do not realize is that what you are arguing for is not an entitlement to play the game, but rather an entitlement to succeed at it, which I reject out of hand since CN is a zero-sum, competitive game. While there may be a right to play CN provided that Admin does not delete your nation and your ISP does not cut off your internet access, there is no further right to actually gain anything in-game if other players can prevent it via the gameplay mechanics.
I will not detail my views of perma-ZI here - suffice it to say that I find the punishment extreme and overused today, and in some other genres those who abuse it would be referred to as "griefers".
However, I do wish to address a statement made above, the one I have set in bold. CN is not a zero-sum game. Technology trades allow for positive-sum transactions; both buyer and seller in a typical Tech deal benefit. Battle is often a negative-sum transaction, with both sides losing nation equity. The game as a whole can be played either way.
We of the Overbearing Observation & Punctuation Subcommittee apologize for the edit.
Those responsible for the error have been subtracted.
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Congratulations to LAN and UPN!
UPN has demonstrated themselves to be a fine alliance and the members I've spoken with have my full respect. I know Hepoco and I look forward to great things from LAN. May this treaty bring prosperity and security to both alliances.
~Sparqs
(Trusted Brain of Bloxhelm)
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Fireworks display over Bloxhelm's capitol, New Feynman,
in celebration of The Legion's 2nd Anniversary
Congratulations to the The Legion on this joyous occasion. I hope the new course, recently set, brings you to a future of peace and prosperity. May scars from the past be allowed to fade while old ties are strengthened into bonds of friendship. Surviving two years on this fast-spinning globe is quite an accomplishment - one deserving of recognition.
Ave Legio
~Sparqs
(Trusted Brain of Bloxhelm)
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I believe you are all seeing the same Interstate System math but from different perspectives. x Tela x's math makes it clear that when you are calculating from the base point, you don't get to add all of the percentages together for a giant discount; but the other point is also correct: whatever your current cost for Infrastructure, the IS will reduce it by 8%.
Simple case: $1,000 per unit for Infra, 20% off for a Crane, 50% off for Alien Tech.
- One would like: 20% + 50% = 70% off = $300/unit
- However, they factor: 0.8 * 0.5 = factor of 0.4 = $400/unit
- Same as: I have the Crane, so my cost is $800/unit
If I buy the Alien Tech, my cost is cut in half to $400/unit
- One would like: 20% + 50% = 70% off = $300/unit
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I profess my ignorance as to your two old alliances, but I must comment on your new flag. The merging of elements from the old flags to form this proud banner is outstanding work. I salute the designer and toast your marriage. Mazel Tov!
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Having been roused by loud celebrations in honor of The Legion's new freedom, I stumble across this news of another old friend.
Congratulations, Gene L, on your Imperatorial Ascendence! May your Battle of Pharsalus be as victorious.
Hail Gene Caesar!
~Sparqs
(Trusted Brain of Bloxhelm)
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Congratulations to all those who worked so hard and persevered in times of darkness. To Z'ha'dum I must say that I had doubts as to The Legion's future under your authority, based purely on the situation and knowing little about you. While not privy to an insider's view, everything I've seen says those doubts were misplaced and I thank you for your efforts to preserve an institution whose principles and people I hold dear. Those who lead The Legion now had my respect back in the days of my membership and have done nothing but prove it well deserved. I raise my glass in your honor and to Legionnaires everywhere!
The jubilant people of Bloxhelm have roused from their hibernation to celebrate this day! All across the land, citizens are quaffing huge quantities of Legionbrau and singing not very old Latin drinking songs:
In taberna quando sumus When we are in the tavern,non curamus quid sit humus, we do not think how we will go to dust,
sed ad ludum properamus, but we hurry to gamble,
cui semper insudamus. which always makes us sweat.
Quid agatur in taberna What happens in the tavern,
ubi nummus est pincerna, where money is host,
hoc est opus ut queratur, you may well ask,
si quid loquar, audiatur. and hear what I say.
Quidam ludunt, quidam bibunt, Some gamble, some drink,
quidam indiscrete vivunt. some behave loosely.
Sed in ludo qui morantur, But of those who gamble,
ex his quidam denudantur some are stripped bare,
quidam ibi vestiuntur, some win their clothes here,
quidam saccis induuntur. some are dressed in sacks.
