Smuggler Archive
Thread: What does looting have to do with Smuggling?
Pretty simple question don't you think?
What does looting componets have to do with smuggling?
Are we going to be re-named: Theifs?
A year ago SoE rolled out 3 documents about the "Smuggler Revamp" (documents that are now gone) and included in that was the concept of SMUGGLER MISSIONS! Missions wherethe rewardswould be the components needed for slicing. Missions that were ALL about smuggling.
That we were promised.
You want to know why this "loot based" system completly sucks, because the REAL SMUGGLERS will be the Jedi and Full Combat Templates that hoard the loot and then sell them theus "Fake Smugglers".
Let's make it a contest!
(sigh)
MaxSteele wrote:
Let's see how many other times you can post this exact post verbatim in as many threads as possible.
Let's make it a contest!
(sigh)
I'm up to 2 or 3 I think. 
You can "sigh" all you want toand you can praise the "loot system" (after all, it is such an original concept) all you want. But it is nothing near what was promised and has nothing to do with smuggling.
But I will do fine as I can just get my Jedi to get all the loot for me, maybe he should get the Smuggler title.
(sigh)
Oh and since you seem to not recall what the REVAMP was suppose to be, here it is for you:
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
- A contact who works for Jabba could be located at Jabba’s Palace.
- A contact for the Empire might be found in Bestine.
Each contact will have 3 contracts available at any one time. The list of potential contracts will come from a large datatable of goods and delivery destinations. The system will mix and match goods & delivery destinations and destinations will be graded by difficulty. For example, a contact may have a load of giggledust for Anchorhead, a load of explosives for Mos Eisley, and an encrypted data disk for an anonymous pilot in orbit around Dathomir. Every 24 hours, the contact’s script will pick 3 new contracts (to keep each contact interesting).
Delivering the Goods
- A rival smuggler wants the contract and thinks he can take the goods from the player. After an exchange of words (and potential skill checks to smooth his way out of it) a battle ensues.
- Thugs from a rival faction arrive to shake up the smuggler a bit and convince him to stop dealing with his current contact.
- Storm troopers (or whatever planetary occupying force) appears to perform a convenient “routine scan.” Maybe they’ve been tipped off…either way it smells fishy and a fight might ensue.
- Pirates enter the sector and try to take the delivery by force.
- Similar events to those under ground, but in ships instead of on foot (rival smugglers, etc).
Option: Failure to Deliver
- 1st Point: Reduced reward for completing their next contract.
- 2nd Point: More reduced OR no reward for completing their next contract depending on the level of the Smuggler
- 3rd Point: NPC bounty hunter randomly dispatched to take the smuggler out. (No reward for a successful contract.)
- 4th Point: Powerful NPC bounty hunter randomly dispatched to take the smuggler out. (No reward for a successful contract.)
Part 2: Smuggler – Slicing
Overview
Jury rigging hardware is an iconic element of the Star Wars smuggler. Han Solo was known for his ability to make modifications on his ship or equipment and to barely keep things running in the face of trouble. In our game, we have chosen to call this slicing, a slight misuse of the term. Slicing is a core element of the smuggler profession in SWG, its one of the primary methods in which smugglers are able to make money and impact the game environment and economy.
The current slicing model lacks detail and gameplay. A smuggler is able to slice a limited number of values and the results of the slice are random. In addition, certain items let the smuggler bypass the slice completely and always succeed. The goal of the slicing enhancement will be to give smugglers more control over the results of their slices, as well as improve the gameplay element of slicing. Finally, smugglers will be giving some slicing options that can be used inside POB ships.
Gear Slicing (Weapons & Armor)
Every piece of sliceable equipment, such as weapons and armor will have a customization level from 0 to 100. Sliced effects placed on a weapon by Smugglers will increase the customization level.
Weapon Customization
A smuggler’s slicing skill level determines how much customization they can apply to a weapon and what kinds of customizing effects they can apply. A smuggler with 20 points of slicing skill can apply 20 points of customization to a weapon. A master smuggler with 100 points of slicing skill can apply 100 points of customization to a weapon.
The category of effects the smuggler can apply will be dependent on the type of item modified. A weapon could have its firing speed decreased and its damage output increased. Within each category of effects are a series of increasingly effective modifications:
Select Customization: DL-44 (Weapon)
- Increase Firing Rate
- Rebuild weapon body.
- Reduce barrel weight.
- Streamline load mechanism.
- Enhance Weapon Damage
- Replace stock capacitor.
- Overcharge energy core.
- Embed experimental core booster.
