Let's Talk About Police Pursuits in BeamNG.Drive

We all know that @Gamergull was hired by BeamNG to help put traffic in BeamNG.Drive. With development appearing underway, it can be assumed that traffic will appear in BeamNG.Drive at some point. One thing to note about the mod that started it all, was that it included a rudimentary police pursuit system. It was very basic, and nowhere near what an official system would appear like in BeamNG.Drive. Due to the fact that concept art exists for officers and vehicles in the traditional BeamNG art style, police will likely play a somewhat major role in career mode, .

I have a somewhat strange obsession with fictional law enforcement agencies, specifically in video games. There are nearly a hundred different video games, that if you asked me how the police force works and operates in the game, I could tell you every single detail. As someone who has put an unhealthy amount of time into BeamNG, it makes sense that I would care about their implementation in BeamNG.Drive.

Let's begin!

Basic Limitations and Expectations:

• Whatever system is added to the game will likely be optimized for certain official BeamNG maps. Firstly, some official BeamNG maps, like Gridmap, Port, or Hirochi Raceway have no roads or places for pursuits to take place. Secondly, abandoned maps like Jungle Rock Island, Small Island, and Industrial site would likely not have a standing police force, thus negating the likelihood of police appearing on the map. Lastly, mod maps are not official content, and the developers would likely not build the pursuit system for those maps. Hopefully, there will be means for modders to add support for their mod maps. I would personally expect official support for East Coast, USA, West Coast, USA, Utah, USA, and Italy at the very least. One could make an argument for the Automation Test Track, as it has a few rural roads and mountain passes, however most of the map is a vehicle testing facility, so it would likely be up to the developers to decide that. For the purposes of this, the Automation Test Track is not included.
• BeamNG strives to be realistic. This means that whatever pursuit system we see will not go full Need for Speed. This does not mean that the Police will be useless, as in real life, they are incredibly hard to evade. Realistic Police =/= Easy.
• BeamNG only features official land vehicles. This likely eliminates the possibility of a Police helicopter. This might be a good thing however, as in real life, police helicopters are almost impossible to escape, and a realistic police helicopter would be little fun to evade.
• BeamNG does not feature people or weapons in gameplay, so foot officers and gunfire would likely not appear.

The Pursuit System:
This section is going to start off as my own ideas, however, over time I will edit this section with community feedback, so hopefully it represents more of a "Community-Built" system so to speak.

Part 1: Vehicles and Equipment:

BeamNG does include a number of police cars. However, for this current system, each map requires two custom police cars. Each map features one "local" police car and one "pursuit" car. The reasoning for this divide will be explained later. Due to different hardware for different people, players have the option to choose how many police vehicles are spawned. The number of police vehicles is always even, as there is one Pursuit vehicle for every Patrol vehicle.

East Coast, USA:
Patrol Car:

The current Firwood Police design is based on the newer Pittsburgh Police livery. This livery was only applied to modern PPD vehicles, and the only vehicle that could fit this role is the Sunburst. There is already a FPD Sunburst in the game. To make it "Pursuit Ready" all it needs are spotlights, interior police equipment and a push bar. One thing to note, all Firwood Police vehicles should have all blue lights, as is required by Maine law.

Pursuit Car:

East Coast, USA is set in Maine, so the state police force would likely be based on the Maine State Police. However, the MSP is a real agency, so BeamNG might feature a "Maine State Patrol" or "Maine Highway Patrol" to avoid copyright concerns. The closest thing to a Ford Taurus in BeamNG would be the Hirochi Sunburst. With added police equipment, such a livery, push bar, emergency lights, spotlights, and interior police equipment, the Sunburst would make a formidable threat as a pursuit vehicle. This would not be based on the current Sunburst Police package, and rather be much faster, using performance parts from the RS or even race models. One thing to note, all Maine police vehicles should have all blue lights, as is required by Maine law.

West Coast, USA:

Patrol Car:

For some reason, the Belasco City Police Department is based on the Washington DC Metropolitan Police. For their patrol car, the Grand Marshal would make some sense. There is an official BCPD Grand Marshal in game, and it could likely be used in the pursuit system with little to no changes, although an addition of interior police equipment would be nice.

Pursuit Car:

West Coast, USA is set in California, so the state police force would likely be based on the California Highway Patrol. However, the CHP is a real agency, so BeamNG might feature a "California State Patrol" or "California State Police" to avoid copyright concerns. The closest thing to a Dodge Charger in BeamNG would be the Hirochi Sunburst. With added police equipment, such a livery, push bar, emergency lights, spotlights, and interior police equipment, the Sunburst would make a formidable threat as a pursuit vehicle. This would not be based on the current Sunburst Police package, and rather be much faster, using performance parts from the RS or even race models.