Ibi nullus timet mortem Here no-one fears death,
sed pro Baccho mittunt sortem. but they throw the dice in the name of Bacchus.
Ave Legio!
~Sparqs
(Trusted Brain of Bloxhelm)
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Congratulations to The Legion and all those Legionnaires who put their blood, sweat, and tears (quite literally in some cases, I'm sure) into this reformation.
Ave Legio!
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I agree that those nations caught in the whirlwind of events, that sows such confusion when an alliance disbands, might be given a chance to demonstrate their disavowal of Nazis. There may well be those who are repulsed to find the truth of their new associates; I say let them show, by word and deed, that they stand by what is true and just.
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As an avowed anti-Nazi, I would be more than pleased to pledge my nation's military support to the spirit of this endeavor, if only a front remained on which my soldiers could mass. Alas, the good leaders of Bob are so swift in their response to this indignity that I fear the search is in vain. But let it be known, whether via deletion Deus Ex Machina or reduction of the hate machine to rubble, Bloxhelm is stands ready.
May Reason Save Us All.
--- /s/ Sparqs ---
Trusted Brain of Bloxhelm
Edit: Italicized above to match my subsequent post.
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Congratulations on the formation of your alliance! Having read through the charter I see many good points (though I believe it would benefit from a few typo corrections). I am, however, unclear on two issues:
- I can find no language that references Tech Raiding or other aggressive wars by individual member nations.
- The even number of emperors seems problematic and perhaps even inconsistent. In this section on Government:
there is a reference to a trimulative in A6, which sounds like a member of a three-part system. In addition, my reading of A4 says that the Emperors can expel a member if 2 of the 3 Emperors vote do so.[...]
Section III: Government
A. The Emperors
1. The government will be headed by an Emperorship of two members.
2. The Emperors will be democratically elected and serve until resignation or impeachment.
3. The Emperors will discuss the issues concerning the alliance and take votes to determine the action corresponding, a 2/3 majority wins.
4. The Emperors hold the right to expel any member of the alliance with a 2/3 majority.
6. IF one Emperor thinks that the other Emperor is acting against the will of the alliance than that trimulative can start an impeachment vote, and the membership of the The Uprising will decide the fate of the indicted Emperor with a majority vote.
7. Each Emperor holds the right alone to nominate members to minister positions.
[...]
- I can find no language that references Tech Raiding or other aggressive wars by individual member nations.
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Y hallo thar!
I now find myself in peacemode for some odd days because I found out about this "surprise attack" on you guys just moments before it happened. (I've been quite afk for the past weeks regarding CN; only collecting taxes and paying bills for me) Now, had I been blessed with time to prepare for an attack, would I have done it? That remains a mystery for both you and myself. I was given the choice to. You can decide for yourself why I didn't join.
So, I have two choices presented in front of me:
1. Assume a submissive position
In other words, become a POW nation due to a war I'm not even a part of (except for being in Wootsauce). This would mean, among other things, giving up much of the material I've acquired during the course of me playing this game and basically becoming another alliances little buttsecksed gimp.
2. Go Jihad on random nations within the fighting alliances
This would basically mean that I'd go out of peacemode, run amok with everything I have, get rid of my infra, give away my tech, decom my military and eventually delete my nation.
Since this is just a game, and I only have these two alternatives, which one do you suppose I'd choose? Would I be interested in spending a 100 or so days to build up again, or should I call it quits with this nation, start over or not start over at all? I suck at being submissive. Both IRL and the Int0rrwebzTM (Serious business).
In other words, unless I get an option number 3 (which would only be fair), I have no choice but to strap some dynamite on my waist and run into your livingroom screaming "Allah Ackbar".
I'm eagerly waiting for your response.
And remember, I'm only speaking for myself here, not the alliance.
As an interested bystander, I can empathize with your situation, but I'm not entirely sure that Option 1 was well described. In what I've read by MCXA on this war, I don't recall seeing any POW options available. That said, diplomacy is always worth an attempt. Taking a look at your nation, I wouldn't expect the usual POW terms to affect you much. You'd lose the Barracks certainly, and maybe the Intelligence Agency now that spies are in place, but your other improvements wouldn't usually be subject to destruction.
It also looks like you have 5 trade slots used, but only 7 additional resources. That means 3 resources are duplicates, for which you get no benefit. Rearrange your trades for better efficiency and bonuses and you should be able to grow faster, making this set-back less important overall.
