Big post coming up, this is part 1:
Theres a lot of buildings/occupancies that could be added to the game to make it more broad and allow for more mission types and variations. The list we have is already very expansive but I think having something similar to the NFIRS property use system would be great. Maybe not all of them but at least some. For those that are unaware, the system uses numbers for each type of property that FDs respond to. Here is the general structure:
- 100 series buildings are listed as assembly, this is stuff like movie theaters, clubs, ice rinks, arenas, and places where large groups of people gather in open spaces
- 200 series buildings are listed as educational buildings, schools, classrooms, day cares, etc. This would expand on what is in my district in the game (i have a college campus in my district with a lot of different buildings that have different occupancies and hazards associated with them)
- 300 series are healthcare, detention and corrections facilities, hosptials, jails, police stations, etc.
- 400 series are the residential occupancies, this section is broken down into very specific types, 1-2 family dwellings, dormitories, sororities/frat houses, hotels, etc.
- 500 series are businesses/commercial buildings, stores, banks, offices, service stations, etc.
- 600 series are industiral, utility, defense, agricultural, mining buildings. Mines, flammables production, military bases, substations, computers, etc. Mainly occupancies with a large population of people and a large amount of hazards associated with the building.
- 700 series are manufacturing and processing. Simple section, only one option because there would be too many different kinds of manufacturing facilities that make so many different things that it would make the list too long if we had one for every single type, so the only one is 700 Manufacturing and processing.
- 800 series are storage buildings, warehouses, cold storage, chemical tanks, fire stations, parking garages, etc
- 900 series is for special properties that might not fit the other ones like beaches, streets, rail yards, runways, tunnels, etc
- The last section has 3 codes, "000 for property use, other" which is for properties that either dont have a clear use or areas that dont fit any of the other use cases. UUU is for undetermined, for places that you cant determine what it is or what it is used for, and NNN for none meaning nothing was there.
It should be said that all of these sections have an option for an "other" type, so if you have a building in your district in game that you know is a warehouse but dont know what kind or what its for, you can list it as an 800 (storage, other).
Seeing a system similar to this to list out POIs and different occupancies in the game would make it so much easier to start missions based off the hazards associated with it. Using my district as an example, we have a college with a lot of different buildings there. The dorms and the frat houses are a good example because I cant make a differentiation between the two with the current POI system, but if we had a more in depth system, I could list the frat houses as property type 462 (Sorority, Fraternity house) and the dorms as 460 (Dormitory-type residence, other). Same with different buildings on campus, some are classrooms but have chemical storage attached to them, which would change it from a "school" POI to one of the other types of occupancies on the NFIRS system.
Before you say that this system is too complicated for a game, its surprisingly simple, and doesnt require memorization of numbers or anything, just knowing what a building is used for. It would allow for different missions to spawn at different locations and make the game more realistic with the hazards associated with a certain area rather than having 1or 2 ways to describe buildings as is true with the current system.
Here is a list of all of the occupancy options as outlined by NFIRS: https://osfm.fire.ca.gov/media/2811/propertyuse.pdf