Charles Charmichael

Just taking an initial look here, more to come I'm sure. Thanks to the team for all your hard work getting this update out! 
 
I'm unable to perform traffic stops on boats, whatsoever. Used to be possible in 0.3.1 without having to do anything special, just boat up behind them and hold Shift.  Unable to put an arrested ped in any car that has "unusual" doors - whether that's no doors, doors on the back like a van, etc.  Ability to disable AI on a specific ped in a pursuit is awesome, thanks for adding that! Looking forward to checking it out.  Maybe I missed it, but I didn't see any way in the API to tell whether an arrested ped is grabbed by the player. This would be helpful, as many mods have their own grab systems, and it would be useful to be able to tell when the ped is already grabbed natively through LSPDFR to avoid conflicts.  The "M" menu has some concept of where hospitals and fire stations are, but I don't see them defined in stations.xml or accessible in the API. If those could be exposed as user-configurable and accessible in the API, I would use them in Better EMS, allowing closer integration with LSPDFR versus redefining everything in my own config files.  Would be nice if RequestBackup let you specify a ScriptName and/or Agency from the backup configs, with perhaps also some functions to read in what all the available agencies and flags are.  Ability to spawn a vehicle + peds yourself, then set it as backup. I.e. it would behave the same as if you had called RequestBackup, but instead you pass in a Vehicle and it becomes a backup unit. Same for Suspect Transport.  Looking forward to future updates!
 
EDIT: A few more things I've noticed 
 
If you have a waypoint set on the map, Code 3 backup responds there. Which is a useful feature to have, but is also really confusing as it's undocumented. Perhaps the backup menu could have a selector for "respond to self" or "respond to waypoint". You can get a call that's far away (like the built in market robbery call for example), respond at reckless speed to get there, and pass 5 ambient patrolling units on your way that are just driving along without a care in the world. Would be nice if there was some API method to request ambient units to respond to a location, with perhaps an optional parameter for max number of ambient units to respond. That way if you initiated a robbery call for example, you could configure ambient units to join the call, so if you approach an ambient unit on your way they'd also go Code 3 and respond to the same location.  Likewise, I've called for Code 3 backup when an ambient unit was driving right by, and rather than respond they just kept driving, and a new backup unit responded elsewhere. Would be nice if ambient units would respond Code 3 when calling backup if they meet the criteria for the backup requested.  Please add methods to the API for whether Pursuit Cop AI mode - Behavior, Tactics, and Lethal Force settings. 

First time playing 0.4?  Check out our new getting started guide for LSPDFR 0.4: https://www.lcpdfr.com/wiki/lspdfr/04/getting-started/
 
About a year ago, we announced the development of LSPDFR 0.4.  We said it was big, and we said it was different, but I honestly don't think any of us quite imagined just how big and different it would turn out to be, nor how much of a challenge it would be to take the concepts and ideas that we had and turn them into reality.
 
Still, here we are.  Thousands of changes later, we're here.  Everyone on the team is delighted to announce the first public release of LSPDFR 0.4, available now.
 
LSPDFR 0.4 brings sweeping changes which have been implemented over a number of years, so much so that we're not able to provide full release notes.  Instead, we've put together a number of resources, new to LSPDFR 0.4, including a 'wiki' and a collection of more in-depth guides.
 
Note as well that because of this - the sheer number of things that have changed - there will  be issues.  We've put over two months into testing 0.4, and we've made hundreds of fixes in this time.  Still, there's undoubtedly going to be things that we've missed, or things that simply can't be tested in a controlled environment.  This is a big release, and we wanted to do right by all of you by getting it out as soon as we can.
 
With that being said, I'll shut up now and let the mod speak for itself.
 
LSPDFR 0.4 Page: https://www.lcpdfr.com/lspdfr
LSPDFR 0.4 Wiki: https://www.lcpdfr.com/wiki/lspdfr/04
 
Note that we strongly recommend installing LSPDFR 0.4 for the first time on a clean copy of Grand Theft Auto V with no other mods or plugins. 

February 2019 is a confirmed month/year for release.

This is the fifth and final part of our LSPDFR 0.4 Preview Series.  Not caught up yet?  Check out the rest of this series here: https://www.lcpdfr.com/forums/forum/880-news-updates/
 
One of the things we like most about developing new versions of LSPDFR is that with each version we have the opportunity not only to work on major new features, but also the smaller details that our mods have come to be known for over the years.  Of course, 0.4 is no different in this regard and a lot has obviously changed since the early days of LSPDFR, offering us with a bunch of new ways to focus our attention to detail.
 
