Aurora's Decline

§0§l On the Decline§0 §0§l of§0 §0§l Aurora§0 §0 §0 §0 §0 §0 §0§o by§0 §0 §0 §0 Ogel6000§0

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-§0 §0 §0 §0 §0 §0 A Lament§0 §0 §0 §0 §0 §0 §0 §0-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=§0

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-§0 §0Reasons:§0 §0 §0 The Decline of§0 §0Aurora cannot be§0 §0attributed to most of§0 §0the mainstream causes§0 §0one might associate§0 §0given the context of§0 §0Aurora. This includes§0 §0the Oldgoran schism,§0 §0federal dissolution,§0 §0descent into Anarcho§0

Capitalism, or even the§0 §0HCF attacks§0 §0experienced in late§0 §02013.§0 §0 §0 Yes, the HCF§0 §0attacks led by§0 §0Bloodidiot did take a§0 §0swath out of Auroran§0 §0population and§0 §0integrity, however it§0 §0was minimal in the§0 §0greater scope.§0

Aurora was merely a§0 §0fledgling during the§0 §0split between the§0 §0Agorans and the§0 §0Aurorans. For those§0 §0who do not know, the§0 §0Agorans were the§0 §0inhabitters of New§0 §0Agora, the§0 §0predecessor to§0 §0Aurora. They chose to§0 §0leave, as they felt§0 §0Aurora had strayed§0

too far from New§0 §0Agora.§0 §0 §0Surprisingly, this slice§0 §0did not hinder§0 §0Aurora's status as§0 §0one of the (if not the)§0 §0most popular society§0 §0on Civcraft.§0

If you look at the§0 §0Transport map made§0 §0by Pavel_The_Hitman,§0 §0you can see a huge§0 §0amount of towns and§0 §0cities, more than half§0 §0of the total,§0 §0abandoned. Why have§0 §0all these places fallen§0 §0into oblivion?§0

Well, for a town the§0 §0exist in a functional§0 §0way in Civcraft, it must§0 §0have some value.§0 §0There must be a§0 §0reason to live there§0 §0instead of elsewhere.§0 §0 §0Most small towns either§0 §0involve a community of§0 §0RL friends, a language,§0 §0an RP topic, a political§0 §0system,

or §0

access to natural§0 §0resources.§0 §0 §0In a large city such§0 §0as Aurora or Orion,§0 §0the surroundings have§0 §0been sucked dry, and§0 §0the city itself becomes§0 §0a melting pot of§0 §0different ideologies§0 §0and attitudes.§0 §0 §0As a result, the city §0

itself becomes the§0 §0reason why people§0 §0choose to live there.§0 §0Despite the§0 §0environment around§0 §0the city being low in§0 §0resources, the town§0 §0itself contains large§0 §0amounts of resources.§0

Another decisive§0 §0factor in the collapse§0 §0of cities is the placebo§0 §0effect. §0 §0 §0Cities on Civcraft are§0 §0in general unstable§0 §0and volatile. Aurora§0 §0seemingly collapsed§0 §0overnight after§0 §0months of perfect§0 §0stability, and fervent§0 §0immobility on the CAI.§0

What I mean by the§0 §0placebo effect in this§0 §0case, is when a large§0 §0group believe a city to§0 §0be abandoned, thus§0 §0treat it as if it were§0 §0abandoned. Thus the§0 §0placebo spreads.§0 §0 §0One more prerequisite§0 §0phenomenon I will talk§0 §0about is core players.§0 §0Most city on

Civcraft are composed§0 §0of small communities of§0 §0core players, who§0 §0occupy the city for§0 §0long periods of time,§0 §0as well as larger§0 §0communities of shorter§0 §0term players who come§0 §0and go more§0 §0frequently. §0 §0 §0Aurora had a§0 §0surprisingly large§0

group of core§0 §0players. As multiple§0 §0people have stated,§0 §0the three main core§0 §0players of Aurora§0 §0were myself,§0 §0Hummelwagen, and§0 §0Taargus_. I think it is§0 §0interesting to note§0 §0that each of us§0 §0appealed to a§0 §0different community of§0 §0shorter term players.§0

