- Jan 11, 2021
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Hi all,
A post I think is a bit overdue, but it seemed like a good time now to post it. I wanted to post this to reach out to the community to discuss some of the current on-goings in the server and how we could all do better!
I'll start off by saying - Criminals, cops and civilians (and medical + other govt entities of course!) in this community are great. You folks really separate New Day from just another server on the shelf, and the dedication that you folks put into your roles is noticed and appreciated.
This post will cover a litany of topics and may be a bit long. This is going to be posted from my opinion as somebody who views many of these issues from the outside, as a spectator in streams and in tickets. I don't personally see many of these issues personally but I will do my best to be as accurate as I can with what I do see.
Vehicles - This one isn't something for anyone to improve on, but I do acknowledge that LEO vehicles handle very well. These vehicles will be rebalanced to be more in line with the civilian equivalents that are available. These vehicles will be tweaked as time goes on to match what we're fairly regularly seeing. Vehicles should be a fairly even shooting match, with some advantages in some areas and not in others.
Tasers - This is a topic that I think most Law Enforcement already adhere to, but to those of you who don't - use your tasers as a last resort. Don't use them as your primary means of incapacitating someone immediately after a foot pursuit starts. This is a fairly common complaint and I have seen it myself. Many crims resort to tactics because of improper or too quick taser usage. Be considerate when using tasers!
Corruption - This one goes out to the Civs / Criminals here that are as of recent pretty consistently on ours (and other govt agencies) backs about corruption. I will be perfectly honest - materialistic corruption or actual corruption is actually fairly rare, and something we take very seriously. But at some point, getting constantly yelled at in-game about being corrupt (and folks telling us how much they hate us) can get fairly demoralizing. It's definitely interesting roleplay at times, but when everyone is doing it, it becomes less about a specific event and more about hating folks just because they are LEOs. I think this is something that should curtail a bit.
Calling us out - LEOs are definitely not infallible, and many of us welcome feedback about interactions because we strive to do better, and offer better roleplay. If you had a negative interaction, maybe reach out to your arresting officer (you can use a ticket) or whoever you had an issue with to discuss it. Discussion goes a long way to helping everyone's roleplay improve, LEOs included.
Remember - We're not just a mechanic - One of the worst feelings that LEOs get at times is feeling that they are simply there to be a mechanic. Same set of demands, same scenarios on loop. Being used for the gear we carry with very little roleplay effort put into robberies. In my opinion, changing up the roleplay and respecting LEO for the characters they play can go a long way in stopping this feeling of simply being a mechanic.
Punishment - I am only briefly going to touch on this subject as it isn't something that needs a significant amount of discussion around right now, but I think we are fairly balanced when it comes to crimes committed to jailtime/fine served. We may rebalance as time goes on, but I do not foresee significant changes in the near future.
Things to do - I totally get that there is a somewhat limited scope of things to do right now. I can promise you that we are working on some new things (New drugs and other new mechanics as part of a fairly substantial update) that I hope will release within 4 weeks. In the meantime - if you find you are bored - try and come up with some creative ways to commit crime without resorting to poor roleplay because of boredom. There's a lot of things to do, with a little imagination!
"Rat Strats" - While I am not a huge fan of the terminology, I am going to use it as this is what these strategies typically consist of. Usually, these are things such as using dirtbikes to escape store robberies up hills where LEOs cant pursue, or taking bikes into a tunnel where it's also near impossible for LEO to pursue. It's a long list, but these are some examples. A lot of the reasoning I have heard people use to justify these plans is addressed above, with LEO vehicle changes and taser usage. I would urge criminals to reconsider plans that give LEOs no chance at all - We're not going to win all the time, but try and give us a fair shot. It is hard for LEOs to effectively roleplay scenes when they know what the end result is going to be anyways.
Risk vs Reward - We are constantly battling the Risk v. Reward fight when it comes to crime. I know that many folks in the criminal community feel many things aren't worth doing because of the Risk v. Reward. We have made balancing adjustments in recent weeks to make some adjustments to rewards, but there is a line we have to avoid crossing where things become so worth it that they become incredibly common, back to back occurrences. We ask for some patience here and understanding while we balance and add new things in.
General RP respect - One thing I see far too often, is that some criminals once in jail stop roleplaying all together. This isn't really a good experience for either Law Enforcement or yourself, so maybe try and continue out a scene or provide roleplay back to LEOs. Being completely silent is awkward, and it's hard to roleplay with that. I also ask that criminals respect other realistic aspects of roleplay. For example, if you shoot down several officers - You should probably take off, because more than likely more are coming to back up the scene. Also, I hope that some LEOs make an effort to not resort directly to tasing - But I will also ask that criminals respect the taser more, and don't continue to keep getting up / running away after being tased (even perhaps numerous times).
