Team Messages

[King Hendrix]

Since senators are pretty much useless except for sanctions, can we at least make sure that they update us on how that sphere is doing? In my time playing CN I have been on Blue, Red, Aqua, Orange, Maroon, and Black (yes, behold my Oxford Comma) and rarely have I seen messages been put out. I think its a really cool feature that has gotten dusty.
On the Blue Team we have 5 messages. The first two are 5 days apart, the 3rd is less than a month after that, and the last two are +1 years apart. On another sphere's board (that I think is either Red or Maroon) there is just random "everybody gets a free cookie" $%#@.

A good update for the Blue team would be:
NATO has joined the Blue Sphere, please welcome them over blah blah blah.

IDK. Any thoughts? If not, can we give the Senate real power of some sort?

[/rant]

Edited June 19, 2010 by King Hendrix

[Lukcia]

I would like to see this more. Updates on treaties, new additions etc. Even some sphere Senators may wish to run competitions such as most growth in the month.

EDIT: This could actually form the basis of a real Senator election. Everyone writes a 500 word speech on what they'll do, for example; run competitions, post updates and such. If you like someone's promises, you vote them in.

Edited June 19, 2010 by Lukcia

[Locke426]

[quote name='Lukcia' date='19 June 2010 - 02:10 PM' timestamp='1276971007' post='2343040']
I would like to see this more. Updates on treaties, new additions etc. Even some sphere Senators may wish to run competitions such as most growth in the month.

EDIT: This could actually form the basis of a real Senator election. Everyone writes a 500 word speech on what they'll do, for example; run competitions, post updates and such. If you like someone's promises, you vote them in.
[/quote]

Put it in the Suggestion Box if you feel strongly enough about it.

[King Hendrix]

[quote name='Locke426' date='19 June 2010 - 03:12 PM' timestamp='1276971125' post='2343045']
Put it in the Suggestion Box if you feel strongly enough about it.
[/quote]
I think that half of this post could go in the suggestion box, but the other half is directed at the players.

[kulomascovia]

[quote name='Locke426' date='19 June 2010 - 11:12 AM' timestamp='1276971125' post='2343045']
Put it in the Suggestion Box if you feel strongly enough about it.
[/quote]

Why? This could be implemented using the current system. All it takes is some initiative from the players.

[Haflinger]

I've posted senate messages in the past. Very few people read them however, due to the lack of notifications.

[New Frontier]

There shouldn't be notifications. Senators have nothing of value to tell us.

[HalfEmpty]

Perhaps Team Senators should be alllowed Franking rights. Or do they have that already?

[Alfred von Tirpitz]

Ssenators have reached the maximum utilization they can within the bound of the current situation. Team messages do not add any political or military value to the experience. Hence that function is ignored. The only tangible benefit of the position is sanction authority. Hence that is the only feature that gets used.

There is nothing preventing Senators from posting up messages. I guess they just do not see the worth/need for the same.

[eyriq]

This would be a welcome reform. I am very interested in sphere prosperity and I think that senators are in a unique position to promote this. More messages regarding sphere growth statistically, or persuasive messages promoting unity, or a focus on benchmarks. I think that Sphere cooperation is downplayed for political reasons, but you can see the success it brings. Unite a sphere and you've created a power cluster around an identifier that is static.

[Horatio Longworth]

I would like to see more, but it's the senator's prerogative ultimately.

[JWConner]

I dunno. I think a notification to all nations on that team color of any Senate messages would be a good thing. In the yellow sphere, it's pretty much been FAN and VA running the senate for the past 2 years, but nothing of interest really gets discussed amongst the sphere. I think if members of the sphere were notified of senate messages they'd be utilized more of new alliances on the sphere and other team-related news.

Don't think it'd be a crucial tool for the political aspect of the game, but seeing as the game really hasnt changed much in the 3+years i've been here, a little change couldnt hurt.

