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Westwind

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Posts posted by Westwind

    New Theme Chatter

    in The Lounge

    Posted

    Hmmmm.

    My first impression:  Any theme needs to incorporate traditional TWP.

    My second impression:  Change can be good, and a theme can be a rallying point. But change for the sake of change is useless.

    *reads other thread*

    My third impression:  These theme proposals don't speak to me. There's nothing wrong with them. But I don't want to live in a Russia or China themed region, I want to live in The West Pacific which has nothing to do with those.

    Be Original, be TWP.

    A pirate theme works.....it's not nationality/location specific. An imperial theme works....if it's not RL nation based...

    TWP should be TWP themed.

    My fourth impression:  None of my prior impressions matter.

    1 hour ago, Ark said:

    The reason we settled on the Hall was covered by Halo, but I'd also like to bring up that having the entire region vote on a theme doesn't make all that much sense when most of the nations that would be voting are only gameside,

    Doesn't the government represent all those gameside nations too? 

    I refuse to sign an oath to prove I'm active in a region. So my opinion has no weight.

    Regarding TWP and the NPO

    in The Lounge

    Posted

    Beyond disappointing to see The Pacific has continued to work with a criminal player such as Block. It's not the first time they've worked with him nefariously, and it's not the first time we've had to call them out about the association.

    Obviously they didn't learn and don't care.

    The Pacific needs to return to sound leadership, and governance based on respect, trust, and merited responsibility. The current leadership needs to step down having stained the proud history of the region once again. 

    Newspaper Editor Wanted!

    in Archived Threads

    Posted

    On 11/7/2018 at 12:12 PM, Elegarth said:

    I think I should have been journalist...

    :wine:

    In the late 70's was editor of my high school newspaper, The Panther's Cry. I got the position from a competition with a fake newspaper layout...mine was the "Four Wings High Times" (one wing had been blown up by the South Wing Sweat Hogs, another wing had simply disappeared - I had fun with it).  Cut and paste layout of typewritten material, PC's were years away yet.

    In 1979 I penned an article about the Iranian Revolution, the US Embassy was being held hostage at the time. I had to get clearance from the School Board to publish it, as it was considered a controversial topic. I got approval and it ran front page. It was a good article, covering Iranian history as well as the current events.

    In the 80's I was editor of Christian Light Ministries newsletter, and the Kansas Avicultural Society Magazine. I had an online newsletter delivered to 35 countries in the 90's called Tales Across The Waters for fans of the German band Triumvirat. Was always surprised how large their fan base was in South America, Japan, and Korea. One subscriber/fan in Japan went to temple to have a blessing made for my daughter when she was born. I sponsored a couple 'cultural exchange' concerts in St. Louis in '99, folks we're asking for my autograph - I told them they were nuts. The band reunited and recorded a new album called "The Website Story" inspired by my work, but the record label went bankrupt and the album was never released. (I have the songs and planned artwork, but the band leader won't follow through further. But for a 2000 album, it sound alot like the 80's. Lead singer on that album is now with the Nervous Germans.)

    At times I've thought about creating an online local news service, the local newspaper is terrible. Live citizen tips and reports would do better.

    I have an idea!

    in The Lounge

    Posted

    On 9/24/2018 at 9:59 AM, Big Bad Badger said:

    I have an TWP conundrum.  

    I am not sure that the requirement to have people post at least once per month is an effective thing for the Hall of Nations.  But we have a beautiful forum and need more activity here.  What can we do to increase activity here?

    Once upon a time in a region somewhere in NS......we required all regional officials to post on the forum at least every other day (preferably daily). And an official was also expected to reply to every thread in his/her jurisdiction frequently. 

    Activity begets Activity.

    The interior official should be posting in interior threads, starting new threads, regularly. Same for Defense, Foreign Affairs, et al. There should be new material in every category frequently. There should never be a category that hasn't had activity in a month or more. Get rid of those categories if you're not using them.

    In other words, streamline your customer's experience and provide them value.

    Part of an official's duties is keeping up activity in their area of responsibility. And maintaining the pinned threads, make sure they are up to date and relevant.

    When officials post regularly, it gives non-officials something of interest to read and maybe respond to. That creates activity. It's really simple.

