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Some Of You Have Been Drugging Your Citizens

by Max Barry
Sun, 17 Dec 2017

As mentioned, the World Census people have been fooling around with numbers and models lately.

Some nations were surprised to discover that they've plunged in Recreational Drug Use. To explain why, here is Senior Issue Editor and policy wonk Candlewhisper Archive...

Before the change, nations who added chemicals to their water supply, such as synthetic EDTA, poison, or neurostimulants, would receive an inappropriate huge boost to Recreational Drug Use. This was sub-optimal because the ranking is meant to track the fondness of citizens for recreational drugs, not the level of chemicals in their bloodstream.

Because we hadn't separated those two things before, one step in correcting the problem was to flip across nations we had erroneously labelled as "compulsory drug use" onto an equivalent mirror score. This allows us to accurately measure the degree of freedom citizens enjoy with regard to recreational drugs, so that any legislation you pass in the future will move your ranking accordingly.

Unfortunately, the correction meant translating some nations from a very high score (maximum mandatory drug use) to a very low one (maximum restriction on drugs). The worst thing is that the "No Drugs" policy may even appear as a result of this new stat position! But this will disappear as soon as you make even a single pro-drug decision.

This is a messy fix in the short term, and no doubt something of a shock for those that were riding high thanks to an exploit they were probably unaware of, as well as a pleasant surprise to those that find their position is improved.

Change can be shocking sometimes, but we're aiming to keep improving the simulation, and more changes will be around the corner. Keep an eye on the Beta page for more incoming shifts!

World Census Betas

by Max Barry
Sun, 26 Nov 2017

The World Census is a secretive organization. That's because when you rank nations, someone's always going to be unhappy about where you put them. That can be an issue when that someone leads a large, warmongering nation.

Sure, there are also rumors about their involvement in paranormal rituals. But personally I don't believe there's any direct evidence connecting that to the rise of the undead every year. Those are just wild conspiracy theories.

Anyway, what I'm getting at is that only a privileged few get a peek inside the World Census at the inner workings. But that's changing! There is now a way to preview of forthcoming World Census model changes and provide feedback. The idea is to help the World Census road-test changes before they actually go live, if you're interested in that kind of thing.

This page will also serve as a historical record of model changes.

So if you're particularly wonky when it comes to World Census rankings, and don't believe that nonsense about secret rites, take a look and share your thoughts!

Fifteen Years of NationStates

by Max Barry
Mon, 13 Nov 2017

Did you know? On November 13, 2002, NationStates was born. Also Iraq agreed to abide by UN Security Council Resolution #1441, which totally prevented the Second Gulf War, and Eminem released the seminal single "Lose Yourself."

Back in 2002, nations could receive any of 30 issues, after which they began to repeat, and people would post, "Why aren't there more issues?" Because I'm not a superman, that's why. I can't do everything. Fortunately, today we have a team of superpeople, a.k.a Issue Editors, who have taken your contributions and pushed that number over 850.

Our other team of superpeople is the moderators. Since I started keeping track (11 years ago), they've handled more than 200,000 help requests as well as making countless posts in the forum. We wouldn't be here without them.

Or without you! Thank you for being a part of NationStates, whether you're a newcomer or one of those people who have been gently tending to your nation(s) for over a decade. I'm amazed every day by this place and it's usually in a good way.

Feeling nostalgic? More walks down history lane here, here, and here!

Policies

by Max Barry
Thu, 09 Nov 2017

I'm pleased to announce a new way for leaders to keep an eye on what their nations are up to: Policies!

It had come to my attention that sometimes leaders could find it challenging to recall exactly whether they had enacted capital punishment, or passed universal health care, or started burning witches, or whatever. You're busy people. You do a lot of stuff. And sometimes laws have unexpected consequences; for example, you might be cracking down on shady business practices and not notice that you've totally outlawed capitalism.

Now you can check! All nation pages now have a Policies icon linking to a new page that lists major policies currently in force in that nation.

In addition, when you answer an issue, you'll be told if that creates or cancels any major new policies.

