NC Abuse

[AtlasOLimbo]

NCs are used as a get out of jail free card at every corner and I'm not exactly sure what would be a solid solution. I'd much rather criminals have to be smart and hire cleaners or clean up scenes themselves to try and avoid detectives and their investigative work, rather than every scene coming back to blank MDC records or otherwise. It's also frustrating that they may keep assets associated with the character with none of the consequences for their actions, in the criminal world or otherwise. If any, what kind of limits should be put on NCs to try and stop this? Most cases rarely go to court as someone will plead guilty and speedrun their way to be able to NC, so the current NC rule is nearly pointless.

[Fancy Toothpaste]

Name changes are often very bad for roleplay, but are good for the overall health of the server.

I've heard all sorts of stories of people name changing after finding out through a friend with MDC access that there's a search warrant on their properties or an arrest warrant on their character. While I can't really confirm the validity of these stories on an individual basis, the fact I've heard them so prevalently is an indication that something may be wrong with the current system. Where there's smoke, there is usually fire. It's currently against the rules to name change in the midst of an active court case, nor should you be able to name change your way out of a search or arrest warrant. It really damages the continuty of roleplay and does indeed feel like a get-out-of-jail-free card.

On the other hand, name changes help add a sense of continuity and progression to the player experience of the server as people make the transition from character to character. This is important for maintaining player retention, and for softening the potential blow of CKs. If people know they don't have to start back at square one, they'll feel a lot better about making a new character. Name changes also offer players a lot of flexibility and freedom in deciding the kind of characters they want to roleplay. If your concept doesn't work out for whatever reason, no sweat, you can move onto a new one without having to completely start over.

It's also unavoidable to consider the monetary gain that name changes provide for the server. People pay for name changes through monthly donations or singular payments of 30WP. While the payments aren't massive by themselves, in large quantities they most certainly add up. I'd wager that name changes offer substantial value to the server and are at least partly responsible for accommodating many of the server's expenses.

Personally, I'd like to see some kind of compromise that allows for the same player progression and flexibility while still catching those players that are potentially attempting to abuse the system. I honestly don't know how feasible it would be, but maybe when a player goes to name change their character, the UCP will scan the MDC for any active warrants. If it finds any, then the player is unable to name change until those warrants are concluded. Alternatively, there could be a cooldown added to the name changing the same character slot, or a timer that stops you from instantly name changing, allowing LEO's to carry out whatever roleplay they need to in that gap of time. There are all sorts of ways to help limit name change abuse while still keeping the system intact for those players who use it honestly.
 

Edited July 16, 2022 by Fancy Toothpaste

[Cocaine Capital]

We're in a world full of no consequences. Criminals NC to avoid consequences on their characters. Albeit they no longer have that character afterward, it's still stupid and hurts alot of detective and police roleplay in major situations. But honestly, it's not just on criminals with NC abuse. LEO's do it to. Oh, you messed up and got charged with a crime? Go ahead and NC, start back in the same department and continue your work. 

 

In a perfect world, the above would be nice. If you try to NC with an active warrant, you're not allowed to NC. But this isn't a perfect world and the second dude gets a notification "You have an active warrant, you are not allowed to NC". Then boom, they're gonna get rid of all their stuff, and play innocent. 

 

A good argument for NC restrictions, if any needs to be made (which personally I dont think so, sometimes you just have to take some bad), is if you NC and go back to the same faction doing the same thing, there are more harsh punishments involved as you clearly just NC'd to avoid consequences for your character. 

[SaintBatemanofWallStreet]

Solution. Lose 75% of your assets if you name change. Nip it in the bud right there. 75% is being generous too. What should realistically happen is all properties, vehicles, and inventories go away and you get the 200k starting money that everyone gets deposited into your account. Thanks for changing your name with GTAW.

[DLimit]

Name-changes should be on an account-wide timer, only allowing people to N.C. once every 3 months to avoid such abuse, rather than wiping assets. 

Average throw-away character lasts one month. It's unfair to those that desire to R.P. a concept that may require a lot of O.O.C.-existent funds if assets were to be wiped. The issue is throw-away characters, not the average person NCing every 3-12 months.

EDIT: On top of this? Could always prevent people from NCing if they possess active warrants etc... against their character.

Edited July 16, 2022 by DLimit

[AtlasOLimbo]

I think timers on NCs would be a decent solution, and repeat offenders should be looked at as part of RPQM. There's been some really good discussion in this thread so far. 'ppreciate it guys.

[Fancy Toothpaste]

47 minutes ago, Cocaine Capital said:

A good argument for NC restrictions, if any needs to be made (which personally I dont think so, sometimes you just have to take some bad), is if you NC and go back to the same faction doing the same thing, there are more harsh punishments involved as you clearly just NC'd to avoid consequences for your character. 

I agree with this to an extent. The problem for me is, that this is already supposed to be enforced but clearly isn't. 
 

