The GAP involved the appointment of an Architect who would oversee the development of the region under the guidance of the Minister for Cultivation. In addition, a Council of Cultivation was formed with the intention of providing reports to the region on progress made - it would include a number of Europeian officials and a representative of each partner region.
By May of 2014, Europeia had enacted two ‘Construction Partnership Agreements’ under the leadership of Minister Lethen. Nevertheless, soon after a handover within the Ministry to Minister Ogastein spelled a stalling of progress for the initiative. Minister Ogastein stated that he believed the program was a failure, saying that “We entered into construction partnership agreements with three separate regions and I can tell you with confidence that none of those regions is in a better place as a result of our work.”
In spite of this, Europeia persisted and the initiative was carried forward by President Kraketopia who appointed Malashaan as the new Minister for Cultivation. For a time, this proved to be a success with architect assignments being distributed on a timely basis, 6 construction agreements signed (Commonwealth of Kings, The Infinite Alliance, Natan Region, The Union Republic, The Bungle Brigade and Aura Hyperia) and several more in negotiation.
However, the size of the project, a lack of communication about its successes, and the perception that the program was a burden upon successive administrations, led to the initiative being dropped. The political will to support such an initiative had come to an end. While some including HEM believed that the program required more time and support to be a success, others believed that for all the good intentions of Europeia, it was not possible to guarantee a core group of dedicated players who would sustain the region for the years ahead.
Despite the initial successes and the support of a significant number of Europeian leaders, the Grand Architecture Program came to an end. It was an incredibly bold initiative - one that required taking risks politically and institutionally - but it was considered a failure by many within Europeia all the same. It’s important to remember that for any major project, there are often unrealistic expectations. We can easily dismiss a failed term as Delegate or Minister as par for the course, but when an ambitious foreign policy agenda is pursued, our expectations are heightened and senses are attuned to even a whiff of failure or stalling. This can be enough to end the plans of the boldest of political leaders before they even begin.
Status of Forces AgreementsA more recent initiative also undertaken by Europeia as a means of building new partnerships, training valuable allies, and establishing military forces took place through the ‘Status of Forces Agreements’. This was certainly not as bold an initiative as the GAP, but nonetheless was an attempt to utilise the knowledge of Europeian military leaders to foster positive relations with emerging regions that were interested in forming their own military but lacked the infrastructure and knowledge to do so on their own. Europeia signed two such agreements - one with Merridel and one with Olympia. There is currently no agreement still on the books.
The difficulties with this kind of agreement are similar to the GAP. Despite the best intentions of political and military leaders, the success is largely dependent on that core group of dedicated players in the partner regions. In Merridel’s case this was certainly an issue, and it seems very likely that Olympia also suffered the same personnel deficiency. Olympia states in their WFE that they ceased operations after 500 days and the region is currently founderless. Merridel is still around with 72 nations - but lacks a regional forum and for all intents and purposes appears to have simply stopped recruiting.
The initiative should still be accepted as a reasonable foreign policy initiative. The intent behind building capacity to run and operate a regional military in order to build meaningful diplomatic relationships is a good one. The difficulty as always lies in the ongoing sustainability of the project - and the dedication of the partner region itself to also work to see the project through to completion.
The World Assembly Development ProgramThe World Assembly Development Program (WADP), an initiative pioneered by r3naissanc3r, remains a central component of everyday life in The North Pacific. Furthermore, the initiative has been championed by the Security Council, successive Vice Delegates, Ministers of World Assembly Affairs, and of course, WA Delegates. The time invested into this initiative has meant that it has continued uninterrupted by political change, resignations, or even the increasingly time poor nature of the creator.
The World Assembly Development Program has been expanded in some form to Balder as the ‘WA Expedition’, and as the ‘World Assembly Advancement Program’ in Europeia. This was made possible by the hard work of r3naissanc3r as the creator of the programs and the close partnerships that continue to this day between The North Pacific, Balder and Europeia.
The initiative has also encouraged innovation in other allied regions, such as in the The South Pacific through their own ‘SWAN’ (the Southern World Assembly Initiative), which operates in a similar fashion to the other programs, but was developed by South Pacifican United States of Vietnam. McMasterdonia (one of the authors of this article) and SillyString (also known as Asta) are both acknowledged for their contributions to getting the SWAN initiative up and running.
These programs do not constitute a typical network of foreign policy alliances. However, it’s clear that the strength of these initiatives and the cooperation involved in operating them, have led to a positive flow of ideas between close partners.
