Smuggler Archive

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Hurlobacca wrote:

I really have no idea how the smuggler community developed the collective delusion that what goes on a vendor is any business of theirs or that they should have any say in the matter. In the case of every other profession in the game, once they havesold goods or provided a service, their involvement in the equation is over and there's no reason to believe it should be any different for smugglers.

Given the fact that smugglers are receiving some well-deserved improvements and attention to their profession, I'd estimate there is zippy chance of any kind of vendor ban going through. Whether there is a market for sliced goods post-revamp is largely irrelevant as the issue will be decided by players' preference which is how such issues should be decided anyway.

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I have no idea howyou developed the delusion that illegal goodsshould be sold in exactly the same way as legal goods.

Look at it this way. You're a weaponsmith.Many among theweaponsmith community were unhappy when the anti-decay kits got announced, for fear it would infringe on their profession's business. This issue is much the same for us. The profileration of over-the-counter trade in illegal goods infringes on the smuggler profession, by simple definition of what a smuggler does (or is meant to do) - traffic in illegal goods.

(Edited to explain myself more clearly).

Message Edited by mrbleepbleep on 03-12-2005 06:27 PM

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SpinningCloud wrote:

no Hurlobacca,

1. There SHOULD be contraband items in the game and sliced weapons and armor ARE contraband.

2. There SHOULD be penalties for being caught with contraband and indeed there ARE Oh come on, give me a break. I'm so scared to walk around with spices and slices for fear of being scanned, oh my!

3. Vendors should NOT be exempt from either 1 or 2 above for ANY logical reason I can see.

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TomoRainer wrote:
Those documents really mess with all the items that are/should be considered contraband.

First off, it sounds like slicing tools are going to be multiple use things that last a while, meaning we won't have to buy a dozen crates off our local supplier every few days. So it could be pretty easy to keep these on hand and not need to resort to vendor sales.

Secondly, I really think slice vendors are going to be massively reduced in number. Some smiths may keep at it, but the two main reasons they exist are a) a great slice is a rarity and b) it's hard to find a smuggler. b) will no longer be the case once these changes hit--how many new smugglers do you think will be popping up over the next few months--and a) won't exist either; a good smuggler should always be able to get exactly or very close to what his customer wants, removing the need to hit up a vendor stocked with the best. If a great slice is no harder than finding a competent smuggler, people are not going to pay that much for presliced gear: it'll be convenient, but not significantly moreso than finding a smuggler, and while I'm sure one type of slice will end up being generally favored, letting a good smith anticipate this and stock to meet its demand, it shouldn't be as lopsided as the "30%+ damage or bust" market that exists now.

Thirdly, spice is going to decrease in availability. You'll no longer be able to dump a million grind resources in a factory, log off, and come back to find 40 crates of spice. Each unit of spice is going to represent an amount of in-game time spent running smuggler missions. The new amount of spice out there will be dependent on how much we're given as payment (and how much we're enticed to steal), and will be bumped up by the large number of new smugglers popping up, but it's not going to be nearly as easy to generate as it is now.

All these things should reduce the resistance to illegalizing these items. It wouldn't eliminate the foundation of arguments to let merchants act as merchants, but it should severely cut back on their need to stock smuggler items. Once the need goes down, many of the arguments against a contraband system will as well.

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mrbleepbleep wrote:

I have no idea howyou developed the delusion that illegal goodsshould be sold in exactly the same way as legal goods. There have never been any limitations placed on what can be sold on vendors. I don't see a compelling reason or tangible benefit to the player population as a whole for doing so. The only reason sliced vendors ever came into existence is because players found them convenient.

Look at it this way. You're a weaponsmith.Many among theweaponsmith community were unhappy when the anti-decay kits got announced, for fear it would infringe on their profession's business. This issue is much the same for us. This is an irrelevant analogy. What you want to do is take away a market that Merchant's have serviced since day one of the game. Since you don't have a good reason for doing so, it's unlikely to happen. The profileration of over-the-counter trade in illegal goods infringes on the smuggler profession, by simple definition of what a smuggler does (or is meant to do) - traffic in illegal goods. You don't traffic in illegal goods, you slice weapons and nothing about the upcoming revamp is going to change that. Smugglers have always sliced all sliced goods and will continue to always be the ones to slice sliced goods. Nothing you can say changes that. To be honest, the smuggling part of the revamp sounds much more interesting and if I were a smuggler I'd probably say the hell with slicing and focus on smuggling.

(Edited to explain myself more clearly).

Message Edited by mrbleepbleep on 03-12-2005 06:27 PM

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SpinningCloud wrote:

You are really off base Hurl...

I think vendors SHOULD sell whatever they want. We agree about that then.

I ALSO think that selling or carryingcontraband should have possible consequences...be it players or vendors. I don't have a problem with consequences, I was just mocking the fact that the consequences are pretty inconsequential. By the same token, given that Smugglers are criminals, I take it you dont' have any objection to being on the terminals as a result of your smuggling activities?

Risk vs. reward? Hmm? Only an idiot would be "scared" of anything in a video game, this is about some sense of immersion. I personally want stiffer penalties for scans and MORE scans...like at all starports so players actually NEED smugglers to move contraband. If holding another player's hand and walking them through the starport is your idea of a good time, that's cool by me, I just don't agree.

This has absolutely NOTHING to do with becoming a merchant, though many Smugglers are that also, but of game mechanics and the need for contraband and consequences for dealing and using it. Go back and read the beginning of the thread. A lot of your colleagues seem to feel that sliced goods on vendors are the bane of your existence. Given the upcoming changes, this is a ridiculous position since it appears that weapons will need to be retuned and repaired on a ongoing basis, making the insistence that no one but smugglers touch contraband (heaven forbid) seem excessively self-serving.

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