Quote

Each of your characters should be unique from your other characters. Making similar characters that have the same motivations, goals, objectives etc. is forbidden. This is to avoid players name changing to avoid consequences. Switching names between your characters is also forbidden.

Should a character be CKed or name changed, the character that comes after should have no connection to the previous character. Any character in a faction that is name changed or CKed must follow Faction Management's regulations for returning to the same faction. If a faction has no written agreement with Faction Management, then a returning character should be discussed with Faction Management.

Above is a quote from rule 6) character rules. The intention of these quotes are very clear, but the issue remains widespread.
 

Quote

it's not just on criminals with NC abuse. LEO's do it to. Oh, you messed up and got charged with a crime? Go ahead and NC, start back in the same department and continue your work.

I agree with stricter enforcement of LEO name changes too. LFM should be monitoring these cases of name change abuse more effectively, just as IFM should monitor cases of name change abuse done by members in illegal factions and groups more effectively. The problem is, they can't; the issue is far too widespread. 

A more automated system could mitigate the limitations of human error: Just think about how much easier it is for PM to handle property inactivity now that it's automated.
 

47 minutes ago, Cocaine Capital said:

In a perfect world, the above would be nice. If you try to NC with an active warrant, you're not allowed to NC. But this isn't a perfect world and the second dude gets a notification "You have an active warrant, you are not allowed to NC". Then boom, they're gonna get rid of all their stuff, and play innocent. 

You're right, they will be alerted by the UCP that there's a search warrant on their character if they attempt to name change and it doesn't work. The system still catches the flies regardless.

People who use the name change function to "test" if they have a warrant on them either already have OOC suspicions that they have a warrant on their character, or have already been made OOCly aware by someone with MDC access. In either case, they're already trying to abuse the name change system to get out of consequences. Confirming the warrant makes no difference at this point. At least this way it's not as convenient, and they have to use in-character means to lay low from the law; hiding their stash or whatever else, instead of getting off scot-free thanks to an OOC mechanic that's supposed to improve roleplay, not hinder it.

If the person doesn't have a warrant on them but is still suspicious that they do for whatever reason, and they try to name change on the UCP to "test" their theory, they basically just wasted a name change for nothing. If they want to return to their original name then guess what? They got to burn another name change. The costs of "testing" if you have a warrant on your character, will start to outweigh the benefits.

I also offered two other potential solutions to the issue:

1. We could put a cooldown on name changing the same slot so that serial name change abusers can't just continue to skip from character to character while keeping the same stash, every time they shoot a cop on dashcam at a traffic stop.

2. We could put a timer on name changes so that they don't happen instantly, but instead occur after a certain amount of time has passed. Admittedly, this wouldn't be my favorite solution because I'm the type of person who really tries to jump into my concepts right away, but it would at the very least give LEO's time to enforce pending search warrants. 

At the end of the day though, I'm just putting meat on the table. My idea of how the system should work is not the final say. There are countless ways the system can be improved. What's important is recognizing that there is indeed an issue, and implementing changes that help to limit abuse and improve roleplay on the server. Improvements should always be strived for, otherwise, nothing will ever get better. Incremental improvement is a lot better than no improvement at all.

Edited July 16, 2022 by Fancy Toothpaste

[Jeroen]

Don't allow namechanges when someone's in jail, with the exception to those who have life and have been approved to namechange.

 

 

If someone namechanges with a fine on their person or vehicle, deduct the total from the fines from the character's wealth.

 

Timers on namechanging is a finnicky one, there will always be people who will try to game the system. But it'd absolutely improve it, as long as there's a way for LEOs to be alerted (if the guy has a warrant).

 

[DasFroggy]

Cool thing is, if anyone ever gets any kind of leverage on my criminal character, I will literally just NC to shake it. CK my character? That's okay, I can just change the name a little and get back to killing both the cops AND the competition in the streets, because I don't need to assign actual value to my throwaway characters. It would only put me at a disadvantage to have a criminal character that I'd regret losing, because there'll ALWAYS be someone willing to do it to win if I don't.

[RedRover]

12 minutes ago, Jeroen said:

Don't allow namechanges when someone's in jail, with the exception to those who have life and have been approved to namechange.

 

 

If someone namechanges with a fine on their person or vehicle, deduct the total from the fines from the character's wealth.

 

Timers on namechanging is a finnicky one, there will always be people who will try to game the system. But it'd absolutely improve it, as long as there's a way for LEOs to be alerted (if the guy has a warrant).

 

Supposedly according to the rules it states that you can’t name change during an active court case, but at the end it also states you can’t name change until 14 days AFTER the conclusion of the court case. Do they go to jail right after the case? If so, the rule should cover at least some jail time. 

The rule states:

 

“If you are charged and your case goes to court you may not namechange until two week (14 days) after the completion of your court case.”

Edited July 16, 2022 by Brofessor