Smuggler Archive
Thread: Revamp Discussion: Contraband & Smuggling Missions
SBRD0C wrote:
You defeat your own point here.. you suggest we use the current system for normal Illegal Items, that has already gotten us nothing, we (and the rest of the playerbase) literally have absolutely nothing to lose in switching to a different system likethe one GM has suggested.
Daker-Naritus wrote:
The important difference is that there is no forced PvP, and no further inconvenience for buy a smuggler's wares. According to your logic (that people will want to use smugglers to avoid the checks) people should be using smugglers to avoid those checks as we speak.....how many times have you been hired to smuggle guns and spices lately? Huh? Never?
I rest.
Ah wrong. Absolutely wrong.
There is a BIG difference between items like guns and armor that you use ever single second of every single day and other items that you only occassionally need (maybe once or twice a month).
What I am saying is to NOT increase the penalties on the everyday items, and to bring down the house down (as in huge regiments of storm troopers) on the occassional items.
The net result is: You will not need a smuggler every single day, and smuggler will not be your "gun squire" (running along side you with your gun like in indentured servant). BUT, you may need a smuggler 1-2 times a month to smuggle something for you. With over classes of people, and less than 5% of players being smugglers, chances are that 1-2 times a month per person will provide smugglers with a steady stream of things to do.
Whatare thoseitems that you will need 1-2 times a month? I have no idea. That is why we are having this discussion is to propose ideas. If you don't like my ideas, at least try to propose something different.
The idea of having a "caught" player attacked and items confiscated would be a good idea IF the NPC attacking him scaled in difficulty level. Any current stormy attacking a high level PC is a joke. If this system gets implemented, there should be great care in ensuring that the penalty of getting caught doesn't turn into some silly faction farm opportunity. I mean, a stormy attacking someone with a master in an elite combat profession is like being attacked by the meatlumps outside coronet.
There needs to be some bite in the penalty for being caught.
I propose that a "caught" player be attacked by a spawned NPC whose difficulty level scales to the combat effectiveness as the offender. If a newb rifleman gets caught, then a group of low-level NPCs should spawn. If a grouped master fencer gets caught, then a group of level 100 NPCs should spawn.
In essence, the smuggler should be attacked with such overwhelming force, that fleeing would be his best option. Don't turn scanning into a trivial faction farm opportunity. Just as it is currently.
I also forsee smugglers taking advantage of grouping with others at starports much the same way Jedi take advantage of grouping to gain GTEF on anyone attacking them. Smugglers may group just so they can erase the possibility of defeat if caught and attacked.
I also don't understand this fixation on allowing Imperial smugglers do get away with getting past scans. Sure, in the role-playing sense an imperial officer wouldn't get scanned by a junior officer, but in the game-play sense, this is way unfair and unbalanced. You need to get your writers get together and find a way to allow EQUAL opportunity for ALL factions to get scanned and penalized if caught.
Perhaps in Imperial controlled towns you could have a storyline where Imperial soldiers scan rebels.
In outlaw areas such as Moenia or outposts on adventure planets you could have a storyline where two-bit "rebel-aligned" thugs mug you if they find illegal contraband using one of their secret hidden scanning devices on you as you step off a shuttle.
In both cases the smuggler should be given two choices: (1) flee or (2) fight. If the smuggler chooses to fight and eventually wins, his visibility should be raised and he be put on a bounty terminal for murdering an Imperial soldier, or murdering an underworld thug. If he flees and gets away, no visibility will be increased. The point is: there should be REAL consequences to either choice.
silversaber wrote:
First, the Devs said that players would be able to participate in the GCW without PvP. Then they broke thier word and made PvP in the GCWinevetable.
Iground my teeth in frustration and rage and forsook the GCW and went smuggler.
Now the Devs are threatining to take THAT away from me by making it PvP.
GM, if you make PvP non-consential in Smugglinglike you didwith the GCW, I give up.
You will have taken the two things that I love the most in Star Wars, and made this gameno longer funfor me.
And the arguement that , if you dont want PvP dont carry or smuggle items is utter BS!
You folks have enough PvP in the frigging GCW!
Now you want to take the Smuggler profession away.
