- Staff
- #1
After the boom of the PLPD is a joke thread, I noticed that one of the main complaints is that some people struggle to get their ORs written, and this is generally blamed on there being some supervisors that just do their monthly minimums and then refuse to do any more. While I strongly disagree with this practice (I do not understand why someone would become a role about giving ORs and then refuse to give any more than the absolute minimum), I also think that a lot of people just do not know how to properly ask for an OR and give up too quick. Since my entire "career" in the PLPD took place while the current OR system was in place, I figured I would give some tips on how I overcame these obstacles and how I got the necessary Observation Reports rather quickly.
1.- Ask the right people
As stated above, some supervisors do not like giving Observation Reports. However, there are also some people that love giving them. Head on to the employees page on the PLPD, and enter the profile of every Corporal or above, and you will see that a fair amount of them are open to be contacted over Discord or PLPD Messages to schedule Observation Reports. Even if they do not have it stated on their bio, chances are if you drop them a message they will get back to you.
Also, newer corporals tend to be more than eager to give Observation Reports to people, so you should be contacting them first if you want to increase your chances of getting your Observation Report done pronto.
2.- Ask through the right means
Approaching a CPL+ in-game and demanding an OR is probably the worst way to get one. When someone goes on duty, they are expecting to relax for a bit, have fun with their friends, and maybe even (God forbid) role-play for a bit. Bothering every supervisor you see is not only going to make them reluctant to give you the Observation Report, it is also going to make you feel like it is impossible to get one and stop you from actually having fun while on duty.
There are a million more effective ways, such as the ones mentioned on the previous point and, a personal favorite of mine, the Shoutbox. If you request an Observation Report through the PLPD Online Shoutbox, chances are you will get someone willing to give it to you within hours. Of course, if you decide to be picky (like people who want ORs from Command Members only) you will have a tougher time, but as a general rule of thumb it is the best place to get them scheduled.
3.- Be patient
I understand waiting for Observation Reports can be annoying, but if you put your effort into the right places it probably will not take you more than 2-3 days to get one done (or at least scheduled), worst-case scenario. I have seen people go on duty, spam requests for ORs over the government radio for 2-3 hours, and then go and complain it's impossible to get an Observation Report. Not only does this make you look like a very impatient, unsuitable candidate for any position, it is also plainly untrue. Just because you have tried for a few hours in-game and did not get it, it does not mean it is "impossible" to get one. Just focus your efforts on the right places and you will get one with one tenth of the effort. Also, as you attempt to get them, you will face many negative answers to your requests, but that is normal. Do not give up, never lose perspective, it is a videogame after all, and eventually you will get your ORs.
4.- Ask nicely
You are not entitled to someone's free time. When you approach someone to ask for an Observation Report, the least you can do is be amicable and nice. The Observation Reports I got for my Senior Officer promotion came from two supervisors who gave them to me solely because I was polite when requesting them. Not only is being respectful the right thing to do, it is an actual helpful tip to get what you want.
5.- Be excellent
Many supervisors are more than eager to give unrequested Observation Reports to Officers who display an abnormally good performance. I have given a few of those in the past, and I know for a fact many other CPL+ have as well. This is not the easiest way to get an Observation Report, that is for sure, but if your performance can be excellent and noteworthy, be sure to display it at all times, not only when one is around, and you may find yourself with a very welcome surprise sooner or later.
6.- Do not be excessively picky
This one mostly applies for those of you who are aiming for Sergeant. The smaller your "OR giver pool", the smaller the chances of getting one done quickly are. You see plenty of Corporals who request to get Observation Reports from Staff Sergeants or above only, some of them going as far as to request them to be from Primary Command only as well. While there is no denying that getting an Observation Report from a command member is clearly an advantage, you must also come to terms with the fact that you have a much slimmer chance of getting one quickly. I personally believe there is more to gain from getting two high quality reports from Sergeants and then patrolling with some Primary Command Members (who will be much more willing to do so if you let them know you don't intend on getting an OR from them) than waiting indefinitely for an OR from a very specific group of people.
7.- ORs are not everything
This last one is more of a tip on how to get promoted rather than on how to get Observation Reports, but I figured I would include it to ease some people's worries about the true importance of ORs. Yes, your reports are relevant when you are being considered for a promotion, but they are not everything. The main outcome will come from what Primary Command thinks of you as an officer and your performance. There is much more to be gained from spending a day proving a (for example) Traffic Staff Sergeant how competent you really are when responding alongside him than from a week trying to get them to give you a 30 minute Observation Report.
