The current situation with garages

[Gargam3i]

10 minutes ago, BigSmileLing said:

Maybe they should open when they have the components and not use it privately for their friends.

 

Yes, I was in a workshop recently that was "closed" but I saw several mechanics working for their friends, I'm not gonna name and shame.

You have to report inactive businesses or businesses being misused so that people that want to run said business can get a chance to do so. If people don't report it we won't see any changes.

[BigSmileLing]

1 minute ago, Gargam3i said:

You have to report inactive businesses or businesses being misused so that people that want to run said business can get a chance to do so. If people don't report it we won't see any changes.

I have known people who reported garages several months ago and they did nothing.

[Nervous]

I've changed trucking money from cash to bank.

[Now You See Me]

33 minutes ago, BigSmileLing said:

Maybe they should open when they have the components and not use it privately for their friends.

 

Yes, I was in a workshop recently that was "closed" but I saw several mechanics working for their friends, I'm not gonna name and shame.

Whats the problem with that? A lot of places IRL do the same thing

 

[BigSmileLing]

 

8 minutes ago, Matt - said:

Whats the problem with that? A lot of places IRL do the same thing

 

IRL you can go to another place, on the server a garage is more exclusive than a house in Vinewood, why do I have to wait a week to do maintenance on my vehicle?

[HeyMambo]

1 hour ago, Kaz said:

So I've read a few of the comments regarding the garages. Would a similar system to the 24/7s work? If there are no 24/7s open, you can go to an NPC mechanic and get parts fitted? If so should that have a timer so you don't just drive off 20 seconds later? Something like a 30 minute wait?

I don’t think this is going to solve the main issue. Player ran mechanic shops never used to be an issue. There was almost a time where there were too many shops open at one time. The two main issues:

 

1) Lack of supply: Truckers don’t want to do the job. It’s anti-fun. Robberies are just part of the issue, albeit a big part. The grind of the script literally rewards getting as many deliveries done as possible in the shortest amount of time with no reward to someone’s RP. 
 

2) When there is a limited supply, components get used so quickly that only a few cars will make it through before the shop runs out. 
 

Trucking I understand is a larger undertaking but this problem has been building for a while. It’s very easy to get burned out. There’s no incentive to continue the job for any length of time besides people who enjoy grinding. People are just moving on to other things because of the frustration between constant robberies and non-rewarding roleplay. It’s not a sustainable job. It’s great that Nervous has adjusted the cash to bank payments, so that should help temporarily. However it’s just a bandaid to the larger problem with trucking.
 

The Garage script should be looked at with regards to the use of components. They simply use too many and truckers obviously can’t keep up. I’m aware the components adjustment was an attempt to curb mechanic pay for the garage and the mechanics, but instead I think the prices of the car modifications should be lowered rather than the number of components being used. I’d even vote for turning component use even lower than it was before the adjustment. This will result in a similar goal in reducing the payments to the garage and mechanic, but now garages can stay open for longer with less components being used. 

Edited July 26, 2021 by The Dude

[BigSmileLing]

4 minutes ago, The Dude said:

I don’t think this is going to solve the main issue. Player ran mechanic shops never used to be an issue. There was almost a time where there were too many shops open at one time. The two main issues:

 

1) Lack of supply: Truckers don’t want to do the job. It’s anti-fun. Robberies are just part of the issue, albeit a big part. The grind of the script literally rewards getting as many deliveries done as possible in the shortest amount of time with no reward to someone’s RP. 
 

2) When there is a limited supply, components get used so quickly that only a few cars will make it through before the shop runs out. 
 

Trucking I understand is a larger undertaking but this problem has been building for a while. It’s very easy to get burned out. There’s no incentive to continue the job for any length of time besides people who enjoy grinding. People are just moving on to other things because of the frustration between constant robberies and non-rewarding roleplay. It’s not a sustainable job. It’s great that Nervous has adjusted the cash to bank payments, so that should help temporarily. However it’s just a bandaid to the larger problem with trucking.
 

The Garage script should be looked at with regards to the use of components. They simply use too many and truckers obviously can’t keep up. I’m aware the components adjustment was an attempt to curb mechanic pay for the garage and the mechanics, but instead I think the prices of the car modifications should be lowered rather than the number of components being used. I’d even vote for turning component use even lower than it was before the adjustment. This will result in a similar goal in reducing the payments to the garage and mechanic, but now garages can stay open for longer with less components being used. 

Reduce the components and reduce the price for sport class, why do I have to pay 4k for a bumper when a Kanjo bumper costs 900$, it will reduce the cost of the components and reduce the income, if you increase the prices of the parts it will only cause the mechanics to get rich.

[DasFroggy]

If we need more open garages, I would be willing to give it a shot. It always seemed a fun idea to try implementing discounts for repairs and modifications that take several days, and a loaner car program would make the option of leaving a vehicle at the shop for repairs/modifications more accessible.

 

The main obstacles that exist are currently financial limits (a garage is difficult to afford), OOC applications (are garages even for sale? The one in particular that is desired, is also unlikely to be given), knowledge (where can one even begin with applying to open a garage? Is anyone willing to help?), and honesty (even at a discount, who is going to really tolerate a business that takes longer than the competition, even with a price discount?)

 

It is a massive undertaking, and a costly one too. Much help would be needed.

Edited July 26, 2021 by DasFroggy

[Shiro]

1. nobody gives a shit about the /me's a mechanic types, except that 1 in a million dude who will look for the smallest flaw in your /me and shittalk you everywhere possible for it

2. every customer expects their car to be done in 5 minutes after asking to rebuild your shitbox into a million dollar race car

3. doesn't pay like it used to and be honest with yourselves, most people do script jobs for money

4. it really seems like mechanics are held to the highest possible standard out of all imaginable jobs, ive seen so much shit talk about rp quality it's insane. Why is a trucker doing /me unloads truck considered okay but you can't live with yourself if a mechanic doesn't rp removing every single bolt 1 by 1? 

5. repetitive and boring as fuck due to all the points mentioned above

6. garages nowadays get drained after servicing 4 cars because the comp usage went up by 2x (imo just a half assed solution without looking at long term effects) while the amount of truckers can't possibly double in an instant, which is what's needed to keep up with the demand

 

I managed a garage for 2 months and I've seen so many complaints and shittalk about the stupidest possible things it makes me think some people here are really insane/haven't touched grass in their whole lifetime

 

in essence: less people want to do the job compared to before, and garages use twice the components they used to while the amount of truckers remained mostly the same/less as the job is boring as fuck

Edited July 26, 2021 by Shiro

[Karner]

As someone who's been owning and running a garage for the past... two months now the reasons why it's hard to open are the following. (This is anecdotal, not statistical).

1. A lot of players are rude to staff, IC and OOC. They will not wait patiently for cars to be finished once they've been started (but Ironically will happily wait in line prior).
2. Mechanic RP is held to such a high standard compared to other businesses and avenues of RP that a lot of people just aren't as interested in being mechanics on the daily.
3. Mechanic RP is super stressful, it often requires 2/3 mechanics + a clerk to keep the whole lot running smoothly and even then we're oftentimes rushed or questioned.

My garage has never had an issue with profit or restocks.

 

They simply get super busy, are held to an insanely high standard and it requires a lot of knowledge to do right. It's 1000x easier to do private work, advertise private work and then any "walk-ins" we get while not open than it is to open the garage and have THIS happen, every day.