- Staff
- #1
Hello everyone,
It has been almost a year since @Acerius and I undertook a comprehensive restructuring and rewriting of the rules, where there was a range of removals, merges, or shortenings of rule text. We managed to reduce the character count in that round by 35%, and take the number of rules down from 66 to 52.
@Acerius and I have been back at it again for 2026, however this time our main focus for this edition has been improving readability. We have long recognised that - particularly for non-native English speakers - the rules present a challenge with regards to comprehension and understanding.
To help objectively benchmark how easily understandable the rules are, we have used the Flesch-Kincaid readability test. While this method does come with its own limitations, it provides a good baseline in telling us how easily the rules might be understood.
When we put the current rules through a calculator to determine what the score would be, they received a Reading Score of 50.22 and a Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level of 8.70. This puts the reading age at roughly equivalent to US 10th-12th Grades, UK Years 11-13, or 15-18 years old, and can be described as ‘fairly difficult to read’.
Our goal with this revision was to try and hit an overall Reading Score of 60, with as many of the individual rules themselves meeting or exceeding that standard. This would bring the reading age down to US 8th/9th Grades, UK Years 9/10, or 13-15 years old. This standard is described as ‘Plain English’ and is usually the benchmark for many industry and public-facing texts, such as government websites.
I am pleased to share that @Acerius and I in this revision have managed to achieve an overall Reading Score of 70.2 and a Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level of 5.85. This brings the reading age down to US 7th Grade, UK Year 8, or 12-13 years old. It is one level above ‘Plain English’ and is described as ‘fairly easy to read’. We are also confident that we have not lost any key principles or required specificity along the way.
We have also managed to reduce the character count by another 11% and reduce the word count by 2% (these stats do not include the index/table of contents).
I would like to once again thank @Acerius for undertaking this rules project with me as a co-author, and thank him for his help in preparing this announcement. The new texts of each rule are included below, and it is recommended that you take the time to review and familiarise yourself with this new edition of the rules.
Introductory Paragraph
The introduction at the top of the rules has been changed:
These are the rules of our game server and community. They are subject to staff members' discretion, who will uphold them to the full extent and power of their roles.
You are expected to read and understand these rules. Not reading them, or failing to understand them, will not be accepted as an excuse for breaking them. You must also not attempt to abuse any loopholes you might find.
If a staff member believes you have broken a rule or acted inappropriately, they will discuss it with you and ask you to justify your actions. If you are unable to do so, then you will be punished.
The idea of our game server and these rules is to recreate real life to an enjoyable extent. These rules have been written in a way to ensure you and others act realistically.
You are expected to read and understand these rules. Not reading them, or failing to understand them, will not be accepted as an excuse for breaking them. You must also not attempt to abuse any loopholes you might find.
If a staff member believes you have broken a rule or acted inappropriately, they will discuss it with you and ask you to justify your actions. If you are unable to do so, then you will be punished.
The idea of our game server and these rules is to recreate real life to an enjoyable extent. These rules have been written in a way to ensure you and others act realistically.
Terminology
All terms have been rewritten, with Administrator also changed to Staff Member:
- Roleplay (RP)
Where you roleplay as a character in the game, you must act realistically. OOC means Out-of-Character, and IC means In-Character. When you speak about things not relating to your character or what they are doing, it is OOC and should be done using OOC channels such as the '/ooc' chat function.
- Staff Member
Someone who holds the rank of Enforcer, Moderator, Senior Moderator, Administrator, Developer, Community Manager, Senior Administrator, Head Administrator or Owner.
- City Employee
Someone who is not a civilian and is paid by the city for doing their job.
- Government Employee
A city employee who is not a Taxi Driver or a Courier.
- Raid
Trespassing on or forcing entry into an occupied property so as to either steal from it or its occupants, or to cause harm. This includes failed attempts.
- Occupied Property
A property which players are presently inside of, or are defending while a raid is going on.
- Peaceful Zones
Any area of the map where using illegal items or weapons is stopped by the game.
- Base
A property that has props meant for defence.
1 Basic Conduct Rules
All rules have been rewritten, including the introduction:
In-Character gameplay is not subject to these Basic Conduct Rules, unless a rule says that it is.
- 1.1 Disrespectful Behaviour
You must be respectful to others at all times.
