Bicameralism Discussion Thread

[Barnes]

This proposal is obviously dead, and anything in a similar vein would likely suffer a similar fate.  Personally, I think that's rather sad, but that's just how the cookie crumbled.

Now, on the issue of game reform itself, this is obviously a broad and generally undefined topic used by just about everyone to show that they aren't conservative cogs in an impenetrable machine of intransigence.  There have been many bad ideas proposed, as well as many good ideas.  Over the ten years this game has been running, many of both camps have been adopted, reformed, repealed, ignored, forgotten, vilified, and praised.  But that's the entire point of a game - it's meant to be fun, people are actually supposed to enjoy it - therefore you tweak with it and change it to better suit the times.

People often seem, for some unknown reason to me, to forget that this is an election game.  It is focused, and always has been, around elections.  Parties, policies, platforms, and all the rest, exist in order to make for interesting races and results.  If I wanted to play a policy game, I'd just go over to PoliticsUK and get my job back as Chancellor of the Exchequer.

But I don't want to do that, I want to participate in interesting, cliffhanger elections that make fascinating results.  Whatever reforms are proposed, they should all have that idea in mind - what can make elections and everything concerned with them fun and memorable?

I really don't understand why some players are so opposed to altering anything in a game so that it can be more enjoyable.  Please don't mistake me, to achieve this we don't necessarily have to burn down the whole house and rebuild it from the embers; there are many things that can be done very easily that will leave the main structure intact.

"Reform" simply doesn't go away, and it isn't really a movement proposed by some people and opposed by others.  It is the natural and necessary alterations made to this game so that we can all enjoy it more.  If anyone is really so intractable opposed to anything that would achieve that, are they really useful players who actually care about how the game community?

Anyway, that's my opinion.

[Barnes]

Do you seriously believe that opponents of the latest reform scheme do so because they deliberately want to make the game less enjoyable? No one is saying that we shouldn't try to make the game more enjoyable...the debate is over what, if anything, is capable of creating more enjoyment.

Did I in any way say that? I don't believe I did. 

I really don't understand why some players are so opposed to altering anything in a game so that it can be more enjoyable.  Please don't mistake me, to achieve this we don't necessarily have to burn down the whole house and rebuild it from the embers; there are many things that can be done very easily that will leave the main structure intact.

The point I'm trying to make is that there has always been a resistance (if only misguided, not malignant) to any type of change - however comprehensive.  I thought I had made that pretty clear.

I definitely did not propose my plan to make the game "less fun." I've fought my whole career to make the game more fun to play and interact. I see consolidation and bicameralism as a realistic fundamental change to Atlasia that may spur renewed interest in a game that has grown stale over the last few years. We've played the same game for 10 years now!

I do prefer the status quo to anything else aside from my plan, as I feel a European type system would completely kill any interest in Atlasia going forward. Personally, I'd no longer play this game if we moved towards a parliamentary system, which might please some people

Duke, you know that I've never in any way doubted your intentions.

I've made my preference for some kind of parliament known, but I'm well aware that it won't be adopted, and I'm fine with that. 

This again goes back to my earlier point, there are plenty of things that can be changed with the current system to make it better.  That's why people shouldn't try to turn the defeat of one plan (and yes, bicameralism is dead and buried, we all agree) into a way to defeat any ideas on improvement.

[Barnes]

Oh no, dear Barnesy, I never accused you of wanting me to disappear or that you doubted me, but surely some have, as horrific as that sounds! If only those doubters would just fall to their knees and submit themselves, but alas....