Smuggler Archive
Thread: Harsh Contraband Punishment Systems, Respecting Player's Gamestyles, and the Smuggler Revamp
SpinningCloud
Wed Feb 02, 2005 10:19 pm
#14
I would happily....no, quite JOYFULLY...give up slice, and spices and fp sales, if ONLY I could smuggle.
And I think it goes without saying that I would happily give back Froggie Bowl and Gaming Table crafting.
Ternque01
Thu Feb 03, 2005 9:14 am
#15
SmugglingZane and Orcajum have come up with a brilliant solution to players feeling griefed by a tough contraband enforcement system.
The basis for their idea rests in a system that will readily absorb sliced guns back into the norm of the Galaxy's citizens with little to no penalty if a player chooses to adhere to the law by having their weapons regulated again.
Imagine if a player is scanned at a starport and is tired of being scanned/fined/beat up from the other scans they might have just recently been through. Suppose the officer searching them offers this playera way out without punishment; he offers the player a chance to re-regulate their weapons and armor for no fee at all. The Empire is courteous after all (and perhaps protecting themselves from dangerous weapons).
If the player agrees, their gear is "unsliced" via a new regulator. The officer gives them a verbal slap on the wrist and lets them off the hook.
Once these weapons are regulated again, they can never be sliced again. Perhaps, even, these weapons are returned to full or near-full condition as a reward for obeying the law.
You could also have officer stations where a player could just walk up and talk to an NPC officer who will perform the service for free also.
If you can give players the option of an easy way back into being an upstanding citizen, and perhaps throw a little reward in it for them, they will be much, MUCH more happy with the new system. It almost even sounds, gasp, fun 
Ternque01
Thu Feb 03, 2005 9:16 am
#16
Oh yea... once a weapon is re-regulated, it can never be sliced again. This will prevent people exploiting the system to make their weapons newer and more powerful through better future slices.
Daturaze
Thu Feb 03, 2005 9:35 am
#17
Ternque01 wrote:
SmugglingZane and Orcajum have come up with a brilliant solution to players feeling griefed by a tough contraband enforcement system.
The basis for their idea rests in a system that will readily absorb sliced guns back into the norm of the Galaxy's citizens with little to no penalty if a player chooses to adhere to the law by having their weapons regulated again.
First off - great first post! 5 Stars!
Second of all - the weapon re-regulating is a great idea! Given the number of weapons and armour given to me by friends to slice who don't realize they've bought Pre-Sliced gear (and these are players who really should know better - but just overlook it honestly) I think this option will save a lot of headaches for people.
Cheers
Dat
Dat
Kamileon
Thu Feb 03, 2005 12:21 pm
#18
Might be seen as an exploit though, if hte returning to full condition thing is instituted. People will start using it as a risk-free repair on expensive, worn out weapons.
Aelik Orrigo: Smuggler, Pilot, and Ranger. Kettemoor
RebelKangaroo
Thu Feb 03, 2005 12:28 pm
#19
Kamileon wrote:
Might be seen as an exploit though, if hte returning to full condition thing is instituted. People will start using it as a risk-free repair on expensive, worn out weapons.
But since it would be a one-time only thing I don't see that as such a bad thing.
Smuggler_Caylin
Thu Feb 03, 2005 12:33 pm
#20
href="http://forums.station.sony.com/swg/board/message?board.id=smuggler&message.id=70685&highlight=#M70685" target=_blank>http://forums.station.sony.com/swg/board/message?board.id=smuggler&message.id=70685&highlight=#M70685
riotcontrol wrote:
No, but you should PM me the link to the thread
where this happened if it still exists as it sounds rather entertaining.
One of the Four Horsemen of the Smuggler Apocalypse! 
JediArashi
Thu Feb 03, 2005 2:50 pm
#21
Another great idea/post/thread Ternque01. You did a fantastic job. I really have nothing to contribute that hasn't already been, but to say you did a hella-job.
Also the re-regulation idea is also top notch. A great failsafe to not punish existing items and varying playstyles. I for one would love to see both implemented.
Message Edited by JediArashi on 02-03-2005 04:51 PM
Ternque01
Fri Feb 04, 2005 1:22 am
#22
Well, it would be a one time re-regulation. You could not exploit it. Simply put the tag "This item has been altered by the Imperial Weapons Commission, and cannot be sliced in the future".
