— O"BLOCK RP (Chicago) RULES --
Any form of document thievery, player poaching or server advertisements in game, or in our Discord, will result in permanent dismissal from the community.
If you cannot follow these rules you will be handled accordingly. Don’t matter if you spent money or not RULES ARE RULES. And if you feel it was unfair make a ban appeal or open a ticket.
1. Solid Roleplay and Removal from the Community
O'Block RP thrives on solid roleplay. Keeping this concept in mind, there are a few guidelines to “good RP” that we require in LARP.
* Unnecessary escalation of force. Your weapon should be the last option to escape from a scenario. Choosing gunplay over roleplay will not be tolerated. Use your voice and find creative ways to RP out of situations before resorting to violence.
* Players found to be habitually resorting to violence (Robbing, Killing, Shooting) with little to no roleplay between scenes will face disciplinary action. COLA is a serious roleplay server where interactions should be driven by a narrative and should not be seen as another version of Grand Theft Auto: Online. By spending a majority of your time performing violent acts, you are demonstrating that you are not here to roleplay, and will be removed.
* Character age must be a minimum of 18. This is enforced for several reasons and should be followed when roleplaying. In the case of a player being under the age of 18, they are to not engage or be engaged with in any intimate relationship whatsoever.
* Stupidity and minor FailRP offenses may be overlooked, but shouldn’t happen in the first place. Actions such as dancing on non-existent stripper poles, jumping on Police Cars in full view of officers, etc., aren’t providing Solid Roleplay. Realistically, you aren’t going to jump on a Police Officer’s vehicle in life.
* Using the same sort of behavior in certain roleplay situations can be punishable. I.e.: Immediately shooting at a convenience store at every robbery, continuously cop baiting, kidnapping and griefing a certain group.
* We ask that our players use their maps and adventure all over the city, meet new people and create good stories! Make stories people want to be involved in.
* Lastly, a working microphone is required to play on COLA. We have an in-character local chat to help with unforeseen microphone problems, but you must have a working mic to play here.
Please keep in mind that COLA is provided as a free service. We can deny access to that service at any time, for any reason. We are not obligated to allow you in our community and reserve the right to ban you at any time, should we feel you are not helping us move forward.
2. Random Deathmatch(RDM), Vehicle Deathmatch (VDM), and Sniping
RDM/VDM is not allowed. RDM is defined as killing a player with little to no interaction
VDM is using a vehicle to injure/kill a player with no in character reason or initiation. VDM can be avoided if the scene is roleplayed out correctly.
Initiation is required to engage in combat with another player. When initiating, you must make the player aware of your intent, and who will be assisting you. To initiate you must be AT LEAST within shout voice range, and you must allow the other person to respond to your roleplay with words or actions. A player may not be engaged in a menu or animation for proper initiation to occur.
Using an out of character (OOC) reason or information to kill a player is not allowed. This will be considered metagaming.
If you forcefully engage with someone while driving, the audio initiation rule becomes invalid, meaning they can fire on you if they fear for their life. Take this into consideration before forcing someone off the road the next time you want to rob them
3. Combat Logging
Combat logging is exiting your game in any fashion to avoid RP. Combat logging comes in many forms, but examples are listed below.
* Exiting the server to avoid legal charges
* Exiting the server before your five minute timer is up
* Exiting the server to avoid losing weapons via respawn/robbery
* Exiting the server after your respawn timer is up, but BEFORE respawning.
NOTE: You should report any crashes/disconnects in the larp-help channel in discord. A post with your crash message and time stamp will help in cases of reported combat logging.
4. Going Out of Character
Never go out of character in the game unless you’re told to by a City Official (Moderator/Admin+)
Do not use Out of Character Chat (OOC Chat) to attack people who have broken rules in situations. These issues should be filed in reports for admins to handle. If you feel the rule break wasn’t serious enough to require admin review, simply inform the player of the rule via Discord or OOC chat in a POLITE manner. Flame wars in OOC chat is a no go.
