Trupiano

it has literally nothing to do with this. This has nothing to do with giving either side advantages or disadvantages. RICO does exist IG and factions have been investigated with it. The reason it’s effectively shelved and hasn’t been used since is because it was a HUGE headache for staff, DB and the courts to deal with. There was no clear definitions on what was allowed and what wasn’t and because of issues with the bug script that weren’t caught until the case actually went to trial a majority of the case had to be voided.

I think a lot of you guys are getting tied up in the details. We don’t need to introduce some form of federal law enforcement or figure out a bridge between state and federal law for RICO. We can just suspend our disbelief and have it run through state level and it works fine. The real issue with RICO’s (and DB investigations) as a whole is there aren’t clearly defined OOC guidelines for what flys and what doesn’t. Leading to investigation that are one step forward, two steps back. You end up with a detective spending 2+ weeks doing investigation work only for 95% of that work to be voided once the case goes to court. IFM/LFM need to sit down and work out clear and understanding guidelines for what is acceptable and what is not for investigations. Nothing too restricting but at least set the groundwork so people aren’t shocked and discouraged when most of the work they put in is struck down by staff. Staff also needs to decide and put in writing what warrants a RICO investigation and what the expected consequences of one are. I see a lot of people arguing against RICO cases saying that criminal factions shouldn’t be shut down by external sources. the issue with that is most often then not, the external source in this case was entirely brought on by a factions own actions. You can’t argue you shouldn’t be the target when your IG actions are drawing enough attention to warrant an investigation. This is all about clearing up the confusing around RICO investigations for both LEO’s and criminals. It should be as straight forward and understandable as CK applications so when it does happen, no one involved can complain and hopefully because everyone’s equally informed on the rules and regulation no admin has to step in and cherry pick which information is going to be allowed and which is going to be voided.

So we had RICO and we stopped using it because it was too much of a headache, that’s my understanding after being on the receiving end of it. PD spent months investigating MCF and actually did a pretty decent job, but when the cases went to court a lot of the evidence ended up getting voided because it was gained through unrealistic/over powered bug placement. The biggest problem being PD placed bugs on the interior of vehicle trunks and used them not just to pick up conversations in the vehicle, but any conversation within 20 feet of a vehicle, even conversations in other unbugged vehicles. although I agree with the evidence getting voided, it was understandably very discouraging for DB. Most of the people involved basically said fuck this, never again. From the DA’s office all the way down to the detectives.

Good shit, keep it up.

That one time all those club going 250 word examine female RPers got matching bikes and outfits like they were the power rangers. Honorable mention: anyone who has ever contacted one of my escort/prostitution services as a customer. 9/10 it’s someone either being WAY too specific with their request (slow down bud this isn’t pornhub) or someone who’s RP is so low effort and bad, you know for sure they are just trying to Jack off.

As frustrating as it may be, I'm glad that they've raised the bar for who can get a CCW or not. While I'm no fan of locking things behind applications and requirements, it's a necessary evil in this case. People have the freedom here to basically create whatever character or story they want to play. The problem with that level of creativity is it's often abused to create a character that covers all the bases or ticks all the boxes. People create backstories to tailor suit their needs/wants. This presents a lot of issues with CCW permits (As we once saw) because people often will add/create parts of their backstory to meet the requirements for a CCW when their RP doesn't actually call for one. I've seen this mentioned a few times in this thread and while I'd normally agree, it's not the same with CCW's. The only way to resolve the issues was to raise the bar OOCly for acquiring them. Like I stated in my main reply, the majority of the problem stemmed from the people who were crafting part of their backstory to meet the CCW requirements when that part of the backstory 99% of the time isn't even relevant to their RP. You and I might argue someones portrayal of using a CCW was poor, but then they'll come back with half a paragraph from their characters backstory which in their eyes completely justifies the behavior. It's an endlessly larger then you can imagine headache to deal with.

This but basically for everyone. COVID doesn't exist in our universe, masks were basically not a thing before the pandemic here in the US so it's perfectly normal for you to view it as suspicious and act accordingly. But sadly we're here once again in general discussions talking about banning something and talking about "Meta's".

Thanks for reminding me, my gripes aside the quality of individual admins has gotten a lot better.

