This interview is special for the fact that i've never had to wait so long to publish an article. We did most of this interview with loako 2 weeks ago. A lot has happened since then and partly because so much was going on i couldn't give it to you earlier. I must say it feels really good to finally let it out though. Much like my latest interview (i wanted to start doing those more often again but whoah, has it been long again - over a month), this is not with a commander of an alliance nor a staff member or a President. I want to give you more interviews with old players who are not currently at some high spot in game but have a story to tell us nevertheless. Players' whose opinions i value the most are the ones i want to interview. However, I am going to do an interview with someone who is really-really important as well soon and readers will have their own part in that interview. I'm very thrilled about this specific project but not going to give you more clues atm. Cheers friends!
1. loako , one of my fav Portugese in the game, thanks for joining this interview with me! 1. Thank you Orlandio I kind of never thought I would make these interviews xD
2. Never say never... You've been in this game for 3 and a half years now - what has kept you? 2. The thing is that I never did anything that I thought would make me "famous" enough to make an interesting interview. For most of the time i was just fighting in anonymous without thinking about for whom or why we fought xD
3. What has changed the most in e-Sim in those years? What has changed for the good and what has got worse (if there is any)? 3. I would say that the thing that has changed the most is the people playing it, most of us portray this idea that we don't like the game and that everything is terrible but in reality, we're still playing the game. It can't be that bad then. A lot of stuff has changed for the worse and it's hard to pick out something that was bad in particular but at the same time a lot of stuff I've enjoyed has been added like the equipment module for example.
4. How did you land in politics and get elected as CP of Portugal? 4. Well it began with me joining AnonyMoUs PT (nowadays AnonyMoUs MerC) which back then was a really active mMU with loads of members in the channel at any given time. I was still a citizen of Sweden (my homeland) and Hamsik conviced me to join the Swedish congress which I sat in for a couple of months. But I got some criticism from some of the Swedes since AnonyMoUs was often hired against Sweden's allies, I never let that affect how I acted in congress though. But eventually I didn't like being in Sweden nor the Swedish congress anymore and came to Portugal where my friend JamesSDiaz became CP shorty after I joined. He was on the brink of failing in some classes in school and had to step down so I just filled in for him and ended up being CP for 2.5 months of getting up in the middle of the night to attack NoB.
5. How would you compare staying in Sweden and Portugal and the people in those countries? 5. The main difference is the mentality of the community. Sweden is more hardcore and take the game very seriously which often results in bitter arguments between the players when in reality most of the stuff isn't something you need to get worked up about. I've seen my fair share of drama in Portugal as well but the mentality is different and most often the community just joke around and don't take stuff as serious. Sometimes not serious enough maybe... Then there's also the issue of me not understanding half of the shouts, comments etc without having someone translate it first so I could be very wrong.
6. How do you feel about the new updates and Admin's found-again (it seems) activity towards the game? 6. The new updates and Admin's newfound interest in the game is something I think and hope can affect the game in a positive way. The game has been pretty much the same for a long time and hopefully the news can bring some new dimensions to the game. I especially like the idea of coalitions and rebels week.
Rebels week, although prone to abuse just imagine 100% bonus damage with rebels week and buffs, is in my opinion one of the best additions to level the playing field for occupied countries since the introduction of buffs. Some countries just seem to die out slowly from the occupation and in the end that’s not fun for either side, less players and less opponents will remove the challenge and the fun from launching an attack on another country.
Some unnamed countries are in most players opinion too strong and make the game unbalanced, hopefully the introduction of coalitions can help create a united force against these superpowers.
I don’t think the rules around and benefits from the coalitions is entirely clear though and it might need some more work before it can be used beneficially.
Something I don’t like with the new updates is what seems to be the new UI that can be seen at some of the statistics pages. Less isn’t always more and I’m certain there is a lot of players that have better ideas for a more optimized UI, maybe Admin could do a competition or at least create a simple way to leave feedback.
The last thing I really like with the new updates is that it feels like Admin has realized that the key to making the game more successful isn’t adding a new server every week.
