Speeding up the game - suggestions.

[Mortem]

So being a fairly old player on ECRP, I've noticed on recurring sequence of events that literally drives me to want to log off and here's my ideas on how these could be fixed and made a LOT less tedious. I understand I have no right to speak on the behalf of the community as a relatively unknown player but all I'm asking is for the staff team and developers to actually review these small game fix suggestions with an open mind. Thank you.

1. PD waiting times, (impound waiting times, fees, getting stuff back from jail and DOC.) 

I'm just gonna cut to the chase, getting arrested, regardless of whether you go to PD jail or DOC will end up in all of my stuff being taken at the time, stuff which sometimes I really just don't want to go and buy from the store again. You can obviously get these items back at front desk, however from my personal opinion and experience, I am yet to see any considerable basis of PD doing desk jobs and staying inside the station, DOC being much better as those who work there have to mostly remain in the building, but still bad from my experience. I recall having to wait, no bullshit, OOC hours, yes hours, trying to just get an officer available who can come and give me my stuff back, which takes usually less than one minute. This stems from the OOC problem of PD disregarding RP and instead having the whole department, swat, and supercars brutally ram and shoot at a lone citizen with a .50 on his hip, but that's a debate for another time, as I've seen many officers just literally run away from me when asking to un-impound my vehicles or get my stuff from PD. From my experience, this has always been the case, so why not just automate these processes, like paying for tickets and save everyone loads of time that could be used to RP instead of AFKing for hours? 

Now when, you've finally got your GPS, radio and can now leave, you call a taxi, or call your boys and make your way to the impound, where you have to, guess what, wait another, from my experience, 20 minutes - 3 hours to get your vehicle. That's of course assuming that your license isn't suspended, which it most likely is. Anyways, if you have a decently priced car like myself, get ready to pay a hefty amount of money releasing this vehicle. unless it's been secure impounded which happens 1/20 times. Impound prices should be decreased, as you shouldn't have to pay this ontop of the fines from PD you already have. Same thing, and it honestly also depends on the player base too, but why should someone have to wait 3 hours just because their timezone is a little different, or because PD can't be bothered to come. The RP required to unimpound the vehicles is mediocre at best, if you can even consider it RP at all. I would like to push the suggestions to like make these two processes automated to save everyone some f***ing time, 'scuse my language.

2. Mechanic waiting times, (particularly mechanics coming to you when your vehicle is stalled). 

Again, this depends on the player base, as I've had experiences where I'm waiting upwards of 5 hours for mechanics which ultimately never accept my request. There's already a small amount of mechanics in the game, and it just takes a ridiculous amount of time for them to come. I'm not going to elaborate as threads such as this one have already suggested fixes for htis problem. - https://forum.eclipse-rp.net/topic/53446-vehicle-mechanic-repair-tool-kit/

This thread is 7 months old, without a single shred of feedback from staff or developers, so I'm simply confused, is this just being ignored, and if so for what reason? I would appreciate any and all feedback from devs and staff on this thread. Thank you for reading this long rant like suggestion. 

[Ritchie Stones]

I kinda feel you here,

altho im not a fan of the automatisation

i work 6/7 for long hours sometimes,

when i log into eclipse i kinda want to have an rp expirence, but whenever you are pst midnight in europe you can forget about getting any help rp wise and also on admins,

(i get it they wanna play to)

so after a long week sitting passive in a game for hours because you stalled your vehicle on a saturday night, is really a bummer to close of your week 

[Jbacon]

On 6/21/2021 at 12:58 AM, Mortem said:

So being a fairly old player on ECRP, I've noticed on recurring sequence of events that literally drives me to want to log off and here's my ideas on how these could be fixed and made a LOT less tedious. I understand I have no right to speak on the behalf of the community as a relatively unknown player but all I'm asking is for the staff team and developers to actually review these small game fix suggestions with an open mind. Thank you.

