Current server status.

[EGN]

I am extremely disappointed by the average server quality right now. There's some great roleplayers of course but it seems that just hanging around is an invitation to face a ton of crap. 

 

1.- Extremely try-hard attitude and weird cops behavior.

 

 

Trying to drive around casually around the server right now isn't good, isn't normal. I had this event with a little bit of IC road rage, a guy that was hostile with me for no reason at all while I am stopping for a second at an intersection, then he acts up until we start to crash our cars (it was good until this point) then he crashes a cop, they follow him and then they leave him. When the cops leave we keep roleplaying the IC incident until he goes to Pay 'N Spray in front of Pizza Stacks so I leave, I forget about it and go all the way to the Vinewood Pay 'N Spray and after a while I drive around Unity and Idlewood and he sees me, starts acting hostile again, completely ignoring that he broke immersion and IC the minute he entered the spray shop, the stuff continues until he gets down and shoots. This felt like, disgusting all around. Cops didn't do anything in the first place, poor reason to kill, extremely try-hard attitude.

 

2.- The exaggeration of robberies is also very bad for the server environment right now, you cannot roleplay normal human beings hanging or walking in the street, something needs to be done regarding that. There are robberies happening at unrealistic as heck places (I have been robbed at a rich commercial plaza) which would be very secure and well guarded in real life, more realistic commercial safe zones are needed for people to do actual immersive stuff outside of interiors, it's ridiculous that we can only log in for certain stuff right now. Parking cars outside of open businesses is like an invitation to get your ride broke into as well. Why does this doesn't happen in real life? Because cops in real life know where and what to do and there's security systems, if we are roleplaying realistic and 2024, well it should feel like that.

Edited June 1, 2024 by EGN

[Chicken Bargain]

I will second the robbery part of this. 
 

I was robbed spawning inside of a project building yesterday. 
 

Today I was robbed waiting outside of a gym dragged into my own car, driven to Marina pier, dumped into the ocean, car gone.  Had to swim back to shore got onto the main road and then another whole different groups aimed guns at me and they kidnapped me and I ended up losing 10k. Even tho my wallet, phone, and keys were previously stolen not 5 minutes prior lol. Shit was kinda toxic. 

[Freedom Fighter]

To say it as simple and blunt as can be, shit's getting ridiculously out of hand.

[kookinkokaine1]

Yeah bro. The roleplay doesn't have the same standards it used to have - but we all learned from our mistakes. I wish these new faces that showed will learn whatever piece of advice from us. And yes FF is right, it's getting out of hand.

[Bishop]

DM squad central.

[Complaicant]

LSRP has always had a problem with being robbed even back in the day. I honestly don't feel like this has changed at all. You need to pay attention to your surroundings and not put yourself in a position to be robbed. That is honestly how it has always been IMO.

 

As far as the general quality of RP, I have to agree unfortunately. To me it seems like the average level of RP has gone down a lot. ESPECIALLY when it comes to driving. I don't remember the driving on the server to be as crazy as it is now. It feels almost light RP level at times and it literally makes me hate driving. I try to avoid driving as much as possible. 

[Mmartin]

I agree there's a lot of chaos right now. The best thing you can do is to submit a /report ingame if you feel someone's RP or driving is subpar or unrealistic, and we'll deal with it. Maintaining a high RP standard is very important to us, and that's sometimes tough to balance with being welcoming to new players.

 

I want to shift the attention to the robbery issue though. It's correct that robberies (and esp. chain robberies) were always a problem to some degree. While it's easy to write this off as an IC issue, I know for a fact that being robbed constantly greatly degrades your experience on the server from an OOC level. Which is no good.

 

Let me float this idea I've had a while back here on how to curb the robbery sprees, without changing the money and level limits.

 

- Add a command (e.g. /rob ID) that has to be executed during a robbery and confirmed by all parties.

- The command logs the robbery.

- You wouldn't be allowed to perform a robbery without executing the command - it'd be against the rules.

- You can only use the command X times over Y hours (2 times over 24?)

- If you're two people robbing a player, both have to do the command.

- If you're being robbed and the robbers refuse to use /rob, you can report to have it reviewed.

- The 24-hour limit would apply per-account, so you can't go on a different character to continue your spree.

