Hello to all the leaders of this world! A particular warm welcome to our Russian subscribers who now have access to Rulers of Nations in Russian.
In this newsletter, we invite you to take part in a video competition. You'll also find some new cheats from Washingsky, instructions on how to put your own face into 3D, and an explanation on economic stimulus policies.
Have a nice read!

CONTENTS

MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION
THE COMMUNITY COLUMN
TIPS FROM PRESIDENT FIDEL WASHINGSKY
CHEATS FROM PRESIDENT FIDEL WASHINGSKY 
ANSWERS FROM PROFESSOR DEMONTFORT
TIPS
UPCOMING ELECTIONS

MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION

-Modding coming soon : We’re currently developing an add-on dedicated to modding that will be available this spring. With this add-on, you can modify the main game variables, and also create your own scenarios and share your mods on the game site. Further details in the next newsletter.

-The 4.23 patch is online. It notably has a correction for the lifting of UN sanctions.
Remember that the previous patch from the end of December includes several improvements, including the possibility to use customization kits on network matches, and a more effective press censorship law.

-Download a service extension : The game's online shop now has this optional service. It provides the option of downloading your software again over a two-year period. For example, if you don't have access to your installation file because it has been erased or because your computer or hard drive is damaged, you can re-download the installation file at any given moment on a personal web link.

THE COMMUNITY COLUMN

-Video competition : Several videos on the game created by players are circulating on the web. We invite you to send us your video productions now. They can be presented in the form of a tutorial or a match excerpt. We'll select the best one(s). The winner(s) will receive: A life subscription to the Geo-Political Simulator . . . the new versions, special extensions, and add-ons are free, and received as soon as they are released (whether they are entitled Rulers of Nations or not).
The videos must be posted onto Youtube - in 720p if possible. The video links must then be sent to contact@rulers-of-nations.com
Deadline for sending: March 31, 2011

-Call to the community : In response to user requests, we are considering an automatic translation system that allows community members to translate game texts themselves into their own language. The game currently exists in six languages (English, French, German, Spanish, Italian and Russian). We cannot localize into other languages due to prohibitive costs and workload.
This system would make it possible for users to translate themselves under the following conditions:
-The interface of the planned translation is a web interface and easy to use.
-Several people can work together on the same text to be translated.
-The translations can be made from one of the six preexisting languages.
-The whole translation is of a substantial volume, around 422 000 words split over approximately 10 000 texts.
-The suggested translations must be free of royalties and will be offered free to all the users through a sharing system.
If you’d like to help translate the game, let us know your language of translation on http://rulers-of-nations.com/localization_poll.php.

-The address of the essential English-language forum:
http://z10.invisionfree.com/Commander_in_Chief/index.php

TIPS FROM PRESIDENT FIDEL WASHINGSKY

CHEATS FROM PRESIDENT FIDEL WASHINGSKY

President Fidel is feeling good this February: His country is in peace, and there are no street or web protests planned. So he's decided to share his love of life with you and is letting you on some new cheats. They can help you better direct national affairs.
Remember that to open the cheat entry window, press Ctrl+Shift+Enter.

Whereismyslushfund! : Improve the national budget and dynamize all your economic sectors.
Trustmeyeswecan! : Everyone in your nation loves you.
Nelsonmandelapower! : All the heads of state adore you.

ANSWERS FROM PROFESSOR DEMONTFORT

I'd like to stimulate growth in my developed country. What can I do?

==> Professor Demontfort: « There are many economic policies that can increase growth. Let me remind you that growth is a sustainable increase in national production (GDP). There are budget measures, which stimulate consumption, and monetary measures, which encourage companies to invest.

-Stimulate consumption (increase demand): Set out by the economist John Maynard Keynes, this policy increases public spending with a view to restoring the purchasing power of households—which would thus consume more, and which would in turn increase company production. Many tools can be used to arrive at this: increasing government salaries and social minima (e.g., various allowances, minimum wage, minimum state retirement), decreasing income and sales tax (VAT, petrol tax, tobacco tax...).

-Stimulate investment and production (increase supply): The goal is to help companies become more competitive, so that they win new markets and increase production. There are various means available: Decreasing taxes (corporate tax, revenue tax, polluting industry tax . . . ) and contributions (salary and employer); using exemptions, direct company subsidies, public investment in infrastructure development, and research to conquer new markets.