Utah, USA:
Patrol Car:

Utah does not feature any cities or towns, and thus would likely be patrolled by a more rural police force, such as a Sheriff's office. Utah is very rural, so a more off-road friendly vehicle like a Roamer or D-Series would suit the police force. Due to signage on the Utah map, Utah would be set somewhere around Grand County, Utah, and thus a similar fictional county would likely exist in game. Overall a police vehicle would require the standard police equipment, such a livery, push bar, emergency lights, spotlights, and interior police equipment.

Pursuit Car:

Utah, USA is set in Utah, so the state police force would likely be based on the Utah Highway Patrol. However, the UHP is a real agency, so BeamNG might feature a "Utah State Patrol" or "Utah State Police" to avoid copyright concerns. The closest thing to a Dodge Charger in BeamNG would be the Hirochi Sunburst. With added police equipment, such a livery, push bar, emergency lights, spotlights, and interior police equipment, the Sunburst would make a formidable threat as a pursuit vehicle. This would not be based on the current Sunburst Police package, and rather be much faster, using performance parts from the RS or even race models.

Italy:
Patrol Car:

Italy features numerous towns and cities, many of which may have their own municipal police forces. For this reason, it would make sense to instead only feature national police units. For a patrol car, the Hirochi Sunburst would fit Italy quite well. The Italian police used Subarus for a little while, thus making the Sunburst perfectly realistic for the Italian police. A Polizia Sunburst would likely be a mid-range AWD Sunburst with a livery, emergency lights, and a siren.


Pursuit Car:

Italy features numerous towns and cities, many of which may have their own municipal police forces. For this reason, it would make sense to instead only feature national police units. For a faster pursuit car, the ETK 800 series comes to mind. Similar BMWs are used by the Italian Polizia di Stato. A Polizia ETK 800 would likely be a high end ETK 800 with a livery, emergency lights, and a siren.


Props:
Spike Strips:

A spike strip prop would be needed for reasons described later. Not much to say here, it would just be a spike strip prop. One spike strip will be spawned for each patrol unit spawned.

Part 2: Patrol:

Police vehicles would roam the map similar to traffic cars. Police officers will attempt to stop the player's vehicle if they see them doing the following:

• Speeding
• Driving an excessively damaged vehicle
• Hitting traffic
• Extreme speeding*
• Hitting a police vehicle*
• Driving a vehicle wanted by the police*

*Police officers will not allow the player to pay a fine and leave if the player chooses to pull over, rather they will arrest the player once they stop.

Patrol vehicles are typically found driving around patrolling, and although less common than traffic cars, are somewhat common. They may frequently be found on the side of the road at speed traps. Pursuit vehicles are less common patrolling, and if they do appear, they are more likely at a speed trap.

If the player commits a number of driving offenses out of view of the police but in view of civilians, police cars will become more common, emulating a number of 911 calls to the area.

Police do not always detect some offenses, however offenses with an asterisk are always detected by police officers.

Part 3: Traffic Stops:

A system similar to Need for Speed (2015) would make sense for traffic stops. If the player is ordered to stop by a police car using it's lights/siren and/or loudspeaker, they have the option to pull over to the side of the road. If the player stops, the player has the option to pay a fine and be on their way. If the player is stopped for an offense labeled with an asterisk above, the police will instead instantly arrest the player. If the player refuses to stop and pay the fine, a pursuit will begin.

Part 4: Initial Pursuit:

The the local authorities (patrol units) will engage pursuit if the player refuses to stop and pay the fine, or if a wanted vehicle is spotted. Local units are somewhat aggressive, but not as aggressive as Pursuit Units described later. Local units will tail the suspect, and if the suspect slows, they will attempt to box them in. At low speeds they will attempt the PIT maneuver. If a pursuit becomes extremely dangerous, the pursuit may be called off for public safety and an APB will be put out for the suspect. If the player is in a larger vehicle, such as a DT40L or T-Series, the police will NOT pit the vehicle.

Part 5: Escalated Pursuit:

If the local authorities aren't able to contain the player, pursuit units are called in. Pursuit units are equipped with higher performance patrol cars easily able to keep up with many sports cars. Patrol units fall back in the pursuit, and are instead tasked with setting up Spike Strips. Ahead of the player, patrol cars will appear on the side of the road with a spike strip laid out across a lane of traffic. Although the spikes can easily take out your tires, the player should be equally concerned with Pursuit units. Pursuit units are State Police or Federal Police units, and are extremely aggressive. Their tactics are inspired by those of the Georgia State Patrol, which is known for being aggressive in how they stop police pursuits, for example using the PIT maneuver at 111 MPH. Basing the pursuit units off of the GSP's tactics allows for extremely capable and skilled police units that are both realistic and hard to evade. Once the suspect vehicle slows, a horde of patrol and pursuit units will swarm the player in an attempt to box them in. At this point, the pursuit can never be called off, and the PIT speed cap is lifted completely. As always, if the player is in a larger vehicle, such as a DT40L or T-Series, the police will NOT pit the vehicle.

