Smuggler Archive
Thread: How Smugglers could be smugglers..and in star warsy fashion
Page 1 of 1
JamesBenson
Sat Jan 15, 2005 10:31 am
#1
I know this kind of idea has probably been circulating a lot, but I don't read this forum because I'm not a smuggler. I just kind of thought through it and I don't want to delete what I've typed...so you all get to read it. 
With any luck, a dev will catch on if they already haven't.
I was daydreaming the other day and I imagined smugglers carrying cargo in their YT-1300's, trying to sneak their glitterstim or other contraband through Imperial held territory (remember TIE Fighter? The inspections?). A random TIE Fighter/In scans said ship and determines there is a possibility of contraband on board (could be random like the current crackdown scans). The local Star Destroyer or space station sends a transport full of stormtroopers and TIE escort to disable the smuggler's ship. The smuggler can either surrender by stopping or he can try to outrun them..or he can return fire..or dump the cargo.
The first scenario: the ship is not disabled, but any spice that is found is confiscated and the pilot is fined heftily. Perhaps make it possible to conceal the presence of contraband (or just make it a random thing sort of like the current Imperial crackdown on the ground, but based on smuggler skills). At any rate, the smuggler manages to keep his pilot's license but will still lose Hutt faction (or whoever he's working for at the time) and won't make any profit if their cargo is lost. If the Imperials don't detect it once aboard, the pilot is free to go and will not be scanned again until they land and relaunch. No loss in profit, increase in faction for whoever you're working for (since you managed to give them the slip and have increased their confidence in your skills). Also a reduction in the 'snitch' points.
The second case, if they're fast enough to get into hyperspace (provided their hyperdrive doesn't take damage from the battle) they can get out of dodge, but miss their delivery deadline and get chewed out. If they're lucky, they'll get 75% of the pre-arranged price. Enough of those, and the Imperials might get a tip off from a snitch (make it kinda like how the Jedi are hunted now if they show themselves off to the wrong person). No faction lost toward whoever they're working for since they still made the delivery and their end of the profits is covered. You take a loss of profit.
The third option obviously results in more fighters being launched in an all-out effort to destroy the smuggler's ship. It could be the case that the smuggler returns fire, attracts more attention, but still manages to escape. In this case the smuggler would only receive 50% of the pre-arranged price and would gain more points (it would be internal and not actually seen) toward a snitch tipping off the Imperials. Possibly even lost Hutt faction for getting too much attention.
Fourth, dumping the cargo (assuming you stop and allow an inspection and boarding) will reduce your snitch points because the Imperials will have evidence that you aren't carrying that type of cargo and may not put as much faith in the snitches. Unfortunately, you lose a whole lot of faction toward the group you're working for (like Han did ). Depending on how well you've served them in the past, they may or may not put a bounty on your head (which players could accept). You obviously won't gain any profit by dumping your cargo, but your ship won't be disabled or destroyed.
In all of the cases where your ship is boarded, a squad of stormtroopers would actually board your ship and explore it, checking the ship logs and so forth. You could, theoretically, kill the stormtroopers but with the transport ship still docked you couldn't enter hyperspace. You would most probably die unless you could outrun them. The ship would handle sluggishly with the extra mass attached to your ship. Also, it would be nice to allow real people to board your ship as well if they receive clearance from you (like /consent). If the stormtroopers killed you, your ship would be confiscated and you would have to pay a deck officer to release it (kind of like having your car towed and then the owner has to pay for it to get it back).
But you get the idea..every choice you make has a resulting consequence. We need something like this for smugglers. It would at least give them something to do in space once they aced pilot. Forgive me if someone else has already said this stuff in the smuggler forum because I don't read that profession's very often. At any rate, this kind of behavior (and Imperial presence in most systems) would give more of a Star Warsy feel.
With any luck, a dev will catch on if they already haven't.I was daydreaming the other day and I imagined smugglers carrying cargo in their YT-1300's, trying to sneak their glitterstim or other contraband through Imperial held territory (remember TIE Fighter? The inspections?). A random TIE Fighter/In scans said ship and determines there is a possibility of contraband on board (could be random like the current crackdown scans). The local Star Destroyer or space station sends a transport full of stormtroopers and TIE escort to disable the smuggler's ship. The smuggler can either surrender by stopping or he can try to outrun them..or he can return fire..or dump the cargo.
The first scenario: the ship is not disabled, but any spice that is found is confiscated and the pilot is fined heftily. Perhaps make it possible to conceal the presence of contraband (or just make it a random thing sort of like the current Imperial crackdown on the ground, but based on smuggler skills). At any rate, the smuggler manages to keep his pilot's license but will still lose Hutt faction (or whoever he's working for at the time) and won't make any profit if their cargo is lost. If the Imperials don't detect it once aboard, the pilot is free to go and will not be scanned again until they land and relaunch. No loss in profit, increase in faction for whoever you're working for (since you managed to give them the slip and have increased their confidence in your skills). Also a reduction in the 'snitch' points.
