Atoyot86

Just a week ago, we released LSPDFR 0.4.  Since then, there's been at any given time an average of 620 people playing LSPDFR, peaking at just over 1,200 earlier today.  We think these are pretty incredible numbers for a game mod, and we've really enjoyed watching as people get to grips with 0.4 and all of the new possibilities it offers.
 
With that being said, we've been monitoring the support forums and have recognized that there are, of course, a couple of issues with 0.4.  We're working to get as many of these sorted as we can and hope to release a small patch to address the most important ones shortly.
 
Today, though, we're introducing two new features as part of LSPDFR Sync - the Activity Feed and the Companion App. 
 
Activity Feed
The Activity Feed, in a bit of a throwback to the days of LCPDFR's Crime Statistics, is a live activity wall of everything that's going on in LSPDFR 0.4.  You can track what your fellow officers are up to with live updates on callouts, traffic stops, arrests, etc.  Plus, we've integrated it with the website so everything is linked together nicely as far as Characters and forum accounts go.
 
https://www.lcpdfr.com/lspdfr/04/activity/  
Companion App
The Companion App is something a little different that we're working on.  Open it up while in-game and you'll see an overview of your current session with your Character's location marked on a Google Maps style rendition of San Andreas.  As well as some basic info about your Character, we've added a couple of actions that can be performed from the app such as calling backup and going on and off duty. 
 
https://www.lcpdfr.com/lspdfrsync/companion/  
It's early days, but we definitely have some cool plans going forward for the Companion App.

Hopefully not as classist and Elite as DOJRP. the LSPDFR/LCPDFR has always been way more welcoming to new members. Super excited to see what's next. 

This is the fourth 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/
 
It's probably the most critical component of the mod, so it follows that with any new version of LSPDFR, you can be pretty confident that the underlying systems which enable police pursuit gameplay will be updated.  LSPDFR 0.4 is, of course, no different in this regard, and following on with the general theme of 0.4's development (which is more less pulling everything out and ripping it to pieces), we've taken the opportunity to revamp much of the pursuit gameplay in the mod.
 
As an aside, we had hoped to publish this preview at an earlier date but unfortunately due to both @LMS and myself being away from home, on various different continents in the past month or so this was a little difficult.  Nonetheless, we hope that you enjoy this preview and that it nicely illustrates just a couple of the changes that we've made to pursuits, as alluded to in our last post about AI improvements.
 
 
Pursuit Interaction Menu
 
Since LSPDFR 0.3, we've had an Interaction Menu, à la GTA Online, which has, as you would expect, facilitated interaction between you as a player and your character and their job as a cop.  While this is cool and all, there's definitely a number of areas where the interaction in LSPDFR falls a little short, with pursuits being perhaps the most obvious.
 
In LCPDFR for GTA IV, there were a couple of toggles available during pursuits - notably the option to force or disable the usage of lethal force.  With 0.4, however, we think we've far surpassed that by introducing a handful of new options which definitely provide more control than ever.  
 

 
The Pursuit Interaction Menu in LSPDFR 0.4 offers advanced controls for the current pursuit, as well as the ability to disengage.
 
The cool thing about the new Interaction options for Pursuits is that it ties in nicely with the new customization options introduced in 0.4, and covered earlier in our previews.  So, not only can you define and configure law enforcement agencies to your liking, but you can also carry this through to pursuits too by designating a specific agency to handle the chase.  If, for example, a pursuit that starts in Los Santos crosses multiple jurisdictions then it's entirely probable that you'll end up with a number of agencies joining, which depending on the circumstances and/or your own preferences, might not be so desirable.  With the new Interaction options, you could simply specify that the initiating agency (i.e. the LSPD in this case) handles the pursuit, leaving the other agencies to mind their own business.
 
Similarly, there's a lot of other practical usefulness be found in these options: we've brought back the ability to force on/off the usage of lethal force against pursuit suspects, and there's also the ability to enable or disable pursuit intervention tactics (more on these below).
 
And of course, for those in search of the ultimate exercise in boredom (I mean, err, realism), then you might find that setting a pursuit into Tracking Mode - where ground units will hang back and follow from a distance, leaving your small air force of helicopters following above to do all the work in true Angeleno fashion - makes you feel so much more at home.
 
 
Pursuit Intervention Techniques
 
As alluded to above, LSPDFR 0.4 also introduces a number of changes to the artificial intelligence in pursuits.  Currently, the main tactic employed by NPCs in GTA V during pursuits is to rather aimlessly ram into the back of the suspect vehicle in the unrealistic belief that this is actually going to help end the pursuit.  Of course, this usually just results in the cop crashing into oblivion, and it looks really, really dumb too. 
 
