Difference between revisions of "April Fools' Day"

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(List of April Fools' jokes: Image link fixed (seems NSindex cannot tell between a simple link and a hotlink).)
 
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Over the years, these gags have included a "server error" that reset everyone's population to 5 million, a "shutdown" of the site by the "Homeworld Security" department, zombie outbreaks, a dating site for NS players, a [[World Assembly#'A colossal fireball of extra-dimensional inanity'|"cease and desist" notice]] from the RW [[wikipedia:United Nations|United Nations]], and the establishment of the [[WA Security Council]]. OK, OK, maybe that last one wasn't a "prank" in the strictest sense of the word, but it would have been a good one; trust me.
 
Over the years, these gags have included a "server error" that reset everyone's population to 5 million, a "shutdown" of the site by the "Homeworld Security" department, zombie outbreaks, a dating site for NS players, a [[World Assembly#'A colossal fireball of extra-dimensional inanity'|"cease and desist" notice]] from the RW [[wikipedia:United Nations|United Nations]], and the establishment of the [[WA Security Council]]. OK, OK, maybe that last one wasn't a "prank" in the strictest sense of the word, but it would have been a good one; trust me.
  
A number of these jokes have proven quite popular, inspiring tribute nations and regions named for them, some even making "comebacks" on the site. ("[[NationStates Z]]" has recurred three times so far, and the "Liberal/Conservative NationStates" themes are still options in nation settings.) A few of the jokes, however, failed to land, sparking outrage and even threats of legal action.
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A number of these jokes have proven quite popular, inspiring tribute nations and regions named for them, some even making "comebacks" on the site. ("[[NationStates Z]]" has recurred numerous times, and the "Liberal/Conservative NationStates" themes are still options in nation settings.) A few of the jokes, however, failed to land, sparking outrage and even threats of legal action.
  
 
Some of the more recent pranks have been criticized as being tailored only to certain types of players (mostly gameplayers), and for being "mini-games" rather than actual pranks or jokes.<sup>[http://z11.invisionfree.com/Antarctic_Oasis/index.php?showtopic=1079&view=findpost&p=22011923]</sup> A news item from 2015 acknowledged the latter critique, and claimed it was due to popular demand.<sup>[https://www.nationstates.net/page=news/2015/04/01/index.html]</sup>
 
Some of the more recent pranks have been criticized as being tailored only to certain types of players (mostly gameplayers), and for being "mini-games" rather than actual pranks or jokes.<sup>[http://z11.invisionfree.com/Antarctic_Oasis/index.php?showtopic=1079&view=findpost&p=22011923]</sup> A news item from 2015 acknowledged the latter critique, and claimed it was due to popular demand.<sup>[https://www.nationstates.net/page=news/2015/04/01/index.html]</sup>
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*2016: '''[[WA Secretary-General]] election'''. Nations all had a chance to run for "secretary-general of the World Assembly" (presumably because incumbent Secretary-General [[List of WA forum memes#Catherine Gratwick|Catherine Gratwick]]'s past life of crime finally caught up with her and she had to bail). Unlike other WA votes, all nations, regardless of [[WA Member|membership]] status, were entitled to one vote. '''''[News item - [http://www.nationstates.net/page=news/2016/04/01/index.html April 1, 2016]]'''''
 
*2016: '''[[WA Secretary-General]] election'''. Nations all had a chance to run for "secretary-general of the World Assembly" (presumably because incumbent Secretary-General [[List of WA forum memes#Catherine Gratwick|Catherine Gratwick]]'s past life of crime finally caught up with her and she had to bail). Unlike other WA votes, all nations, regardless of [[WA Member|membership]] status, were entitled to one vote. '''''[News item - [http://www.nationstates.net/page=news/2016/04/01/index.html April 1, 2016]]'''''
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*2017: '''The Nuclear Option'''. For the first time ever, and after fielding many, many, many suggestions for nuclear warfare over the years, NationStates allowed nations to stockpile and launch nuclear weapons -- and all hell broke loose. Who won the catastrophic war that naturally followed? Well, we have no idea, particularly since, as promised, all nations were swept clean of radiation after 36 hours. This was another April Fools' game that has made a couple comebacks since. '''''[News item - [https://www.nationstates.net/page=news/2017/03/31/index.html March 31, 2017]]'''''
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*2018: '''NationStates Trading Cards'''. Trading cards for every nation in existence at the time were widely distributed throughout the NS world, allowing owners to either junk them for a small profit, gift them to others for a small fee, or trade them on the open market. The first iteration of this game lasted for the entire first week of April; then, players automatically received new cards every so often. Now, cards can be obtained by answering issues, and they can still be bought and sold on the market. '''''[News item - [https://www.nationstates.net/page=news/2018/03/31/index.html March 31, 2018]]'''''
 
[[Category:Game]][[Category:Gameplay]][[Category:World Assembly]][[Category:Max Barry]]
 
[[Category:Game]][[Category:Gameplay]][[Category:World Assembly]][[Category:Max Barry]]

Latest revision as of 22:40, 23 December 2018

April Fools' Day pranks are an annual tradition on the NS site. Once a year (and sometimes more than that), sudden changes to the game will be announced, or new features and/or games added that promise more interactivity on the game site. These modifications to the game code usually last only two or three days.

