[Guide] Roleplay

Number ONE iron rule in RP: Make it as close to real life (RL in short) as possible.
Everything must be as close to RL as possible, anything from chewing a gum up to a first degree murder.
You can't kill for no reason, because none will ever do it in RL. And no, RPing a "serial killer" is not RP... Ever psycho serial killers got their reasons to kill people.

Examples of why NOT to kill:
If you are being followed.
If your car is crashed.
If you get ran over.
If you see cops leaving a place than a guy using his cell-phne while knowing you committed a crime.
If a cop is asking you to pull over.

Examples of when it OK to kill:
If you are being shot at.
If you are being kidnapped.
If you are threated in such a way it could hurt you REALLY bad.


The exact meaning of RP is Role Playing. It's NOTHING like D&D, don't get confused.
In RP everyone will have to build his own character, who will have a biography (a topic about that is opened, feel free to post there.) that will include every little detail about it, starting from his hair, eyes, hight, wight and ending with his life story.
Note that your biography doesn't have to be as long as the declaration of independence of the United States of America, but don't just write "John was born with no father got addicted to drugs ended up in jail now he is free and want to kill".
Make something like a short life story, indicating how you got to LS and what you are doing here.

Your character must have a background. For now, using a reasonable background with a blackout or a memory lost is okay, but if I see too many people use it as an excuse for not writing a story it will not be allowed.
Anyway you must wirte a background. Even if it combines memory lost (or leaks to make it a better story) you must write something.
For example of characterists your character will have:
"A French guy who obays the law, easy angered, his father was murdered when he was 13, and he lived the rest of his life with his mom and his two little brothers."


Note that it is HIGHLY recommended NOT to kill one of the parents in the biography (BIO in short). 90% of the people do that and it gets really boring really fast.

A quote from Wikipedia:
"In roleplaying, participants adopt and act out the role of characters, or parts, that may have personalities, motivations, and backgrounds different from their own."


Rules:

• No revenge killing (RK). If you got killed, you must continue playing and die. you will return to the game, of course, but you must act like you died. You cannot know who killed you and you must treat him just like that.
If you killed a guy and you see him in the street, you act like he is a total stranger to you. A new page will begin.
It is very likely to meet someone for the very first time, get killed by him and than meet him again and be best friends with him.
If one of the murderd friend is in the crime scene and didn't die himself, or someone told him that you were killed, he may revenge your death.

• No Deathmatch (DM).
Some servers got the goal to get as much kills as possible. Here it's not the goal. You won't hurt anyone else unless you have a good reason to do it, which will also be a good reason in RL.
Examples:
You walk in the street, and you get into an oral fight (trash talking, cursing each other, arguing...) with someone else. That guy is pulling out a gun, and start shooting at you. Since your life is in danger, you got a perfectly good reason to pull out a gun of your own and kill him.

Now, another person is walking in the street, and starts cursing you. If you made your character (in the bio) an easy angered one (and also one that doesn't worry to much for getting in troubles with the cops), it's a good reason to punch that guy in the face. It is NOT a good reason to pull out a pistol and look at the pavement through the other guys' belly.

Another example: You see a guy walking in the street. You got no reason to hurt him in any way.

• No using OOC information. Also called METAGAMING.
You read something on the forums? You heard something outside of the game (Venterillo, telephones, IMs etc)?
You can't use it in the game. All info you get in the game MUST come through your character's eyes.
When you see a person walking in the street, you can't know their names (despite the floating name tag over their heads) because in RL you never see a name above someone's head. If you do see that kind of staff on RL, stop playing GTA:SA and go see a mental therapist in the nearest nut-house in your location.
You may call him Sir, Dude, Man, whatever you want, but you cannot know his name untill he tells you the name (or another guy tells you.) IC (In Character).

(NOTE: Chris might not like that part. If you don't agree to that, post here and I will edit) That includes PMs.
If a friend calls you through PM, you cannot come because in RL you don't have telepathy and your character doesn't talk to him IC. If you look in one's PM, you see bracetts ( The (( and )) signs), means it's OOC.