Telegram InitiativesAnother matter that is closely linked to regional development is the use of telegrams to maximise efficiency in efforts of internal recruitment and integration. The use of telegram infrastructure that is widely accessible to members of the executive staff as well as the executive council, was first introduced in Europeia before expanding out into other regions including The North Pacific. At various times, this infrastructure has been utilised by Balder, The East Pacific, The Black Hawks, The Land of Kings and Emperors, Albion and The New Inquisition. This kind of infrastructure helps to sustain regions through challenging times, allowing the dedicated public servants to use their time efficiently and maximise the utility of integration efforts within the region. This is another example of a common basis of infrastructure that closely links regions together.
What’s next?While this article does not examine all possible scenarios where regional infrastructure has been used to assist in regional development or for the purposes of foreign policy, it is clear that there regions continue to work hard in this space.It is the duty of leading regions to assist in the further development of the game. The strength of the community of NationStates as a whole relies upon the strength of the communities that lie within it. A point of friction is the need to both freely share knowledge and ideas for the objective benefit of the game balanced against the political need to ensure such initiatives satisfy the foreign policy of your home region.
It is clear that many of us who play the game would not consider ourselves to be believers of
optimistic diplomacy. However, bold successes of diplomacy that benefit all partners require a high degree of optimism and commitment. We must balance the needs of our communities for the constant validation of the success of such bold initiatives against the measurable and communicable long term benefits of quiet, conscientious and tireless work in the field of diplomacy.
Even smaller steps, such as the sharing of knowledge through the WADP can be an important step in assisting developing regions to get through the difficult periods of growth where many falter. Game created regions have the obvious benefit of a steady flow of nations spawning each day - but without our initiatives and proactive engagement with them, this means little.
Regional development as a product of foreign policy would require a boldness on the part of our leaders and the political will to see through the projects through the difficult stages, in the hope of forming a sustainable and meaningful development process that facilitates growth for developing regions in a manner that works with their culture and aspirations. While it is not possible for any leading region to simply guarantee a dedicated group of core players to sustain a region over many years, it is certainly possible for us to assist in giving these newer communities the best possible hope of success.
[size=140]A Personal Connection[/size]
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by Bobberino, TNP Minister of Defense and former TRR Deputy Speaker[/align]
Throughout the game of NationStates, there is a very diverse crowd of talent, characters, backgrounds and people. Recruitment, Outreach and Home Affairs all touch upon this same core concept of drawing in this talent. For those unaware, Outreach is the Office in The Rejected Realms that focuses on this concept, scripted telegrams, and The Rejected Runekeeper’s upkeep; and Home Affairs in The North Pacific is similar with its scripted TGs, recruitment lists, Gameside Advocate program, and other similar campaigns.
My experience in this department has led to a more nuanced approach to outreach than many others in the game, even in the GCRs. As much of an undertaking as this might be, a more effective approach would be a personal way to approach newer folks to the region, gauging their interest, skill and area of expertise through a privatized campaign based on reaching out to specific individuals. TNP has done this in part through its Mentorship program, overseen by myself for around a year as Deputy Minister of Home Affairs. During my time, I trained TNP’s mentors to watch for applications on our forum thread and actively welcome them (there was a pingable role in our government server dedicated to this as well), and continue that connection in private. The one-on-one interaction is where the key work of outreach is done. for example, Robespierre, a new face to TNP but not GP, reached out through the mentorship program, and I picked him up. Through my mentorship and his own ambition, he quickly rose through the ranks to become a Minister in TNP within two months of joining the region. This is an unprecedented rise.
In TRR, the same prioritization is key. The RRA is currently teeming with newer members, eager to join in the proud tradition of defenderism that TRR holds dear. To reach out to these individuals is something I prioritized and was able to do quite well during my term as Outreach Officer, effectively the same as Minister of Home Affairs in TNP, through my means of contacting folks over Discord. Discord is the keystone that unlocks this methodology. It is how people can communicate information the most directly and with the most integration and notification. This is how we activate our recruitment abilities the best: where a casual conversation, not a forced or abbreviated or abrupt conversation, works to help the newcomer personally with the ins and outs of gameplay, the people behind the game rather than simply its mechanics, and a more adaptable way of training.
Automating this process is difficult and would take a Herculean effort, and it still wouldn't do as good a job as two people connecting and communicating directly with each other. The personal touch has reaped great rewards. It is a smaller scale and takes longer, but is time well spent.