1. PD waiting times, (impound waiting times, fees, getting stuff back from jail and DOC.) 

I'm just gonna cut to the chase, getting arrested, regardless of whether you go to PD jail or DOC will end up in all of my stuff being taken at the time, stuff which sometimes I really just don't want to go and buy from the store again. You can obviously get these items back at front desk, however from my personal opinion and experience, I am yet to see any considerable basis of PD doing desk jobs and staying inside the station, DOC being much better as those who work there have to mostly remain in the building, but still bad from my experience. I recall having to wait, no bullshit, OOC hours, yes hours, trying to just get an officer available who can come and give me my stuff back, which takes usually less than one minute. This stems from the OOC problem of PD disregarding RP and instead having the whole department, swat, and supercars brutally ram and shoot at a lone citizen with a .50 on his hip, but that's a debate for another time, as I've seen many officers just literally run away from me when asking to un-impound my vehicles or get my stuff from PD. From my experience, this has always been the case, so why not just automate these processes, like paying for tickets and save everyone loads of time that could be used to RP instead of AFKing for hours? 

Now when, you've finally got your GPS, radio and can now leave, you call a taxi, or call your boys and make your way to the impound, where you have to, guess what, wait another, from my experience, 20 minutes - 3 hours to get your vehicle. That's of course assuming that your license isn't suspended, which it most likely is. Anyways, if you have a decently priced car like myself, get ready to pay a hefty amount of money releasing this vehicle. unless it's been secure impounded which happens 1/20 times. Impound prices should be decreased, as you shouldn't have to pay this ontop of the fines from PD you already have. Same thing, and it honestly also depends on the player base too, but why should someone have to wait 3 hours just because their timezone is a little different, or because PD can't be bothered to come. The RP required to unimpound the vehicles is mediocre at best, if you can even consider it RP at all. I would like to push the suggestions to like make these two processes automated to save everyone some f***ing time, 'scuse my language.

2. Mechanic waiting times, (particularly mechanics coming to you when your vehicle is stalled). 

Again, this depends on the player base, as I've had experiences where I'm waiting upwards of 5 hours for mechanics which ultimately never accept my request. There's already a small amount of mechanics in the game, and it just takes a ridiculous amount of time for them to come. I'm not going to elaborate as threads such as this one have already suggested fixes for htis problem. - https://forum.eclipse-rp.net/topic/53446-vehicle-mechanic-repair-tool-kit/

This thread is 7 months old, without a single shred of feedback from staff or developers, so I'm simply confused, is this just being ignored, and if so for what reason? I would appreciate any and all feedback from devs and staff on this thread. Thank you for reading this long rant like suggestion. 

From a PD stand point allow me to address your points directly for you so you perhaps understand that while you see one side it we see another, and your attitude towards insulting an entire faction and over 100 members of the community most having been here long before you came, and most that will be here after you have decided to leave.

1. PD wait times.
So you have been arrested and want your stuff back, like you the members of the LSPD have responsibilities to do, this includes standard patrols, arrests, pursuits, store checks, community checks etc... among this list is Impound and Asset retrieval. Now the priority for these activities in question (impound, asset retrieval) are considerably lower then pursuits, gang violence, store robberies and 911 calls. 
Impound and asset retrievals are consider a couple of the lowest priority calls for the department as 99% of our calls are considered emergency calls, requiring immediate attention when a unit becomes available. With record calls during prime time, upwards of 10 active at any given time, it is difficult to send an officer 10minutes across the city, to pull out a radio and a bf400... to only re impound it 2 hours later... that and even worse, when we go to release a car, find that the driver has outstanding tickets, warrants, or no license, or funds to get the car out (all of which need to be in correct positions to get the car out). Now, with that said the LSPD has in the past discussed having the impound automated and if memory serves we were in support of the idea... barring conditions were met, (valid drivers license, no tickets, no charges, sufficient funds)  which hasn't been to my knowledge code able at this time. 
The next option that was considered was the give mechanics the ability to release cars, but this was quickly ruled out when discussed due to the system being abused.
Your comments pertaining to RP at the impound, I would like to ask what RP are you offering at the impound and during your arrests to call other players RP as mediocre, I have released hundreds of cars and have a large set of rp i do to get them out... and the response i get is /license ... and then the player runs off even when prompted for RP. 
RP is the responsibility of all players, even cops get tired of people ignoring, rushing or forcing RP. We desire enjoyable RP experiences as much or more then most, thus all our internal events, activities and other various activities. I can assure you that alot of PD members are some of the heaviest rp'rs in the community. I hope you get the opportunity to rp with some of them. Everyone has different levels, but RP is something that can easily be escalated by one player showing a higher level of rp, and making it more enjoyable for all involved. 
As how to speed up these interactions, perhaps ensure everything is ready in preparation for your car release, I am not sure if you have ever had your car at an impound lot before but it can take upwards of 6 hours to have it released even after you have paid the fees. The impound is not something that we enjoy dealing with but are required to, in order to ensure your vehicles are not chopped, or thrown in the ocean.

