New Player, Observations, Questions, RP Scenarios, etc. Lets Discuss?

[deputy865]

My game isn't working right now, so in the meantime, I decided to thoroughly browse the Forums. I enjoy checking the Forums from time to time, mostly looking at what other people are thinking about whats going on or even checking the Reports threads to get a better understanding on what is report-able and what isn't. After lots of reading, I'm finding I share similar concerns to many of you and I want to talk about it.

This will be broken into many sections, so I will try to keep it as together as I can. Feel free to contribute to any of it as I'll gladly talk about all of it... I apologize ahead of time for the long thread, I have a bad habit of typing a lot and adding detail....

I'm still new to the server. I've spent quite a bit of time playing in the last few days, but my XP is still less than 10,000. Throughout my time in the server, I've done just about everything; delivery jobs, trucking, fishing and even the occasional drug operation. I like experiencing everything. My characters main goal is to be a tycoon and have lots of money. Now I know you're probably thinking "so does everyone else", but humor me. Anytime I play a game with the option to make money or quest... I always choose "make money". Backstory: When World of Warcraft was still new and you could only get to level 60, I used to play.. and instead of questing and doing that sort of thing, I became drawn to the Auction House as soon as I knew of its existence. All I wanted to do was make money, so I did and I did it well. So in my gaming history, there is a pattern of this behavior. Hell, I'll even do the same thing on phone games. Having LOTS of money to me has always made things easier (especially in gaming haha!).  Anyway, I want to have a bunch of money in game, own businesses, etc. It's not about having nice cars, houses, etc. (I love my $8,000 Werrener, I'm less conspicuous).. it's about having the most and being known by everyone. So all of my experiences thus far are going to stem from making money.

First of all, I think its wild that the Gangs run this town. I actually resent all gangs at this point for what they do to me in-game constantly. More police needed or something? This is also my first RP server I've ever played in... my RP skills might not be perfect, but I'm a smart person, adaptive and I feel like I keep in character very well. I'm learning. Anyway, I'm getting a little tired of the following action:

Me: *Minding my own business, growing pot*
Gang Member: *rolls up in vehicle* "Hey"
Me: "Hey, whats up?"
Gang Member: "What gang are you in?"
Me: "None"
Gang Member: "Ok... Hands up then!"

*Proceeds to rob me and leave*

I'd like to say I'm not in a gang and I'll never been in one. Its not my style. My character is not a follower, he is a leader. Anyway, this is a SUPER common interaction. Or I'll be at drug labs making drugs (where you screen is blurred and you can't see much) and someone will run up behind me, mic spamming for me to put my hands up, rushing me (borderline Powergaming?), etc. or they will shoot - which sometimes they have. It gets old real quick and only because its the same, cookie-cutter interaction all the time. The RP interaction itself is dismal too. Its literally a smash and grab job.. which I understand, its a robbery, not a dinner date... there doesn't need to be conversation. What I don't like is all of this "/do succeed" crap.. Why even bother with that because if I say "no" or do anything other than comply, I'm shot or /occ'd for "Fear RP"... Its just a little annoying. Just point the gun at me, frisk me, take what you find and go. I'd be fine with that... I personally love the KoS rule and I still patiently await my time to act on it!

Now, I guess I could try to drag the RP scenario out, but most of the time, 2-3 guys are jumping me and there is literally NOTHING you could do in the situation, even in real life. However, I would like to see something done for a 1v1 robbery. This might stop all of my mic spamming, thick accented friends who like to roll up on motorcycles, yell at me (inaudible), take my stuff and leave.

So what am I doing about it? Well, as I said, I'm adaptive and if we are gonna play the game, we are going to play the game! I'm out doing risky stuff, but I like switching it up. So what do I do? I stash my drugs. I don't carry a gun or I'll hide it.. I hide my car (or steal someone else's so if I'm searched for keys, I don't have them because they are obviously in the car).. That way when I'm robbed, the robber gets nothing. It actually makes for entertaining RP scenarios on my end as I watch these clowns try to act like hard-asses to only come up empty handed. My little way of "sticking it to the man". So I guess to counter argue all the robbing, why not just outsmart other players? Hopefully I'm not giving away any secrets here and setting myself up (finding out about this stuff here is OCC?)... but anyway, I'm a solo person IC, I'm a smart person IC.. so it is in my characters nature to stash, hide and act this way. Hopefully me doing this is considered "good RP".

