Hunger / Thirst / NPC's

[Chief]

Going to tackle this thread in two short parts. Really just want to open up a discussion about it and see where people sit in terms of opinions.

1. Hunger & Thirst: Pretty much any voice-based server I've been on, this is a completely normal system. However when crossing over to a text-based community, this is usually a hard pass from a majority of community members. I think there's upsides to having this system as it promotes role play when you have to go to a corner store to buy food/drinks or visit a restaurant since it actually helps your hunger and/or thirst. What are the upsides & downsides? Would you support having a hunger/thirst system on LSC? Read my latest reply here suggesting a different approach to this: https://forum.ls-county.com/threads/hunger-thirst-npcs.579/post-5501
2. NPC Traffic: Would you support having NPC traffic? Same thing as above, many voice-based servers I've been on, this is completely normal and no one seems to have an issue with it. I feel it adds to making the city feel more alive and obviously other servers figure out a way to play with them logistically, even though they don't add anything to people's RP. It's just immersive. I'm not knowledgeable in the coding area, but I've heard NPC's take up player slots so it may be more of a logistical thing maybe than an issue of implementation? What are the upsides / downsides to this? Would you support this on LSC?

 

[Chief]

Can someone please move this to General Discussion? Definitely thought I was in the right section when posting. My mistake.

 

[Hatredismylife]

Alright. First of all, this is not VoiceRP. I think that you can ROLEPLAY such things. If you want to RP hungry? Go to the 24/7 and roleplaying buying food. You don't need a system that FORCES you to do such things. It's these basic little things that you can always roleplay yourself. Adding these features will give you a more RPG/Medium-RP vibe, and at the end of the day this is a serious text-based roleplay server.

 

[Pingu]

I mean, I guess the hunger system could work, but as said above, it is not necessary.
Completely disagree with the NPC traffic even NPC's in general...

 

[Chief]

Alright. First of all, this is not VoiceRP. I think that you can ROLEPLAY such things. If you want to RP hungry? Go to the 24/7 and roleplaying buying food. You don't need a system that FORCES you to do such things. It's these basic little things that you can always roleplay yourself. Adding these features will give you a more RPG/Medium-RP vibe, and at the end of the day this is a serious text-based roleplay server.

Just playing devil's advocate here. I get your points. However, many people don't role play such things, they just pretend that their character is never hungry or thirsty. No offense, but I've heard that argument before and I completely disagree. You say people CAN roleplay these things, but they don't. Serious RP servers use these elements and they get along just fine. I'm not sure how you can say it would make it a medium-RP vibe when we'd be using an element that more closely simulates something real versus a character who's never hungry or thirsty, which makes it completely unrealistic.

 

[Fox]

We had it on LSRP way back when it was more of a nuisance than added to actual roleplay. You were forced to go to the next Cluckin' Bell or Burgershot and buy food or drinks. It pissed many people off and was subsequently removed and it was a ridiculous system like it is in Star Citizen. In SC it is based of how much you run, the amount of gear (type of armor + weapons) you wear. On LSRP it was just based on a regular interval where a /do would pop up saying ***Your stomach is growling*** or ***Name_Name feels hungry***. It didn't per-se add to roleplay at all but rather forced everyone in regular intervals to visit certain locations, therefore even interrupting if not even destroying roleplay because your health would start going down and you had to go to X to satisfy the needs.

In regards to NPC traffic, I am an advocate for it. It is reasonable if limited to cars and makes for some very nice elements and with the restrictions that are placed in alt:v in regards to server slots it would not be an issue since I do not see any server maxing out 4096 players any time in the far future. The behavior can be changed in such ways at least deriving from FiveM that NPC traffic only reacts to police sirens, which would be perfect as it could yield great roleplay in the form of actual roadblocks via traffic instead of barriers. The impact of NPCs driving basic GTA V on performance client side, at least, is very minimal too.

 

[Chief]

We had it on LSRP way back when it was more of a nuisance than added to actual roleplay. You were forced to go to the next Cluckin' Bell or Burgershot and buy food or drinks. It pissed many people off and was subsequently removed and it was a ridiculous system like it is in Star Citizen. In SC it is based of how much you run, the amount of gear (type of armor + weapons) you wear. On LSRP it was just based on a regular interval where a /do would pop up saying ***Your stomach is growling*** or ***Name_Name feels hungry***. It didn't per-se add to roleplay at all but rather forced everyone in regular intervals to visit certain locations, therefore even interrupting if not even destroying roleplay because your health would start going down and you had to go to X to satisfy the needs.

In regards to NPC traffic, I am an advocate for it. It is reasonable if limited to cars and makes for some very nice elements and with the restrictions that are placed in alt:v in regards to server slots it would not be an issue since I do not see any server maxing out 4096 players any time in the far future. The behavior can be changed in such ways at least deriving from FiveM that NPC traffic only reacts to police sirens, which would be perfect as it could yield great roleplay in the form of actual roadblocks via traffic instead of barriers. The impact of NPCs driving basic GTA V on performance client side, at least, is very minimal too.

I can see how that would be annoying then if all it is based on is random intervals. If it were a dynamic hunger/thirst same based off of things you mentioned like how much activity you performed, etc. that would be different. I suppose it wouldn't add to the RP being a simple random mechanic that isn't affected by anything but time or when the interval decides that you need to be hungry. @Hatredismylife I see your point now as well, if it functions like this. Wish it could be made more complex, but that would probably require a lot of work lol.

I also would support NPC traffic 100%. @Pingu why do you disagree with them?

