Jump to content

Haflinger

Members
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    9,300

  • Joined

  • Last visited

 Content Type 

Blog Entries posted by Haflinger

  1. Haflinger
    This is absolute nonsense.
    There are plenty of real-world examples of friendship between nations without a treaty. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_of_Friendship_of_Nations http://www.allacademic.com//meta/p_mla_apa...58/p39958-1.php http://www.allacademic.com//meta/p_mla_apa...6/p252366-1.php
    Please... do a little reading before accusing people of making up terms.
    There's some academic controversy over this topic, but there's clearly support for the idea of friendship between nations as a principle of political philosophy.
  2. Haflinger
    For all you logdumpers out there, or just people in general needing to transfer text anonymously: PLEASE DON'T USE SCRIBD.
    Use !@#$%*. It's way better, because it doesn't lock the text inside a Flash applet. You can just copy and paste it.
  3. Haflinger
    The word protectorate means a small alliance that is protected by a protector.
    Do not use this word to mean the opposite: a large alliance that is protecting something. This is backwards.
    Do not say "protectee." That's not a word, which is why Mozilla's spellcheck just underlined it on my screen.
    Thank you for your cooperation.
  5. Haflinger

    Space Race

    By Haflinger,

    September 4th, 2009


    This is a list of all the Sanction Race alliances in order of space wonders. Ties go first to the alliance with more Mars wonders, and then to the alliance with more Space Programs. Should there be a tie at that point, then to the alliance with more score.
    Independent Republic Of Orange Nations: 22 Bases, 2 Mines, 1 Colonies -> 24 Bases, 3 Mines, 1 Colonies (+3)
    7 Mars Bases
    1 Mars Colonies
    15 Moon Bases -> 17 Moon Bases
    2 Moon Mines -> 3 Moon Mines
    110 Space Programs -> 113 Space Programs
    The Grämlins: 18 Bases, 1 Mine -> 21 Bases, 6 Mines (+8)
    3 Mars Bases -> 4 Mars Bases
    0 Mars Mines -> 3 Mars Mines
    15 Moon Bases -> 17 Moon Bases
    1 Moon Mines -> 3 Moon Mines
    59 Space Programs -> 57 Space Programs
    The Order Of The Paradox: 13 Bases -> 16 Bases, 2 Colonies, 2 Mines (+7)
    2 Mars Bases
    0 Mars Mines -> 1 Mars Mines
    11 Moon Bases -> 14 Moon Bases
    0 Moon Colonies -> 2 Moon Colonies
    0 Moon Mines -> 1 Moon Mines
    116 Space Programs -> 122 Space Programs
    New Polar Order: 16 Bases -> 21 Bases, 1 Mines (+6)
    5 Mars Bases -> 7 Mars Bases
    11 Moon Bases -> 14 Moon Bases
    0 Moon Mines -> 1 Moon Mines
    87 Space Programs -> 89 Space Programs
    Mostly Harmless Alliance: 11 Bases -> 18 Bases, 2 Mines (+9)
    5 Mars Bases -> 6 Mars Bases
    0 Mars Mines -> 1 Mars Mines
    6 Moon Bases -> 12 Moon Bases
    0 Moon Mines -> 1 Moon Mines
    84 Space Programs -> 87 Space Programs
    Fark: 13 Bases -> 15 Bases, 2 Mines (+4)
    2 Mars Bases
    11 Moon Bases -> 13 Moon Bases
    0 Moon Mines -> 2 Moon Mines
    80 Space Programs -> 83 Space Programs
    New Pacific Order: 12 Bases, 1 Mine -> 13 Bases, 1 Colonies, 1 Mines (+2)
    6 Mars Bases
    6 Moon Bases -> 7 Moon Bases
    0 Moon Colonies -> 1 Moon Colonies
    1 Moon Mines
    88 Space Programs -> 91 Space Programs
    The Order Of Light: 7 Bases, 1 Mine -> 9 Bases, 3 Mines (+4)
    2 Mars Bases -> 3 Mars Bases
    1 Mars Mines -> 3 Mars Mines
    5 Moon Bases -> 6 Moon Bases
    52 Space Programs -> 55 Space Programs
    Green Protection Agency: 10 Bases, 1 Colonies -> 10 Bases, 2 Colonies (+1)
    4 Mars Bases
    0 Mars Colonies -> 1 Mars Colonies
    6 Moon Bases
    1 Moon Colonies
    83 Space Programs
    Ragnarok: 9 Bases -> 10 Bases, 1 Colonies, 1 Mines (+3)
    4 Mars Bases
    5 Moon Bases -> 6 Moon Bases
    0 Moon Colonies -> 1 Moon Colonies
    0 Moon Mines -> 1 Moon Mines
    40 Space Programs -> 41 Space Programs
    RnR: 9 Bases -> 9 Bases (0)
    4 Mars Bases
    5 Moon Bases
    39 Space Programs -> 40 Space Programs
    World Task Force: 6 Bases -> 6 Bases, 2 Colonies, 1 Mines (+3)
    0 Mars Bases
    6 Moon Bases
    0 Moon Colonies -> 2 Moon Colonies
    0 Moon Mines -> 1 Moon Mines
    48 Space Programs -> 51 Space Programs
    Invicta: 8 Bases -> 8 Bases (0)
    5 Mars Bases
    3 Moon Bases