Realism and Fun - Another thing I've noted as of a bit recent - Please be realistic with what your vehicle can do and the jumps that you take! I have seen many folks in police chases take very unsafe jumps, and it puts LEOs in an awkward position of continuing or losing them because of it. I think there's plenty of juking that can be done during a chase, just need fast thinking and turns. Realism also comes into consideration if you are constantly getting into gunfights, going to the hospital and coming out again. Consider benching your character if theyve sustained heavy injuries during the course of the day. This will help a lot with pacing.
Not everything has to be a gunfight! - This is pretty self-exlanatory. Gunfights definitely have their place and can be a ton of fun, but don't forget that they aren't the solution to everything. Exhaust your options in roleplay first!
Respect for the other side - Remember that no matter what side you play, we're all roleplayers looking to have a great time here. If things aren't run, consider reaching out to the other side in a respectful way. Ultimately, all sides need each-other to have a good time - so it's time we start giving eachother the respect we deserve.
Consider what we say OOCly about eachother - I just want everyone to remember that at the end of the day, this is a video game that we all play to have fun. Let's keep things as respectful as we can be. Everyone is here for the same reasons - to have fun.
De-escalate rather than escalate - something I think both sides are guilty of is escalating a situation or way of responding to things/conducting roleplay that ends up eventually with rules getting skirted and general demotivation and poor RP experiences if both sides escalate constantly. If you have an issue with the roleplay, bring it up with the roleplayer! Try to de-escalate situations before they reach the boiling point. A simple string of DMs can get a lot of understanding done.
In closing, this was a long post - but I think both sides are awesome, and I think both sides have areas where they can improve. Mainly, I want both sides to understand that they need eachother and should give an appropriate amount of weight and respect to situations. Always strive to do better and continue making this community as awesome as you have been.
We will never be without bumps in the road, but if we can continuously get better as roleplayers, that's what's important.
You folks are all great. Thanks for reading this.
Paxton.
A post I think is a bit overdue, but it seemed like a good time now to post it. I wanted to post this to reach out to the community to discuss some of the current on-goings in the server and how we could all do better!
I'll start off by saying - Criminals, cops and civilians (and medical + other govt entities of course!) in this community are great. You folks really separate New Day from just another server on the shelf, and the dedication that you folks put into your roles is noticed and appreciated.
This post will cover a litany of topics and may be a bit long. This is going to be posted from my opinion as somebody who views many of these issues from the outside, as a spectator in streams and in tickets. I don't personally see many of these issues personally but I will do my best to be as accurate as I can with what I do see.
LEO
I'll start off on the topic of Law Enforcement and punishments for crimes. This will always be a topic where you are going to have folks on both sides of any issues and typically the best answer is somewhere in the middle, which is what we have tried to form here. To the Law Enforcement Officers in this community - thank you, to those of you who really put time and effort into the characters you build. I think you folks are awesome, but I do think there's areas where we can improve.Vehicles - This one isn't something for anyone to improve on, but I do acknowledge that LEO vehicles handle very well. These vehicles will be rebalanced to be more in line with the civilian equivalents that are available. These vehicles will be tweaked as time goes on to match what we're fairly regularly seeing. Vehicles should be a fairly even shooting match, with some advantages in some areas and not in others.
Tasers - This is a topic that I think most Law Enforcement already adhere to, but to those of you who don't - use your tasers as a last resort. Don't use them as your primary means of incapacitating someone immediately after a foot pursuit starts. This is a fairly common complaint and I have seen it myself. Many crims resort to tactics because of improper or too quick taser usage. Be considerate when using tasers!
Corruption - This one goes out to the Civs / Criminals here that are as of recent pretty consistently on ours (and other govt agencies) backs about corruption. I will be perfectly honest - materialistic corruption or actual corruption is actually fairly rare, and something we take very seriously. But at some point, getting constantly yelled at in-game about being corrupt (and folks telling us how much they hate us) can get fairly demoralizing. It's definitely interesting roleplay at times, but when everyone is doing it, it becomes less about a specific event and more about hating folks just because they are LEOs. I think this is something that should curtail a bit.
Calling us out - LEOs are definitely not infallible, and many of us welcome feedback about interactions because we strive to do better, and offer better roleplay. If you had a negative interaction, maybe reach out to your arresting officer (you can use a ticket) or whoever you had an issue with to discuss it. Discussion goes a long way to helping everyone's roleplay improve, LEOs included.
Remember - We're not just a mechanic - One of the worst feelings that LEOs get at times is feeling that they are simply there to be a mechanic. Same set of demands, same scenarios on loop. Being used for the gear we carry with very little roleplay effort put into robberies. In my opinion, changing up the roleplay and respecting LEO for the characters they play can go a long way in stopping this feeling of simply being a mechanic.
Punishment - I am only briefly going to touch on this subject as it isn't something that needs a significant amount of discussion around right now, but I think we are fairly balanced when it comes to crimes committed to jailtime/fine served. We may rebalance as time goes on, but I do not foresee significant changes in the near future.
