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Woah! Where did you come from Chris Hansen? Not that kind of chat...

I suppose this isn't so much an "Article" so much as it is a journal entry of sorts. I've found that when there's a lot going on, it helps me to write it out so that I can best organize my thoughts.

That said...

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Dear Diary,

It's been a while. Lets have a chat.

Welcoming Committee- It appears the media and business aspects of the Welcoming Committee have not been given as much love as they deserve, so I've slowly been getting back involved with the WC again. In the meantime, Blazix has done an amazing job of keeping up to date.

I've always been a huge advocate of doing everything we can to increase player retention and/or spark a baby boom. Its quite simple, eRepublik is a numbers game. We can do all the tinkering with the economy or damage maximization theorycrafting we can stomach, but when it comes down to it our national damage output (The only statistic that matters in this entire game) is dependent on how many players are involved. To help boost these numbers, the eUS has created programs like the 5k shouts program, Guns for Huns (or whatever its current incarnation is), Meals on Wheels, and of course...the Welcoming Committee. There are epic world changing battles taking place. There's political intruige to promote domestic rivalries.

Yet, it feels like we've stagnated. Sure we are stronger than we were a year ago - but relative strength is what matters and we remain a middle top 10 power. Social interaction, the entire point of the game, seems to have stagnated as well. I just noticed there are articles article hitting top 20 with 33 votes, and flashbacked to when it would take well over 130 to accomplish the same goal. Now don't get me wrong. Without all of the above mentioned programs/events, we would be in far more perilous waters (Yes, that was a pirate joke in honor of our admin friends). Yet, sometime the idea that we are charging forward at full steam but not gaining any ground can be disheartening.

Maybe there's a brilliant idea out there just waiting to be discovered :3

Birthday- My ebirthday was a couple days ago. 1 year of eRepublik. I remember when I started, I used a really silly character name on the assumption I would only play for 5 minutes (I'm an economics student, and wanted to see how the economy in game was set up). Next thing I know, I'm in the midst of the epic WSR/FER/Podolia battle (that subsquently lead to the US invasion). As a fresh player I found my way over to Romania to fight against the Indonesians as they countered a Romanian invasion that was well on its way to their homeland. In WSR I pounded a devastating amount of damage against the Indonesians and the unstoppable 300k point wall damage deficit that the Indonesians had amassed (Claims would arise later that it was done with "Cloned" Q5 weapons, some things never change).

Now, this isn't some "yay, its my birthday everyone say congratulations" call. No, I fully expected GF to throw me my eBirthday party and will be consequently breaking up with him over the disappointment.

You learn things after being here a while, and both The Game and your understanding of it change over time. After spending ~a year here, I have learned how to play The Game. While I am no military strategist, I am fairly versed in mechanics. I started off the game immersing myself in the media, learning all I could find about the game. With military action being what so quickly turned a mild interest into an addiction - seeing America become a world power became my addiction. Everything I did in some way shape or form was done with the intentions (misguided or not) of boosting Americas international standing.

It was exhausting. Sometimes it feels like this is a country that takes two steps back for every step forward. Instead of uniting under a common goal we find reasons to hate each other based on...what party we were in? It never made much sense to me since the only flag that has ever and will ever matter to me is right here



However, it took a ragequit and a three month two-clickish hiatus to learn how to play The Game. I learned after a significant break that my approach to eRepublik was all wrong. I'd always felt like "winning" The Game would make it fun, and when things went wrong, rarely was I able to say "well, we lost but damn that was a good time". It took leaving the game and coming back to realize that people make it fun. eRepublik (the battles, media, nationalism, and rivalries) was only the platform in which the people congregated. People who I absolutely adore talking to on the eUSforums(link), debating topics both in game and out.

Emerick has made the significance of the "outside" eRep world even more clear to me with his approach of playing the game without a citizen. (or organization for that matter, what an inspiration)

Now don't get me wrong, I am still avidly dedicated to the growth of American power. However, it's a different kind of intensity (or maybe sense of purpose, its hard to describe). No longer do I fight for America because its the country I am a citizen of in real life, but because this country is a conglomeration of some of the best eBro's I could ask for.

This change in mindset has unleashed me from my last remnants of real life bias and allowed me to see eRep as...a game! One to be enjoyed with friends as we enjoy laughing at Ostins latest antics, or share regret of lost opportunities. I guess another way of thinking of it is that in embracing the community here, I am able to better weather the bad times, while having that much more fun during the good ones, making eRepublik an altogether better experience for me.

In case nobody caught on, this section was written to somewhat explain myself to the people who have asked "Choc I thought you quit?". Actually these might be the words of a sleep deprived lunatic which hardly merge onto a single cohesive thought, but I hope it provides some insight into the matter

I won Big Brother: In IRC. Clinthill wont recognize it but its true.

vPOTUS: I guess this is kinda important. I'm on Harrison Richardson's ticket as his Vice Presidential candidate. I am very excited about this opportunity to learn more about the workings of international diplomacy and the upper reaches of government, all while gaining valuable practice in leadership skills.

As HR knows very well, I'm not huge on self promotion, so I wont try turn this into a campaign speech. I actually think this is a great election with two very qualified candidates, both of which would lead this country very well (but in different directions!). I encourage all readers to read the campaigns of both candidates here and here so that you can make an educated decision about who you feel will best lead the country in these interesting times.

If anyone has any questions about myself, my qualifications, or my stances on anything - I will gladly answer them to the best of my ability if you PM them to me. That said, the VP has largely been a ceremonial role in the past, although public opinion looks favorably on it becoming more like an "internship" position, an idea I look forward to seeing implemented this term!

Media" I intend to begin writing articles more seriously/actively, with the current goal of one every three days. I recognize that a couple of my recent ones have been a bit weak (rantlike), mostly because I have not been putting due time in to it (Although I personally thought the Ragequit and Lana satires were not bad). If anyone has any requests for subjects they would like me to explore (or explain), shoot me a PM!

Dio: is glorious.

-Choc


EDIT: If you have not read this piece of literary genius, you need to do so and vote it up immediately!




As always, I suggest all players who have not done so subscribe to the Department of Defense Newspaper for access to some of the best battle orders on this side of the Atlantic!