feeling totally out of place as an average joe/criminal character

[yag tnera spart]

52 minutes ago, Storm said:

I kind of get this tbh. As someone who primarily focuses in law enforcement rp (something that barely gets you by in LA!) i'd like some more businesses aimed at mid/low income people rather than over done.

 

off topic:

@Valkyria the return some day???

What do you mean with mid low income type of business? 

[eTaylor]

5 minutes ago, roymar said:

What do you mean with mid low income type of business? 

Dive bars, shady strip clubs or simple things like a burger joint or plain cafe. Even local specific places like little businesses in the hood ect. Just generally places where your average person or criminal doesn’t really stand out too much. 

[yag tnera spart]

4 minutes ago, eTaylor said:

Dive bars, shady strip clubs or simple things like a burger joint or plain cafe. Even local specific places like little businesses in the hood ect. Just generally places where your average person or criminal doesn’t really stand out too much. 

It would be cool yeah, but I believe people always try to go for something fancy as having something that is just no as good makes people not go to your place. Especially if it's a place where you need two or three people present to open. You open > a couple of souls come > no gratification for the effort you've put in > less motivation to open that eventually leads to the place not to open anymore. At least for businesses ran by people and not factions. 

[knppel]

40 minutes ago, Streetsy said:

Most business owners just don't want to be bothered because someone always comes in and ruins it. It's not usually the good side of the criminal scene either, its a troll

Just have to pick this out as it's a major issue (also for other criminals that like, actually try to play properly).

 

It's indeed not primarily robberies or extortion attempts that harm the business scene rp-wise.

These after all require a minimum of preparation, a basic idea what to achieve and can thus be enjoyable for all sides at best.

However, more often than not, it's people who simply come to cause trouble for trouble's sake, without any reasonable approach for the business owner but to kick them out.

Which works well if you have 3-5 guards like a nightclub, but not so good if you're a poor soul store operator with a single clerk at best.

 

The problem that devoted criminal roleplayers fail to see is that no amount of extortion money ever paid to any crew can prevent this issue either-

unless again the local Don steps down with his men to combat trolls on a regular base.

[Kyra]

That's why some people decide to move to the county. Almost every place in the city feels rich or a straight up Skyrim experience.
Most businesses in Blaine, even if they open rarely, offer more unique RP than your average city bar.

Some mapping of bars and clubs do look good, I'll admit it. There's a lot of time and effort going into most of the mapping.
But it's gotten a bit too much over time and I personally have lost interest in visiting any businesses in the city at this point because it's always the same experience over all. You get to order a drink. receive it, and the RP basically stops right there as most bartenders/employees go AFK until a new customer arrives.

A lot has to change but it's mostly onto the players, there's only so much admins can do as they're already getting swamped with countless reports and requests on a daily.
And keep in mind, admins are doing this in their free time while working IRL as well just to come home and face more work.

[peasoup]

Be the change you want to see. Play a line cook instead of a gang banger. Or play a gang banger who is also a line cook, that's fine by me! The more guys with Sureño ink working in the kitchen, the better for my immersion.

 

But it's hard to take a complaint seriously about a lack of places for regular people when the people complaining rarely play regular people either. In the end, your average hardened criminal with several bodies to their name is no more a regular person than the rich guy from Vinewood Hills. A business filled with mostly criminals isn't a working class joint, it's the Star Wars cantina.

 

I know people just gloss over the death and murder, but if you're trying to play an actual, normal person, you might feel pretty depressed about your business right around the second time you're wiping blood and brain matter off the counter.

[mj2002]

12 hours ago, ZaE said:

SOMEONE SAID IT! HOLY SHIT SOMEONE SAID IT

Whats stopping you from applying for a business and roleplaying a concept you like?

[ZaE]

2 minutes ago, mj2002 said:

Whats stopping you from applying for a business and roleplaying a concept you like?

I'm not a bar, club, or anything like that type of owner...howeverrrr!

 

I actually do. I help run Bishop's Chicken, help run a smoke shop that's opening in Chamberlain Hills, assist with almost every Airsoft Mania opening, own Speedzone (GoKarts) and assist in a plethora of other businesses! All of which I enjoy a lot and lot roleplaying around but I have not had the time to do so due to me focusing on my faction. 

Edited July 24, 2022 by ZaE

[Jeroen]

I'm surprised no one mentioned the Blue Lion, it's right down the street from the interior mentioned in the OP.

Afaik that place existed for a year now, it was as you'd describe an "average Joe" kind of establishment, and it was only a block away from a police station!

 

This place was constantly plagued by those roleplayers who caused trouble, over and over again. It was a stupendous amount of crime that happened in our right outside of the Blue Lion, and as far as I knew none of the fault of the staff. That place got so many 911 calls for it, it's unreal.

 

---

 

Although I don't own or lease any businesses, I have worked in businesses of all classes over my entire time playing in the server including as security. I sympathize with business owners, and why they choose to go higher class. I currently mainly work in "average Joe" (albeit slightly niche) and grungy places, it's got it's own challenges to work in those places, because there's always crime that tries to get a foot in the door there and there isn't always sufficient resources to deal with it (RPly) without turning it into a fortress.

 

Issues that lower class business owners often deal with are those who approach the doorman and say things such as "I'm looking to speak with the owner." and try to say words such as "Pay tax.", but also gangs trying to assert their dominance over the business by causing disturbances. Of course during and after you've taken care of the disturbance you'll have to watch your back, because there's a big chance that these criminals will try to ambush you and kill/maim you for getting kicked out of a bar. Extortion attempts although a pain in the ass, are usually one of the more visible things for bar employees to spot. The perpetrators are often a group of people you've never seen before, and they always do some weird shuffle that drug dealers often do. And drugs dealers are often really visible too, they'll do a weird shuffle which makes them pretty obvious and then try to peddle their drugs to the trusted regulars who will report them to staff. 

 

There's a reason why managers/owners of clubs rarely overtly talk to their customers or show their faces, it's because they'll paint a big target on their backs if they do show their status. It's why most clubs let the owner sit somewhere in the corner of the club wearing regular clothes, only talking on their radio when asked for information. They'll let security handle all the trash.

[Gallagher]

10 hours ago, peasoup said:

Be the change you want to see. Play a line cook instead of a gang banger. Or play a gang banger who is also a line cook, that's fine by me! The more guys with Sureño ink working in the kitchen, the better for my immersion.

 

But it's hard to take a complaint seriously about a lack of places for regular people when the people complaining rarely play regular people either. In the end, your average hardened criminal with several bodies to their name is no more a regular person than the rich guy from Vinewood Hills. A business filled with mostly criminals isn't a working class joint, it's the Star Wars cantina.

 

I know people just gloss over the death and murder, but if you're trying to play an actual, normal person, you might feel pretty depressed about your business right around the second time you're wiping blood and brain matter off the counter.

my character has SURF NAZI tattooed across their face so he’s limited in terms of careers but I appreciate ur point