As for impound fees, these are not paid to the LSPD, nor are Fines paid to the department, we have no authority over these and they were set by the founders many, many months ago. There are penalties for committing crimes, using your car, comes with repercussions. Perhaps look at alternative methods of escape, to avoid the impound all together.

 

2. Mechanics, as you stated yourself there are only a handful of them around at any given time, thus expecting 1 of the 3 mechanics on duty to come out to the middle of no where because you were driving 220kph down route 68 and smashed into a bus, is not practical. The mechanics have their businesses to look after, with customers often lines of customers parked in front of them waiting for service, and paying them to do it. They also stand less risk of getting robbed, killed or their trucks stolen if they dont venture out... not to mention arriving to find no one there, and just a car parked in the middle of no where. What do you expect them to do with the car, tow it to their yard and hope someone shows up someday to pay for the tow, and the repair?

Everything you have suggested can be dealt with yes, but removing the opportunities for rp is never the answer, this is a HUGELY successful rp community with some of the oldest RP'rs in the GTA RP community participating in daily activities and interactions. Focus on making rp enjoyable for others around you, and you will find folks more receptive and willing to go out of their way to assist you. I can assure you, someone that offers me RP, and good thought out RP that makes sense gets a pile more of my time then. /me no resistance..... /me no resistance.... /me stands up.

[Mortem]

6 hours ago, Jbacon said:

From a PD stand point allow me to address your points directly for you so you perhaps understand that while you see one side it we see another, and your attitude towards insulting an entire faction and over 100 members of the community most having been here long before you came, and most that will be here after you have decided to leave.

1. PD wait times.
So you have been arrested and want your stuff back, like you the members of the LSPD have responsibilities to do, this includes standard patrols, arrests, pursuits, store checks, community checks etc... among this list is Impound and Asset retrieval. Now the priority for these activities in question (impound, asset retrieval) are considerably lower then pursuits, gang violence, store robberies and 911 calls. 
Impound and asset retrievals are consider a couple of the lowest priority calls for the department as 99% of our calls are considered emergency calls, requiring immediate attention when a unit becomes available. With record calls during prime time, upwards of 10 active at any given time, it is difficult to send an officer 10minutes across the city, to pull out a radio and a bf400... to only re impound it 2 hours later... that and even worse, when we go to release a car, find that the driver has outstanding tickets, warrants, or no license, or funds to get the car out (all of which need to be in correct positions to get the car out). Now, with that said the LSPD has in the past discussed having the impound automated and if memory serves we were in support of the idea... barring conditions were met, (valid drivers license, no tickets, no charges, sufficient funds)  which hasn't been to my knowledge code able at this time. 
The next option that was considered was the give mechanics the ability to release cars, but this was quickly ruled out when discussed due to the system being abused.
Your comments pertaining to RP at the impound, I would like to ask what RP are you offering at the impound and during your arrests to call other players RP as mediocre, I have released hundreds of cars and have a large set of rp i do to get them out... and the response i get is /license ... and then the player runs off even when prompted for RP. 
RP is the responsibility of all players, even cops get tired of people ignoring, rushing or forcing RP. We desire enjoyable RP experiences as much or more then most, thus all our internal events, activities and other various activities. I can assure you that alot of PD members are some of the heaviest rp'rs in the community. I hope you get the opportunity to rp with some of them. Everyone has different levels, but RP is something that can easily be escalated by one player showing a higher level of rp, and making it more enjoyable for all involved. 
As how to speed up these interactions, perhaps ensure everything is ready in preparation for your car release, I am not sure if you have ever had your car at an impound lot before but it can take upwards of 6 hours to have it released even after you have paid the fees. The impound is not something that we enjoy dealing with but are required to, in order to ensure your vehicles are not chopped, or thrown in the ocean.