 

[Fox]

I can see how that would be annoying then if all it is based on is random intervals. If it were a dynamic hunger/thirst same based off of things you mentioned like how much activity you performed, etc. that would be different.

It would be just as, if not more, annoying if it were randomized. I honestly don't see the need for it in text based roleplay since text already avoids the "arcs/chapters" of characters and development happens over time instead of subsequent "scripted"/pre-arranged/pre-negotiated sequences of character development as is present on voice RP. Hence text roleplay provides an even more in-depth experience and this would just interrupt the natural flow of things, especially since text-based roleplay is more time intensive in most instances than voice roleplay. Hence if it were to occur at random intervals or depending on an arbitrary exhaustion meter, it would just lead to roleplay being inevitably being rushed and/or "stalled" by having to go to X to satisfy need Y in-order to not "die" or go into the brutally wounded state.

It honestly doesn't add value to the server as a whole and is more or less of a disadvantage, I hate it on Star Citizen, I didn't like it on LSRP and so forth. It becomes a nuisance after some time really.

 

[Casper]

Absolute no from me on all 3, sorry

 

[Snick]

I think the city map is too huge for the server thus why we do need traffic NPC's, not heavy traffic just light one will suffice.
Regarding the other too I'm pretty much against that.

 

[Topaz]

I have no issue with a hunger/thirst system but can see how it can get annoying at times though. I especially can see how it can be annoying if it were to mess with the player's view and or have some time of debuffs such as loss of health or stamina. I do like how it would encourage players to visit stores and purchase food, but you'd also have players who'll go to the local 24/7 and just buy food and leave with no roleplay. At that point, it'd be nice to encourage the roleplay of daily necessities without forcing the player into a roleplay. One stand I usually take is to not force roleplay; natural roleplay is always superior.

NPC Traffic is something that I would advocate for, but can also see how it can cause problems. You have the issue where players can steal NPC cars, but it also is beneficial as you'll see more stolen vehicles that aren't from other players (if that makes sense). Also, currently, AltV doesn't have a proper NPC system setup nor is there a sync system established for it. It's something that a lot of old-school roleplayers will frown upon because they've 1) never experienced it and 2) much rather prefer the player to player interactions. Also, I wouldn't want NPC cars littering the streets due to them blowing up or because they died due to a car crash and the player left (though they would eventually despawn). The system can be abused in a way to cause congestion on the streets just because a player parked their car in the middle of a lane.

I would like to see a return in restaurants in which players would actually visit and be able to sit down and have passive roleplay.

 

[TylerA120]

Gonna be a hard pass from me. Like what was stated before, it's gonna lead to actually detracting from roleplay by causing people to break away and say "brb hungry", go into a restaurant, go through whatever menu, and then come back out and pick up where they left off. More than anything it'll be an annoyance. If someone wants to roleplay being hungry and sitting down for a meal, they'll do so. But forcing it through a script (which even then won't force people to roleplay, it'll just force people to go through a menu or two) won't work.

 

[Schleich]

Absolutely not to the hunger/thirst system. It just really does not fit and becomes a nuisance more than a beneficial system. Most players will have a few hours a day to hop on and role play whatever they enjoy doing, a system that interrupts that and forces you to go eat/drink would just be annoying.

NPC traffic I am all for.

 

[RexSmithy]

No on all 3.

 

[beastmode]

Not to big on the NPC traffic and the food system is kind of annoying.

 

[Erty]

I am opposing the hunger & thirst system, it will just become annoying thing and it really doesn't give anything much.

NPC system mostly depends on the context, but I don't really think we need traffic one at all. Besides the issues mentioned above, it just might not work out as intended, because of limitations of GTA V (and AltV).

 

[Euphoria]

Depends how the hunger system would effect your character.

Yes to NPC traffic.

 

[fromthegutter]

The hunger system I'd disagree with. Because it would just be annoying.

The NPC's being on the roads though? I'd have to disagree with it too. If you've ever played GTA:Online, you'd notice that the NPC's driving is literally ass. They crash into you for no reason, even when it doesn't make sense for them to turn in the direction you're travelling in. I'd link you some videos but they're really easy to find on YouTube.

 

[Snick]

The hunger system I'd disagree with. Because it would just be annoying.

The NPC's being on the roads though? I'd have to disagree with it too. If you've ever played GTA:Online, you'd notice that the NPC's driving is literally ass. They crash into you for no reason, even when it doesn't make sense for them to turn in the direction you're travelling in. I'd link you some videos but they're really easy to find on YouTube.

Well not all ppl are good drivers anyway IRL too, you gotta be aware and expect sudden unexpected changes while driving anyway, I mean that's what you should do IRL atleast.

 

[Mack]

Just playing devil's advocate here. I get your points. However, many people don't role play such things, they just pretend that their character is never hungry or thirsty. No offense, but I've heard that argument before and I completely disagree. You say people CAN roleplay these things, but they don't. Serious RP servers use these elements and they get along just fine. I'm not sure how you can say it would make it a medium-RP vibe when we'd be using an element that more closely simulates something real versus a character who's never hungry or thirsty, which makes it completely unrealistic.

I agree with this. I think hunger system as a necessary evil, lol. I've never really enjoyed it either - but it did bring up roleplay situations where I'd not go to a briefing and RPed instead getting something to eat. It adds a dimension to try out. I'd probably say that the health bar would be "50 percent" cut off in the hunger system but other than that wouldn't limit anything else such as sprinting.

I for one would never essential RP being hungry else, as its one of the things which you can easily over look when roleplaying.

Supporting this suggestion.