*Roadblocks are not used in the pursuit system as they are very rarely used in real life, and extremely dangerous for officers to set up.

Part 6: Search Mode:

If the police lose sight of the player, they enter "Search Mode". In Search Mode, police units cut emergency lights and sirens to attempt to sneak up on the player, as well as using spotlights at night to see better. Search mode lasts for a few minutes until the police call off the search. If the player is spotted, the pursuit resumes.

Part 7: Getting Arrested/Consequences:

If the player is caught by the authorities, a "busted cutscene" similar to the official cutscenes in career mode should play. The player will face a number of consequences upon being busted.

• The player's vehicle will likely be damaged.
• The player's vehicle may be impounded for good if the player cannot pay their fines or if the player has gotten arrested a number of times.
• The player will face a massive fine calculated by all the driving offenses they committed and the damage they caused.
• Whatever mission the player was in (if in career mode) will be failed.

Part 8: If you escape the Police:

If the player escapes the authorities, the threat is not gone yet. An APB will be put out on the player's vehicle, and if any police officer spots it, the pursuit will begin again. If the player was in an Escalated Pursuit, Pursuit Units will be on scene in no time, as aggressive as always. Once the player goes to their garage, they should change their license plates. Being spotted with wanted license plates has consequences. Police officers will be on the search for the player still, and driving an identical vehicle as before makes the police more likely to investigate traffic offenses you commit. Respraying your car, modifying it, or using another vehicle lessens the chance of being spotted again. At this point, you would be able to continue gameplay as normal.

Part 9: Audio Improvements:

A major new feature introduced in the pursuit system is police radio chatter. If the player's vehicle is fitted with a police scanner, they can hear police radio chatter. This would be similar to Need For Speed and other video games.

Police vehicles would also be fitted with megaphones, allowing officers to shout commands at the player.

The police will speak in a number of languages depending on what language the player has the game set to. Likely audio will only be recorded for a few key languages, however subtitles may be included for other languages. A "Local Police" option similar to Need For Speed High Stakes will be introduced, allowing the player to force the police to speak in their native language. (English on WCA, Italian on Italy, etc.)

Part 10: Realism vs. Gameplay:

Although BeamNG strives to be as realistic as possible, total realism is not included in this system because total realism would not be as enjoyable of an experience. Some examples include:

• If you're arrested in real life, you are usually taken to jail for a long time. My Summer Car simulated this completely, and it is not fun. Due to this, a more NFS-esque punishment system is in place.
• If you crash your car at high speeds, you may very likely die. Again, permadeath or anything of the like is not fun, thus a more NFS-esque punishment system is in place.
• Many police forces have helicopters. 99% of the time, you cannot escape a helicopter. For this reason, they are not included.
• Different places have different tactics. In this system, the police in this system are based off of police forces in the Southeastern United States. Having a consistent system across all maps would make the police easier to for players to understand. This is also done because in many places police are not very aggressive and will call pursuits off early. That is not fun as well.

I personally see this as the ultimate pursuit system for BeamNG. However, now it is your turn to help make this the best system it can be. Any suggestions, feedback, discussion, etc. you have should post below. I will try to implement reasonable feedback into this post. If you like someone else's idea, use the ratings on the BeamNG forum to support it, alongside with needed feedback for the idea in question if you have it. More popular ideas will be added into this post. How do you want to see the police in BeamNG?

 

That’s quite the post. However, I’d like to point out that there is no official Firwood police livery, only one in the Fiction Police Pack by @OuDacai .

 

Nope, official since 0.4.3.1.

 

Ah, my bad. I was thinking of the Grand Marshal which has the modded skin.

 

Thats a very great idea. The only thing I don't like is that the Sunburst shouldn't be used.
1) The Sunburst is too light to PIT a lot of ingame cars and is too small to transport prisoners.
2) The Sunburst shouldn't be used on the American maps because it isn't a domestic car. Most if not all police agencies in the US use domestic cars (not including confiscated/donated vehicles).

 

-The Sunburst is perfectly capable of PITing most in game cars, given it has a push bar. I've pitted the Gavril D35 with ease using the Sunburst.

-The Sunburst is perfectly capable of transporting prisoners. Some agencies use the even smaller Ford Focus.