As for impound fees, these are not paid to the LSPD, nor are Fines paid to the department, we have no authority over these and they were set by the founders many, many months ago. There are penalties for committing crimes, using your car, comes with repercussions. Perhaps look at alternative methods of escape, to avoid the impound all together.

 

2. Mechanics, as you stated yourself there are only a handful of them around at any given time, thus expecting 1 of the 3 mechanics on duty to come out to the middle of no where because you were driving 220kph down route 68 and smashed into a bus, is not practical. The mechanics have their businesses to look after, with customers often lines of customers parked in front of them waiting for service, and paying them to do it. They also stand less risk of getting robbed, killed or their trucks stolen if they dont venture out... not to mention arriving to find no one there, and just a car parked in the middle of no where. What do you expect them to do with the car, tow it to their yard and hope someone shows up someday to pay for the tow, and the repair?

Everything you have suggested can be dealt with yes, but removing the opportunities for rp is never the answer, this is a HUGELY successful rp community with some of the oldest RP'rs in the GTA RP community participating in daily activities and interactions. Focus on making rp enjoyable for others around you, and you will find folks more receptive and willing to go out of their way to assist you. I can assure you, someone that offers me RP, and good thought out RP that makes sense gets a pile more of my time then. /me no resistance..... /me no resistance.... /me stands up.

I understand what you're saying, and pardon me if it seems as if I'm trying to insult pretty much the oldest faction on ECRP, and unfortunately, as much as I would like for there to be some sort of way to create rp opportunities in quicker time, I don't think the player base of ECRP would want to wait that long, however you are right in saying that these experiences are none the less RP opportunities.  Thus perhaps a compromise could be made, for example when officers are not active on the impound for 5-10 minutes a command can be used to make the process automatic - something like this, as this point it's becoming more of a hindrance than it is beneficial for RP. Side note, forgive me if I'm being closed minded, but there are simple close to no realistic 'alternative methods of escape' from PD bar vehicles. 

As for mechanics, you stated earlier that RP simply doesn't work if both parties don't make an effort, thus mechanics not coming simply means no RP, which can be solved with automatic kits, sold by mechanics as I mentioned to substitute this RP, removing the "risk of getting robbed, killer or their trucks stolen.". Not to mention not all drivers who need a repair are at blame for stalling their own engine, and all of this still doesn't change the fact that activity based on timezones has a massive effect on your waiting time too, and no amount of realistic RP or 'practical' accidents are going to fix that, which is why I am making this thread, to make RP smoother and more enjoyable for everyone, even PD as you said yourself they don't even enjoy going to the impound (sad but the truth.).



 

[Jbacon]

I would be open to the idea of a command that would become usable should all conditions be made.

TBH PD loses a ton of cars everyday... we are in all honesty at a success rate of 50% in pursuits if not less.. It is all about having a plan, and a route!

[TheCactus]

@Mortem I have to fully or partially agree with most of you arguments. I've been part of this server and the LSPD faction for 2 years now and some things stayed the same (the impound).
 

