I am an office drone (an accountant, to be precise). I am also a news junkie, hobby anthropologist (it involves recording drag queen voices and getting paid by Nintendo to analyze character voices), easily amused, and LOVE Democracy 3 (vanilla, Africa, and mods!) so I’ve accumulated a huge list of ideas in downtime at work.
Where would one post ideas? I have a Word doc at the moment in outline format.
Also, I love the format of this forum. Props to whoever set it up!
Below is a crude attempt to copy+paste my brainstorming from a Word doc that included bullet points. Because I’m a new user, I needed to delete all the source links from this copy+paste.
Democracy 4 / Next Democracy 3 DLC Wishlist
- Asia Expansion/Focus/Compatibility?
- Interesting Examples:
- Singapore
- Super-urbanized
- Rich but condensed; the government buys sand from other countries for land reclamation (although that’s really more… literal land building)
- Very capitalistic
- Tons of ethnic minorities
- No real farming industry – there isn’t the space
- Frankly, this would be a good “noob to the Democracy Series” country given how successful it is already?
- Taiwan
- this might get your game banned in China… although frankly, if it isn’t already banned, I’d be shocked!
- You could join the elusive club of “Banned Games in China”!
- You could also possibly join the club of “Banned People in China”!
- Malaysia
- A good “noobie starting country” for a developing nation
- Government:
- Yes, a democracy and not a “democracy”
- It has an ELECTED MONARCHY! ELECTED!
- Its current prime minister is over 90 years old and was elected – again. He was Prime
Minister from 1981-2003, then “retired,” then was elected again in 2018 on an anti-
corruption platform.
- Politics:
- Bumiputra & Malaysian New Economic Policy (NEP)
- The Malaysian constitution recognizes special rights for native Malaysians and
Borneans, called Bumiputras- Around 69% of the population
- Anyone who is Muslim and speaks Malay can become Bumiputra
- Certain Bornean indigenous groups also count as Bumiputra
- Privileges include:
- A 7% discount on all houses and property
- Developers must prove they attempted to sell to Bumiputra before they can sell to
others - Quotas for admission to government universities & scholarships
- Governmental positions
- 30% Bumiputra ownership required to be listed on stock exchange
- Mutual Funds with guaranteed profit
- It’s basically reverse affirmative action
- The Malaysian constitution recognizes special rights for native Malaysians and
- Corruption is a problem
- The last prime minister stole billions from the pension fund, which is now broke
- Bumiputra & Malaysian New Economic Policy (NEP)
- Economics:
- Huge Chinese investment
- Fears Malaysia is being colonized by China via investments that will become
worthless & taking on Chinese debts they can’t repay without surrendering
the
investments back to China- Example: see Sri Lanka’s infamous Chinese infrastructure projects
- Fears Malaysia is being colonized by China via investments that will become
- Undocumented Migrant Worker Issues
- Huge Chinese investment
- Demographics:
- ~55% are Muslim Malay Bumiputra
- ~15% are non-Muslim Malay Bumiputra
- Most of the ~15% are called Orang Asal (at 11% of total Malaysian population)
- They are not majority-Muslim, however.
- Many various indigenous groups of varying religions (Christianity, Islam, &
Animist)
- ~20% of Malay population is Han Chinese
- ~7% of Malay population is Indian
- A huge issue in Malaysia is the growth of undocumented migrant workers
- Yes, Trump would have a real party with these guys
- Economy:
- Safety:
- Citizens required to carry ID cards at all times
- Hilariously, they’re called smart cards
- Citizens required to carry ID cards at all times
- Public Services:
- Considered to have the best healthcare system in the developing world
- Mongolia
- Yes, it’s an actual democracy and not a “democracy”
- For interesting info: see
- For more interesting info: see
- Demographics:
- 30% of the population is nomadic (read: self-employed farmers) today
- roam the countryside with goats/sheep on horses,
- so farming policies might be different
- also, this tradition’s causing serious desertification & loss of biodiversity
- would a player clamp down on the traditional grazing way of life?
- Or find an alternative – ban more harmful animals (goats) and instead only use
traditional animals (yaks)?- Although this would reduce farmer income, as goats will eat almost anything and
yaks are pickier… and surely upset the farmers, too.
- Although this would reduce farmer income, as goats will eat almost anything and
- Waste disposal also isn’t a thing for nomads
- Cattle outnumber people 15 to 1
- Nearly 2/3rds of the population lives in gers today
- These are tents from the Genghis Khan era
- 90% of rural people & 60% of people in the Mongol capital live in yurts
- So homelessness might not be an issue…?