If this happens, this game is officially dead.
D E A D.
Message Edited by SBRD0C on 06-16-2004 07:49 PM
SBRD0C wrote:
Truly Under this System Smugglers would have the most control of thier own invovlement in PvP. I can understand your not wanting to fight the 'Elite PvP Dudes" They can really ruin the game, but at the same time I have to question what part of Massive Multiplayer implies that you should never, ever have to face another player in combat?
Also, considering there is no penalty at all for death in the game, I think you should try a bit of random PvP.. you got nothing to lose, and you might like it...
Message Edited by SBRD0C on 06-16-2004 07:49 PM
Its called Everquest, one of THE most popular MMORPGs in the market.
And no, I will nave NOTHING to do with PvP.
I have NEVER had a good experience in PvP.
JTGAlpha wrote:
What I am saying is that no one is EVER going to hire a smuggler just to move a sliced gun or a spice through a star port. They will either (1) gun though, or (2) not carry it at all. It this circumstance, smugglers CAN'T be slice and spice jockeys, and WON'T be smugglers either. Annoying services = no one will use them. Annoying = paying for services, and then paying again each time you want to planet hop after moving those services.
I am advocating a different 2 tiered approach:
(0) Not illegal: Skill tapes, cool furniture, cool clothing,and items like that what smugglers can choose to sell. These can ONLY be acquired through smuggling, and the buyer incurs no penalties for possession (the penalty is to the smuggler who acquires the item).
(1) Somewhat illegal: Current contraband items. Spices, slices, etc. No BH terminals, the person just gets a TEF just like they do now. There is no reason to further inconvience players for smuggler products. EXACTLY THE SAME AS NOW. That's why we get paid to remove them if it gets too hot. And it's not like the BH will drop from the ceiling as soon as they get caught. Forgive me but I really DIDN'T know this was the problem. People will have ample time to have us adjust their visibillity. It's not like Bounty Hunters are going to be lined up at the Starport. In this instance the same inconveniences exist except for your "forced" PvP which isn't forced at all. We can help them avoid it, either by escorting them or slicing for them. Either way it's money for us and it's not exactly instantaneous.
The point is people DON'T have time to adjust their visibility. If I want to go to dath and my visibility is high, the ONLY way I can "adjust" that visibility is to sit on my current planet for a week and let it wear off. If I play 2 hours a night I REFUSE to spend more any more time than necessary fighting to get from planet to planet. What you are proposing is to ruin my game experience for the night by forcing me to pay you andto waste my time searching for you to escort me to another planet. That is wrong. I will simply stop using slices and spices (truthfully I already have just for that reason) to aviod the delays.
If I have to constantly ask myself whether I can travel from planet to planet without being forced into PVP (I absolutely hate pvp) I will simply stop using sliced items. That does not generate money for you at all. People not slicing items (because its annoying)+ people not paying for smuggler services (either gunning through not not slicing items) = NO MONEY FOR YOU.
(2) Highly illegal: You seem intent on arguing with anything I say, so I will leave it to you to fill this out. However it DOES NOT include sliced guns and armor, or spices. Again, what's the difference? People are STILL going to be inconvenienced and "forced" to PvP. Just possibly less of them.
The important difference is that there is no forced PvP, yes there is, just people with whatever items you want to add to the "highly" illegal list. and no further inconvenience for buy a smuggler's wares.There WILL be inconvencience though. They'll be attacked at the starport if they're caught by NPC's. But I dont' believe that inconvenience is too great. According to your logic (that people will want to use smugglers to avoid the checks) people should be using smugglers to avoid those checks as we speak.....how many times have you been hired to smuggle guns and spices lately? Huh? Never?
The point is that you need guns and armor EVERY night. The items I am proposing for the "Highly illegal" list are items you would need 1-2 times a month. A big list of items that periodically forces you to use a smugglers services. It's not game breaking, its not every night. But ocassionally, you get paid.
silversaber wrote:
SBRD0C wrote:
Truly Under this System Smugglers would have the most control of thier own invovlement in PvP. I can understand your not wanting to fight the 'Elite PvP Dudes" They can really ruin the game, but at the same time I have to question what part of Massive Multiplayer implies that you should never, ever have to face another player in combat?
