Smuggler Archive
Thread: Smuggler Vendor: Dealer
Smuggler Vendor: "Dealer"
The Smuggler Profession is to loose contraband as a salable product on Bazaars and Vendors. To help market illegal wares with out spamming in Starports, I thought of a limited vendor that a smuggler only can place. Credit for its concept comes from ideas to improve the usefulness of the Static cities of SWG. The two ideas are the Instance Apartments and Rentable Shops. Major structure changes to the base game would have to be implemented for those ideas. There just is not any resources for this as I understand. I hope this idea has not been already been posted. If so, please, Link post to that idea.
The Dealer:
"Dealers" are special vendors of random race and gender. A Dealer is a special vendor that is hired by a Smuggler to sell Contraband Only. Contraband is stacked(replacing Crates) or single Spice and Sliced Weapons/Armor. Dealers can not sell other products other than Contraband. Each Dealer has a Stash that operates as the Storeroom. When products expire for offer they default to the Stash for pickup or resale. Dealers are venerable. Smugglers with High "visibility" loose the ability to place vendors in popular Static cities (i.e. Coronet, Theed, Mos Eisley etc.). More "visibility", they loose the ability to place Dealers on the "Moon" cities (Lok, Rori, Talus). Progressively, the Smuggler who is placed on the Terms looses the ability to place Dealers. "Sorry Pal, your Too Hot." Dealers already placed in these cities will "bail" disappear under such heat. Smugglers will be able to access those city stashes only when they can place/hire another Dealer. Only one Dealer can be placed in a given city (i.e.One Dealer in Theed, one Dealer in Dearic, etc) Dealers are paid like Vendors for their service.
The Hook Up:
Additions to Underworld 1
Smugglers with Underworld 1 will gain the ability to place a "Dealer" in limited zones in Static cities. Limited Zones would be alleys, Parks, Garages and Open Walkways as established by the developers in every Static Citys or Starports on the civilized worlds. At Underworld 1, the smuggler can place one Dealer in one city. It will be of random gender and player race. A random Name Generator will produce names that denote the "Dealers" Uniqueness (Example: Dirty Juuus, Floating Cotan, Greasy Gruk). The Dealer can sell 100 Contraband Items.
Additions to Underworld 2
Smugglers with Underworld 2 gain 1 extra Dealer along with 100 more towards their Contraband Items (Total 2 Dealers, 200 Items for sale). Dealers Race can now be chosen. Once the Smuggler attains Underworld 2, newly hired Dealers will become vocal with random "barks". Example: "Pssst, you want a Pick-Me-Up?", " Hey Pal, need a better weapon?" etc..
Additions to Underworld 3
Smugglers with Underworld 3 gain 1 extra Dealer along with 100 more towards their Contraband Items (Total 3 Dealers, 300 items for sale). Dealers can now have Custom Barks that meet the language filter rules. Smugglers will now have the option to pay Dealers with weapons for their service along with choosing the gender when hiring. Weapon value will be based on the weapons value to a Junk Dealer. Weapon Payment will be an option on the Options list and chosen like selling to a junk dealer. This allows looted weapons to have additional value or use.
Additions to Underworld 4
At Underworld 4, the Smuggler can now dress the Dealer to make him/her more visible. "Pimp" them out in attire, or show your "colors". The Smuggler will also gain the option of additional races to choose from such as the Gran and Devorian. The Smuggler also gains 1 extra Dealer along with 100 more items towards the Contraband limit (Total 4 Dealers, 400 items for sale).
Additions to Master Smuggler
Master Smugglers gain 1 final Dealer and 100 final Contraband Items (Total 5 Dealers, 500 Items for sale). Exotic Races are available to choose from that were introduced in Rage of the Wookiees (and Trials of Obi-Wan, maybe), such as Gotal, Nautolan and Arcona. Master Smuggler also can change the Dealers name.
Pros and Cons
Why allow Smugglers such access to the Static Citys? As they cant advertise on the Galaxy Vendor System, they are allowed to put their people (Dealers) in the heavy traffic areas. Dealers would, most likely, be placed as close to Starports as possible. They are not able to market all wares. They can only sell Spice and Sliced Armor and Weapons. Slicing Componets could be a possibility that would matter if they are illegal.
Isn't Smuggler suppose to be a Combat Class after the CU? Yes, this is what has been stated for the profession. However, as they gain more and more Spice and Slicing Componets, the necessity to stand in a Starport Spamming increases to unload their booty. Why not let the Smuggler be free to have fun and gain more items?
Some members of the Smuggler Community proposed a great idea of having NPC Pets as henchmen. On the whole, the developers saw this as redundant on Faction Pets. This would allow Smugglers to have a "gang" without unbalancing Combat. Yes, I know its a weak substitute for another gun.