7. What is the thing that attracts people the most to e-Sim? 7. I think it’s the promise of freedom, best shown in the games slogan(?) “E-sim is a browser virtual world simulator. Here you can become whoever you want - politician, economist or fight for your country as a soldier!”
The text is intriguing and very exciting to say the least, however most people might expect a more visual experience and I think that’s an issue that has to be resolved in order to keep more people around. Maybe not the first priority but for someone new the start page might be a bit intimidating and the use of an advanced/experienced view and a simplified view might help keep people around for a bit longer so they get a proper chance to interact with the community and learn the game.
8. What would you like to achieve in this game? What would be the one thing that after achieveing you'll go "gee, there's nothing else to do in this game, i'll quit"? 8. For the longest time I played the game only to achieve stuff but now I have decent stats, a lot of achievements, fair amount of medals etc. Now I play only for fun moments with all the friends I've made and with the intention of making more friends along the way. If I look back I used to have players I considered enemies, not in a hostile way but a in a competetive spirit, that kept me going but at the moment that spot is open (apart from janniemoney but we mostly joke around now). I will quit when my friends quit, i've wanted to quit a couple of times but someone always said "no, stick around" so I did.
9. Is there any other browser games beside e-Sim for you atm? 9. No and in all honestly there has never been, I've barely even cared about the other servers. But apart from e-sim browser games isn't my cup of tea and nothing ever caught my interest.
10. loako , thank you for giving this interview mate. It took us half a month but we finally made it! 10. Haha thank you for giving me the opportunity even though we both proved to be too busy in reality.
--- --- ---
Both of my last 2 interviewees originate from Sweden but play for another country in game. Just a fun fact.
In E-Sim we have a huge, living world, which is a mirror copy of the Earth.
Well, maybe not completely mirrored, because the balance of power in this virtual world looks a bit
different than in real life. In E-Sim, USA does not have to be a world superpower, It can be
efficiently
managed as a much smaller country that has entrepreneurial citizens that support it's foundation.
Everything depends on the players themselves and how they decide to shape the political map of the
game.
Work for the good of your country and
see it rise to an empire.
Activities in this game are divided into several modules.
First is the economy as a citizen in a country of your choice you must work to earn money, which you
will get to spend for example, on food or purchase of weapons which are critical for your progress
as a fighter.
You will work in either private companies which are owned by players or government companies which
are owned by the state.
After progressing in the game you will finally get the opportunity to set up your
own business and hire other players. If it prospers, we can even change it into a joint-stock
company and enter the stock market and get even more money in this way.
In E-Sim, international wars are nothing out of the ordinary.
"E-Sim is one of the most unique browser games out there"
Become an influential politician.
The second module is a politics. Just like in real life politics
in E-Sim are an extremely powerful tool that can be used for your own purposes.
From time to time there are elections in the game in which you will not only vote, but also have the ability
to run for the head of the party you're in.
You can also apply for congress, where once elected you will be given the right to vote on laws
proposed by your fellow congress members or your president and propose laws yourself.
Voting on laws is important for your country as it can shape the lives of those around you.
You can also try to become the head of a given party, and even take part in presidential
elections and decide on the shape of the foreign policy of a given state
(for example, who to declare war on).
Career in politics is obviously not easy and in order to succeed in it, you have to have
a good plan and compete for the votes of voters.
You can go bankrupt or become a rich man while playing the stock market.
The international war.
The last and probably the most important module is military.
In E-Sim, countries are constantly fighting each other for control
over territories which in return grant them access to more valuable raw materials.
For this purpose, they form alliances, they fight international wars, but they also have
to deal with, for example, uprisings in conquered countries or civil wars, which may explode on
their territory.
You can also take part in these clashes, although you are also given the opportunity to lead a life
as a pacifist
who focuses on other activities in the game (for example, running a successful newspaper or selling
products).
At the auction you can sell or buy your dream inventory.
E-Sim is a unique browser game.
It's creators ensured realistic representation of the mechanisms present
in the real world and gave all power to the players who shape the image of the virtual Earth
according to their own.
So come and join them and help your country achieve its full potential.
Invest, produce and sell - be an entrepreneur in E-Sim.
Take part in numerous events for the E-Sim community.