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Hello, Welcome to September's update. I want to go over staff changes and address a few recent topics, some of which we touched on in my last "We need to talk..." post. I've been keeping up with the comments on the thread and read all of them. I want to thank everyone who took their time to write down constructive criticism and everyone who shared words of support. I want to share my thoughts on some of the discussions that raised from the topic, and add a few of my own. Development Team Last week, we added three new developers to the team. I'd like to welcome GiamPy, java and matical. Neither of them waited a minute to jump right into the trenches and start contributing. Good luck and I'm looking forward to see what you guys bring to the server. Together with the rest of our development team, they put together their first update 1.3.7: I'm glad to say that by week 1, we managed to finish about half of our two week plan mentioned in my previous blog post, although we rearranged the priorities a little bit. The rest that wasn't implemented yet should come in next week's update. We've also spent some time eliminating any bottlenecks in the development process. A lot of the activities which relied solely on me are now a shared responsibility among the Development Team. ImperiumXVII is also taking on a more leading role within the team as the Head of Game Development. This all essentially means that a lot of the steps in the development lifecycle that were dependent on me exclusively are now delegated to the rest of the team, letting them do their thing even if I'm busy with other tasks. This all should allow us to do more work, more frequently. Our goal is to have an active release schedule, but it may take a few weeks to get there as we strengthen our processes. Circling back to pre-launch, we talked a lot about wanting to include community in development decisions as much as possible (suggestion voting, etc). We'll be trying out a more solidified community driven approach to development starting next week (after the 10th). More info on that later. In order to facilitate that, we created a new position within the Development Team - a Project Manager. The role of a PM will be to: - Organize community feedback and understand the needs and wants of the community - Be the bridge between the community and development team - Prioritize development work based on community feedback and server vision - Liaise with Team Leaders to understand their needs and priorities In essence, it's a nontechnical position within the Development team to make sure our priorities are in order and in line with the community's needs, while developers' focus can be primarily on developing. This position will be filled by Dos Santos, as he's demonstrated his capabilities within the Company Team, where he accomplished substantial improvements with a continuous feedback loop with company owners. Thank you to everyone from the staff team that applied for the position. We're still looking to onboard one or two more developers in the coming weeks, so if you didn't apply yet and are interested - now's the time. Stability We've had connection issues a few times since the launch of the server. Rarely, if ever, are they completely in our control. Lately we've been a frequent target of DDOS attacks which impacted our uptime and stability. This is a never ending cat and mouse game which will never be completely resolved, although I can assure you that during downtime, it's all hands on deck on finding a solution for the particular problem we're facing. I'm grateful for other server owners, and even rage dev themselves who have been instrumental in helping us reinforce our protection layers. In this case, I want to ask you for understanding when attacks do happen. We'll keep you updated on Discord in #updates if there's anything going on that would impact connections. Other Concerns When I say I read every single bit of feedback under blog posts and in general discussion I'm serious. I often choose not to engage too early or at all in order to not derail the conversation or turn it into a WPM typing contest. We've aggregated a lot of your feedback and tried to identify the underlying issues of problems players face, and proposed a solution to each of them. Some of the priorities in the near future will be (in no particular order): Adding more ways to make money, both as a legal and illegal character, and both P2P and NPC; Improve furniture UX; Make mapping easier & more appealing; Invest more time and money into marketing; Find a way to organize more events; Crack down on DM & poor reasons to kill in-game; Add more non-visual perks to drugs; Allow being in even more player-owned companies at once; This is an oversimplified, curated sample of some of the proposed solutions to some of the main concerns raised by both the staff, and the community. We'll address each point more in depth as it gets addressed and we have something to show for it. Together with the development changes, I'm very confident we're on the right track. Make sure to follow our Discord, namely #git and #snippets to stay close to the source with information re. new updates. Check #updates for announcements re. server status. Staff Changes Congratulations to our promoted and returning staff members... Senior Admin accursed — Amine Game Admin Kotwica — Bizarre Returning Junior Admin Zagros To put an end to the post, thank you once again for all your feedback and support on our last blog post. It means a lot to the team to see the community so passionate. You're why we do it, and who we do it for. Martin

