Pilot Archive

Well...I did a little bit of homework and didn't seem to see anything 


exactly like this topic I'm posting, so I thought I'd give it a go.





Many people notice that with their various YT-1300s or other such 


ships, they have a very high rate of unused mass.  (I've read that these 


ships have about 5 million mass or more.)  Well...seeing as how it's 


basically unused space, why not implement a new system to benefit both 


pilots and smugglers.  Allow Shipwrights to create storage compartments for 


starships.  Let's say they could be made to be around 50k mass, so 


theoretically even an X-wing with the bare minimum components could install 


one....but obviously at the heavy cost of performance.  This would also 


allow a pilot to use up the unused mass in his or her starship.  But 


what could these storage compartments be used for?  Hmmm...well, I think 


the first and most obvious use would be for cargo transportation, and 


SMUGGLING!  Let's face it...not every person who jumps into a cockpit 


wants to constantly, mindlessly go out and blow up TIE fighters all day.  


This would add some variety to space and give those who aren't 


necessarily a very combat loving person the option to also get full use of JTL.





Mission terminals could be added to starports with listings of 


available delivery missions, kinda like on the ground.  This missions could 


vary in size, difficulty, and cargo.  Perhaps a YT-1300 with alot of 


storage compartment space could pick up a medical supply cargo on Corellia 


bound for the Dantooine Mining Outpost, a few passengers for 


transportation to Mos Espa on Tatooine, and food supplies for delivery to the 


Yavin 4 Labor Outpost.  (Let's just say that each load of cargo would be 


about 500k mass in size, but other less paying missions could be lower 


mass.)  These three accepted missions would amount to 1.5 million mass of 


storage space used...and perhaps each mission could pay 10k.  That's a 


30k cargo load right there.  So you head to Dantooine with the medical 


supplies and land at the designated outpost, you get mission complete 


and 10,000 credits.  But now you have an open 500k mass in your storage 


compartments.  So now you hit the terminal again and grab a 500k mass 


load of sensor equipment bound for Mos Espa on Tatooine for 10k.  You 


just made 10k and now have 20k worth of cargo bound for Tatooine.  You 


lift off and hyper to the Tatooine system.  While heading to the space 


station to get landing clearance, you get jumped by a trio of Tier 3 Hutt 


fighters who want your cargo and will get it if you get destroyed.  Now 


you could try and fight it out if you like space combat, or hit the 


boosters and make a run for it to the station.  So you manage to escape 


and land at Mos Espa, and deliver both cargos, snagging 20k and bringing 


your total cash to 30k now.  Now you have 1 million mass clear in your 


bay for the final run to the Yavin 4 labor outpost.  You grab two final 


missions, both bound for Yavin 4 Labor outpost...500k of passengers and 


500k of R3-units.  You lift off, jump, and make it to Yavin 4 labor 


outpost without a hitch.  You land and are now awarded 30k for all three 


loads of cargo, bringing your cash to 60k now.  Now you want to return 


to Coronet, so you grab three loads of passengers bound for Coronet from 


Yavin 4.  Each pays 10k once again...so when you return to 


Coronet...you get another 30k cash, making your total earned credits 90,000 for 


about 30-40 minutes of work.  The possibilities are endless and could be 


alot of fun.  Obviously the money and mass totals could be hammered out, 


but you get the picture.





But then it could get interesting.  In addition to just regular mission 


terminals, there could be faction delivery terminals and illegal cargo 


(smuggling) terminals.  The faction terminals could be similar to what 


I just desribed but would award FP and be more dangerous with ambushed 


by the opposite faction.  The faction terms could also only be used by 


the appropriate faction.  Then the smuggling terminal could be 


available to anyone, but only Smugglers would get the real high paying, tricky 


missions that would require clever flying, underworld connections, and 


sneaky tactics to get the job done.  The risk would definately make the 


rewards worth it.  Let's say you take a 500k paying slave cargo of 1 


million mass.  During the transit, you get jumped by six Tier 5 CorSec 


authorities that want to scan your cargo and will take you and your cargo 


into their possession if their contents are discovered.  Being illegal 


goods, you know you'd be in alot of trouble if you get busted.  (Maybe 


make a penalty of no smuggling terminal use for 24 in game hours.)  So 


you decide to either run for it...or dump the cargo, which will then 


make you owe the mission creator 500k  The cargo dumping could actually 


benefit the Bounty Hunters too to allow them to take a mission out on 


the player who doesn't pay back for the cargo he just dumped in a certain 


amount of time.  It wouldn't be forced PvP, but the risks of it would 


desway some people from trying the tough smuggling missions.  The 


benefit of actually being a smuggler when taking the illegal cargo missions 


would be that you could put the scan avoidance skills to good use.  


Maybe you could smooth talk your way out of a scan or shield your ships 


contents of slaves with the appearance of floral life from Endor.  





I really feel this would add to the Pilot profession, and definately 


the Smuggling profession.  (Sorry for posting this in both Pilot and 


Smuggler, but I felt both topics warrant it to be put in both.)  Let me 


know what you think, and if you'd like to see this implemented...don't 


hesitate to /sign it.  :-)





Tev' M'Kaneen


-Scylla-