The second case, if they're fast enough to get into hyperspace (provided their hyperdrive doesn't take damage from the battle) they can get out of dodge, but miss their delivery deadline and get chewed out. If they're lucky, they'll get 75% of the pre-arranged price. Enough of those, and the Imperials might get a tip off from a snitch (make it kinda like how the Jedi are hunted now if they show themselves off to the wrong person). No faction lost toward whoever they're working for since they still made the delivery and their end of the profits is covered. You take a loss of profit.
The third option obviously results in more fighters being launched in an all-out effort to destroy the smuggler's ship. It could be the case that the smuggler returns fire, attracts more attention, but still manages to escape. In this case the smuggler would only receive 50% of the pre-arranged price and would gain more points (it would be internal and not actually seen) toward a snitch tipping off the Imperials. Possibly even lost Hutt faction for getting too much attention.
Fourth, dumping the cargo (assuming you stop and allow an inspection and boarding) will reduce your snitch points because the Imperials will have evidence that you aren't carrying that type of cargo and may not put as much faith in the snitches. Unfortunately, you lose a whole lot of faction toward the group you're working for (like Han did
). Depending on how well you've served them in the past, they may or may not put a bounty on your head (which players could accept). You obviously won't gain any profit by dumping your cargo, but your ship won't be disabled or destroyed.In all of the cases where your ship is boarded, a squad of stormtroopers would actually board your ship and explore it, checking the ship logs and so forth. You could, theoretically, kill the stormtroopers but with the transport ship still docked you couldn't enter hyperspace. You would most probably die unless you could outrun them. The ship would handle sluggishly with the extra mass attached to your ship. Also, it would be nice to allow real people to board your ship as well if they receive clearance from you (like /consent). If the stormtroopers killed you, your ship would be confiscated and you would have to pay a deck officer to release it (kind of like having your car towed and then the owner has to pay for it to get it back).
But you get the idea..every choice you make has a resulting consequence. We need something like this for smugglers. It would at least give them something to do in space once they aced pilot. Forgive me if someone else has already said this stuff in the smuggler forum because I don't read that profession's very often. At any rate, this kind of behavior (and Imperial presence in most systems) would give more of a Star Warsy feel.
Cloudchasing
Sat Jan 15, 2005 10:45 am
#2
Love the post, but its a pipe dream. ANYWAY. This kind of content will never make it. I'd LOVE for this kind of thing to happen. I'd LOVE to be able to dock in space and have STs walking thru your ship. I'd LOVE to have contraband searches and have consequences to our actions that would place us on the BH terms. I'd LOVE to have to run to escape a picket ship. I'd LOVE to have to actually have a place on my ship to hide cargo. I'd LOVE to have faction for a boss like Jabba or Valarian mean something other than an instant-aggro. I'd LOVE SOE & the devs to provide us with all of these things. Smuggler is a prof that has SO MANY possibilities.
BTW, did you read yimaz's wonderful post? Much like yours in concept.
also btw,I love being a smuggler even with all the crap that we put up with.
The cold, hard truth about us smugglers is that we want to be chased by BHs. We want to have CorSec/RSF/Fed-Dub/Empire searching thru our things. We want to hack terminals and smuggle jedi/weapons/spice/loot. and we want to get caught for it.
I know of no other profession that wants to actually BE hunted. I want to slink and crawl thru the alleyways of Coronet trying to evade CorSec while I try to deliver the illegal cargo to the nps standing on the North Side (has to be the North side, cause the Starport is on the South side) I want to have to find a dark corner/alley to slice a weapon.
whoa, just hijacked a bit of your post.
Back to complementing your good ideas. Lets see if they make it in to the game at all.
Message Edited by Cloudchasing on 01-15-2005 12:45 PM
JamesBenson
Sun Jan 16, 2005 2:30 pm
#3
Hijack all you want 
I was just thinking about it one day. It wouldn't really affect me, I just sympathize with smugglers because I was once a pistoleer and I consider smugglers to be one of those professions, like pistoleer, that is intrinsically star warsy (unlike TK, CM, 2H and such). And no, I haven't read any posts like that. I don't normally read this profession's stuff because I'm a pikeman/fencer/brawler (until combat upgrade). I reeeeeeally miss pistoleer, though. If they fix it in the combat upgrade, I'm definitely going back..saved my pistols. Like I said, hijack all you want..it's what smugglers do LOL. It's the best way to brainstorm.
I was just thinking about it one day. It wouldn't really affect me, I just sympathize with smugglers because I was once a pistoleer and I consider smugglers to be one of those professions, like pistoleer, that is intrinsically star warsy (unlike TK, CM, 2H and such). And no, I haven't read any posts like that. I don't normally read this profession's stuff because I'm a pikeman/fencer/brawler (until combat upgrade). I reeeeeeally miss pistoleer, though. If they fix it in the combat upgrade, I'm definitely going back..saved my pistols. Like I said, hijack all you want..it's what smugglers do LOL. It's the best way to brainstorm.
Page 1 of 1