Criminals
Next up are criminals - another incredibly vital part of our RP community. I have seen many criminal groups come and go throughout the months, and I have seen so much great roleplay come out of them. Criminals are essential for bringing the other side of the law, and many of our criminal groups do it wonderfully. I do think there are some areas that we can improve as roleplayers though.Things to do - I totally get that there is a somewhat limited scope of things to do right now. I can promise you that we are working on some new things (New drugs and other new mechanics as part of a fairly substantial update) that I hope will release within 4 weeks. In the meantime - if you find you are bored - try and come up with some creative ways to commit crime without resorting to poor roleplay because of boredom. There's a lot of things to do, with a little imagination!
"Rat Strats" - While I am not a huge fan of the terminology, I am going to use it as this is what these strategies typically consist of. Usually, these are things such as using dirtbikes to escape store robberies up hills where LEOs cant pursue, or taking bikes into a tunnel where it's also near impossible for LEO to pursue. It's a long list, but these are some examples. A lot of the reasoning I have heard people use to justify these plans is addressed above, with LEO vehicle changes and taser usage. I would urge criminals to reconsider plans that give LEOs no chance at all - We're not going to win all the time, but try and give us a fair shot. It is hard for LEOs to effectively roleplay scenes when they know what the end result is going to be anyways.
Risk vs Reward - We are constantly battling the Risk v. Reward fight when it comes to crime. I know that many folks in the criminal community feel many things aren't worth doing because of the Risk v. Reward. We have made balancing adjustments in recent weeks to make some adjustments to rewards, but there is a line we have to avoid crossing where things become so worth it that they become incredibly common, back to back occurrences. We ask for some patience here and understanding while we balance and add new things in.
General RP respect - One thing I see far too often, is that some criminals once in jail stop roleplaying all together. This isn't really a good experience for either Law Enforcement or yourself, so maybe try and continue out a scene or provide roleplay back to LEOs. Being completely silent is awkward, and it's hard to roleplay with that. I also ask that criminals respect other realistic aspects of roleplay. For example, if you shoot down several officers - You should probably take off, because more than likely more are coming to back up the scene. Also, I hope that some LEOs make an effort to not resort directly to tasing - But I will also ask that criminals respect the taser more, and don't continue to keep getting up / running away after being tased (even perhaps numerous times).
Realism and Fun - Another thing I've noted as of a bit recent - Please be realistic with what your vehicle can do and the jumps that you take! I have seen many folks in police chases take very unsafe jumps, and it puts LEOs in an awkward position of continuing or losing them because of it. I think there's plenty of juking that can be done during a chase, just need fast thinking and turns. Realism also comes into consideration if you are constantly getting into gunfights, going to the hospital and coming out again. Consider benching your character if theyve sustained heavy injuries during the course of the day. This will help a lot with pacing.
Not everything has to be a gunfight! - This is pretty self-exlanatory. Gunfights definitely have their place and can be a ton of fun, but don't forget that they aren't the solution to everything. Exhaust your options in roleplay first!
Civilians
Civs - You folks make up the backbone of this community. Civilians are by far our largest group of players and provide some of the best RP I have seen in any roleplay community. But with that being said, I am not planning on going point by point here as many things have been addressed by the previous sections - I will ask that you grant us (govt departments) some patience while we get things set up for you. Businesses, for example, are a great example of where this community stands out. But these things involve development work, and the Chamber is under a large workload. I ask that you just have some patience with us rather than complaining about how long things take. Sometimes it'a great RP! Other times it's just complaining.Everyone
I just want to say in closing, I think there's areas for all sides to improve. I think this post isn't going to cover absolutely everything but it is enough of a novel as it is. Here's what I think both sides can do better:Respect for the other side - Remember that no matter what side you play, we're all roleplayers looking to have a great time here. If things aren't run, consider reaching out to the other side in a respectful way. Ultimately, all sides need each-other to have a good time - so it's time we start giving eachother the respect we deserve.
Consider what we say OOCly about eachother - I just want everyone to remember that at the end of the day, this is a video game that we all play to have fun. Let's keep things as respectful as we can be. Everyone is here for the same reasons - to have fun.
De-escalate rather than escalate - something I think both sides are guilty of is escalating a situation or way of responding to things/conducting roleplay that ends up eventually with rules getting skirted and general demotivation and poor RP experiences if both sides escalate constantly. If you have an issue with the roleplay, bring it up with the roleplayer! Try to de-escalate situations before they reach the boiling point. A simple string of DMs can get a lot of understanding done.
In closing, this was a long post - but I think both sides are awesome, and I think both sides have areas where they can improve. Mainly, I want both sides to understand that they need eachother and should give an appropriate amount of weight and respect to situations. Always strive to do better and continue making this community as awesome as you have been.
We will never be without bumps in the road, but if we can continuously get better as roleplayers, that's what's important.
You folks are all great. Thanks for reading this.
Paxton.