Also, you don't know your RL friends IC untill you make a RP meeting that includes a meeting of the both of you in certain reasons. Don't use OOC or PM to make a RP meeting.

• No bug exploits.
Bugs are things that go wrong in the server.
If it happens and you can use a bug to your own good, you won't use it. You will report one of the admins (Chris is the best first choice as he is our scripter) using the /report command or the forums. If the bug is seriously bad and can be used very quickly, contact admins in /report and do not use the forums.
If you abuse a bug you will be found out, sooner or later. If you abuse a bug you will get banned. That's right, banned. If the bug is minor, you get a minimum of 3 days ban. If it's a majore exploit, you will get a PERMENANT ban which will not be removed.

• RP names.
In this kind of servers (RP) you will be required to register with a RP name.
What is a RP name?
It's a name that includes Firstname_Lastname(The underline in a must. If you use SPACE the game will show only the first name). Other names will be kicked.
Examples of good names:
Dan_Balabua
Jose_Santiago
Exmaples of bad names, yet RP names:
Dark_Shadow.
Have you ever seen a guy named "Dark Shadow"? No. It's a nickname, not a name. Nicknames can be used IG (in-game) but you must register with a real name. You may write your nickname as an add on to your real name on your bio. Please use CAPITALS at the beginning of your names. Thomas_Anderson not thomas_anderson and not THOMAS_ANDERSON either.
(First name = your personal name. Last name = your family name)
Examples of ban, non-RP names:
Vodka
Hellraiser
Killa49
No numbers!

[LSPD]Herman_Hammon
This name has a tag. Tags are NOT allowed, no matter what is the reason. People don't have tags in RL, so don't you in RP.

John
No one has a first name with no last name. Have you ever seen a man just called "John"? No, you haven't, and you never will.

Motha_Fucka
Not allowed. Don't ask why, the reason is very clear.

Famous names (such as Carl_Johnson) will be asked to change, if the player won't comply than it's a kick. If he returns with a wrong name after more and more kicks, it's a ban.

When you choose a name, make it related to the character you're playing. I never seen an Italian who is named Nadav. Exceptions are if you own an ethnic skin but your bio explains the reason for the unrelated details. Look at MY BIO for an example.

Names longer than 16 characters will be cut out by the game.

• The Mob
The mafia, the mob, the underworld and anything in-between.

Because it's just a computer game, lots of people starts feeling like big men and disrespect the mob.
In RL it would NEVER happen.
What happens in RL when a bunch of guys surround one man with bats and guns in order to get something out of him?
I'll tell you what happens. The guy craps his pants, and will probably fully co-oporate. If he won't, he will probably get beat up and learn to co-oporate for the next time.
IG (in-game), the worst thing that can happen to you is that you will end up in hospital. Although not in such a way to threaten your lifes, but it's very much the other way around in RL.

• OOC, and things people might do IG but never in RL.
What is OOC and what is IC?
OOC is a short for Out Of Character.
IC is a short for In Character.

OOC is used for things in your life (real life), things out of your character's life etc...
IC is things that happen in your character's life, it's virtues, abilities and such...

Example:
OOC I am Yoav, a calm, nice person who believes in the law, but IC I am Thomas Anderson, Yakuza Godfather, a violent person yet respectful.

here's a list of chats with a short description and a subdivision between OOC and IC:
Normal chat: Press T and write down what you wanna say.
Local OOC chat: /b before sentences. Example: /b Hi I am Thomas.
Global OOC chat: /o before sentence. It differs from the local chat by the hearing range. /b is local, means only people from within your hearing range can hear/see. /o is a global chat, means everyone on the server can see it, if enabled.

Whisper: /w ID before sentence. That is OOC and PM. IC but you must be within a certain range (much closer than regular chat though), and /pm is used as PMs with world-wide range.
Only the person's ID whom you sent the whisper to can see it.