- However, gers don’t have central heating, and use coal/wood for heating in the cold, which, due to Mongolia’s climate, is very common
- This causes serious indoor air pollution
- Ethnicities: 96% Mongol, 4% Kazakh
- Religions: 53% Buddhist, ~39% atheist, 3% Shamanistic, 3% Islam, 2% Christian other 1%
- 30% of the population is nomadic (read: self-employed farmers) today
- Transportation & Infrastructure:
- It’s the most sparsely populated country in the world, and very hilly with steppes & plateaus everywhere
- So infrastructure is a nightmare
- Also, see LINK REMOVED B/C NEW USER for good transportation detail
- Roads:
- It only has ~5000 km of paved road IN THE ENTIRE COUNTRY
- Yes, 5000 km of paved road IN THE ENTIRE COUNTRY
- The remaining ~45000 km of road is dirt/gravel/sand
- Tour guides regularly carry sand ladders to get their car out of the sand
- AND IT’S OVER SIX TIMES THE SIZE OF THE ENTIRE UNITED KINGDOM
- Busses:
- It has bus service between major cities & for some smaller towns
- Busses are used more than cars in the capital (where ~40% of the population lives)
- Also, ~50% of total urban traffic in the capital is public transport
- Rail:
- Rail is huge for freight, less for public usage
- 93% of freight
- 43% of passenger turnover
- Rail is huge for freight, less for public usage
- Car Usage:
- Traffic is a nightmare in the capital
- Parking is also a nightmare
- Parking is so terrible that double parking is commonplace
- That is, you block somebody else in with your car
- Every car in Mongolia has their phone number on their windshields so you can call the owner to ask them to move their car if they blocked you
- oppositelock.kinja.com/mongolian-car-culture-parking-in-ulaanbaatar-1795984591
- Car ownership is very low, though
- As of 2008, only 105,000 vehicles were registered in all of Mongolia
- Car Safety:
- Drivers frequently put snorkels in their engines to help keep them clean
- It’s the most sparsely populated country in the world, and very hilly with steppes & plateaus everywhere
- Environment:
- See WIKIPEDIA LINK REMOVED ON ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES IN MONGOLIA
- Economy:
- Power:
- 98% of power is from goal
- Resources:
- Rare Resources:
- It has tons of various rare metals that it primarily exports to China
- 60% of the mining is GOLD
- So rare earth metals would be a non-issue
- However, the mining industry has caused serious water pollution problems
- Oil:
- It also has lots of oil, on par with Argentina/UK, but isn’t really drilling any of it
- Rare Resources:
- GDP:
- 22% mining
- 16% agriculture
- Notable black market problem
- Notable corruption problem
- Power:
- Afghanistan
- No explanation needed on why it’s interesting
- Indonesia
- It’s the largest Muslim-majority country (and Muslim-majority democracy) in the world
- It’s also, well, a ton of islands – a literal bridge-building policy between peoples on different islands might be interesting
- South Korea
- Kyrgyzstan
- yes, it’s a real country in Central Asia; Google it!
- yes, it’s an actual democracy and not a “democracy”
- The 2017 election was monitored by 773 international monitors from 59 countries and 44 international organizations
- it’s a young one, beginning in 2010, and surrounded by dictators
- also, it’s Kyrgyzstan… how many people think about Kyrgyzstan? Have you even heard of Kyrgyzstan?
- For quick reference: WIKIPEDIA LINK ON KYRGYZSTANI ELECTIONS REMOVED
- India
- No explanation needed
- Thailand
- this might get your game banned in Thailand… but you can join Tropico 5 in the “banned in Thailand” club!
- Philippines
- No explanation needed
- East Timor / Timor-Leste
- 1.1 million people
- Tons of these are ethnic groups
- 97% are Catholic though
- Horrid education (58% adult literacy in 2010)
- Almost no government healthcare at $150 USD per person per year
- One of the highest smoking rates in the world
- Young but real democracy – started in 2002
- How people vote when 42% aren’t literate though? Can’t say!
- 1.1 million people
- Note: b/c they’re self-explanatory in the popular mindset, I’m not including the Middle East even though it’s technically Asia. But technically Asian nations not here that might be interesting include:
- Armenia
- Georgia
- Free publicity from politically-charged commenters!
- “WHY DID/DIDN’T YOU INCLUDE ABKHAZIA AND SOUTH OSSETIA?!”
