EI March 2009

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Community projects

Published on March 31 - Day 497 of the New World

Dear citizens,

Today we would like to present you with a few interesting projects developed by eRepublik citizens.

We'll have to begin with the very practical New World map created by Gobba. Most of you are probably familiar with it, as Gobba's articles are very popular in the New World. Gobba's map has lots of features and it displays detailed information for each of the 463 eRepublik regions. It also includes an alliance map, a population map, and a map that shows the hospitals and defense systems in the New World.

If you are looking to find out more about the United States and Canada, daniferi's map will be of great help. This map displays the regions with high raw materials resources, as well as the number of citizens and defense points of each of the U.S. and Canadian regions.

The eRepublik News channel on Youtube has also caught our attention. There are several similar news channels on Youtube, but this one, created by John C, is the best so far. The latest edition was released two weeks ago, and we hope that this project will not stop here.

The eRepublik podcasts have been growing increasingly popular over the last few weeks. Former U.S. President Justinious McWalburgson III, who had declared that he had become a huge fan of the UK podcast, is the main person behind the first U.S. podcast. Coauthored by PrincessMedyPi and NoneSuch, the podcast is called “Is this the real life?”, and its sixth episode was released yesterday.

Brazilian congressman Gahnkaz is in charge of the eRepublik Brazil Podcast, the first podcast that is not recorded in English. Portuguese speakers may find all the four editions of this podcast here.

If you are aware of any other interesting projects and you would like to share them with the rest of the eRepublik citizens, just leave a comment below.

Regards,
The eRepublik Team

News from around the New World

Published on March 28 - Day 494 of the New World

Dear citizens,

As you know, all of you have the chance to play a role in changing the history of eRepublik. We would like to present a project which literally lets you “write” the history of the New World. At wiki.erepublik.com/index.php/History you will find that each day in the calendar represents a new page of eRepublik history. If there is a great event that you remember, write it down so it will never be forgotten and future generations of citizens can know what were the great achievements and disasters of the past.

Most wars in the New World have stopped for a while, although some battles are being fought right now. There are resistance wars in Pakistan, Hungary, and Germany, and as usual in the last few weeks, an open battle in the war between Pakistan and Indonesia.

In these almost peaceful times, some citizens have been wondering who the greatest warriors are in the New World. Citizen ddexter compiled a list of the first 7000 citizens in terms of maximum damage dealt in a fight. You can find the first part of the list, containing the best 1000 soldiers and their location in eRepublik here. If you are looking to find out where you stand compared to the best fighters in eRepublik, there is a good chance you will find your name on the list. There is also a list created by OchiReci, which will let you know who the best 100 warriors of the New World are, and whether they are fighting for PEACE or ATLANTIS.

We would like to make a quick note about some exciting community meetings around the world. There was a meeting in Valencia last week, including citizens from various cities in Spain, as well as our Community Manager Cristi Badea. You can find out more about his meeting, and also view some photos here.

There is also a big community gathering scheduled in Icon-Indonesia.png Indonesia. The meeting is due to take place in June, and there are already 76 people who confirmed their attendance on the meeting's Facebook page, so this could be the largest eRepublik meeting so far.

Also, the monthly meeting of the Romanian community takes place in Bucharest today. If you have ever wondered what these eRepublik gatherings are like, you may read this article written by MOBBY, a veteran of eRepublik meetings.

We also have some news regarding the eRepublik Forum. The “Help” board has gone through some major changes, and you may find that you don't recognize it anymore. We encourage all the new players to visit it if they require assistance, and they may find the “What to do if...” topic particularly useful.

Regards,
The eRepublik Team

Asian News

Published on March 24 - Day 490 of the New World

Dear citizens,

We have noticed the attempts of Icon-China.png China, a small country, to rise and become stronger. Having only 250 citizens, China is one of the least inhabited countries in the New World. Although the Chinese citizens form a small community, their efforts to build a prosperous nation are quite inspiring.