1. The evidence lockers at the stations should be split in two.
   - Automated locker (/accessalocker Name_Lastname): Accessible from the front desk. Any on-duty law enforcement and the person with the Name_Lastname can access it.
   - Evidence locker (the one we have right now): Accessible from the secured evidence locker by on-duty law enforcement officer. It should contain pistols and other items that need some checking before being given back.
2. The impound lot script could work differently, even if I am reluctant about it. It really could be dealt with ICly by having more officers check the impound lot when starting and ending their shifts. In any case if that is not the approach which we want to take, there's a simple idea here below.
   - Secure impound (/secureimpound licenseplate & /releaseimpound licenseplate): If the individual has no unpaid citations, warrants and both driver's and trucker's license are intact, the vehicle will be released immediately as if it was done by an officer. If there is a warrant for their arrest, on duty law enforcement would receive a different text in chat.
   - Normal impound (/impound licenseplate & /releaseimpound licenseplate): If the individual has no unpaid citations, warrants and both driver's and trucker's license are intact, the vehicle will be released immediately as if it was done by an officer. If there is a warrant for their arrest, on duty law enforcement would receive a different text in chat.
3. The totalled vehicles around the streets are a major problem in my honest opinion (especially when it comes to black motorcycles during the night). They infest the map like a disease and simply impounding them causes another issue at the impound lot when they get released. I watched 3 episodes of The Sopranos while waiting for a mechanic on my alt and at the end of the day, I had to give up. The original suggestion is here https://forum.eclipse-rp.net/topic/53446-vehicle-mechanic-repair-tool-kit/ and looks like it got ignored.
   - Jumpstart Kits: Item that can be sold either by the mechanics shops (like painkillers at MD) or stores. It could be that stores sell them for more since they're everywhere. It can start your vehicle unless its condition is 0 (or another number decided by Osvaldon the almighty). Prices, weight, how many times it can be used can be decided by developers so the item is balanced and doesn't deprive mechanics from Roleplay.
   - Toolboxes: Item that can be sold either by the mechanics shops (like painkillers at MD) or stores. It could be that stores sell them for more since they're everywhere. It can bring your vehicle's condition back to 350 so you can drive safely to the mechanics shop and get it repaired. Prices, weight, how many times it can be used can be decided by developers so the item is balanced and doesn't deprive mechanics from Roleplay (I'd make it at least 15 Vol).

[SaltyPython]

3 hours ago, TheCactus said:

@Mortem I have to fully or partially agree with most of you arguments. I've been part of this server and the LSPD faction for 2 years now and some things stayed the same (the impound).
 

1. The evidence lockers at the stations should be split in two.
   - Automated locker (/accessalocker Name_Lastname): Accessible from the front desk. Any on-duty law enforcement and the person with the Name_Lastname can access it.
   - Evidence locker (the one we have right now): Accessible from the secured evidence locker by on-duty law enforcement officer. It should contain pistols and other items that need some checking before being given back.
2. The impound lot script could work differently, even if I am reluctant about it. It really could be dealt with ICly by having more officers check the impound lot when starting and ending their shifts. In any case if that is not the approach which we want to take, there's a simple idea here below.
   - Secure impound (/secureimpound licenseplate & /releaseimpound licenseplate): If the individual has no unpaid citations, warrants and both driver's and trucker's license are intact, the vehicle will be released immediately as if it was done by an officer. If there is a warrant for their arrest, on duty law enforcement would receive a different text in chat.
   - Normal impound (/impound licenseplate & /releaseimpound licenseplate): If the individual has no unpaid citations, warrants and both driver's and trucker's license are intact, the vehicle will be released immediately as if it was done by an officer. If there is a warrant for their arrest, on duty law enforcement would receive a different text in chat.
3. The totalled vehicles around the streets are a major problem in my honest opinion (especially when it comes to black motorcycles during the night). They infest the map like a disease and simply impounding them causes another issue at the impound lot when they get released. I watched 3 episodes of The Sopranos while waiting for a mechanic on my alt and at the end of the day, I had to give up. The original suggestion is here https://forum.eclipse-rp.net/topic/53446-vehicle-mechanic-repair-tool-kit/ and looks like it got ignored.
   - Jumpstart Kits: Item that can be sold either by the mechanics shops (like painkillers at MD) or stores. It could be that stores sell them for more since they're everywhere. It can start your vehicle unless its condition is 0 (or another number decided by Osvaldon the almighty). Prices, weight, how many times it can be used can be decided by developers so the item is balanced and doesn't deprive mechanics from Roleplay.
   - Toolboxes: Item that can be sold either by the mechanics shops (like painkillers at MD) or stores. It could be that stores sell them for more since they're everywhere. It can bring your vehicle's condition back to 350 so you can drive safely to the mechanics shop and get it repaired. Prices, weight, how many times it can be used can be decided by developers so the item is balanced and doesn't deprive mechanics from Roleplay (I'd make it at least 15 Vol).

+1 to most of your ideas, but I can see problems with the impound solution, mainly that people would start catching on when the vehicles aren't immediately released, that there's something wrong and they'd take that as a cue to run away.

Perhaps a way to fix that is to have it mostly the way you said, but for normal impounds it stays the way it is already. That way if a car isn't immediately released, it's either because you have something missing (or a warrant), or because it's been normally impounded. I think it would make more sense too as securely impounded vehicles should be easier to get released.