Over the years, these gags have included a "server error" that reset everyone's population to 5 million, a "shutdown" of the site by the "Homeworld Security" department, zombie outbreaks, a dating site for NS players, a "cease and desist" notice from the RW United Nations, and the establishment of the WA Security Council. OK, OK, maybe that last one wasn't a "prank" in the strictest sense of the word, but it would have been a good one; trust me.

A number of these jokes have proven quite popular, inspiring tribute nations and regions named for them, some even making "comebacks" on the site. ("NationStates Z" has recurred numerous times, and the "Liberal/Conservative NationStates" themes are still options in nation settings.) A few of the jokes, however, failed to land, sparking outrage and even threats of legal action.

Some of the more recent pranks have been criticized as being tailored only to certain types of players (mostly gameplayers), and for being "mini-games" rather than actual pranks or jokes.[1] A news item from 2015 acknowledged the latter critique, and claimed it was due to popular demand.[2]

List of April Fools' jokes

  • 2004: Population reset. All nations' populations "reset" to 5 million. Apparently generated a lot of angry emails to Max Barry and game staff. [News item - April 1, 2004]
  • 2005: Homeworld Security shutdown. Upon logging on to NS, players were sent to a "security notice" informing them that the site had been closed by the "Department of Homeworld Security." A new World Census ranking hailing nations "Most Likely to Be Deleted" also appeared on the site that year. (The population reset also briefly made a comeback.) [News item - April 1, 2005]
  • 2006: NationDates. The site invited all players to take a survey about their social and romantic interests, that when completed would recommend a member of their region to "hook up" with. Since a good number of NS players were/are underaged, it may not have been the best prank to play on them. [News item - April 1, 2006]
  • 2007: Regional Moderators. Some players within regions were declared "Regional Moderators" and given access to a special moderation center to issue reports, warnings and threats against their friends. [News item - March 31, 2007]
  • 2008: World Assembly. Responding to a "cease and desist" notice from the RW United Nations, Max replaced the NSUN with the "World Assembly," complete with new logo and flag. The next day, game staff claimed prank was not a prank at all, and that the new WA would remain on the NS site, in order to fend off legal threats by the RL UN. A resolution cementing the WA's status passed overwhelmingly. [News items - March 31 and April 1, 2008]
  • 2009: NationStates DS. A banner on the NS site advertised the impending arrival of the Nintendo DS version of NationStates. A promotional site for the game was also created, featuring previews of what the game would look like on the DS console, and testimonials from prominent players who had supposedly tried it on their own DSes. [News item - March 31, 2009]
  • 2010: Liberal/Conservative NationStates. As a way of telling all the people over the years who have complained about NS being "biased" to shut up, two new versions of the site were created, one boasting a decidedly liberal slant and another touting a conservative one. Nations' government types were crossed out in both versions and replaced with more "fair and balanced" descriptors. The General Forum was closed for being "redundant" and replaced with both "Liberal" and "Conservative" discussion forums. [News item - March 31, 2010]
  • 2011: HAXX0RED!!!11. Players were duped into thinking their nations had been hacked into and some of their settings changed; n00bish posts from their nations appeared on regional RMBs. (Numerous players threatened legal action against Max and the game for this stunt.) All accounts were promoted to "moderators" on the forum. Weasel Stomping Day came to "vote" in the World Assembly. [News item - April 1, 2011]
  • 2012: NationStates IPO. Buoyed by prospects for the recently announced facebook IPO, Max announced that NS would follow suit and open its own IPO. He awarded a share per million citizens to all NS nations (which they could then trade or gift to other nations as they pleased), and 25 million shares to himself. By the end of the day, a coalition of players had overtaken Max as the largest shareholder. [News item - March 31, 2012]
  • 2013: NationStates Z. A zombie pandemic hit the NS world, with all nations being given special issues to address the sudden outbreak. Charts showing how much of the population had either changed into zombies, or died, appeared on every national profile and regional WFE. This gag proved so popular it has seen multiple comebacks as a Halloween prank every year since. [News item - April 1, 2013]
  • 2014: ByteCoin. Similar to the IPO game, a Bitcoin knockoff was announced on the NS site, with nations able to transfer virtual wealth to their friends, or horde it all for themselves. [News item - April 1, 2014]
  • 2015: Cards Against NationStates. An online version of Cards Against Humanity premiered on the NS site, with nations able to play against each other in groups of up to 15. [News item - April 1, 2015]
  • 2016: WA Secretary-General election. Nations all had a chance to run for "secretary-general of the World Assembly" (presumably because incumbent Secretary-General Catherine Gratwick's past life of crime finally caught up with her and she had to bail). Unlike other WA votes, all nations, regardless of membership status, were entitled to one vote. [News item - April 1, 2016]
  • 2017: The Nuclear Option. For the first time ever, and after fielding many, many, many suggestions for nuclear warfare over the years, NationStates allowed nations to stockpile and launch nuclear weapons -- and all hell broke loose. Who won the catastrophic war that naturally followed? Well, we have no idea, particularly since, as promised, all nations were swept clean of radiation after 36 hours. This was another April Fools' game that has made a couple comebacks since. [News item - March 31, 2017]
  • 2018: NationStates Trading Cards. Trading cards for every nation in existence at the time were widely distributed throughout the NS world, allowing owners to either junk them for a small profit, gift them to others for a small fee, or trade them on the open market. The first iteration of this game lasted for the entire first week of April; then, players automatically received new cards every so often. Now, cards can be obtained by answering issues, and they can still be bought and sold on the market. [News item - March 31, 2018]