Shout: /s than text. It increases the hearing range, plus it puts two reading signs (!!) at the end of your text.

Close: Talk only to the ones really close to you. Fairly decreases the hearing range. People on the other side of the phone call cannot hear it.

Using the phone (IC): /call number. Example: /call 2587. You can buy a phone book in 24/7 and use /number ID to see the player's number. Don't use PM to get a person's number or any other OOC chats.

You must wait for the other side to pick up the phone (/pickup or /p) before you can speak to them. After you're done with the call use /hangup or /h to hang up.
NOTE: A phone call costs money. Very little money though. I think it's 50$ per minute. Other people can hear what you're saying too, if they are near enough. People cannot hear the other side though.
Check your number using /stats or /number ID.

Pay phone (if available in the game): /call number.
Same as a regular call, only it's unrecognized and costs less.

It is adviseable to keep your calls short and not talk about "discrete" things over the cellphone. Make a meeting to talk about impotent, personally stuff. It's much more RP.

When do we talk in IC and when in OOC?

When you talk about IDs, admins, server, and anything in your RL, you use OOC. You can't say "I am in a server" ICly. Try doing it in RL. I bet you will end up in a white, warm, hands-cuffing coat in no-time.

When you talk about things that happen to your character, you use IC.


• Actions.
/me commands. /me is an animation not present in the game. It's a RP animation and you must follow it as if it were a real action.
Example:
/me puts his hand to shake Chris's hand.
Or: /me opens up the drawer.
Please put reading signs ( . / , ) after your action.
If you want to draw a weapon, you must use /me command for it.


• Things you DON'T DO in RL.
It happened several times for me (on other servers as well), when people met me for the first time on the street and asked me "Do you need any drugs?"
Stop. Good. Now think. No no, really think. I meant REALLY THINK! Good. Now think about your RL. How many times did it happen to you when someone randomly asked you if you want any drugs in the street? Same goes for guns.
I also seen adverts (/ad) saying: "I need guns!".
How many times have you seen an advert on the newspaper stating one guy needs guns? If you happened to see such an advert, than rest assured the man is getting his butt torn up in prison by now. Sadly enough, so does the publisher of the newspaper.

Instead of talking in such an oviouse language, use hints. "I am looking for some toys" is a great example. Also: "Need something to chill you out during the summer? Check Bill's COOLING shop in Market". These adverts are for guns and drugs, respectively.

Nicks:
Guns = Toys, Heat.
Drugs = Candies, Something that will chill you out.
You can name it in a hundred different ways, just make sure you stay un-noticed yet cleared of your intentions.

• Languages.
Not all of us speak Jappanese, Italian, or other languages our we want our character to know. For that, we use [language]TEXT. Example: "Japanese] Hello, godson."

Much more RP.


• Non-RP things.
-Bunny hoping (jumping to get somewhere faster) and circle shooting is forbidenned and will get you kicked or admin-jailed (Oh and BTW, no IC id admin-jailed). Use sprint and get cover instead.
-Breaking IC limits. If you get a fat figure, you cannot sprint(or sprint for a short period of time than just jagg). If you get shot in your legs you fon't continue to run. Got shot in the face or the stomach or other vital areas in your body? /crack command will do the trick.
-Don't use numbers, smilies, and shortcuts on IC chat.
You may write:
100.000
You may not write:
100K
You may:
/me smiles and nods.
You may not:

You may:
Thanks, I like you too.
You may not:
thnx i like u2.
-Try as best as you can using Capitals in the right place and reading signs after senteses.



• Tips for cops, citizens and everyone else! READ!!!

For the cops who get in chases with another driver:

If he escapes, you can only recognize the vehicle, but not the man. If he changes vehicles and you didn't get the chance to see him from very closely (or your bio states you got a great sight) and he walks past you on the street, you won't go after him or arrest him. You will treat him like every other person.
You would see the name floating above him, but it will be Metagaming to treat him as if you saw him.

