Trucking Improvements

[SCANDALOUZ]

Short description: 

Set up a set of particular restrictions and modifications to the currently existing trucking script in order to incentivise more role play on the job.

Detailed description:

Step 1: Automate (and NPC out) the loading and unloading process of trucks, however add a timer for the completion of such process with the truck frozen in place, yet able to be departed from.

 

Step 2: Set a limit to routes you can take per hour (or per day), however adjust trucks' crate holding capacity to even out the hourly profit as it is/should be with the then restricted/lesser amount of routes.

 

PS: Consider (and likely do) lowering amount of deliveries needed to jump into a better/bigger truck for obvious reasons (limited routes per hour).

Commands to add: 

N/A, just alter the currently existing ones.

Items to add:

N/A, just alter the crate capacity ratios of current trucking vehicles to even out expected hourly profits post route restrictions.

How would your suggestion improve the server?

Step one of my suggestion would get rid of the obnoxious two-emotes (un)loading process that people insist on calling role play and will instead add an incentive to human interaction/social role play around the job.

 

Step two will replace a lot of the mechanical grind with free time to actually role play and develop a character, around the job/theme of trucking and otherwise. It will also further discourage truckers from racing around Los Santos for the sake of making an extra dollar.

 

In cohorts these two changes of the trucking system will in my opinion change the scriptwise incentives the job provides and subsequently shift the mental focus away from speeding and grinding to an actually better paced and fitting one for a role playing environment.

 

What's even better about my suggestion is that it doesn't (at least on paper) require a major/complete overhaul of the trucking-business inventory system.

Additional information:

Jobs like trucking and the way the script around them is set-up are by nature ones that actually financially penalize you for stopping and actually role playing on the job (unlike startshift jobs).

 

Wether people are right or wrong for optimizing such systems and chosing to neglect role play for the sake of profit is a whole different subject. The fact is that the script allows it/that is its very nature and that is not okay for a role playing server. Such script setup is counterproductive in principle to the standards the community tries to uphold.

 

People that chose to AFK out the timer times suggested and things a-like can and should always be punished. Just like racing people are now.

 

Excuse typos or whatever, lmk if something is unclear.

Edited September 11, 2020 by SCANDALOUZ

[Zayyy]

This is needed +1

[Tree]

My biggest wish is for the timer to have some randomness to it for loading/unloading.

 

Something like # of crates * random number between 20-60s for the time to load or unload and then force RP during this time.

 

Supporting.

[54nDR0]

+1

[Muffinology101]

Please please please look into this. I started trucking because of the RP specifically and it is rare to find. I go out of my way to take the longer routes because no one in the city really cares enough to rp most of the time. But then this leaves me making deliveries to mostly unopened businesses and still doesn't fix the rp interaction that i crave, without having to jostle from point to point like a lemming.

+1

Edited September 11, 2020 by Muffinology101

[Akaya]

There's zero rp to the trucking job, just like to the garbage job, only the one liners everyone is basically forced to do so they don't get kicked, if you approach them, they'll tell you off.
This is needed.
+1

[Dom.]

Yes. That tedious ass grind shit needs to be fixed. I made a trucker character for actual roleplay, as I wanted to roleplay a trucker.

[Christofo]

Agreed, grinding shouldn't be a thing but also there must be a limit between the two. +1

[Cantafford]

I think a simple solution to force truckers to RP more when delivering would be to implement a '/me's counter' similar to the ones that is used in businesses where you /startshift. I think in those there is a required of you to do a specific amount of /me's per hour in order to get the payday.

I assume something similar can be created for the trucking job. My suggestion would be like this:

- have two commands /startunload and /finishunload

- then a /me counter implemented which counts the number of /me's you have done from /startunload to /finishunload

- then the already existing /unloadcrate and /sellcrate

- after you /unload&/sell the last crate you would be able to do /finishunload

- the script should then not be able to let you do /finishunload and get the payment until you have done a specific amount of /me's - say 5 for example

 

Similar for the /pickupcrate and /loadcrate commands that you use when you load the trucks at the supplier.

 

As much as the grind goes...I think it's ok of truckers to required to complete a lot of deiveries in order to be able to drive bigger vehicles which give better payment in return. Actually it makes a lot of sense to make it a 'grindy job'. In real life a trucker would also need to work a lot in order to be promoted and be assigned to more difficult and therefore higher paid deliveries. And this grinding simulates the work a truck driver would need to do in real life.

 

If they take out the grinding and make Pounder status easy to obtain than everyone will be using Pounders to make deliveries.

The streets would be filled with big trucks which would be unrealistic. In real life you also see vans and other smaller vehicles doing deliveries not only trucks.

 

I made a suggestion regarding the /me counter here: 

 

if you wish to discuss please let's talk there :D

Edited September 26, 2020 by Cantafford

[SCANDALOUZ]

The /me counter for unloading would make the currently bad situation worse.

 

Load/unload emotes x30 a day is hardly role play. Role play is about storytelling, depth and development, not emoting the same action over and over again.