The state of the server is a mixed bag. Having played a bit after a long break, I think the depth of RP has definitely turned a page. Putting aside chain robbing gangbangers and noobs, We're seeing Illegal RP pushed to the next level. The way criminal factions have begun to intertwine, collaborate and politic on things not just gun and drug related is amazing. I think outside of a small lack of updates and some of the abuse the civilians on the server get, I think there are more options now then ever before to create unique characters. I started playing when it really was just mining, being a mechanic or working at a club as the only viable career paths in LS. Now you've got everything from dock/construction work to fortune 500 companies and modeling gigs to build a career around. All of that is great and if sustained and supported, GTAW has the ability to only go up. The problem is it's all going to get thrown away because the staff team is in the worst shape I've ever seen it in. Now, I'll preface by saying I totally understand that this is a volunteer position and that staff are players too, they don't live to serve the community 24/7. There are a lot of minor things that because of this I let slide or don't hold against them. But at a certain point, they are staff and they are supposed to administrate. It is their job (Even if they volunteered) to make sure the server operates smoothly. That's just not what's happening now and while I don't know the internal workings of staff, as a player who's effected by them. They aren't fucking working. People shouldn't have to wait an hour+ for ig reports to be handled. People shouldn't see the /admins list drop from 8 on duty to 3 the minute they make a report. Some peoples reports from a situation (Like a revive) shouldn't be accepted and handled remotely just to have the main situations report ignored for another 25+ minutes. More complex IG reports shouldn't be just automatically directed to the forums when forum reports take on average 2 weeks to 2 months. I as a player, should not feel like I need to be buddies with someone in staff if I want shit handled in a timely manner. Again I don't know the internal workings of staff but as a player it really feels like either A. The staff teams being lazy and ignoring the responsibilities THEY volunteered for. Or B. The internal workings of staff are such a clusterfuck that 95% of situations are such a hassle to deal with they aren't even worth taking. Because simply reports like TP's, revives, etc. They get handled pretty quick, but anything else? Anything that might be slightly complex (Which is kinda the basis for most reported situations) gets avoided like they are contaminated with the plague, both in game and on the forums.

Banning/restricting minors is a pointless suggestion because the problem isn’t with the character it’s with the player. Do any of this and I guarantee you go from swarms of 16 year olds to swarms of 18 year olds doing the exact same shit. Maybe try actually enforcing the rules fairly and equally across the board instead of voiding, A-jail and trying to warn our way out of shitty behavior in the community.

First and foremost, there isn't really any way to develop a character into a biker. Being a biker or someone who's into motorcycles and the associated lifestyle should be something your character already is, otherwise you wouldn't be attempting to join a motorcycle club. Remember 1%er clubs are something that exist within the biker culture and community, but that doesn't make them the "final evolution" per say of what a biker is. Your focus shouldn't be on what decisions would develop you into a biker but what lifestyle decisions a biker would make. The best place to start in my opinion is with your characters job. What do they do to support their passion for motorcycles. Most often this is portrayed through mechanic work so maybe find a garage near you that is hiring or start your own tow truck business. Bikers seem to have an affinity for vehicles and driving in general so maybe trucking would be good for you. Overall however, the common thread when it comes to careers in the biker community is blue collar work. With that I'd suggest something more out of the box (On this server) and try to get a job in construction or working at the port. Your next focus should be on where your character hangs out. You mentioned he's from the country, so maybe look for a bar or business in the area you live which your character can frequent. This is important because much like your RP "job" building connections and relationships outside your faction is what'll lead to a long lasting and enjoyable character. Don't just go hopping from club to club however, think about what your character would actually enjoy and try to stick to a few key places. You want to meet other characters and someone seeing you in the same place repeatedly is going to make it a lot easier for them to spark up a connection with you. Overall, focus on who your character is over who you want your character to eventually be. While it's important to make the right choices to keep you on the path you want to end up on, focusing only on the path to that end goal will quickly lead to burnout and/or a simply uninteresting character.

Well deserved.

I mentioned this before to a few staff members but more public RP interiors created specifically through IC construction. Plain and simple there are a ton of smaller, publicly useable buildings/structures around the map that are seemingly underutilized. Things like public bathrooms, utility buildings, etc that don't make sense to be ownable and therefor mapped for use on the server. I would love to see buildings/places mapped and made entirely open to public use as almost free RP space. I'd also love to see it done ICly through the state/city government through IC construction bids and RP. Right now, GOV RP seems to lack many things they can actually do that effect the server in an impactful way. By giving them the support and resources to pick properties to be built and award the funds to do so we can create a lot of organic RP that everyone can enjoy. We've already seen with city hall and a few other projects, the amount of fantastic and enjoyable RP that can be created is almost endless, the only limiting factor is the amount of projects that come through. You can stretch jobs out for awhile (Especially for larger projects that take awhile to map) but you can't do it forever. There needs to be a consistent amount of projects coming in and that requires staff/GOV involvement. It's a win win for everyone, GOV gets more things they can do and RP around. The construction companies, their employees and the factions that run them get a consistent flow of RP. Finally literally everyone on the server gets new interiors and simply a much richer world to RP in.

Oh gotcha, were mad at illegal RPers so lets ignore logical first step solutions to the problem.