Hello on this hot Thursday evening! We have here our second update this week with Major Update 1.4 which includes the long-awaited engine and fuel overhaul that everybody has been wanting ever since they found out spending $$ on the best engine just meant better fuel economy. GiamPy has written a great highlight below so I won't touch too much on that, instead here is our changelog for today's update: Changelog: - Added Faction Management Page in UCP - Added Government Clothing - Added Vehicle Engine Performance System - Added the ability for administrators to issue refunds through the UCP - Fixes a problem where you could immediately unimpound a vehicle after it was impounded - Fixes a problem where female shirts were being offset by 1 in /clothes - Fixes a problem where furniture transparency was not reverting after existing the selection mode (/sf) - Fixes a problem where you couldn't select a furniture in an interior with more than 700 items - Fixes a problem where admin-duty staff could not un-impound vehicles - Fixed a problem where you could not rent vehicles when they were previously impounded - Fixed a problem where premium members did not receive the correct furniture slots for company and faction properties - Tweaks automation system to include new clothing mods - Tapered pay is no longer included in the company cut As I'm sure you've seen in #git, we are hard at work pumping out updates for you guys that you've been requesting for a while - you may have also noticed we cleaned up the Suggestions board and forwarded a lot of it for us to discuss, refine and plan. Some things seem to have slipped in under the net, for example certain animations that you may find in /animations that are tailored toward a more niche style of roleplay... Without further ado, GiamPy's first major feature! Feature Highlight Vehicle Engine Performance System Author: GiamPy In the last few months, the server has led players down a road filled with questions about the true impact of engine upgrades. Prior to our latest update, investing in more powerful engines merely meant parting with your hard-earned in-game currency, with zero noticeable improvement in your vehicle's performance. Moreover, it often resulted in higher fuel consumption, leaving players pondering the wisdom of such upgrades. Listening closely to the valuable feedback from our dedicated community, we have embarked on a mission to revolutionize the gameplay dynamics associated with vehicle engines. This transformation hinges on a sophisticated and dynamic algorithm that can significantly alter the in-game experience based on the engine chosen during vehicle purchase on our in-game in-character, pdm.com. The Algorithm Our algorithm has been meticulously crafted, incorporating a multitude of factors, and as we continue to evolve our system, we may even introduce additional variables to further enrich the algorithm's accuracy. Here, we outline the key factors currently influencing the new system: 1. Vehicle Class (weight) At the heart of our algorithm is the vehicle class, serving as the foundational factor. Although determining precise vehicle weight via RageMP is a challenge, we use vehicle class as a proxy for weight estimation. Each vehicle class is assigned a coefficient, influencing its weight-related attributes: Compact: 1.2 Sedan: 1.1 SUV: 0.9 Coupe: 1.0 Muscle: 0.95 Sports Classics: 0.95 Sports: 1.2 Super: 1.2 Motorcycles: 1.4 Off-Road: 0.9 Industrial: 0.85 Utility: 0.85 Vans: 0.9 Service: 1.1 Emergency: 1.1 Military: 0.85 Commercial: 0.8 Open Wheels: 1.0 A higher coefficient implies a lighter vehicle, while a lower coefficient indicates a heavier one. Consequently, SUVs, despite potent engine options, begin with a handicap due to their inherent weight. We have also made adjustments to certain vehicle classes, such as Off Road, Industrial, and Utility. For sports cars, we've provided a boost, as they tend to be lighter than sedans or coupes. 2. Fuel Type Our engine system currently features two fuel types: petrol and diesel (electric vehicles are in development). Just like in reality, each fuel type comes with distinct advantages and drawbacks. Diesel vehicles offer more torque, providing superior initial acceleration compared to petrol vehicles. Petrol vehicles, on the other hand, boast enhanced maximum speed, although their fuel efficiency may lag behind diesel counterparts, especially with high-performance engines. 3. Emergency Vehicles In alignment with real-life counterparts, emergency vehicles (law enforcement, fire department, etc.) now exhibit superior performance, enabling them to keep pace during high-speed pursuits. All emergency vehicles have received a 20% performance boost (both max speed and acceleration). 4. Engine Technology Engine technology takes center stage in choosing the right engine for your custom vehicle. Currently, we evaluate engines based on the number of cylinders they possess. Future updates may introduce more dynamic considerations, such as turbochargers impacting acceleration. Presently, engines with more than 6 cylinders (e.g., V6, i6, W6) receive performance enhancements, with the boost scaling linearly based on cylinder count (a V8 surpasses a V6, for example). 