Smuggler Archive
Thread: Will Merchant Skills still be useful to us?
Page 2 of 2
EnderUK
Sat Apr 09, 2005 7:19 pm
#14
I don't see the faction stuff as contraband as such, well a little.
It's more I've found a supplier and through my corupted Imperial Quater Master I'm able to give out supplus to imperials that would not be able to get it through true dedication to the empire, but bribes that will help the empire.
My vendors are more like pushers.My Smuggler vendor is even hiden in one of the back rooms. I'm more a crime lord thanSmuggler and I got others running around doing the dirty pushing.
mrbleepbleep
Sun Apr 10, 2005 2:49 am
#15
The thing is, SpinningCloud, we already have something like this in the shipwright profession, selling factioned military spaceships like TIE fighters and X-Wingsopenly. Isn't that much like sellingfighter aircraftto the public? My point is, I don't think we should bebothering to hindertrading inour productsuntil we have a framework in place for actually getting some useful and fun content from it.IMO, selling in person rather than ona vendor doesn't qualify, especially since the contraband scans in place are no real deterrent to simply spamming "faction items for sale"at Coronet spaceport.
xPREDATORx
Sun Apr 10, 2005 3:38 am
#16
the thing is i dont thnk a the imperial crack down is strong enough to even bother most ppl
b all spices got srewed over when chef food got revamped like drugs r supposed to be bettre because of the risk that comes in hand with it .... but no it seems mom was always right when she said eat ur vegetables 
c i think smuggler should get some terrain negotiation on feet and on veihicles like arnt smugglers always supposed to be on the run either by running away from trouble or trying to dodge/ out speed authories pursuing.
SpinningCloud
Sun Apr 10, 2005 6:49 am
#17
MrBleepBleep; "My point is, I don't think we should bebothering to hindertrading inour products..."
And your point is taken...though faction items are NOT "your products", they are products you purchased from a faction NPC while you were of that faction THEN turned around and sold to the general public. YOU didn't creat these items so you can hardly call them "your products".
But I do agree that there needs to be very clearly 'illegal' items and actions and consequences that are meaningful for buying/selling/possessing and engaging in them.
Now selling factioned starships DOES at least have some control in that if you're not an Imp Pilot you can't use an Imp ship. So the game-mechanics take care of the specific example you used and hence it is not a very good example to use.
Personally I'd prefer for the game-mechanics not to prevent us from using factioned items when we're not of that faction. Instead I'd like to see the respective military decend on us for possessing 'black market' military gear.
DarthKthuolhu
Mon Apr 11, 2005 2:50 pm
#18
Ok now next question.
Who says we have to advertise our contraband... on the public networks? IE: the Bazaar Market.
Vendors have the option of whether or not they want their wares advertised on the MArket do they not?
The idea of having and running your own shady backroom operation is that it is made known by word of mouth on the street.
Here is something I'd like to see for us, all though a little far fetched... but hey, I'm a dreamer. An advertising system that would allow us to set up NPC advertisers in the main city's... but be able to set them to only respond to individuals of a certain faction(s)... that way if an Imperial were to try to "talk" to them... "I'm sorry sir, I uhm.. I don't know what you're talking about."
Or if a Rebel or a Neutral were to pass by within a certain proximity.. "Psst! Hey, you. I got something you might be interested in."
It would add to the feel of there being a Criminal Underworld of a sorts. The idea for triggering a "proximity response" is already in the game. Vendors already react and respond to someone who comes within a certain proximity of them within their own shop... call out a sales pitch and announce something they think the shopper might be interested in. PAss into the next room of the shop and then come back, they do it again... or they'll do it to someone new who walks in from outside, while you're in the other room.
Then we can "illegally" advertise our contraband shops and vendors to the individuals we chose to target for our customer base... and those whom we don't want to know about our illegal shops and vendors won't know from the "street"... unless they were to go looking through the various player cities for it... but why bother when they may have their own "illegal" goods vendor they can go to who caters to their wants and needs.