None of that addresses the other issues of POW status, but I think you will find that many nations have overcome that hurdle. If the citizens of Superioria are still interested in pursuing the pharmaceutical lifestyle, I'm sure you can find a way.
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I found a Legion member trying to leave for STA:
http://www.cybernations.net/nation_drill_d...Nation_ID=74982
Nation Name: Great Lakes Union
Ruler: Sovereign Steve
Seniority: 2 days, lol (he was legion last time he PM'ed me)
Let's just say I'm trying to help out the New Pacific Order. Oh, but I still want to stay on your ZI list. The ZI couch is really comfy.
I found your bid for Red Senate... amusing, but this is a friend of mine you are accusing. I'm sure NPO has no problem targeting nations without the help of ill-informed 4th parties. The facts seem to be counter to your accusation. Checking the Alliance Seniority of the nation in question shows:
While I am not privy to the timing of Z'ha'dum's post on the Legion forums, the announcement here is timestamped Nov 11 2007, 12:31 AM (CN Time).11/10/2007 4:08:23 PM (2 Days)We of the Overbearing Observation & Punctuation Subcommittee apologize for the edit.
Those responsible for the error have been fact-checked with extreme prejudice.
Also, may a curse befall the next 7 generations of those who designed the new quoting system.
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I laugh at how everyone always supports the first alliance to post the war. To call us an idiotic alliance is idiotic on your part Bababuc, not knowing what we are fighting for.
All hail MCXA because they made the thread first!
Anyway, your high council member promised a nice civil war. Which we ill abide by.
I'll not say our side, because obviously nobody will listen. Whoever posts first gains the most support continues.
As a truly impartial observer, I am quite honestly interested in your side of the story. I can't directly address the claim that the first to post receives popular support, but it is apparent that wootsauce attacked The Allied Empire without first posting a casus belli here, as is the accepted practice. I see I'm already behind the curve on this thread, as a few details seemed to have emerged, but I'm sure many would like to read a well-constructed post presenting the view from your alliance.
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It seems to me that what is missing from this argument is any recognition of the membership's response to the actions of its leaders. While certainly there is responsibility in the electorate, they are electing imperfect humans. Having been a member of The Legion in the past, I have an understanding of the membership perspective. While I am unfortunately not privy to the details of the timeline here, it is my understanding that the perpetrators of the crime were ejected immediately upon their actions being discovered by the other members of government.
Should not the response of an alliance's membership to crimes of their government weigh heavily in their favor when judging the whole?
And to clear up a point: Only Thom Solo was in government, albeit the head, whereas Lord Swampy, though ex-government, held no official position at the time.
ah. Now we're back to the "It's a democracy, and as such it's not their fault" arguement.
Not at all. The point here is that everyone makes mistakes and they should be judged on two key factors: A) How negligent were they; and B) How did they respond to the error?
In this case the membership of The Legion made a mistake in who they elected. How negligent were they? They chose someone who ran on a platform counter to his actions, so it would seem that negligence was not a large factor. How did they respond to the situation? It is my understanding that as soon as the rest of the government found out, the perpetrators were ejected and diplomacy began. The membership did their best to correct the problem.
I do not argue that the electorate of a democracy bears no responsibility for mistakes of the government, but that their response to those mistakes should weigh heavily in their favor. This is not a case of the multitude claiming that they were merely following orders as an excuse for their actions; indeed it is their actions that bear recognition.
We of the Overbearing Observation & Punctuation Subcommittee apologize for the edit.
Those responsible for the error have been tarred and feathered.
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Actually it began when Swampy was still PM and continued through. Therefore leaders of Legion from the last two terms were trying to carry it out. That's pretty damning.
Ah, thank you for the correction. It is difficult to look through the frosted windows of the place you once called home, unable to see in clear detail.
Since you were kind enough to address my error so graciously, perhaps you can answer a question that I, and many others it seems, find most curious and somewhat unsettling: Why the relocation to the grey land of unhappiness? If the The Legion is to live with hope for redemption, why cause such economic distress, which also reduces their ability to pay recompense? Surely you have friends in other spheres who would have been glad of the trading partners - or even split the colors, if the intent is to reduce their impact on the Senate.
