¶ Community Guidelines
Below you will find a list of all Community Guidelines, these are rules that do not vary depending on environment and must be followed regardless of setting:
¶ Age Requirement
All players must be atleast 16 years old to play on SantosRP.
Any Command Staff/Business/Gang may impose a specified age limit within their department/sub-departments, such as K-9 Units or the San Andreas State Police.
¶ Working Microphone
You must have a working microphone with no issues. If your microphone is muffled or clouded with ear-bursting feedback and/or other noises, you will be expected to fix these issues before being able to play on our servers.
¶ Discord
Your Discord name within our Discord must include your character/roleplay name. If you are apart of an Police/EMS/Fire Department, you must have your callsign displayed at the start of your name in brackets "[ ]".
It is encouraged to keep your name to one character and use the Server Profile Bio feature for other characters.
Failure to do so may result in a punishment such as a force name change/kick.
Example:
¶ Be Respectful to Others
Members of the Community are expected to act reasonable, exude common sense/rationale, and be respectful. Breeding, allowing, or being toxic in any capacity is not allowed, you may be removed from the community in its entirety.
Racial, Homophobic, Xenophobic, or other derogatory slurs are not tolerated as per DefconGaming.net's Hateful Conduct policy.
¶ Be Respectful to Staff
While interacting with Staff remain respectful at all times, they are there to help you/guide you. These are individuals who volunteer their time, they are not paid.
¶ Impersonation
Of any kind, including but not limited to: Staff, Department Command, Community Officials, other members, etc is not tolerated.
¶ Spamming
Whether by voice, action, chat, or otherwise, spamming is forbidden.
¶ Ask Policy
Any member who is unsure of any aspect about the server is expected to ask, we have a wonderful basis of Community Members and Staff who will be able to assist you. Not knowing about a policy, rule, or guideline is not a valid defense.
¶ Poaching
No member is allowed to advertise streams, other communities, discords, etc on any of our platforms without consent from the Community Director of SantosRP or the Management Team - this includes DMing invites; also known as Poaching.
All members are expected to abide by the community guidelines and other rules, SantosRP Staff reserve the right to interpret and/or change the rules at any point in time
¶ Server Rules
Updated 9/9/22: Split percentages for certain roles/lives have been removed. Players, Departments, Businesses, and Gangs are responsible for keeping people active and not hyperfocusing one life.
If a player is found to be not fulfilling duties, they must drop the most recent addition.
Example: A BCSO Deputy, becomes EMS, then owns a gang. BCSO and EMS are neglected. The player will be required to drop the gang, to see if they can maintain their time. If not the player will be required to drop EMS, then another evaluation is done.
Listed below are the server rules for the SantosRP servers, these rules are in place on all settings unless specified otherwise:
¶ Realism Clause
All members of the community should be roleplaying under the confines of normality, this includes actions, names, or abilities. If a normal individual can complete the actions you are performing, generally it's allowed. If an individual in your character's shoes can normally not accomplish what the game may allow you to, it may not be allowed.
While it is Grand Theft Auto/FiveM and ultimately a video game, you are still expected to roleplay and act as professional/realistic as possible. Below are some examples on what most functioning members of society do, and thus is a basis for conduct.
- Citizens do not randomly do burn-outs at intersections or do donuts.
- Citizens do not ram into locals, police, etc vehicles and drive away without saying anything.
- Citizens do not randomly open fire on people without cause or purpose.
- Citizens do not run up to people and starting beating or assaulting people without provocation.
- Citizens follow the lawful commands of police, as to not put themselves in unneeded risk.
¶ Four Way Stops
We do not expect players to listen to red-lights that ultimately bore you and are meant to be an AI tool. While you may choose to stop at red lights and wait for it to turn green, you do not have to do so.
All red-lights can be treated as a four way stop. Stop at the red light, look both ways & ensure the intersection is clear of any pedestrians or other individuals going through it, give your horn a few honks and continue through the intersection.
¶ Random Deathmatch
When proper verbal initiation and roleplay do not ensue prior to your engagement; this can include Vehicle/Random Deathmatch (VDM/RDM) as well as Attempted RDM/VDM. This is an "economy" server and you can halt/hinder someone's progress due to your actions. Thus RDM, VDM, and Att. RDM are not allowed.