If a suspect has began to run away, you don't take out your MP5 and start blasting the hell out of him. Your goal as a cop is to capture the criminal, not execute him.
You may begin to fire at him if he risks yours or other people's life. Reckless driving is NOT something you shoot at for. You may pop tires, but don't shoot the driver.
If he just runs away as usual, take out a nightstick or use your fists to knock him out. After he is on the ground, take him to the police station.

Pulled someone over? Nice job. Now step out of your car and ASK FOR HIS LICENSE! Don't draw a gun, don't aim at him, don't shoot him. He won't show you his license? Ticket him for a sum bigger than 1000$ and confiscate his vehicle.

Arrested someone? he deserves a lawyer. Since none are present right now than just make sure you got solid evidence and that he testify for them.

A suspect refuses to cooperate? Cuff him and lead him to the police station, get him inside a room and question him. Don't beat him up, don't kill him.

Caught a suspect? Frisk and cuff him. From the moment he is cuffed, no need to point a gun at him while he is being dragged. He won't go anywhere. You may have your gun drawn, but keep it down and not in aiming position.

Caught someone speeding? Ticket him. 500$ should do, but if he tried to escape or something than raise up the sum. Confiscating a license is a serious punishment. Only take his license if he was driving in a way that caused a lot of damage to private/state property.

Got a report of a criminal? Not a good idea to pull out the gun and start spelling people's guts. Get a hard, solid evidence, try to arrst him PEACEFULLY and if he starts to escape repeat the rules stated above. By the way, even carrying an RPG isn't a good reason to roll with a tank and blast people off!



For the "though" criminals who hate the police:

You may hate the cops as much as you wish (even if you got no reason) but in RL no one does anything more than talk disrespect to a cop. You see hitting or killing officers only in movies. It is a VERY serious action in RL. Please get real.

If you get pulled over, do as the officer tells you to. If you run away - That's fine. For onceor twice. Keep running away after getting jailed, beat up or shot and have no sufficient excuse for that in your bio, and it's a first warning, second warning, kick, ban for a day. I hope you will understand it after the second warning.

You might as well pay up instead of getting a ticket, if you just happen to "forget" the license at home. Just do it RPingly:
Cop: Can I see your licenses?
Man: Oh, my licenses? Just a second.
Man: /me Searches the car for licenses
Man: Damn it, I forgot them at home again!
Man: /me Takes some cash and puts it in *cop's name*pocket
*The man now writes the command for paying money*
Cop: Sure, I understand, have a nice day!
Man: Good bye!

Or something...

Cops, remember to accept bribery sometimes. Not all cops are as clean as they seem to be. It would be RP to accept it from time to time, sometimes it could save your life.


For the "kidnappers":

In RL, not anyone who will offer you a favor will take you, tie and gag you than try to rob you. Please, look for a real job if you want cash.


• CK - Character Kill

CK means your character will get killed. This is often being guarded over with atleast one admin.

If you get CKed, you will either get a ban and will have to start a new character or do it on your own.
CKs MUST be well-planned and agreed-over with another admin. You may not use CKs very often. Remember that when you do it, it is very serious. You may get revenged by getting CKed yourself. My advice? Don't do it at all.
If you wanna CK, you must make sure it is planned ahead. You must not leave the CKed an option to stay alive. Emergency services can save the CKed if they make it on time.
Only CK when we got enough players. I suggest you won't CK now, we don't have enough players to serve as emergency services and it's very frustrating to start a new character and other players may leave.


Finally:

• Bans.

If you get banned, you probably did something wrong. Instead of doing like everyone else does, and rebel against the banner, sit and think for a second what you did wrong. You may request to remove a permanent ban in the forums. You can also start a new character. A permanent ban will be remove-able if you post a topic on forums with appropriate conditions.
Don't ask us to remove a timed ban - it will be removed by itself.