If it's basically all of them, that speaks more to the staff teams own failures then it does the actions of individual players. People are going to do what they believe is acceptable, and this issue is a by-product of staffs incredibly light handed approach to issues. A comparable situation is what we faced last summer with characters made for the sole purpose of having esex. ERP is allowed, ERP went unchecked and people took advantage of the lax enforcement surrounding it to use the server like an alternative to Pornhub. How was that issue resolved? Did we ban ERP? Did we script restrict it? No, staff simply started laying down the law and enforcing the existing rules more harshly. Surprise, surprise people got the message and the issue became tolerable again. The same thing can be applied here. You crack down on a chunk of the offenders, everyone else falls in line. No need to change the rules or script in restrictions which snub peoples chances to RP.

Horrible suggestion, literally just punish people who loot unrealistically.

Great suggestion. I see a lot of people crying that this is somehow unfair, but in reality this just levels the playing field and creates more organic RP around burglaries and security industry RP as a whole. The current system is really barebones to the point that it gets gamed and abused. Cops will respond to alarms in an unrealistic way/numbers because it's known that there are no false positives, it's guaranteed "action"; that is to say there's going to be something going on. It also leaves probably the most influential part of home security, the security companies entirely out of the picture. Starving them of what should be their largest area of RP. For those reasons, not only do I think the current system is being gamed and abused. I think it's very actively hurting the server and limiting potential. I do see how this system could at it's immediate release see problems, there would be a gap of time needed allowing security companies and players to be able to get their footing otherwise the server would be overwhelmed with a string of breakin's stretching a mile long. However, given a small amount of time for things to take off I think this would be a system everyone from PD, to civilians to criminals would enjoy.

You carried the torch far.

While I welcome a revamp and do see some redeeming qualities in this, it's definitely not what the community actually needs. As people have previously mentioned, while there is a slight problem with getting your hands on weapons or drugs as a smaller and newer faction. Those problems are quickly dissipate with a few weeks of development and if not, it usually signals some issues with your group. While I've come around to a tiered system in recent time, I also echo the opinions of a lot of people who have been here for awhile, IFM's had staff shortages in the past, literally nothing's stopping it from happening again only if it happens under the system it seems like it would be 10x worse. As I said originally, I welcome a revamp and actually think it's something that should happen soon. However, this is not it. The servers at a crossroads right now where Illegal RP is starting to really evolve and a lot of cross faction ventures are happening as well. Hopefully if it continues this way it's setting the ground work for a really cool period on GTAW. Anything that staff does want to do has to be subtle and should focus on assisting with that evolution. Not creating a tier system that would artificially disrupt the current development. I think a great way to do that if we are aiming for this kind of tier system would be to focus on rewarding tiers based on existing IC standing and not simply faction longevity. There are factions who might have been around for awhile but don't really carry the IC influence or power that this system would reward them with. We'd be just reinforcing the existing problems with dinosaur factions holding onto power because they have supplier and don't archive without really any of the IC relevance or power anymore to be in that position. There was a whole period on this server where illegal RP was dead in the county because a weapon supplier faction that was inactive laid claim to the area, only coming about when someone mistakenly setup in the area. Not trying to throw shade or drama at anyone just using that as an example that this has happened on the server in the past and does happen in a lot of other Illegal RP sub genre's as well. In whatever system we choose to use going forward, I agree we should create incentives for some form of longevity. But they should be incentives that provide avenues for more creativity in RP not avenues to get major items like guns and drugs, two things that should be acquired by forming and developing IC relationships. Schemes are a example of what might be good to "upgrade". While anyone should have the ability to apply for a scheme, I think that the number of schemes your faction have could be limited to certain number based on your tier. This way newer factions can focus on developing first a single scheme before eventually expanding to additional schemes as they grow and cement themselves. Eventually reaching an unlimited point at tier 3 when a faction would be arguably a power house able to facilitate dozens of avenues for making money. I think faction properties are also a good idea, but the way they are laid out here is not. Properties for illegal factions should not be like something you unlock in an RPG. People will simply grind for/focus on getting a "Grow house" or garage like this is GTA Online and I don't see it helping RP at all. Instead I think things like property activity exemptions and some for of furniture incentives with the tiers would be perfect. Things like safe houses, niche RP settings and even major server properties like arenas or studios might only get used every once and awhile but that doesn't make them any less important. Allowing factions to set some of these as "Activity Exempt" would allow people to focus on creating the best quality uses for these properties instead trying to do the best they can without losing them to PM. In any case, I hope IFM takes basically everything that's been said on this thread into consideration. I think we can all agree the faction system needs change and I think this has been the most insightful and relatively chill discussion we've had on the subject in awhile.

Congrats on 300 boys.

You can't kill the kings.

God damn this is on fire, keep it up.

Playing a homeless junkie in mirror park, getting an innocent mallrat to drive me to Davis to buy heroin and ALMOST getting them to shoot up with me. Bravo to whoever that player was for going with the RP. Damn her ricer friends for coming in to save her from a life of drugs and despair at the last moment.

California or not, we're still a west coast state on the pacific ocean somewhere near southern California. It doesn't snow is that climate. Regardless, snow is broken. Glad it's not being added.

I think you should take a break buddy.