[size=140]Keys to Success[/size]
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by Alchera, TWP Minister of Recruitment and Citizenship[/align]
Attracting members is a region's key to success. After all, a region can’t grow and be successful if it doesn’t have anyone to participate in its community. As one of the feeder regions, The West Pacific (TWP) has an advantage in this regard, yet this does not mean we don’t try to attract players. If players don’t see any growth or activity they’ll move on to other more lively regions. There is a multitude of ways TWP attracts members and maintains its population, most notably our weekly regional message board (RMB) activities, various fairs and festivals (including some involving other regions), and a general atmosphere designed to encourage members to become active in TWP.
The World Factbook Entry (WFE) and RMB are the most important things for a region attempting to attract players, as they act as a window into the region, and a slow, inactive RMB isn’t as attractive as an active one. That being said, TWP has a strict RMB policy. TWP has many weekly RMB activities such as Punday Monday, where nations compete for the best pun; Thank You Haikusday, where members post haikus; and finally Karaoke Friday, when nations post their favorite song lyrics and the weekly playlist is featured. The goal of these RMB exercises is to act as a sort of ice breaker for new nations, a simple way for them to get involved and get integrated with the community, and they’re also fun for players of all ages.
TWP also hosts and joins fairs, the most recent example being the TWP-Osiris prom. This was a way for the two regions to enhance their relationship, but it also provided an opportunity for people to mingle with those outside just our regions. Events such as these also break up the monotony of day to day life in Nation States. They’re a fun event for all to attend and make the region more appealing in general. Other events that celebrate a region’s change or marks an anniversary of some sort are also a good way to set a region apart. A good example of this in TWP was the Three Perfections festival, which was held to showcase the implementation of TWP's regional theme.
Finally, one of the most important ways a region can improve activity is to help others get involved. My job as Recruitment and Citizenship (R&C) Minister is to help guide new players to the appropriate person to get involved, be it the head of the military or diplomatic minister. It’s also my job to organize outreach programs for those just answering issues, or who aren't otherwise involved, and get them involved in other aspects of the region. One of the ways TWP achieves this is by establishing our own Gameside Advocate (GA) program. Much like TNP’s GA program, one of the GAs' jobs is to inform those on the forum and RMB of recent changes and events that are going on. They are also required to be active on the RMB to help new players and answer questions. As a result, they often need a massive amount of patience. Their efforts play a key role in the overall effort to entice players who only answer issues to look beyond their own nation to the community at large. TWP has also been sending out a weekly telegram with two purposes: one, to keep the residents informed on regional happening, and two, to entice them to become more active and to come and enjoy the events.
[size=140]Playing With A Full Deck:How NS Cards Enhance Regional Activity[/size]
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by Pallaith (Ghost), TNP Minister of Communications and former Delegate[/align]
The introduction of NS trading cards did more than just add a new permanent mini-game to the mix. It has given regions a valuable tool to encourage activity and interest from their player base. While it is true that collecting the trading cards isn’t for everyone, there are enough players interested in them to make harnessing this part of the game worth the effort for regions old and new alike. In The North Pacific, cards serve as an effective endorsement boosting tool and a means to create additional immigration to the region, both gameside and on the forums.
TNP utilizes what it calls the World Assembly Development Program (WADP). Every month players receive badges and recognition for the amount of endorsements they give out, and recognize players they call Keepers of the North, players who endorse the Delegate, Vice Delegate, and all members of TNP’s Security Council. NS cards have allowed us to offer something other than badges as rewards, something that entices a greater number of players to increase their endorsement activity. We accomplish this by utilizing the most valuable kind of card, Legendary, and awarding one to each of the top three players in individual reward categories, and by making all Keepers eligible for a daily lottery, one that gives out a random legendary card to a random Keeper every day. Additionally, Keepers have their names added to the lottery additional times for every vote they cast in the WA in the past 30 days.
There is simply no arguing with the results. Since adopting the program, we have estimated an increase of 30,000 endorsements, driven in large part by nations who migrated to TNP to take advantage of the card program. At a time when there has been a precipitous drop in WA endorsements across the game, TNP’s delegate has maintained a high number of endorsements that has somewhat resisted the drop. This was also evident during the last delegate transition, which was extended due to players being less willing to lose Keeper status, and therefore less willing to withdraw endorsements from myself, as I was a member of the SC. Without delving too deeply into the topic, obviously the greater incentive to exchange endorsements and keep them on the SC, Delegate, and Vice Delegate further strengthens the region’s security as well.