    29 Space Programs -> 30 Space Programs
    Viridian Entente: 7 Bases -> 8 Bases (+1)
    3 Mars Bases
    4 Moon Bases -> 5 Moon Bases
    51 Space Programs -> 52 Space Programs
    Orange Defense Network: 6 Bases -> 8 Bases (+2)
    0 Mars Bases
    6 Moon Bases -> 8 Moon Bases
    67 Space Programs -> 70 Space Programs
    Multicolored Cross-X Alliance: 5 Bases -> 6 Bases, 1 Colonies (+2)
    3 Mars Bases
    0 Mars Colonies -> 1 Mars Colonies
    2 Moon Bases -> 3 Moon Bases
    37 Space Programs -> 39 Space Programs
    Sparta: 7 Bases -> 7 Bases (0)
    2 Mars Bases
    5 Moon Bases
    81 Space Programs -> 85 Space Programs
    Mushroom Kingdom: 7 Bases -> 7 Bases (0)
    2 Mars Bases
    5 Moon Bases
    66 Space Programs -> 71 Space Programs
    The Democratic Order: 5 Bases, 1 Colonies -> 5 Bases, 2 Colonies (+1)
    2 Mars Bases
    3 Moon Bases
    1 Moon Colonies -> 2 Moon Colonies
    33 Space Programs -> 36 Space Programs
    Random Insanity Alliance: 5 Bases -> 5 Bases (0)
    0 Mars Bases
    5 Moon Bases
    26 Space Programs -> 27 Space Programs
    FOK: 4 Bases -> 5 Bases, 1 Mines (+2)
    2 Mars Bases -> 3 Mars Bases
    0 Mars Mines -> 1 Mars Mines
    2 Moon Bases
    53 Space Programs -> 56 Space Programs
    New Sith Order: 3 Bases -> 4 Bases (+1)
    2 Mars Bases -> 3 Mars Bases
    1 Moon Bases
    21 Space Programs -> 22 Space Programs
    North Atlantic Defense Coalition: 4 Bases -> 4 Bases (0)
    1 Mars Bases
    3 Moon Bases
    35 Space Programs -> 36 Space Programs
    Siberian Tiger Alliance: 3 Bases, 1 Mine -> 3 Bases, 1 Mine (0)
    1 Mars Bases
    2 Moon Bases
    1 Moon Mines
    17 Space Programs
    M*A*S*H: 3 Bases -> 3 Bases, 1 Mines
    0 Mars Bases
    3 Moon Bases
    0 Moon Mines -> 1 Moon Mines
    37 Space Programs
    United Purple Nations: 3 Bases, 1 Colonies -> 3 Bases, 1 Colonies (0)
    0 Mars Bases
    3 Moon Bases
    1 Moon Colonies
    32 Space Programs
    Global Alliance And Treaty Organization: 3 Bases -> 3 Bases (0)
    1 Mars Bases
    2 Moon Bases
    28 Space Programs -> 30 Space Programs
    Monos Archein: 3 Bases -> 3 Bases (0)
    1 Mars Bases
    2 Moon Bases
    33 Space Programs
    Commonwealth Of Sovereign Nations: 2 Bases -> 3 Bases (+1)
    0 Mars Bases
    2 Moon Bases -> 3 Moon Bases
    32 Space Programs -> 33 Space Programs
    Nueva Vida: 4 Bases -> 3 Bases (-1)
    0 Mars Bases
    4 Moon Bases -> 3 Moon Bases
    33 Space Programs
    Athens: 1 Bases -> 2 Bases (+1)
    0 Mars Bases
    1 Moon Bases -> 2 Moon Bases
    32 Space Programs -> 33 Space Programs
    The Legion: 2 Bases -> 2 Bases (0)
    0 Mars Bases
    2 Moon Bases
    29 Space Programs -> 30 Space Programs
    The Sweet Oblivion: ? Bases -> 1 Bases
    1 Moon Bases
    21 Space Programs
    We Are Perth Army: 0 Bases -> 1 Bases (+1)
    0 Mars Bases
    0 Moon Bases -> 1 Moon Bases
    1 Moon Bases
    15 Space Programs
    Largest Gainer
    Mostly Harmless Alliance: +9 wonders
    Largest Loser
    Nueva Vida: -1 wonders
    Passes
    TOP passes NPO
    TOP passes NpO
    Fark passes NPO
    MHA passes NPO
    MHA passes Fark
    TOOL passes Invicta
    TOOL passes RnR
    TOOL passes Ragnarok
    TOOL passes GPA
    ODN passes TDO
    ODN passes MK
    ODN passes Sparta
    WTF passes TDO
    WTF passes MK
    WTF passes Sparta
    WTF passes ODN
    WTF passes VE
    WTF passes Invicta
    MCXA passes TDO
    MCXA passes MK
    MCXA passes Sparta
    UPN passes NV
    NSO passes NV
    NSO passes UPN
    NSO passes STA
    NSO passes NADC
    GATO passes NV
    MA passes NV
    CSN passes Legion
    CSN passes NV (due to higher alliance score)
    M*A*S*H passes Legion
    M*A*S*H passes NV
    M*A*S*H passes CSN
    M*A*S*H passes MA
    M*A*S*H passes GATO
    M*A*S*H passes UPN
    Athens passes Legion
    TSO passes WAPA
    Härmlins collectively gain 17 space wonders, as MHA makes an incredible leap forward.
    Also, welcome to space WAPA. Seems Athens has another dissident besides Angryraccoon landing on the Moon.
    TOOL had a large nation join them two days ago, with a Mars mine and base already in place, leading to their leapfrog of four alliances. Of course WTF's passes demonstrate just how tight the race is in the middle.
    Also, apologies to M*A*S*H, who appear to have been listed too low in the last update.
  6. Haflinger