Not every decision you make is recorded in this way, but it should allow you to more reliably track the big ones.

Z-Day6: Aftermath

by Max Barry
Wed, 01 Nov 2017

Congratulations! The zombie menace has been defeated! Mostly because the zombies died of starvation after running out of survivors to feast upon! Still: A win is a win!

The undead were a lot more dangerous this time around, with advanced Hordes pushing worldwide survival numbers down to 20.4%, the lowest in years. So if you made it through, well done! It was even more of an accomplishment than usual.

Survivors

102.7 trillion

20.4%

Infected

69.3 trillion

13.8%

Dead

330.6 trillion

65.8%

There were so many stories of struggle during Z-Day, and so many impressive efforts, it seems unfair to single any out. So take a look at this leaderboard!

Z-Day Tally Leaderboard

Almost a thousand regions employed emergency measures to close their borders at some point during Z-Day. But many more kept them open, taking in refugees, despite the risk of infiltration and infection.

Congratulations also to those nations who topped the new leaderboards for Most Survivors and Most Zombies!

Thank you for helping to defeat the undead scourge this year. Happy Halloween!

Z-Day6: Emergency Message from Underground Gnome Bunker

by Eluvatar
Mon, 30 Oct 2017

This is an emergency message from the safe underground gnome bunker:

Despite an unusually dangerous working environment, the WA administrative complex (World Census Department) has arrived at a protocol for the mysteriously annual undead infection. Many tireless (and very nearly fearless) gnomes are facing peril to bring you this information:

  1. The Most Survivors
  2. The Most Zombies
  3. The Most Dead

And, for the sake of those studying how the infection works and when mortality begins, we have one more WA Census:

The Most Zombified (A Percentage scale)

As always, the World Assembly is happy to separately index statistics by region as well as for the world at large.

Please be advised that under today's perilous and rapidly changing conditions, the exact ordering of nations will change faster than our gnomes can keep up. (In other words, while the number displayed for each nation should always be accurate, the ordering of nations by each census will be updated periodically, not live.) Our prayers are with you, Leaders.

Z-Day6

by Max Barry
Thu, 26 Oct 2017

By now, veteran nations should be used to the dead rising to feast on the living each year around October 31. In fact, we've gotten this down to such a fine art, we know exactly when it will begin:

Zombie apocalypse begins in:

I can't tell you how we know that. Let's just say we have a lab here with a bunch of clocks and corpses.

What normally happens is that vigilant regions close their borders and have a small but heroic minority of nations research a cure, while less vigilant regions are overrun by shambling nightmares. After a while, 75-80% of the world population is dead.

We expect that basic template to hold again this year, but with a disturbing new twist. In the past, nations researching a cure could level up increasingly powerful Cure Missile superweapons, and those fighting the undead hand-to-hand could level up Tactical Zombie Elimination Squads, but the infected themselves were limited to basic Hordes. Our clock-and-corpse-based testing reveals that is no longer the case! Instead, the undead are able to evolve into more dangerous forms.

Of particular concern is the intelligence of some of the more advanced Hordes. Normally, zombies simply run around biting people. That's your standard undead behavior. Some of these smarter zombies, however, appear able to target command & control structures, turning a nation from a cure researcher or exterminator into an exporter of the undead.

We definitely don't want advanced Hordes rampaging around creating a situation where an exponential number of nations are infected at the control level and start spewing out ever-more zombies. That would be bad. So watch out for that.

What You Need to Know

  • The zombie apocalypse will begin (click for local time)

  • It will run for 32 hours, ending

  • Zombies move between nations in the same region. This makes it important to be aware of what your neighbors are doing, as will be difficult for an individual nation to hold out in a heavily infected region. Each region will report its infection rate so that residents can make an informed choice about which are relatively safe and which are basically pools of pandemic-level z-virus.

  • You have three options:

    • Exterminate the zombies with military force. This converts them into dead citizens, who pose no further risk to the living. It is very effective when you have lots of survivors and few zombies, and less effective when your military forces have mostly been eaten. This year, better anti-Z weaponry promises that exterminators will be more effective than ever.

