Need Help with Smuggler class

[Azrain]

hey guys, first of all i just registered to the forum yesterday but ive been a fan of STRPG eversince i got my android fone, in fact its one of my first android games ever,... i absooolutely love it!!! great work Cory!!!! ^_____^V,
been reading the forum since then but i finally decided to join and be part of the fan base, hehe

on to my question, iv been playn a wyl and been successful with the explorer, military, and merchant classes, a lil shaky at bounty hunters, and an avid pirate ^___^V, but i wna learn how to be a smuggler,..

been reading the forum and i hav ideas but basically i wna ask these questions,...

1.) how does a smuggler get his hands on the permit goods?, does he loot them from ships?, or buy them from somewhere and sell it??

2.) trade permits enable you to sell the smuggled goods, so practically, you still need permits to trade those goods,...right?

soo basically, thats what i need help and tips for,. hehe

again, thanks, its a gr8 game, ol the folks in our workplace play it ^___^V

[Cory Trese]

You can buy and sell illegal goods at worlds owned by Independent Spacers and any planet where you have a Trade Permit.

A smuggler should probably try to have one or two trade permits at all times, and keep most reputations close to zero. Trade Bans and retreating in Faction space will get you into trouble.

One big key to Smugglers is Trade Records on Electronics and Weapons. Just buying and selling these goods can generate bonus Records that are design to make the trading profitable for the Smuggler.

In Game: Well Captain, we didn't get the best prices in the quadrant for those weapons ... but what we do know is that the buyer was a Cadar Nobel and the armaments were being sharpened for hat piercing duty. Our records point towards a brewing war between Cadar and Rychart! De Valtos will want these records!

[oldalchemist]

I like a smuggler with rank and permits for all 6 factions. That's the trickiest part. Once you get there, you only have to worry about getting shot up by independent pirates and aliens.

Don't shy away from legitimate trade. If you can do a Spice run and make a hundo space bucks. You can fund a whole bunch of restricted trade. Don't be afraid to throw money away buying and selling stuff at the same exchange. You make profit in rep and records.

The big thing is watching embargoes and staying nice-nice with everyone. A smuggler isn't fighting for anyone but himself.

[Azrain]

wow big tnx al and cory!!! ^____^V will do, sumtyms its tempting to go explorer with the smuggler class but i guess dats alwz an option, unfortunately havnt updated to the latest version yet, im still at 3.6.6 i guess, will update soon, ^_____^V, agyn tnx, and keep up the great game Cory!!!, android users from the Philippines loves your work!!!! ^____^

[oldalchemist]

Exploring as a smuggler is OK, but you're never going to be as good at it as an Explorer. Now, if you happen to have a ship full of crew and a relatively safe wild zone nearby that just had a big discovery on it, it's not a bad idea to pop down for a look around and see what you can find. If there are free alien artifacts just lying around, you'd be crazy not to pick them up and sell them at market price. Just don't go squeezing the planet when you start losing men.

Also, once you've got a cash cushion, start caching surplus goods in a secure wild zone. Legal goods are good to have when you can capitalize on a shortage. Restricted goods are good to have on hand when you need to butter up the Cadar because you accidentally sided with Thulun in a spy battle you didn't know about.

Remember, Han Solo was a crappy smuggler as soon as he started taking sides.

[HateSolstice]

I was just about to try out a Smuggler finally. This has already made it easier.

Which of the starting ships do you recommend? I don't have Serpent Tooth or Tempus Fugit unlocked yet, though.

[oldalchemist]

The V.V. is fine. Your goal is to make enough cash to buy a Javat Cutter or similar fast rank ship. Alternately, something with enough firepower to shanghai a poorly captained ship that is better than yours.

[vwllss]

May 20, 2011 10:18:09 GMT -5 oldalchemist said:

The V.V. is fine. Your goal is to make enough cash to buy a Javat Cutter or similar fast rank ship. Alternately, something with enough firepower to shanghai a poorly captained ship that is better than yours.

You really buy those things? I always find it difficult to get enough cash that quickly, and I end up running across some cruiser of the enemy's that's way nicer.

[HateSolstice]

Any partiular starting faction? I'm thinking probably Thulun or Rhychart.

[oldalchemist]

The Javat Cutter and the Rychart Infiltrator are both very nice mid game ships for a smuggler.

A smuggler should be able to buy a ship if he's eyeballing the risks. You want ranks with everybody ASAP, that makes the whole 'access to the military infrastructure' cost immaterial. You were going to get ranked anyway to avoid searches. You might as well buy a much better mid-game ship if you can.

If I luck out and run afoul of a Jango Class in need of a new captain, I'll jump at the chance, but the really nice thing about rank ships is that they are there when you are ready for them 100% of the time. No shopping around star docks. No high risk ship hunting that might alienate one of the factions. When I've got cash on hand, I pop over and buy the ship I want. Done.

Smugglers take enough risks moving cargo. Sometimes it's good to have at least one 'sure thing.'

[HateSolstice]

There should be ship upgrades exclusive to certain classes. For example, false panels and hidden compartments for smugglers.

[oldalchemist]

The way that they're 'exclusive' is that there's another upgrade in the same category that's better for another class. e.g. Omni-Stealth Array vs. Predator Tracking Array.

[HateSolstice]

I tried playing a smuggler yesterday a couple times, and it turned out harder than I had thought. Money was indeed tight to begin with, and I wasn't entirely sure what kind of contracts I should be taking(if any). I attempted the "honored guests" and "deliver this message" contracts, but then I'd either get found out by the local authoraties or attacked and killed by pirates.

I dunno if planetary patrol ships are supposed to attack when you try to tuck tail and flee, but I managed to get attacked by a couple of them, couldn't flee, and when I surrendered(tried both after fighting and initially before fighting) I'd get found out immediately. Pirates are just jerks.

I admit, I'm terrible at the whole intergalactic trade thing, mostly due to the fact that I can't tell if the prices I'm seeing are up to date, or if they'll change before I reach my destination. Even using rumors, I have no idea if a surplus or shortage will last. And how are the smuggler trade records produced, because I never saw any created when I did manage to sell some weapons and electronics.

[slayernz]

The only thing I figured out to do was get a trade permit as soon as you possibly can, then start trading restricted items between the worlds of friendly factions. You often get surplus records for each trade and that's enough to eek out a living. When you start, you have to keep both ears to the floor to make sure you capitalize on every single scrap of a rumor about shortages/surpluses. That will get you out of the poor house and into the ... well slightly less poor house. At least you won't be homeless.

Then you chuck everything you can into getting piloting and stealth up to scratch so bad guys don't get to treat you like a chew toy every time they encounter you.

Sooner or later (pick a low percentage success rate - or luck), you turn the corner and can cope with the encounters, have friends in high places, and actually can afford more than the eastern-european style transportation.

[HateSolstice]

I do think it'd be neat to see some "sell these illegal goods to those guys over there!" contracts from the spice halls. It would certainly be fitting at times.