History: Cities and nations

+ # Cities and nations

+ The **Derzhavy** mod runs cities and nations. Its idea in one line: building and negotiating pay better than fighting. The rules are enforced by the mod itself, and everything important is visible on the map.

+

+ ## Six principles

+

+ 1. **Land costs people and resources.** The number of active residents sets how much land a city may hold; resources pay for it once a week.

+ 2. **Property is not power.** War changes the flag over the land, but a house stays with the one who built it.

+ 3. **The world is alive, but not defenceless.** In peacetime nobody breaks blocks on other people's plots.

+ 4. **No daily chores.** Payments are weekly, you can prepay a month, a vacation lasts up to 8 weeks.

+ 5. **Empty and abandoned land is cheaper than someone else's.**

+ 6. **Everything is visible:** borders, debts, wars and battle windows are on the map.

+

+ ## Founding a city

+

+ - Craft a **Foundation Stone**: a lodestone, 4 diamonds and 4 gold blocks. (Newcomers: a compass, 4 iron blocks and 4 gold ingots.)

+ - Place it, then enter the city's name and tag in Latin letters. The city immediately gets **9 chunks** around the stone.

+ - The stone cannot be placed deeper than 20 blocks below the surface or closer than 3 chunks to someone else's territory.

+ - Right-click the stone to open the city menu. Everything frequent is done in menus; `/city` commands duplicate them.

+

+ | Rank | Active residents | Notes |

+ | --- | --- | --- |

+ | Settlement | 1–2 | Cannot be annexed in a war, only vassalised |

+ | Village | 3–5 | Outposts become available |

+ | Town | 6–11 | — |

+ | Metropolis | 12+ | Its own colour on the map |

+

+ ## How land is held

+

+ Two levers work at the same time: **people set the ceiling, resources pay for what is under it.**

+

+ - **Land limit** = 16 chunks + 8 for every **active resident** (someone who played at least 2 hours in the last 30 days).

+ - **Upkeep** is collected every Sunday at 18:00 server time from the city treasury — real items stored in the Foundation Stone. The mod converts them into upkeep points (a diamond is 8 points).

+ - To expand, the mayor or an assistant selects chunks with a **wooden axe** and runs `/city claim`.

+

+ | Example | Chunks | Per week |

+ | --- | --- | --- |

+ | A loner with one city | 16 | about 2 diamonds |

+ | A town of 8 active residents | 64 | about 5 diamonds for everyone |

+ | A metropolis of 15 | 136 | about 16 diamonds, roughly 1 per person |

+

+ ### If something goes wrong

+

+ | Status | When | What happens |

+ | --- | --- | --- |

+ | Debt | 1–5 collections in a row without full payment | Week 1: no expansion. Weeks 2–3: upgrades paused. Weeks 4–5: 10% of chunks fall away each week |

+ | Desolation | No active residents, or 6+ weeks of debt | Neighbours may occupy the land without a war. After 4 collections the city dissolves |

+ | Outskirts | The city has more chunks than its limit | Neighbours can take the extra chunks; after 4 collections they become wild land |

+

+ The core of a city — the chunk of the stone and the 8 around it — never falls away.

+

+ ## Residents, plots and shops

+

+ - A **resident** is a player accepted into the city: `/city invite`, then `/city accept`.

+ - A **plot** is whole chunks given to a resident (up to 4 by default). Only the owner and people they trust build, break and open things there — **not even the mayor can**.

+ - A **district** is a large plot for a manager, inside which shop lots can be rented out.

+ - A **shop lot** is a rectangle inside one chunk, rented through a `[Rent]` sign by any player, even a non-resident. See [[trade]].

+ - You may hold a **second citizenship** in one more city, with reduced rights.

+ - The city tag is shown before your name: `[TAG] Name`. Choose which one with `/prefix`.

+

+ ### Absent builders

+

+ | The owner has been away | The building is | Others may |

+ | --- | --- | --- |

+ | Less than 30 days | Ordinary | Nothing beyond the usual rules |

+ | 30–120 days | A Monument | Nothing: it is neither broken nor opened |

+ | 120+ days | Ruins | The owner of the land gets full rights |

+

+ ## Vacations and regents

+

+ - **Personal:** `/vacation` — your personal timers stop for up to 8 weeks.

+ - **City:** the mayor prepays half of the upkeep for the chosen number of weeks; the city neither grows, nor fights, nor can be attacked.

+ - If a mayor disappears, a **regent** takes over, so a city never stalls because one person left.

+

+ ## Upgrades

+

+ An upgrade is a permanent bonus bought with a set of resources. Residents can contribute in parts.

+

+ | Upgrade | Active residents needed | Effect |

+ | --- | --- | --- |

+ | Town Hall | 3 | −10% upkeep |

+ | Market | 3 | The treasury accepts emeralds and farm goods; 2 free map points |

+ | Guest House | 2 | A newcomer counts as two residents for the land limit for 30 days |

+ | Port | 4 | Outposts cost the same as ordinary chunks |

+ | Barracks | 5 | Captured progress in the city's sectors rolls back twice as fast |

+

+ ## Nations

+

+ **Three cities**, each within 48 chunks of the capital, can form a nation.

+

+ - −15% upkeep for all its cities;

+ - common defence: residents of the whole nation count as defenders on any of its land;

+ - the right to declare war and sign treaties;

+ - a flag and a colour on the map.

+

+ The **ruler** is the mayor of the capital and may appoint up to 3 ministers.

+

+ ### Vassals

+

+ A city or a whole nation can become a **vassal** — voluntarily by treaty, or as the mildest outcome of a war.

+

+ - The vassal pays a **tribute** of 20% of its upkeep and is protected by the suzerain's residents.

+ - A vassal is fully free in its internal affairs: the suzerain cannot touch its plots or take its land.

+ - Leaving: a declaration of independence with 14 days' notice.

+

+ ### Treaties

+

+ Alliances, peace and vassalage are signed in the treaty menu. The mechanical terms are assembled by the mod and shown to every reader **in their own language**; free text is shown as written.

+

+ ## Relics

+

+ A **Relic** is a legendary chunk that appears on unclaimed land near cities and gives its owner a bonus.

+

+ | Type | Bonus |

+ | --- | --- |

+ | Battlefield | −10% upkeep for the city, −5% for every city of its nation |

+ | Old Market | +2 free map points; farm goods may cover more of the upkeep |

+ | Holy Spring | +8 to the land limit |

+

+ A city benefits from at most 2 Relics, a nation from 3. Relics can be fought over — see [[war]].

+

+ ## Useful commands

+

+ | Command | What it does |

+ | --- | --- |

+ | `/city claim`, `/city unclaim` | Add or give up the chunks selected with the wooden axe |

+ | `/city invite`, `/city accept` | Invite a resident, accept an invitation |

+ | `/city upgrade` | Upgrades menu |

+ | `/city restore` | Mayor: put back blocks broken by outsiders on common land |

+ | `/city list` | Cities, their language and whether they accept newcomers |

+ | `/nation` | Nation menu and commands |

+ | `/notices` | Book of Events |

+ | `/point create` | Put your shop, port or sight on the map |