Author: The Minic
Translator: marcelbuter
Join me in thinking back to the 18th trading period. With only one vote difference, I was chosen to Mayor of the beautiful city of Kronenburg, over Zofona. The task of taking care of the city that was so close to my heart, and still does. With an average budget and a bunch of options in front of me, I tried to lead the city as best as I could.
It seems like I did something right, because I was re-elected with 33 votes in the next trading period. Those were the times, so many active players…… sorry, going off topic. Back in those days Mayors had a budget which every normal trader can even accumulate. The thing that is strange then is the fact that it was easier to distinguish yourself from other Mayors back then. Some things never change, such as setting the sales tax rate, collecting tax, giving out subsidies and placing export.
Excuse me, some things never change? Well this might not really be correct. Even though these elements are still available, things have definitely changed. You can only give out subsidy 6 hours after the people have started showing up, and the maximum for subsidies is 2000 ISH. Placing exports has never changed though. We still ask citizens for bricks, wood, trees, iron, and pumps, which we use to build roads, hospitals, parks, and parking lots.
Why do I take you back to these times? I do this so I can wake you up. I do this to present my ideas. I do this to show you how good things could be. This trading period I have searched for big differences between the cities. Not in resources, because this has never been changed. I searched for differences in the way that the cities was run. I found different city halls with different people and different topics, but nothing more than that.
Mayors have their say on a certain number of areas and can, in theory, distinguish from te rest. That sounds nice, but in practice it never happens. The main roads are long and are built in the center of the map. The sales tax rate is 5% everywhere, and is almost always compensated. There are always exports, and no one ever collects tax, so on, so on. I have to admit, the Mayor of Eurodam differed from the rest in mostly only asking for brick in the export central.
Because of the above things, I am starting to want to go back to those times. I was able to ask for all products from my citizens, so even traders in gold, machines, or diamond drills could export materials they made themselves. I could use my streets to organize races. Four nights in the week my citizens could enjoy the sound of Farmerrari’s and BMC’s passing by, and gas traders made fortunes. I have to admit though that I can’t remember much else from these days. Don’t think that we aren’t living in a great world now, but it could be so much better. Enjoy what you have, but don’t hesitate looking back sometimes too.
Yours truly is definitely not afraid to do so. After being away for a long time, I am quite happy about the current society. The sky is blue, the parks are green, the lots are empty, and the traders have gathered their cash. The only thing that is a shame is that they have all done it in the same way, just in different cities and with different names.
I would love to tell you some of my ideas, but the paper is not big enough for it. I will keep you waiting in excitement, because “the times they are a-changing“.