- 1.2 Discrimination
You must not treat someone differently or be hateful because of their gender identity, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation. You must not knowingly use the details of someone else's personal life or identity so as to treat them differently or be hateful.
You must respect when someone asks you to stop using such language in LOOC chat or a report because they are uncomfortable. This rule includes In-Character gameplay.
You must respect when someone asks you to stop using such language in LOOC chat or a report because they are uncomfortable. This rule includes In-Character gameplay.
- 1.3 Slander
You must only accuse others of rule breaks in a report, on the forums, or when speaking to a staff member.
- 1.4 Causing Problems
You must not try to cause problems on any of our community platforms.
- 1.5 Personal Details and Identity
You must not use, leak, or try to get the personal details of others or their friends and family. This includes passwords, addresses, personal photos and phone numbers. Except for In-Character names, you must not pretend to be someone else, so as to damage their reputation.
- 1.6 Cooperation with Staff Members
You must follow instructions given to you by a staff member and respond to them honestly. You must keep demo recording enabled, and not delete or tamper with them until they are over 21 days old. You must make sure you have enough disk space for demos. You must upload your demos in a reasonable amount of time when asked to do so.
- 1.7 Out-of-Character Profiles
When you are on our game server, your Steam name and profile picture must not be offensive or inappropriate. They must also not contain anything that would violate these Basic Conduct Rules.
2 General Conduct Rules
All rules have been rewritten:
- 2.1 Play Realistically
You must play realistically at all times, as our game server aims to recreate real life to an enjoyable extent. A staff member can make a temporary exception for you where they feel it is appropriate to do so.
- 2.2 Voice Chat
You must not use the voice chat for anything other than speaking with others In-Character. You can only use voice chat for talking Out-of-Character if it does not affect roleplay, or if you are speaking to a staff member. You must not use voice chat if your microphone quality is poor, and you must not mic-spam or use soundboards.
- 2.3 Bugs and Glitches
You must not exploit bugs or glitches. If you are aware of or experience a bug or glitch, you must report it to a staff member or on the forums.
- 2.4 Exchanging Items and Funds
You must not buy, sell, or trade in-game benefits - including invites to organisations - for real or virtual money, or items. You must not create websites off of the server for purposes such as loans, gambling, prepayment item orders, or deposit systems.
- 2.5 Excessive Negativity
You must not seriously harm someone else's experience unless it is a fair and reasonable response to their negative actions against you.
If you take revenge, you must do so within two hours as long as you do not know that they have already died and respawned.
For example, it is excessive to:
When raiding a base, you can kill those inside who are:
If you surprise someone who is unarmed during a silent raid, you must not kill them on sight.
If you take revenge, you must do so within two hours as long as you do not know that they have already died and respawned.
For example, it is excessive to:
- Excessively mug or target new players, or scam them for their items or money.
- Kill someone over verbal insults or minor or accidental actions
- Destroy valuable items due to basic distaste such as pricing
- Kill someone without good reason after mugging them
- Scam or trick players for their premium tokens, rare or seasonal items or the money for them
- Use explosives in a way that can damage items belonging to players who are not involved
- Use molotovs in raids
- Kill Paramedics or Firefighters unless they have refused reasonable orders at gunpoint
When raiding a base, you can kill those inside who are:
- Known to be armed
- Are not surrendering
- Entering or exiting the property with visible weapons.
If you surprise someone who is unarmed during a silent raid, you must not kill them on sight.
- 2.6 Reporting a Rule-Breaker
You must create a report if you see someone breaking the rules or if you need help. Once you have made a report, you should continue roleplaying while following the rules until a staff member intervenes.
- 2.7 Required Sounds
You must be able to hear in-game sounds, including the voices of other players. You do not have to use a microphone unless you are Police and do not have an exemption.
- 2.8 Sexual Roleplay
You must not perform, suggest, depict or imitate sexual acts. You must not show anything sexual on signs or TVs.
- 2.9 Advertisements and Images
Your adverts must be made realistically, like ads found in newspapers or news headlines, and you can use them to advertise businesses, broadcast news, or that you are buying/selling items or services.
Your signs and billboards must be realistic and display content that would be shown on a sign, poster, or billboard in real life. Staff members will decide if your image is accepted or not. Your images must not contain:
You must not use someone else's images without permission. If you are taking inspiration from someone else's concept, you must make your own images to suit your needs.
