DEVELOPMENT PLAN #75 — Trust in Your Officers: How You Answer Shapes Their Next Proposals
Contributed by: Takeshi Miyaoka on Sunday, November 01 2026
Last modified on Sunday, November 01 2026
This is a development plan article about something we would like to build next. Nothing described here is implemented yet; the ideas are still under consideration and may change before they are built.
This morning's article (#74) showed chief researchers bringing their next research proposals as cards. Together with the Minister's budget plans (#71), the state's officers now regularly bring you proposals. As the next step, this plan (improvement item DOM-040) would give each officer a "trust" level that changes with whether you take or decline their proposals, and that in turn changes how many proposals they bring and whether they stay in office. 
The Tax Policy screen today (captured for verification in a development debug build). The Minister has Governance D, so two reform plans are shown and the third is concealed: "A Minister with Governance B or better proposes plan 3". Country and numbers come from a verification setup.
Today: the number of proposals depends only on abilityToday the Minister brings budget plans, tax reform plans and Domestic Affairs proposals, and the chief researchers (policy and technology) bring research requests, all as proposal cards. How many cards are face up depends only on the officer's ability grade (one for E, two for D or C, three for B or better). The rest are hatched "concealed" cards that name the grade needed to see them.
You can take the recommended plan, or decline them all and choose "Plan the budget" (budget plans) or "Set manually" (research requests). Either way, nothing changes on the officer's side. Once appointed, an officer is just an ability grade and a portrait.
What we want to make more interestingWe would like taking or declining a proposal to carry a little weight. A researcher whose recommendation you accepted comes back with a bolder set of options; a Minister whose plans are declined every time loses heart and eventually offers to resign. The goal is that running the country depends not only on appointing capable people, but also on how you work with them.
The plan: trust for each officerWe are considering giving the offices that bring proposals (the Minister and the policy and technology chief researchers) a "trust" level that lasts only while that person holds the office (0-100, starting at 50). Diplomats and central bank governors bring no proposals, so they are left out, and AI countries choose their own plans, so they have no trust.
- Changes when you answer: once per answer to a budget plan, supplementary budget plan or research request: +6 for taking the recommended plan, +3 for another plan, −4 for declining and deciding yourself. −2 for every 30 days a proposal goes unanswered.
- Personality scales it: each of the 16 personality types multiplies the change by 0.5-1.5, so some officers shrug off a refusal while others take it to heart.
- Slow drift: at the start of each month trust moves 1 point back toward 50.
The effects would be limited to the number of proposals and staying in office; trust would never create resources or money or shorten research. At 70 or more, one more card is face up (up to three); at 30 or less, one fewer (at least one). A researcher with Scholarship C normally brings two proposals, but with trust above 70 brings a third. 
Concept mock-up (under consideration). The research request window would show trust, a gauge and the recent changes under the researcher's portrait, and the third card would carry an "Opened by trust" tag. Names and numbers are illustrative.
When trust runs out, a resignation arrivesIf trust stays at 10 or less for 30 days, we are considering an event in which the officer offers to resign. "Ask them to stay" puts trust back to 30 (once a year per person). "Accept the resignation" leaves the office vacant from the next midnight; as with a dismissal today, you appoint the successor yourself. The state keeps working with a vacancy, but that office's proposals stop coming. 
Concept mock-up (under consideration). Trust would appear on the State offices cards in Domestic Affairs' National course view; here a Minister whose trust has run out offers to resign. Names, dates and numbers are illustrative.
Only each office's trust, the start day of its 30-day count and its last 10 changes would be saved. They are discarded when the person is replaced, dismissed or dies, and a reappointed person starts again from 50.
Steps, and how it fits with other systemsThe proposal cards (budget plans, supplementary budget plans and research requests) are already in place, so this can be added on top. The order we have in mind: (1) saving trust and changing it on answers, (2) adding or removing cards and showing that on concealed cards, (3) the resignation event, (4) the displays in the windows and the National course view. Because it changes the current rule that ability alone sets the number of cards, the related specifications would be revised together. The shorter research and deliberation times that come from officers' abilities would stay as they are.
Tell us what you thinkDoes officer trust that falls when you decline their proposals sound fun, or would worrying about it every time be a chore? We would love to hear what you think about the resignation event and the reward for high trust.
Image 1 was captured for verification in a development debug build; images 2 and 3 are concept mock-ups (under consideration). Names and numbers are illustrative, not actual game values.
This morning: DEVELOPMENT SNAPSHOT #74 — The Researcher Brings Proposals: Cards That Grow with Skill
Budget plan cards: DEVELOPMENT SNAPSHOT #71 — The Minister Brings the Budget: Allocations, Bond Terms, Midyear Top-Ups
Check the download page for currently released files and development status