Smuggler Archive
Thread: Smuggler State of the profession
Well done SanTsu, good balance of all the thoughts we have passed about.
I look forward to hearing some feedback from the Devs on these points.
Another thing to add...
Can we do something about the silly trade restrictions? I know alot of Smugglers would prefer to remain neutral, but this effectively decreases their potential customers by 25%.
Here's how it breaks down:
5 groups in the game: Overt Rebel, Covert Rebel, Neutral, Covert Imperial, Overt Imperial
Here's what the trade restrictions do:
Overt Rebels / Imps can trade with 2/5 of the groups -- Overts or Coverts of their same faction.
Covert Rebels / Imps trade with 4/5 of the groups -- Overts of their faction, Coverts of their faction, Neutrals, and Coverts of the opposite faction.
Neutrals can trade with 3/5 of the groups -- Coverts of either faction, other Neutrals.
My opinion: Neutrals should be able to trade with ALL groups...regardless of TEF or declared faction status. Why? ...Well...because you're NEUTRAL!
Coverts of both sides should also be able to trade with ALL factions, unless there is a TEF in effect. Why shouldn't I be able to trade with an Overt Imp? He doesn't know I'm a Covert Rebel unless I have a TEF on me, in which case, we'd be fighting instead of trading...
As it stands now, you benefit by being a Covert faction member because it gives you an additional group to trade with over Neutrals. The TEF flagging is just dumb. I hadcustomer a couple of nights ago who wanted some weapons sliced. He was Neutral, but since I had been running Rebel missions, the trade wouldn't go through because of my TEF. I ended up letting the guy kill me so I could clone and drop my TEF...wasn't a big deal since I was in Moenia and just had to run back across town.
I could see the TEF being a problem if it was TEFed covert trying to trade with opposing overt...but trading with neutrals or opposing coverts should be free reign. After all, they don't know I'm covert and I don't know they're covert.
Just fix trading one way or the other...PLEASE...
OVerall a good summary.
Good point on the overt/covert/neutral thing there too.
I'd like to add, for the content part, that we not be controlled entirely by missions. These will become extremely repetitive and basically be hybrid delivery/combat missions (IE: "Take this illegal schematic to NPC 2. Watch out for Random Police Force though!").
Taht's all well and good, but if that's ALL that we can do, it'll get old and fast. I think actual smuggling of player goods would be the better way to go, or at least something additional. This has been discussed in-depth elsewhere on this forum, so I'll only do a brief recap of the general suggestions.
1.) Create a /smuggle skill that allows us to, with varying degrees of success, traffic proscribed goods in and out of cities.
2.) Create NPC police forces (IE: stormtroopers on Tatooine, CorSec on Corellia, etc.) that are decently powerful who check players for proscribed goods. When such goods are found, they are confiscated and destroyed. Station these forces at all entrance/exit points of cities (shuttleports, archways, starports, etc.).
3.) On the list of proscribed goods should be AT LEAST slicing equipment, spices, and maybe faction equipment if you're entering a faction-oriented town. For my part, I'd suggest creating NEW items that could be proscribed. Proscribing sliced weapons would be extremely problematic and would royally tick off the vast majority of the players out there ("What the hell?? The smuggler nerf? Now I HAVE to go to a smuggler to use my gun?? **edit** YOU SOE!!", etc., etc. You can see the post titles already). So, I'd add in new player items, or perhaps make it such that all currently sliced guns are "pre-ban", and all guns that are sliced later become subject to confiscation. Then again, this might not work at all. Hence, the suggestion to have new player-crafted items that would be illegal to own, but would be useful.
That's about it. I'm glad to see the DL44a has made it on to the suggestion list. I've been pushing for that for a while now. 
Peace,
Z
I had no idea smuggler was this broken when I started along the path to master smuggler. NOW, I don't want to stop and turn around because I will feel like I wasted a lot of time getting to where I am, and hate to stop now.
It's incredibly unfair that this profession, which is a huge part of the story line (Han Solo the SMUGGLER, not Han Solo the CHEF or HAIRDRESSER) is so limited and useless at this point in time.
Come on Devs - pony up and earn your money. As a RL architect, if I EVER produced a product this unfinished, my clients would never do business with me again, not to mention sue me.
Not bad for a first post, I guess...Oh, and hello to all my bretheren smugglers.
EarthWarrior wrote:
This is nice info, but you should really be more specific. And are you really a sanctioned correpondent? I find that hard to believe. This post is one long rambling mess, replete with clumsy misspellings. Please try proofreading. If you're going to represent us, I'd appreciate something above a sixth-grade writing level when relaying profession-related information.
Peace,
Z
Can we get a /ignore for the forums please? Exhibit "A" for why this is a needed feature.
I am still getting slicing exp for slicing.
