Overthrow NationStates
Ending the 20-year economic oligarchy in one of the internet's largest multiplayer games
Project Overview
NationStates is a large online nation simulator with hundreds of thousands of players worldwide. Among the various political and economic aspects of the game, there is a thriving marketplace where millions of trading cards are exchanged daily.
Over the last two decades, wealth had consolidated significantly, and a group known as "Big Farma" began manipulating prices and controlling an unfair share of the market through monopolistic practices.
Using advanced inflation strategies, pricing algorithms, and game theory principles, I transformed from a complete newcomer to the 4th wealthiest player in the entire game within just 6 months. My rapid ascent and aggressive market tactics ultimately collapsed the existing economic structure, completely overturning the established wealth hierarchy.
The impact was so significant that it forced the game administrators to rewrite the fundamental market rules and economic algorithms. For my revolutionary market disruption, I was awarded the prestigious "Maddeningly Mad" achievement - recognizing my unconventional tactics and the massive giveaway I conducted before retiring from the game.
My rise to 4th place (575K+) in 2 months
My rise to 4th place (575K+) in 2 months.
Market Strategy & Execution
My approach combined several sophisticated strategies to rapidly accumulate wealth and disrupt the established order:
Inflation Arbitrage: Identified and exploited systematic pricing inefficiencies in the card market
Algorithmic Trading: Developed Python scripts to automate high-frequency trading operations
Market Psychology: Used game theory to predict and manipulate competitor behavior
Monopoly Breaking: Strategically targeted Big Farma's price-fixing schemes with coordinated sell-offs
The key breakthrough was recognizing that the existing players were comfortable with artificial scarcity and inflated prices. By flooding the market with underpriced assets at strategic times, I could trigger cascading sell-offs while simultaneously building massive inventory positions.
NationStates Cards Leaderboard Before and After 8/25/2021
After my exit from the game, I rearranged the leaderboard yet again.
Impact & Recognition
The market disruption had far-reaching consequences that extended beyond individual wealth rankings:
Leaderboard Revolution: Completely reshuffled the top 50 wealthiest players within 6 months
Rule Changes: Forced administrators to implement new trading limits and market stabilization measures
Economic Democratization: Broke up monopolistic practices, making the market more accessible to new players
Algorithm Overhaul: Game's underlying economic engine was substantially rewritten to prevent similar disruptions
The "Maddeningly Mad" achievement was created specifically to recognize players whose unconventional tactics fundamentally changed the game's economic landscape.
Maddeningly Mad Achievement
Awarded for my market disruption tactics, waiting for the resolution: CONDEMN RONODIN.
Legacy
Skills & Technologies
Project Info
March 2019 - May 2022
Completed