-Stimulate through monetary policy: By boosting money supply through a decrease in the target interest rate, companies and households can have easier access to credit and increase their consumption and investment.

It is important to be aware of what negative impacts this stimulus plan can have—increased inflation and deepening public deficits. If the player launches a stimulus plan, government debt could increase. This debt would need to be reimbursed over several years, if not decades.
Even if increased growth will naturally improve the budget situation (increased revenues from corporate tax for example—and will decrease expenses due to a drop in unemployment and in unemployment benefits for example)—will this increase be enough to make up for the up-front heavy investments that the government will have made in the beginning? Otherwise an austerity policy will most likely be called for.
Remember that growth is not to be confused with the standard of and quality of living. It can have negative consequences on the environment for example. And don't forget that how the fruits of growth are used and shared depends on political will. »

TIPS

With the customization kit, you can include your own face in Rulers of Nations. These faces can be in the form of photos, or 3D faces.

To create a 3D face, use the free software Facegen.
With Facegen, you can create a face based on a template face, or from a photo.
Below is a detailed explanation of how to create 3D faces from a photo.
An English Facegen tutorial is also available on http://www.facegen.com.

-Download and install the Facegen software: http://download.cnet.com/FaceGen-Modeller/3000-6677_4-75322767.html
-Run the Facegen software.
-On the PhotoFit tab, click Next.
A photo of a face must be used with PhotoFit. It must be full-face, with a neutral expression and the mouth closed. The lighting must be as uniform as possible. Avoid wearing glasses.
If you would like to have a more accurate face, you can use two profile images.
Insert each of the images by first clicking on the Load buttons, then clicking on Next.
-Then indicate the location of the key elements, based on the image on the right. Slide the green targets on the centers of the eyes, the base of the ears, the ends of the nose, chin and mouth.
Click Next and fine-tune their positioning.
Click Next one more time, then click Start Now.
-FaceGen will take a few minutes to work out the face. Once this is done, you can alter the face with the other tabs. Don't worry about the "SI" that is on the forehead. It won't show up in the game.
Once you are happy with the result, save the face by clicking File > Save.
-Copy the .fg file generated by Facegen and copy it in My Documents/Rulers of Nations/custom/face3d.
-Run the game, open the customization kit from the Options menu, select the character you want, and click the 3D Face button to load it.

UPCOMING ELECTIONS

Popular revolts in certain Arab countries make it difficult to predict the political future and the holding of elections at the time of publication of this newsletter. In Tunisia—where everything started, the Jasmine Revolution should conclude with general elections that should take place by the end of March. In Egypt, though nothing has been decided yet, we can at least be sure that Hosni Mubarak will not seek a new mandate. And in Yemen, the legislative elections in April will be delayed, in response to the wish of the opposition parties.
Will this phenomenon now spread to other countries like Algeria, Morocco, Jordan, or even Syria... or elsewhere?...

On the other hand, many elections are planned in black Africa for the next few months, with very different political situations in the different countries: The democratic presidential elections in Benin (02/27 and 03/13), a democratic transition that will be monitored in Niger (February), with the departure of soldiers during the second round of presidential elections, presidential elections that surely will not hold any surprises in Djibouti (March and 04/08), sensitive general elections in Chad (02/13 for Parliament, and presidential elections in May), and risky elections in Nigeria (04/02 and 04/09) and in Uganda (02/18), where the current president Yoweri Museveni, in power for 24 years, will try to defend his mandate.

Three major elections in northern Europe.
The first election will be the Irish legislative elections on February 25, following the eagerly awaited dissolution by the very unpopular prime minister Brian Cowen. The favorites are Fine Gael (center right) and the Labor Party. They might form a coalition. They both have decided to renegotiate the European Union aid package and its austerity plan.
Then Estonia will elect their parliamentarians on March 6 and vote with their mobile phones (after installing a chip in their phones), and typing the number of their candidate!
Lastly, Finland will hold elections on April 17. Note that the extreme right party the "True Finns" have made a breakthrough in the polls, with over 15% of voters intending to vote for them.

As for the rest of the world, the parliamentary elections in Samoa will be held on March 4, and in Micronesia on March 8. The presidential elections in Peru will be April 10—the former president Alejandro Toledo has a slight lead in the polls. The highly risky general elections in Haiti will be March 20, after the protests and condemned fraud during the first presidential round. These elections are eagerly awaited, as the inauguration of a president is required for international donors to restart reconstruction work one year after the terrible earthquake.