Smuggler Archive

Ok, so the mini-game supposedly lets us slice how we want to so customers will come to us and say "I want the gun faster and to hit harder" or something similar. So that's good news, the random element is gone. No more futzing with 20 weapons hoping to get one really nice slice on the right stat. Of course, getting the slice right the first time means less cash for us. Sounds like the slicing process will take longer now and you'll have to pay close attention every time. That means when you get 3 customers lined up its going to take a while to finish them all.

Next up is weapon jamming. The more we slice the greater the chance that a weapon jams up. For us that's not a big deal, we can fix our own sliced weapons after the fight. However, now our customers have to consider the risks. Previously when you bought a sweet weapon the next step was to get it sliced. Now you have to consider whether you want to slice or keep the weapon more reliable.

Finally, repair service. If customers continue to demand sliced weapons (and I believe that they will) a large amount of those folks will likely jam their guns up eventually. The jam rate could be high or it could be low, but I predict a lot of "fix my gun plz" starport spamming. I think that's a good thing and even if you just charge a very small amount it could be a solid income, but after a while it might get annoying if you're constantly getting tells (maybe a fix-it kit would help?)

Any other thoughts?

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AngusMacGregor wrote:

This is what you do....

If you notice that you're getting a lot of /tells asking for slicing or whatnot to the point where it's taking away from your fun time.... you jack up your price until the annoyance factor vs. profit margin is exactly where you like it.

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yep. supply and demand.

"I dunno, I can imagine quite a bit."

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AngusMacGregor wrote:

This is what you do....

If you notice that you're getting a lot of /tells asking for slicing or whatnot to the point where it's taking away from your fun time.... you jack up your price until the annoyance factor vs. profit margin is exactly where you like it.

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Well, I'm just saying it could be annoying. These are people that can't hunt with broken guns and you're the only one standing in their way. You might get a lot of hassle when you try to reason with these folks.

I hope we can jury rig weapons. Like make them look uber and be uber for a short time, but soon enough they blow up in the users face.
That way slicing will be rarer, and require more interaction with a smuggler to know who wont mess you. It also means we can make crappy guns awesome for a short time and never be without firepower

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Phizuol wrote:

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AngusMacGregor wrote:

This is what you do....

If you notice that you're getting a lot of /tells asking for slicing or whatnot to the point where it's taking away from your fun time.... you jack up your price until the annoyance factor vs. profit margin is exactly where you like it.

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Well, I'm just saying it could be annoying. These are people that can't hunt with broken guns and you're the only one standing in their way. You might get a lot of hassle when you try to reason with these folks.

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If they hassle you, you double the price. If they hassle you more, quadruple it.

They'll either get the message and shut up, or they'll find someone else. For the rare breed of idiots that continue to hassle you, /addignore is a wonderful feature. Not to mention how fitting it would be next time they need something sliced, and you're the only Smuggler around.

"What? Did you say something? I can't hear you."

I guess its that rare breed of idiots that I'm always concerned about.

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Phizuol wrote:
I guess its that rare breed of idiots that I'm always concerned about.

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Learn to harness the power of /addignore. Give in to the Dark Side.

I just hope my ignore list isn't too full from all the buy/sell BARCs spammers.

It's their fault they want to run sliced weapons, not yours. If they give you *any* problems, start jacking up the price, and eventually, tell them to go away, and /ignore if necessary. This is also the point where having a network of fellow smugglers you know well comes in handy, because if I'm feeling particularly annoyed, I'll also start handing out names to my fellow smugglers on the server. I don't ask them to hike prices or deny service or anything... that's up to them. But I think we all know what most of us here would do if a fellow smuggler was getting harassed for slicing by PersonX.

Just remember: they always need you more than you need their credits. Slicing, Spices, and FP sales are NOT your only means of support, individually or collectively.

Out of boredom yesterday, I counted up the people on my addignore list...or tried to at least. I quit counting at 225. I'd say about 10-15 of those people were the "rare breed of idiot" that we dread dealing with as they drop our IQwith the black holes that reside in their heads. My spammer ignore list just keeps growing, and I've gotten to the point that if I even see someone repeat the same sentence once in less than 2 minutes I put that name on the list. Ask a dumb question? 90% chance you go on the list. Can't spell "you", "please", or "mate" then you go on the list.

"Wow Tas, that's kinda harsh." You'd think so, but the reality of this game is that I ALWAYS see someone new doing it. Subscriptions down and "SOE is reepin gwhat it sows!"? Oh I think not. CU has ensured I will continue to have a steady supply of Ignore List Ammo.

As for the mini-game, I plan on doing a set price/annoyance ratio. Here's how it works. Each slice will have a flat rate. The more you annoy me, the more damage I do to your weapon and your costs increase by 1/2. Dumb question? Oooh, looks like your SAC cost went up and so did the price. Don't like it? Oh man, now your reliability just dropped and you owe me 2x the starting price. Insults now? Keep talking please, I need something to drown out the noises of my knives cutting your weapon up like a dentist's drill. I never destroy a weapon, even if the person demands it back (usually with threats of CSR stuff)....nope, I just walk to the bazaar (you have to walk there too...it's key that your former customer sees where you are going), then place it up for sale at whatever you last set the price + the bazaar interest. Then walk away.

If he challenges you to a duel then you slam him with concussion shot (since it's being changed to a break on damage paralysis). 40 seconds...40 seconds of him unable to anything to you. That's a long time for you to pee on his shoes in public...or doodle on his face with a marker. 39 seconds in, end the duel and walk away.