China's current President, logomaster304, who comes from the Icon-USA.png United States, is at the heart of the Chinese projects. He has created a website for his country and has also asked citizens Chisholm and Arwin to create weekly podcasts for the Chinese community. This makes China one of the few countries to have informative podcasts. You may find that these podcasts are presenting international news, as well as future Chinese plans, like getting back their capital, Beijing, which was until yesterday part of Icon-Iran.png Iran.

Speaking of Iran, we would like to note that this past Friday Iranians celebrated the Iranian New Year, or Nowruz as it is called in Farsi. Nowruz is generally celebrated on the same day as the March equinox, and it marks the first day of the year and the first day of spring. This is a national holiday in Iran and several Asian countries, but is also celebrated by some ethnical groups from South-Eastern Europe. The eRepublik Team would like to wish a Happy New Year (Nourezetan Piroz) to everyone who celebrates Nowruz!

Regards,
The eRepublik Team

A new community place for citizens

Published on March 23 - Day 489 of the New World

Dear citizens,

The researchers have been working on a new page all about you, the community. The purpose of this page will be a place where proud citizens can go to learn more about the community, its events, sites, and be patriotic citizens of the New World.

Citizen pride page 7.jpg

Since this page is being created for all citizens of eRepublik, we wanted to give you a first look at what it will contain. In addition, since this will be a page of the people, we wanted to know what you would like to call it. We were thinking “Citizen Pride Page,” but what do you think? Also, don't forget to give us your input on what it contains.

Regards,
The eRepublik Team

Community coverage

Published on March 20 - Day 486 of the New World

Dear citizens,

The war between Icon-Indonesia.png Indonesia and Icon-Romania.png Romania seems to keep making headlines in eRepublik as a new direct confrontation between the two countries has begun. At stake is the Western Siberian Region, which holds vast resources of oil, iron, and wood. Two weeks ago, after a fierce battle, in which about one million points of damage were inflicted by the two opposing sides, Indonesia managed to conquer this region from Romania. The Romanians have been planning to get the region back ever since. In the meantime, the population of Indonesia reached ten thousand citizens, making it the second most populated country in eRepublik, and the first in a total number of experience points.

We are witnessing historical moments as the largest battle that has ever taken place in the New World is being fought right now. One million points of damage were dealt in the previous battle for the Western Siberian Region, but the current conflict has surpassed this staggering amount of damage only in the first twelve hours of fighting.

War preparations were made as many Indonesians moved to the Western Siberian Region in order to strengthen its defenses. In order to gain access to the Western Siberian Region, Romania first had to take control of the Urals Region, which was part of Norway, an allied country. Norway willingly ceased control of the region, and PEACE tried to prevent this two days ago by opening two resistance wars in Urals and Volga Regions, formerly belonging to Icon-Russia.png Russia. As a result, the Icon-Norway.png Norwegians lost control of the Volga Region, their only region with high grain resources.

While Russia has managed to get back one more region from Norway, Hungary is also a country which managed to restore much of their original territory in recent time. Hungary and Indonesia proved to be reliable partners, fighting together against Romania and Atlantis. Results were quick to show as Hungary managed to conquer two regions from Romania this month. The last of the two even proposed that Hungary sign a peace treaty, but the proposal was rejected with 12 votes to 0 by the Hungarian Congress. In fact, Hungary attempted to conquer a new region yesterday, but with little success.

As you can see, Eastern Europe remains at the center of military warfare in the New World, but Spain also decided that now is the time to attack Portugal. Portugal and their allies from PEACE had just recently stopped the war with the Icon-USA.png United States after conquering all the original Icon-Mexico.png Mexican regions previously occupied by the US. Peace negotiations between Mexico and the USA are underway, and it's interesting to note that former American president Dishmcds leads the Mexican delegation. An agreement seems to be far from reach at the moment as the Mexican side has high demands, and it seems unlikely that PEACE would attack the USA on their own territory in case they don't comply with those demands.

