Smuggler Archive

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Saarek wrote:
Wow.

I'm surprised THIS thread hasn't been deleted yet too...

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Common, we're smarter than this. Who cares if the thread gets deleted, that's why we have File->Save, Save web page complete

We'll never forget what was once originally spoken of, i've saved every discussion thread for the last 2 years and will happily provide a link!

mwuahahaha!

actually ... im joking

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SpinningCloud wrote:

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Smuggler, Smuggler, Smuggler Pie, Two years of "Soon"(TM), a harsh bunch of lies.
Ask me a riddle and I reply: "Smuggler, Smuggler, Smuggler Pie"

Smuggler, Smuggler, Smuggler Pie, Dancers can't smuggle and neither can I.
Ask me a riddle and I reply: "Smuggler, Smuggler, Smuggler Pie."

Smuggler, Smuggler, Smuggler Pie, Why are there Jedi, I don't know why.
Ask me a riddle and I reply: "Smuggler, Smuggler, Smuggler Pie."

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Wanted to bring up the need for a JTL a ROTW (space)side of Smuggling, also a possibility of smuggling supplies within Deep Space for the space PvP portion of Smuggling.

I thought the ground Smuggler only mission on Talus was a good overall template for Smuggling in Space. The main problems I found with it are:

1. Level of ships that attack you are fine for low level space smugglers but too low for pilots that are Smugglers of a higher tier.

a. Have missions available that are of higher mission difficulty...throw in gunships (of various types depending on what sector you take the Smuggling missions from)

2. Smuggling mission not available for Smugglers in an imperial pilot squadron.

a.Depending on perspective Smuggling missions can be made for Smuggling supplies to "allies" or "undercover mercenaries" that the Empire are buying information from or are "unofficially" condoning their cause but don't publicly condone it due to possible political ramifications or they want to use the "faction" to discredit or find rebel operatives or other pirate operatives in the sector they want to get rid of. Precedent for this is from several missions like the Black Epsilon mission to take explosives to a rendezvous point...to be used to blow up an imperial outpost in order to frame the rebels...or like the mission from ROTW where you are able to smuggle spice for the trandoshans and the empire takes a blind eye to the transaction but rival smugglers or wookie freedom fighters should attack you more during the mission.

b. Similar to how duty missions from stations are currently setup Smugglers within various organizations (squadrons or pilot professions) would receive Smuggling type missions suited to their tier and there pilot squadron affiliation...from stations and or named npc pilots flying in a sector...similar to how some ROTWduty missions are taken.

3. The talus Smuggling mission currently lack scope. Its only (one low tier) mission and then a training smuggler run using tier 1 drone fighters.

a. Smuggling missions should be setupsimilarly to a duty mission but the commodities to transport would be put in your inventory or if you are flyinga freighter (nova, YT, Decimator) its cargo hold in the form of a special unsliced container...so its contents could be sufficiently randomized but still keep the mission steps or the smuggling run itself relatively static except for the rendezvous points themselves random. Hopefully this would make the missions themselves easier to code. Since slicing itself no longer gives experience I see no reason why we couldn't slice open a container and also have the ability to slice the container again to close it. Have it setup that if you slice the container open and take out some of the contents and slice it back shut that there is a chance say 30% (devs could obviously choose whatever percentage they want the risk to be) that the party who receives this resliced special container will be able detect that the goods have been tampered with. (This special reslicable container could alsobe used in ground smuggling in order to make the missions easier to code) In which case you will be attacked by a rather large contingent (tier 5 gunships, freighters, aces, bombers, in extreme cases corvettes...you read correctly plural corvettes, maybe even a ship with some type of hyperspace jamming device that would prevent you from just hyperspacing out of danger) of their forces in retaliation before you return back to your final mission rendezvous. Upon death the stolen goods would be confiscated and smuggler influence with that contact would be reduced for failing that mission. (Ground Smuggling could use this percentage chance of detecting that the container was tampered with resulting in smuggler visibility on the bounty hunter terminals).

b. This special reslicable container would have a separate random loot table with desirable smuggler loot inside...slicing components and spices....it should not be possible for the container to be empty.

4. Smuggler influence with a contact would be gained by successful completion of the smuggling missions from simple delivery runs of non-useful items (for the smuggler) to be delivered like information or data that only gives you influence in order to gain or regain trust with the contact...up until you gain enough influence with the contact to actually smuggle more illicit materials that you get a portion of as a reward...slicing components and various spices. Of course these more illicit items to be smuggled would cause you to be attacked during transport. With even further and more aggressive attacks if your containers are detected to be tampered with.

Message Edited by Graxul on 07-23-2005 04:22 PM

Message Edited by Graxul on 07-23-2005 04:26 PM

Double post

Message Edited by Graxul on 07-23-2005 03:51 PM

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GreenMarine wrote:

What about normal players scanned with illegal items? For now, it seems reasonable that we don't add visibility for normal players. That's too much to ask of the player base as a whole. Later, we could possibly add a level of illegality above Highly Illegal (say, Military Class) that gains visibility. It seems wise to leave this area open for future discuss, but not include it in a revamp.

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We still need to ask ourselves, how would we make smuggling fun? Obviously if they just gave us a delivery mission, it would stink, and we'd all quit. So what things can they do to make it interesting, complex, to keep your attention, and most of all not be redundant? There should be lots of ways to get out ofa sticky situation, and not just combat. We, as smugglers have a lot of abilities that could be used in interesting ways in the course of a mission! There should be multiple kinds of missions too (similar to the way space duties work). Think about this... One of my favorite ideas was to have one type of smuggling to steal cargo. The process would be obvious in space, but on land would be very interesting...

You come up to the camp. Sitting there, are3 level 82's... You can see them very close up, because you are using cover... If you weren't a rifleman, you would have to burst run in there, guns ablaze... You're target? A locked container with some very valuable Illegal Core Boosters. You get up very close, as close as you can without being seen... You pull out your Launcher Pistol... You could probably be able to concussion, panic, concussion all three of them, but its too risky...And it would give you 20 less seconds before one of them "woke up"...Youcould also go into a full out brawl, and maybe if you were good enough at healing, stick with it... You could alsopersuade them to let you in, but that would give away the element of surprise if you failed...And, BAM! You concussion shot all three in a blast! You come out of cover, and run into the camp. You find the container, and slice it... The first try, not good... You have to wait 30 more seconds to do it again... That will be cutting it close. You finnally get it open, with only 5 seconds to spare. You run... Then all three snap out of it. Quicky, you snare one, and leave him in the dust. Now you're fighting just two... You would have been able to daze them, but they're immune for the time being! You disarm one to give you a few more extra seconds of time, then snare him with restraining shot, leaving him behind... Now its just one on one... Your health is running VERY low... Its too risky now... So you try feign death... It doesn't work! So now you have your last option... You use last ditch, and BAM! He goes down.... Your mission is over... For now...

Thats just ONE example of how intricate smuggling missions could be, and all the elements are already there except for persuasion, which could be easily added as a % skill for smugglers.

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