As I read reports and the forums, I'm finding that I've been victim to A LOT of rule breakers. Despite me doing criminal things, I actually have yet to rob another player. The worst I do is take a random car or bike. Maybe I should report more? I remember reading in the rules that you aren't supposed to play demolition derby with your expensive cars, yet I'll have 1-3 cars smashing into me (Nice cars) to get me to stop just so people can rob me. Is this something to report for? I've been shot and killed after complying with all demands... which I've reported twice for, only ever talked with a mod about 1 instance and the rule breaker was only issued a verbal warning (he told me to leave, so I started to run away as I was told.. he then starts shooting me because I "ran away"). People not giving me much time to respond to commands is also common. So what can I do? Just report everything or maybe make mention to the players about poor RP? I like playing the game quite a bit, but the fun gets taken out of it when people aren't playing fairly. I need to get some sort of way to record the interactions for evidence. I'd have some real entertaining stuff by now. 

Among my money making adventures, I enjoy the poker tables a lot. I'm no pro, but I do play here and there and honestly, this has been the easiest way for me to make a bunch of money. I will say, the poker aspect seems very fair - I don't see "crazy hands" pop up all the time like online platforms. What I think needs to be re-evaluated are the payouts. I've seen a few instances where a 6th card has been used to determine the winner of a hand... and we are playing a 5 card game. For example: The 5 community cards ended up being a full house. Everyone active in the hand should have split the pot evenly. However, one person won the whole thing because they had an Ace. Their other card is irrelevant.. actually, both cards are irrelevant because neither had anything to do to better what was already on the table. Again, should have been a split pot, yet this players "6th card" decided he should win. Small gripe, but I'm 100% about fairness. I would have felt bad if someone tried to bluff this hand (trying to trick someone into thinking they had a better full house) to win it all, as it would just split anyway, but end up losing a lot of money due to this 6th card. 

Where are all the cops!? No one gets in trouble for anything I feel like. Hell, I've seen a cop ran down and openly shot at on the highway. Traffic laws? What traffic laws? I've actually strongly considered joining the police department (best way to stick it to the gangs).. and maybe there my questions will be answered? Just seems like the Wild West out there with all of the gangs and violence. 

I also wish there was more to do. Hell, bring golf out? Make the casino a real thing? Something. There has to be some content for the players like me who don't want to be in a gang. I feel like that is why gang activity is so prevalent. It's like.. be in a gang, or else!

TL;DR

Do I need to report players more for rule violations?
Where are the police?
1v1 robberies should NOT always be 100% successful (Fear RP amendment?)
Need more things to do besides work or do crime.
Poker fix.

Thanks for the read. Thanks for the listen. Was nice killing off some time.

 

[Denni]

8 minutes ago, deputy865 said:

Where are all the cops!? No one gets in trouble for anything I feel like. Hell, I've seen a cop ran down and openly shot at on the highway. Traffic laws? What traffic laws? I've actually strongly considered joining the police department (best way to stick it to the gangs).. and maybe there my questions will be answered? Just seems like the Wild West out there with all of the gangs and violence. 

I also wish there was more to do. Hell, bring golf out? Make the casino a real thing? Something. There has to be some content for the players like me who don't want to be in a gang. I feel like that is why gang activity is so prevalent. It's like.. be in a gang, or else!

TL;DR

Do I need to report players more for rule violations?
Where are the police?
1v1 robberies should NOT always be 100% successful (Fear RP amendment?)
Need more things to do besides work or do crime.
Poker fix.

Thanks for the read. Thanks for the listen. Was nice killing off some time.

 

- Cops are dealing with a lot of crappy criminals.

- I agree with your suggestions of casino, golf etc.

- Yes, use plays.tv and report people (so to rid us of the GTA Online mindset people)

- Police are there, just not enough to combat all the crime.

- No, 1vs1 shouldn't always be successful I agree.

- Fix poker! 

[Dashingly]

50 minutes ago, deputy865 said:

First of all, I think its wild that the Gangs run this town. I actually resent all gangs at this point for what they do to me in-game constantly. More police needed or something? This is also my first RP server I've ever played in... my RP skills might not be perfect, but I'm a smart person, adaptive and I feel like I keep in character very well. I'm learning. Anyway, I'm getting a little tired of the following action:

There's not really a good solution for gangs running the town, most people join this server and join a gang straight away because that's how they have the most fun. I agree that it can be super annoying for people to run up on you with guns and take your stuff but what would the alternative be? Ban gangs? Ban gangs from doing robberies?  The best thing you can do is just put yourself in a position where its hard for you to get robbed, I.E go to the least popular drug lab, always have your finger on the trigger the second anyone walks in and be ready to defend yourself incase they try to rob you.