More Realism
 
Getting straight to the point, a significant change that we're making in 0.4 relates to how the player is perceived within the game's world.  Now, while this obviously isn't a sexy, new, video-worthy showstopper of a feature, it is nonetheless an important development behind-the-scenes - one that we think, despite its subtlety, will have a positive impact on your gameplay.
 
In 0.4, you'll notice that while on duty, other characters within the world will treat and react to you differently.  As GTA V was never a game about being a cop, it's easily understandable that when you quite simplistically do become a cop - while keeping the underlying theme of the game - there's going to be things that don't feel quite right.  You might notice, for example, that other characters within the world are overly aggressive towards you, itching for a fight at the slightest confrontation, or sometimes in the absence of any confrontation at all.  Conversely, the opposite is often true where the most banal or routine encounter can send people hurrying away in abject panic.  Both of these reactions are problematic as people generally don't just spontaneously approach a cop and proceed to cuss them out, nor do they begin hysterically fleeing at the sight of a stun gun. 
 

 
Stun gun hysteria and stampedes no longer, LSPDFR 0.4 introduces more 'contemporary' reactions, like everyone summoning their inner videographer.
 
These adjustments to the game's core apply in a number of other cases too, of course.  We thought it was pretty unlikely that the typical reaction to a police officer standing in front of someone's car would be for the driver to flip them off, and then - as if that wasn't enough - to then run them over for good measure.  Likewise, it was always pretty ridiculous that you can't enter another police officer's car as a passenger without them freaking out and thinking that you're trying to steal it.  All of these behaviors have been adjusted, and we think that you'll feel far more like an actual cop within the world - rather than just a retired bank robber dressing up with a badge.
 
And yes, while there are a number of mods out there that can help to mitigate many of the scenarios I've described above, they don't really offer a comprehensive and consistent solution simply due to technical restraints.  Our changes are at a much lower level and offer us a higher degree of control on a per-character basis.  This is great for flexibility and performance, and we think you'll really notice the difference when out and about on patrols.
 
New Interaction Menu
 
Sticking with the topic of small detail, increasing the level of interaction in LSPDFR is something that's very important to us - especially with the new focus on character in LSPDFR 0.4.  Indeed, we previously showed off a number of new interaction options that will be available during vehicle pursuits, but we've also taken the time to make big improvements to the more general Interaction Menu, offering you most of the features currently available in GTA Online, but with an LSPDFR twist.  Among the changes to the Interaction Menu are "quality of life" improvements like being able to quickly waypoint the nearest police station, as well as additions like new dialogue, actions and the ability to set your character's mood.
 
Similarly, you can now also change the way that your character walks, but it doesn't quite stop there as in keeping with the general idea we outlined above of making the game feel more suited towards being a cop, there's a special "Cop" walk style that not only makes your character walk around like an officer, but also completely replaces their generic "idle" animations - subtle movements that your character makes while stationary - with more appropriate police styled ones.
 

 
The more feature-complete Interaction Menu in LSPDFR 0.4 enhances your control, allowing for greater immersion.
 
Additionally, we've carried over this level of detail to the Police Radio options too, replacing the static animation that currently plays in this menu with a number of different options that can be cycled between instead, including a nifty new LAPD style handheld radio (as well as the option to play no animation at all).  Again, this is a small detail, but we hope that the enhanced level of immersion will be welcomed - especially if playing as an FIB Agent and communicating via an earpiece instead of a shoulder mic, for example.
 

 
New technology in LSPDFR 0.4 produces incredibly lifelike scenes - you can freely move while using the police radio without any animation issues like arms being locked in place, etc.
 
Finally, still on the topic of detail, we've topped things off by adding a proper police flashlight to LSPDFR 0.4.  Yes, we know that there's a bunch of ways to use a flashlight currently whether it be the vanilla one that looks like it's straight out of a horror movie, or through other mods which suffer from animation problems, but ours is a little different.
 
Already alluded to in the first preview we gave of LSPDFR 0.4, our flashlight is properly held above the head and can be used both by the player and other NPC officers.  It doesn't affect player movement, and you can freely walk, run, sprint, etc. while still holding the light.  If enabled, equipping it is a seamless process too - simply select the flashlight from the weapon wheel and LSPDFR will take care of the rest.
 