As we have said previously, the population of Indonesia reached ten thousand citizens. There was also a forum contest regarding this matter, which was won by Julius Rodvigo and Sir Olf. Both of them guessed that a new country will reach ten thousand citizens on day 483 of the New World. We can say that this happened sooner than most people had expected a month ago when the contest was held. It probably happened sooner than we expected too, and we would like to thank all of you who are currently enjoying eRepublik and are part of this great community.

eRepublik meeting in Spain

Saturday, Icon-Spain.png Spanish citizens are expected to take a break from the war against Icon-Portugal.png Portugal and gather for a meeting in the wonderful city of Valencia. The hosts of this meeting have scheduled a lot of activities, which involve eating, drinking, a bit of sightseeing and lots of fun. Cristi Badea will also be there for his second meeting with the Spanish community in Valencia. If we've got you curious, check Allyenna's newspaper for more information, or visit our event page on Facebook.

Regards,
The eRepublik Team

eRepublik expands further

Published on March 18 - Day 484 of the New World

Dear Citizens,

The New World will continue expanding its borders next month as three new countries join eRepublik. These will be some of the few Northern European states that are not yet part of eRepublik, and people from these countries have been longing to see their territories part of the New World for quite a while. Now it is time for their wish to be fulfilled, so on the 8th of April, we should all give a warm welcome to Icon-Lithuania.png Lithuania, Icon-Estonia.png Estonia and Icon-Latvia.png Latvia. Until then, you can help our researchers in gathering the proper documentation regarding the Baltic countries by sending your e-mails to lithuania@erepublik.com, estonia@erepublik.com, or latvia@erepublik.com.

Citizens from South America, especially Icon-Colombia.png Colombians, are also keen to see their countries being part of the New World. They may be disappointed that their countries have not been added to eRepublik, but we have a bigger surprise for them. The release of more South American countries will be done along with the launch of the Spanish version of eRepublik! We hope that their waiting will be worth the time and that they will enjoy the New World in their native language. And, after the Spanish version, more languages will follow. We will keep you informed on this matter in future Insider articles.


Far South region in Brazil

The South region of Icon-Brazil.png Brazil, the fifth largest country of the World, will be divided into two regions: The South, and The Far South. A differentiation between the two regions was required, as researchers have taken this decision after reaching the conclusion that a large part of Brazil's Population would live in Far South. Also, this is an important state of real-life Brazil.

The resources of the current South region will be divided between the two new regions. As a result, the new South region will have medium iron deposits, and the Far South will have medium grain productivity. The current population, defense system and hospital of the South region will be moved in the new South region, and the Far South will start from scratch. Also, the South region will no longer neighbor the Northern Cape region on the African continent. Instead, Northern Cape will be neighboring the Far South.

These modifications are scheduled for day 485 of the New World. We hope that the resemblance between the names of these regions will not make these changes confusing. The full details of this territorial update will be posted in the eRepublik Updates forum topic.

Regards,
The eRepublik Team

The first eRepublik Podcasts

Published on March 16 - Day 482 of the New World

Dear citizens,

We have recently stumbled upon a very interesting initiative coming from the Icon-United Kingdom.png United Kingdom. Two members of the British community, Hassan Pesaran and roadrunnerspeed have been working on a series of informative podcasts in the last few weeks. The podcasts sound much like a talk radio show, debating some of the most important news from the UK, but also from the whole New World. The two hosts are putting on quite show, having guests invited in, answering questions from their listeners, and being always ready to crack a joke.

The project started four weeks ago when Hassan Pesaran released the first edition of the “eRepublik UK Podcast”. This was meant to be a “pilot episode”, and after receiving lots of positive responses from the audience, the two presenters decided to produce weekly editions of their podcast. The first one was ten minutes long, approaching subjects like the wars involving Greece and Israel, and giving lots of advice to new citizens. The two presenters made it obvious that their program would be an entertaining one, making their listeners curious about the next releases.

Shortly after, the second edition was ready. Hassan Pesaran announced in his newspaper that the podcasts would have a new name, “Can you hear what I am saying”, and that they will release a new edition of their show every weekend. The new episode was half an hour long, and it also represented a step forward. The new edition was better structured, but has not lost any of the entertaining atmospheres of the first one. This was the first episode to have an intro song and a mid-time break. The two presenters discussed about the resistance war in Brussels, finalized with the defeat of Great Britain, and the political events in Great Britain. Roadrunnerspeed, who is the British Minister of Finance, explained the effects of some new taxation laws. External events like the war between Icon-Indonesia.png Indonesia and Icon-Pakistan.png Pakistan, or the rivalry between PEACE and ATLANTIS were also covered.