¶ Resuming RP
Clarified from various other sections as of 9/21/22.
Any disconnect, whether forced (staff/crash) or voluntary (disconnect, etc) is the end of the RP for that person, if it's a one person scene then it's the end of the scene. In the event of a reconnect: A mutual agreement for both sides should be to either pick up where it was left off or end the scene there. That player has essentially vanished and it's not fair to reconnect and carry-on as if you weren't completely gone for at least 4-5 minutes (Load-In Time).
Voluntary disconnects may be subject to LTAP.
The player who is disconnected is responsible for ensuring the other parties were aware a disconnect happened and the subsequent agreement to continue or not. If the other party is aware of the disconnect, they should wait to come to an agreement or if a reconnect is going to happen.
¶ Greenzones
Greenzones are areas of the map which disallows any for of Criminal Roleplay for a specific reason, whether it be spawn, due to players spawn or an alternative reason. The following is a list of most Greenzones: Police Stations, Hospitals/Medical Centers, Fire Stations, Government Buildings, etc.
Updated 9/16/22: Legion Square is no-longer classified as a greenzone.
¶ Stay In-Character
All members are expected to remain In-Character at all times. Voice Chat In-Game is never allowed to be used for OOC purposes unless authorized by a staff member. All issues are handled "In-Post", let the scenario take it's course and contact staff after to address rule violations.
¶ Avoiding Punishment
LTAP or Leaving to Avoid Punishment is not allowed, this includes Staff Punishment, Hospital Time, Jail Time, or Death. You are free to AFK any Jail/Hospital Time.
If EMS or Medically Certified LEO/FD have not begun treatment or responded to the scene by the time the counter hits 0 (~5 minutes), you may respawn and follow NLR (See below).
If EMS or Medically Certified LEO/FD have begun treatment and MedicalRP, you may not respawn, despite the counter hitting 0. You may also not log out before the 5 minutes.
¶ New Life Rule (NLR)
If you choose to RP that your character is dead you must delete your character and make a new one. Such as, if you suffer a critical injury your character will be subject to an extended hospital visit and you will have to play another character. (LEO, Fire, EMS are excluded from the extended hospital visit)
¶ Impersonation
Impersonating the server staff or management members (otherwise known as Government Officials), or attempting to portray yourself as a department command/supervisor member or a member of a department you are not apart of is not tolerated.
You may also not impersonate positions/ownership, such as claiming you own/manage/run a specific business/location. Please see below for how to create a business to do so. (You may claim to "work" at a location/business, as a low-to-mid level employee, but this is not a formal/enforceable position, and holds no merit.)
¶ Government Vehicle Theft
Stealing a Government Vehicle is ONLY allowed if you have valid events leading up to the RP, such as a bank robbery, and the vehicle is visibly unlocked. You are never allowed to steal a government vehicle randomly or run up to cars and check if it's unlocked.
This does not include a simple traffic stop or interaction; a long story line, and typically a "priority" is required.
¶ OOC Chat
Out of character chat should be kept to a minimum, do not have full conversations in OOC chat, if you need to talk more, use Discord.
¶ AnimalRP
Roleplaying as any type of animal is not allowed, you are expected to roleplay as a human at all times.
¶ FearRP/Value of Life
Although you can respawn as it is a video game, you are expected to roleplay at all times as if you only have ONE life. You must fear for your life and follow orders given.
This include being held at gunpoint, during the arresting/cuffing process, running away while at gunpoint, etc.
¶ Interference
Do not interfere or force yourself onto another scenario/roleplay scene. If you were not involved, stay that way.
For LEO: Supervisors/Command are exempt from this rule. State Police (not including Highway Patrol), may respond to ANY call as "BACKUP" unit, they are not intended to take over your scene.
¶ Housing and House Robberies (Added 10/8/22)
Players are allowed to break into a house to rob a player (when the system allows), not to take over the house, etc. Camping the exact entrance to a house is not allowed as the entrances are teleports.