    • Research a cure, which helps to lower your region's infection rate. Enough nations working together can slow or stop the spread of zombies and even begin to turn infected back into survivors. However, this takes time.

    • Embrace the zombie hordes, becoming part of the problem as you spread zombies all around your region. This option isn't for everyone. But there's always someone.

    Your nation may also unlock superweapons over time. Once built, they can be manually deployed against targets of your choice by visiting their nation page and hitting the appropriate button.

    • Exterminating zombies develops Tactical Zombie Elimination Squads, who can enter other nations and kill zombies there.

    • Researching a cure develops Cure Missiles, which can be launched at other nations in order to convert zombies into survivors.

    • Embracing the undead develops Hordes, which can surge into other nations and infect their survivors.

    Superweapons can be deployed every 20 seconds. If you take a hit from a superweapon, the resulting chaos makes your own superweapon unavailable for a few minutes.

  • During Z-Day, Founders and Delegates can close their region's borders at no Influence cost, sealing themselves off the from the world, and the bleating cries of nations seeking refuge. I'm not judging that. I mean, it seems pretty harsh. You're just sitting there watching millions of people die. But zombie apocalypses demand tough choices.

The Z-Day Tally Board will track progress during Z-Day. Good luck!

And The Editor Can Edit

by Max Barry
Tue, 19 Sep 2017

For nine years, Regional Message Board posts just scrolled off into the void, to be lost forever. One day, we thought, "Wait... what if that didn't happen?" Thus was born the ability of an RMB to hold more than ten posts.

Today, a mere six years later, I am happy to unveil another great technological leap forward!

A screenshot of a post with an Edit button

No longer must perfectionist writers leave a string of self-deleted posts in their wake! Now you can hit that Edit button and correct embarrassing typos or gross factual inaccuracies before anyone notices.

Such progress!

A Better Editor

by Max Barry
Thu, 14 Sep 2017

Your words are important. Other nations should tremble at them. Or be moved. Sometimes comforted. It depends on the situation. The point is: important.

That's why we're making it easier to send your words out into the world, where people can rightfully tremble at them, or be moved or comforted or whatever. Most places you write words now comes with a little toolbar like this:

BIU

That provides handy insertion of formatting tags like bold, italics, underline, and links to nations and regions. Additionally:

  • There are keyboard shortcuts (including for preview).

  • Your unsent posts are automatically saved as drafts and restored when you come back.

  • Admire a raft of small cosmetic enhancements.

@ Mentions

One important change is how the @ key works. Previously, you would stick @ on the start of a nation name and hope that at some point it would convert into [nation] tags to make it linkable. Now it happens in real-time, so @ followed by a few letters will trigger auto-complete, allowing you to select the nation or region you want with the arrow keys or a click or tap.

If you ignore auto-complete and keep typing, the @ won't do anything any more. So the good news is you no longer have to worry about @ transforming into tags when you didn't mean for it to do so. For those times when you do want to quickly apply [nation] tags to a name without using auto-complete, there's the new editor toolbar and the accompanying keyboard shortcuts.

[nation] Tag Defaults

Another significant change is that [nation] now defaults to the short version of a nation name. For example, "[nation]Testlandia[/nation]" now becomes Testlandia, not The Hive Mind of Testlandia. You can still use either, specifying what you want with variants such as [nation=long], [nation=short], and [nation=long+noflag]. But if you don't, you get the shorter name.

Unfortunately this is also a retroactive change, which means that some posts and dispatches that relied on the default without specifying it will have changed. I'm sorry for that; it was unavoidable.

As always, please report bugs in the Technical forum. And expect more improvements in this area in the future, like more tag support when editing dispatches! Because your words matter.

N-Day2 is Over

by Max Barry
Wed, 30 Aug 2017

Thank you for nuking! N-Day2 has now concluded. I hope you came through relatively radiation-free.

