Smuggler Archive

I like the idea of having someone trying to steal your shipment. It would, however, make more sense if another Smuggler were trying to steal your shipment. I see it as working like this:

+Smugglers, after a certain point, are offered a "tenured position" with certain organizations. This would, effectively, lead to being PVP enabled.
-The position would be offered after completing a series of theme-park style Smuggler Missions.
-Smugglers can only be officially associated with one group at a time.

+While "tenured" the Smuggler will be offered high risk missions.
-These missions would be longer-term and would involve using contacts across the galaxy to find the proper drop-off location.
-When a Smuggler takes these missions, an e-mail would be sent out to a certain number of Smugglers of opposing organizations. Take a Jabba mission and Valerian's people are informed.
-The opposing Smuggler would have to use contacts, terminal slicing, etc, to track their target. They can employ a BH friend who could just use droids, however the BH could not be involved in the attack.
-If the tracking Smuggler finds their prey and incaps them, a "search" option becomes available. It takes a certain amount of time to search another Smuggler so incaps would be a better choice then DBs.
-If the opposing Smuggler DBs the mission-taker before finding the contraband then the mission is considered lost for both of them, however the mission-taker does not suffer an increase in visibility.
-The opposing Smuggler can choose to DB an incapped opponent after taking the contraband, but that will add to "visibility."
-The mission-taking Smuggler can choose to give up their cargo, thus gaining a lot of visibility. Being incapped and having it stolen will increase visibility to a lesser degree. Being DBed leads to no visibility increase for the mission-taker.
-Succesfully completing the mission for either Smuggler provides ample rewards as well as a decrease in visibility.

+"Tenured" Smugglers may become visible on BH terminals. The reward corresponds to their visibility.
-The ONLY WAY to gain visibility is to lose high risk missions or to DB other Smugglers taking one such mission.
-Upon being DBed by a BH, a Smuggler's visibility is reduced to zero.
-The ONLY WAY to lower visibility is to complete high risk missions or be DBed by a BH.
-BHs have to get missions for Smugglers at the bases of the Smugglers' opposing organization.
-As BHs are "independant contractors" they can take missions for Smugglers of any organization - they don't have to be tenured.
-BHs can hunt Smugglers whenever and wherever - it is not linked to a mission.

+Non-tenured Smugglers will have access to similar missions, however the reward will not be as great and the NPC BHs will come at them according to the 4-tier system.


I see this system as adding a reasonable risk vs reward system for Smugglers who wish to engage in a PVP system. It also keeps the BHs onboard as an integral part of the system, however it keeps them far enough away where Smugglers wouldn't avoid these missions for fear of inevitably running into a 1337 peeveepeer. And, if you do gain enough visibility for a BH to chase you then the second you're DBed you're good and you CANNOT get back on the terminals unless you choose to re-enter the system. That way you can try it, and if you don't like it you can continue to play your game and never worry about it again.

The system also solves the problem of exploiting players. In order for a player to get on the BH terms they must work within the system. Once on the terms the reward will be relative to their visibility, so in order to gain a substantial amount of credits the Smuggler will have to spend a good deal of time consistantly losing missions. Once the Smuggler finally gets to a relatively high value the moment they're DBed their visibility goes back to zero.

Smuggler/Smuggler exploitation will be limited because the e-mail that informs opposing Smugglers that someone took a high-risk mission is sent to players at random, it's sent to multiple players, the rewards are, relatively, low and the risks to Smugglers involved are reasonable.

OK, let me know what you all think of this system.