Virella Scripts QBCore Development

YouTube Discussion Question (FiveM RP)

TITLE:
Should cops “know” about heroin activity on a FiveM RP server — or is that metagaming?

FULL QUESTION (copy/paste):
On a FiveM roleplay server, how should law enforcement discover and respond to heroin-related crime without crossing into metagaming?

I’m specifically trying to balance realism, fairness for criminals, and good roleplay for police. Here’s what I mean by “know”:

1) WHAT COUNTS AS METAGAMING?
- If the script automatically pings police just because a player crafted/processed/used/sold heroin, is that metagaming?
- Is it metagaming if the alert contains exact coordinates, item name (“heroin”), or a guaranteed notification every time?
- What about players “connecting the dots” from server mechanics (cooldowns, known drug spots, UI hints)?

2) WHAT COUNTS AS FAIR, IN-WORLD DISCOVERY?
Which of these feel RP-valid to you, and why?
- Anonymous “suspicious activity” report after multiple hand-to-hand sales in public (someone witnessed it).
- A generic “strong chemical smell / suspicious behavior” call near a processing/cooking location (neighbors, security, random passerby).
- Police only get a vague radius/area ping (no blip) and must investigate to confirm.
- Police only learn from informants, undercover operations, traffic stops, warrants, surveillance, and actual evidence.
- No automated alerts at all — police only know what they personally observe or what civilians report.

3) SERVER HEALTH + PLAYER EXPERIENCE
- Do automatic drug alerts improve RP (more conflict, more scenes), or ruin it (constant busts, no stealth gameplay)?
- Should criminals have a reasonable chance to operate if they’re careful (private locations, limited public dealing)?
- Should police need probable cause, evidence collection, and progression (intel > surveillance > raid) rather than instant knowledge?

4) PRACTICAL RULESET IDEAS (pick your preferred approach)
A) “No Alerts Ever”:
Police learn only through RP: witnesses, traffic stops, investigation, tips, and evidence. No script notifications.

B) “Soft Suspicion Only”:
Occasional, chance-based “suspicious activity” calls with vague area information, never mentioning heroin, requiring investigation.

C) “Escalation System”:
Small chance of vague calls for public behavior; higher chance if repeated, loud, messy, or in monitored zones. Still no direct “heroin” info.

D) “Hard Alerts” (fast-paced servers):
Guaranteed alerts with exact locations for more action-heavy gameplay (but is this too meta for serious RP?).

5) YOUR VOTE + WHY
Which option fits the best RP experience?
- A) No Alerts Ever
- B) Soft Suspicion Only
- C) Escalation System
- D) Hard Alerts

And if you can, answer these too:
- What’s the most realistic way cops should build a heroin case in RP?
- What information should *never* be revealed by scripts to cops?
- Should public street dealing trigger suspicion more than private labs?
- How do you prevent “everyone knows the drug spot” meta from spreading?

Drop your vote (A/B/C/D) and explain your reasoning and any rules/mechanics you’ve seen work well on other servers.

1 week ago | [YT] | 0