Independence Server

[Mr President]

I wanted to give you all a heads up about a new change that will be implemented either later today or tomorrow. It is a new server called, Independence. This server is different from our main game. It was designed based on two factors, 1) having a server that is less complicated for newer members and 2) a netting server for those who do not want to war. It's a basic setup right now but I'm sure there will be changes to it as we get a few sets under our belt. Below is a list of what you can expect:

- No Nations! - This server is states only.

- No Wars - Currently you are not able to war other states. This may change down the road depending on user input.

- No War attacks. Standard Attack is the only attack in the game.

- No aggressive Spy Attacks - Only non harmful spy attacks are available.

- New Theme - There is a new theme called "World". This is the default theme however, you are able to choose the Army theme if you want. Those are the only two themes that are available on new server. The desert and classic theme will be retired on the main game when the new version is released.

- New design - Not only does it include a new theme, but the navigational design is different as well. Many links have been combined into one tab. Example, Build is now listed under CONSTRUCTION tab. From this tab you are able to select, Build, Destroy and Expand. This is only one example as several of the other tabs have been combined.

- Upgrades - There are only 3 upgrades for units.

- Science - States are able to purchase and distribute science for their states. (nice feature)

- Server Tab - You will find a tab that will take you to a new page that lists both servers. This is so you can easily switch between the main game and the new server. Usernames are passed through the code however you will still need to enter a password. Typically, a browser will ask you if you want to save the password and if you do, then you would only have to enter it one time to switch back and forth.


There will be more changes to this server once we get a few sets under our belt. Also, I will not be collecting any end of sets data for a while. I want to get the kinks out before we collect that information. I'm going to keep the same 28 day rounds like the main sever, but we may extend these rounds a little and make it one turn every 20 minutes. Eventually, I will make it so once you sign in the game via the index screen, it will take you to the new server page but for now, it will still take you to the main game where you will have to switch via the server tab. No sense making it do this till we know the game runs smoothly and all the kinks are out. I will send an in game message to all of you when it is fully released, plus you'll see the "Server" tab :)
When the game is open and you start playing, please let me know of any issues you find. We'll use the first set or two as a beta test to work these out.

Enjoy!

[Weisscream]

nice!

[Mr President]

The server is now open. You will see a "Server" link in the menu of the main game.

[BeeNo]

This is a placeholder for the subdomain independence.nation-wars.com

Edit note: Never mind I'm in now!

Also, you might want to change the in-game start-up message for each state, it recommends you join a nation!

[Mr President]

Both issues taken care of.. Thanks

[Mr President]

Also - I opened the game up for play. There is no delay, once you sign up you can play. I figured this is a beta test of the game so why wait until a few days to start playing. So, go ahead and sign up and start playing!

FYI - When I quick start a round like I just did, it issues more turns for the first few hours so don't be alarmed if you get more turns at first.

[Whilston]

I was not able to log in to the new server.

[Mr President]

Can you give better details? What happened? What did it say? How far did you get before it declined you?

[Visconte]

I i want to make my first turn and build contruction site or some building i cannot do that because money is 0 :)
Also you cant expand because you need 50% of land built before.

[Visconte]

Also made a red turn trying to cash. Now money -5.

[Visconte]

Mybad. Put the money in the bank yesterday and forgot it there:Phelp:::

[Mr President]

I i want to make my first turn and build contruction site or some building i cannot do that because money is 0 :)
Also you cant expand because you need 50% of land built before.

Did you put your money in the bank? Not sure why you would start with 0 on hand. I ran several tests and each time It started with the correct amount. I also started building with CS first and all went ok.

[BeeNo]

These are simple tweaks:

inconsistency on the left side of the page, you have 2 tabs:

cash
research turns

Is there a better way to phrase "cash" that would help new players know what it does from just the 1 word? That or maybe just add cash turns. Next is there a better way to say research turns?

the thoughts that keep me up at night lol :)

Edit: also the GDN is listed and if u click it the TDN is available in there as well, however it might look better with the tab being GDN/TDN.

Also, having the expand feature under the construction seems to make it difficult to find, and hard to realize that is an option. I just built 100 turns now and it took me awhile to find it, maybe a new guy would find it faster and I'm drawn to look in old places.

[Margus]

When buying from market, messages start with this:
"Invalid SQL: SELECT * FROM state_science WHERE stateid = 8next_record called with no query pending.?"
Cannot claim the first 5 turn bonus, no matter how many times I prove im not a bot.
If its easier version of the game and no war available, then bombers are probably pointless to have and maybe also jets/sams/tanks
In global events, you can still choose to see war attacks
Removing tech is supposed to have only 1.5% fee? its 7.5% in main server. This would make stocking very easy as you can remove all science for only 1.5% and then just sell it later. Also impossible to see what tech other person has, maybe add spy op for it?