Final Leaderboard

Congratulations to Totally Not the AA of Augustin Alliance who topped the leaderboard with 124,923 points! That's the second N-Day that this faction, or something that looks a lot like it, has won.

Well done also to UPPERCUT of various Pacifics, who provided close competition with 113,844 points.

A few more stats to come! In the meantime, enjoy this fun fact:

Fun fact! Because nuclear weapons can strike their target within minutes, it's impractical to have a proper system of checks and balances safeguarding their use—countries must be able to retaliate to a nuclear launch by immediately emptying their own arsenals. In the United States, for example, while the President is legally bound to go before to Congress to declare a conventional war, he is empowered to let loose all seven thousand nukes at any time for any reason. Wheee!

Update: Here is your permanent detailed archive with more stats.

Top score with 0 radiation: Forest

Update 2: The NS Index N-Day2 write-up is up!

N-Day2

by Max Barry
Thu, 24 Aug 2017

Nuclear war is hotter than it's been in years! So in celebration/defiance of the International Day Against Nuclear Tests on August 29, we are holding a second NationStates N-Day!

Nuclear apocalypse begins in:

Click/tap here for your local time:

N-Day2 will run for 24 hours, after which time no further nuclear launches will be accepted.

Here's a handy primer!

OVERVIEW

N-Day is an opportunity for nations to come together and exchange nuclear weapons in a fiery Armageddon of mutually assured destruction.

To Participate

  1. Once registration opens, you can create or join a Faction. Nations outside a Faction can't attack or be attacked. You can join a Faction when you're ready and leave when you're not (to stay safe).

  2. When the event begins, nations will be assigned a random Specialty and begin to accumulate Production. You will now be able to spend Production, fire nukes and deploy shields.

  3. Watch your nation automatically generate Production at a rate of 1 every 2 minutes. Use it to build Nukes and Shield.

  4. Launch Nukes at other nations and use Shield to shoot down Nukes that are launched at you.

Tactics

The simplest way to play N-Day is to join whichever Faction seems most fun and start targeting Nukes at its enemies while shooting down anything incoming. Your Faction page's icon bar shows everything you need to know, including who's targeting anyone in your Faction, and who your fellow Faction members are targeting.

Attacking: Step by Step

  1. On your Production screen, spend some of your Production to build Nukes. These go into your Stockpile.

  2. On another nation's Nuke page, click/tap the TARGET button and select the number of Nukes to use.

  3. Once Targeted, it takes 10 minutes for your Nukes to reach a READY state (3 for Intel Specialists). Note that your Targeted page is public: All nations can see who is targeting whom.

  4. When your Targeted Nukes are ready, click/tap LAUNCH.

  5. Your Nukes are now categorized as Launches for you and Incoming for your target. Launched Nukes take 3-5 minutes to reach their target. When they do, they earn Strikes for you and inflict Radiation on the target, which reduces their rate of Production. This also earns Score for your Faction and reduces the enemy Faction's Score.

Defending: Step by Step

  1. On the Production screen, spend Production to build Shield.

  2. Find Launched Nukes to destroy. Your top priority is any Incoming Nukes launched at you. Secondarily, you may wish to target Incoming Nukes on anyone in your Faction (see your Faction's Incoming page), and also keep an eye on Targeted Nukes that may threaten you or your Faction in the near future.

  3. Click/tap DESTROY to deploy 1 Shield per Nuke.

Strategy

Strategically, it may be wise to avoid attacks on nations or Factions until you are confident of obliterating them, since this eliminates the possibility of counter-attack. Smaller-scale attacks, which damage but don't destroy an enemy, can lead to an escalating series of grudge-related nuclear exchanges.

On the other hand, targeting an enemy can be an effective warning. And it takes Nukes 10 minutes to be ready to launch, so you can't leave it too late.

Scoring

Each Nuke that reaches a target causes Radiation damage, which reduces the target's rate of Production generation and counts as a Strike for the attacker.

A Faction's Score is Strikes minus Radiation.

Duration

N-Day lasts for 24 hours, after which point, an Arms Control Agreement means that no Nukes can be launched. (In-flight nukes can still land, however.)