Myself, one of few§0 §0statists in the city,§0 §0appealed to moderate§0 §0statists. Hummelwagen,§0 §0an outspoken AnCap,§0 §0appealed to AnCaps.§0 §0And Taargus, with his§0 §0diamond cauldron§0 §0cooperative kept many§0 §0people in Aurora as§0 §0well.§0 §0 §0Aurora had many §0

other core players,§0 §0which have been§0 §0overlooked; many of§0 §0these players are§0 §0among the few§0 §0remaining citizens.§0 §0 §0The big three of us§0 §0left Aurora at around§0 §0the same time, for§0 §0completely different§0 §0reasons.§0

Myself, sick of the§0 §0bureaucracy, sick of§0 §0the schisms, the§0 §0tensions, and the§0 §0general§0 §0disorganisation both in§0 §0infrastructure and in§0 §0attitude of people,§0 §0pushed me away. §0 §0 §0My term as Chancellor§0 §0was the final straw. §0

While I was Chancellor,§0 §0I took an enormous§0 §0amount of crap. Half§0 §0of the country wanted§0 §0to tear down the§0 §0federal government,§0 §0the other half wanted§0 §0to leave it.§0 §0 §0The existance of the§0 §0federal government§0 §0(The Agoran§0 §0Federation)§0

had been long since§0 §0disputed, and was§0 §0vastly overdue for§0 §0dissolution. Prior§0 §0Chancellors had only§0 §0put it off, only making§0 §0tensions higher for§0 §0me.§0 §0 §0After dissolution, I felt§0 §0like I had lifted a§0 §0burdern off of the§0 §0city. However,§0

tensions continued,§0 §0escalated even. I got§0 §0pushed away from the§0 §0city.§0 §0 §0The departure of this§0 §0core of Aurorans left§0 §0most other Aurorans§0 §0stunned. Shortly after§0 §0announcing my§0 §0intentions to depart, I§0 §0received a PM saying§0 §0"All the good people §0

are leaving".§0 §0 §0I do not know why§0 §0Hummelwagen or§0 §0Taargus_ left. I do§0 §0remember discussing§0 §0with Hummelwagen the§0 §0idea of each of us§0 §0starting our own cities;§0 §0I had assumed that§0 §0was where Hummel had§0 §0left off to, however§0 §0recently I was§0

informed that that was§0 §0not the case.§0 §0 §0Part of me constantly§0 §0mulls over the§0 §0question "Would§0 §0Aurora still be thriving§0 §0had I not left?". This§0 §0even brings on new§0 §0discussion; had I§0 §0stayed and Hummel and§0 §0Taargus left,§0

the only well known,§0 §0outspoken core citizen§0 §0would've been a§0 §0statist; would this have§0 §0caused any noticeable§0 §0change to the Agorist,§0 §0deteriorating§0 §0governance of the§0 §0city?§0 §0 §0 §0 * * *§0

I would like to look§0 §0back farther; back to§0 §0the Agoran/Auroran§0 §0schism.§0 §0 §0Despite what I have§0 §0said earlier in these§0 §0pages, this split may§0 §0have set in motion the§0 §0deterioration of the§0 §0Agoran government.§0 §0 §0Under the §0