[Mr President]

These are simple tweaks:

inconsistency on the left side of the page, you have 2 tabs:

cash
research turns

Is there a better way to phrase "cash" that would help new players know what it does from just the 1 word? That or maybe just add cash turns. Next is there a better way to say research turns?

the thoughts that keep me up at night lol :)

Edit: also the GDN is listed and if u click it the TDN is available in there as well, however it might look better with the tab being GDN/TDN.

Also, having the expand feature under the construction seems to make it difficult to find, and hard to realize that is an option. I just built 100 turns now and it took me awhile to find it, maybe a new guy would find it faster and I'm drawn to look in old places.

We could make it say Cash Turns. The phrase is a global phrase in games like ours so I don't think too many people would be confused. Plus. once you click the tab, it explains what it does on the page.

Agree with the GDN and TDN suggestion.

The expand should remain under the construction tab. It's harder for us as we are used to how it's always been. Easier for a new person tho.

[Mr President]

When buying from market, messages start with this:
"Invalid SQL: SELECT * FROM state_science WHERE stateid = 8next_record called with no query pending.?"
Cannot claim the first 5 turn bonus, no matter how many times I prove im not a bot.
If its easier version of the game and no war available, then bombers are probably pointless to have and maybe also jets/sams/tanks
In global events, you can still choose to see war attacks
Removing tech is supposed to have only 1.5% fee? its 7.5% in main server. This would make stocking very easy as you can remove all science for only 1.5% and then just sell it later. Also impossible to see what tech other person has, maybe add spy op for it?

-The invalid SQL has been a pain in my *** for awhile now. I can't make it stop due to how the code is written for tech and nations. I did a quick conversion so we are able to use the tech feature. What I really need to do is write a whole new script for state tech and not use any of the nation code. Sadly, I didn't have the time but I do plan on changing it. Please bare with that error a while longer.

- There must be an issue with that bonus site. Please let me know if it continues. Also, let me know how many turns you have missed due to it and I'll manually give them to you.

- I'm going to leave all of the military in for now as there may be a need for them in the near future revisions.

- I'll remove the war attacks out of GE.

- The science should be 7.5% I'll fix that as well.

- Good idea on the spy option to see what tech the enemy has.

[Mr President]

Opinions on the new theme and navigation?

It's a pain in the *** to remember the original way and now the new way but I think eventually, the new way will be the only way for all servers. :)

[blaa]

the new theme is very ugly.
Use the "new theme" from the original game. That looks very good.

[Visconte]

The new theme is kinda ugly indeed, like from the 90s or so, but thats not the biggest problem i guess since it can be tweaked.

What has been annoying is the links that shift, if you click on expand or destroy the links go to the left and the build link goes to the right. I think they should stay at the same place to make it easier to click fast. Also the main menu in the header kinda moves separately if you make turns or attacks. Dunno how to better explain it. If needed i could provide some pictures tomorrow or so.


Also the gameplay needs some adjustment, because currently its so linear. Having just SA-s makes the game kinda boring. Im not saying bring the war attacks, but some other kind of things should be included. Maybe stealing the money or some events that make the game not end in 5 days when one guy has got substantially more land than others and just cruises away. Have to check to not make the server too complex tho, because i think a separate server meant for new players is a great idea. But currently i dont see much that would make me want to stick to the game if i were to check the game out for the first time. The time window for new guys to come to this game is way too small, 3 days to register for full set and then 27 days of waiting. Maybe a longer lasting leaderboard could work? Does not mean set would have to be longer, just some stats.

[Mr President]

Ugly??? I put my heart and soul into that theme.. lol jk. I thought about keeping the same "Army" theme (default) as we have in the main game, but I figured people might get confused and not remember which server they are on. We can make the Army theme default for both servers. No biggie to me.

The link shift is supposed to be that way. Each time you click a link, it should relocate to the left. Most sites that I have been on does it this way and a natural impulse is to go to the first link on the left. We can make them stay in the same spot, but I would like to keep it the way it is for a few sets and then revisit the idea.

This server was designed based off of earlier arguments about wanting a netting server without the fear of getting killed or ruined. I took out the war attacks for just that reason. If you look back at the posts you'll see my concerns about a netting server is, people would be bored. It proves my point that even though getting AR'd or AA'd or even having money stolen, it keeps things a little more interesting. I believe you'll see the new server evolve into a state vs state server where states can declare war on each other and also other types of harmful attacks, such as stealing.

However, I do like the new server for a training server. It's slow, easier and less complicated than the main.