The "winner" is the Faction with the highest score; if, that is, nuclear war can be said to have a winner. Which we say it can. It's the Faction with the highest score.

FACTIONS

Once registration opens, Factions can be founded by a Regional Officer of any region. Any and all Regional Officers of that region can update the Faction's official text to issue instructions to Faction members.

Factions can be made open to all members, or restricted to the region's members only.

You can leave your Faction, which is a good way to stay safe if you're signing off for the night. However, you can only do this if you're not engaged with the enemy! That means:

  • You must not have any nukes targeted or launched at another nation; and

  • No nukes can be targeted or incoming on you.

Note that in practice, this can make it challenging to leave a Faction, since you may be frequently targeted.

While outside a Faction, you cannot be targeted, and do not generate any Production.

Before joining, it's worth making sure a Faction isn't currently under mass bombardment.

SPECIALTIES

Nations are randomly assigned a specialty.

Military Specialists build Nukes faster: They receive 50% more Nukes when converting Production.

Strategic Specialists build Shield faster: They receive 50% more Shield when converting Production.

Economic Specialists can accumulate more Production: Their production cap is four times larger than the other specialties.

Intel Specialists can finalize targets faster: Their targetted nukes reach READY in 3 minutes instead of 10. They have no Production advantages.

Cost of Nukes/Shield in Production Points

Military Specialist

Strategic Specialist

Economic Specialist

Intel Specialist

1 Nuke

0.67

1

1

1

1 Shield

2

1.33

2

2

PRODUCTION
Non-WA nations automatically generate Production at a rate of 1 Production per 2 minutes, up to a maximum of 50 (200 for Econ Specialists).
WA nations automatically generate Production at a rate of 10 Production per 2 minutes, up to a maximum of 150 (600 for Econ Specialists).

Production can be spent on Nukes or Shield.

WA NATIONS
World Assembly members will accumulate Production 10x faster than non-WA members, and have their Production limits increased by 3x.
It is allowed to switch WA membership to receive this benefit for different nations, but (as per regular site rules) you are only allowed to have one nation in the WA at a time.
Keep in mind that if your Production is over the non-WA limit when you resign membership on a nation, the Production on that nation will decrease down to the limit (i.e. if you resign with 75 Production on a non-Econ nation, the Production will drop to 50).

We ask that you refrain from switching WA for N-Day purposes more than once every two minutes. You will not be punished for this, but it is against the spirit of this change to the event mechanics.

NUKES

Nukes are purchased with Production, kept in stockpile until ready, then targeted and launched at an enemy nation.

Launched Nukes take 3-5 minutes to reach their target. While in-flight, they can be shot down by any nation using Shield. If they're not, each Nuke generates 1% of Radiation in the target and earns 1 Strike for the attacker.

SHIELD

Shield can be used to knock out Launched Nukes. You can shoot down any in-flight Nukes regardless of who they are aimed at.

Locate in-flight Nukes under Launches or Incoming, and use the DESTROY button to eliminate them at a rate of 1 Shield per Nuke.

It is possible to waste Shield if multiple nations deploy Shield simultaneously to knock out the same Nukes.

TARGETING

Target a nation by viewing their Nuke page and clicking/tapping TARGET. You may then select how many Nukes to target from your Stockpile.

It takes a short time for a Targeted Nuke to reach a READY state, after which it may be launched. This is normally 10 minutes, but Intel Specialists are faster, finalizing targets in only 3 minutes.

If not launched after 1 hour, Targeted Nukes automatically return to your Stockpile.

RADIATION

Radiation is generated in a nation when it is struck by a Nuke.

Radiation proportionately reduces a nation's Production generation rate. For example, 20% Radiation reduces Production generation by 20%.

When a nation is 100% Radiated, it is destroyed and no longer able to launch any Nukes nor use any Shield.

Radiation is irreversible.

You can leave a Faction when irradiated, but this does not affect your Faction's score.

