Smuggler Archive

The ultimate revamp that will never happen

Though this type of revamp is so huge that SOE would never try and attempt it, to be fair, I doubt any MMORPG would. I call this the “Ultimate Revamp”, because it encompasses most of the downtrodden professions, besides Smuggler, and will provide more “profession based” missions, both PvE, and PvP.

Me passez en contrebande des amour

For the Smugglers:

(By the way, I use the term "Smuggling Skill Success Rate Percentage", and whilst is sounds fancy and imagined, I'm only refering to the numbers calculated when Smugglers attempt to avoid scans In-Game... For reference, Master Smugglers have a 95% success rate)

Of course, there will be NCP’s strewn about the galaxy that will give smuggler missions. There will be four types. Type A is getting to point A, avoiding security A, whilst getting cargo A, then getting to point B, avoiding security B, and dropping it off to person B. The deliveries and drop-offs will be in cities and POI’s… If the security is too close while the smuggler converses with one of the contacts, the entire city security will be called over. Also, the smuggler will have to play smooth to the contacts, and make sure that they’re the right guy, and can be trusted. After a set amount of time, a group of NCP’s will spawn around the smuggler. If they are on a speeder, they will be booted off, and unable to get on. With their leader, a conversation will start. The group may just be planet peacekeeping forces, or they could be competition. The conversation may go like this:

You looked a little suspicious to me… Mind if I check you for illegal items?

Mission B, would consist of getting to camp/lair A, avoiding or killing guards B, then slicing container C, stealing cargo D, and getting it to drop-off E. The smuggler would get a waypoint to an enemy layer/camp, like a standard mission. The main camp would be replaced with a container. The smuggler has many choices of how to go about getting the cargo. They could go in, guns blazing, they could use cover to sneak up and take them out one by one, they could go in and daze them all long enough to slice the container and get out, or they could try to persuade the leader to give up the cargo. The conversation would be less elaborate than previous ones. It would be a simple,

What are you doing here?

Then, a

Hello, your employer sent me to pick up the goods… I’m a bit ahead of schedule because our boss is getting into a little fit… You know how Hutts get when they want something?

Then, once again, based on your smuggling skill success rate divided by two, you will get the following responses. On success,

I don’t want to anger a Hutt! Here, I’ll unlock it for you!

And on failure,

My boss is Bothan you thief! Gettem boys! Call for backup!

They will be attacked by the main body of 4 equal in CL enemies, backed up by 2 CL-5 enemies. Upon slicing the container, they will get a 50/50 chance on the first try. If they fail, they must have a 30-second warm-up on the next try, which will automatically succeed. This puts pressure on the smuggler if he/she has just dazed the opposition. This is mostly a combat mission, but with many avenues to approach it. In the container, will be 1-3 items. These could range from spice, to slicing components, to rare crafting material. They will meet their employer, and be given a choice of what to give them, being paid for their worth, and what to withhold… Because the cargo is unknown, there is no penalty for withholding some cargo. But, if they choose not to give them anything, they will fail the mission, and get a BH on them.

Mission C is a standard space smuggling mission. You will get to point A, and protect shuttle B from enemy waves C (which will consist of 3 or so equal tier fighters), long enough for them to ready the cargo D to be put on your ship. You will be asked to get enemy waves C (which will be strengthened by 5 more equal tier fighters) off of shuttle B’s tail, and to draw off the heat from them. You will be asked to go to point E, with waves C on your tale before you can hyperspace. These fighters will be made to be VERY fast… You can fight them, or, if your ship is godly enough, you can outrun them… This will add purpose to having the fastest hunk of junk in the galaxy. Once you reach point E, you can hyper to system F, and proceed to point G, and drop off cargo D to shuttle H. That’s pretty much it, and you will get the same option of stealing some of the cargo, with the same pass/fail chances.
Mission D is a bit special, and will be explained later…

Lead me to victory…

For the Squad Leaders:

I can see squad leaders as being a sort of police force. Thus, they will get two types of “policing” missions, which can be done solo, or better done with a group of hand-picked militia (players) with no professional requirements.
Mission A will be as followed… The squad leader will get no names… But descriptions rather, of three NCP’s that are suspected of carrying illegal materials. They can be any NCP in the city. They will be told the species, skin color, and hair color, but no names. Those three NCP’s will spawn, and look like the ordinary cookie-cutter NCP you find around the city. The squad leader will be given a /search command to search the NCP’s once found, or suspected, for illegal materials. The higher skill the Squad Leader is, the quicker it takes… This will go from being 1 minute at novice, to 20 seconds at master. The peacekeeping group will have to find the three people under a strict time limit of 10 minutes. The higher-level mission, the less description will be given, and the less time. Upon finding the smugglers, there will be a random response. 50% of the time, they will attack, turning into a CL level of the highest group member, plus 2 for each member in the group (solo, it would become level 82). 40% of the time, they will give up the cargo, and be fined. But, 10% of the time, they will offer to give you their stuff if you let them go free. You will be awarded with some spice, slicing components, or rare crafting component (of course you could refuse). After the time has expired, they will be awarded with an amount of credits based on how many “perps” they catch (deducting awards for those who let some go).

