Some thoughts.

[wxtransit]

Just a quick check-in to see if anyone's noticed that we're running exactly nine candidates for At-large, the Feds are running only one candidate, Labor's only running two, literally both major parties are running less candidates than the DA (combined), NO ONE is running for Deep South Senate, and there's only one candidate for Fremont Parliament (which hopefully I don't have to explain why that's a problem).

There has also been zero mention of any of these issues at least on the forum.

Normally, I'd use this part to talk about some x sweeping change we need to enact to save the game from certain death, how people need to actually start caring, etc etc (you get the idea). However (and I hate to be that guy) it's become all too apparent that there is zero appetite for change and any new calls will just fall on deaf ears, so I'll save my breath. I'm not going to blame anyone for a lack of ideas or even a lack of activity (I don't have a solution myself and I really haven't been around that much over the past week), but I will sound the alarm that it appears whatever is left of the game is operating like it's business as usual when the situation is clearly anything but.

The game, in its current state, will be lucky to survive the end of the year.

By saying that, I hope that I'll have summoned Yankee, Truman, or perhaps at least someone to debate the merits of such a comment to at least generate some kind of nominal activity on the board.


Also, if all of this decline of activity comes from a loss of interest in the game -- I get that. Atlasia, by definition, is entirely voluntary. However, if that is the case, I wish we would either try to save the game (for those who are still interested) or recognize that we've jumped the shark and give it a dignified ending. Instead, we're letting the game crumble with a whimper while trying to act like nothing at all is the matter. It's the perfect example of the "this is fine" meme with the dog in a burning house. (Except, in our case, the house is mostly ash.)

[AGA]

Atlasia has been here for years and has been through many ups and downs. It will survive.

[GM Team Member and Senator WB]

Atlasia has been here for years and has been through many ups and downs. It will survive.

I do not think the game has hit this low before. Perhaps I should defer to Yankee on this but it simply feels more barren than it has any right to be.

[Pericles]

Give it a few months, see if it's a post-Covid fluke.

[OBD]

Labor is currently running a four-member slate - myself, Koopa, Disco, and S019. Just happened this cycle to be a relatively Peace-heavy ticket.

[GM Team Member and Senator WB]

Labor is currently running a four-member slate - myself, Koopa, Disco, and S019. Just happened this cycle to be a relatively Peace-heavy ticket.

Transit is technically correct, labor’s running less candidates than DA. You have 2, we have 3, peace has 2.

[Joseph Cao]

I doubt I'm representative of that many people here but considering I'm still trying to avoid not having a place to stay for the next few months, not in the best of health, and several other things on top of that and am still trying to show up despite all that nonsense, it makes plenty of sense that people with other obligations are not all that active in the game at the moment. It doesn't take COVID or a loss of interest to drastically reduce someone's activity levels.

[wxtransit]

I doubt I'm representative of that many people here but considering I'm still trying to avoid not having a place to stay for the next few months, not in the best of health, and several other things on top of that and am still trying to show up despite all that nonsense, it makes plenty of sense that people with other obligations are not all that active in the game at the moment. It doesn't take COVID or a loss of interest to drastically reduce someone's activity levels.

Certainly valid points and by no means am I suggesting any specific people should be more/less active -- my criticisms come towards the way the game is operating as a whole. As mentioned previously, I fully understand that Atlasia is a voluntary game and even if no one has extenuating circumstances and has just lost interest in the game, I don't have an issue.

My main qualm comes from the fact that presently, the game is being run as if we have 75 active members when in earnest we have roughly around 20 (give or take a few). The game, as such, feels like a hollow shell, whether it be for a Covid slump (not exactly sure how that would work though since more people got online during Covid ), or of a more systemic nature. If this really is more than just a blip, my fear (perhaps stated a bit too dramatic in the OP but I certainly hold by the sentiment) is that we are careening off the cliff with really no alarm from the active members still left.

[Sestak]

The mostly (same) crop of players has been the majority of the 'super-player' types orchestrating game activity for three-odd years now. And now most of them seem to have lost their interest completely. I've made it clear that I'm done with this game and am not going to do anything more. There are several other players from my generation or older - including some who are nominally still in the game - who feel the same way. Couple this with a stalwart like Yankee being on low-activity for a very long period of time due to needing to focus more on RL, and it becomes obvious as to what happens now.