The third edition was significantly longer, as the two hosts invited the British president, JerryGFL. Along with their guest, Hassan and roadrunnerspeed discussed, amongst others, the weaknesses of the Atlantis alliance, as the United States breached the Atlantis treaty by attacking Mexico without noticing their allies in advance.

The show grew to be popular, especially with the users of the U.K. National Forums. The fourth edition, released last week, was listened 500 times. Hassan and roadrunnerspeed presented the new British Cabinet for March and analyzed the presidential elections in the U.K. The two presenters concluded that although the elections were quiet, the 300 extra votes compared to the previous elections represent a good sign. The war between Romania and Indonesia, which is seen by some as a new global conflict, was also discussed. Romania is attacked by Hungary and Indonesia, which has managed to conquer a very important region from the Romanians. Hassan Pesaran is sympathetic towards Romania, as he believes that someone had to step in and reduce the overwhelming Indonesian influence in Asia, while roadrunnerspeed takes a contrary position, blaming Romania for making the first offensive move without being prepared adequately. The show was continued, as usual, in a funny tone, and the two presenters answered some questions asked by their listeners.

About the creators of the “Can you Hear What I am Saying” program:

  • Hassan Pesaran, has been playing eRepublik for seven months, and is Ministry of Defence, Vice President of United Kingdom and was also recently elected as supreme commander of Atlantis alliance.
  • roadrunnerspeed has also joined the New World seven months ago and is the Ministry of Finance in Great Britain.

That's all on the eRepublik UK Podcasts. If this initiative has caught your attention, you may find all the editions at http://podcast.erepubliktools.co.uk/. The fifth edition has just been released this weekend.


Regards,
The eRepublik Team

The eRepublik Official Shop

Published on March 12 - Day 478 of the New World

Dear citizens,

We’ve finally made a long-awaited, and much requested, addition to eRepublik - the shop. The new eRepublik Shop can be visited by going to the Community menu, then “eRepublik Shop,” or by clicking on the “Shop” link at the bottom of each web page.

Many citizens have proven to be good at politics, economics and even at becoming a media mogul, that's why we are asking you to give us a little input for the eRepublik Shop project.

We were thinking mouse pads, or maybe mugs, or maybe even a contest to design an item that we will make available in the shop. What would you like to see in the shop?

Regards,
The eRepublik Team

eRepublik of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Published on March 11 - Day 477 of the New World

Dear citizens,

Today a new country has joined eRepublik: Icon-Bosnia and Herzegovina.png Bosnia and Herzegovina is the 51st country of the New World. This Southern European state is neighboring only two countries, Icon-Serbia.png Serbia to the east, and Icon-Croatia.png Croatia to the west.

New citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina will receive 50 Convertible Marks, the official currency of this country. The current citizens of the New World who move to Bosnia and Herzegovina will not receive a citizen fee, as they have already received it when they have joined eRepublik. However, everyone is welcomed to visit Bosnia and Herzegovina. The newly added country is thought to hold fertile lands and vast forests, ready to be explored by its first inhabitants.

The treasury of Bosnia and Herzegovina received Icon - Gold.gif 1000 GOLD and 100 000 Convertible Marks, or BAM, which is the code for this currency. An organization that holds 50 000 BAM will be trusted to the first president of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Also, the country will be protected from any military warfare until day 521 of the New World.

We welcome all Bosnians in the New World and we send them our best wishes. They will form the youngest nation in eRepublik for the following month until new countries will be added.

Best Regards,
The eRepublik Team

The results of the eRepublik survey

Published on March 9 - Day 475 of the New World

Dear citizens,

The results of the eRepublik survey have been compiled and analyzed by our team. We were very pleased to receive your responses to our questions, and get a better idea of what you think about eRepublik. We would also like to thank you for the feedback you have provided.

