NationStates

[Ironklaw]

This is an oldie but a goodie. NationStates is a simple browser game that lets you set up a country and determine the political structure of the nation based on decisions you, the leader of the country, make on important issues you're given daily. It's simple (you can't go to war or trade with other nations) but it's something to do daily. If enough of us play we can even start a region within the world for just our nations so we can compare them against each other.

Just a thought. Here's a link to mine: http://www.nationstates.net/nation=Civitas%20Technologica

Every decision you make changes the various stats and the description of your Nation. It might be something some of you would like. Give it a shot!

[Ramses]

i'm in

just created the Armed Republic of Herrgrad

[Ironklaw]

Sweet. I'll add you to my dossier :D

[ShadeWolf]

Another new nation hath been born, all glory to the Most Serene Republic of Outer Slateria.

I've added both of you to my dossier. Soon, I will figure out why.

Though, I am a bit confused... The first issue brings the point of transgenderism unintentionally. Apparently, my brother is Elizabeth Wu. O.o

[Ramses]

yeah, the game's funny like that

with another ten countries or so we could create our own area. with a world assembly delegate. neat!

[Ramses]

public transportation?
gun registry?
protesting nuclear power?
banning fur???
29% tax??????

ironklaw, isn't the whole point to create a BETTER country than this joke we're citizens of?

[Kakurady]

public transportation?
gun registry?
protesting nuclear power?
banning fur???
29% tax??????

ironklaw, isn't the whole point to create a BETTER country than this joke we're citizens of?

Jennifer Government: NationStates is a multiplayer nation simulation [[browser game]]. It was created by [[Max Barry]] in late [[2002]], based loosely on his novel [[Jennifer Government]]. The game is expanded by users using off-site forums to construct centres of learning, discussion and play.

So according to Wikipedia according to [citation needed], NationStates was supposed to promote the novel... but I don't see any relation between them at all. >> Maybe the point of the website is to show what a joke our world is?

[Indref]

I think Second Life is a better example of how messed our world is.

Year one, it's a utopia, built [literally] by the people, for the people, no government. You want something, make it, or pay to have someone else make it. Everything is a contribution, and the place grew wildly. You could do anything, as long as you bothered noone else.

Now, everything furry is labelled as pornography, gambling has been banned, age play has been banned, copybots steal everything and resell it, all 'adult' content has been moved to a cordoned off slum, you have to prove your age to do most anything or go anywhere [via a scary system asking for your bank account and SIN number], and soon the Teen Grid is going to be combined with the Standard Grid, setting us up for what will be the largest online "SOMBODY THINK OF THE CHILDREN" drama in known digital history.

Sigh. Can't we just please leave the issues of the real world out of something?

[Kakurady]

I think Second Life is a better example of how messed our world is.

Year one, it's a utopia, built [literally] by the people, for the people, no government. You want something, make it, or pay to have someone else make it. Everything is a contribution, and the place grew wildly. You could do anything, as long as you bothered noone else.

Now, everything furry is labelled as pornography, gambling has been banned, age play has been banned, copybots steal everything and resell it, all 'adult' content has been moved to a cordoned off slum, you have to prove your age to do most anything or go anywhere [via a scary system asking for your bank account and SIN number], and soon the Teen Grid is going to be combined with the Standard Grid, setting us up for what will be the largest online "SOMBODY THINK OF THE CHILDREN" drama in known digital history.

Sigh. Can't we just please leave the issues of the real world out of something?

• Rather stretchy to say there was no government when there's this guy called Governor Linden, although, back then he held town hall meetings and listened. Right now he's developing the next version of the client in secret without any community voices.
• Never heard of furry being labelled as porn.
• If they had learned probability in high school (as any adult should have) they would know gambling loses money. So either they knowingly do it, or they are morons.
• Age play isn't even real child porn, no real kids have been harmed, and yet the appearance of it makes moron, err, moral guardians call foul.
• You can't technically protect these assets from being copied, only legally.
  
  • And people cite these copyright violations as a reason for Linden Lab to discontinue its open-source efforts. Never mind that the first copybot appeared before that.
  • Teen Grid is now full of things copied from rest of Agni now, more people are selling copied goods rather than original creations.
• .... yes, that is scary.
• Actually I hoped for a TG/MG merge. I mean, right now since you moved "all 'adult' content to a cordoned off slum", children should be safe around other places, right? But what I heard on this is "not going to happen in the foreseeable future".

Second Life used to be a place for deviants, ran by deviants. People with wild dreams. Creators. Explorers.

Now, with a larger fanbase, there have been more creative and friendly people... and yes, more morons. Worse, founders of Linden Lab have all called quit, and the management seem to be capable... but don't "get it".

• Like the open-source arm being disconnected from people making policy on open-source client derivatives.
• Or the user experience department completely shielded from its fan base (yes, they had a fan base of five... butnot anymore :<)
• My personal experience with the localization department has similarly bitter (not accepting new translations? you've been saying that for six months)(why his patch got accepted but mine aren't?)(I can't work with only new English strings without any context!)(oh man, who were these new translators, they were ███████~ terrible)(you do not dare remove comments and reformat my translation to the point that I can't track of differences! (this is the point I called quit, because I can't work with them anymore)).
• Or the Tao of Linden became so uncool... even soulless... nevermind, do anyone still follow it today?

I can't lay my finger on any particular piece of blame, but I've got this feeling that Second Life, while still having more creativity than ever before... is now a place run by morons, for morons.
Further reading: What is DeviantART without deviance?

I would like to call on people to speak in the discussion for third-party viewer policy, this could spell bad omen for third party developers... but I don't think anyone here would care.

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