Hello, everyone!
I am kannedcheese (#3998), I am a player(Oleg "Zed" Zedovich, hi guys :-] ) for this server for almost a month and since joining this server I could easily say this is the best roleplay server and it is in my heart. Move to the next paragraph if you do not wish to read what I love about this server and how it and the devs do the job well >>> I love the community, the jobs, the exploration of the criminal world, the different kind of freelance jobs, the different kind of government jobs, the serious roleplay, the voice chat, the funny moments with people at public places, the updates that make the roleplay more immersive and at other times silly but nevertheless memorable, the wins and the losses of a character's life. This is an experience that makes memories and people would look back at this time with a smile as they most definitely have made friends which they could share memories with. Alright the sentimental part is over.
I have a lot of small suggestions for adjusting the gameplay and some that almost if not entirely change a freelance job. In this post I will be explaining how I imagine a real DCC competitor working as it is only natural that businesses have competitors so that one company is not able to make a monopoly in an industry. The industry in question is civilian transportation.
How I got this idea:
You all know those times where you had to run 3 to 5 kilometers to get your bike because you got so injured that you had to call the medics. They didn't make it in time so you wake up at the nearest hospital which is such a far way away. Yeah, at those times you usually would call the DCC but as it turns out there are no taxi drivers on duty or they have blacklisted you and don't accept the call because maybe you flirted with a female chauffeur a bit too much. Maybe you had a friend that could help you out, but let us be real, either they didn't consider you as big enough of a friend to help you out or they just weren't in town. If this reminds you of something then the Bus Stop company is just for you! No more going out of town because you lost motivation to continue grinding the cash after you got shot by a gang for farming at a drug lab! No more random desyncs making you wake up in a hospital and then a following alert of your vehicle getting chopped! With these bus routes vehicles are *almost* useless as this company aims to use environmentally friendly electric battery powered buses recharged at the terminal stops and going almost 24/7(maybe possible working at the busiest hours in the UTC time, for example 1pm to 1 am) at a lower price than a taxi ride.
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How it works:
A bus driver changes into clothes, starts his shift, using the radio for communicating with management and colleagues, takes out a bus, goes out of the bus station, either from Sandy Shores, Paleto Bay or Los Santos City's HQ/Bus Terminal (I do not think more than 1 HQ or more than 1 Bus Terminal should be needed only if it would be deemed necessary), though starts driving and stops at the designated bus stops (Not marked at map what is shown below). Bus Driver lets in the passengers and drives to the next bus stop until he reaches a circle - a full route finished. After a circle he can take a short break while on duty. I have not yet thought of how the routes would be assigned to each driver, because it would be too detailed for a suggestion but there are 3 ways depending of how many Bus Parking Terminal's we have.
1 bus terminal -
The last choice of available bus routes is for the newest driver of the city. This means, the longer you have worked and the better you are, you would be available to choose your route. If some routes may be deemed easier for starters(routes with less traffic, less obstacles, not going through mountains) then those would be recommended to them. On 1 route there could be many bus drivers but that is dependent on how much people use the route, as the demand and supply should be balanced. If Paleto-Sandy-Paleto route is the least popular(least demanded) one, then obviously there would be 1 or 2 bus riders at the time(it would be the less supplied one with drivers) while as at the Los Santos city routes there would be much much more drivers in the routes.
2 bus terminals -
People choose the ones that are closer to their homes, other jobs or favorite hang out spots to make it more comfortable to start and end the shift.
Example of having 2 bus terminals that would make it easier for employees - a person living in Paleto bay, driving to Textile city district (in game it is the original bus terminal) to start his shift for the Paleto-Sandy route to just after shift drive back to Textile city again so he could go back home to Paleto Bay. Does not make sense, but it could be a situation.
3 bus terminals -
The most comfortable but also the most costly expansion of the BSC (we might as well start with 1 terminal and in the later stages pay the government for more terminals and buses!)
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POSSIBLE SYSTEMS AND COSTS:
SYSTEM A -
Buy a ticket as soon as you get in (bank or cash), once you have reached a full circle, bus kicks you out automatically, you can re-enter if you want to continue riding the bus.
Leave as soon a bus stops at a bus stop. (waits for 5-10 seconds until someone starts to move out before moving away, waits for 5 sec after all the passengers that needed have exited and new passengers have entered)
SYSTEM B -
A fare counter starts with a lot less fare than the taxi rides and on some routes even less fare (I don't know if interstate travel or Los Santos inner city travel should be cheaper)
As soon as you step out (which could be requested by the passenger) earlier than the bus stop or at it, the payment takes place just like the taxi does.
This means bus stops are for pickups and passengers exit. Passengers have to request to stop if they need a stop before a bus stop.
SYSTEM C -
You pay a ticket like this - as soon as you enter, a fare counter starts and it only makes you pay for the amount of the bus stops you chose to travel through.
For example - I pay X amount of money for just 1 bus stop, but I'll pay 2*X amount of money for sitting for 2 bus stops.
Entering and exiting only at bus stops.
((These systems are not thought out fully yet, just examples so you could make up your own mind which could be the best transaction for service system's building block - A, B or C))
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Prices:
Not have calculated as it would be pure scum OOC marketing technique to vote people to implement this just because I wrote lower fares/prices for the drives than it would be for the taxi drives. I want players and the staff to believe it will work, because I believe and prices should be thought of later.
For example DCC has its pros and cons and BSC has also its pros and cons. The BSC has cons that would make the cheaper cost to some not worth it. Cons will be listed below and for each system differently.
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POSSIBLE BUS DRIVER / CHAUFFEUR REQUIREMENTS TO JOIN:
Know the city well;
Have stories to tell about the city; (some premade stories and interesting facts may be taught before letting you drive)
Serve the Los Santos people with professional attitude as you represent the BSC;
Must be talkative if needed, silent if deemed necessary, charismatic at all times;
Have the understanding that a vehicle with a lot of lives is being transported and duties should be treated professionally and without errors;
Give a smile to make a smile!
The most charismatic from of the most hardworking will be promoted!
BUS ROUTES:
I have marked a lot of bus routes (five at the moment, 1 with an hourly offroute, 2 with a possible change... any of these routes might be changes to better suit the interest points , which is the main reason I had this idea) on the map shown below and it has been designed in favor of the most popular interest points people visit or hang around at. (Note - this is a first attempt of a sketch of possible routes, these may even not be the routes which could be implemented in to the server)
Why use BSC services? -
New citizens (new players) could get a free ride or a big discount as they spawn in the Bus station, to explore the city (if not already at single-player), that would introduce them to the Bus Stop Company and it would not be unfair to DCC because they already have an introduction and advertisement for their services provided by the government for the new citizens.
Buses should be cheaper and the bus stops are always nearby!
A tour of the city and all of San Andreas!
Charismatic and professional staff and chauffeurs!
As new players come to the city, this would be a good tour(riding a bus)which could be exited at any times(if the system is built like that) and would also provide a showcase of a high quality RP performed by bus drivers and especially other veteran citizens, that would promote high standards to the new people and make them want to RP seriously as well.
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CONS:
*You have to wait for it a little bit more at the bus stop
*Maybe the route you are on has no active drivers on duty (could be seen with an app!) - most probably at the least active hours, when the DCC also has less or no taxi drivers on duty
*Not exactly a custom location pickup or a custom location drop off but that is why the routes were created with the most popular interest points. *!* These are the reasons the cheaper price wouldn't be worth it *!*
P.S. Sorry for my IC and OOC speaking mixing, I hope you enjoyed reading!
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