(3-4 seconds to load in/out of the house is a fair opportunity)
¶ Use of Systems/Equipment
All systems/equipment should be used for their specified purpose/intention. Such as the FivePD addon, police based systems, or misc government systems may only be used by ON-DUTY LEO, EMS, Fire, or Government Officials - you may not use any of the features of the FivePD addon, police based systems, or misc government systems if you are off duty, etc. Civilians are not able to use police equipment/vehicles/systems, just as LEO are not able to sell cocaine/jack cars whilest on duty. (Any player found in possesion of such, will have it removed from their inventory, this may be done by a staff member, or a wipe on the back end)
Police/Government Corruption: You may not use any of the "Government Systems", such as (but not limited to):
- CAD/MDT System
- Civilian Records System
- Evidence System
- Player Interaction (Jail, Search)
- Armory/Stock Systems
- Door Lock Systems
- Vehicles Systems
- Police Weapons, Police Armor, Police Ammo, misc Police/Gov't Equipment
...in any corruption based roleplay. Using these systems for corruption in any aspect is punishable within your department and by staff. Please see some examples below:
- You may not provide/"loose"/"misplace" evidence, weapons, etc whether to remove from circulation or providing to a Non-Goverment Party.
- You may not delete/alter records or create false records - such as: Tickets, Arrest Reports, etc.
- You may not revoke licenses/jail a player for CorruptionRP reasons.
¶ Absolute Speed Limits
- Highways/Freeways: 75 MPH
- County Roads: 55 MPH
- Residential Streets: 35 MPH
Otherwise you may follow the speed limit prompt given to you on-screen.
¶ Basic RP Rules Apply
Other definitions such as meta-gaming, powergaming, etc are automatically included in the rule book, despite not being formally typed as a rule. These are called "unenumerated rules" and are still valid.
¶ Character Creation
¶ Players must create a realistic character.
Your name, backstory, and overall appearance must be realistic. Names that reference memes, slang, or anything offensive or unprofessional is not allowed. Your characters name should resemble a realistic name. Character appearances must also be as realistic as possible.
Do NOT use real-life information in-game or on our services
Do not use FiveM/VMenu against roleplay. Anything that is clipping or invisible such as arms or hands will not be tolerated.
¶ Business Guidelines
Below you will find a list of all Business Guidelines, these are rules that do not vary depending on environment and must be followed regardless of setting:
¶ Forming a Business
Any member may form a business, however it is classified an "Unrecognized Business" - the following holds true for ANY unrecognized business:
- Unrecognized Businesses may not own a location, and may not claim a location as their own.
- Unrecognized Businesses may not request an in-game system/job.
- Unrecognized Businesses may not apply for a permanent location.
- Unrecognized Businesses may not use other jobs in-game to supplement their own.
Please note: A "RECOGNIZED" Business, is able to do ALL the above.
¶ Business Caps
Any business is capped at 5 employees to encourage others to form their own business. Approval for an increase may be requested, however is frequently denied.
¶ Franchises
A business owner, may team up with another business owner to open a second/third location. They must obtain permission from the Civilian Coordinator/Management Team, before conducting this.
Each location is granted the 5 employees. One business owner must be elected as the "Primary/Main Owner", also called the "CEO".
¶ Business Locations
If your business is location-specific, you must own the property; no business entity or it's members/employees may claim they own/run property/business without actually owning it. (Claiming you own The YellowJack, without actually owning)
¶ In-Game Systems
Any business entity that has a formal in-game setup is a donation option or trusted member perk; contact only the Community Director via the ticket system for information regarding (Storage, Weapons, etc)
¶ Business "Fronts"
Any business, whether recognized/unrecognized, may not affiliate with a gang/criminal entity as a "front" for their criminal operations. There is no way to check this within an RP environment, thusly it's disallowed.
You may hire a gang/criminal entity for "protection", or allow them to temporarily rent space in your business, however you risk your business license being revoked by the police. A fair-value cash transaction, must be exchanged for services such as the example.
It is considered a loophole to "partner up"/affiliate with a gang/criminal entity, as an attempt to circumnavigate this guideline.
