Tried your Cruise add-on, and have few comments to make.
First off, you should make certain assumptions.
People looking for your cruise addon may not know how to use lapper, or even if they have used it, maybe they don't know how or want to know how to change the standard configuration files.
Therefore, maybe you should think about modifying and supplying new addonsused.lpr file, and advising that the original file (where to find it) should be overwritten with your file.
And you need a help/instruction file.
Not long after I started my offline local LFS server and LFS itself, I got few errors regarding the Cruise_Police.txt and Cruise_Tow.txt files not existing. Are new users meant to make their own blank txt files along with Police and Tow folders? If so, where? Should your cruise addon do it for them?
How do you become Police? What about Tow?
Your addon could use some sort of help function specific to the addon. Maybe !cruisehelp or !cruise command that gives some details?
For instance, are users meant to assume because they have the cruise.lpr file in right place and part of the addons, that cruise is now working?
Took me a little while to realise that I needed to type !mode cruise (never mind the other choices available).
Once I did that, I got a short welcome message. This was on for too short a time - either it needs more time, or a close button? Also, it refers to typing !rules. My server doesn't have a !rules page, and !rules isn't part of your addon. Maybe refer this to your !cruisehelp (if you make such a thing), or just refer to the standard !help function.
Once this message disappeared, then got lines telling me what cars, money, health, etc, that I had. This appeared at top of screen, was there for few seconds, then went (same as would happen with any /msg type message. At same time as this text appeared, small dark button appeared on bottom left of my screen. This stayed. I assume that both text and button should have been my HUD?
I note that your cruise.lpr refers to certain sections of some tracks, where I assume certain activities or commands can be carried out. It's not obvious where these locations are. Have you got some track layouts that your server uses for these activities/commands to work? If so, should these be bundled up with your addon? If you did include them, you'd need to give instructions on where to put layouts and how to load them. Lots of people don't know these details.
I drove few laps of Blackwood with cruise addon enabled, but nothing happened anywhere. Having never used the cruise function of LFS, or having been done any LFS cruise, I don't know what I'm supposed to do/not do. An addon or help or instructions should tell me. Don't tell me on the forum! Make it obvious to us cruise noobies with some sort of help.
Looking thru some of your code (majority of which is way above my level!), I see that some CASE commands start with ! (e.g. !Bank) but some don't (e.g. deposit). You should think about not only standardizing this, but think about if someone asks another user a question and likely answers that might involve these words
e.g.
Will this free text messaging (in this case "deposit") fire off lapper to do something?
Drift Mode - changed from cruise to drift mode, and drift score buttons appeared at bottom left of screen. All scores blank. No matter how much I drifted these didn't change. Worse, I had my own driftmeter.lpr function enabled, so this overlaid your buttons. Was I doing something wrong, or did I have wrong thing/addon enabled?
If you could address these various issues, I'd like to have another look at your cruise addon.
Don't take above as negative criticism!
I'd like to see you get this working - it's the sort of things my sons might be interested in trying.
I did say not to take as negative criticism! It's meant to be constructive; to move things on. I'm an idiot, so I'm the one you need to make it proof against!
I'm seriously impressed with what you've done, and I'd like to see it work.
Help - problem I have is same as everyone else - we're lazy and don't always read as much as we should.
HUD - Is this meant to be on all time?
I changed part of your code to get information to appear in the HUD, but nothing would update, so (obviously) I did something wrong.
Changed from
to
Should it matter if there's a happy hour for info to appear?
Also, under Sub Cruise_Wel_Close, you have Cruise_HUD( $userName ); twice. Don't know if that makes any difference to anything.
And under GlobalVar $Food; you have most of your food as $Food["Price","..... except Hamburger, which you have as $Food_Price["Hamburger.... is that right? Does it matter?
As an aside, when I was reading the menu part of your script, especially the health, I thought some of these items should have a negative worth! Maybe you should add something like $Food["Health","All day breakfast"] = "-1.00";!!
Do you have a copy of the BL1 layout you use and could share? Maybe things will make more sense to me if I have that loaded.
OK, was trying to think of some ideas for you - came up with a few.
Not sure how original they are (they're original for me though), or if they'd even be wanted, but with lapper they should all be achievable.
Delivery Drop against the Clock
Go to track point A, pick up an item, and drop off item at track point B.
Make it so that you have to go faster than speed limit to get from A to B, with risk of being fined for breaking speed limit. Maybe faster you do it, more money you can make, with risk of larger fines if caught speeding way above limit.
Criminal Contraband
Bit like Delivery Drop, except you have to pick up contraband goods, do a minimum number of laps then drop them off. Different goods worth different amounts.
If you're caught breaking law (speeding, etc), then you're busted for carrying contraband. Maybe more than contraband worth.
More the goods are worth, more laps you have to do. More chance of being caught.
You can add extra in that if an other driver fingers you when you're carrying, you get busted and they get reward. However, if they finger someone that's not carrying, they have to transfer part of their cash to the person they falsely accused, and maybe they have to go to jail (pits).
Secret Stash
The Admin(s) "stash" money/goods at various parts (in a zone) of the track.
If driver stops in right place, and correctly identifies what is stashed (maybe various choices given in your help file - make people have to read it!) then they get the stash. But wrong goods, right place, gets them nothing. Right goods, right place gets you the goods, but empties the stash (maybe till all stash's are gone).
However, to make a 'guess' on goods and location, it costs them - bit like buying a lottery ticket. Maybe only small number of guesses per lap.
Of course, Admin(s) would have to add locations and stash in their own Cruise.lpr file - otherwise, these people who could read your script would win big! And you'd have to change goods/location every so often (once a week?).
Delivery Drop against the Clock AKA Jobs im working on
Secret Stash Will add
Criminal Contraband i would add this but it deals with drugs (some people don't like servers that promote this) i was thinking of this except with alcohol
Only when the proper tax has been paid on them, maybe?
I looked up the ATF site, that probably should be called the ATFE now with the addition of explosives. Or FEAT? FATE? Not FETA, as people would think cheese was illegal.
Normally when we talk about things being contraband, we think about things that are illegal. However, any goods can be considered contraband.
In a war between 2 countries, almost anything being exported to one of these countries would be considered as contraband by the other.
In a prison, it would be anything that could help you escape, let you communicate at will to outside world or something that could harm you or others.
Lots of hospitals, etc., have contraband items including food, and over the counter medicines.
For all we know, the Vatican could consider contraceptives and Viagra as contraband if you have that type of stuff while trying to visit them!
How about;
contraband (unspecified)
contraband alcohol
contraband cigarettes
contraband fakes (watches, perfume, etc)
contraband fish (selling fish over and above the quota you were given)
contraband bootleg digital media (including region free DVD discs)
contraband bootleg electronics (including region free DVD players)
contraband foodstuff (including chinese feta cheese!)
contraband bootleg clothing (including fake LFS t-shirts!) - this could be a mandatory /ban offence if caught!