Gang RP does need to be drastically improved though, it sucks when nearly every interaction you have with anybody that's not a government worker (mech/PD/MD/etc.) leads to a robbery or gun fight. 

55 minutes ago, deputy865 said:

I'd like to say I'm not in a gang and I'll never been in one. Its not my style. My character is not a follower, he is a leader. Anyway, this is a SUPER common interaction. Or I'll be at drug labs making drugs (where you screen is blurred and you can't see much) and someone will run up behind me, mic spamming for me to put my hands up, rushing me (borderline Powergaming?), etc. or they will shoot - which sometimes they have.

Have you tried starting your own gang then? If youre not a follower, and don't want to join any gangs then try forming your own if you want to do criminal activities without getting harassed by gang members.

Again, the "hands up this is a rob" RP is annoying and bad, but there's not really a good solution to the problem. The only thing you can do is try and outsmart the criminals or don't put yourself in that position (being alone in a dangerous area with valuable stuff on you).

1 hour ago, deputy865 said:

What I don't like is all of this "/do succeed" crap.. Why even bother with that because if I say "no" or do anything other than comply, I'm shot or /occ'd for "Fear RP"... Its just a little annoying. Just point the gun at me, frisk me, take what you find and go. I'd be fine with that... I personally love the KoS rule and I still patiently await my time to act on it!

The reason your shot for not complying with someone that has a gun to your head, is because you didn't comply to someone with a loaded weapon  to your head. You may not like it, but this is exactly as intended. In real life, if someone had a gun to you and told you to empty your pockets, you probably would with no hesitation so you don't get shot. Since this is an RP server and some players don't really care about their characters life, there must be a fear RP rule in place.

1 hour ago, deputy865 said:

Do I need to report players more for rule violations?

Yes, if a player breaks the rules and its damaging to the roleplay situation or the server, you should report them. No one likes players ramming sports cars into you and telling you to pull over, and the only way to deal with them is to have an admin explain the rules to them so that if they keep doing it they get removed from the server.

1 hour ago, deputy865 said:

Where are the police?

There's a shit ton of police, but at the same time it feels like there's no police, right? I swear, the amount of times I call the cops and get no response and then 5 minutes later I see 3-4 cop cars for a minor traffic stop is astounding. There are a lot of cops, but there could always be more and they could allocate their resources a bit better. 

1 hour ago, deputy865 said:

1v1 robberies should NOT always be 100% successful (Fear RP amendment?)

In a 1v1 situation where a player at close range has a gun to you before you have your gun out, the robbery should be successful 100% of the time. If it's any other way, players will just roll, pull out a gun and attack the robber, when in real life they would never do such a thing otherwise they would just get shot attempting it.

 

1 hour ago, deputy865 said:

Need more things to do besides work or do crime.

Hard agree. The reason there is a lot of robberies is because if you don't have a government job, you're either robbing people or getting robbed. Some players take initiative by making up their own roleplay situations such as hosting parties, car shows, street race events which is super cool.

[deputy865]

44 minutes ago, Dashingly said:

 

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Have you tried starting your own gang then? If youre not a follower, and don't want to join any gangs then try forming your own if you want to do criminal activities without getting harassed by gang members.

How would I go about legitimately doing that? I've considered it, but how do I differentiate myself from just being a group of clowns going around doing gang stuff to actually being a gang? 

Quote

The reason your shot for not complying with someone that has a gun to your head, is because you didn't comply to someone with a loaded weapon  to your head. You may not like it, but this is exactly as intended. In real life, if someone had a gun to you and told you to empty your pockets, you probably would with no hesitation so you don't get shot. Since this is an RP server and some players don't really care about their characters life, there must be a fear RP rule in place.

I always comply, but it still leads me to being shot sometimes. Take last night for instance. I got robbed and the dude told me to "leave and never come back".. to which I started to run away. Once I started running, the dude started shooting at me, so I paused. He continued to shoot, reloaded and killed me. I reported him and he stated he only shot me because I started to run away, which is what he told me to do. The admit gave him a "verbal warning only" for what he called "borderline deathmatching". I'm glad to know he was wrong in the situation, but he got to get away with my stuff annnd a slight tap on the wrist. 

Quote

In a 1v1 situation where a player at close range has a gun to you before you have your gun out, the robbery should be successful 100% of the time. If it's any other way, players will just roll, pull out a gun and attack the robber, when in real life they would never do such a thing otherwise they would just get shot attempting it.