Your signs and billboards must be realistic and display content that would be shown on a sign, poster, or billboard in real life. Staff members will decide if your image is accepted or not. Your images must not contain:
- Inappropriate content or content that breaks the Basic Conduct Rules
- Low effort images
- Unedited in-game screenshots that show elements such as the HUD or player names
- Distorted, overly cropped, or zoomed images.
You must not use someone else's images without permission. If you are taking inspiration from someone else's concept, you must make your own images to suit your needs.
3 General In-Character Rules
All rules have been rewritten:
- 3.1 In-Character Names
Your character’s name must be realistic and relatively common. You cannot use the names of real or fictitious famous people. Staff members will decide if the name you choose is appropriate or not.
- 3.2 Third Party Communication Applications
All communications that affect your character’s decisions must occur through IC methods. An example would be the in-game voice chat. You must not use applications outside of the game, such as Steam chat, TeamSpeak, Discord, or telephones.
- 3.3 Realistic Actions
You must always move in a realistic way, even more so in combat. When you jump up to or down from places, you must do so carefully and without hurting yourself. You must not boost others onto buildings or structures; climb onto objects which would realistically not hold your weight; or use elevated or near one-way visibility defences.
During or when combat is imminent you must not stand on props placed by people, such as:
During or when combat is imminent you must not stand on props placed by people, such as:
- Workbenches
- Chemical Tables or Planters
- Concrete Barricades.
- 3.4 Putting your Life at Risk
You must not take actions that put your life, safety or freedom from jail at serious risk without a good reason.
Examples of unreasonable risks include:
Valid reasons to kill Police include:
Examples of unreasonable risks include:
- Ignoring reasonable orders under the threat of lethal force, such as at gunpoint
- Staying near shootouts while unarmed or uninvolved, or only to loot weapons
- Not being careful to avoid Police attention or leaving the area after committing a crime
- Running on the highway without a good reason
- Committing serious crimes where Police can see you
- Fleeing/killing Police to avoid small fines or sentences
- Excessively prank calling 911 without a good reason, such as to divert Police from a crime scene
- Raiding properties with melee weapons.
Valid reasons to kill Police include:
- Avoiding a long prison sentence, typically 7+ years
- Stopping them from seeing drugs being made
- Committing a violent crime for which the Police would use lethal force to catch you.
- 3.5 New Life Rule (NLR)
You must wait for your NLR timer to end before returning to where you died or interacting with the situation. You must forget the details of your past life except your properties, cars, and government positions. You must also stay a reasonable distance away from your NLR zone. When you respawn or join/leave any job, you must treat it as a new life. You must also not act on any information you gain relating to your death while your NLR timer is active.
- 3.6 Construction and Properties
You must place props in a realistic way and only in properties you own or have permission to use, unless it unobtrusively benefits roleplay. You must not place or move defensive props during a shootout or raid, and you must not use them in public or government buildings, unless it is a metal detector.
You must keep at least two entrances to the main areas of a property unblocked, and paths must not force others to jump or crouch. Your props must not create mazes; elevated platforms; become too messy when bombed; allow for near one-way visibility; nor badly restrict movement. We consider movement unrestricted if at least two people can walk shoulder-to-shoulder along a path. You must not point more than three spotlights in any one direction.
More details on base building can be found in the Construction Handbook in the F1 menu.
You must keep at least two entrances to the main areas of a property unblocked, and paths must not force others to jump or crouch. Your props must not create mazes; elevated platforms; become too messy when bombed; allow for near one-way visibility; nor badly restrict movement. We consider movement unrestricted if at least two people can walk shoulder-to-shoulder along a path. You must not point more than three spotlights in any one direction.
More details on base building can be found in the Construction Handbook in the F1 menu.
- 3.7 Prop Pushing
You must not use props to move people, other props, or vehicles. You must not use props to hold other ones unrealistically, such as stopping a car from rolling down a hill by freezing a prop in front of it.
- 3.8 Selling Items
You must not use misleading names when selling items with a cash register. Names must accurately show what is being sold, including containers and what is in them. You must not use unclear names such as ‘Mystery Box’. You must only sell items in properties you own, or those where you have permission from the owner to do so.
- 3.9 Being Chased
You must try to escape from others realistically and only when you have a good chance of success. You must not turn police chases into shootouts when there is no need to. You must not hide from those chasing you in Peaceful Zones, and you cannot change, join, or leave jobs to avoid being chased.