[Banksy]

Colours are completely useless. I don't see much point in increasing a senator's epeen with a higher visibility for team messages.

[Kim Jaym Il]

I thought that you did get notification of a new senate message.

[Believland]

I find them annoying. Then again, I hate the green team and whatever the hell is on it.

[mythicknight]

I miss notifications. But rarely is there something worth notifying about.

[Louisa]

[quote name='mythicknight' date='20 June 2010 - 02:47 AM' timestamp='1276998439' post='2343309']
I miss notifications. But rarely is there something worth notifying about.
[/quote]

Bring back the Pokemon updates, liberate the Black Team!

Or just scrap the system, since it does not seem to fulfill much of a function these days, sadly.

[Fernando12]

There is a notification but I think it only lasts a few days then it goes away so if you dont check your nation except to send/receive tech deals or collect then you'll prolly miss it.

To me the perfect Senator would be one that will take the time organize team trade circles and announce them via the Senator message system. We have 3 Senators. We don't need 3 to be able to place sanctions. What they should do is work together and post team trade circles. They should post a new nation guide once every 10 days, maybe this will help keep nations in the game. The guide can provide links to nation building topic here in this forum and other important topics. Senators should be actively working to keep nations in the sphere and in the game by helping them with this information.

Senators now are nothing more than glorified large nations. If they did anything of the above I could see a reason to really vote for them, otherwise I just vote to get rid of the message asap.

[magicninja]

Senate messages are for promoting their alliance.

[King Hendrix]

[quote name='Fernando12' date='20 June 2010 - 03:05 AM' timestamp='1277013926' post='2343487']
There is a notification but I think it only lasts a few days then it goes away so if you dont check your nation except to send/receive tech deals or collect then you'll prolly miss it.

To me the perfect Senator would be one that will take the time organize team trade circles and announce them via the Senator message system. We have 3 Senators. We don't need 3 to be able to place sanctions. What they should do is work together and post team trade circles. They should post a new nation guide once every 10 days, maybe this will help keep nations in the game. The guide can provide links to nation building topic here in this forum and other important topics. Senators should be actively working to keep nations in the sphere and in the game by helping them with this information.

Senators now are nothing more than glorified large nations. If they did anything of the above I could see a reason to really vote for them, otherwise I just vote to get rid of the message asap.
[/quote]
In that case we should elect more Senators if we want to give them a big job like that. Maybe 5-10.

[Penkala]

[quote name='magicninja' date='20 June 2010 - 07:14 AM' timestamp='1277032422' post='2343629']
Senate messages are for promoting their alliance.
[/quote]

Which is why notifications were turned off. IIRC there were notifications for like a week (delivered via the PM system iirc) but that was quickly changed.

[Heft]

I blame GOONS.

[Biff Webster]

I'm going to draft a Team Message directing the Red Sphere to this thread.

[supercoolyellow]

If senate messages would be used to create more drama, and hence more fun. I'd be all for it.

[Axolotlia]

[quote name='Fernando12' date='20 June 2010 - 01:05 AM' timestamp='1277013926' post='2343487']
There is a notification but I think it only lasts a few days then it goes away so if you dont check your nation except to send/receive tech deals or collect then you'll prolly miss it.

To me the perfect Senator would be one that will take the time organize team trade circles and announce them via the Senator message system. We have 3 Senators. We don't need 3 to be able to place sanctions. What they should do is work together and post team trade circles. They should post a new nation guide once every 10 days, maybe this will help keep nations in the game. The guide can provide links to nation building topic here in this forum and other important topics. Senators should be actively working to keep nations in the sphere and in the game by helping them with this information.

Senators now are nothing more than glorified large nations. If they did anything of the above I could see a reason to really vote for them, otherwise I just vote to get rid of the message asap.
[/quote]


Maybe there should be like 4-5 senators with certain jobs for each. three or four in charge of sanction, two to three in charge of team trade circles, and so on.