 

Although mildly cumbersome and RPG-ish, this is really the only reasonable way I see how to curb robbery sprees without relying on player reports and admins having to spectate for hours to detect it.

 

In general, I think robberies are a part of RP, but IMO they shouldn't be the primary source of income for any player due to the experience affecting nature they carry. What do you think about the solution I proposed? Do you see any other solutions? 

[KUnderwood]

I think what you’ve outlined Mmartin is best, it’s kind of where we got to here 

 

[Brigone]

3 hours ago, Mmartin said:

I agree there's a lot of chaos right now. The best thing you can do is to submit a /report ingame if you feel someone's RP or driving is subpar or unrealistic, and we'll deal with it. Maintaining a high RP standard is very important to us, and that's sometimes tough to balance with being welcoming to new players.

 

I want to shift the attention to the robbery issue though. It's correct that robberies (and esp. chain robberies) were always a problem to some degree. While it's easy to write this off as an IC issue, I know for a fact that being robbed constantly greatly degrades your experience on the server from an OOC level. Which is no good.

 

Let me float this idea I've had a while back here on how to curb the robbery sprees, without changing the money and level limits.

 

- Add a command (e.g. /rob ID) that has to be executed during a robbery and confirmed by all parties.

- The command logs the robbery.

- You wouldn't be allowed to perform a robbery without executing the command - it'd be against the rules.

- You can only use the command X times over Y hours (2 times over 24?)

- If you're two people robbing a player, both have to do the command.

- If you're being robbed and the robbers refuse to use /rob, you can report to have it reviewed.

- The 24-hour limit would apply per-account, so you can't go on a different character to continue your spree.

 

Although mildly cumbersome and RPG-ish, this is really the only reasonable way I see how to curb robbery sprees without relying on player reports and admins having to spectate for hours to detect it.

 

In general, I think robberies are a part of RP, but IMO they shouldn't be the primary source of income for any player due to the experience affecting nature they carry. What do you think about the solution I proposed? Do you see any other solutions? 

 

Hi Mmartin,

I'm pleased to see that we share the same perspective. Continuous communication between the average roleplayer and the management team has proven essential for the success of Los Santos Roleplay. Our suggestions are well-aligned and despite the frustration of being continuously killed and robbed, what motivated me to take action through the only way I could (by making a suggestion) was the numerous amounts of complaints from players I received on a personal level. The majority of people in my network express a desire to play SA-MP, but their immersion is continually disrupted by the same individuals engaging in robberies, kidnappings, and other illicit activities without any regard for roleplay or their characters' personal safety.

I completely agree with you that robberies  serve as a critical part of roleplay, particularly in a city like Los Santos that serves as a make-believe Los Angeles. However, it is evident that many individuals perform robberies not necessarily for the act itself, but in hopes of initiating gunfights, which is where the meat of the issue lies.

Additionally, there is clearly also a significant problem with wallhacks. I have personally encountered situations where I am in a secluded area outside of Los Santos and a vehicle with 3-4 individuals block my exit, perfectly aware of my location. This always leads to either death, an attempted kidnapping, or a quick /check, /vehpackage, and a frisk on my character to see if I have weapons. Furthermore, I have witnessed numerous instances where people are killed, and the perpetrators stay on the scene to break into their vehicle to search for weapons. This happened to me as well however this specific situation was perfectly handled by @Xanakin.

If I may offer another suggestion, a strategic approach to address this issue would be to analyze the data of all deaths since the server went live. By compiling this data into an Excel sheet, you can filter and identify who has been committing the most murders and how frequently. These individuals should be monitored closely. I am confident that those with the highest murder repetitions will be the ones using aimbots and wallhacks. If we were to weed those specific individuals out, I foresee a ridiculous drop in robberies, unrealistic kidnappings and murders. Naturally, it goes without saying, one would have to weed out all law enforcement members from the get-go for the data to be effective and look at repetitions opposite to kill counts. 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited June 1, 2024 by Brigone
to tag Xanakin

[TheCed]

I completely agree with the concerns raised. The influx of players who don't take the server seriously is very noticeable, and the most definitely come from the other RAGE server just to cause chaos. I've been robbed twice in just three days. It's become nearly impossible to roleplay outdoors because some players are simply looking for action. It seems like many of these players don't even roleplay the preparation for the robbery—they're likely coordinating on Discord, which breaks immersion.