¶ Recognized Businesses
Formal Businesses with an in-game system, or also known as: "Recognized Businesses" can take 3-5 days to set up, as they are made from scratch with input from you, once your payment is cleared it is up to you to gain approval from the Civilian Coordinator and then forward the Development Request to the correct parties.
The following holds true for recognized businesses:
- Recognized Businesses may own a location, and may apply to claim a location as their own.
- Recognized Businesses may request an in-game system/job.
- Recognized Businesses may apply for a permanent location.
- Recognized Businesses may use other jobs in-game to supplement their own.
Please note: An UNRECOGNIZED Business, is unable to do ANY of the above.
¶ Forced Disbanding and "Right to Remove"
The Civilian Coordinator, Management Team, or Community Director has the right to reject/disband a business entity, recognized or unrecognized; if it is found in violation of these rules or the server rules.
In which case, the business and it's members should part ways, if found violating the disbanding order, all members may be punished, regardless of levels of involvement.
¶ Gang/Criminal Guidelines
Below you will find a list of all Gang/Criminal Entity Guidelines, these are rules that do not vary depending on environment and must be followed regardless of setting:
¶ Forming a Gang
Any member may form a Gang/Criminal Entity, however it is classified an "Unrecognized Gang" - the following holds true for ANY unrecognized gangs:
- Unrecognized Gangs may not occupy a location or "turf", and may not claim a location as their own.
- Unrecognized Gangs may not reflect/mimic a "lore" Grand Theft Auto gang/criminal entity.
- Unrecognized Gangs may not reflect/mimic an actual gang/criminal entity.
- Unrecognized Gangs may not request an in-game system/job.
- Unrecognized Gangs may not participate in Gang-Wars.
- Unrecognized Gangs may not affiliate with other Gangs/Criminal Entities, even if they are also unrecognized.
Please note: A RECOGNIZED Gang/Criminal Entity, is able to do ALL the above.
¶ Gang Limits/Caps
Any gang/criminal entity is capped at 5 members to encourage others to form their own gang/criminal entity. (5 members + 1 leader = 6 total)
ny gang/criminal entity may not have "sub-gangs" run by other members, reporting/affilated to the parent gang.
¶ Gang Wars/Gang Relations
Your gang/criminal entity leader is responsible for relations with other entities; if you declare a "Gang War"; you may freely engage any member of that gang without formal initiation (Drivebys, etc). The opposing leader must accept the relationship status, if they cannot then "No Relation", is the default.
Gang-Relationship Statuses: Gang War, Enemy, Neutral, No Relation, Ally. (This status should be posted somewhere for record.)
(Gang Wars only refers to the enemy Gang - you may not use a gang war as a bypass to formal initiation. Do not involve or "crossfire" any civilians, police, government personnel, etc)
¶ Allied Gangs, Limits, and Association
Any Allies (temporary or Gang-Based) or Gang Members may commit CriminalRP Together, however as per the server rules this is still capped at 5; regardless of capacity, from start-to-finish.
You may not "tag-out" or "swap" members. The count will always be 5; regardless of contribution: Lookout, Driver, Planning, etc
¶ Location Ownership
If your gang is location-specific, you must own the property; no gang/criminal entity or it's member may claim they own/run property without actually owning it. (Claiming you own The YellowJack, without actually owning)
¶ In-Game Systems
Any gang/criminal entity that has a formal in-game setup is a donation option or trusted member perk; contact only the Community Director via the ticket system for information regarding (Storage, Weapons, etc)
¶ Business "Fronts"
Any gang/criminal entity may not use a legitimate business, whether recognized/unrecognized, as a "front" for their criminal operations. There is no way to check this within an RP environment, thusly it's disallowed.
You may create a fictitious business, but it will not be applicable to any of the perks/privileges of a recognized/unrecognized business. (Ex: Claiming property/locations, hiring employees, etc.)
It is considered a loophole to "partner up"/affiliate with a recognized/unrecognized business, as an attempt to circumnavigate this guideline.
