The Drivers Licenses

[Dumplings]

Short description: Currently, to obtain a drivers license the script makes you drive here and there and tells you to 'stop at intersections, keep at so and so speed', which is great, if you're in a silly world where you drive a car telepathically. That needs to have some depth tbh, pitching this in since the licensing center is bugged/needs rework anyway so nows a good time.

Detailed description: So IRL, (for cars, bikes, trucks) you take your preliminary exam which you have to study for, then you take a driving class on a closed course or in an area with little to no public/other traffic to help you get used to the steering, footwork and gears, ect - before you are actually given the go ahead for a real road during which you are studied by the instructor on how you are doing, these can take more than one driving lesson (keyword: lesson) - at the moment, the script is essentially, pay so and so money, get in a car, drive and read some poopy instructions. That's a bit unrealistic and too vague in my opinion and my characters opinion along with some of the characters friends opinions. I mean, there can definitely be improvement because the RP aspect for it is a bit difficult to understand.
My suggestion is as follows - firstly, you get to read about driving and how to operate a vehicle in a manual probably somewhere on the forums, likely under the gov' section or on the LSPD forums under human resources - this would include general driving ethics, proper indication, correct stopping points, general operation of a vehicle - so on so forth (doesn't really have to be all heavily in depth, it's just there for the next step).
The next thing to do would then be to pay a monetary fee of say idk, something like $1500 for the preliminary test, which can bring up a UI/Window in-game or can be done via LSPD forums with the aid of the LSPD's traffic unit, in similar fashion to the PF/CCW applications. After the preliminary test is complete and passed, the character should then be able to access actual driving lessons which would cost $2000 for 2-4 sessions (total amounting to $3500 per license type), depending on how in-dept people would like it to be, personally I can see 2 being perfectly sufficient.
The first lesson would cover general operation of the vehicle, some basic car knowledge like how to change a tire ect. Vehicle safety, driving safety so on so forth..
The second lesson would cover the actual driving part, firstly taking the character to a less occupied location where traffic is minimal such as a large empty car park or suburbs with lacking foot/vehicle traffic. During the second lesson the driver could be re-informed on how to correctly park a vehicle in a parking space or at the side of a road, how to correctly stop at an intersection, how to use indicators (optional) and of course, then comes a full test. This could probably all take up maybe an hour or more of a players time so some cuts can be made, such as simply being taken on one lesson where both of the above or just the second lesson is covered.

Finally, should the character pass, they receive their driving certificate which can then be exchanged for a drivers license through either GOV or LSPD forums (or just simply receives their license).

I would greatly appreciate seeing different category licenses - Examples: Category C for cars / Category B for bikes / Category H for heavy vehicles like haulers/trucks.

 

Commands to add: If a preliminary exam is scripted into the server then /pretestc - /pretestb - /pretesth can be used for it or done via the licensing centre menu. Then /vexama - /vexamb - /vexamh for corresponding categories or again, done through the licensing centre menu.

Items to add: If license categories are implemented then pretty much just needs a license item for each category or a license which modifies itself based on which category vehicle the character has passed the exam for.

How would your suggestion improve the server? Less.. silly/non-rp driving. Also more realism for sure.

Additional information: Again, this is a suggestion made seeing as the driving licenses are broken (i believe) thus, given the chance that a new script/process may be placed in for obtaining vehicle licenses.

Edit: I'm happy to help with manuals if needed.

Edited December 19, 2019 by Dumplings

[4eno]

Very cool Idea but I doubt people are gonna do half this shit and just drive around with no license.

[eTaylor]

Just now, 4eno said:

Very cool Idea but I doubt people are gonna do half this shit and just drive around with no license.

This, honestly. 

[arrdef]

I disagree with the notion of forcing people to create an account on a faction's forum to do something as straightforward as drive legally. Your comparison to the CCW/PF process doesn't hold because very few legal, non-LEO characters actually need guns for their roleplay, whereas anyone with half a brain will pass a drivers' license exam.

The PF and CCW processes also ensure that people with easy access to guns on the server do not misuse it and ruin the server. This doesn't apply to a drivers' license.

 

Another factor is the impossibility of a public transit system with  a fixed schedule. Without a personal car, players with no license would be forced to take a cab to go anywhere, a particularly expensive and rather unreliable option.
 

Splitting the licenses so there is one for light vehicles and one for heavier vehicles, however, does sound like a decent idea. Just because you know how to drive a sedan doesn't mean you can operate an 18-wheeler. Again, I personally think that it should be 100% IG, and not involve any forum activity.

Edited December 20, 2019 by arrdef

[Jennie]

It could be done with a job or faction that is responsible for doing the theoretical and practical exams, only IG, using the forum is a no go for many people.

[Tseard]

Big no. The driving test, first of all, is not under the LSPD's jurisdiction and I highly doubt they would want to take responsibility for that. Making people sign up on a forum to read curriculum is just a tedious process that is not going to work. People go in-game and 9/10 times, the first thing they do is get their driver license. If we follow what you suggested, this will be a long process that is totally unneeded. 

 

If I create an alternative character, I can't be arsed to go through such as process every time. It's time-consuming and makes the process way more complicated than needed. 

 

I also do not support any faction that is responsible for such licenses. It's a too big risk to put actual people in charge, there will probably be a handful of people who want to take that job. Then people need to meet up with said ''instructor's'' to do testing and get their license. The workload will be too much, timezone issues will arise and what will happen if those people simply quit or go inactive? No thank you.

 

The only part that I do like about the suggestion is different licenses for a different type of vehicles. 

[Guest]

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Edited January 2, 2020 by Guest

[CloutToken]

This is a bit too excessive for a driver’s license tbh. I don’t have any problem with polishing up the system and adding different types of licenses, but the rest seems like too much. 

[Matthew]

Usually I don’t side with the “it’s just a game” excuse but in this occasion I have to say this is excessive for a game.

[ButtonLip]

Even when I like the idea, but this surely will make people not do the driver's exams.