Was bored. (IN)

An analysis of IN

IN, meaning Imperium Nova, Innate Nations, and INspace, has proven to be very popular among TCF members. We are going to explore the possible reasons for its popularity.

The IN system allows its players to experience nearly unlimited freedom in a persistant game setting. Unlike games with mostly set (such as D&D) or programmed rules (computer games), IN lets its players interact with a human to create a dynamic control system. The player's imagination is really the limit with their nation and characters, as in none of the INs so far has there been any major rules to keep customization from occuring. For people who like to make stuff and design their nations, or even create numerous amounts of detailed characters, descriptions of military units and technology, national holidays, and other fun things, this can consume a lot of time and be very entertaining and addictive. Also, having put effort into the nation, these players then are invested in trying to make it do well, which causes them to care more about the game.

IN's system encourages creativity, role-playing, strategizing, and intrigue at the same time. These varied opportunities for fun keep players interested in many different ways. This attraction to multiple types of players can be seen by their nation actions. Some will focus on domination and the more mechanical gameplay aspects, others will try to have master plans of espianoge or forge alliances, or just role-play out the difficulties of controlling a nation and conducting day-to-day business, develop totally radical or plausible technologies and programs, play as cunning military leaders, and so on with other possiblities. Most players tend to combine many of these ways to play, as they are not exclusive from each other. With such a wide variety of ways to play, it's no wonder that IN doesn't get dull even after months of playing.

The real-time nature of the format encourages player activity. Players must stay active to stay competitive, if that is their interest. The knowledge that the other players are advancing and producing and gaining an advantage while a player is inactive causes players to be ridiculously overactive in the game. Additionally, being online while the host is gives players the opportunity of being able to discuss the game's workings with the host and getting faster responses to their actions. I have observed players altering their sleeping schedules to be online while the host is, or to stay up extra late waiting for a game action response.

IN is crack.

So why do the INs go away? Simply put, host failure. There have been three main IN games, and all of them were quite healthy and active until the game master stopped being highly responsive to prayers. In the case of Imperium Nova and Imperium Nova 2.0, the host simply disappeared. During 1.0, Rotaretilbo took up hosting for awhile and the game continued without its original leader, but he stopped updating too after awhile (I believe because he realized that OB wasn't coming back) and then OB deleted everything on the site too. Innate Nations went away because the host was trying to make up everything and kept on avoiding it, until eventually just calling it done with after several stops and starts. Dragoon's INSpace will probably die as well when or if he feels overwhelmed, but he has added a secondary moderator who isn't playing, so that may change the host-to-player dynamic of the IN system.

In conclusion, Mafia Rocks.

Mafia doesn't work when players don't do anything (or in Half Life's case, the host). That happened.

I would like to point out that there are currently two inactive mafia games.

And i'd like to point out the 20+ games that FINISHED.

I think all of the IN games technically finished, since they were designed to be played until they just died out.

Dragoon has made a few changes though, which should ease the burden on himself and Rock. Hopefully.

Mafia's not as fun though ;_;

I liked mafia a lot on the middle games back when activity was high, and many of us were getting better at it, but before we started just metagaming and targeting the same people over and over.

BBJynne wrote:I liked mafia a lot on the middle games back when activity was high, and many of us were getting better at it, but before we started just metagaming and targeting the same people over and over.

That's because it was the same faces over and over who were always suspects.

How many times did Krazy or Rot get targeted? As that really hurt the last couple of games.

I was targeted by 5 different people in 1 night in one of Rot's games (still lived bitches!)

Vigil wrote:

BBJynne wrote:I liked mafia a lot on the middle games back when activity was high, and many of us were getting better at it, but before we started just metagaming and targeting the same people over and over.

That's because it was the same faces over and over who were always suspects.

How many times did Krazy or Rot get targeted? As that really hurt the last couple of games.

After about 5 games in a row of me dying on the first night, I just stopped signing up. Then someone convinced me to try one more time... and I died on the first night again. FML.

I oddly enough never really get killed at night.....



Though im usually Iron or stone and lie saying im Iron.......






But yeah, games got boring once we all got used to a playing according to a certain formula.


Best way is to only have the mafia have one kill ability and no one else can. That way everyone isn't dieing, only one a night and the rest is according to the town lynches.

Yah, I think a lot of mafia mods put in too many killers and made too much happen. People just kinda gave up, cuz it's extremely easy for scum to hide when there's a billion things happening.

CivBase wrote:Yah, I think a lot of mafia mods put in too many killers and made too much happen. People just kinda gave up, cuz it's extremely easy for scum to hide when there's a billion things happening.

What about if we made it simpler. One kill action, one mafia, everybody else town.

That way it's harder for the mafia to hide, as every time he makes an action he's risking exposing himself, and it's a bit fairer on town as they don't get all murdered off in the first night.