SCORE

A Faction's score measures strikes and radiation that occurred while those nations were a member. It is unaffected by nations joining or leaving the Faction.

GLOSSARY

Term

Explanation

Production

Used to buy Nukes and Shield. Automatically generated by all non-destroyed nations in a Faction.

Nuke

Unholy instrument of death and destruction.

Stockpiled Nuke

A Nuke that has been purchased with Production and is sitting idle, awaiting a target.

Targeted Nuke

A Nuke that has been targeted at a nation. A targeted Nuke takes 10 minutes to achieve a READY state, after which it may be launched.

Launched/Incoming/In-Flight Nuke

A Nuke that has been launched at a nation and is currently chewing up 3-5 minutes of in-flight time.

Shield

A unit of defensive technology. Possibly involves lasers or satellites or something.

Strike

A record of how many Nukes have successfully landed on targets.

Radiation

A record of how many Nukes have struck the nation. Reduces Production generation.

Faction

A group of nations sharing a common interest in survival and/or bloodlust.

Score

Strikes minus Radiation.

Read dispatch

Shortly before the commencement of N-Day, all Factions and stats from the previous N-Day will be wiped. So everyone starts with nothing.

As before, if you don't wish to participate in the nuclear frenzy, you can simply ignore it: Your nation remains immune from attack.

The Vault 41 forum is now re-opening to facilitate pre-nuclear discussion.

Good luck!

Gameplay Overview, Q&A panel

by Ballotonia
Sun, 20 Aug 2017

A follow-up on the recently held NationStates Roleplay Symposium 2017 is coming up this week.

The Madhouse Role Play Group wrote:

Madhouse Productions, and the Madhouse Role Play Group, proudly present: GAMEPLAY OVERVIEW, A Questions and Answers Panel.

By request, Madhouse Productions will sponsor a Gameplay panel the last Saturday in August. This is a continuation of the Gameplay panel held during the 2017 NS Roleplay Symposium. Our panelists will offer roleplayers a glimpse into the world of Gameplay, and answer questions you might have about terminology, purpose, and organizations.

This event is open to all NationStates roleplayers regardless of subforum haunt. It will be hosted by the NS Mentor Discord Server, Invitational Venue Service.

DATE: Saturday, 26 August 2017
TIME: 5 - 6:30 PM EST
MODERATOR: Swith Witherward
FEATURING: Ever-Wandering Souls (The Black Hawks), Jakker (The Black Hawks), Reventus Koth (The Black Hawks), and Zwangzug (United Defenders League, retired)

For more information, please contact Swith Witherward.

Enjoy the panel!

Invader, Defender, and Roleplay summer activities

by Ballotonia
Sun, 02 Jul 2017

When summer hits the northern hemisphere the effect is noticeable here on NationStates, and in this case in a positive way: a variety of fun activities pop up all over the NationStates world.

The third annual RaiderCon is already underway, taking place from July 1st through July 6th. It offers an opportunity for players to discuss the Gameplay activity know as Invading or Raiding, from various perspectives.

Jakker wrote:

From the early beginnings of NationStates, there have been nations who invade regions. The practice has made a lasting impact on the game and this convention looks to explore the players and groups that have engaged in raiding over the years. RaiderCon is open to all players and has many interactive opportunities including discussions and raiding games. Attendees can also check the musical submissions from this year's RaiderVision.

Players who focus on the other side of the aisle, the Defenders, are not sitting still though. They have the 2017 Defender Awards going on.

Witchcraft and Sorcery wrote:

After a few years' hiatus, The Defender Awards are back! To counter the plight of raiding, there have always been defenders for the purpose of countering their effects. The Defender Awards allow for a way to recognize the best defenders of those serving, as well as some raiders, in a well-regarded and historical awards competition. The Awards are open to all players, and will have plenty of discussions and fun to be had for all who come!

And in addition to all that the NationStates Roleplay Symposium 2017 is coming up soon!

