3.8 Development Blog: Advanced Medical System, SanEats, Evidence Locker & More

[Gibbz]

GTAW 3.8: Development blog

Our development team has been hard at work over the past few months tweaking, reworking, and writing significant systems from scratch. We're excited to finally bring you a preview of what you can expect in our next major update, 3.8. 

 

This update includes features that affect all kinds of roleplay on the server and will hopefully bring positive changes and improve quality of life for all players. From a new evidence locker, a food delivery system, to the implementation of an advanced medical system, a rework of the taxi system, and much more. 

 

Please note that the features listed in this thread are not final and will likely go through further refinement as they near release. All features listed in this thread will be released progressively, not all at once, to ensure a smooth experience for our players and prioritize hotfixes. Feature showcase threads will be posted closer to the release date of each individual feature as well.

 

If you are interested in being part of the team and contributing to the release of such features, please reach out to @Gibbz, we're always happy to welcome new talent to the team and to bring even more to the server.

 

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NEW FEATURES

 

1. Advanced Medical System @Gibbz

There currently exists a gap in medical roleplay and injuries on the server overall due to several reasons, including player knowledge and lack of script support. To help bridge this gap while ensuring players enjoy the experience, we are implementing an advanced medical system that enhances roleplay and does not force it. The main features and key highlights include:

• Adding a visual UI for players and EMS staff to visualize injuries and treatments, including vital signs.
• Adding descriptions and "guides" to tell players what their injuries are, what they would be feeling, etc, to make it easier to understand and roleplay.
• Adding descriptions/prompts to tell players what is happening when EMS players apply certain treatments. For example, administering Morphine to a patient would show them a quick chat message informing them of its effect, so that players are not left in the dark.
• Adding medical script support that remains largely opt-in without forcing roleplay on players. For example, following a traffic collision, players would be able to type in a command to "generate" their injuries in case they decide to roleplay the traffic collision; this would be determined by the speed of the collision and would print out the injuries to the player.
• As of the script's release, players will not be forced into any actions (e.g. being shot in the leg would not cause a player to limb; it would just describe their injuries better and implement a realistic bleeding system for them).
• This script opens up additional roleplay and complexity for those who want it, like EMS players, while keeping things simple and easy to follow for those who don't want it (i.e. an EMS player can administer a certain medication or perform a certain procedure, and this would require no input from the player and would simply describe to them what is happening).
• This script pulls data from practically every other script, including drugs (i.e. taking too many uppers may cause your heart rate to go up), weather (can affect your body temperature), alcohol (too much alcohol can lead to side effects), damage (melee or gun shots), and traffic collisions.
• The aim is to help players roleplay their injuries without burdening them with medical questions that they often do not know the answer to or have no interest in; this way they remain engaged with what is happening to their character while EMS roleplayers are able to administer actual, meaningful treatments.

 

This ensures that the system is only complex for those who are interested in it (like doctors and EMTs) while keeping it simple for the end-user who may not necessarily know all the medical details but would still like to know what is happening to their character.

 

Players will be able to bring up their medical menu at any time using commands or the UI, and medics/doctors will also have the ability to view a player's medical menu/status.

 

The goal of this system is not to replace roleplay with a pretty interface, nor will it ever be. It is simply to translate already roleplayed actions into actual difference-making effects for players and to guide them through medical roleplay.

 

 

 

2. SanEats @nickM

Should we order Chinese.. or maybe Italian? Actually, let's just order something to drink and get wasted instead, SanEats offers it all either way! A feature that has been requested for quite some time will now be part of the game, introducing new jobs and opportunities. That being said, with the introduction of SanEats:

• Players will be able to order from a variety of stores, including NPC stores. Property Management will be able to choose which stores from player owned ones are eligible for delivery, and thus enable the system. 
• Orders progress through four stages:
  • "Pending" - The order has been received by the store but has not yet been completed.
  • "To be delivered" - The order has been prepared by the store and is awaiting pickup/delivery.
  • "Being delivered" - The order has been picked up by a delivery driver and is being delivered to the customer.
  • "Delivered" - The order has been delivered to the customer.
• Players can become delivery drivers! Once an order comes in, all delivery drivers will be notified about the order and the store the order is from.
  • Delivery drivers can only be actively delivering one order at a time.
  • To finish a delivery, delivery drivers will have to input a 4-digit code provided by the customer. If the customer is no longer available (8 minutes have passed since the order was put in "being delivered") or has disconnected, the order can be marked as delivered without the 4-digit code being needed.
  • Delivery drivers are rewarded 20% of the total order amount, maximum of $2,000 per order. This money is not taken off the business. 
• Store owners can open and close the store at any time, choose whether to self-deliver (this will only allow business delivery drivers to pick up the order), or disable delivery completely and only allow self-pickup.
• Delivery address will be automatically filled in to the property the player is in, or the GPS coordinates if out in the world. The location can be used by the delivery driver to automatically pinpoint the drop-off.
• Products are independent of the store sale products; they are specific to the business and can be assigned a custom item ID or an item template. 
  • Orders containing items linked to a custom item ID or item template can be automatically generated by the store -- you will not have to create each item individually, but they will be added to your inventory straight away for you to ship the order out.