Now, if say for example... an Imperial were to be standing close by to one of the "illegal advertisers" when they are giving away the location of the shop they are advertising for, to a "potential client" ... then that Imperial can hear what is said because they are close enough. This too could add to the "feel" of there being more of a Criminal Underworld...
It would be interesting if... once someone from an opposing Faction were to find out about ones "illegal" business... they could come in with oh say... a couple Storm Troopers... and play out they are conducting some sort of contraband inspection. Enforce a hefty fine for selling the contraband, confinscate some random object (random becuase they should not be allowed to pick and chose what is confinscated, that would raise too many issues and concerns)... and "lock down" the business for a 24 hour period.. meaning no one would be able to enter the shop until that lock down was over.
The same person shouldn't be allowed to do this to the same shop on repeated occassions, because that again could raise too many concerns and issues, perhaps even border on harrassment(?) ... "So'n'So keeps locking down my shop just to piss me off!"
What about an skill or something that grants us; and ONLY US, the ability to move our shop without having to empty it out. We could only do it so many times in a row. After our shop gets "locked down"... before we re-open for business, we simply move it across town to another discreet location.
Ok, sorry. I said above I was a dreamer but I couldn't help throw some wild ideas out there.
Opinions?
Who says we have to advertise our contraband... on the public networks? IE: the Bazaar Market.
Vendors have the option of whether or not they want their wares advertised on the MArket do they not?
The idea of having and running your own shady backroom operation is that it is made known by word of mouth on the street.
Here is something I'd like to see for us, all though a little far fetched... but hey, I'm a dreamer. An advertising system that would allow us to set up NPC advertisers in the main city's... but be able to set them to only respond to individuals of a certain faction(s)... that way if an Imperial were to try to "talk" to them... "I'm sorry sir, I uhm.. I don't know what you're talking about."
Or if a Rebel or a Neutral were to pass by within a certain proximity.. "Psst! Hey, you. I got something you might be interested in."
It would add to the feel of there being a Criminal Underworld of a sorts. The idea for triggering a "proximity response" is already in the game. Vendors already react and respond to someone who comes within a certain proximity of them within their own shop... call out a sales pitch and announce something they think the shopper might be interested in. PAss into the next room of the shop and then come back, they do it again... or they'll do it to someone new who walks in from outside, while you're in the other room.
Then we can "illegally" advertise our contraband shops and vendors to the individuals we chose to target for our customer base... and those whom we don't want to know about our illegal shops and vendors won't know from the "street"... unless they were to go looking through the various player cities for it... but why bother when they may have their own "illegal" goods vendor they can go to who caters to their wants and needs.
Now, if say for example... an Imperial were to be standing close by to one of the "illegal advertisers" when they are giving away the location of the shop they are advertising for, to a "potential client" ... then that Imperial can hear what is said because they are close enough. This too could add to the "feel" of there being more of a Criminal Underworld...
It would be interesting if... once someone from an opposing Faction were to find out about ones "illegal" business... they could come in with oh say... a couple Storm Troopers... and play out they are conducting some sort of contraband inspection. Enforce a hefty fine for selling the contraband, confinscate some random object (random becuase they should not be allowed to pick and chose what is confinscated, that would raise too many issues and concerns)... and "lock down" the business for a 24 hour period.. meaning no one would be able to enter the shop until that lock down was over.
The same person shouldn't be allowed to do this to the same shop on repeated occassions, because that again could raise too many concerns and issues, perhaps even border on harrassment(?) ... "So'n'So keeps locking down my shop just to piss me off!"
What about an skill or something that grants us; and ONLY US, the ability to move our shop without having to empty it out. We could only do it so many times in a row. After our shop gets "locked down"... before we re-open for business, we simply move it across town to another discreet location.
Ok, sorry. I said above I was a dreamer but I couldn't help throw some wild ideas out there.
Opinions?
Message Edited by DarthKthuolhu on 04-11-2005 06:32 PM
JTGAlpha
Mon Apr 11, 2005 4:22 pm
#19
SpinningCloud...go right ahead and initiate raids. But again, telling me the GAME forbids me selling contraband is equally asinine.
Page 2 of 2