Improvement: RP Jobs

[Coni]

Detailed description:

When a store of a particular kind is on duty by a player, all other shops of that nature lose their functionality for the time. E.G. If I am on duty in a tattoo parlor, all other tattoo studios wont sell players tattoos anymore. You can still go on duty in other stores though and make them useable like that. So if three tattoo parlors have active staff (/startshift) all three can be used, the others are deactivated. If not a single tattoo artist is on duty all stores can be used and none is deactivated.

 

Right now something similar can be done manually by store owners (shop not usable without employee) but obviously nearly nobody does since it would mean income loss without true benefit.

 

What this means. 

For owners: This gives owners more motivation to actually employ people rather than just let the store run itself and make money that way. This also puts certain shops in other locations into a big disadvantage engine-wise. 

 

For players: Players who go on duty in a store have a higher chance to be visited by players needing the services as they cant go to an alternative store and get it without the rp. A player couldnt go to Alamo tattoo parlor when someone is on duty in El Burro just so he can do it quick and dirty. 

 

For employees: Employees actually get a fair chance to make money as the possibility to be visited is not only decided by those who feel pity but also by those who actually need the services. 

 

How would your suggestion improve the server? 

It gives the RP jobs a proper useage and also "forces" players to interact with people that actually take time to portray these stores realistically and fill them with life. It increases their earning potential this way and makes RP jobs more profitable (everyone seems to be bartender, mechanic or security rn) and also causes more competition among stores. A tattoo parlor who tries to recruit many good people will have more earnings than a shop owner who doesnt tend to his business. 

Edited June 26, 2019 by Coni

[MasterChief]

I believe there is something like this in-game already, but it's within a certain radius/distance of the open shop. An Admin could confirm this, don't quote me on it.

[Sidecardude]

I tried to throw a discussion about this:

 

 

Did not get much reply.   Problem is that some shops arent used that much, hence players dont work their either. A way to solve that would be to add a hourly pay to players on duty. Which will make it easier for shop owners to hire players.

 

 

Gas stations should be functional 24/7 though as it would cause a lot of frustration to not be able to buy gas all the time. And to be fair we do have unmanned gas stations around the world too.

 

 

Edited June 27, 2019 by Sidecardude

[Coni]

In my original post I state that shops would only be unavailable while a shop of its kind has someone on duty. The second he ends his shift, the other shops come back "online". So it would be impossible that u couldnt fill gas. It just wouldnt always be in a convenient area. 

[MasterChief]

1 hour ago, Coni said:

In my original post I state that shops would only be unavailable while a shop of its kind has someone on duty. The second he ends his shift, the other shops come back "online". So it would be impossible that u couldnt fill gas. It just wouldnt always be in a convenient area. 

As I said, this feature already exists within a certain radius of a shop with a player on shift. I’m not sure what the radius is, but it’s local enough so that someone who’s in Paleto Bay doesn’t have to drive all the way to the center of Los Santos to get gas or go to a 24/7, but if you’re within city limits, the rest will be closed to the one that has someone working. 

Edited June 27, 2019 by Pollster

[Coni]

Okay, I see.

 

Well as it stands I kinda have to deem the RP jobs a failure in their current state. 24/7 Clerks, Tattoo Artists and Gas Station Clerks all have near zero financial potential, especially if you live in an a timezone equal to the server. But even disregarding that nobody has any real incentive to come visit you. By avoiding you they get to quit on valueable time it would take to purchase their products / rp the process. Why come to me to get inked up and spend half an hour roleplaying when you could just drop into another Tattoo parlor, press Y and be out and about in 5 Minutes. 

 

I love the potential but right now their attractiveness compared to the engine jobs is just minimal. I do it to flaunt my characters profession and to at least feel like I did - MY - part in trying to portray that job but as it stands now, the intended plan to have RP jobs replace engine jobs is in far future. 

 

I can't say I am able to offer the one and all solution to this problem but I'd just like to shine some light onto it. The only professions who seem to be worth it are bartenders (due to club owners earning more than a 24/7 clerk) or mechanics (propably due to the high demand since buying and tuning vehicles is about the biggest money sink in GTA games). 

 

Hourly rates at about 1-2k for being on duty for every 60th Minute on duty for example. It's not much but it makes waiting for customers at least SOMEWHAT profitable. Cap this at 6-10k per day for 3-5 hours duty to avoid afk farming. Or like I said a more aggressive blockage of NPC run stores in favor of real players representing employees. To me this is currently not a sweat - I am still in the ~40h range where the server has pity on you and gives you your "newbie" salary. But if it wasn't for that I would have to be a fulltime fisher turned parttime club hangaround turned hobby tattoo artist. 

 

Of course gas stations can and should also be usable without employees. Then on the other hand, are gas stations really the best place to put an RP spot? With only one product that people usually use themselves. Maybe if you move items like gas cans and other car related products over to the gas station that would make it at least somewhat more feasable - or you just remove gas station RP jobs in favor for jobs that make more sense as they involve more roleplay (maybe clothing shops instead of gas stations for example.

 

That's why I am also not too sure about tobacco stores as unique shops. For players it may be good to have that divided from the 24/7s but I personally think the existing 24/7s would profit from this product line more and in return the server would profit more from this than introducing another business type. 

 

 

 

 

[Nervous]

It's already working like this.

[Vash Baldeus]

42 minutes ago, Nervous said:

It's already working like this.

I think he means that any other shop that provides same services should stop allowing player to access the menu and buy or sell.

IMHO? If my character is on one end of a city and there's a 24-7 near and it's blocked from access due to another on the other side of the city being worked by another character, I won't bother making my way half town just to access it. Especially when the most active 24-7 stores are in Rancho/Davis/Strawberry very un-safe locations of the city, was robbed there multiple times on my characters. Especially if my character avoid those areas for safety reasons.

[Coni]

I understand the issue with my suggestion. But for reference:

 

I roleplayed in the tattoo parlor from 5pm servertime to around 8pm server time.

 

I did one whole arm tattoo, one smaller chest tattoo and a tattoo removal. 

 

My earnings? 1650$ . And thats only because @Hal was generous and paid 1000$ out of the system. Removals apparently dont pay the employee. 

 

1650$ (if it was up to the system 650$) for 3 hours? Thats not a incentive to roleplay a job. If if wasnt for me doing it out of character development, i wouldnt bother with it at all. 

 

So while I may not have provided the right solution, I at least hope the issue is understandable. Im not trying to get vinewood / mirror park rich from inking skin. But ~550$ per RL hour is not good. And I bet a 24/7 employee makes even less. 

 

EDIT: And if you think I excessively RPed everything out - I didn't. I try to keep things detailed but only to the point where it remains  fun for people. I see no point in cuffing people to a tattoo parlor for 4 hours because I want to be "hardcore" and rp every lining I do. I value my fellow players time.

 

 

Edited June 28, 2019 by Coni