 

More features will be added down the line to boost the growth of delivery businesses and companies offering delivery services; for a full documentation of this feature, please check out the feature thread soon.

 

 

3. Chess @Gibbz

As part of our effort to include more games/fun activities to do on the server, we have also been working on a chess script to give the chess board object an actual use. Players will be able to use chess boards placed down by the furniture system or exterior furnishing kits to play chess with other players. The system properly follows and includes all rules of chess and also allows for spectators to watch, so players can play together, host tournaments, or simply watch their friends play!

 

Players will be able to use physical chess boards using the /chess command, allowing them to start or spectate games.

 

 

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IMPROVING EXISTING SYSTEMS

 

1. Evidence Locker @Gibbz

The evidence locker system is long overdue for a rework due to various bugs and performance issues. We have completely rewritten the system from scratch to ensure it's properly optimized while also adding more features and organization to make it easier to work with.

 

Law enforcement officers will now have access to evidence bags (/eb). All evidence must be stored in an evidence bag before submission. Then, officers will be able to take the evidence bag to an evidence locker and submit it into an entry (can submit as many bags as necessary within a single entry). The new interface ensures this process is smooth while also allowing for a similarly smooth (and documented) process when removing or re-adding evidence items to an entry.

 

 

 

2. Taxi System @Razor @Gibbz

It is no secret that the taxi system is due for a rework as it is one of the oldest scripts on the server. @Razor1151 has worked on an improved interface that is better integrated with the phone system, allowing players to specify drop-off locations, see the driver in real time, and overall match the functionality one would expect in a modern taxi application in 2025.

 

In addition to this, the meter system itself has been reworked as well and should feel much better to interact with for riders and taxi drivers. 

 

We understand that this is a key script for many players on the server and are still working on refining the finer details which will be shared closer to the release date in a feature thread of its own.

 

 

3. Settings UI @Azelat

The settings UI has been through many additions and modifications over the years and it shows; as the current interface was never designed nor intended to handle as many settings and features as we have today. We are addressing players' frustrations and bug reports by completely revamping the settings UI to make it more intuitive to use and overhauling its interface completely. Smoother, the menu also brings some new features including the search bar, better categorization of settings and the ability to completely unbind hotkeys.

 

The entire settings system has been revised. These are now saved in the database.

 

 

 

4. Armwrestling @ZeUnlucky @Ashmoday

We're also introducing a new kind of game that players can play together, arm wrestling! This feature allows for two players to wrestle on an arm wrestling table in a click battle, where the strongest character (or fastest clicker!) wins. It is synced and observable by anyone close by as well.

 

Players will be able to put down arm wrestling tables in their properties and will be able to join them using the /jointable command to play against other players.

 

 

5. Vehicle Fingerprints @St3fan[NL]

As part of our effort to make our systems more realistic and hassle free, we are upgrading the vehicle fingerprint system to allow law enforcement officers to swipe fingerprints off of vehicles.

 

Law enforcement officers will be able to run /pullvehicleprints on a vehicle's seat/door after roleplaying pulling the prints off with tape or other forensic technology. The pulled fingerprints will then be required to be taken to the forensics lab for analysis, just like any other item requiring fingerprint examination. As-is the case with the fingerprint system, wearing gloves will leave no fingerprints.

 

6. Character Customization @Azelat

We're always looking into ways of allowing players more customization settings for their characters. Male characters will now be able to use /shave to edit their character's facial hair on the fly, allowing them to change the style and opacity of their facial hair. Furthermore, makeup will now have custom slots that players can save makeup to, allowing them to use them instantly using /makeupcustom and to save them to different outfits. Players will also be able to /sharemakeup to share their makeup presets with others.

 

 

 

 

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MODDING UPDATE @Oggy @Gibbz

 

Changes and Additions to Less-Than-Lethal Weapons

We’re introducing some important changes to the way less-than-lethal weapons function on the server, aiming to improve realism and balance in law enforcement roleplay.

 

40mm Less-Than-Lethal Launcher
A new 40mm less-than-lethal launcher is being added for law enforcement use. This weapon will assume the primary role of incapacitating suspects from the beanbag shotgun. The 40mm launcher will have the ability to knock over individuals it hits, similar to the current beanbag shotgun. It fires a single slow-moving projectile, making it more difficult to aim accurately. After each shot, it must be manually reloaded, so make each shot count.

 

 

OC Spray
We are also working on introducing OC spray (pepper spray) for law enforcement use. This will provide a non-lethal self-defense option in close-quarters situations. Much like real life, it will be simple to use and effective at short range, and will apply screen-distorting effects to players affected, with a chance of it not working if the player is wearing facial protection or a mask.

 

 

 

 

 

Beanbag Shotgun Update
The beanbag shotgun is being reworked to serve as a pain compliance device rather than a knockdown weapon. Instead of knocking over the target, it will now apply a pain effect to the player, simulating compliance through discomfort.

[george?]

huge

[Airwalk]

hell yeah

[dia]

huge

[heartbeat81]

good stuff

[Jorgensen]

Huge W

[Selena]

Incredible.

[effion]

very very fire, thank you everybody who worked on this

[Fizzlestat]

yuge

[Tubiies]

yiiihhhh fire