Do not use terms such as “City Official and Green Grass” in the city at any time, this is considered borderline OOC and you can be punished for it. Informing people of Rules by Going OOC is also against the rules.
Remember that OOC chat should be used for technical or game support only. Do not use OOC to taunt, question, or gloat to another player. This would include using any form of in-character chat (/ic or /r) for OOC means.
5. Restricted Roleplay/Slurs
There will be no racism tolerated on the server whatsoever. This includes slang words that can be considered offensive to some.
Homophobic, racial, or gender offensive slurs of any kind can and likely will, result in a ban. These will not be tolerated here. Slurs against nationality are also not tolerated.
If at any point you are uncomfortable with a situation, you may tell the other player via local/OOC chat that you are uncomfortable and to please stop. If they do not stop, report them.
If you are told the other player is uncomfortable with the RP and would fall into this rule, you must stop.
Mental Health Roleplay
Any kind of roleplay mimicking mental health illness issues will not be tolerated. This includes self-harm, suicide, and other mental health issues such as abuse/trauma. Resources for dealing with these issues can be found here: 6.
Metagaming, Powergaming, and Stream Sniping
Powergaming is forcing roleplay on another player without giving him or her the option to dictate their own fate. In RP, both parties must be able to decide how their characters will respond to something. This can include the removal of communication devices, theft of non-monetary items on someone’s person, or even kidnapping.
If you have someone handcuffed or zip tied, you do not need to /me taking their comms as they are at your mercy.
MetaGaming is retrieving or/and mixing OOC information with IC information to put you or others at an advantage. Even if it does not put you at an advantage, mixing OOC with IC is considered Meta-Gaming. Only use information you received In-Character. Also, using the city registrar to get information about another player, outside of their ID for reporting.
Stream sniping (using someone’s live stream to find their location to interact in anyway) is considered metagaming and is punishable as such. Don’t do it.
Transferring items between your own characters is also metagaming. This includes using middle men to achieve the same task.
Lastly, selling in-game items/money/properties for real life cash is strictly forbidden. While technically a metagaming offense, you will be permanently banned for that.
7. Green Zones
Green Zones are safe areas where killing/robbing/fighting/car jacking is not permitted. The area that dictates a safezone is largely based on the location itself, but generally the zone is any place in view of a circle in the zones listed below or inside of the building of said circle.
Note: Camping outside of the stated green zone areas in order to immediately engage in violent RP can be treated as a green zone violation.
If someone runs into a greenzone to get away from roleplay that was started outside of the green zone itself, the green zone safety is void.
The following are green zone areas:
* Player Spawn Points (Hawick Clothing Store, Sandy Shores Motel, Paleto Bay Spawn area near garage)
* Player clothing stores
* Hospitals (as these are respawn points). This includes the vicinity, the parking lot, any surrounding hidey hole, bush, crevice or adjacent parking structure. In other words, take your beef into the city.
* Player owned dealerships, mechanic shops (Interiors and outside areas where cars spawn, even the repair circles/customs if they are on a dealership or mechanic shop property), and player owned restaurants
* Vehicle Garages (once fully up the ramp/inside of the parking lot/fence on the floor the circle is on)
* Los Santos Customs
* Repair Circles (All locations)
* Gun Stores / Ammunations (Inside of building)
* ATMs, and Banks (excluding robberies of the location)- Banks include the interior of buildings. ATMs are less defined, you should not engage someone that is approaching an ATM directly.
ANYWHERE THAT MONEY IS EXCHANGED BY A MENU, OR THE PLAYER IS LOCKED IN A MENU OR ANIMATION, IS CONSIDERED A GREEN ZONE. IF A PERSON IS LOCKED IN AN ANIMATION OR MENU IN ANOTHER LOCATION OR SITUATION (I.E. SOMEONE USING A TRUNK), YOU SHOULD NOT ENGAGE IN VIOLENT RP. FAILURE TO ALLOW THEM TO REACT MAY RESULT IN DISCIPLINARY ACTION FOR RDM.