Please, post your questions or ideas on this possibility. 
Overall, interesting idea, great presentation
However, I think this would not go over well...heck merchants can't even place Npc vendors in static towns. Plus, can you imagine coming out of Mos Eisley, Mining Outpost or another high traffic area starport with 100's of Smuggler vendors screaming at you to buy there spice? Holy cow.
I think that folks should hunt us down for their spice-n-slice needs. If I don't have what theya re looking for then they can find another. Make having spice and slice goods alot less noticeable then they are now.
BaronJuJu wrote:
Overall, interesting idea, great presentation
However, I think this would not go over well...heck merchants can't even place Npc vendors in static towns. Plus, can you imagine coming out of Mos Eisley, Mining Outpost or another high traffic area starport with 100's of Smuggler vendors screaming at you to buy there spice? Holy cow.
I think that folks should hunt us down for their spice-n-slice needs. If I don't have what theya re looking for then they can find another. Make having spice and slice goods alot less noticeable then they are now.
Thank you for Reading,
The original idea of Rentable Shops in Static Cities was part inspiration for this idea. Static (non-used) building converted to shop rows that customers could enter. Limitedly, merchants could decorate and display their wares. Travelers would stop in buy needed supplies without travel out of town. This idea would take a stab at the traffic to Player Cities but there would not be enough shops to totally kill them. Again, a balance issue coupled with a total Game Map revamp. This is not going to happen, as I understand. How can Smugglers gain this privilege over Merchants? They are selling two different items that are based on loots to be made. Hence 5 Dealers and 500 item Limit. Merchants have 12 Vendors with 3500 Item limit, I believe.
100s of Smugglers? Reason I limited a Master Smuggler to 5 Dealers is so they could have a Person/Being on 5 different planets or in 5 Different cities on the same planet, if they choose. There would be a total of 6 planets to use, Tatooine, Naboo, Corellia, Talus, Rori and Lok. They can only place 1 per city. Vendor Spamming is dictated on who comes in range to trigger the dialog. They don't always go off either. To keep Spamming in Starports down, developers could establish Dealer Zones away from the Starport. I would suggest that non can be placed in the Landing Zone of the Starport. Dealers should be in hidden corners much like the Spynet agents are. Dealer Zones might have limited capacity also as to how many Dealers. With the visibility system in play, Dealers would be "bailing" freeing their spot for the next careful Smuggler.
Either Spamming yourself, Circlulating Email, Free Offer to your guild or selling on a Vendor to free your time is a matter of personal play style. This would be only an option that you could ignore.
talansen wrote:
This is a really cool idea...but these would be really annoying in static cities, and I think everyone is kind of annoyed with all the spam at places like the MO anyways. Remove the ability to "huck" (real word? *shrug*), make them unattackable, and allow placement anywhere outside of a static city, and they would be the perfect solution.
CyrusJ wrote:
Great Idea. Maybe twique it a bit with this. Only one Dealer per smuggler. This cuts down on 1 smuggler per city which would cause a satuation. Have established spawn points in the city and only a certain number depending on the cities size. Again cuts down on flodding the market. Allow players to ask the bartender in the canitan for the loacation of a vendor. This way it is a underworld vendor and not an ad barker. Oh yeah players must engage the dealer in conversation Dealers disaprear when you exit the game. This way if the dealer is arrested imperials can come looking for you. You become wanted. Some extra content. Crack down troops can arrest a dealer. After he has been arrested you are marked by the empire on that world. The replacing of the vendor alsokeeps players from stocking 800 weapons with a vendor and leaving him there to occupy a slot for 2 months.
Nice lines of thought. I kept the Dealer system more to vendors as that system "most of the Time" works. I did toy with the idea of a Smuggler's Dealers causing vis and being vunerable to Crack Down inspection. It might be added after the system was tested. Item limit is 500 for a Master Smuggler by the way. Good that you saw a problem of vendor camping at good sites. That would be my concern too.
Thank you for your opinion
Would this idea even get notice?
I believe the devs would ignore this possiblility because they are going to make us "a Combat Profession". As of late, Merchants and Crafters are not getting due attention and infact have had stikes against them. Instead of adding to our money making interest (Isnt that the core goal of Smuggling?), we will probably get the Smuggler Only Missions and some Combat Specials or additions to better defend ourselves from Bounty Hunters. That seems to be the direction we are heading.
I would hope WesBelden would commit on this just to keep us straight on what his insight on the Developers is. Is Combat more our direction? 
Message Edited by JYCowboy on 10-20-200507:49 AM
Message Edited by JYCowboy on 10-20-2005 07:50 AM