Voronov

I would like to preface this post by first begging administration to let this thread run its course unless it is absolutely derailed to the point of idiocy. Let the discourse flow. I have, embarrassingly, been a part of this server since early 2008. My 12 year old self would ask I be euthanized if he knew I was still roleplaying at my current age. However, I have always had a soft spot for this community and the people that make it up. Roleplay is a hobby that keeps the brain fresh and creative. I am too old to employ ChatGPT in this response. These words come from my beating, probably-autistic heart. I have been around for the entirety of LS-RP's latest return. I watched it start off firing, continue strong and exceed my own expectations of longevity by more than a year. I have had some of the best roleplay of my entire cursed tenure in this iteration. I have now watched, sighing, as it degrades. There is not one single reason or issue to point to, but instead, a host of many. This last run was doomed to fail from Ground Zero. I expected nothing of it, and it continued to defy and surprise me everyday. GTA World has the playerbase, the features, the map - all a roleplayer with something better than an ancient laptop could desire. It, however, lacks LS-RP's innate soul. GTA World is not LS-RP. Do I know how to salvage this server? No. Do I think an aggressive marketing campaign will save it? No. Easy requests have been delayed, scripting has grated down to a standstill, and the only good administrators we have have somehow become a lightning rod for the frustration everyone feels. Do I attribute these issues to a single individual? No, the rot is systemic. Grow up if you're trying to affix blame to a single individual. Is there administration that should have long ago lost their title? Yes. Many of these others however, as aforementioned, are the only ones fighting to make the situation better and breathe life into a sever already gasping for its own. Stop shitting on them. They are the only thing keeping this Titanic-after-iceberg afloat. As we sit here and debate how to save a dying, geriatric body, I see only one way forward. It's bringing that soul back. Countless hours have been spent chasing away factions comprised of some of the best roleplayers I know in an attempt to punish the lowest percentile of their membership. Meanwhile, spree-robbers and moronic behavior runs rampant and untouched. If you want this shit to last, it's time to get in-game and lead by example. Create the change you want to see in this world. Create a community of roleplayers that people want to join. If we wanted to leave and discard this server, we all would have left already and wouldn't waste time typing up a response like this. The manifesto? I can only speak to my specific niche on the server. Center it around roleplay. We have a roster of strong official factions. Concentrate features into their hands. Encourage systems that allow them to connect with unofficial factions and water the plants seeded by these new factions. Create an ecosystem wherein factions are forced to rely on one another to achieve their aims. Narrow the scope of schemes and material distribution and force factions to center their aims into singular ones. X faction should be the kingpin of cocaine, while another should have the means to launder money. A third faction should pioneer good chopshop-based roleplay, while the fourth spends their time researching how to best portray the marijuana grow op they have in their basement in-game. These are limited examples that could easily be implemented. Reflect real life criminality. Encourage interplay between these groups, not because it results in cool screenshots, but instead, because it creates a semblance of necessity in sustaining their own faction’s expansion. The best roleplayers I know have always been encyclopedias of knowledge in their specific lane. Encourage this specialization. Stop policing concepts so harshly when the activity and wherewithal is not there to sustain or even acknowledge their approval. Let people cook. The second order of importance is clarity. Too many discussions occur behind closed doors. As a member of IFT, my ilk and myself are guilty of this. Expose everything to the soul of this community - the players. Act on their suggestions when good immediately, and offer insight as how to improve upon ideas when they're bad or otherwise lacking. The administration should not be a separate body from the players overseeing them, but instead, a sounding board for the players they are representing. Make it political. There should be no tenure for administrators that aren't enacting the goals of the general populace. Administrators should not be private police, but the speaking output for those they represent. To stifle discussion is to make your own job irrelevant. Unless blatant bullshit is happening, let everyone say their piece in the agora that is this server. Lastly, and most importantly: FUCK KRISK FUCK KIRIL SOKOLOV FREE SHARIF REYNOLDS FREE RIVA FREE ASESINO FREE DAMIANC UP BAHDBH AND RYE FUCK GTA V We can all watch this server die a slow, awkward death or we can take steps to be the change we wish to see in it. For many of us, this is our last chance at roleplaying and comprising membership of the server we want to see. Clown on this post to your heart's content. I have searched all of my empty pockets and cannot find a fuck to give.

Good shit, guys. Keep it up.