Arbitrary Mechanics

The term "arbitrary mechanics" relates to things that are represented in the game by procedurally generated names and traits. These things are:

Religions

Religions are systems of belief followed by your people. The religions present in your nation can be viewed in the Nation Editor, under the Society Section. The following is a list of the traits that religions can have, and their corresponding bonuses.

TRAITS:

• Populous: +Happiness -Science
• Militaristic: +Military Tech Production -Science, ++Military Science
• Philosophical: +Science
• Worker: +Production
• Charitable: +Health
• Forager: +Gathering
• Caste: +Bonuses from Specialists
• Tolerant: +Happiness from other Religions
• Intolerant: +Conversion Rates, -Happiness from other Religions, -Science
• Animistic: +Happiness, -Food
• Polytheistic: +Happiness, -Happiness from Animistic Religions
• Monotheistic: +Conversion, -Happiness from Animistic and Polytheistic Religions
• Nontheistic: +Conversion, +Science

Social Programs

Social Programs are things like book clubs and discos. Basically, it's a structured activity that the people of your nation undertake that is not a sport or art form. Social programs will be found alongside Welfare Programs under Social and Welfare in the Society Section of the Nation Editor. The traits for Social Programs are as follows.

TRAITS:

• Educational: +Science
• Fun: +Happiness
• Irresponsible: +Happiness - Health
• Physical: +Health
• Pro-Government: +Stability
• Anti-Government: -Stability

Welfare Programs

Welfare Programs are programs designed to improve the mental and physical wellbeing of the people of your nation. The traits for Social Programs are as follows.

TRAITS:

• Medical: +Health
• Psychological: +Happiness
• Irresponsible: +Happiness -Health

Arts

We all know what arts are. Flat, fat or seizure-like, they can be found under this heading. Arts will be found alongside Sports and Celebrations under Aesthetics and Entertainment in the Society Section of the Nation Editor. The traits for Arts are as follows:

TRAITS:

• Legends: +Stability
• Myths: +Happiness
• Musical: +Happiness
• Graphical: +Happiness
• Written: +Happiness with Literacy Rate
• Fiction: +Happiness
• Three-dimensional: +Happiness
• Performed: +Health
• Photography: +Happiness
• Moving Image: +Happiness

Arts can be created or edited in the Culture Section of the Nation Editor.

Sports

Sports are physical activities with set rules. Sports will be found alongside Arts and Celebrations under Aesthetics and Entertainment in the Society Section of the Nation Editor. The traits for Sports are as follows:

TRAITS:

• Athletic: +Health
• Militaristic: +Military TO Production
• Mounted: +TOs with Animals Production
• Team: +Health, +Order
• Field: +Health, +Happiness
• Water: +Health, +Water TO Production

Sports can be created or edited in the Culture Section of the Nation Editor.

Celebrations

Celebrations are events that are celebratory or ritualistic. What separates these from Arts and Sports is that they are triggered by either an occurrence or a set time. The traits for Celebrations are as follows:

TRAITS:

• Trigger (all celebrations have this): [Trigger/Time]

Celebrations can be created or edited in the Culture Section of the Nation Editor.

People (Leaders, Legislation Members and Governors)

All of these people are involved in some way in running your nation. These 'people' have more than just traits, however. They also have values in two areas: popularity and corruption. These values will be randomly generated alongside everything else when the person is spawned, but after that is subject to change as events occur in the player's game.

The Popularity value will have a positive effect on happiness and stability (for Governors in their SC, for Leaders and Legislation Members the entire Nation). Doing things like constructing impressive TOs, winning wars or improving living conditions will give the people currently in power a Popularity boost.

Corruption values will decree whether a person is involved in scandal or becomes a traitor. When scandal happens, the affected SCs will suffer a temporary stability hit and the leader will lose popularity (this can be avoided with high media control).

As well as giving bonuses, their traits are their personalities. Different traits will lead to different styles of SC or Nation Management by the AI. The traits for all three of these positions are as follows:

TRAITS:

• Charismatic: +Happiness (starts with more Popularity)
• Organised: -Maintenance, +Production
• Aggressive: +Military Unit Production, +Military Science
• Philosophical: +Science
• Medical: +Health
• Industrious: +Production
• Rural: +Gathering
• Financial: +Wealth
• Creative: +Bonuses from Entertainer Specialists
• Fanatic: +Happiness from State Religion, -Science, -Happiness from other religions
• Pacifist: +Science, -Military Unit Production
• Progressive: -Order, +Science
• Conservative: +Order, -Science
• Corrupt: -Order, +Wealth
• Diplomatic: +Relations with nearby Nations
• Xenophobe: -Relation with nearby Nations
• Protective: +Military Unit Production, -Relations with nearby Nations
• Spiritual: +Bonuses from Religions
• Proletariat: +Bonuses from all Specialists

Corporations

Corporations are organisations that conduct business within one or multiple nations. In game, Corporations will act as miniature nations. They will promote ideals and values as they see fit, and may also buy other corporations. They can be illegalized or regulated by the player's government in the Nation Editor, under Economy. The traits for Corporations are slightly more complex than other Arbitrary Mechanics, due to their mini-nation status, and are as follows:

TRAITS: Must have one of these

• For-profit: -Wealth

- For-profit corporations will force the government and/or people to pay for goods. This will mean that higher castes will have access to more of the goods than lower castes.