 

The rewards for these robberies are minimal, usually just 5k and the chance to find drugs or weapons. It feels like the primary motivation is to humiliate other players out of boredom. Carrying a gun has become pointless because you can't use it if someone already has a gun on you, and you'll get ajailed for failing to roleplay fear properly. Some players are just here to cause chaos and bring toxicity, starting conflicts and then reporting you if they start losing. They even take the time to upload videos just to win reports. The level of toxicity now is far worse than it was on LS-RP back in the day, which used to be a lot more fun.

 

While the /rob command is a good idea, I think requiring admin approval for a robbery could be even more effective. Players would need to show that they have properly prepared for the robbery, with a 24-hour cooldown to prevent spree robbing. No one in real life would go on a robbing spree like that due to the high risks involved. Most robberies happen at night in rough areas. I lived in Guatemala, and I never heard of robberies happening in crowded commercial areas—most occur at night in residential areas, particularly low income ones.

 

Expanding "safe zones" could also help. Limiting robberies to the southern part of Los Santos could emphasize the dangers of gang activity and living in rough areas. Implementing a 24-hour cooldown on robberies would ensure it doesn't turn into a robbery fest. This approach would add realism to the server and improve the overall roleplaying experience.

[Complaicant]

3 hours ago, Mmartin said:

I agree there's a lot of chaos right now. The best thing you can do is to submit a /report ingame if you feel someone's RP or driving is subpar or unrealistic, and we'll deal with it. Maintaining a high RP standard is very important to us, and that's sometimes tough to balance with being welcoming to new players.

 

I want to shift the attention to the robbery issue though. It's correct that robberies (and esp. chain robberies) were always a problem to some degree. While it's easy to write this off as an IC issue, I know for a fact that being robbed constantly greatly degrades your experience on the server from an OOC level. Which is no good.

 

Let me float this idea I've had a while back here on how to curb the robbery sprees, without changing the money and level limits.

 

- Add a command (e.g. /rob ID) that has to be executed during a robbery and confirmed by all parties.

- The command logs the robbery.

- You wouldn't be allowed to perform a robbery without executing the command - it'd be against the rules.

- You can only use the command X times over Y hours (2 times over 24?)

- If you're two people robbing a player, both have to do the command.

- If you're being robbed and the robbers refuse to use /rob, you can report to have it reviewed.

- The 24-hour limit would apply per-account, so you can't go on a different character to continue your spree.

 

Although mildly cumbersome and RPG-ish, this is really the only reasonable way I see how to curb robbery sprees without relying on player reports and admins having to spectate for hours to detect it.

 

In general, I think robberies are a part of RP, but IMO they shouldn't be the primary source of income for any player due to the experience affecting nature they carry. What do you think about the solution I proposed? Do you see any other solutions? 

Honestly I think that this is a good idea and really the only way to implement it. The only challenging part I for see is implementing a way to ensure that if a group of people rob someone they all incur the same timer. This is needed to prevent people from taking turns using up their robbing limits so that way they can chain robberies.

 

I understand /rob and /robaccept are RPGish, but it's a minor drawback compared to benefits it will provide.

[heavenly13]

Lots of people run me over with their cars just for fun. The reports never get handled. If I have to be honest I'm very often demotivated to RP because of just how low and subpar the RP is. 

There should just be more admins - I hope management stops gatekeeping staff positions.

To add, the punishments I've seen are mostly just kicks which constitute to absolutely no punishment.

I agree with all points raised above, especially that of @TheCed.

Edited June 1, 2024 by heavenly13

[TheCed]

I gotta thank staff for reacting quickly to player demands when it comes to this subject.

 

 

This is a first step.

[Mmartin]

1 hour ago, Brigone said:

 

Additionally, there is clearly also a significant problem with wallhacks. I have personally encountered situations where I am in a secluded area outside of Los Santos and a vehicle with 3-4 individuals block my exit, perfectly aware of my location. This always leads to either death, an attempted kidnapping, or a quick /check, /vehpackage, and a frisk on my character to see if I have weapons. Furthermore, I have witnessed numerous instances where people are killed, and the perpetrators stay on the scene to break into their vehicle to search for weapons. This happened to me as well however this specific situation was perfectly handled by @Xanakin. 