Kyrusia wrote:

Are you a roleplayer, or are you interested in getting involved? From Saturday, July 8th, through Friday, July 14th, the Mentor Program (in collaboration with others) will be presenting the NationStates Roleplay Symposium 2017. Including Mentors and collaborators from sub-forums International Incidents, NationStates, NS Sports, the Portal to the Multiverse, and everywhere between, the Roleplay Symposium aims to bring greater interest in different roleplay sub-communities, tech levels, and genres across the forums; roleplayers will be encouraged to get to know one another, introduce others to their communities, and provide their varied, myriad experiences from the NationStates roleplay community.

Lectures and new guides will be premiered, as well as panels and workshops to be conducted each day of the Symposium on the NS Mentors Discord; players and participants will be invited to submit their questions and discuss a range of topics, to include worldbuilding, observations on Gameplay from a roleplayer perspective, formatting and thread marketing, a Moderator panel, and much more. Players will be invited to showcase their roleplay regions and Out-of-Character organizations, share their unique cultures, and possibly even rope-in a few new recruits. We may even indulge in a bit of silly fun, from time to time; supposedly there's to be a "Midnight Madness" hour, but you'll just have to find out for yourself...

For more information, please drop by the NationStates Roleplay Symposium 2017 thread! We hope to see you there!

As you can see there are a lot of fun activities going on, enjoy!

While You Were Leading

by Max Barry
Thu, 29 Jun 2017

Plenty has been happening on NationStates! I don't like to bother you with every little thing, but here are some of the more notable updates since I posted last:

Customized Newspaper Images: A large number of issue newspapers now feature images carefully chosen for maximum journalistic and absurdist effect by our diligent Issue Editors.

More Issues: Speaking of which, there are now over 750 issues in total! We had to add a chart to track their numbers because they're coming in so rapidly. For more information on how this happens and why, see this news post from six months ago, back when 600 issues seemed like a big deal.

New Issue Chain: And among those new issues is a major issue chain, "The Enemy Within." An issue chain is a storyline that flows over multiple issues, evolving depending on your choices. These spend a particularly long time in development and it's exciting to have a new one.

Special Edition Issues: A common problem for national leaders over the years has been failing to notice when a particularly important issue arrives, which may unlock the ability to select a national religion, capital, or customize their own office. You don't want to miss those. They're now visually highlighted as special editions.

New Formatting Tags: You can now use the formatting tags [sup], [sub], and [strike] to prettify your text on Regional Message Boards, World Factbook Entries, and in telegrams.

Faster Daily Updates: The speed of the global daily update was cut in half, allowing those nations who enjoy the push and pull of interregional global warfare to conduct their business with less waiting around.

Nation API Private Commands: The NationStates API continues to expand, and now offers the ability for technically advanced national leaders to control their nations via remote automated script.

Telegram Inclusion/Exclusion Filters: Filter Recruiters gained new targeting options, so that telegrams can be sent to, for example, only the WA members of certain regions, or nations that will one day be founded in a particular region.

And More! Prettier colored bars in World Census ranking tables, clickable times for the World Activity feed, an auto-pluralization upgrade, backend engine improvements... and bug fixes! Lots of bug fixes!

Plus! We have a new admin! Eluvatar has been a Tech Modling for quite a while but was recently trapped into becoming a full admin.

Peace Returns to the Land

by Max Barry
Sun, 02 Apr 2017

The non-irradiated part of the land, that is.

If you survived the nuclear apocalypse, congratulations! If you didn't, thank you for nuking!

Stats and final leaderboard to come. As I write this, no more nukes can be launched, but there are a few still in the sky. Stand by!

Update:

Final Leaderboard

FactionScoreRegion
1.Augustin Alliance45,938Conch Kingdom
2.Jak Attack41,050The Black Hawks
3.International Geese Brigades26,813Rushmore
4.The International Brigades25,814The Internationale
5.Atlas25,050Atlas
6.The Best Pacific!24,590The West Pacific
7.The North Pacific22,206The North Pacific
8.TCB Official19,880The Communist Bloc
9.North Atlantic Treaty Organization19,374North American Free Trade Agreement
10.EXODYNOMITE17,412Exodus

Full Leaderboard

Congratulations to Augustin Alliance of Conch Kingdom! They are our "winner," in the sense that nuclear wars can be won, with an impressive 45,938 points.

