Smuggler Archive
Thread: ELITE PROFESSION PROPOSAL: How to fix Smuggler AND help GCW and BH in one shot
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TFNChrisK
Tue Nov 16, 2004 10:45 am
#1
Here’s the problems as I see ‘em with Smuggler:
-We aren’t smuggling anything.
-Smugglers shouldn’t be making spices.
- We aren’t playing the role in the Galactic Civil War when we should.
-There’s no sense of us operating in the galaxy’s underworld.
-Jump to Lightspeed is not lending itself toward making the Smuggler profession any more enjoyable.
-There is no interaction with Bounty Hunters as there should be.
I’m not a Master Smuggler yet: right now I’m just going up the Slicing tree so that I can earn a few more credits. But neither this or Spices should be what this profession is devoted to, and it certainly ain’t what I desire spending my time doing with my character: a lot of us did this because we wanted to delve into the dark underbelly of the Star Wars galaxy. We aren’t getting that by becoming glorified Armor technicians or Chefs.
I’ve been thinking about something to suggest to the devs that would make the game (a) more enjoyable for Smugglers and (b) give it a much greater feel for being Star Wars while also (c) offering a new and exciting career path for those wanting the danger of being a Jedi but want a more tangible presence in the game. And it all ends up (d) enhancing the GCW and Bounty Hunting.
So here’s my proposal…
Create a new profession: “Organized Criminal”, or just “Criminal”.
Let it be an elite one after mastering Smuggler. It might cost Skill Points from those wanting to use them in other professions… but throw career Criminals into the game and it solves a lot of headaches and makes the game a heckuva lot more fun: for other players and for the Criminals themselves.
Here’s how it would work: Criminals, and not Smugglers, would be the ones that get access to spice and other contraband goods (this is also a neat way of introducing new items into the game and controlling how they appear in the game’s economy). Instead of making/crafting the spice however, they have contacts (like the SpyNet informers for Bounty Hunters) that sell them the illegal goods from their source. But contraband fresh from the supplier would be tagged so that it couldn’t appear immediately on the bazaars or vendor markets: any sighting of “hot” merchandise would put the Criminal on not just the Bounty Hunter terminals, but the Imperial terminals also. Instead, illegal goods would have to first be transported to other locations before they could be disseminated throughout the game.
So at first the Criminal is taking jobs from NPCs (don’t make them go to “Criminal terminals”: putting some seedy-looking thugs into the game for a Criminal to go to would be MUCH more realistic): he gets a mission, goes to a warehouse or something and picks up the goods. He also gets a waypoint (and it might even be on another planet) to deliver them to. At this point he’s acting more like a regular Smuggler, but here’s where it gets interesting: the beginning Criminal could expedite the goods to their destination. OR he could choose to keep and use the goods for his own: by Aborting the mission he opts to keep the merchandise (and it’s only when the associated mission is intentionally aborted can the contraband items be used by the Criminal). But in doing so he risks (a) getting put on the Bounty Hunter and Imperial terminals if he tries to sell it on the bazaars or to a Merchant player for a handsome profit… he wouldn’t get tagged every time, but certainly enough to give pause (b) loses TONS of faction from the people he stole the goods from and (c) will not earn Criminal XP. For every job finished under the legal radar, the Criminal gets experience but if the job is aborted for any reason – and ESPECIALLY for stealing from your employers – you lose Criminal XP. In other words, if you are constantly robbing the people who trust you to move goods for them, you are defeating yourself in the long run and will never level-up in the Criminal profession.
As the Criminal gains more and more XP, he will gain an ability much like that of Artisans and their vendors. But in the Criminal’s case, he gets to set up “Front Operations” across the galaxy. At first they will be strictly dealers, selling goods that the Criminal purchases from NPC criminals (and eventually player Smugglers and Criminals) but as the Criminal continues to earn XP from the sale of these illicit goods, he gains the ability to not only increase the number of Front Operations, but also to designate some of them to be suppliers: the Criminal will buy the raw materials off the bazaars and player vendors and deliver them to his suppliers… who act like crafting stations (and also must bea greatdistance away from any dealers the Criminal has) as they churn out the various spices. And even other goods like weapons and component modifications for Jump To Lightspeed. This would not be a Shipwright ability: think of Criminal JTL items as comparable to the weapon powerups that can be dragged-over and placed atop a weapon to make it more powerful. You could buy an engine modification that increases your thrust output, for instance, and pull it over onto your engine. ‘Course there would be some drawbacks: the component might go bad while in flight, and damage or even destroy the player’s ship while in space: it would be “Buyer Beware” bigtime. And after a number of uses the component might expire of usefulness.
