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I would guess that Gus no longer tracks weather a package has been picked up for all groups now as there will always be another package available after 30mins of a successful request for a package no matter if the last one has been picked up or not. Meaning that there could be multiple packages to pickup from the island and therefore there would need to be a way to receive a message from Gus about the status of multiple packages being picked up at a time. e.g. If the first package was not picked up but the second one was, it would be hard to receive that info through the old system as one package was picked up and one package is still waiting to be opened. It simply would not work using the old method as there can now be multiple packages at a time and their status can vary.
I think that this is an intention and not a bug considering the new system and how it works.
I would fully support a suggestion to have Gus change his message as it comes closer to the time to call a new package in near the end of the 30mins, this does not require any information about weather a package has been picked up but would make it a lot clearer on when you can expect to call a package in. With the new system you can be standing next to Gus requesting a package without knowing if you were successful meaning you only know to start heading to the island when you receive the message telling you a pickup point, only problem with that is the fact that it takes on average around 15mins to actually get to the island as you now have to go by boat and then start opening your package. By that time people can easily collect your package and leave without you ever seeing them or interacting with them. This means you wasted your time and have nothing to show for the good 30 mins you have spent calling the package in and going out there and then coming back.
There is one way at the moment that you can sort of time it and that is when you do not receive a message from Gus after a request, if that happens then you can expect to receive a message from Gus with the pickup point and you can start making your way. You can also time yourself 30 mins from when you asked for the package in order to call in the next one. This method does not work 90% of the time as you are trying to be the one that gets the message when multiple groups are also trying meaning you will usually talk to Gus over and over incase another group is also trying to call a package in, if this is the case the successful request gets lost as you can't tell when you didn't receive a message when you made several requests in quick concession and the same message is sent after the successful request no matter the status of the package.
It used to be a lot simpler to know if you were successful or at least when you should start calling a package in as the message would change from "The package was picked up recently..." to "I have sent out a package..." With the successful request being at the exact change of the messages. You were able to know that you should maybe start asking Gus for a package if he was sending the first message and that it probably was not worth your while if you saw the second message when you start talking to him.
I think that some indication would be useful and I would back a suggestion to make some sort of change to the new message system but it totally depends on weather it would help or hinder RP if it was changed or if it would have very little affect to RP at all. If you decide to make a suggestion I would focus on the impacts that the change would make within RP as that is the most important factor when making a change to the server.
At the moment I would say that the system slows RP down due to being on a tight time schedule considering how long every step now takes and makes it very difficult to justify having long conversations and RP scenarios. People are usually at the island alone as there is very little need for multiple people and there is not much to entertain people for hours as you pick up a package. You would usually want someone to stay near your Gus to try and call in the next package. You don't bump into many people at all and if you do bump into someone you are usually trying to stay out of their way and only speak very briefly as you are passing because you are carrying valuable cargo, the longer you stay at the island and the more packages you collect the bigger the risk of losing more if someone were to rob you, meaning your time would not have much to show for multiple hours at the island, if there is good RP then fair enough but usually people will just rob you because they know what you must be carrying, dump the body so that nothing can come of it. Being robbed is very common on the island because of this and it has lead to wars multiple times in the past.
There is now somewhat of an agreement between a few gangs not to rob each other thanks to an RP scenario that started with a full on shootout at the island and then followed by the single biggest shootout I have ever seen and been a part of since playing, I would highly recommend watching a clip from the POV of police if you get the chance as their dispatch system went absolutely ballistic with the amount of reported gunshots that start popping up. The gunfight was a spectacle and was almost the beginning of a full on city wide war. I would argue that this sort of RP is amazing for the fact that something like that was settled through RP and did not lead to constant gunfire through the city for weeks and the full on report war that would have ensued.
There is now a repercussion for included groups that go against the agreement that would have huge financial costs should they rob another gang that is in the agreement. However, the worry of being robbed is still there as there are groups that are not part of the agreement yet and obviously anyone can get to the island and rob you no matter who they are.
What I am trying to say is no matter how the system works and what method of travel you can use to get to the island there will always be RP that comes from it and I would say that any change to make the process a bit clearer/easier so that people know when to start heading to the island, when they receive a successful message or when they should start tying to call in a package though Gus, would only help the RP as more people will be interested and actively going to the island with a clearer process in place.
Thank you for coming to my TED talk!
I am interested in hearing what you think about moving this over to a suggestion and if you think its worth while.