As far as St. Gabriel goes, it is sad that a correspondent is pushing to poorly design the second most iconic profession in this game while remaining steadfast in an opinion which does not even consider easily workable solutions to the problem of interrupting gameplay or which does not even consider that interrupting gameplay isn't even a major problem in the first place.
The essence behind something and its appearance are two separate, distinct things. The essence is that if players can be given a fun/rewarding workaround for issues conflicting with extremely cool content, they will not complain.
St. Gabriel has an opinion that is just as valid as any of ours, I just think he is not taking quite a few factors into consideration.
It is possibly for SOE to put balls into this game without pissing people off. The law is something we all live with in our daily lives and have no problems living with. How St. Gabriel misses this gets me to feel that he is doing a big disservice to our profession.
As far as St. Gabriel goes, it is sad that a correspondent is pushing to poorly design the second most iconic profession in this game while remaining steadfast in an opinion which does not even consider easily workable solutions to the problem of interrupting gameplay or which does not even consider that interrupting gameplay isn't even a major problem in the first place.
The essence behind something and its appearance are two separate, distinct things. The essence is that if players can be given a fun/rewarding workaround for issues conflicting with extremely cool content, they will not complain.
St. Gabriel has an opinion that is just as valid as any of ours, I just think he is not taking quite a few factors into consideration.
It is possibly for SOE to put balls into this game without pissing people off. The law is something we all live with in our daily lives and have no problems living with. How St. Gabriel misses this gets me to feel that he is doing a big disservice to our profession.
Ternque01
Sat Feb 05, 2005 11:35 am
#24
For some reason, I have lately thought that making spices/slices highly illegal won't be enough to allow good player smuggling. Sure, smugglers would find business for players carrying contraband when their buffs run out and they cannot defend themselves at starport scans, but it would be nice to have some smuggling business that is more solid.
What we need are weapon/armor/buff/etc resources or big quantities of spice resources toonly spawn on the adventure planets where you cannot place a house. A smuggler would be hired by this cool method, which is a variation of some ideas other smugglers have come up with. Lemme put this idea in my next post... one small second...
Ternque01
Sat Feb 05, 2005 11:37 am
#25
What was suggested in the past seems like the best idea. Make certain resources (for making weapons, armor, buffs, etc.) rare and illegal. These resources will only spawn on off-world planets (the planets like Endor where you cannot drop a house). Make these resources give a small bonus to the crafted items, but do not make them necessary to create these items. I am not sure if you can run a factory on these planets, but if you can make the items created illegal to ship off of these planets.
Have the players (let's call them crafters) wanting these goods make a request to an NPC standingslightlyaway fromstarports on these off-world planets. This NPC will then put thecrafter name on the smuggling terminals for any smuggler to see.Smugglers across the galaxy can then submit their namestothe criminal NPC contact systemwhich our "crafter" would check at any time. The crafter will then see every smuggler willing to do the job, and also the reputation rank of each smuggler. The crafter will pick a smuggler's name from the list. At this point, the chosen smuggler will get a "hired job" message by email or through an NPC contact, as well as the name of the crafter needing the job.
So the smuggler sends a /tell to the crafter arranging pickup and a haggle for the price of the job. The smuggler heads to Endor, picks up theresources away from the starport, then sneaks it past the guards at the starport. Due to certain security issues at some starports, the smuggler will be required to take the goods through one extra planet before being able to take it to its destination planet.
Once the smuggler physically appears in the destination starport, the resources he/she is carrying will be masked by the smuggler by slicing to make them appear legal. At this point, the crafter can meet the smuggler, pay him/her, then be off to making their goods!!!
This is an organic, alive, interesting, as well as feasible player smuggling system.
Furthermore,with the above system, this allows the SMUGGLER to dictate the interaction they have with their customer, and avoids it all being done by some boring, damn computer/terminal.
SmugglinZane
Sat Feb 05, 2005 12:13 pm
#26
I have to agree with you Axob. The only way for smuggling to be meaningful and player interactive if for what's in game to have value within a contraband/tariff system.
A straight trade of goods for transport is really open to exploitation though. I like the NPC interaction thing, but maybe there should be some sort of ticket or unslicable locked container to prevent stolen goods. If people are opened up to this sort of griefing I think some very unsavory types of people will pick up Smuggler to try and exploit it.