The survey has gathered over 16 000 responses, and we have also received thousands of suggestions through the comment box at the end of the questionnaire. Many citizens used this comment box to congratulate or criticize the eRepublik team. We were glad to see positive responses, and we were also grateful for all the constructive criticism that was received. Finding out the weaker areas of eRepublik was one of the main objectives of this survey.

We have learned that most of the eRepublik users are between the ages of 19 and 24 and that social interaction is the most important activity in eRepublik. Many citizens believe that countries should have different government types and that rich graphical content is important for the New World. Owning a company and fighting in wars seem to be the most important features in eRepublik. Citizen responses have also shown that the military module should be improved the most. Additionally, many citizens suggested that we improve the country administration module, as well as create a wider range of products for the marketplace.

Other popular suggestions included the implementation of an animated world map, of more languages and more countries. Citizens are also interested in the possibility of getting married, having cars or even pets. Some went as far as suggesting that the exploration of outer space should be possible. The trivia module has caused mixed reactions, as many citizens declared to miss it, and others asked that it never be restored.

We have also received some funny suggestions. For instance, the recognition of Dio Brando as the supreme ruler of the New World, or a “Dishmcds Ruler Day”. Many citizens wanted to receive Gold, but someone was more inspired and asked for a money tree in his backyard. A citizen suggested that Plato should return in the New World, while others asked for features that would make more women interested in eRepublik.

Citizens who participated in this forum contest had to guess the number of male respondents to the eRepublik survey. 15 041 male citizens took the survey, and Zsim won by answering 15 044. You can see the complete results of the survey here. Thank you again for answering this survey.


Special Note:
Today, a problem has occurred in the work module due to the Daylight Saving time change. Fortunately, this issue has been solved in a timely fashion, and things have returned to normal. The citizens who have worked during the early hours of this day have noticed that the counter for the hard worker medal had been reset. With their help, our staff has taken the proper measures to correct this problem and reverse all its effects. The number of consecutive work days is now displayed correctly, and the hard worker medals were awarded to all the citizens who should have received them today.

The eRepublik team would like to use this opportunity to express its regret for the appearance of these problems and apologize for any inconvenience created. Also, we would like to thank all the citizens who have noticed these issues and helped our team by reporting them.

Regards,
The eRepublik Team

Contact Page Guidelines

Published on March 8 - Day 474 of the New World

Dear citizens,

Today we will talk about a very important section of eRepublik - the contact page.

The contact page allows citizens of the New World to easily communicate with the eRepublik Team. For better management of messages you send to us, each possible subject has been assigned to a certain department. We suggest paying attention to the subject selected, as choosing the inappropriate subject will affect the response time due to the necessity of being forwarded to the department in charge.

Let's have a closer look on these subjects:

New citizen help
Hello and welcome to New Citizen Help. So you've been granted citizenship, and you are wondering what to do next? Here at New Citizen Help we'll answer your questions using the simplest terms possible. The questions received from you have been in time gathered and a FAQ page has been created. We suggest checking that page before sending the message to the New citizen help department.

Report abusive content
If you would like to help us create a better world, we would be grateful for your messages revealing inappropriate content you have found in the New World.

Report a bug
You should report as soon as possible any technical flaw that may affect eRepublik. We would like to thank you in advance for your support.

Report multiple accounts
If you suspect one or more citizens of managing multiple accounts you can ask for an investigation.

Request an appeal
If you have been the subject of a moderator's decision of account suspension and you are unhappy with it, you have the right to file an appeal. Also, use this subject with confidence in case you have reported a citizen or an organization and you consider that the necessary measures have not been taken. Only one appeal may be submitted in each case and only by the participant who receives the adverse decision. A reanalyze will be made and the final decision will be presented.

Feedback
From time to time, citizens just want to tell us their opinion about the game or about our work and provide us with useful suggestions. We strongly believe that imagination is the only limit for changing the future. If you would like for your suggestions to be viewed by other citizens also, you should present them in the special section we have created on the forum.

Payments
Any message concerning real money transaction should have this subject in order to be answered by the assigned department.

Press
Any messages concerning eRepublik in real life media, including electronic publications, will be answered by the press department.