We of the Overbearing Observation & Punctuation Subcommittee apologize for the edit.
Those responsible for the error have been sacked.
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Except when they were the top two positions. I'm sorry. The arguement of "but they didn't support it" doesn't hold. If Moo, myself, and Bak did this, then the NPO was behind it. There isn't any real way to argue otherwise.
It seems to me that what is missing from this argument is any recognition of the membership's response to the actions of its leaders. While certainly there is responsibility in the electorate, they are electing imperfect humans. Having been a member of The Legion in the past, I have an understanding of the membership perspective. While I am unfortunately not privy to the details of the timeline here, it is my understanding that the perpetrators of the crime were ejected immediately upon their actions being discovered by the other members of government.
Should not the response of an alliance's membership to crimes of their government weigh heavily in their favor when judging the whole?
And to clear up a point: Only Thom Solo was in government, albeit the head, whereas Lord Swampy, though ex-government, held no official position at the time.
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My old friends of The Legion, you rulers of noble spirit and goodwill who now pay penance for the actions of those chosen to lead, I am truly saddened to see the fate that has befallen you. In these dark times I offer my hope for your future:
May this crucible serve to forge your iron spirit into wings of steel.
Ave Legio!
~Sparqs
(Trusted Brain of Bloxhelm)
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Congratulations on the formation of such a reasonable alliance!
I am confused about a section of your charter, however. In article IIa, I have underlined two sentences that appear to be contradictory.
IIa. The Pirate King (or Queen) is elected once to promote stability within the alliance. Once elected, the Pirate King (or Queen) serves for life, or until they choose to step down. Once a Pirate King (or Queen) steps down, they are never allowed to run for the position again. During the first election every year, the position of Pirate King (or Queen) will be open for any member of the Pirate Council to run for. This ensures that the alliance always has veteran leadership. -
I recommend The Confederation - a young and growing alliance led by experienced rulers. You'll find a place where promises are fulfilled and promising nations like yours are valued. By reading your post here, I'm confident you'd make an excellent member.
Marketing blather aside, what sort of alliance are you looking for? One that is mostly defensive, allowing you to grow economically? One that is more aggressive, supporting a habit of Tech Raiding? One that is spinning a web of inter-alliance treaties and playing politics to the full? One with lots of activity on the forums? One with active Tech Dealers and connections to Trade Guilds?
If you seek a strong, honorable, active alliance, the Applications Office is open.
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As a former Legionnaire, I'm almost sorry that my attention was drawn to this thread. To see people who once held positions of trust now abuse that ill-placed power in this manner, it sickens me.
When jazzi left The Legion for GOONS, I did not let myself believe that she had used her position as FM to benefit her soon-to-be new alliance, but on witnessing this display, how can I deny the possibility? Even the likelihood? If so, she must surely rank down with the lowest traitors ever seen on Bob.
As for sleepy, I can only assume I was hypnotized by the avatar. Or perhaps it was he that was hypnotized. How long can one stare at a corn eating cat, before you go a little funny in the head? Please pardon these ad proditorem comments, in this case, the message itself doesn't deserve my attention.
~Sparqs
(Trusted Brain of Bloxhelm)
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This will end well. Also Legion isn't fighting \m/, smart guy.
Actually, they are: Legion Announcement.
Cake or Death?
(Orange) Cake for some, Death for others. Or so I hear.
Edit: Quote correction.
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While my cabinet advisers have all lost track of who's who in this war (between the inverse tl;dr's and the more-acronyms-than-you-can-shake-a-lulav-at), I will say that you have produced a top-notch DoW, and for that I salute you.
SAA-LUTE!!
That's a Hee Haw reference for you youngins'
On Walford and the end of tech raiding.
in Open World Forum
Posted
Back on the topic of this thread...
This post points to a key issue in the OP that appears to have been missed by responders thus far. When The Scholar calls for “Alliance Stewardship†I believe he is suggesting that each alliance would benefit if they took the same interest in their sphere as the NPO does in Red. In fact, if more and more unaligned nations follow the advice given by Chinatownbus, other spheres will become depleted. And when those unaligned nations decide it's time to join an alliance, they may switch colors, but I suspect they'll start by looking in their own sphere rather than rework their trades. Thus, if only NPO maintains this stance then they will benefit greatly from keeping Red the one 'safe' place to go.