    If they cannot do that for a time (keep up this activity level), they should post an absence notice. If they fail to post in a certain time span (one week?), or fail to post a notice of absence, or fail to appoint a deputy in their absence, they need to be replaced quickly. Otherwise the gears of activity slow and stop, and the entire region suffers.

    One official that's slowed down or inactive will encourage the same in other officials. It becomes a snowball of inactivity if it's not addressed.

    Today you have Discord, and no one pays attention to the forums because of it. The work needed on the forum doesn't' get done.  (Key disclosure here though - I loath Discord, so I'm very biased. I'm a forum rat, not a chatroomer)

    Some questions:

    - Is not Customer Service part of your job as a regional official?
    - Why should people come to the forum when they are constantly encouraged to go to Discord on the RMB?
    - What value does it provide to your customers that they should sign up for yet another offsite venue?  Or should I say....
    - Why should players, already being asked to go offsite from the game they joined, be expected to visit multiple offsite venues in order to participate in the game? Or rather said...
    -  The more venues, the more you complicate your customer's experience. Doesn't this obviously drive away potential customers (potential active players)?
    - Why do you, as a regional administration, require this of your 'citizens'? Join a forum, join Discord, sign an oath...and finally we accept you into the fold as a customer/player.

    You're demanding too many hoops for your customers (players) to jump through in order to be recognized as 'one of us with the right to have a say'. The game doesn't require this. Player administrations do, and create stagnant oligarchies over the long term.

    Like IRC, Discord is good for instant interaction, and is more accessible for that purpose than the RMB. Unlike IRC or the RMB, it provides you the ability to create multiple rooms/channels....like forum threads...to organize the conversation.  Unlike forums, it does not provide the ability to readily organize and provide easy access to information that hasn't just been posted.  Forums provide a better long term organizational and informational situation than Discord. Information can be pinned for presentation, turned into announcements, archived, reorganized, etc etc. Forums are like a book, it has chapters (catagories) sub-chapters (threads). Discord is like a student's notebook. Lots of scattered disorganized notes and information that only the OP can discern and know it's organization, but of much less use to others and newcomers. 

    And yet, the forums aren't being used in their natural capacity.

    I just noticed yesterday, there are many pinned informational threads here and there around the forum that remain from my Delegacy. Those should have been updated/replaced several Delegacies (years) ago.  This is slack housekeeping by successive administrations. I'm not even a TWP citizen (sidetrack: I loath NS citizenship oaths. I'm already in the region, I'm already participating, I'm already contributing....don't make me sign an oath to anything just for being here in order for the 'region' to acknowledge my contributions - it's simply bullshit to act as a gatekeeper to who gets to be part of the 'IN' crowd/oligarchy. End citizenship oaths! One does not need an oath to be held to the standards of the region. That's false reasoning.)

    Okay.....I gotta run.....

    I have an idea!

    in The Lounge

    Posted

    On 8/24/2018 at 3:27 PM, Fujai said:
    • Have a functioning intelligence division. I've never seen or heard of any real activity in there, though perhaps they just do their jobs really well.

    Sun Tzu called it the 'Divine Manipulation of the Threads'.

    When these five kinds of spy are all at work, no one can discover your secrets and systems. 

    1. Local spies - services of local inhabitants
    2. Inward spies - making use of officials of the enemy
    3. Converted spies - using the enemies spies for your own purposes
    4. Doomed spies - taking false information to the enemy 
    5. Surviving spies - execute operations based on information gathered or situations created by other spies
     

    Nuclear Apocalypse: What you need to know

    in The Lounge

    Posted

    On 6/29/2018 at 12:14 PM, Darkesia said:

    Only pointing out that you are 15 months late with your response.


    Although someone else's gravedig can be used as an opportunity for a traditional TWP threadjack.

    So next time a Nuclear Apocalypse approaches, don't forget the wisdom of Dr. Strangelove.

    "Deterrence is the art of producing in the mind of the enemy, the FEAR to attack."

    Be sure they will fear TWP before the next apocalypse!  :twpflag:

    DrStrangelove060Pyxurz.jpg

    Ask me anything

    in Information and Introduction Centre

    Posted

    On 6/7/2018 at 10:02 AM, Darkesia said:

    But I didn't participate directly other than lobbying GV participation. 

