hashbrown

Great explanation, papa

Great explanation, papa

Quick summary of my take on the 3 lighting systems for GTA V. (ELS, ELS Hybrid, DLS). I posted this on my Discord a few months ago and people seem to understand the difference between the 3 lighting systems used for LSPDFR (I do not play FiveM so I have no knowledge with those) so they have a better understanding on how and what the different types of lighting are used for gaming. From the San Andreas days of Emergency Lighting Mod (ELM) to IV with ELS to V with ELS, to ELS Hybrid to DLS, I have seen and used it all. Recently, I have done a convert of my game and development work to DLS from ELS. I enjoy ELS, but I enjoy DLS more as I can be more creative with patterns and lighting. So let's break down and give a short, sweet, simple run down of what you see people creating now. Lastly, don't try and take credit for this list, it's sad I have to say that but please credit where it's due if you were to use this list.


Emergency Lighting System (ELS)
Pros
Simplicity (Very new user friendly)
Config lighting stages easily / change patterns
Largest vehicle pool due to age
Cons
Limited on lighting
"Floaters" if want to use lights on moving vehicle parts (Doors, Trunk, Compartment Doors)
Limited pattern creations
No further development
12 Extras only. (Realistically, 10 is what most devs use)

Emergency Lighting System Hybrid (ELS + Non ELS)
Pros
Custom lighting config / patterns
Large variety of extras can be used (TA, Flood, Cruise)
Easily adaptable to ELS controls
32 sirens + 12 extras can be used to create
Cons
Stage 3 lighting only
Cannot change lighting patterns
Limited lighting controls
No further development (Due to it being ELS controlled)

Dynamic Lighting System (DLS)
Pros
ELS on crack.
Large variety of what lights can do (Stages, TA, Alley, Cruise, Brake Override, Patterns, Sync System, etc)
Vehicles become advanced with lighting controls (Multiple vehicles can run off 1 XML)
Cons
Lengthy XML creation / edits (Not new user friendly unlike ELS)
Compatible with ELS but must disable extra patch in the dls.ini to work
Potential crashing issues when using both ELS and DLS
Majority of LSPDFR users use ELS
Restricted to 32 sirens only
AI vehicles can ONLY use police audio hash to enable sirens.
Very slow development / updates

I know I have missed stuff or maybe a few things were updated since I created this back in April 2026 but still holds general true and ideal for people to understand. Please feel free to post any questions / comments / concerns as I am willing to be assist the best I can with this topic.

If this is in the wrong section, apologizes!

Happy modding folks!

Excellent work! Excited to experience what the future of LCPDFR holds!

Excellent work! Excited to experience what the future of LCPDFR holds!

Excellent work! Excited to experience what the future of LCPDFR holds!

LSPDFR & RAGE Plugin Hook Enhanced and Upcoming Site Upgrades
We're excited to share the latest updates on projects bringing LSPDFR and RAGE Plugin Hook to GTA 5 Enhanced Edition alongside refreshing our entire website - with new features, a new design and a more fluid experience.


LSPDFR & RAGE Plugin Hook Enhanced
With the recent release of Grand Theft Auto V Enhanced Edition @LMS has been working on porting RAGE Plugin Hook. While still in its early development stages, RPH is now successfully running on the Enhanced Edition with most of the basic features working, including running small plugins and DX12 rendering. In addition, our biggest LSPDFR update ever is currently in closed-beta testing and we hope to have more news on it soon.

Below are some screenshots of these previously console-only vehicles being spawned through RPH in the Enhanced Edition.
 

 
 
RPH running on the Enhanced Edition.


RPH on Apple Silicon
As part of the port to the Enhanced version and DX12 support, we have streamlined some core systems, now allowing RPH and LSPDFR to run on Apple Silicon. We're still addressing performance issues and visibility concerns before considering a potential future patch.


 
LSPDFR and RAGE Plugin Hook running on a MacBook M4.


Website Platform Update and Invision Community 5
We're in the early stages of migrating from Invision Community 4 to 5, which will transform our entire platform.
This update combines rewrites of Invision Community core features with rewrites of our own software to provide users with a faster and cleaner experience. Community members will enjoy a fresh design and responsive theme that follows your OS dark mode decision. On top of this, substantial effort across the board has been made to fix performance issues.
 
Most of the changes to our new platform are behind the scenes, but the most visible improvement you'll see, apart from the general design change, is the new editor. This new editor comes with many improvements and is easy to use. It also introduces some new features, like Content Boxes, that will make structuring mod download pages a little bit better.

We hope to provide further updates over the coming weeks and months as we prepare this for release.

 
 
In progress development of our new platform using mock data.
 
 
 
The new editor, showcasing the Content Boxes feature.