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DispatchBulletinOpinion

by Skundi. . 1,094 reads.

Let’s face it, NS isn’t a very good game

I have been playing NationStates for more than 2 years, and despite that being only a fraction of the amount of time others have spent on the game, I feel that I know quite a lot about the site. Over the last few months though, I’ve really been thinking a lot, about how NationStates doesn’t really offer a lot of stuff that supports why I have played this for so long. So I felt that I’d write something about how I currently feel about the game, and what I think would be great additions in the future.

Part 1: What NS really offers

NationStates really does what it says on the tin. NationStates, it’s all about you, the player, making a nation based on your views, and running and managing it. That’s the whole premise of the game, in a sentence. There are more things you can do when running your nation, like joining the World Assembly or trying to reach the top 1%/5%/10% in the world. However despite their being lots to do, there isn’t much else to do when running a nation. You can’t do war, you can’t make trade deals and other stuff. That’s why many get bored and never log on again. And that’s where regions come in. Now you can join a group of like-minded nations and chat about what you are doing in your nation. That’s great, however eventually you’ll get bored, because there’s not many other things to do. And that’s where the cycle ends playing this game. You get a few weeks of excitement and joy, and then you get boredom, and your mind doesn’t focus on the site. And this is how the game makes it. But the great thing about NS, is that literally all the best parts of the game, are simply parts to the game, just adapted and exaggerated to make things more exciting. But the best bit about this, is that that was down to the players, not the game.

Part 2: What the premise has now become

Nowadays, it is very rare to see nations around for 6 months or longer focused on issues. It just isn’t common anymore. The things that are now the main part of the game, are regions. Regions, something not intended to be much, are now what makes NS what it is. Regions now have governments, regions now invade other regions and regions now influence WA votes like never before. The region, is now integral for the game as we know it.

When I log on to NS, I’m no longer bothered by the fact I have issues waiting to be answered, or that the fact I gained another banner. What I am bothered about, is what has gone on in the region I’m in, and what I have missed. And I’m sure that’s the same for most other nations. Regions have become so much different than what they were supposed to be. Regions literally have built their own law system, essentially becoming much smaller versions of IRL governments. In other regions, the focus is on raiding or defending, and becoming the most powerful region on the site. It is crazy to think how much more regions have become over the years, because without them, I doubt the game would be a successful and fun to play as it is at the moment.

But the thing that struck most to home, was reading the ‘Guide to Creating a Region’ thread on the Gameplay forum and when it mentioned government. What is talked about, is that based on the fact that the game is about creating a nation, a region is almost an international organisation, like the EU. Instead what it’s become, is a full on government and country in itself, treating a nation as a player rather than a nation. And that struck close to home for me, because what we are playing now, is something that was not intended to be. When Max Barry made the game, it was not supposed to be about regions or anything like that. And reading that thread, really made me realise how much the players have changed the game, and how much I prefer playing the game we have now, than the game this was supposed to be.

Part 3: NS has changed mentally, but not physically

Now to link back to the title, ‘Why NS is a very good game’ we need to use the first two parts. NS was designed to be about your nation, not your region. But the fact NS has changed isn’t the thing that makes it a bad game. It’s the fact that part of it hasn’t and can’t.

When you join the game for the first time, you are focussed on your nation. You get surprised when everyone else isn’t, and it takes you a few months for your focus to move to a region. That cycle happens a lot. But the fact it is even happening is what makes it a bad game. Players are signing up to something that they don’t really get. The game is so based on the regions, that the nation aspect is forgotten. Newbies sign up to make their nation, but get regional gameplay. And the fact that this is happening is a sign of a failed game.

Let’s be frank, if you knew what this game is truly about, would you have joined? I don’t think I would. And that’s where NS isn’t a very good game. Because it hasn’t changed because it can’t. You can’t just change the foundations of what he have now. You can’t. And so, we continue to play NS as a regional game. And new players begin to focus on regions. That’s how that game works now. But the fact the game can’t change to facilitate the changes the game has already made, means that it isn’t a very good game. Changes to regional gameplay can change, but they are only minor and don’t do much. The game we play, is still the same.

And so, NS is a failed game in some aspects. While it has had more than 6 million players, it is unable to properly change and go with what the players have made it. This isn’t a dig and those running the site or Max Barry, but when you take a step back, NS is still a nation simulator, when really, the majority of the players are focussed on regions. NationStates isn’t a very good game because the players change, not the game.

Skundi

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