I don't want to argue forever about 1v1 robberies... but some people do know self defense. In fact, someone pointing a gun at your head close range is one not entirely complicated to get yourself out of. Not saying it should work EVERY time... but if its a 1v1 situation, the victim should have some sort of chance to help themselves. Worst case, they fail and die and lose everything anyway. Maybe this would slow up the rouge robberies and the "hands up this is rob" type crap. Like I said in one of my sections, I usually hide my stuff, so I welcome a robbery... you're just wasting time haha.

 

 

[Dashingly]

2 minutes ago, deputy865 said:

I always comply, but it still leads me to being shot sometimes. Take last night for instance. I got robbed and the dude told me to "leave and never come back".. to which I started to run away. Once I started running, the dude started shooting at me, so I paused. He continued to shoot, reloaded and killed me. I reported him and he stated he only shot me because I started to run away, which is what he told me to do. The admit gave him a "verbal warning only" for what he called "borderline deathmatching". I'm glad to know he was wrong in the situation, but he got to get away with my stuff annnd a slight tap on the wrist. 

You should report that player for deathmatching, I wouldn't accept a verbal warning from an admin. If that is exactly what happened, then it is 100% deathmatching and that player should be punished, a verbal warning means nothing. 

 

3 minutes ago, deputy865 said:

I don't want to argue forever about 1v1 robberies... but some people do know self defense. In fact, someone pointing a gun at your head close range is one not entirely complicated to get yourself out of. Not saying it should work EVERY time... but if its a 1v1 situation, the victim should have some sort of chance to help themselves. Worst case, they fail and die and lose everything anyway. Maybe this would slow up the rouge robberies and the "hands up this is rob" type crap. Like I said in one of my sections, I usually hide my stuff, so I welcome a robbery... you're just wasting time haha.

Yeah in a 1v1 situation maybe something could be changed where the player could try to wrestle the gun away from the robber, I think on paper this could potentially work, but in practice, players would just be way more trigger happy I think. Still it might be worth trying.

[Swifty]

Quote

First of all, I think its wild that the Gangs run this town. I actually resent all gangs at this point for what they do to me in-game constantly. More police needed or something? This is also my first RP server I've ever played in... my RP skills might not be perfect, but I'm a smart person, adaptive and I feel like I keep in character very well. I'm learning. Anyway, I'm getting a little tired of the following action:

 

Me: *Minding my own business, growing pot*
Gang Member: *rolls up in vehicle* "Hey"
Me: "Hey, whats up?"
Gang Member: "What gang are you in?"
Me: "None"
Gang Member: "Ok... Hands up then!"

*Proceeds to rob me and leave*

These experiences aren’t out of the norm for me, they were standard on old sa-mp servers and it’s unfortunate they seems to have carried over to VRP. I really hope even with these frustrating experiences you’ll stick RPing here, it’s never nice seeing new people to roleplay getting discouraged because of a few assholes.  

I don’t think more police officers are the necessarily answer. According to the server panel, the PD currently has 88 members and they still are actively recruiting. Maybe the issue is the illegal factions are just seemingly more active than their legal counterparts. You've also got to consider the size of the map, the police is focusing far more on crime in Los Santos than they are the rest of the state (which is understandable, other than the drug lords not much else is going on up north.

Quote

I'd like to say I'm not in a gang and I'll never been in one. Its not my style. My character is not a follower, he is a leader. Anyway, this is a SUPER common interaction. Or I'll be at drug labs making drugs (where you screen is blurred and you can't see much) and someone will run up behind me, mic spamming for me to put my hands up, rushing me (borderline Powergaming?), etc. or they will shoot - which sometimes they have. It gets old real quick and only because its the same, cookie-cutter interaction all the time.

I’ve no problem with begin robbed when making drugs, it comes with the territory. The biggest problem for me (similar with your opinion) is that I feel like I’m often rushed to give a response or they’ll put a bullet in my head. I’m grateful that the developers added the notification above players head to let other know that they are typing, I do believe that this is helped quell the issue to some degree.

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The RP interaction itself is dismal too. Its literally a smash and grab job.. which I understand, its a robbery, not a dinner date... there doesn't need to be conversation. What I don't like is all of this "/do succeed" crap.. Why even bother with that because if I say "no" or do anything other than comply, I'm shot or /occ'd for "Fear RP"... Its just a little annoying. Just point the gun at me, frisk me, take what you find and go. I'd be fine with that.

I am with you regarding “/do success?” nonsense – I wish some players were a little more creative with their roleplay (although on former sa-mp server I used to play, it was MUCH worse. It was as basic as S/F? lol). New players with this sort of behavior is understandable, but when its coming from folks with hundreds of hours then not so much.