I would suggest that at master, to pool that slicing exp. accumilating and using formulas give bonuses to slicing end results.
ie after reaching master smuggler 0-100,000 slicing exp give +1 to whatever your slicing outcome would have been. (limited only by the maximum the possible slice can be)
100,001-1,000,000 gives +2
1,000,001-2,000,000 gives +3
2,000,001-4,000,000 gives +4
and so on. This will actually make people who are Master SMugglers stay in the profession and be able to become reputable as great slices.
(may work for spices also?)
JUST an IDEA...
WensuShi wrote:
I am still getting slicing exp for slicing.
I would suggest that at master, to pool that slicing exp. accumilating and using formulas give bonuses to slicing end results.
ie after reaching master smuggler 0-100,000 slicing exp give +1 to whatever your slicing outcome would have been. (limited only by the maximum the possible slice can be)
100,001-1,000,000 gives +2
1,000,001-2,000,000 gives +3
2,000,001-4,000,000 gives +4
and so on. This will actually make people who are Master SMugglers stay in the profession and be able to become reputable as great slices.
(may work for spices also?)
JUST an IDEA...
Your Slicing XP caps out at 100k. After that, you won't recieve any more.
San, you serve us well. Just a few additions:
Slicing... as someone else mentioned, can you suggest that when we slice a terminal, the boosted payout remains until we close the mission window? This way we can browse the pages instead of having to pick 2 things from the first page.
And IMO the 2 minute timer should be removed at master level. I believe the timer is only there to slow down smugglers who are leveling up... well at master, we dont need the xp... so let us slice it again right away. This change can be made in combination or in replacement of the suggestion above.
For dirty fighting, I would like to see some speed modifier to compensate for the speed-nerf a few patches back meant to punish super-high speed pistoleers. A new pistol idea would be cool, but it would have to be better than the fwg we all use 
You didnt really suggest much for underworld... i think you need to get some kind of plan together for that line before you tell them the state of the profession.
Spices, you hit on the head.
Thanks San!
I think between you, San, and Dreven anything I have thought of has been put.
Shame your post on the discussion board sank Dreven. What happened to the community that got the 1000+ thread going
Just a question: but to the story line factor and such, where smugglers really don't smuggle... What are some ideas for it? because really smugglers in the stories commonly stayed out of either faction (I mean you got han, and lando) but overall they usally smuggled things passed the empire... And orginally I heard, probably just rumor but underworld/hutt was suppose to be one of the main player factions, like rebel and empire. But still how would we add smuggling goods around the world? Imperial Check Points? Rebel's being over cautious? Also as an idea if they did add in a smuggler faction, perhaps to fix the problem of people neutral not being able to do much. We should gain the ability to pull empire and rebel missions, and not be held up by thier faction (instead of beng white like when your neutral they will be yellow) giving us the ability to trade off faction from our secondary faction. This would be a smuggler in the crime world that is getting paid by the empire to do missions and things that they don't want to deal with. Give us a little be more of an uncertain nature... He works with the empire, but is he really an imperial or is he an outlaw... Another thing maybe added to the smuggler tree, if they do check points for the factions and keep a database of illegal things (Jedi holocrons and such) maybe add in where you can do forged ID's, and slice backpacks so they have hidden undetected pockets and such... It will give people shifty eyes in towns, and it will not be from pvp threats... This would be really awsome if bounties player bounties come into effect! Think about it.. need to find an underworld connection that can make you a new id temperary name maybe, and so on... And maybe under the politician, bounty hunter, smuggler, and a few other things have it where they can actually start sniffing out badly done ID's and so on.... Bah just really all random ideas... But some ways for smuggler to be put in the world... I think there should be a faction that is in the middle, like underworld, can trade with both factions, but also can get in fights with both factions... Like in most books, and the movies, smugglers try to stay out of the two sides fighting, they may help a side, for a cost.... If anyone wants me to actually write up a detailed article about the diffrent parts of this, just say so.. I would be glad to put this alot more organized.
Tibwik/Plisco
Sunrunner
VinBlanc wrote:
Shame your post on the discussion board sank Dreven. What happened to the community that got the 1000+ thread going
A large portion of them probably got disillusioned and quit the profession or quit the game altogether.
Those that remain probably didn't want to put the effort into responding to something that would only get a cursory replythat would probably amount to an empty glass and someone saying "Here ya go...have some dehydrated water."
Anyway, hopefully the new Correspondent Program will work out and a response will appear here that will address San's post, as well as my own.
I do appreciate those of you who supported my attempt in the Discussion forum though...even though I knew it was doomed to failure from the moment I hit the "Submit Post" button.
One main problem i see with smuggler is the fact that we get basically the best specials for pvp in the same line - dirty fighting. I really think that these should be spread out or something, because last ditch, panic shot, and low blow can be achieved in addition to the bh pistol line and flamethrower line. Call me a dabbler hater if you want, but i find it sad that someone with 1 line from smuggler is as good in a fight as a master smuggler.