But the main way that the Criminal would eventually earn XP would be to hire player Smugglers to move their merchandise from one point to another: the further apart their dealers are from their suppliers, the more XP. All they would have to do is designate a supplier on one world that the Smuggler would get the goods from, and the dealer on another that the Smuggler would deliver to. The Smuggler then does whatever he has to do to transport the stuff while earning XP in a new ability tree that would replace Spices: “Moving Goods”. The higher up he is on the tree, the better he becomes at evading detection and confiscation… and just as Aborting and Stealing would cost the Criminal, so would Detection and Confiscation hurt the Smuggler’s XP score. But the Smuggler would not have permission from the game to use or sell the contraband items: he can only move them to their final destination. Later on if he wants to play against both ends of the law as a Criminal then he can… but not while a simple Smuggler. However, a Criminal hiring a Smuggler can make an item be a reward for a job well done (like giving him a rare and more-powerful type of pistol that only Criminals are afforded initial access to but no other profession can). This also gives the Smuggler some bargaining power: he can demand better supplies or weapons, or power-ups for his ship, in exchange for services rendered.
Here’s where all of this can tie into JTL and let it enhance players’ experiences as Smugglers: in transporting goods, the Smuggler could take the direct route to the dealer’s destination planet… but putting the contraband at such high-risk will take a huge bite in the amount of money that the player Criminal will have put in escrow with the Bank (yes, we’re coming perilously close to engaging in money-laundering now) that the Smuggler would receive upon completion of the task. The Smuggler will have to take several jumps (a minimum set by the client Criminal) along a seemingly-random route from supplier to dealer. If the Smuggler doesn’t have JTL equipped on his (or her… I wanna see some real lady pirates out there too 
) account, he can simply take the contraband through various starports. But if caught with it, the Smuggler is not only fined and the goods confiscated, he loses Moving Goods XP that he probably worked awhile to earn. So it is that while in space the Smuggler’s ship could be actively scanned by Imperials or other local law enforcement: if and when the devs get docking/boarding fixed, we could even see Stormtroopers boarding a multiplayer ship to do a scan…
) account, he can simply take the contraband through various starports. But if caught with it, the Smuggler is not only fined and the goods confiscated, he loses Moving Goods XP that he probably worked awhile to earn. So it is that while in space the Smuggler’s ship could be actively scanned by Imperials or other local law enforcement: if and when the devs get docking/boarding fixed, we could even see Stormtroopers boarding a multiplayer ship to do a scan……which entails giving the Smuggler the option to Jettison the Cargo. It will save him from a VERY heavy fine (heavier than if he were caught conveying contraband on the ground) and any loss of XP that would have come from the Imperials finding the cargo. It also gives him a stark choice: either pay full compensation to the hiring Criminal (either player or NPC) for losing the merchandise within a reasonable amount of time. Or… have his name light up the Bounty Hunter terminals. Same thing happens if the Smuggler aborts the mission: succeed or fail, there's going to be repercussions.
As the Criminal gets better and better, he is able to hire more Front Operations people, can even get Hired Muscle in much the same way that high-ranking Rebel and Imperial players can call in additional troops, and can create and distribute more and better varieties of spice and highly illegal stuff (crafted from stolen schematics or whatever) like weapons and JTL power-ups. As he progresses he receives more and more power and affluence in the galaxy’s criminal underworld and receives titles in accordance to his rank on the underworld’s totem pole. He may start out as a “Common Hood”, but uponreaching Master Smuggler he will receive the prestigious honor of being “Jabba’s Rival”.