Game support
As eRepublik evolves with each passing day, you might want to send us a message with a subject not mentioned above. Feel free to do so, as we have a special department ready to provide support even in unpredicted situations that may arise. Until the Judicial System will be implemented, all trials concerning the Contracts should be sent to this department.

Best regards,
The eRepublik Team

Presidential election coverage - March 2009

Published on March 6 - Day 472 of the New World

Dear citizens,

The voting polls for eRepublik's 16th presidential elections were closed a few hours ago. Here are the newly elected presidents in each country:

The citizens of the New World have witnessed the most disputed elections since the creation of the New World. In Icon-Austria.png Austria, there was a tie between the winner, Silent Bob, and the runner-up, Chicco. We remind you all that in these cases, the oldest (let's call him the most experienced) player is considered president. Other close elections have been reported in:

More than 100 candidates competed in 49 countries and we hope the winners will lead their citizens with pride and respect.

Update: There have been some citizens that encountered anomalies with their achievements. These achievements are displayed correctly now. Also, all the citizens that encountered problems have received the proper reward in Gold for their efforts.

Congratulations to all the winners and thank you all for your support,

The eRepublik Team

eRepublik updates for March

Published on March 3 - Day 469 of the New World

Dear citizens,

After a prolonged absence, Plato will return to eRepublik this month. New players will surely benefit from his vast experience, as he will guide them through their first steps into the New World. Plato will help new citizens to begin their eRepublik career as well as share his knowledge with those who request his advice. He will also help those who are more experienced by tracking their daily tasks. Plato was very eager to return to help eRepublik citizens, and we hope that you will find his presence to be useful.

Starting this month, citizens will also be better informed about the latest events of the New World. A new “Latest Events” section will let citizens know what has been happening in eRepublik. It will display the latest military and political events, separated into national events and international events.

Plato's adviser system and the “Latest Events” section will be introduced in eRepublik tomorrow, on day 470 of the New World. Some other changes will also be made:

  • A “fight again” button will be introduced on the page displaying a fight result
  • The “Invite friends” page will be slightly re-designed, and a new invitation message will be sent to your friends
  • The “Media” page will be renamed to “News”
  • A citizen will reach level 2 after receiving 8 experience points, instead of 6
  • A link to the “Career path” page will be added to the “Info” menu

Our team has also taken a look “under the hood” of the military module. The code was reviewed and optimized in order to make the war module faster and more reliable. Military events will also be displayed more accurately. Some bugs were fixed, and companies will be able to buy export licenses for every country (previously, some countries were not listed). The bug causing some party presidents to be incorrectly displayed as country presidents has also been fixed.

For these updates and other server maintenance activities, the New World will be inaccessible tomorrow, day 470 at 2 a.m. eRepublik time for about one hour.

We hope that March will be a good month for you and that you will enjoy eRepublik.

Regards,
The eRepublik Team

A bit more fun in the New World

Published on March 2 - Day 468 of the New World

Dear citizens,

We have announced in a previous Insider article that the New World has been running more smoothly lately. However, problems do occur all the time, even if sometimes it doesn't show. It can basically be anything, from a totally unexpected server failure, or a critical software error, to the bathroom lock getting stuck, or losing the ball for our table soccer game.

Needless to say, such issues require swift and immediate action, as any wasted time can lead to very unpleasant consequences. Fortunately, we have set up a detailed crisis plan which ensures that no measure is taken randomly, or under a momentary instinct. Without a lack of modesty, we can say that we have learned to solve unforeseen problems with maximum effectiveness and that our response time could embarrass even the best-disciplined firefighter unit. However, amongst all our well-trained team members, there is one, who in some sense, inspires us all. He may not be as calm or as calculated as most of us, but his dedication to solving the most difficult issues is an example to all of us.

Because we want his efforts to be noticed by all of you, these pictures will be displayed whenever something goes wrong with our technical systems. However, do not worry if something like this happens. There are certainly other people working on the problem as well, and the issue should be solved in no time.

As a final notice, please be aware that some parts of this story may be inaccurate. We hope that you enjoyed reading it and that you will keep having fun in the New World.

Best regards,

The eRepublik Team