- “WHY IS THIS COUNTRY IN THIS GAME”
- Iraq
- Israel
- Free publicity from politically-charged commenters!
- “WHY DID/DIDN’T YOU INCLUDE GAZA AND/OR JERUSALEM?!”
- “WHY IS THIS COUNTRY IN THIS GAME”
- Jordan
- Lebanon
- Turkey
- It’s called Asia Minor for a reason!
- Russia
- Siberia’s in Asia!
- The Maldives
- Singapore
- Interesting Examples:
- Major Items
- Include a “Stability” tracker
- Instead of only losing from assassination, bankruptcy, or election loss, include a collapse of the government
- Examples of Defeat:
- Successful Military Coup
- Separatist Uprising / Civil War
- Inability to Govern (no one acknowledges government due to lack of power – see Somalia)
- Factors in stability
- Federal ability to influence policy nationwide
- Power & satisfaction of the military
- Power & satisfaction of armed militia groups (if any)
- Power & satisfaction of separatist groups (if any)
- Economic stability
- Currency strength & control
- Examples of Defeat:
- Instead of only losing from assassination, bankruptcy, or election loss, include a collapse of the government
- Change up the voter types
- Instead of farmers plus motorists vs. commuters, how about a simple Rural vs. Urban setup? Or Rural vs. Urban vs. Suburban? Similar to how Liberal vs. Conservative is a zero-sum game?
- Urban folks aren’t big on driving – they’ll do it, but not much
- Rural folks aren’t big on public transport b/c the stops are probably miles from their houses
- Sometimes, Democracy 3 would end up with 40% farmers or something ridiculous like that while having 100% commuters
- This would also help certain nations make more sense (see Singapore/Japan)
- Additionally, certain infrastructure things would affect rural voters especially like:
- Wind/solar power – rural folks LOVE wind & solar subsidies, as they can then convert worn-out farmland into power for a profit
- Rail subsidies – traditionally great for small towns (subsidize train lines to run trains through rural areas), but if rail lines are EXPANDED, those farmers in the way….
- Prison policies – in most countries, prisons are in rural areas (not exactly slightly tourist attractions), so funding/expanding prisons helps rural incomes & provides rural employment
- Centralized Anything – if it’s not funded much, this’ll piss them off greatly, as it’d likely mean the nearest government health center / government office is many hours away; conversely, if funded very well, so every rural community has one, they’ll love it, as it’ll send good jobs to their area & likely provide a service they wouldn’t otherwise have
- Mass Transit funding – these guys don’t do mass transit
- Cheap cars – yay!
- Land Usage Rights – who can use federal land, and for what purpose(s)?
- Instead of farmers, have it be “Agriculturalists”?
- To reflect some of the animal herding & fishing in Asia (see Mongolia post)
- Instead of farmers plus motorists vs. commuters, how about a simple Rural vs. Urban setup? Or Rural vs. Urban vs. Suburban? Similar to how Liberal vs. Conservative is a zero-sum game?
- Include a “Stability” tracker
- Minor Items
- Random Events
- Tsunamis
- Local Sportsman Joins FIFA Board
- World Cup Win
- Island Dispute
- Monsoon
- Dilemmas
- World Bank / IMF bailout
- Policies
- Invasive Species Control
- Would make environmentalists very happy & farmers kinda happy
- Foreign Species Entry Prevention
- How hardcore does the country keep out foreign species?
- Would make farmers very happy & environmentalists kinda at the expense of international trade if it’s hardcore
- How hardcore does the country keep out foreign species?
- For Mongolia: Goat Tax / Goat Milk Tax
- Impose a tax on goat herders
- Effects:
- Income based on # of farmers
- Farmer happiness decreased
- Tax evasion noticeably higher (lie about your goats)
- Capitalist decrease b/c they hate taxes
- Environmentalist happiness
- Environment improves
- For Mongolia: Return to Traditional Herdsmanship
- Ban goats & other herd animals – yaks/horses only
- Effects:
- Farmer happiness decreased
- Capitalist severely decreased
- Self-employed membership decreases (these wandering, nomadic herdsmen aren’t working for McDonald’s….)
- Farmer membership decreases
- Environment improves
- Invasive Species Control
- Random Events
- Quality of Life Items
- Instead of preferred groups, donors have requested policy changes
- Example: “Cut corporate tax by 5% and I will contribute X to your campaign”
- Example 2: “Change abortion law to ‘life-threatened’ and I will contribute Y”
- Instead of preferred groups, donors have requested policy changes