-Most agencies do use domestic cars, but there is no modern American car in the game. The Sunburst is used as an American police car in game already, and it has an American police package, so likely in the BeamNG universe it is a pretty popular police car in the States.

 

- Since when has the Sunburst had a pushbar? Do you mean the tube bumper for drift cars?
- I think that a modern American fullsize or large midsize would be a great addition and would open the door to modern muscle cars and police cars.

 

The push bar would have to be added, as stated in the original post.

 

Oops I misread that part of your post. Anyways, I feel that there is a gap in the current vehicle lineup that would check a lot of boxes if filled.

 

Really great and comprehensive post- you've got some really great ideas here!
I'd have to disagree with your exclusion of helicopters- they'd really give you a sense of "Hey, you're in trouble now!" They wouldn't have to be armed or even really do anything- just be marked with an appropriate livery and sort of hover overhead, following your car. They'd only show up late during escalated pursuits, and to evade them you'd need to go into a tunnel, or maybe even an area densely packed with trees or buildings. (in WCUSA, you could simply go into the city- restricted airspace) It would add a little extra bit of diversity, immersion and difficulty to your Career experience. I can't imagine this would be added when career first come sout though, as by that time we probably still won't have a helicopter.

 

Here's the issue:
BeamNG has VERY few tunnels or places to hide from a helicopter. Hiding in the trees doesn't work, most helicopters have IR systems.

But mainly:
The AI can't drive whatsoever, imagine giving them a helicopter.
--- Post updated ---

Yes. Personally I think, the most gaps that could possibly be filled is by adding an Australian sedan similar to the Holden Commodore, with a LHD Gavril rebadging used by the police, like the Caprice.

 

1. With map updates in the works currently, we truthfully don't know if more tunnels are going to be added, though this is highly unlikely. Maybe IR systems wouldn't be simulated?
2. I read somewhere that the AI is being reworked, but don't quote me on that. Yeah, the AI is a bit of an issue in that situation, but a workaround is to assign centain altitudes or designated flight paths around roads for the AI to "lock on" to, so that a helicopter isn't three miles in the air, but also doesn't dive-bomb you.This would also allow for the AI to sucsessfully manuever either around or over radio masts, trees and mountains.

 

- Map upgrades will not alter existing roads, tunnels will likely not be added.
- The helicopter would not use car AI, but rather it's own AI all together.
- BeamNG does not plan to make official aircraft.

All in all, the helicopter would be interesting, but is not feasible at this time. Thus, I will still exclude it.

 

I still disagree, but I see your point.

A bit offtopic here- I think a really interesting mission would be to evade the Firwood police in a '98 Pessima. Maybe it would be available if you hang out with the wrong people ingame-?

 

We need a rhino. (I'm not even sure if I'm kidding or not. The shock value of seeing something unexpected in the career mode police force would be great)

I wouldn't mind if the police are sightly insane. Not suicidal or derpy, just have a tendancy to go a tiny bit overboard. For comedic effect.

A mostly realistic collection of vehicles, tactics, and maybe even chosing not to pursuit like real police forces often do would be nice to see.

 

Early versions of this did include a helicopter, and I did want one. In many games, when the chopper shows up, you know shit's about to get real. However I designed this to be relatively simple and easy to be implemented in game, and the amount of work that would go into making a helicopter (physics, helicopter AI, etc.) would be extremely high. Many pursuit systems that have helicopters have the helicopter in an integral role. Building a system that would have a helicopter and not having one would hurt the system. Thus, I built the best system I could that did not include a helicopter.

TLDR: I wanted a helicopter, but I didn't include it because the developers would likely not include it, so I built a system that can work without a helicopter.

 

A bit offtopic here- I think a really interesting mission would be to evade the Firwood police in a '98 Pessima. Maybe it would be available if you hang out with the wrong people ingame-?

I'd love to be able to set the game on "Hell" difficulty and have the United States (or Italian) military show up...

 

I went with realistic but aggressive as all hell, AKA: Georgia State Patrol.

For those who don't know, they'll chase you till the wheels fall off, and will pit you at 120 MPH without a second thought. I've heard of their pursuits going up to 170 MPH at times. That was the inspiration for the pursuit units.

The locals are not as aggressive as the pursuit units, and they will call off pursuits if they get too dangerous.

 

It would be fun if you put them in NFS. However, if you put those police if BeamNG, the game would be impossible to play.

 

They're the high level units who would be called in much later in a pursuit. For someone who wants to just get away, the patrol units would be somewhat easy to ditch. For someone looking for a challenge, that's the pursuit units. Something for everyone.

Remember NFS MW2012? The CVPI units were really easy to evade, and if you didn't want to be in a pursuit, you could easily ditch them. Higher heat levels could get somewhat hard, but you had to intentionally get them. Same here.