Special mention to "runner-up" Jak Attack of The Black Hawks with 41,050 points, who also recorded by far the most strikes, landing 123,843 nukes.

In total, there were 2,378,022 nukes launched, with 1,236,500 scoring (striking a target that wasn't already fully irradiated). More than 3.2 million nukes were targeted in total.

That's a lot of nukes. But what I thought was impressive how quickly tactics and strategy evolved, given that nobody knew what was coming or how things worked at first. You would think that given a second chance, it might become even more strategic. But of course, there are no second chances with nuclear weapons.

Unless....

Update 2: It has been pointed out to me that "second runner-up" International Geese Brigades finished with zero radiation. That's not bad.

Update 3: NSindex has an excellent article on N-Day with more stats and observations!

The Nuclear Option

by Max Barry
Fri, 31 Mar 2017

Some people say the only way to win a game of Global Thermonuclear Warfare is not to play. We'll see about that!

It's now possible to develop nuclear weapons, target your enemies, and watch your great metal birds arc across the atmosphere until they either impact your target or are shot down by an advanced satellite defense network, whichever comes first.

If this sounds like something your nation would do, get started by picking a Faction!

Choose a Faction

The war will last for 36 hours, after which nations will be swept clean of radiation.

Arms Agreement in:

Update: For all your post-apocalyptic needs, please enjoy Vault 41, the new forum.

Update 2: Targeted nukes now return to your stockpile if not launched within 1 hour.

Nuclear Apocalypse Imminent

by Max Barry
Tue, 28 Mar 2017

One thing I think we should all be proud of is that no two democracies on NationStates have ever gone to war with each other. Or two nations of any type. No matter how great our differences, we've always been able to resolve them through diplomacy and compromise, as opposed to a violent emptying of nuclear arsenals that endangers all life on the planet.

We should appreciate this while we can.

Nuclear apocalypse begins in:

General Assembly Secretariat

by Max Barry
Tue, 21 Feb 2017

You know what the World Assembly needed: more bureaucracy. And arbitrary rules! You can't have too many of those.

If you've ever complained that the World Assembly is pretty good and all, but it should have more red tape, great news! I am pleased to announce the General Assembly Secretariat is up and running. They're already hard at work, assessing General Assembly proposals, judging which adhere to the GA's strict rules and which don't.

GenSec is a new organization, and from what I hear, a lot of the details are still to be worked out, so who knows where they'll end up. Creating ever-more sub-committees, probably. Or possibly extending the glorious history of the World Assembly into a bright new era of self-governance. One of those. Maybe both.

For more information on GenSec, see here, or discuss in the General Assembly forum!

Five Miiiiiillion Nations

by Max Barry
Tue, 14 Feb 2017

Congratulations to Rms carpathia, who recently became the five millionth nation founded! RMS Carpathia appears to be a lovely Inoffensive Centrist Democracy with a vibrant economy, pro-spirituality leanings, and alarming income inequality. It is also open to tourists, so maybe consider it for your next vacation.

NationStates World Fair V

by Max Barry
Fri, 20 Jan 2017

The fifth annual NationStates World Fair has begun, offering an opportunity for representatives of various regions to come together to discuss common interests. Here's the scoop:

Todds Diplomat wrote:

What is the World Fair, you might ask? Well, good leader, as you may know NationStates is comprised of hundreds of regions, each with their own history, culture, and flair. It can be a bit daunting and perhaps impossible to truly learn them all, but it is our goal that this fair will at the very least bring regions (and nations) together in unity and cooperation. Many regions have already established areas on these forums to share their cultures, referred to as "booths", and all nations are encouraged to visit, explore, and witness. We do hope your region does well in expressing itself to the 'verse around it. Are you in a region without a booth? Well, simply have your regional government request a booth and we will review it.

Find out more!