And I think that's everything, please be sure to let me know if I have missed anything or if you have any other tips you would like to share with the community, and I hope this guide proves to be helpful to those who feel like they are struggling with Observation Reports.
*For the sake of making the list sound a bit less repetitive, I have sometimes referred to CPL+ as Supervisors. Just for clarification, Corporals are not supervisors, it's just to make the post a bit more readable.
1.- Ask the right people
As stated above, some supervisors do not like giving Observation Reports. However, there are also some people that love giving them. Head on to the employees page on the PLPD, and enter the profile of every Corporal or above, and you will see that a fair amount of them are open to be contacted over Discord or PLPD Messages to schedule Observation Reports. Even if they do not have it stated on their bio, chances are if you drop them a message they will get back to you.
Also, newer corporals tend to be more than eager to give Observation Reports to people, so you should be contacting them first if you want to increase your chances of getting your Observation Report done pronto.
2.- Ask through the right means
Approaching a CPL+ in-game and demanding an OR is probably the worst way to get one. When someone goes on duty, they are expecting to relax for a bit, have fun with their friends, and maybe even (God forbid) role-play for a bit. Bothering every supervisor you see is not only going to make them reluctant to give you the Observation Report, it is also going to make you feel like it is impossible to get one and stop you from actually having fun while on duty.
There are a million more effective ways, such as the ones mentioned on the previous point and, a personal favorite of mine, the Shoutbox. If you request an Observation Report through the PLPD Online Shoutbox, chances are you will get someone willing to give it to you within hours. Of course, if you decide to be picky (like people who want ORs from Command Members only) you will have a tougher time, but as a general rule of thumb it is the best place to get them scheduled.
3.- Be patient
I understand waiting for Observation Reports can be annoying, but if you put your effort into the right places it probably will not take you more than 2-3 days to get one done (or at least scheduled), worst-case scenario. I have seen people go on duty, spam requests for ORs over the government radio for 2-3 hours, and then go and complain it's impossible to get an Observation Report. Not only does this make you look like a very impatient, unsuitable candidate for any position, it is also plainly untrue. Just because you have tried for a few hours in-game and did not get it, it does not mean it is "impossible" to get one. Just focus your efforts on the right places and you will get one with one tenth of the effort. Also, as you attempt to get them, you will face many negative answers to your requests, but that is normal. Do not give up, never lose perspective, it is a videogame after all, and eventually you will get your ORs.
4.- Ask nicely
You are not entitled to someone's free time. When you approach someone to ask for an Observation Report, the least you can do is be amicable and nice. The Observation Reports I got for my Senior Officer promotion came from two supervisors who gave them to me solely because I was polite when requesting them. Not only is being respectful the right thing to do, it is an actual helpful tip to get what you want.
5.- Be excellent
Many supervisors are more than eager to give unrequested Observation Reports to Officers who display an abnormally good performance. I have given a few of those in the past, and I know for a fact many other CPL+ have as well. This is not the easiest way to get an Observation Report, that is for sure, but if your performance can be excellent and noteworthy, be sure to display it at all times, not only when one is around, and you may find yourself with a very welcome surprise sooner or later.
6.- Do not be excessively picky
This one mostly applies for those of you who are aiming for Sergeant. The smaller your "OR giver pool", the smaller the chances of getting one done quickly are. You see plenty of Corporals who request to get Observation Reports from Staff Sergeants or above only, some of them going as far as to request them to be from Primary Command only as well. While there is no denying that getting an Observation Report from a command member is clearly an advantage, you must also come to terms with the fact that you have a much slimmer chance of getting one quickly. I personally believe there is more to gain from getting two high quality reports from Sergeants and then patrolling with some Primary Command Members (who will be much more willing to do so if you let them know you don't intend on getting an OR from them) than waiting indefinitely for an OR from a very specific group of people.
7.- ORs are not everything
This last one is more of a tip on how to get promoted rather than on how to get Observation Reports, but I figured I would include it to ease some people's worries about the true importance of ORs. Yes, your reports are relevant when you are being considered for a promotion, but they are not everything. The main outcome will come from what Primary Command thinks of you as an officer and your performance. There is much more to be gained from spending a day proving a (for example) Traffic Staff Sergeant how competent you really are when responding alongside him than from a week trying to get them to give you a 30 minute Observation Report.
And I think that's everything, please be sure to let me know if I have missed anything or if you have any other tips you would like to share with the community, and I hope this guide proves to be helpful to those who feel like they are struggling with Observation Reports.
*For the sake of making the list sound a bit less repetitive, I have sometimes referred to CPL+ as Supervisors. Just for clarification, Corporals are not supervisors, it's just to make the post a bit more readable.