 

This is a separate problem, with wallhacks we're currently limited in how to detect them. We've been able to detect them to some extent and have banned people for them already, but we've a solution in the works that will get rid of a large % of them.

 

There's also wallhacks for weapon objects, so you're quick to be ambushed if you spawn a stash car that has finalized weapons in it. We've been able to mitigate this to some extent, but you can't really make a fully reliable solution for it; so I'm considering just disabling visible weapons in vehicles altogether. Yes it's a shame to turn off the feature, but it'll put a massive dent in ambushing stash cars.

 

1 hour ago, Brigone said:

[...] These individuals should be monitored closely. I am confident that those with the highest murder repetitions will be the ones using aimbots and wallhacks. If we were to weed those specific individuals out, I foresee a ridiculous drop in robberies, unrealistic kidnappings and murders. Naturally, it goes without saying, one would have to weed out all law enforcement members from the get-go for the data to be effective and look at repetitions opposite to kill counts. 

 

1 hour ago, TheCed said:

While the /rob command is a good idea, I think requiring admin approval for a robbery could be even more effective. Players would need to show that they have properly prepared for the robbery, with a 24-hour cooldown to prevent spree robbing. No one in real life would go on a robbing spree like that due to the high risks involved. Most robberies happen at night in rough areas. I lived in Guatemala, and I never heard of robberies happening in crowded commercial areas—most occur at night in residential areas, particularly low income ones.

 

Any solution which primarily relies on more time spent by admins watching players for a long period of time, vetting them etc, isn't sustainable in the long term. If we can impose the limits via script or automation, and leave admin intervention as a last resort, it'll be much more consistent and reliable for players and staff both.

 

1 hour ago, TheCed said:

Expanding "safe zones" could also help. Limiting robberies to the southern part of Los Santos could emphasize the dangers of gang activity and living in rough areas. Implementing a 24-hour cooldown on robberies would ensure it doesn't turn into a robbery fest. This approach would add realism to the server and improve the overall roleplaying experience.

 

This also crossed my mind. Only allowing robberies in certain parts of the city. That's of course in combination with other measures, like my /rob proposal. We could still grant exceptions to this by staff if they've time to vet a crew that roleplays well and allow them to do robberies outside of the pre-approved areas. That way we can directly rate limit the robbery rates in areas where they realistically wouldn't be common.

 

38 minutes ago, heavenly13 said:

Lots of people run me over with their cars just for fun. The reports never get handled. If I have to be honest I'm very often demotivated to RP because of just how low and subpar the RP is. 

There should just be more admins - I hope management stops gatekeeping staff positions.

To add, the punishments I've seen are mostly just kicks which constitute to absolutely no punishment.

I agree with all points raised above, especially that of @TheCed.

 

We're reinstating 11 administrators tomorrow and have recently promoted a batch from Tester to Admin. Some of these folks are from US/AU timezones too to cover the graveyard shift. This should improve the response time a bit.

 

When an admin handles a situation, we're trying to go for education over punishment. If someone commits their first offense, we don't go straight to a ban or a lengthy admin jail (unless it's a very severe breach of rules). Since the server's "fresh" right now, people don't have punishments stacked and usually kick is the first line of punishment before they're dealt with harshly.

 

That all being said, it's still only been two weeks since SA-MP has returned for everyone (shit has it been two weeks already) and I do believe things will cool off naturally to some extent, but this is a pressing issue right now so let's look for as many solutions to consider as possible.

 

We can cover some aspects of this in tomorrow's community meeting and open the question up to the community as well.

[Aberdeen]

52 minutes ago, Mmartin said:

When an admin handles a situation, we're trying to go for education over punishment. If someone commits their first offense, we don't go straight to a ban or a lengthy admin jail (unless it's a very severe breach of rules). Since the server's "fresh" right now, people don't have punishments stacked and usually kick is the first line of punishment before they're dealt with harshly.

Don't take this as admin-bashing because it's not (well, mostly) but what's going through your staff's minds when they kick somebody for subpar English? These players aren't logging off for a study session on Rosetta Stone: they are fundamentally unable to grasp the language. Unless you're going to open up a server-sponsored ESL school, they're just going to come back and continue dragging down the standard of roleplay with incompetence.

 

I understand that they're only a fraction of the non-RP problem but it's still a prominent issue that needs to be addressed if overall standards are expected to return to previous levels.