    Disrespecting Marines?!

    By Haflinger,

    Since when is it disrespectful to soldiers to use their images in what is essentially a wargame?
    I'm referring to the apparent controversy over Iwo Jima images being used in an alliance announcement.
    People might want to look at these: http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/33492 http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/37875
    The same images are used.
  7. Haflinger

    The Undefeated

    By Haflinger,

    I see this little confusion has flared up again, in the Sanction Race no less.
    The name Invicta, which is Latin for "undefeated", doesn't mean "never lost." It's the OOC motto of Kent, which is the home of one of our founders.
    If it really meant what you think it means, we'd have had to give it up the first time an Invicta member lost a ground battle. Which I lost one of, I think, in the SOLID war last year.
    Wikipedia has a lot more information on our name. I will note that a conditional surrender is mentioned there, right in the freaking article.
    Which, like it or not, is what Invicta got. We were offered a white peace, turned it down, twice, the second time we were approached we made a counteroffer which we expected to be refused, and it was accepted. That's what happened.
    You can ask Näktergal. She figured it out.
  8. Haflinger

    Roleplaying

    By Haflinger,

    This is a concept foreign to many CN players.
    Let me summarize it for you.
    Roleplaying is where you pretend to be someone else while playing a game.
    For example, members of the New Sith Order pretend to be Sith, or followers of the Sith (I hate the prequel films and don't really understand the whole Sith idea because I haven't watched most of them) from the Star Wars universe while playing CN.
    They are not actually Sith. This is roleplaying.
    Recently, there was an incident where the alliance sent a number of messages in the game to another alliance. Some people said the messages were disrespectful.
    One person, evidently confused about the meaning of the word roleplaying, said that the messages weren't disrespectful because the Sith were roleplaying their evil personas.
    I replied to him, but snipped that little nugget out, which was inappropriate on several levels, not least because it was a discussion of roleplaying in an IC area, i.e. where roleplaying is actually done.
    The biggest way in which it was inappropriate though was gross stupidity. If I choose to roleplay a disrespectful person, and then in an IC forum, someone accuses my character of being disrespectful, it is the height of foolishness to say "No, I was just ROLEPLAYING!" Given that's what everyone is doing there to one extent or another.
  9. Haflinger
    I have noticed that there is a universal distaste for "bandwagoning," however, the definition of this phrase seems to vary from individual to individual.
    Some people use bandwagoning to mean the exercising of optional military clauses to aid another alliance in wartime.
    Some people use bandwagoning to mean attacking an enemy which is already under attack without a treaty requiring such attack.
    Some people use bandwagoning to mean joining a war late, after the initial round of attacks, even if there's a treaty requirement to do so.
    Some people use bandwagoning to mean joining a war when there's no treaty connecting the alliance or nation(s) joining, even if they're joining on the losing side.
    The last meaning is the reason for optional military clauses. Optional military clauses serve no purpose whatsoever except to prevent alliances from declaring war on people who enter a war to support their friends. They do not require anyone to do anything, and do not set up any treaty obligations. They are part of the legacy of this war on bandwagoning.
    It is thus ironic that they are now referred to as bandwagoning clauses by some people, given that this ideology of bandwagoning is the reason that they exist.
    I think this dislike of bandwagoning misses an essential truth. The reason curbstomp wars can be calculated in the manner that they are is because people feel bound by the treaty web. If they do not have a treaty to an alliance under attack - even if they like that alliance and would prefer to defend them - they are not willing to take action, not because they are cowards, but because they feel it is immoral to enter the war without a treaty.