5. Engine Volume Engine volume represents another crucial factor. Realistically, engines with larger displacements generate more power than their smaller counterparts. Consequently, greater engine volume equates to higher maximum speed. Notably, this factor does not influence acceleration. 6. Engine Horsepower Last but certainly not least, engine horsepower is a highly anticipated factor. It requires no elaborate explanation: higher horsepower translates to greater maximum speed. Realism and Perception To ensure that these performance enhancements are not only realistic but also perceptible to players, all final values are boosted by a factor of three. However, these enhancements are restrained within a plausible range, avoiding scenarios where 900HP 9.0L engines with 12 cylinders turn vehicles into rocket ships. What's next? In our diligent review of the diverse engine options available on pdm.com, we have observed instances where certain vehicles feature engine configurations that diverge from realism. For instance, there are listings for engines labeled as "TDi V4, V6, V8," which, as automotive enthusiasts are aware, defy the basic principles of engine design; an engine cannot simultaneously possess 4, 6, and 8 cylinders. Additionally, we've noted peculiar anomalies such as muscle cars offering diesel powerplants, a departure from the authentic characteristics of such vehicles. Rest assured, we are committed to enhancing the user experience with our forthcoming update. Our goal is to align all pdm.com vehicle listings with the genuine real-life counterparts found in the world of Grand Theft Auto V. This means ensuring that engine options reflect the realism and authenticity that players expect from the server.. Conclusion While our system has undergone rigorous testing within our development environment by our dedicated Staff Team, we acknowledge that perfection remains elusive. We commit to continuous fine-tuning of the algorithm to achieve a balance between vehicle performance and the value of investing in pricier engine options. Your feedback is instrumental in our journey toward the success we envision. We hope you enjoy this exciting addition to the server and, most importantly, have a blast on the roads of Los Santos! Disclaimer: All coefficients, enhancements, and factors mentioned in this post are for in-game purposes only and do not reflect real-world automotive performance metrics.

Good afternoon, this one's just a quick hotfix to address some issues discovered since the last update, so there won't be much to talk about on this one. I do have some previews later though! - Fixes an issue where company owners would not load for doors and gates - Fixes an issue where companies could be awarded $∞ - Increases mechanic garage profit margin from 15% to 35% - Adds a way for the prison faction to see when prisoners log ingame and are released - Adds a command for players to refresh their furniture slots in case they do not have the correct amount - Fixes an error where faction members could not use the faction panel if they had 2 characters in the same faction We'll have a much larger update with the things you see in #snippets around the middle of this week, so stay tuned for that! Yes, that includes new clothing and new vehicles... Here are some images of what's to come on PDM.com: And some of our new clothing items:

Hello again from another update post! First off, some colours have changed! To better help you distinguish who is responsible for what, we have changed some of our staff rank colours. This will help players, and staff, figure out who to approach for their problem. For example, management has been changed to orange (the colour of the R in the LSRP logo) to separate them from Lead Admins and Senior Lead Admins as the former generally does not perform basic administratrion like the latter does. Senior Admins are in a darker green to denote their seniority, and Trainee Admins are separated from the Tester colour to make them stand out more whilst still making it clear they're not full admins. Here's our changelog: - Added new vehicles to pdm.com - Added new vehicles to spawn in the showrooms of both car and motorcycle dealerships - Added over 2000 different variations of clothing available in stores - Added the ability to be in multiple player-owned companies via the Premium Central panel on the UCP - Added the ability for Company Team members to set a business to a custom amount of furniture items - Added auto low effect on /dice and /rnumber for gamblers - Added the ability to /selectroadblock to select a roadblock with the mouse - Added /l back as an alias for /low - Added more furniture item previews - Added better anticheat detection for cheated weapons (they no longer do damage) Connection Issues These connection issues have been a pain for all of us but I'm happy to say that we have been testing a fix and believe we have a solution that should work. I can't go into specifics, but we have once again configured our network (as we have been doing every day...) and I am sure that we're going to see better days from this update onwards. Massive thanks to @Duco for taking the time to develop this! You may see 'loading server resources' for longer than usual but this is expected - it will only take long once and after that should load instantly like it normally does.

