New Sinkers Redefine NationStates Gameplay
Written by Andy
Edited by Kazaman, Vorhollah and Rand
The ground shook and a sea of pilers moved across the NationStates universe last night in the aftermath of the advent of two brand new Sinker regions. At approximately midnight GMT, word spread across the major gameplay regions regarding the creation of The Plains of Perdition and The Outback; immediately, the scramble was on to assemble forces to seize the regions’ World Assembly delegacies.
The term ‘Sinker’ has evolved over time. It dates back as far as the mid to late 2000s, and referred to the only region in NationStates in which nations would spawn when they refounded: Lazarus, which at the time was one of only two regions which mechanically could not eject nations from its borders. This monopoly on returning nations swelled Lazarus to the largest region in the game at the time, prompting site staff to create two additional Sinker regions in 2011: Balder and Osiris. The creation of these new regions triggered a legendary pile-off to wrest control of their fledgling governments: the United Defenders League (UDL) piled into Balder, whilst 10000 Island’s military - the Ten thousand Island Treaty Organisation (TITO) - seized control of Osiris. Though ultimately neither the UDL nor TITO would retain long-term control of the regions they dispatched pilers to occupy, the rush to grab control would go down as one of the most historic pile-offs in NationStates history.
The advent of the Frontier/Stronghold update would eventually herald a change for the terminology used to describe the Game-Created Regions (GCRs). The term “Catcher” would be coined for a region which nations were sent to upon being ejected, The Rejected Realms (TRR) - a decision which was implemented against the wishes of TRR’s community and government. The trio of Sinkers would be renamed to “Restorers”. As the term Sinker now was not used to describe any region, site staff repurposed it to replace the widely unpopular double-entendre “Catcher” describing TRR. In summary, “Sinker” would now refer to TRR, and “Restorer” would refer to Balder, Osiris and Lazarus.
Fast forward to November 2024: the great militaries of NationStates are engaged in a battle for control of Empires Forever United (EFU), a Frontier occupied by the Raider Unity coalition. World Assembly proposals were written and submitted to the Security Council and sieges were launched as defenders, including the Europeian Republican Navy (ERN), set out to free the region from its occupiers. Amidst this fierce battle, the cataclysmic game update creating two brand new Sinkers would be introduced remarkably quietly by site staff: no news post, no forum announcement, no word of it on discord, nothing. The names of these new Sinkers are The Plains of Perdition and The Outback; how the player base as a whole noticed the update so quickly is thus far an unconfirmed mystery to the EBC. Word spread like wildfire and militaries from all across the world, of all different alignments, rapidly changed their strategic priorities to race to the pile. In the Plains, a coalition of forces from The League & Concord (TL&C), the Lands of Kings and Emperors (LKE), Balder, the ERN, the Order of the Grey Wardens (TGW), the Augustin Alliance (AA) and others descended upon the region to appoint Rhaza (known as Quebecshire) and Wickedness (known as @Grea Kriopia) as its first WA Delegate and Vice Delegate respectively, amassing an impressive pile of 124 endorsements in under 5 hours. In The Outback, the West Pacific (TWP) led a group of pilers from The North Pacific (TNP) and Lone Wolves United (LWU) to install Terannical to the top job, amassing a pile of 72 endorsements in the same time frame, with some ERN assistance. The two coalitions have speedily gotten to work developing aesthetics, infrastructure and legitimacy for the fledgling governments: both are constructing embassies with a slew of regions as they build their inter-regional credibility; the Aegis Accords has recognised the new government of the Plains and the Europeian Senate is preparing to do the same; the Plains released their founding proclamation whilst The Outback published their defining corporate policies.
The arrival of two new Sinker regions is an event which has not happened in over 13 years on NationStates; the gravity of this moment is not to be underestimated, and is likely to redefine the gameplay landscape for years to come as Balder and Osiris did over a decade ago. The stability of these new Sinkers, their identity, and the relationships they will forge with other regions amidst a universe at war are yet to be determined at this moment. Whether you, dear reader, are involved in gameplay or not, NationStates history is unfolding in front of your very eyes. Someone grab the popcorn!
