Rules

AS OF DECEMBER 2021, THESE ARE NO LONGER THE RULES WE FOLLOW!!!

• Breaking Character

• You MUST stay in character at all times regardless of the situation. Players breaking rules that impact you is not a reason to break character. Refer to the RP guide to understand terms and phrases we encourage you to use.

• Not Fearing for Life/Freedom

• Your characters should demonstrate a normal concern for their own self-preservation. This includes, but is not limited to:

•  Risking your own life in situations where you can otherwise get off unharmed. You are not an invincible action hero.

•  Antagonizing police or attempting to engage with someone where the outcome would surely mean you harm.

•  Committing loud or violent crimes in "populated" areas like government buildings or public businesses (i.e. places where there would be additional staff, security, etc.)

•  Sticking around someone you have downed, rather than fleeing the scene of the crime. This could also be considered Powergaming

Metagaming
Metagaming is the act of using out-of-game information in your roleplay. 

This includes info gained from:

• Discord/Twitch Streams

• A video/text conversation conducted out of character

• Information from the #text-rp and #character-bios channels on the Discord 

• Other external communications such as Discord, Teamspeak, etc

• Knowledge from other characters that you play as
  
  

On our server, it is expected that you learn about everything in character and never use anything outside of the game to benefit you, even if you feel like your story or roleplay would be better knowing the information you've heard out of character.

On the topic of using recordings for in character consequences:
Anything streamed or recorded cannot be used to punish the character in RP, for example if a cop wants to do something shady on stream only the people involved in the RP situation can report it from their own perspective.

If you are watching the stream or recording, the footage cannot be used against them in a roleplay scenario. Anyone can claim they are using bodycam footage, which in return can be used as evidence against someone in RP. However, streams and recordings can be used by staff to enforce server rules. 

Services Baiting
Do not lure any services to a location to use them as a hostage or some type of leverage to aid yourself or others. 

• You must also value your freedom and avoid getting caught. 

• It is okay if you are turning yourself in for a crime and do not plan to initiate a situation with the police over it other than RP-ing it out accepting the consequences for your crime. 

• You may not instigate a police chase or shootout.

Improper Escalation
The use of violence in the server is to be held to a high standard. A player should not escalate to killing another player over a situation their character would not realistically respond that way to in real life. 

• For example: If a player is thrown out of a nightclub for causing trouble, it would be considered improper escalation to wait outside for the club to close and gun down the owner or security guard who threw you out without more story built up.

• Menial situations like the one above are ones that no sane person would risk their life and freedom over. 

• If someone walks away or ignores your escalation, they may be attacked.

Spawn Camping
If a player has just spawned in and you watched them appear; leave them alone until they get their bearings and are able to figure out any hardware/software issues they might have when first loading in. 

• This is to prevent fail RP and an awkward situation as you just watched a person materialize in front of you. Give them the opportunity to leave the area and clear off. 

• Please be mindful of when you spawn in not to go AFK; quickly F8 quit if you have an emergency while you are spawning in. 

Vehicle Deathmatch (VDM)
VDM is the act of using your vehicle to kill someone in violent and non-violent situations.

Your vehicle should not be used as a weapon to gain an advantage in a gunfight or to assault another player. If you want to face off with an individual it is best to use your vehicle as a shield. You want to also strongly consider valuing any escape you have and valuing your life instead of making multiple passes or attempting to kill with your vehicle.

Mutilation & Dismemberment
Mutilating is forbidden UNLESS it has been agreed to by all partaking parties. 

• You cannot force someone down this line of roleplay if they aren't interested in doing it, this is a strong line of roleplay that should only be pursued if everyone is 100%.

• To pursue this, feel free to utilize asking them in /me's or get consent through Discord before proceeding.

• If you are the victim, you are allowed to break character in these scenarios to avoid being in an uncomfortable and/or triggering situation where you do not consent.

Whitelist Job Abuse
The act of using information or functions, inside or outside of the game, that are a part of a whitelist job to benefit someone or metagame info.

• This can result in punishment for your character at the discretion of whitelist job management, along with points for the rule violation.

Streaming / Recording situations

Illegal activities are okay to stream, it’s not down to you as the streamer to make sure people aren’t metagaming. 

• If people want to ruin their own experience by watching streams to gain information that is their choice. We don’t want streamers to feel restricted in what they do and making situations awkward by worrying about blocking content.

Anything streamed or recorded cannot be used to punish the character in RP. 

• For example if a cop wants to do something shady on stream only the people involved in the RP situation can report it. If you are watching the stream or recording, the footage cannot be used against them in a roleplay scenario. 

• Police officers can claim they are using bodycam footage, which in return can be used as evidence if required to prosecute criminals. However, streams and recordings can be used by staff to enforce server rules.

Stream Sniping
The act of intentionally angering or irritating another player with malicious intent or using information from streams, discords and other means to intentionally direct RP. 

• You must keep the information you have learned via watching streams and reading discussions separate from your character’s knowledge.

Avoiding RP

We understand and encourage people to draw their own comfortable lines and avoid what makes them upset out of character in the city, however we do encourage you to do such with grace.

• To blatantly say "I don't want to deal with this situation" or "I don't want to deal with you" when someone is trying to spark up an idea is considered avoiding roleplay. 

• If you wish to not be apart of a scenario, we suggest that you do your part to be a good sport and roleplay yourself out of the situation or even calmly state your own limitations to them outside of the city if you wish to  

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This rule can go towards people with out-of-character conflicts, and also situations with a whitelisted job purely avoiding their duties because they don't like the individual. 

• It is especially encouraged if you are a whitelisted job to handle whatever comes your way to the best of your ability and if it is a conflict to find a way out and just give it to someone who can do their story justice. 

We all have a story our characters want to portray, and no one should be actively snuffing out things due to conflicts that go beyond the city without finding your own proper way out or even communicating in a clear and rational way to the other party.

Character relations & Transfers

All knowledge and possessions of each character must stay to that character and never be transferred or shared between characters. 

• Your characters are not meant to know one another and share information amongst the characters in a way that would benefit them.

  • For example, claiming your other character is a sibling or a cousin greatly goes against this and should never be used as an excuse for a transfer of knowledge. If your characters happen to be related, consider them estranged from one another or not know that one another is living in the city.

The same thing goes for material goods. You should not transfer cars, money, or homes to other characters-- nor should they be able to share properties or businesses.

• This is exploiting our systems and just not within the ways of roleplay. 

Take pride in having your characters individually rise up and make their own names for themselves without relying on the other.

*NOTE: Assisting people with violating this rule by being or providing a means of transferring between characters is also a violation of this rule.

Inappropriate and Toxic Behavior

Everyone is entitled to a safe and healthy community to grow with, learn from, and socialize with. Inappropriate behavior can be seen in a number of different lights, and it doesn't have to be the person being harassed reporting it. Here are the things we feel strongly against that you should avoid doing:

• Harassment, sexual harassment, and inappropriate advances.

• Toxicity/Griefing

• Targeted statements concerning race, religion, sexuality, gender, or any personal attacks are all considered harassment.

• Extreme language will not be tolerated. This includes slang terms that could be considered degrading, like "retard", "tranny", or the N word. 

• At no point should anyone ever roleplay any sexual assault or rape,  regardless if it is pre-planned or consent is given. Anyone caught doing this will be permanently banned. This is one of the few scenarios you are allowed to break character to stop the RP.