But as his power increases, he will also become more at risk of being brought down by other crimelords (either player or NPC, depending on factional standings) who can hire Bounty Hunters to assassinate him (in-game death would cost the Criminal the respect of his peers – in the form of XP – and force the Criminal to renew his strength all over again) or by Imperials trying to crack down on crime. In which case the high-level Criminal will be encouraged to pay regular bribes and kickbacks to Imperial officers in the capitals of whatever planet they’re on to ensure that the eyes of the Empire will nonchalantly “look away” as the Criminal carries out his business. The more powerful a crime figure that the Criminal is, the higher – and more often – will the bribes be demanded of him. Failure to pay the bribes will result in losing Front Operations people (and whatever goods they had on them) over time as corrupt Imperial officers lean some muscle on you for not keeping up your end of things.
(I suppose this means that Master Criminals could order a "hit" on Imperial NPCs if they start demanding too much... if the devs have a good supply of Imperial NPCs handy 
)
)Speaking of your end of things: if you want to be a gun-runner, you can. Criminals could be given first access to military-grade weapons that no other profession can craft or otherwise come across. They could then accept missions to have these weapons delivered to other factions or to the Rebels (for lots of XP and money). They just have to accept the risk that, if a Rebel player is killed during the Galactic Civil War by Imperials (player or NPC) while using the weapon, then that weapon WILL be traced back to the Criminal who initially supplied it… again, leading his name to light up the Bounty Hunting or Imperial terminals with a big fat reward. Unless a bribe is paid to keep the heat off, ‘course. Which doesn’t have to be in the form of credits: you can simply send a supply of guns to the Imperials for their use... and THAT would instantly peg you for the Rebel terminals whether or not your weapons are actively used against them (must be those darned Bothan spies that found out about your aiding and abetting the Empire).
It would NOT be a career for everyone: the Organized Criminal tree should demand a LOT more Skill Points than other elite professions. A Criminal who gets to be “Jabba’s Rival” should not also be a Bounty Hunter, of course: he can hire player Bounty Hunters, but he can’t be one himself. It should also discourage him from being a high-level Artisan. The player considering becoming a Criminal should be made to think long and hard about what it is he would be sacrificing if he chose the Gray Side of things: it’s not a separate character slot like Force Sensitive. If he chooses to be Criminal, it will have to be expensively drawn from his pre-existing pool of Skill Points.
It would also have to be as dangerous a career to go after – and maybe even moreso – as Jedi is. The risks of getting “iced” should go up dramatically as the Criminal becomes a more prominent and powerful crimelord. There will be a lot more peril… but there will also be a lot more tangible rewards, like money and exclusive items. And maybe even their own JTL ships. It should have a lot to offer… but it should not be something entered into lightly either.
And it might even be worth considering that a player who opts to be a Criminal must lose overt status – and maybe even covert also – as an Imperial or a Rebel. Organized Crime would become the third major faction in the galactic balance of power, with no loyalties to either Rebels or Imperials… only money and power. But it would make them an active part of the Galactic Civil War all the same: by acting as the “go-between” through which both the Rebels and the Empire draw from the resources and intelligence of the galaxy’s underworld.
All of this would serve the purpose that drove me to think up all this to begin with: making Smuggler a profession worthy of its name. By actively pursuing REAL SMUGGLING, Smugglers would have an attractive and material goal (in the game anyway) to aspire for, if that’s what they want. Even if they don’t go fulltime career Criminal, Smugglers will enjoy first access to items that other players won’t find so easy to get their hands on. They will also enjoy a greater role in the flow and ebb of the galaxy’s politics as the Galactic Civil War heats up (it is heating up, right?). It will make Jump To Lightspeed a much better investment for the money that was plunked down to buy the expansion. And it will give Smugglers the same thrill of their chosen profession that Bounty Hunters, Jedi, Artisans, and all the rest have long enjoyed.
Anyhoo, that’s just my two cents on what would make this game a lot better, a lot closer to a real Star Wars experience as we’ve known it from the movies and books. Hope some of this might be worthy of some consideration: personally, I’d love to just be a regular working Smuggler doing jobs for a “Jabba’s Rival” and making my way in the universe 
kingfarooq218
Tue Nov 16, 2004 11:26 am
#2
It's like a rite of passage for smugglers to come up with detailed ideas about what should be done to fix our smuggling problems. Well thought out, good job, but it won't happen. This sort of thing has been proposed many times over in here since launch and ne'er a peep from the devs on them. You should go read some of the other fantastic proposals. All of them make you both hopeful and frustrated with the state of this game...