[Margus]

Would be good if game didnt allow you to attack same opponent a second time in 36h period. At the moment, the state who gets away can just grab others 3-5 times in 36h, like I am doing now. I get more land and my opponents wont get the grabs. So not doing this would be stupid by the top1 state.

SA Beginner(#8) Legion(#19) 402 Land / 401 Buildings, $3.227.036, 374.376 Food, 219.519 Oil 09:59:09-06/19
SA Beginner(#8) Legion(#19) 625 Land / 623 Buildings, $3.326.841, 378.158 Food, 219.519 Oil 09:59:04-06/19
SA Beginner(#8) Legion(#19) 1.087 Land / 1.084 Buildings, $3.429.733, 381.978 Food, 219.519 Oil 09:58:59-06/19
SA Beginner(#8) Legion(#19) 2.372 Land / 2.366 Buildings, $3.535.807, 385.836 Food, 219.519 Oil 09:58:49-06/19

Could anyone kill me for doing this? no

Would be great if it could be coded into the game somehow. It would balance the game and give others a chance for a better score... because right now the most active player wins as he will just grab everyone 2-3 times fast and leave others nothing.

In my opinion, the main server would benefit from a change like this aswell (only 2 SA-s per state if war is declared, otherwise 1 is max)

[Mr President]

Would be good if game didnt allow you to attack same opponent a second time in 36h period. At the moment, the state who gets away can just grab others 3-5 times in 36h, like I am doing now. I get more land and my opponents wont get the grabs. So not doing this would be stupid by the top1 state.

SA Beginner(#8) Legion(#19) 402 Land / 401 Buildings, $3.227.036, 374.376 Food, 219.519 Oil 09:59:09-06/19
SA Beginner(#8) Legion(#19) 625 Land / 623 Buildings, $3.326.841, 378.158 Food, 219.519 Oil 09:59:04-06/19
SA Beginner(#8) Legion(#19) 1.087 Land / 1.084 Buildings, $3.429.733, 381.978 Food, 219.519 Oil 09:58:59-06/19
SA Beginner(#8) Legion(#19) 2.372 Land / 2.366 Buildings, $3.535.807, 385.836 Food, 219.519 Oil 09:58:49-06/19

Could anyone kill me for doing this? no

Would be great if it could be coded into the game somehow. It would balance the game and give others a chance for a better score... because right now the most active player wins as he will just grab everyone 2-3 times fast and leave others nothing.

In my opinion, the main server would benefit from a change like this aswell (only 2 SA-s per state if war is declared, otherwise 1 is max)

This is an easy code to implement and a great idea for this server as well. I'll work on getting it entered by the next round. As for the main server, let's see what every one else thinks about it and we'll go from there.

[Mr President]

Would be good if game didnt allow you to attack same opponent a second time in 36h period. At the moment, the state who gets away can just grab others 3-5 times in 36h, like I am doing now. I get more land and my opponents wont get the grabs. So not doing this would be stupid by the top1 state.

SA Beginner(#8) Legion(#19) 402 Land / 401 Buildings, $3.227.036, 374.376 Food, 219.519 Oil 09:59:09-06/19
SA Beginner(#8) Legion(#19) 625 Land / 623 Buildings, $3.326.841, 378.158 Food, 219.519 Oil 09:59:04-06/19
SA Beginner(#8) Legion(#19) 1.087 Land / 1.084 Buildings, $3.429.733, 381.978 Food, 219.519 Oil 09:58:59-06/19
SA Beginner(#8) Legion(#19) 2.372 Land / 2.366 Buildings, $3.535.807, 385.836 Food, 219.519 Oil 09:58:49-06/19

Could anyone kill me for doing this? no

Would be great if it could be coded into the game somehow. It would balance the game and give others a chance for a better score... because right now the most active player wins as he will just grab everyone 2-3 times fast and leave others nothing.

In my opinion, the main server would benefit from a change like this aswell (only 2 SA-s per state if war is declared, otherwise 1 is max)

I went ahead and made this change on the independence server. You can only attack the same state 1 time in a 36hr period. Try it out and let me know if it needs to be tweaked.

[Missionary]

its not a bad server from what ive seen so far.

i like the less troop upgrades, seemed pointless having the middle levels previously.
the tabs on the left are better, more compact and pretty easy to work out.
less spy options are loads better
tech for individual states is very interesting

the theme does seem abit 80's style, reminds me of the atarii lol.
the new (well old now) overview page is just, i dunno i still dont like it. seem out of line and harder to read than the classic.

its a good idea and like it so far thought.

[BeeNo]

OMG ITS VINNIE!

[Mr President]

Changes have been made and the new round will begin 11/5.

Casher strat only has one building and jets, sams and bombers have been eliminated.