    This is a problem, and is one of the ways in which Cybernations gameplay diverges dramatically from the real world. In the real world, people agree to alliances during war. In both World War I and World War II, the United States did not enter the war until late in the proceedings. Should they be criticized as a bandwagoning force? In both wars, their support was decisive in determining the final victor of the war.
    I would argue that alliances should be allowed to declare war for their own reasons, and not be attacked for declaring war without a supporting treaty already in place from before the war began. Respecting the sovereignty of alliances to determine their own values is a step towards both making the game more interesting (as the politics will become more complex, and the treaty-web probably a bit easier to decipher) and more realistic.
  10. Haflinger

    The IC/OOC line

    By Haflinger,

    This is an intriguing statement.
    Offline, I play and run roleplaying games of the traditional sort quite a lot. Sir Quote's claim here that the point of having an IC/OOC line is to prevent people from using knowledge gained out-of-character in-character runs into all sorts of difficulties in actual games. Several of the people I play with refuse to talk about games out-of-character for fear of learning things that their character doesn't know, because it's too hard to play knowing the context that your character doesn't.
    Given that this is a game with tens of thousands of players, it seems unreasonable to expect them all to live up to an IC/OOC standard that people who've been roleplaying since the '70s can't manage to pull off.
    Another problem comes in with the identification of what is IC and what is OOC information. It seems clear that posts about wars in the game are IC, while links to player's Facebook pages are OOC. But... a lot of people identify everything that happens on IRC as OOC.
    This strikes me as a problem, since IRC is basically where I play this game. If all of IRC is OOC, then all the queries, where I'm playing a character from a freaking science fiction novel, guys, are OOC, and I'm pretty much ... well not playing. Heh.
    So I don't know. We do need a better definition of the IC/OOC line. Personally, I think it should at least extend to stopping CN wars fought on the basis of "He insulted my ex-girlfriend, so now I'm going to impress her by blowing up his alliance!"
  11. Haflinger
    This is remarkably common.
    My feeling it is due to the rather hostile environment that the forums have become. When I first started playing CN, in the summer between GWIII and the Unjust War, the forums were not terribly difficult to keep up with. Mostly back then I read them to keep up with Valhalla's antics; that was the summer of Wedgie's reign of terror in Purple.
    People argued, but there wasn't that sense of incredible bitterness that permeates the forums now.
    Back then, there were plenty of sycophants, as there are now, but back then sycophancy mostly took the form of posting nice things about your idols, whereas now it mostly takes the form of slamming your idol's enemies.
    It worries me that we seem to have taken up Josef Thorne as our model for posting.
  12. Haflinger

    TOP and Purple

    By Haflinger,

    Megabyte, you closed the thread. You fiend. Of course your reasoning is quite correct.
    This statement is the lol.
    When TOP entered, everyone in Purple was doing what we wanted to. Our large nations were operating with no defensive wars all over the place.
    TOP changed all that.
    If it hadn't been for their intervention, the peace terms I would have been going for would have been white peace for Orion. The rest of the Invicta-NebX-Orion peace deal would not have happened.
    And yes, that's right - that would have meant Invicta was free to attack other alliances. And believe me, we would have.
    TOP saved a whole lot of you guys' butts. If it hadn't been for them, the war would have been fairly even. If they'd come in on our side, I would right now be running around telling my allies to lighten up on the surrender terms, I have no doubt.
  13. Haflinger