Another Sunday, another update. This one isn't exactly filled with features, but there are some pretty nice and noticeable changes for you to explore. I am also happy to report that we have ironed out the bugs found in our custom presets (such as /bareswitch removing the floor...) and are ready to push these custom interiors to our live server. And let me say - some of these are genuinely top quality work. I forgot I was in a custom mapped interior (yes, done with /furniture) in a few of the new interiors! In addition, every new interior has a /bareswitch alternative, so if you don't like the mapping but want the layout, you can fit your own mapping in! Thanks to our Mapping Team members that made this possible: @lavakeule @ryz0skii @PlayerX @Chester Campbell @.Scarecrow @Lindsie @Trewen @Hanky Anyway, here's the weather: - Added randomisation to fist damage (now does between 4 and 7 damage) to make fist fights last longer - Added /fontsize and font size to /settings - Added hotkey-based vehicle interaction - Added phone notification sounds - Added better sync for trunks, doors and bonnets - Added a phone notification when the short-term weather changes - Added the tapered reward amount to /mission for truckers - Fixed an issue with gun bans - Fixed an issue where /hire would check your own player-owned company slots, not the target player's - Fixed an issue where /bareswitch only worked in properties you do NOT have permission to manage There are some smaller fixes that were just one-liners, but I'm ashamed to say I didn't keep track of those ones! You can bring up the interaction key by holding ALT near a vehicle, or bring up the interaction menu with U Be aware, though. If you leave your windows rolled down, someone can reach in and unlock the car! Connection Issues As far as I've been able to see, our connection issues are largely resolved! There are one or two people I've seen that cannot connect no matter what, and it seems to me like this is potentially an issue with their specific ISP, rather than the server at this point. Never fear, though, as we can manually tweak our network settings per player now, meaning that anybody encountering these issues can be saved! Illegal Roleplay Features It's not really a massive secret that our updates recently have not been geared towards illegal roleplayers, and that the drug system is largely not very thrilling. I want to assure you that our priority now is generating cash as an illegal roleplayer. @matical has pumped out some great discussions (relating to a feature that has been asked for since SA-MP, something to do with houses) with the Faction Team, and @Mitcholodolo has been grinding out some great ideas to make the Darknet drugs trade more interesting for people that both do and don't have access to the system. I have also been gathering feedback about forensics (which will, of course, include gloves...) and how to tailor it to be fair for everyone involved in a crime. A third point Honestly, I forgot what this third point was. I should really plan this out better. I'll probably update this post and include this point in the next post when I remember... A third point I actually remembered this about 2 minutes before posting this update, so I thought I'd just edit it in now. I've left the original draft above for a glimpse in how I work when I write up drafts of these posts... Anyway, the third point. We will be beginning to evict players that have not spent at least 4 hours in the last 7 days on a character that owns a property in order to free up some space for other players. Premium members are exempt from this activity requirement. What this means is if you have 2 characters, and rent a house on both, you must play for 4 hours in 7 days' time on both characters to retain your house on both characters. If you play 30 hours a week on character 1, and 2 hours a week on character 2, character 2 will lose their house. Lastly, we've seen a return to our playerbase since the last update that introduced the connection fixes. Where we were hovering around 20 players, we're now back up to the mid-80s at the same time. I am excited for our rise once more now that desperate people that need us to fail have been stopped in their tracks! Here are some images of an exclusive event you probably didn't get invited to as you're not part of one of our great illegal factions! Thanks to @SCANDALOUZ for the mapping and planning of this event! Dancin_dancin.mp4