- 3.10 Non-Player Characters (NPCs)
You must treat NPC like regular players, and consider them during roleplay. Killing an NPC is usually not enough. For example, if you are a bank robber and visit the hospital to be treated, you should ensure yours and the lives of the NPCs are not in immediate danger.
- 3.11 Growing Drugs
You can grow drugs anywhere except in government or public buildings, cars and shops. Others must be able to get to them without jumping or crouching, unless they are being transported. If you are growing drugs outside of an owned property, you must not kill passers-by unless they are clearly trying to steal your drugs. If you are searching public areas for drugs, you can kill someone who is holding a weapon while defending their drugs, similar to defenders in a raid.
- 3.12 Killing the Mayor
You can only kill the Mayor if it significantly benefits you and others involved, or if the Mayor has hurt you in a severe personal way. You must first attempt to convince the Mayor to improve how they manage the city, or to adjust policies before attempting to kill them.
For example, you can kill the Mayor for:
For example, you can kill the Mayor for:
- Breaking promises related to city management or taxes
- Any time it would be allowed to kill someone in Rule 2.5
- Implementing a mix of harmful policies that directly harm the interests of players
- 3.13 Drug Harvesting
You must not take items from planters or chemical tables during a raid or when you think you are about to be raided, unless you have a significant chance of escape.
- 3.14 Recognising Players
You can describe or recognise someone if you have seen a good amount of their face. Recognition is based on remembering someone’s name, which allows you to identify them even after a change in clothing. You must not change your name or face when warranted or being hunted.
- 3.15 Driving and Damaging Vehicles
You must always drive on the right side of the highway. You must drive vehicles - even if they are stolen - to the best of your ability so as to avoid crashes. There can be good reasons for not doing so, where the benefits outweigh the risks. You must not ram a car out of a parking space just so you can park there.
- 3.16 Going Idle (AFK)
You must not go AFK during roleplay or when speaking to a staff member, unless absolutely necessary. If you have to go, you must tell others involved in LOOC. If you are on a job, you should quit the job before going AFK. You must also inform a staff member in a report you are going AFK.
- 3.17 Confiscation
You must not confiscate weapons or evidence when there is an immediate risk of harm, unless you are unable to watch over it and leaving it would risk public tampering. You also must not confiscate when highly outnumbered or are very likely to lose. This includes impounding vehicles.
- 3.18 Storing Items
If your life or freedom is in imminent danger, you must not use storages, trunks, or ATMs to avoid losing items or money that you have on you. This includes removing weapon attachments.
- 3.19 '/me' and '/desc' Functions
You must only use ‘/me’ and ‘/desc’ to show actions that do not have a game mechanic. Those actions must be realistic, so you cannot affect multiple players or perform multiple actions in one '/me'. You can resist actions with '/roll' if feasible, and your '/desc' must truthfully describe events and information.
- 3.20 Disconnecting from the Server
You must not be unconscious, in active roleplay, or speaking to a staff member when disconnecting. You must wait until 10 minutes have passed since committing a crime, unless the crime has been resolved (you were charged or absolved). You are not allowed to disconnect to save items. If you have to disconnect during roleplay, you must make a report and provide a good reason.
- 3.21 Staying In-Character
You must always stay IC, and OOC information must not influence your character’s decisions. You should make sure you keep OOC conversations away from active roleplay.
Examples of not being IC include:
Examples of not being IC include:
- Discussing server rules during roleplay
- Reading names above players’ heads
- Seeing items through walls or objects
- Using video clips IC without proper measures, such as recording on a phone with a ‘/me’, outside of Police situations that are addressing misconduct.
4 City Employee Rules
All rules have been rewritten:
- 4.1 Follow the Law
If you are a government employee, you must always follow the entirety of the law.
- 4.2 Paramedics and Firefighters
If you are a Paramedic or a Firefighter, you must not enter a crime scene unless allowed to by Police. You cannot use the Ambulance or the Firetruck to patrol, however you can park them in sensible, non-crowded areas and wait to be called out. If you want to patrol, then you should use a First Responder vehicle. You must only use the Firetruck or Ambulance if necessary, such as an uncontrolled fire or removal of dead bodies. You must inform the Police if your services were needed due to a crime.