• Non-profit: +Happiness

- Non-profit corporations will share their goods with every SC that their corporation is present in.

Can only have one of these

• Research: +Science
• Construction: +Production
• Luxury: +Happiness
• Medical: +Health
• Military: +Military TO Production
• Media: +Happiness (affected by media restriction, etc)
• Food: +Food

If Research, then sub-traits correspond to each research area. They will produce points towards these research areas to sell (FP) or give (NP) to the nation.

If Construction, then sub-traits correspond to each TO tag. They will produce these TOs to sell (FP) or give (NP) to the nation.

If Luxury, then sub-traits are:

• High-class: +High Caste Happiness -Low Caste Happiness
• Working-class: +Middle Castes Happiness
• Low-class: +Low Caste Happiness
• Unhealthy: -Health

If Medical, then sub-traits are:

• Charity: +Health to all
• Private: +Health to higher Castes

If Military, then sub-traits correspond to specific Military TOs. The corporation may create these TOs, or may organise the purchase of them from other corporations. They will use these TOs to sell (FP) or give (NP) to the nations they are present in.

If Media, then sub-traits are:

• Anti-Government: -Stability
• Pro-Government: +Stability
• Educational: +Science
• Luxury: +Happiness

If Food, then sub-traits are:

• Junk Food: +Food -Health
• Health Food: +Food +Health

These traits are not dependent on any other traits

• Tech-Savvy: +Bonuses with advanced medias
• Technologically Incompetent: -Bonuses with advanced medias

Education

Education will be handled in three stages (because that's easy to relate to). Primary, Secondary, Specialist. Each stage would be unlocked along the lines of the Research Web. Primary teaches basics (math, language, basic science). Secondary reinforces these basics, and Specialist specialises.

So what effect does this have on the game? Well, all population with a primary education would add a minuscule amount of points to your research production. All secondary educated population would add more points. And Specialist educated population are more effective at their specialisation (Entertainer, Worker, Medic, etc.). The education systems that arise will depend on what research and inventions you have access to, as well as some options in the Nation Editor.

TRAITS:

• Hereditary

Taught by parents. Not highly effective past primary. Cannot learn above parent's education.

• Apprenticeship

Taught by people with knowledge of this level. Highly effective at all stages. Can learn at master's education level.

• Religious

Taught by religious figures (Would be a specific religion). Highly effective at Primary and Secondary. Can learn at allowed level (some religions may not allow certain specialists). Students will end up members of this religion.

• Corporate

Taught by corporate figures (Would be a specific corporation). Highly effective at all levels. Can learn at allowed level (some religions may not allow certain specialists). Students will end up employees at this corporation.

• State

Taught by national figures. Highly effective at all levels. Can learn at allowed level (defined in Nation Editor).

• Independent

Taught by people from any and all aspects of life. Highly effective at all levels. Can learn at level of education of the population that the system employs.

There may also occur traits that demand a certain class or caste.

These traits can be applied to any of the education steps. Here are some example education systems: Apprenticeship Specialist, High Caste Independent Primary, Middle Caste Religious Secondary, you get the idea. The player can then choose to outlaw, encourage or make compulsory any of these systems at the cost of resources.

Media

Media: media is information. The two properties of media are: - Content What the media tells the audience. - Circulation How the media is spread.

Content:

• Gossip

Useless information about the famous. +Happiness (Small negative impact on Science and Production)

• News

Information about events known to the publisher. +Happiness, player will be notified of major events.

• Propaganda (for or against [party/religion/corporation/society model/etc])

Tries to influence people in favour or against political organisations, religions, corporations or aspects of society.

• Entertainment

Simply entertaining media. ++Happiness

• Educational

Teaches people something through media. ++Science

These traits can also be sub-traits. So for instance, a media could be Educational and Entertainment or Gossip and News. But, when more than one trait is present, both traits bonuses are halved. Now, for the circulation traits.

Circulation:

• Word of Mouth

Spread person to person.

• Community Board

Spread from a community board. Requires language and high literacy rates.

• Printed

Spread through circulated papers.

• Telecommunications

Spread through electronic communications (telegrams, telephones)

• Radio

Spread through radio transmitters and receivers.

• Televised

Spread through Transmitted Images.

• Internet

Spread through anything with internet access.

Circulation traits are dependent on Research and Inventions, and the amount of influence any media has is directly related to the number of related TOs and their connection to each other.