Parsil
Radio Bob Approved
- Joined
- Sep 9, 2021
- Messages
- 170
- Thread Author
- #1
Telephones! The greatest invention of the 19th Century, but oddly absent from HL2RP. I've been thinking of writing a suggestion in favour of adding them for some time, and i've finally gotten around to doing it.
This suggestion will include a variety of ways telephones can be implemented, with their ups, downs and possible RP opportunities.
Method 1: Payphones
With the anniversary event kicking off, and with the switch to i17, i couldn't help but notice the amount of payphones dotted around the place, in this case, with missing handsets. Here's what i propose:
The CWU installs payphones in and around the city. To use them, a citizen simply needs to approach it, input their payment details (either their CID or alternatively a rechargable phone card purchasable in shops) and type the number they want to call. Then the phone rings, and if someone picks up on the other side, they answer and a conversation starts. I'm sure you know how phones work, so i won't bore you with details regarding that. So, who would you be calling? You could call either another payphone by inputting the corresponding payphone number or a private landline (we'll get to those later). Depending on the length of the conversation, the cost of that one call will increase. Say, two credits a minute. Periodically, a CWU member would then go around the city, opening up the phones with a special key (similar to the vending machine keys) and collect the sweet, sweet credits from them.
Method 2: Landlines
But, maybe using a payphone is too exposing for you. Too unsanitary, too much of a "commoner" thing to do. Then the CWU has got you covered. For the low price of whatever arbitrary installation cost, plus i imagine a weekly phone bill, you can have your very own private phone, complete with phone number. This can be very useful to shops, departments, ministries, the CCA and many more applications i can't possibly list. I'd imagine, though, that giving out phone numbers willy nilly would give some "ill-intentioned slum dwellers" an easy way to communicate over long distances without using a radio, and speak of the anonimity! Therefore, i suggest that private, individual phone ownership be limited to Tier-4+ citizens. I'm sure the worker's union can strike deals with businesses and ministries to accomodate phone usage on a case to case basis.
RP Benefits phones would bring to the table:
Semi-Anonymous, individual calls: I'm sure our rebel friends would appreciate this one. Having what is essentially a radio with which to communicate on the individual level would make organizing and giving status updates way easier and convenient. Here's an idea: Imagine a rebel group is dead set on murdering... idk what to call him, say he's called John. Yeah, so say John is a high-level target, maybe because of his snitching, betrayals, whatever. One of the rebels involved spots him going into a bar. He quickly rushes to a payphone, puts in whatever credits needed and calls another payphone on the other side of the map. He yells through the phone: "John's going into the bar, get ready to beat the crap out of him!". They head in there beat him to a pulp, problem solved. This easy communication isn't without fail, because...
Wiretapping: This will make OSI very happy, i'm sure. Say the Combine have their eyes on a suspicious outer party member. They constantly see him on the phone, and have noticed some irregular credit transfers coming in and out of his account. What to do now? Simple: tap into his phone line, and record whatever conversations he's making, printed out in a neat conversation log each time. I would imagine that public payphones would be heavily monitored for potential "magical-thinking", so rebels would have to invent codewords, or something. Such a device would not only be available on the Combine side, but on the Rebel side as well, albeit with a high degree of crafting experience required, and a whole lot of electronic parts. Say a group manages to get one of their boys to be the secretary for the CA. You can then sneak a wiretap in your pocket, and covertly install it to the CA's landline, recording every angry conversation he has with ministers and directors.
Secretary Work: Speaking of secretaries, why not make a secretary's work more interesting? I'm already imagining the absolute THRILL of sitting at a desk and repeating "Office of the Vice-Administrator, how can i help you today?" for hours on end. But seriously, imagine scheduling appointments, meetings, relaying messages... The list goes on.
Stores: Businesses would likely benefit the most from the introduction of phones. A restaurant could reserve a table at a certain time, or they could introduce a delivery system, where someone calls the store and orders what they need, to be delivered to a specific location. Someone could call and ask if they're open, or ask if an item is in stock. A library could reserve books to be picked up later in the day, or maybe a shop specializing in clothing can schedule an appointment to have a "custom fit" applied to their suit.
I am just throwing ideas out there, i'm sure that if this gets accepted people will find other ways to use phones to their advantage, or to someone's disadvantage.
Open to debate/discussion, watcha think? Am i full of baloney or am i up to something here? Let me know!
This suggestion will include a variety of ways telephones can be implemented, with their ups, downs and possible RP opportunities.
Method 1: Payphones
The CWU installs payphones in and around the city. To use them, a citizen simply needs to approach it, input their payment details (either their CID or alternatively a rechargable phone card purchasable in shops) and type the number they want to call. Then the phone rings, and if someone picks up on the other side, they answer and a conversation starts. I'm sure you know how phones work, so i won't bore you with details regarding that. So, who would you be calling? You could call either another payphone by inputting the corresponding payphone number or a private landline (we'll get to those later). Depending on the length of the conversation, the cost of that one call will increase. Say, two credits a minute. Periodically, a CWU member would then go around the city, opening up the phones with a special key (similar to the vending machine keys) and collect the sweet, sweet credits from them.
Method 2: Landlines
RP Benefits phones would bring to the table:
Semi-Anonymous, individual calls: I'm sure our rebel friends would appreciate this one. Having what is essentially a radio with which to communicate on the individual level would make organizing and giving status updates way easier and convenient. Here's an idea: Imagine a rebel group is dead set on murdering... idk what to call him, say he's called John. Yeah, so say John is a high-level target, maybe because of his snitching, betrayals, whatever. One of the rebels involved spots him going into a bar. He quickly rushes to a payphone, puts in whatever credits needed and calls another payphone on the other side of the map. He yells through the phone: "John's going into the bar, get ready to beat the crap out of him!". They head in there beat him to a pulp, problem solved. This easy communication isn't without fail, because...
Wiretapping: This will make OSI very happy, i'm sure. Say the Combine have their eyes on a suspicious outer party member. They constantly see him on the phone, and have noticed some irregular credit transfers coming in and out of his account. What to do now? Simple: tap into his phone line, and record whatever conversations he's making, printed out in a neat conversation log each time. I would imagine that public payphones would be heavily monitored for potential "magical-thinking", so rebels would have to invent codewords, or something. Such a device would not only be available on the Combine side, but on the Rebel side as well, albeit with a high degree of crafting experience required, and a whole lot of electronic parts. Say a group manages to get one of their boys to be the secretary for the CA. You can then sneak a wiretap in your pocket, and covertly install it to the CA's landline, recording every angry conversation he has with ministers and directors.
Secretary Work: Speaking of secretaries, why not make a secretary's work more interesting? I'm already imagining the absolute THRILL of sitting at a desk and repeating "Office of the Vice-Administrator, how can i help you today?" for hours on end. But seriously, imagine scheduling appointments, meetings, relaying messages... The list goes on.
Stores: Businesses would likely benefit the most from the introduction of phones. A restaurant could reserve a table at a certain time, or they could introduce a delivery system, where someone calls the store and orders what they need, to be delivered to a specific location. Someone could call and ask if they're open, or ask if an item is in stock. A library could reserve books to be picked up later in the day, or maybe a shop specializing in clothing can schedule an appointment to have a "custom fit" applied to their suit.
I am just throwing ideas out there, i'm sure that if this gets accepted people will find other ways to use phones to their advantage, or to someone's disadvantage.
Open to debate/discussion, watcha think? Am i full of baloney or am i up to something here? Let me know!
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