8. Blacklisted Vehicles, Locations, and Clothing Items
This refers to vehicles, items, and locations that have been restricted due to various reasons.
* Law enforcement, Department of Corrections (this includes all tactical gear associated with Police), LAFD Clothing or Doctor Clothing and Vehicles, lifeguard truck (i.e.: cop cars, fire trucks, ambulances, any clothing marked with LEO/LAFD logos.)
* Civilian/News choppers
* Military Base (Zancudo)
* Construction & Mining vehicles (Large dump trucks from the mines)
* Mission Row Police Department back gate, you cannot enter by jumping from the bridge.
* Bolingbroke Prison is off limits unless you are incarcerated. No “smuggling” weapons inside to your buddies or visiting unless it’s through the visiting center. Glitching through the doors or gates will be considered FailRP.
Military clothing is permitted, as long as it is within RP. Meaning, be prepared to be questioned, ridiculed, and arrested for stolen valor should you not have a good backstory as to why you are wearing said clothing.
Stealing AI Helicopters, landed/unlocked helis, planes, blimps etc. is against the server rules. The only heli allowed in the air is LEO heli Air-1, and only licensed pilots may fly airplanes and should only do so in authorized areas. If you are caught in these vehicles, it will result in disciplinary action.
9. Griefing and Revenge Reporting
Griefing a player to the point where they are uncomfortable or ruining their game experience is not allowed. Griefing can refer to constant stalking of a player without an in-character reason, constantly killing an individual over and over within a decent time frame, texting or tweeting at them, harassing a player through OOC chat, or forcing yourself into their RP scenarios. Camping job sites strictly to rob or otherwise charge people for their use is also considered griefing. Griefing can also include reporting or revenge reporting.
Revenge reporting includes reporting a person strictly due to the knowledge they have reported you or another person as well as repeatedly forcing interactions and recording to report another individual in hopes of getting them banned. This also includes holding onto clips of valid rule breaks and turning them in due to an issue you may have with another player. For this reason, clips will not be accepted if presented after 48 hours.
10. Copbaiting
Cop baiting is CONTINUOUSLY attempting to get a cop’s attention to engage in a car chase/arrest, etc. Doing donuts or continually speeding up and down a road just to get into a chase or circling around cops to get their attention, etc.
Continuous baiting behavior will be punished according to COLA guidelines.
11. Abuse of Third Party Communications Programs
While in game, you are expected to relay ALL in game communications through the GTA Voice platform, regardless of player presence in your vicinity. We treat third party communication devices like cell phone calls. Anything you say that is meant to be an in character message must be said in both voice avenues at all times.
NOTE: If at any time you are placed in handcuffs or zip ties, or if your hands are up comms will be unavailable. This is due to the fact that you cannot realistically initiate a call with your hands bound, and it is unrealistic to walk around in an open call with other people constantly.
12. Fail RP
FailRP can be anything regarding an extremely unrealistic situation that is used in the game to gain an advantage. This rule is meant to be used with common sense. Would your character do this in real life? Does it match with your character’s storyline?
Examples of failRP would be:
* Storing and re-pulling your vehicle to circumvent the repair system
* Illegal activities in or around any police station
* Engaging in illegal activity in a green zone
* Excessively abusing the GTA physics system, such as driving off of a multiple story building or jumping over a mountain.
* Roleplaying your injuries incorrectly. I.e.: You were shot by a shotgun, but claim that you tripped over a bench.
* Tweeting to people in cuffs, tweeting to police about crime, or selling weapons/illegal contraband over Twitter.
* Respawning with Law Enforcement or EMS on scene.
* Fake hostages (using friends or approaching someone and asking them to be a hostage for a scenario)
* Returning to or approaching the scene of a crime for the sole reason of reviving your friends via LEO or EMS.