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I remember reading in the rules that you aren't supposed to play demolition derby with your expensive cars, yet I'll have 1-3 cars smashing into me (Nice cars) to get me to stop just so people can rob me. Is this something to report for?

Report away my friend. Using expensive cars to ram into other vehicles is considered non-roleplay behavior, its one of the examples given in the rule book.

Quote

 

People not giving me much time to respond to commands is also common. So what can I do? Just report everything or maybe make mention to the players about poor RP? I like playing the game quite a bit, but the fun gets taken out of it when people aren't playing fairly. I need to get some sort of way to record the interactions for evidence. I'd have some real entertaining stuff by now. 

 

Again, report away! “Forceful roleplay, that does not give the other player a chance to roleplay their own response is considered powergaming.” – straight out the rule book. You could always mention to the player that they are breaking server rules and you’ll report them if they don’t change course.

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Where are all the cops!? No one gets in trouble for anything I feel like. Hell, I've seen a cop ran down and openly shot at on the highway. Traffic laws? What traffic laws? I've actually strongly considered joining the police department (best way to stick it to the gangs).. and maybe there my questions will be answered? Just seems like the Wild West out there with all of the gangs and violence. 

Like you said earlier in your post, often times it feels like gang’s de-facto run the city. Not sure where you are from OP, but a lot of the time for some of us NA players the server is usually below 100 players at our optimal playing time so the city feels like it has even less law enforcement.

 

[Donovan]

Alright to respond very realisticly and to give you the answer u want gangs " run " the town or seem to be the ones leading the number game player wise is because to become a "criminal " you just need to get a gun , be robbed few times or do it with a friend and you can repeat the process it's few simple /me and /do with certain commands like /frisk , /takebattery etc. while for example if you join PD or MD it is required for you to do heavy RP regarding /me and /do commands atleast when you come to a scene which is not something a new player is going for mosts of the time , it takes effort and dedication ..

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Regarding the Police never being there , alright so the issue with that is , when someone is in a chase or in any situation that seems fishy they are required to call it in and in most of situations place a backup call on their cruiser or themselfs which makes additional units come and then takes all resources from patrols because backup > anything else unless you are already on a backup call ..

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All in all the bigest problem in my oppinion is mindset of players that think like you do , they want money and to be " known " which makes alot of people play for LOOT not for RP or enjoyment ... 

[deputy865]

On 2/5/2019 at 5:20 PM, Gangula said:

 

All in all the bigest problem in my oppinion is mindset of players that think like you do , they want money and to be " known " which makes alot of people play for LOOT not for RP or enjoyment ... 

Let me stop you right there... as this has been said twice now. There is nothing wrong with my mindset. Sorry for wanting to be successful? Wouldn't you think a competitive city, such as Los Santos, would birth and or attract more competitive minds?  Secondly, I don't go around just robbing people and making the game miserable for others. I may have 20,000xp+ by now and I have yet to rob a single player. I've earned every cent I've made in game through several means. As far as being known... If I keep earning money at my rate, I will be known for the ownership of businesses and property and not for any other reason. Or better yet, known for being a business man, a fair person and a good Role Player. I enjoy the character I portray. 

This is a sandbox game where your imagination can run wild. I love these types of games. I am a creative individual and I love having fun with it all. I like to think I have more intellect and imagination than the "hands up this is rob" people out there. I'm actually playing and acting like a tycoon. If you come across me in game, chances are you may experience some of the creativity. I play this part because I enjoy it. I'm respectful to every person I come across in game unless they wrong me. Don't point the finger at me... point it at all the cowboys out there running around and robbing everyone in sight. I started recording rule breakers too. So far, I'm 0/4 on report success. Loopholes in the rules or non responses from the support staff so far. I've been victim to: Deathmatching, Metagaming, Non-RP, Powergaming and victim to a crime in a NCZ. 

Speaking of the "hands up this is rob" people... Man, its awful when the server has 180+ people in it. Every drug lab is filled and if you go near one, 90% chance you're stopped. I tried fishing... I got robbed twice. Hell, IC, I would ask "why are you robbing me!?" and I'd never get a response. No RP here. Just: Hands up. Searches Man. Frisk. Takes Items. Leaves. Not an ounce of fun here. I decided to try trucking; I get robbed at stops. Hell, I'm tired of wasting money on phone batteries at this point haha. The only thing I can do at this point to make money is hope for lucky hands at poker.... Mind you I always do good, but I get tired of the scenery after awhile.

End rant for now.