¶ Recognized Gangs
Formal gangs with actual in-game systems - also known as: "Recognized Gang" can take 3-5 days to set up, as they are made from scratch with input from you. Once your payment is cleared it is up to you to gain approval from the Civilian Coordinator and then forward the Development Request to the correct parties.
The following holds true for recognized gangs:
- Recognized Gangs may occupy a location or "turf", and may apply to claim a location as their own. The turf must not be covered by another gang.
- Recognized Gangs may reflect/mimic a "lore" Grand Theft Auto gang/criminal entity.
- Recognized Gangs may reflect/mimic an actual gang/criminal entity.
- Recognized Gangs may request an in-game system/job.
- Recognized Gangs may participate/coordinate in Gang-Wars.
- Recognized Gangs may affiliate with other Gangs/Criminal Entities, however may not affiliate if they are unrecognized gangs.
Please note: An UNRECOGNIZED Gang/Criminal Entity, is unable to do ANY of the above.
¶ Forced Disbanding and "Right to Remove"
The Civilian Coordinator, Management Team, or Community Director has the right to reject/disband a gang/criminal entity, recognized or unrecognized; if it is found in violation of these rules or the server rules.
In which case, the gang and it's members should part ways, if found violating the disbanding order, all members may be punished, regardless of levels of involvement.
¶ General Definitions & Details
¶ Ranks/Terms
Civilian Classifications:
Civilian Coordinator (Staff-In-Charge)
Chamber of Commerce (Assisting Staff)
Resident ("Trusted" Civilian/Citizen)
Civilian ("Full" Civilian/Citizen)
Citizen (Every SantosRP Member)
Government Classifications:
Command Staff (Leaders of the Department)
Command (Department Upper Management)
Supervisors (Department Mid-Level Management)
Junior Supervisors (Trainee Supervisors)
Senior Status (Full Members, with tenure or experience)
Officers, Deputy, etc ("Full" Members)
Cadets (Trainees)
¶ Common Courtesy
You should always follow the staff team’s instructions, even if you disagree with the decision. If you feel a staff member has made a wrong decision, the decision can be reviewed by a member of Staff Affairs on the forums.
You are expected to roleplay at all times. Failing to roleplay a situation is strictly forbidden. If a player breaks this rule during the situation you must finish the roleplay and report the player later (“Roleplay now, complain later.”). You shall also not disrupt, stall or void roleplay unless a staff member tells you to.
Examples of breaking this rule:
Insulting another player through /pm or /ooc
Spamming
Disregarding administrative decisions
Leaving the server intentionally to avoid roleplay or consequences of any kind
Taking advantage of an OOC issue to give yourself an advantage in an IC situation
AFK during roleplay situations
Additional Notes:
In In-Character chats (IC), speak only in-character and in English. Do not use netspeak IC (omg, lol, etc).
In Out of character chats (OOC), only use English.
¶ Powergaming
Examples of breaking this rule:
You roleplay through a /me to lift entire structures.
You roleplay through a /me to rob a player with the result of the player ending up robbed with no chance to react in roleplay.
Presuming or declaring that your own action against another player character is successful without giving the other player character a chance to act against it.
¶ Metagaming
Examples:
You read another player’s OOC nametag and now roleplay knowing them.
The use of thinking emotes ( /me thinks about sneaking out of base.)
Using VoIP channels that are not designated in-character communications (e.g. third party Discord server, Skype, etc.)
¶ Third Party Software
Client side modding to give an advantage is also considered a breach of the rule. Client side modding may only be done for aesthetic purposes and should never be done to change the function of anything in-game.
Examples:
Use of godmode.
Usage of ESPs to find or target players.
¶ Bug Exploitation
Examples:
Failing to report a bug which results in other players abusing it after.
Finding an area that has NPCs that never stop at a stop sign, using it to fill your report count, then failing to report it.
Exploiting a reported bug that allows you to duplicate assets or make an unnecessary amount of progression.
¶ Real World Trading
Examples:
Paying real money for a vehicle without a lightbar.
Trading items that have value in real life, or items on another roleplay community or platform in return for items of value on SantosRP.
¶ Advertisement
The following are considered acceptable examples of using /ads:
Buying and selling of weapons, cosmetics or items of value.