Chancellorship of§0 §0Chemistry35, the§0 §0federal government§0 §0had no problem being§0 §0recognised. It felt like§0 §0a functioning§0 §0government, and§0 §0people recognised it,§0 §0and followed it.§0 §0 §0The first hints of§0 §0Agoran I felt were§0 §0soon under the term§0

of FriedrichHayek.§0 §0FriedrichHayek won§0 §0against§0 §0Pantostado1066 in a§0 §0very close election,§0 §0which was investigated§0 §0for voter fraud. §0 §0 §0One of the first things§0 §0FriedrichHayek did as§0 §0Chancellor, was§0 §0rewrite the§0 §0constitution. The new§0

draft was a mess. It§0 §0was put up for voting§0 §0but the federal§0 §0council well before it§0 §0was ready to actually§0 §0function.§0 §0 §0Eager for some§0 §0change, most of the§0 §0council immediately§0 §0voted 'aye' for the§0 §0change. I asked§0 §0around, and all but me§0

had not even read the§0 §0draft. Soon before the§0 §0council vote closed,§0 §0Dr_Oracle changed his§0 §0vote to 'nay' alongside§0 §0mine, explaining that he§0 §0had changed his mind§0 §0aftering reading the§0 §0draft.§0 §0 §0However, it still passed§0 §03-2.§0

Soon after the§0 §0introduction of the§0 §0new draft, the§0 §0functionality of the§0 §0government began to§0 §0decrease. The§0 §0government became§0 §0ignored in time.§0 §0 §0After Friedrich's term,§0 §0Taargus was§0 §0nominated, and won.§0

Little happened under§0 §0Taargus.§0 §0 §0In a close election§0 §0against Juz16, I won§0 §0leadership. Upon§0 §0entering office, I§0 §0realised the extent of§0 §0the damage: the§0 §0Agoran Federal§0 §0government was§0 §0basically§0 §0unrecognised, and had§0

no power at all.§0

My position meant§0 §0nothing. I was a§0 §0figurehead, a mascot,§0 §0and nothing more.§0 §0 §0I rewrote the city§0 §0Charter, the only§0 §0document relating to§0 §0municipal governance.§0 §0My intention was a§0 §0system resistant to§0 §0bureaucracy, and with§0 §0no bullshit that§0

could slow down§0 §0processes such as§0 §0passing laws.§0 §0 §0I changed the charter§0 §0overnight without so§0 §0much as asking.§0 §0 §0Nobody resisted.§0 §0Nobody cared. I got§0 §0one inquisitive comment§0 §0asking "Can you do§0 §0this?", but other§0

than that, nothing.§0 §0Nobody cared about§0 §0the government.§0 §0Aurora, at that point,§0 §0was already AnCap,§0 §0and there was nothing§0 §0I could do.§0 §0 §0However, people§0 §0stayed in Aurora. They§0 §0stayed because the§0 §0government existed. It§0 §0was another placebo.§0

When the government§0 §0fell, one level at a§0 §0time, people felt like§0 §0the roof was being§0 §0lifted off of their§0 §0heads, even though§0 §0the roof was already§0 §0pushed to the side and§0 §0ignored.§0 §0 §0

Aurora was killed by§0 §0placebos. Two of them.§0 §0The removal of a non§0 §0existant government,§0 §0and the departure of§0 §03 people.§0 §0 §0I can't help but take a§0 §0large portion of the§0 §0blame for Aurora's§0 §0fall. I did not realise§0 §0how influential I had§0 §0been.§0

As Kikariska stated on§0 §0the subreddit§0 §0recently:§0 §0 §0>AnCap§0 §0>Population§0 §0Pick one§0 §0 §0I think this applies well§0 §0to Aurora. Like the§0 §0ancient city of§0 §0Columbia, when the§0 §0government topples, §0

so does the§0 §0population. That's not§0 §0to say Aurora is at§0 §0absolute zero. Several§0 §0people do reside§0 §0there, proudly. The§0 §0vault is still in good§0 §0shape, and factories§0 §0are (for the most§0 §0part) alive.§0

§0 §0§o Copy by§0 §0 §0 §0§lMaester Flaminius§0 §0§o of§0 §0§l The Assembly§0 §0 §0§o on§0 §0 §0 February 18th§0 §0 §0 2014§0

§0 §0 §0§l Maester§0 §0§l Alliance§0 §0 §0 §0 §4§l The§0 §4§l Assembly§0 §4§l Scriptorium§0