- 4.3 Road Crew Worker
If you are a Road Crew Worker, you must not enter crime scenes unless allowed to by Police. You must get permission from Police or a Road Management Officer to clamp or impound a vehicle, unless it has been left on a road or pathway. You can charge up to $500 for each act of either repairing, unclamping, or towing of a vehicle. You must inform the Police if your services were needed due to a crime.
- 4.4 The Mayor
If you are the Mayor, you must not make changes to the law. You must not stay in the Police Department or Peaceful Zones for long periods of time. If you are hiding from potential danger, you must do so realistically and in sensible locations.
- 4.5 Secret Service Agent
If you are a Secret Service Agent, you are an employee of the Police Department, and must do everything you can to protect the life and wellbeing of the Mayor. You can give lawful orders to the Mayor during a crisis. You do not have to obey the Mayor but where reasonable, you must do your best to accommodate the Mayor’s lifestyle and requests.
- 4.6 Taxi Driver and Courier
If you are a Taxi Driver or a Courier, you must always do your job to the best of your ability and not attempt to exploit the job for personal gain. You must also always follow Sections 6, 8, and 11 of the Penal Code.
5 Criminal Activity Rules
All rules have been rewritten:
- 5.1 Mugging
You can mug up to 3 players per hour but you cannot mug the same player twice within that time. You must not mug someone in public view or force them out of it, or when they have a weapon out. You cannot mug when the loss of profit is imminent and you cannot mug City Employees.
You must not use CPR to revive someone only to be able to mug them.
You must not force someone to drop furniture, crafting materials, planter boxes, rare/seasonal items, or premium tokens during a mugging.
You must not use CPR to revive someone only to be able to mug them.
You must not force someone to drop furniture, crafting materials, planter boxes, rare/seasonal items, or premium tokens during a mugging.
- 5.2 Forced Withdrawals
You can only force others to take money or items from ATMs, mobile banking or storages when performing a legal search as Police or taking back money or items that were stolen or scammed from you. You can also force players to pay for damages that were their fault.
- 5.3 Raiding
You can raid or assist in a raid on an occupied property only twice in a 60-minute period and you must not raid the same property more than once within that time. If you die while raiding or defending, you must not return to the situation if it is ongoing after you respawn.
If a neighbouring property defends against your raid, you can raid it without it counting as an additional raid.
No more than 2 bombs can be used in a raid, except for grenades.
This rule does not apply to the Mayor’s home, the Police Department or City Hall.
If a neighbouring property defends against your raid, you can raid it without it counting as an additional raid.
No more than 2 bombs can be used in a raid, except for grenades.
This rule does not apply to the Mayor’s home, the Police Department or City Hall.
- 5.4 Organisation Relationships
You must not help rival players commit crimes. This does not apply if you are allied or have no relations with them.
Examples include:
Examples include:
- Helping each other in raids
- Basing with each other
- 5.5 Robbing the Bank
You must only assist in a bank robbery if you joined by texting the code to the NPC and are outside the vault door when the drill is placed. If you are removed from the bank robbery, you must no longer assist and run away immediately. You cannot take hostages before, during, or after a bank robbery.
If you are Police, you must not force players who are arrested to give up the cash they received from the NPC after a successful bank robbery.
If you are Police, you must not force players who are arrested to give up the cash they received from the NPC after a successful bank robbery.
- 5.6 Kidnapping
You can only take others hostage when the benefits outweigh the risks and it is absolutely necessary, such as to substantially increase your chances of escaping Police. You cannot take someone hostage when they are in public view, just so you can mug or raid them.
You must refer to Rule 3.4 in deciding whether taking a hostage benefits you.
You must refer to Rule 3.4 in deciding whether taking a hostage benefits you.
6 Miscellaneous Rules
All rules have been rewritten:
- 6.1 Server Crashes/Restarts
If the server crashes or restarts, you must not continue any previous roleplay, unless agreed by those involved. You must not commit crimes or try to chase previous suspects as Police until 10 minutes have passed. You and your props will be returned to their old locations after a crash or restart.
- 6.2 Third Party Tools
You must not use content or third party software, macros, or scripts that give you an advantage over others. The only exceptions are third party crosshairs and custom weapon textures installed in the phcustomtextures folder. You can learn more about this in the forum guide.
- 6.3 Alt Accounts
You must only use one account to play the server. You cannot have alts.
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