Advertisement of legal services such as crafting orders.
You may NOT use /ads for the following under any circumstances:
Making requests.
Asking questions.
A secondary comms chat.
Advertisements must not be spammed. Players are expected to be courteous when advertising. Posting several ads for the same content in a short period of time is considered a breach of this rule.
When advertising, /ads must only use fully in-character terms. The only exception to that is the usage of #republic-market, being considered an in-character billboard and database to collect republic market trades and offers.
Examples of breaking the rule:
Advertising asking for price checks.
Advertising the search of a bounty hunter.
¶ Staff
DEFINITION: The term staff refers to members of the community who have been elevated to volunteer in order to enforce server rules or help members of the community with server related issues.
¶ Minge/Minging:
DEFINITION: The act of being troublesome or intentionally breaking rules in order to cause chaos and disorder on the server and/or annoyance to its player base. This may include intentionally breaking In-character rules (see FailRP), or server rules like mic spamming and RDM.
¶ Power Gaming
DEFINITION: Power gaming is defined as actions in roleplay (/me or /glme) that directly affect another and/or do something that is not a feature on our server to another user. Examples: /me knocks you out, /strips weapons and comms, /me climbs this wall. All of these actions should be roleplayed out.
¶ Random Death Match (RDM)
DEFINITION: Random Death Match, which is more commonly referred to as RDM, is the act of killing other players without any justification. A death from another player is considered RDM when there were no grounds to kill the player. Examples of this can include killing a player outside of an active sim, intentionally killing a player in an event, or killing someone that blocks a doorway because you wanted to go around them.
¶ Spamming
DEFINITION: Spamming may refer to mic spamming, chat spamming, emote spamming or a combination of all three.
Mic spamming is when an individual or group of individuals use their mic to continuously or rapidly speak in a manner that is unbefitting of a roleplay environment.
Chat Spamming is when an individual or group of individuals repeatedly and rapidly sends chat messages over any avenue of communication on the server, like /ooc, /comms, or any other chat channel.
Emote Spamming is when an individual or group of individuals repeatedly and rapidly emotes and/or performs /me commands over and over again.
¶ FailRP
DEFINITION: The act or event your character performs that would not be probable or reasonable in the environment he or she is in. Some examples include: Receiving RC to ban a player from a simulation
Crouching around the base without just cause.
Intentionally putting your life in danger during passive periods.
Saying you have a disease or disorder. This does not include physical injuries.
Dancing/emoting while moving around.
¶ Harassment
DEFINITION: Harassment is defined as repeated unwanted verbal abuse towards an individual. Harassment may result in a permanent ban.
¶ Disrespect
DEFINITION: Disrespect is defined as offensive language (including racism) or actions towards an individual or group of people. Disrespect can range in punishment from a mute to a permanent ban.
¶ Advertising & Poaching
DEFINITION: Advertising is defined as drawing attention to another community, to an application, or to another service/product. Advertising another community or a service/product will result in a permanent ban. Advertising an application will result in denial of the application.
This includes inviting or encouraging players to play on another community, offering perks/ranks to go to that community, or mentioning the other community repeatedly. This is a permanent ban.
¶ Exploiting
DEFINITION: Exploiting is defined as knowingly using bugs, glitches, cheats, or software to gain an advantage over other players. This may include using third party software, using a known bug, or finding an unknown bug and hiding it to use to your advantage.
Inappropriate Content
Inappropriate Content is defined as anything said, posted, linked, or described in an out of character manner. This mainly includes sexual content, but can be expanded to include gore, malicious links, and private information (private information being a user's personal information, IE anti doxing rule)
¶ Ramboing
DEFINITION: Ramboing or to rambo is when an Officer strays from a group or the team solely for the purpose to be the first one to fight or see action.
¶ Metagaming
DEFINITION: Metagaming is defined as using knowledge obtained from elsewhere not in roleplay and using the knowledge in roleplay. This may include using OOC chat to find location of troopers or friends.
This includes sharing information from other characters. Your other characters should not know eachother as there would be no way for them to have interactions with them, thus it's metagame.