    Ramblin'

    By Haflinger,

    I still have some regrets over how Coldfront appears to have become the standard IRC network for Cybernations. Not because I liked Esper, well, I didn't. Both networks are tiny. It seems to me that if we were going to put in all the effort to get everyone to switch networks and all, we could have tried to find a larger IRC network, one less prone to netsplits and other such problems.
    I'm also not really a fan of Chanserv. But we could all be using Dalnet, and the Chanserv dependency of many CN users would still be sated. At least then we'd be on a network where 90% of the load isn't coming from CN users.
    Of course, I'm oldschool IRC, so in a way Coldfront brings back memories of my youth, when IRC networks constantly netsplit due to servers going offline when the admin's RL bosses came into the room.
    Also... apparently the blog avatar isn't the same as the main forums avatar. Looks like it might be the forum photo entry. Oh well, just gives me an excuse to finally make a photo and upload it I guess
  14. Haflinger
    Now might be a good time to remind people to play nice and hopefully we'll all still be around in a month or two. Maybe then we'll have a few cold beers together and laugh.
    To that end, I suggest that victorious alliances try to avoid imposing terms that require:

    alliances to give up members or leadership positions of certain members;
    the payment of punitive reparations;
    the disbandment of alliances.

    We've all got communities here. Maybe you don't like some other guy's community, but don't try to take it away.
    Until then, I'll be seeing you. Some of you will probably point guns at me, but that's how it all shakes out.
  15. Haflinger

    Bloc vs. Block

    By Haflinger,

    A political grouping with a number of different actors in it is normally referred to as a bloc. For example, a voting bloc.
    A block is quite a different thing, and much easier to explain. This is a picture of three blocks.

    Please stop confusing the two.
  17. Haflinger
    Different people play this game with different goals in mind.
    I just saw someone criticizing a member of IRON for being happy that his alliance is #2 in score in Cybernations. The implication was that only being first counts, and he shouldn't rest until he'd achieved that.
    Now, it's entirely possible that there are members of IRON that have that goal in mind. Certainly they're not that far away.
    But why should that be his goal?
    Take me for example. I'm quite proud of the fact that my nation, despite being less than two years old, is in the top 10 of all nations in the game with my particular starting resources (gold and furs). All of the gold & furs nations that are bigger than me are also older than me, most significantly older.
    Yah I'd probably be a lot bigger now if I'd rerolled that day a while back and got say fish and aluminum instead. But big deal. My achievement is still a significant one, because it's what I wanted to do.
    IRON have achieved a number of things that NPO has not. And vice versa, of course. I'd wager a guess that while there are some people in NPO who are happy they are #1, there are probably more who are happy they've successfully implemented the Revenge Doctrine or the Moldavi Doctrine or some other in-game goal.
    Just like how I'm proud of what I've been able to do for Purple Team. And similar to how, no doubt, some of the people in IRON are proud of what they've been do for Orange Team.
    Just think about what you love about this game. The main reason you continue to play is probably not out of a hope that your alliance will reach #1 in score among all alliances. For most of the players of this game, that is not a realistic hope.
    There's probably some other reason. And so far as you succeed or fail in it, that's how you should measure your success. Not according to how someone on the forums says you should measure it.
  18. Haflinger

    ZOMG OOC ATTACKS

    By Haflinger,

    This is getting out of hand.
    For what it's worth, very few people in CN have much of an idea what I'm like offline. A geopolitical simulator/wargame/whatever this is is not a very good environment to get to know someone well.
    'course, since I go by Haflinger in other contexts, it's possible if you feel like a stalker to figure out more about me. But I doubt anyone has.
    Anyway.
    When I criticize your character in Alliance Politics, it is by definition not an OOC attack. I am IN CHARACTER there. At least I try to be. If you think I - or someone else - is making OOC remarks, complimentary or otherwise, in AP, go ahead and report them.
    I'm getting tired of people complaining about OOC attacks in an in-character forum. It breaks the character. It makes roleplaying harder.
    And including all criticisms of actions people take in the game into the category of OOC attacks distracts us from genuine, serious attacks. Like DDOS, pornography, and death threats.
  19. Haflinger
    If you click the word NEW by a blog which has new comments on it, normally you expect the browser to jump to the new unread comments. This is not what happens. Instead, the blog marks all comments in that blog as read and leaves you where you are.
    I find this disconcerting. So instead, in order to read new comments, I have to bring up the blog list for that user, and click on the little square with a slash between the two colours for that blog entry.
×
×
  • Create New...