    That was my recollection, but I wasn't sure. I was pretty much working directly with Gates. (Which was good with all the factions I was trying to juggle.)

    13 hours ago, Dilber said:

    I remember CN was expected to be a distraction, but it ended up being more engaging that NS was at the time

    I think CN's impact on NS is often forgotten or discounted. Gameplay was impacted by the talent migration to CN as much as it was by Influence. 

    Although there was dissatisfaction in the NS gameplay ranks before CN that boosted interest.

    Ask me anything

    in Information and Introduction Centre

    Posted

    4 hours ago, Darkesia said:

    Wow!  There are a lot of questions here

    It seemed a little light on questions in your thread :P. Had to give you a chance to expound a bit more.

    4 hours ago, Darkesia said:

    I have long since forgotten it's address

    Can't help you with the password, but:
    http://z11.invisionfree.com/Neutral_Territory/index.php?

    4 hours ago, Darkesia said:

    I was surprised and disappointed at how angry TSP became

    Yeah, they were unhinged. Right when folks signed up for the board it told you - Blue sky thinking here, leave your gameplay biases at the door - and instead they barged in towards the end of the conference and told everyone how evil everyone was for ever even thinking about thinking about raids. On Westwind, Sir Lans (FRA) said, "He's destroying the game!" because I dared to propose 'The Destroyers' to remove 'deadwood' regions from the game. (TAO presented the same general idea in another form).

    Quote

    Liberty something

    Liberty Alliance perhaps? 

    Ask me anything

    in Information and Introduction Centre

    Posted

    On 5/25/2018 at 11:53 AM, Darkesia said:

    this seems easier than writing a long post

    Yeah, Eli's thread is a good idea, but it's going to be too cluttered. Each old timer needs their own thread. I was asked to do a lecture at the NS Worlds Fair one year, and I couldn't limit it to any one subject so I asked for it to be a Q&A, which it was. I think much to Unibot's chagrin, he lost control of the questions and they weren't going where he wanted. I think people had fun though, which is more important.

    Okay.....here's ten random questions for you to consider.....or not.

    1. What was you favorite thing about the Neutral Territory conference, of which you were an admin. What was the thing that bothered you the most at Neutral Territory?

    (One of Westwind's memories......as I am brought in as a 'Moderator' (hidden Admin) at Neutral Territory, Dark introduces herself to me and tells me "we're alot older than you think". I chuckled to myself, already knowing Gates age, and knowing that I'm a couple years older than Dark.) 

    2. What was the first region you moved to after founding?

    3. What, if any role, did you play in The Crimson Order events of The North Pacific ten years ago? Gatesville was there in support, TAO was TWP Delegate. Ivan was secretly in my government. (There's alot untold about Crimson, heh, .....there was the near TNP/TP war in the midst of that.)

    4. Which did you enjoy more? Your first term or second term as TWP Delegate?

    5. What positions did you hold in The Pacific? We're you a member of both NPO and PRP?

    6. Do you think NS needs a new 'Gatesville' to crusade against the WA?

    7. Occasionally in the world, the prevailing paradigm shifts drastically. What do you think it would take to break the R/D paradigm in NS, and open up gameplay to a more diverse game environment? 

    8. Do you recall the United Cyprus operation in Greece? 

    9. You and I have both complained, argued, explained, hoped for change.....over Influence. After 12 years of Influence, and changes in it's calculation in the Feeders, what is your position on Influence now?

    10. "Does eat oat and Lambs eat oats, and little lambs eat ivy." (my mother liked singing that)  Is Chocolate bad for Does and Lambs?  (And, is the presence of chocolate attracting Marsupials to the region?)

    *slides a chocolate mousse in a Guinness glass with a cherry on top to Dark*

     

    COPS Treaty banning

    in Information Releases

    Posted

    He's bad news. Always has been, and someone always seems to be stupid enough to let him in somewhere. ("Oh we believe in second chances!"....and third, and fourth, and fifth....)

    We've cut relations with Gatesville and The Pacific over them working with him on separate occasions in the past.

    Perhaps he should be told that continued attempts to target a forum he's been banned from is grounds for a civil lawsuit.

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