- Increase Critical Strike Chance
- Mount improved range finder.
- Notch and file grip.
- Install feather-touch trigger pull.
Each customization within a category is dependent on installing the customization before it, but customizations from different categories can co-exist. For example, the player couldn’t “Reduce barrel weight” until they have performed the “Rebuild weapon body” option, because the two come from the same category. However, the player could “Replace stock capacitor” and “Rebuild weapon body” because they come from different categories.
The quality of a bonus increases as you do more work in that category, but each bonus contributes to the weapon’s over all customization score. A smuggler can’t increase a weapon’s customization beyond his own skill level and the customization can never be more than 100. So the player could mix and match low end customizations from different categories, or go for the high end customization in a specific category.
The names of categories will depend on the type of item (ranged, melee, armor, etc).
Weapon Failure
As a weapon’s customization level increases, it’s propensity for failure also increases. There are two types of failure: out of tune and broken.
Out of Tune is a temporary decrease in a weapon’s function. This is not the same as hit point decay and it will not cause the item to become deleted. The higher the level of customization on a weapon, the more out of tune the weapon will become per use. The effects of this state will depend on the item. A weapon will do less damage. Armor will absorb less damage. A weapon may be retuned by any smuggler.
Broken items cannot be used. A weapon that is out of tune has a chance to break. Broken items cannot be used until a smuggler repairs them.
This creates a system by which players risk their customized weapons failing in exchange for better bonuses. It also applies a type of temporary decay that isn’t directly related to the weapon’s hit point decay, which may be circumvented by an anti-decay pack.
The Slicing Game
When a smuggler chooses to initiate a slice, a dialog will ask what kind of modification the player wants to apply. Once the player selects the slice, the slicing game begins. The slicing design allows for flexibility in fictional content, so that the slicing events and event responses make sense for the kind of item being sliced.
When the slicing game begins, a wireframe version of the weapon’s model will appear in the “wireframe model” window.
When the player presses the start button, the progress bar will begin to fill up. When the progress bar fills up completely, the slicing operation is done and the modification is applied to the weapon.
As the progress bar fills up, special events, written as text, will appear in the slicing event area. For example, while “overcharging the energy core” to get a damage bonus, the event “The weapon core is heating unexpectedly!” might appear in the event area. When this happens, the four buttons above the wireframe model become active, each with an option written below. These are the event responses. Different results will happen depending on the response the player picks. If our heating unexpectedly event fires, the four choices might be: A: Vent Core, B: Increase Core Power, C: Decrease Core Power, D: Ignore. Ignoring the option would do nothing, resulting in a chance of the event causing a reduction in the quality of the customization. Venting the core might prevent any damage from the core heating, but would move the progress indicator back. Increasing power would be a bad choice in this case, doing so would lower the quality meter. Decreasing the power would be the correct choice and would increase the quality of the customization. The order of the responses will be random, requiring the player to read for the correct response and select it in time.
The player must pick the right responses to increase the quality of the customization they are performing. When the progress meter is full, the final results of the customization are scaled by the amount of quality from 0 to 100%. A 0% mod would count as not having been applied.
The speed at which events appear and the diversity of events will depend on the difficulty of the slice being applied and the current complexity of the weapon.
Tools of the Trade
The previous tools for slicing, like laser knives, will be removed and replaced with a “Smuggler’s Tools.” The kit of tools will have a high number of charges, so smugglers won’t have to worry about constantly crafting slicing tools.
Weapon Customization Display
Customized attributes will be displayed when the weapon is examined:
Customization: 40%
Rebuilt body. +5% To Hit
Reduced barrel weight. +5% To Hit
Custom capacitor. +5% To Damage
This can be displayed below the standard weapon statistics.
Terminal & Container Slicing
Terminal and container slicing will remain relatively unchanged. They will use the mini-game, but for now there won’t be multiple levels of terminal and container slicing.
Message Edited by NihiMetal on 06-23-2005 05:01 PM
Now let me ask you, what does looting things have to do with being Discrete, avoiding conflict, and getting the goods delivered?
SoEwrote:
Smuggler – Smuggling Experience
Overview
The smuggler’s life is defined by danger. He is paid to be discrete, to avoid conflict, and to get his goods delivered on time. In the Star Wars film, we see Han Solo use his abilities to smuggle people through an Imperial blockade and we hear stories of his previous trouble with angry employers.
This experience will be introduced to Star Wars Galaxies through a smuggling quest system. Smugglers will move contraband from one location to another, with enemies at their heels and only their chosen companions and their trusted ship to aid them.
