Article
Friends,
I have been playing e-Sim since Day 163 which translates to the middle of February, 2012. For two and a half years, I have logged in to work, train, write articles, and make friends. I have served twelve terms in the US Congress and twice as this nation’s president. On October 1st, I will not be an e-Sim player any more.
I joined this game after three years of playing a similar game (most people know which one). That game started off with amazing promise. The developers created a framework for people to create a completely player-built economy, military, and political society. I remember spending way too many late nights on the forums and IRC talking with friends and allies about business investments and military strategy. I built a base of players who looked forward to reading economic analysis in my newspaper and listening to player interviews on my weekly podcast. I left that game after three years because the developers lost their vision and became focused on transforming it into a facebook-style minigame full of flashy graphics to push microtransactions.
I joined e-Sim because, at the time, Railman’s community relations were a distinguishing factor. The mechanics were basically a copy of the other game’s original version and the English was embarrassingly poor, but it seemed that his heart was in the right place. There were regular updates from the development team and quick responses to feedback. When funding became an issue, he opened up a donation system which allowed players to support specific updates and projects. It seems like that distinguishing feature has long gone from e-Sim.
Today, the “community feedback” box is just a garbage bin. Bug reports go hours or even days without so much as a reply. Frequently, the reply is that they were already aware of the issues but can’t be bothered to fix them. Controversial announcements are made by “community managers” who barely interact with the community and almost always are marked “no comments allowed.” Staff who were active and respected have quit in droves over the past months, many lamenting a complete lack of communication between Railman, the developers, and the moderators. This is not the e-Sim that I signed up for.
There is still time. I am certainly not the first player to publically oppose a major change to the game such as the upcoming server reset, and I will not be the last. This proposed reset has attracted an incredible amount of feedback from the community – almost entirely against the change. If the staff still listens to the player base and cares what we think about their game, they will respond. If they cancel the upcoming server reset before October 1st, I will not quit the game. If they go ahead with the reset, it will be a clear signal that they no longer care what their community wants. I know I will not be the only player to leave, and this game will suffer as it hemorrhages active players, customers, recruiters, and leaders.
If the reset goes as planned, I will not die with a full tomb like an Egyptian pharaoh. I plan to send my equipment to the Department of the Interior so it can be distributed to newer players who decide to stay. I will send my gold to my employer and friend Met3. We have our differences on real-world political philosophy but I know he is dedicated to growing and nurturing the e-US community. It is my hope that he is able to use my small fortune to build a new generation of American players and leaders.
This will not be my final article. As I said before, there is still time for the e-Sim staff to change their minds. Reversing the decision to reset the server will convince me – and likely thousands more – to stay. I hope they make the right choice.
EmmanueI Goldstein
PS - Make sure you read the economic analysis of the reset by
Lilith of Apollyon that says "The solution to stagnation is innovation."
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Congress Update: Taxes Slashed (11 years ago)
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Letter From an Experienced Player (11 years ago)
About the game:
USA as a world power? In E-Sim it is possible!
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.
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.