Also, considering there is no penalty at all for death in the game, I think you should try a bit of random PvP.. you got nothing to lose, and you might like it...
Message Edited by SBRD0C on 06-16-2004 07:49 PM
Its called Everquest, one of THE most popular MMORPGs in the market.
And no, I will nave NOTHING to do with PvP.
I have NEVER had a good experience in PvP.
I suggest you relax man. Under this system i easily see that a player will have to mess up very badly (as a non-smuggler) to get on the BH terms. If you play as a smuggler silversaber, all you have to do is take your missions from your crimelord and follow them to the letter of the law. If you don't steal your shipment or purposefully mess them up, you won't get on the BH terminals. Furthermore, if your "visibility" gets to high you can just lay low until is lowers or hire another smuggler to get yourself off the BH terms.
How you can go on saying that they are forcing PvP on you is beyond me. If you're a good boy you'll be fine. If you're a bad boy like me... well there's a hoot of excitement to enjoy 
It's a pity you're so closed about the subject, it must hurt being like that *pokes silversaber* *hug*
silversaber wrote:
Its called Everquest, one of THE most popular MMORPGs in the market.
And no, I will nave NOTHING to do with PvP.
I have NEVER had a good experience in PvP.
I Still Play EQ, though it does not have a Robust PvP system the ability is still there, through use of /duel and through playing on the PvP servers. Though most EQ players tend not to prefer PvP for some reason.. could be because SOE never balanced the classes properly... That problem exists here, but hopefully not for long.
If you've ever Played DAOC, it has a Very robust PvP system, that as I understand rather sucked in the beginning(like ours) but now that it has been more balanced is one of the jewels of MMOs
Jhovial wrote:
Your current suggestions do nothing to enchance the class besides throwing it a bone. Im sorry to be so bold but it is obvious that you want to use the best armor and weapons at no risk to yourself or no inconvience. The ddevs stated that it is illegal to use these things. Should there not be reprocussions? Further your lessoning of the legality of items gives us less reason to be around. I just dont know how else to put it, other then if it is too much of a inconvience for you, dont use them. I think the majority of the playerbase however will if they are implemented with enough reward.
Again you miss the point my friend....
This isn't a "want." I stopped "wanting" sliced items and spices at the last patch. This is a warning: If you increase the penalties for spices and slices, no one will buy them.
You whole point rests on the faulty assumption that people WILL continue to buy spices and slices, so that will HAVE to hire you to transport spices and sliced goods for them.
What I am saying is that people WILL NOT continue to use spices and sliced items if you increase the penalties for having them, so there WILL NOT be anyone who will need your smuggling services.
As I said, the changes are gutting the very market they are trying to create...
SBRD0C wrote:
Daker-Naritus wrote:
*snip*
If you are going to provide me a service, shouldn't it be a service that I want? Forcing me to jump through a ten minute series of hoops each time I want to planet hop is not a service...that is my point.
*snip*
No ten minutes about it, as I've pointed out already all that you have to do to avoid a scan is group with the smugglers that will no doubt be in teh starport ready to smuggler you past a scan.. no trading, maybe a little haggling a tip and a /join later your done.. 2 minutes tops..
10 minutes =
/shout Need a smuggler to take me to dath because I have a sliced gun
/pause 5
/shout Need a smuggler to take me to dath because I have a sliced gun
/pause 5
/shout Need a smuggler to take me to dath because I have a sliced gun
/pause 5
/shout Need a smuggler to take me to dath because I have a sliced gun
/pause 5
/shout Need a smuggler to take me to dath because I have a sliced gun
/pause 5
/shout Need a smuggler to take me to dath because I have a sliced gun
/pause 5
/shout Need a smuggler to take me to dath because I have a sliced gun
SBRD0C wrote:
I'd say, that if some people decide to stop using Sliced Items.. so much the better, slided Items will become more rare they way they are supposed to be, but the PvP playerbase will always want to have the best stuff, and that means slices.. and even if THEY don't.. Ifor one am willing to accept the bonus of being the only guy on the battlefield with a sliced gun and armor.. nice big advantage for me =)
And with that you are smuggling what?