Mission B is one in the same with Smuggler mission D. Once taken, it will be mostly like a duty mission. The Squad Leader will be informed of possible perpetrators (player smugglers) with a mission contact in the area. They will get a full description of the player, but no name. They will be informed of any and all Smugglers, and not just one. They will be able to use their /search command. Against Smugglers, the Squad Leaders /search skill will be measured against the Smugglers smuggling success rate skill… Being a 50/50 chance with two masters. For each point of advantage on either side, their success rate goes up ½ a percent. Upon identifying the player who is smuggling (which may be triggered by a Master Smuggler title) they will be given the option to attack them (but trade will still be able to work). If the Smuggler refuses to give up their cargo, the Squad Leader may decide to attack them (or they could be trigger happy and shoot them on sight). The Squad Leader can ask to trade the contraband. If they accept, and the Squad Leader has the items, they will no longer be able to attack the Smuggler. They may be able to make out a deal. Upon giving up the items to the Squad Leaders employer, the items will be destroyed, and the Smuggler be fined (and lose the mission based on how much he/she gave up)… But they could cut a deal, where the Squad Leader could keep the stuff, at the expense of not being paid. Once a perpetrator is caught, the mission doesn’t end, as he/she is still on duty. If a smuggler fails a mission that is PvP (aka mission D) they will also get a Player Bounty Hunter after them, as opposed to an NCP.

The hunter and the hunted

For Bounty Hunters:

Once a Smuggler “screws up” on his/her mission D, they will be added to the Bounty Hunter Terminals. This is like a standard Jedi mission, but with an interesting twist… There are no SpyNet informants up to the job of this mission… They will have to hire a player… Who else could find them but a Ranger? (Because Bounty Hunters already have missions, there is no need to go into detail about them, but move onto Ranger missions)

No place to hide…

For Rangers:

First off, Rangers will only require two branches of Scout… Because Rangers have Explorer Missions, there is no need to give them exclusive PvE content. But, for PvP content, they will be vital to the success of a Bounty Hunter mission. They will not get their missions from terminals, but will be hired from player Bounty Hunters, with a possible /covercharge command, or something similar. Their job? To find the location of the Smuggler, and give their location the Bounty Hunter. Their part of the mission, will start out with the Ranger being given the name of the last starport the bounty was seen at. Using their /trackPlayer command (which will be given at novice, and will increase in distance the further along they are), they will be able to find their tracks (or locate the player if they are still there)… Their tracks will give them a waypoint of where the player left the starport at, which is at a distance equal to 10m times their skill in tracking away from the starport. If an obvious target is seen, they may go in that direction, towards a nearby city maybe, or POI, and look for them there… If the Ranger is unsure, they may travel whatever their “tracking distance” (1000m at master) in that direction, and find out where they went from there (what direction). They will also be notified if they took a shuttle in the area. A crafty smuggler would be able to mask their trail to throw a skilled Ranger off. Eventually, the Ranger will get to the place the Smuggler is hiding at, be it in the wild (and obvious) or in a house. The Bounty Hunter will then be notified, and can kill the smuggler. Once the Smuggler is located, the Ranger will be paid their agreed payment (agreed upon before hand in an Image Designer type interface). If the Smuggler gets away again, the Bounty Hunter can hire another Ranger to find them again.

In Closing:

I hope what I suggested would be considered fun for all parties included. Tell me what you think, and SL’s, and Rangers, tell me if my suggestion for your missions are “fun” enough to suffice for your lack of love……. Even though this will NEVER happen.

Message Edited by gassygunslinger on 08-06-200509:58 PM

Message Edited by gassygunslinger on 08-06-200509:58 PM

Message Edited by gassygunslinger on 08-06-200511:13 PM

Message Edited by gassygunslinger on 08-06-200511:15 PM

Message Edited by gassygunslinger on 08-06-200511:15 PM

Message Edited by gassygunslinger on 08-06-200511:17 PM

Message Edited by gassygunslinger on 08-06-200511:17 PM

Message Edited by gassygunslinger on 08-06-200511:21 PM

Message Edited by gassygunslinger on 08-06-2005 11:21 PM

################################################
################################################
################################################
################################################
################################################
################################################
################################################
################################################
################################################