So, naturally, one of the coolest new additions to LSPDFR 0.4 is the implementation of a working PIT maneuver:
Demonstration of NPC officers bringing a pursuit to a safe conclusion through successful usage of the new PIT maneuver in LSPDFR 0.4
YouTube version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TiFFFho3hd0
 
 
As cool as this is, we know that NPCs performing PITs may not be to everyone's taste, and that it may not be suitable in every circumstance, so these can easily be enabled or disabled on-the-fly, during a pursuit, through the Interaction menu by changing the Tactics option.  If pursuit Tactics are disabled, pursuing NPCs will not attempt PIT maneuvers, and they will also shy away from most other advanced tactics, like blocking.
 

 
A closer look at the termination of the pursuit, with the suspects surrendering, after a successful usage of the PIT maneuver.
 
 
Air Support
 
Throughout the history of our two mods, air support has always been a touchy subject.  For those of you who played LCPDFR, you will likely still carry with you many terrifying memories of those white and blue flying death machines.  In previous versions of LSPDFR, things generally weren't that much better either - especially when your pilot decides, in a moment of wisdom, that flying through the bridge, rather than over it, is the best course of action.
 
With 0.4, we've taken the time to address some of the most frustrating issues with air support, with a particular focus on dramatically increasing both the usefulness, and lifespan, of our helicopters.  Specifically, you'll notice that helicopters in LSPDFR now fly at a much more realistic height and will properly increase or decrease their altitude as the situation requires, such as when a pursuit is passing through a heavily built up area.  They're also far more competent at actually keeping up with the suspects they are pursuing and will do so with a degree of intelligence, rather than just trying to fly directly above them.
 

 
A watchful LSPD air support unit circles overhead, tracking as a suspect attempts to flee on foot.
 
Furthermore, we've built in special modes for our air units, giving them the ability not only to follow suspects, but also to conduct searches over wide areas - something which is especially useful when ground units have lost visual, or are attempting to locate a target.
 
In addition, our helicopters are also responsive to changes in the conditions of pursuits they follow - such as if a suspect is in a vehicle or not - and will adapt accordingly.  When tracking a suspect on foot, air units won't simply hover above them but will engage in a more realistic flying pattern where the aircraft seeks to maintain continuous movement, while operating varying angles to compensate for possible obstructions like buildings.
 

 
Not a helicopter, but just in case you were wondering what happened to the guy pictured above...
 

 
This, though, definitely is a helicopter.  It's also not flying at street level!
 
As always, stay tuned for more news about LSPDFR 0.4 as we progress towards its completion.

Yeah, it's definitely possible to have more variation.  Obviously with our improvements it's now possible to have faster pursuits for one, and then there's other things like our improved backup response.  We try to have backup units respond from more appropriate positions during pursuits so that they're in a better position to actually intervene.  Of course, this is also where the new Scenarios come in as you can have them happening during pursuits as well, so there's really any number of things that could happen in that sense.  I'm sure we'll see some interesting ideas.
 
 
Thank you, it's always nice to see new people enjoying LSPDFR.  I'm sure some of us that have been here for far too long can forget just how exciting it first is when you find something like this for the first time.
 
 
Not sure if you're aware, but LSPDFR does have coffee!

 

Every update we get on this gets me even more hyped, especially the part where we'll be able to call in things like shots fired. I've lost count of the number of times I've been playing as a gang unit and arresting someone on, say, Grove Street turned into a shootout with gang members. It'll be nice to be able to actually call it in.
 
Plus I can't even begin to explain how stoked I am to be able to make custom departments and patrol areas (I can finally have actual departments up north instead of only having the Sheriff's Department!) And removing the top speed limit on AI? Looks like the SAHP might be getting a few high-performance pursuit units in my game.
 

Who else just wants that portable coffee where you are mid-drink then randomly get shot at, so you gotta just drop the coffee to shoot back, but then you are sad because you got no coffee so you just press O to get a new coffee and the world is saved.

Every update we get on this gets me even more hyped, especially the part where we'll be able to call in things like shots fired. I've lost count of the number of times I've been playing as a gang unit and arresting someone on, say, Grove Street turned into a shootout with gang members. It'll be nice to be able to actually call it in.
 
Plus I can't even begin to explain how stoked I am to be able to make custom departments and patrol areas (I can finally have actual departments up north instead of only having the Sheriff's Department!) And removing the top speed limit on AI? Looks like the SAHP might be getting a few high-performance pursuit units in my game.
 

Every update we get on this gets me even more hyped, especially the part where we'll be able to call in things like shots fired. I've lost count of the number of times I've been playing as a gang unit and arresting someone on, say, Grove Street turned into a shootout with gang members. It'll be nice to be able to actually call it in.
 
Plus I can't even begin to explain how stoked I am to be able to make custom departments and patrol areas (I can finally have actual departments up north instead of only having the Sheriff's Department!) And removing the top speed limit on AI? Looks like the SAHP might be getting a few high-performance pursuit units in my game.
 

You can also do it with LSPDFR 0.3 in Backup.xml. You just need to use the livery flag (<Vehicle livery="1">police</Vehicle>)