NihiMetal wrote:Pretty simple question don't you think?
What does looting componets have to do with smuggling?
Are we going to be re-named: Theifs?
A year ago SoE rolled out 3 documents about the "Smuggler Revamp" (documents that are now gone) and included in that was the concept of SMUGGLER MISSIONS! Missions wherethe rewardswould be the components needed for slicing. Missions that were ALL about smuggling.
That we were promised.
You want to know why this "loot based" system completly sucks, because the REAL SMUGGLERS will be the Jedi and Full Combat Templates that hoard the loot and then sell them theus "Fake Smugglers".
This has nothing to do with making Smugglers actually smuggle. It is a cop out! A "loot based" system is the only thing that SoE can do that works, so that is how everything in this game is implimented. And the only people that benifit from that are the ones in large guilds and/orhoard resources bycamping locations.That is now what the smuggler profession will become, another loot hoarder.
Read my RP answer thread for the RP answer...
Link it please, the "search" menu is not working on the forums.
maxtheusher wrote:
Read my RP answer thread for the RP answer...
Secondly, the "Smuggling Experience" isn't in this publish.
Third, GM told me at E3 that he didn't like how the IC Slicing System worked, so he changed it.
Like I said, life is change.
Also, you can absolutely "be discreet, avoid conflict, and get the goods delivered-"
Buy your components like Lando would have done.
Since they said that the missions would come after the slicing, your point is...... um...... hmm......
You are absolutely correct. There are no smuggler missions right now. This shouldn't really be a surprise since we were told that there wouldn't be.
Would you prefer that slicing remain broken for the time being? You would rather be upset about the known lack of smuggler missions than have something that works?
MISTagent01 wrote:
First off, those threads were THIS year, not last year.
Secondly, the "Smuggling Experience" isn't in this publish.
Third, GM told me at E3 that he didn't like how the IC Slicing System worked, so he changed it.
Like I said, life is change.
Also, you can absolutely "be discreet, avoid conflict, and get the goods delivered-"
Buy your components like Lando would have done.
QFE...
She said it so I didn't have to.
MISTagent01 wrote:
First off, those threads were THIS year, not last year.
Secondly, the "Smuggling Experience" isn't in this publish.
Third, GM told me at E3 that he didn't like how the IC Slicing System worked, so he changed it.
Like I said, life is change.
Also, you can absolutely "be discreet, avoid conflict, and get the goods delivered-"
Buy your components like Lando would have done.
I have no problem with change, which is why I advocated the CU and still love it. I realize that the actual "revamp" is not happening, but if they are going to a "loot based system" now, then that is a STRONG indiciation that the conponents will not be the reward for the smuggler missions.
Look, this change is not goingto hurt me at all. I will actually do quite well because I can hoard items just fine with my other characters and guild members.
The point is, it has nothing do with smuggling, that is all. Components were suppose to come via the smuggling. Good smugglers were able to accomplish the more difficult missions,not buy them.
Our professions is all about avoiding and evading combat, not having to take on high end mods to get our gear.
No biggie, if you like it then great. Let the looting begin.
Message Edited by NihiMetal on 06-23-2005 05:25 PM
NihiMetal wrote:
MISTagent01 wrote:
First off, those threads were THIS year, not last year.
Secondly, the "Smuggling Experience" isn't in this publish.
Third, GM told me at E3 that he didn't like how the IC Slicing System worked, so he changed it.
Like I said, life is change.
Also, you can absolutely "be discreet, avoid conflict, and get the goods delivered-"
Buy your components like Lando would have done.
I have no problem with change, which is why I advocated the CU and still love it. I realize that the actual "revamp" is not happening, but if they are going to a "loot based system" now, then that is a STRONG indiciation that the conponents will not be the reward for the smuggler missions.Look, this change is not goingto hurt me at all. I will actually do quite well because I can hoard items just fine with my other characters and guild members.
The point is, it has nothing do with smuggling, that is all. Components were suppose to come via the smuggling. Good smugglers were able to accomplish the more difficult missions, but buy them.
So if you had so much invested in that "Smuggler Concept" doc that you've re-posted, why can't this be the first step to implementing it?
Why can't they have the loot system go in first, having them drop off of NPCs, and then when they get the Smuggling missions in place, they move the loot tables from the NPCs out and about to the NPCs that are involved in the Smuggling missions?
I see this as the revamp *happening*. It's just one step at a time. Sure, I hope I'm not wrong, and I very well could be, but it looks to me like this is the first building block, and the next block is putting these components into Smuggling missions when they're created.