Legendary cards a finite resource, so to harness those cards in a sufficient number to be utilized for these specific awards, an extensive network of puppets is necessary. In the process of gathering cards using this network, many of the cards are needed to fund the transfer of the legendary cards to our main regional nation. But these cards can also serve as rewards for any number of regional activities or competitions, and some of the recent contests have utilized them as prizes. Before, we could only offer the badges and inclusion in factbook records, bragging rights, or sometimes cosmetic changes, such as custom flags flown by key players in the region or other customization of national details. Cards offer us a tangible reward, something that a lot of players actually want and can literally show off in a collection. In the case of Legendary card rewards, the prize comes with significant objective (market) value and bragging rights of its own.
Additionally, TNP runs a cards request program, where participants can name a specific card and if that card is found during the collection of cards, it will be gifted to the requestor. All requests have to be made on the offsite forum, which drives activity there as well. As with the lotteries, Keeper of the North status is a prerequisite for making a request. However, in this case members of the NPA are also eligible. Since NPA members typically cannot maintain Keeper status, this gives them a chance to gather card, but also eliminates a potential choice that players have to make which could lead them to decide against membership in NPA.
Cards activity makes for a frequent topic of conversation, but that conversation is also spurred by these programs. As with other region-wide awards, our regional nation regularly sends out alerts on the RMB whenever a card is awarded in a competition or a lottery. The cards request program also involves a spreadsheet which maintains a list of pending and completed requests, allowing everyone a chance to see the scope of the program and how often and completely it is fulfilled. Time and again the results of these initiatives being posted reminds people of their existence and tends to increase demand. It can also spur competition in itself. In the case of WADP wards, we have already seen the same few people at the top of the charts month after month. Lottery recipients and individual award winners get a card whether they have an interest in cards or not. Nothing is gained if the player does not venture out and makes the effort needed.
TNP managed all of this with a few scripts and a spreadsheet enhancing infrastructure we already had in place, as well as the large puppet network needed to gather the prizes. This project allows us to focus more competitions and activities in the game itself, something that can be hard to do, especially in an age when offsite communications continue to dominate most daily activity. A new type of player, perhaps unreachable previously, can now be encouraged to get more involved and explore other areas of the community they may not have been inclined to otherwise because of having a specific, identifiable incentive. Considering the game provides the means and the material, a region need only tap into this aspect of the game to start producing results and enhancing its own regional activity. The barrier to entry is low and the cost is minimal, so I highly encourage the adoption of some sort of program or effort to utilize NS cards as part of the arsenal of regional activity and engagement.
[size=140]An Idiot’s Guide to Regionbuilding[/size]
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by Yuno, former Delegate of TEP[/align]
When I was first elected delegate of The East Pacific, I set out to do a few very specific things, and I hope that what I did can be a model for regions everywhere. These things were done in TEP, but I have The North Pacific to thank for being the inspiration behind these ideas. While I’m no longer active, I'm comfortable staying close to the source(s) of my admiration and inspiration. I wrote these from the perspective of a region's delegate, but the principles should be the same no matter how the region is set up.
First steps1) Ask everyone in the region something to the effect of: "WHO WANTS A JOB?!!!!" Post this question everywhere you can, wherever people might see. Places can include the RMB, the Forums, Discord, Skype, or a mass telegram to the whole region.
2) Wait for the large number of replies you'll be getting, and grab the contact info of everyone who replied. Ask them how active they are, and what days are they available.
With that done, you should have grabbed a massive number of followers! But wait, you don't even have any jobs for them yet. Well, time to fix that!
How to invent jobs1) Ask people what they're good at.If they say Roleplay, create a RP department. If one already exists (as the majority of Regions already have a RP branch that exists separately from the regional government), direct them there. Make sure you know what's going on there - then you can suggest changes to whoever runs that department. If RP doesn't exist yet, then you can go ahead and create a new RP department, and hire that Roleplayer to be a staff member.
If people say coding, invent a programming department, and have them code many projects that may be useful for your player base.
If people say writing, create a Newspaper Department and hire him to be a Journalist (or Lead Editor/Chief Publisher.) I recommend you being the Lead Editor Chief/Publisher yourself, at least for the beginning stages of the newspaper, unless that person you hired is a dedicated and expert organizer.