 
The new flashlight in LSPDFR 0.4 tops off our efforts to bring more immersion and realism to the mod.
 
Ambient Crime
 
In our previous post detailing some of the technology behind LSPDFR 0.4, we mentioned that we had added Scenarios to 0.4 - scripted events that could take place during pursuits and traffic stops.  Similarly, we also noted that 0.4 introduces a new Crime System, capable of actually recognizing crimes that take place in the game world and providing functionality for the player to get involved by reporting these.   Expanding upon this idea, we wanted to make sure that we fully realised the ambient world that Grand Theft Auto V provides, and to do this we've manipulated a couple of lesser-used features within the original game.
 
In the normal game, the player will sometimes be confronted by other characters within the world as a result of the agitation system built into the game which allows NPCs to insult or shove the player, for example.  In LSPDFR 0.4, as a result of some research by @LMS,  we've now been able to implement the same system, but for NPCs instead.  This means that NPCs can become agitated with each other, begin trading insults, get into angry shouting matches, or eventually, physical confrontations.  Plus, as these are actually 'legitimate' game events, other characters nearby will react appropriately, which also ties in really nicely with the Crime System and provides the player with something other to do than respond to dispatches or pull over vehicles - there's now hopefully much more actually happening within the world and consequently, more things for the player to notice while on patrol.
 

 
Manipulating the game's agitation system results in a much richer world - seen here are two NPCs engaging in a spontaneous confrontation.
 
Note that screenshots show LSPDFR player and non-player-characters wearing some outfits from EUP - which is entirely optional - special thanks to @Alex_Ashfold for his collaboration with us and for providing a development copy of EUP 8.0.
 
Thanks for reading the preview.  We appreciate your patience as we put the finishing touches on LSPDFR 0.4 and hope to have more news soon.

Well, now I'm 100% sure about that.

@Cyan @Sam @Ben @Shockie @Sniper296

Last time that happened to me I had my union rep appeal it.  He needed to show that I hadn't gone soft so... set fire to the administrative building and blocked the door with a stolen firetruck (haha, the irony).  Looked great until some high ranking corporate types somehow still managed to escape onto the street.  Then he called an ambulance, the sick bastard.
Splat, splat, splat, splat
 
Suspension was lifted, never heard any more of it.

Welp.. that makes sense, you had to use your standard issue Vulcan cannon

Ranger Bigfoot laughs at this.

Just trying to meet the LSPD's monthly quota of 1000 shots fired 😉

You misunderstand our reason for not giving a specific date.  We're not a professional studio and don't have an army of people to work on this full time day-in, day-out.  There's so many different things to prepare and get ready for this release.  It's not like we finished 0.4 in January and decided to make everyone wait a month just for fun.

This definitely sounds like something that would be useful.
 
 
Thank you 🙂

@Sam
I'm sure it's probably been mentioned, and don't know if you guys are already planning it... but could you look at adding a global interaction-type menu? (for modders to hook into)
 
What I mean by that is a single empty menu (thus single hotkey) that modders can hook their plugins into and create items and submenus inside that menu...
that way we don't need to remember 10 different hotkeys for all the different mods we have installed where half of them add their own menu for their mod with its own key.
Basically a central point of access for mod interaction.

You should definitely win today for this. Out of all the circa 2.5k posts on this thread this would definitely prove useful!

@Sam 
Thank you sincerely, for the hard work

Just as a heads up, I can't think of much that makes me grumpier than having to hide 24 nonsense posts after working without sleep on 0.4. 
Lack of sleep I can deal with; people being idiots not so much.

Right you are. Perhaps we should take turns downloading. I'll go first.

Was down for quite a while. Really thought it was going to be released. 
 
Also releasing on the 28th would be lame cause it’s a weekday, probably more likely either this weekend or next Friday-weekend. 
 
A lot of people work during the week and it’s better for hype to release on the weekend.
 
or they could just totally be memeimg us.

Hard to say. Time really goes slow.. especially for those who have been waiting since the beginning of this post.  

I don't think it is our place to say what you will and won't want to have in your game.  All I can say is that LSPDFR 0.4 will let you create your own characters and thus, you won't have to use EUP Menu or anything else (e.g. SkinControl) for that specifically.