Once you're there, just add in players like OBD, Cao, and Sev all being out of commission at the same time and...yes, this will happen.

I don't really know what's going to happen, but I do know that Atlasia is not going to get back on track or running by way of the old names that have been around.

[President Punxsutawney Phil]

Atlasia will survive. That much is clear.

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

Yes, when you have two major players either sick or in recovery, while at the same time people are preparing to go back to school, a drop-off in activity should be expected. I also sense that it's contagious. There is less incentive in doing anything when it does not feel like others are interested. I was in fear of this after the last NPC round (the only part of the game that actually rewards you for activity), and now it seems to have spread to the rest of the game in a sense. But it will rebound.

[Deep Dixieland Senator, Muad'dib (OSR MSR)]

Give it a few months, see if it's a post-Covid fluke.

Interesting statement for someone in a Covid lock-down

[Senator-elect Spark]

Don't worry folks. If I am elected President, my administration and I will bring Atlasia back. But it can only happen if I have consensus among the already active members. I've laid out my plan to attract new members and try to revitalize the game. I plan to be starting work IRL in about five days so things might tick up a bit on that front. I've been trying to keep a healthy balance and have wanted to quit this game at multiple points but it's clear that the game needs me. I am here to stay.

[Continential]

Don't worry folks. If I am elected President, my administration and I will bring Atlasia back. But it can only happen if I have consensus among the already active members. I've laid out my plan to attract new members and try to revitalize the game. I plan to be starting work IRL in about five days so things might tick up a bit on that front. I've been trying to keep a healthy balance and have wanted to quit this game at multiple points but it's clear that the game needs me. I am here to stay.

Most active members won't vote for you.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

I sent PMs last week and early this week trying to organize efforts to fill out the slate (At least two focused on the At-large and Deep South Senate), but these never got off the ground unfortunately. Following up was not possible because I lost my Tuesday to class work as I spent over eight hours to complete three assignments and while the first chapter was easy, basically (Structure of Gov't and who makes what laws), the second was about about ethics and applying it to various cases. Its not that it is difficult but it takes time to apply concepts to case studies. This being my first class in 9 years, I did not want to make easy mistakes and get discouraged. At work we have the back to school rush and inventory at the end of the month. After three days of that I came home and was out after just a short while.

[Senator-elect Spark]

I sent PMs last week and early this week trying to organize efforts to fill out the slate (At least two focused on the At-large and Deep South Senate), but these never got off the ground unfortunately. Following up was not possible because I lost my Tuesday to class work as I spent over eight hours to complete three assignments and while the first chapter was easy, basically (Structure of Gov't and who makes what laws), the second was about about ethics and applying it to various cases. Its not that it is difficult but it takes time to apply concepts to case studies. This being my first class in 9 years, I did not want to make easy mistakes and get discouraged. At work we have the back to school rush and inventory at the end of the month. After three days of that I came home and was out after just a short while.

Best of luck Yankee. Let me know if you need anything, I'm here as always.

[SevenEleven]

I can't help but feel responsible for this. When I ran, I set my sights high and expected big things. The unfortunate reality is that in my current state, I cannot fulfill my goals as planned. I am trying my best to remain active and build this game up but what I am dealing with right now is, to put it simply, a crazy situation. My number one priority is trying not to lose my job. Then I have physical therapy, multiple times a week, making less progress than I want.


I'm truly sorry that I haven't been able to live up to the expectations I set for myself and I am willing to work with anyone and everyone to try to remedy this. I know that I am not blamed by anyone, at least publicly, and I appreciate that. But I do want to see this game set on the right track.

[Oakvale]

At the risk of being a broken record, I think this is an inevitable outcome of the way Atlasia is structured - we're effectively reliant on a tiny percentage of the overall voter base (the 'power users') to actually keep this game running. When even one or two of those drop off there's a disproportionate plunge in activity.

I won't be voting in the current election - I've long been warning about the growing disconnect between the voter base and the actual citizenry, and having not been active in Atlasia for a couple of months now it would be utterly hypocritical of me to contribute to the problem by voting when I'm not intimately familiar with the current slate of candidates and the issues of the moment.

But let's remember this isn't a lapse of personal morality - with respect to SevenEleven above for taking responsibility, he misses the point: any system that can be severely damaged by the inactivity of one participant is a failure of the system itself, not of a lone participant.