Sengis
Tue Nov 16, 2004 12:27 pm
#3
hmm thinking about hat, then Imperial or Rebel Factional Officers should also be able to tef/warrant against criminals and be 'brought' to justice. This would lead to a strong state of perpetual war, and perhaps the innocent bystander characters would feel as though the underworld was some alien environment. It would be the4 same as bringin in Hutt Faction or somesuch. And I for onje am All for it. I also think Master Smugglers Pilot Aces of All factions should be allowed the YT1300
TFNChrisK
Wed Nov 17, 2004 2:22 pm
#4
TEF for people other than Rebels/Imperials is a GREAT idea!! The philosophy of the game right now is that there are two and *only* two serious factions and no gray in-between. That's not like real life at all and though SW is a fantasy it *does* reflect real-life human society in a lot of ways.
Besides, why should players be forced to choose ONLY between Rebels and Imperials?
Maybe standard Smugglers won't be able to get a TEF unless they're doing a mission for Criminals. Then if they start to get shot at after being caught by Imperials or Bounty Hunters when there's a warrant out for them, EVERYONE can shoot at them. That would be how to make overt/covert apply to them, and let Smugglers who aren't interested in getting attacked by other players just yet have the latitude to "opt out".
Besides, why should players be forced to choose ONLY between Rebels and Imperials?
Maybe standard Smugglers won't be able to get a TEF unless they're doing a mission for Criminals. Then if they start to get shot at after being caught by Imperials or Bounty Hunters when there's a warrant out for them, EVERYONE can shoot at them. That would be how to make overt/covert apply to them, and let Smugglers who aren't interested in getting attacked by other players just yet have the latitude to "opt out".
SpinningCloud
Wed Nov 17, 2004 2:27 pm
#5
Whatever is done with the smuggler branches you can NOT take already earned boxes away from those of us that have reached Master Smuggler.
So if Spices is replaced with something else then the boxes already earned need to transfer over.
Also I don't quite understand why, if this is a profession with Master Smuggler as a pre-req you couldn't just smuggle your own stuff? Or are you saying only Novice Smuggler is the pre-req?
TFNChrisK
Wed Nov 17, 2004 2:48 pm
#6
Simply let all the Spices XP translate into the XP for Transporting Goods. Makes sense since a Master Smuggler should be pretty good at moving stuff ESPECIALLY spices anyway :-)
TFNChrisK
Thu Nov 18, 2004 12:44 am
#7
Also I don't quite understand why, if this is a profession with Master Smuggler as a pre-req you couldn't just smuggle your own stuff? Or are you saying only Novice Smuggler is the pre-req?
Oops, forgot to answer this one. The way I figured it, as a Master Smuggler you would be hired to move more valuable stuff than just spices etc. As a regular Smuggler you aren't producing anything on your own, you're just helping to move it. It's when you start down the Criminal path that you make the transition from hired Smuggler who's moving contraband for others, to becoming the source and dealer of that contraband. The Master Smuggler couldn't do that.
riotcontrol
Thu Nov 18, 2004 1:05 pm
#8
Sengis wrote:hmm thinking about hat, then Imperial or Rebel Factional Officers should also be able to tef/warrant against criminals and be 'brought' to justice. This would lead to a strong state of perpetual war, and perhaps the innocent bystander characters would feel as though the underworld was some alien environment. It would be the4 same as bringin in Hutt Faction or somesuch. And I for onje am All for it. I also think Master Smugglers Pilot Aces of All factions should be allowed the YT1300
This is one of the things that's somewhat missing in this game - there's no 'either-or' awards like that. As you could, in your example, get a YT1300 by being a Master Privateer or by being a Master Smuggler/any Master Pilot, you could, for example, get dual wield for either being Master Pistoleer or being a Master Bounty Hunter + Pistols 0004 (just using that as an example to illustrate the concept, ok?
) and such things. Some certificates could even be awarded for a right combination of faction standing and profession - if you're a Master Pilot employed by Nym with a high enough faction, you get a cert for a special Nym multiplayer armed freighter, and, on the other hand, if you're a Master Pilot employed by Jabba, you get a cert for a special one-player Hutt fighter ship etc. These would be, of course, revokeable certs, so you can't just get everything by joining a faction, getting the perks and then leaving (like it's currently possible with Rebel and Imperial theme park badges). Something like that would help quite a bit to promote variety and 'uniqueness' of each player character.
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