* Using the swap seat function to force a player out of their car, as this game mechanic ignores the use of seatbelts and removes the ability for someone to respond to this type of RP.
* Injecting: Forcing yourself into an RP situation that is already ongoing for no valid reason, especially in a manner that interferes with the outcome or progression of the RP.
* Blowing up cars at Legion because “you are bored”.
13. Exploiting of Game Systems or Third Party Programs
Exploiting game systems in anyway will result in a permanent ban. Exploiting is considered any method used to game something outside of what the “typical” result is meant to be. Anything that we feel is exploiting will be met with a permanent ban.
Some of the more common examples of exploiting are:
* Using 3rd Party Software for a weapon reticle
* Macros or Auto-Clickers to gain monetary advantages
* AFK Grinding or money making
* Weapon / Item / Money Duplication
Having knowledge of someone who is exploiting or even knowing of an exploit and not reporting it to developers or administrators is also a bannable offense. Withholding information regarding exploits will be met with the same punishment as those who exploited the system themselves.
14. Water Evading
Evading police using water is allowed with certain restrictions.
* You must be wearing scuba gear before entering the water OR
* You have a sea vessel within view at the time you enter the water AND
* The sea vessel cannot be the submarine
15. Robbing Incapacitated Players
To rob an incapacitated player, you must have been involved in, or in the vicinity of the scene prior to the player becoming incapacitated and been involved in the RP. Should you come across an incapped individual in your travels, you may not rob them.
Robbing of a player’s inventory items is allowed, but must be roleplayed correctly using /me’s and the victim must be given the option to decline the robbery.
Example:
/me tries to grab Joe Schmo’s Lockpicks and Pistol from his belt. Does he succeed?
16. Group Limitations
Criminal activity will be limited to no more than 5 in a group. A group is considered any number of people who are actively involved with the scene, including lookouts. You cannot call for backup beyond the participating 5 people.
LEO involvement will NOT be capped as it is realistic that LEOs would outnumber criminals on scenes.
17. Fear For Life
Fear for life is when your character is threatened with a weapon or a tazer. When threatened by a weapon (meaning the weapon is pointed at you or is reasonably close to cause danger - such as in the same room or near you, where the person can obviously shoot within two seconds), your character is to obey the armed person. That means you can't run off "because I was scared". You obey the armed man to the fullest extent.
- Gang rules -
Gangs can now have a maximum of 10 members. This amount is subject to change as our player count and server capacity grows.
Gangs can have a maximum of 5 associates.
Example: A prospect, someone friendly with your gang but not a fully fledged member. Associates are not to wear gang colours, this is reserved for the top 10 members. You cannot tag team members for any 5v5 interactions.
Pickers are not members of your gang, they are your employees but they do count as part of a 5v5.
Example: You have 3 pickers and 2 gang members at a drug location, another gang rolls up with 5 people. Normal 5v5 rules apply, you cannot stop the scene to call in different members.
Only 5 members of a gang are allowed to be grouped together for robberies/heists at one time. Unless you are robbing a Pacific Bank, all 5 members of your crew should not be inside the bank/convenience store. If you want to involve them, they have to be there for different parts (e.g. getaway etc)
Police must be informed of any outside shooters and their class of weapon, it is up to them to ask but they must be told the truth.
If two gangs are considered enemies, gang members are only allowed to attack gangs if they are unwelcome in your gang territory (e.g. Grove Street) or they are seen lurking around a location your gang has purchased or claimed. There must be initiation for the attack. Initiation is defined as story build-up through conversation and actions prior to the engagement. Staff have the right to determine what is sufficient initiation. Use common sense.
If they are unwelcome, gang members must give citizens (non-gang members) proper warning to leave their territory at least once before killing them for trespassing.
- NO COMBAT ROLLING AT ALLLLLL !!!- yes it’s there we know it’s a habit for some people but let’s try our hardest NOT TO COMBAT ROLL. If it happens throw ya hands up you messed up!-