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Post by 4BIN4D3R on Jul 4, 2013 16:18:05 GMT -5
As it stands there really is not much incentive to play this class but this change should revive the class. Selling/buying contraband electronics/weapons/artifacts/records to independent planets should result in a rep loss for all factions. You dont suffer this penalty if your a smuggler. Pump up the prices to sell to an independent planet and cut prices to buy from said planets. That gives incentives to deal with them and not avoid them entirely.
Fan fiction side: the central database keeps track of all deals so unlicensed trading (independents and no trade permit in play) causes a rep loss, however, smugglers have found a way around the central exchange keeping meticulous records of their dealings and so they suffer no losses (criminals always find workarounds for legal obstacles).
Feedback? Constructive criticism? Bashing? What do you think?
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Post by John Robinson on Jul 4, 2013 16:40:59 GMT -5
I like your ideas, especially the fan fiction point of view. I think independant planets are always supposed to be poor, small populations. Goods are limited so supply, and demand are always a big problem. They will mark up purchase, and mark down what you sell.
Although having a Tradesman officer on board is supposed to reduce negative rep for trading in an embargo. I think the smuggler should have little or no negative rep when trading on a faction planet when it is under a trade embargo as long as he has a trading license with it. My fan fiction concept is the smuggler is bringing in goods during a trade embargo where enemy ships are patrolling to ward off honest traders. The smugglers job is to slip through the net, trade his goods and get out again without being captured.
Maybe he gets a higher sell price for his cargo, but will have to pay much higher prices to buy anything from a planet envolved in a trade embargo, or trade war. The idea being any planet suffering these conditions have a short supply of goods to sell, and as a result will charge very high prices to buy them. Like oil on earth this could really hurt when buying water fuel.
Recap; if the smuggler doesn't get stopped by military ships, lands safely on the planet, he gets better prices selling his goods with little rep loss because his transactions are being done in secret. Thinking maybe he knows who to bribe to keep their mouths shut, or is dealing with local underworld types that twart prohibition. Remember the Al Capone days? Prohibition provided millions to invest in other shady enterprizes.
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Post by 4BIN4D3R on Jul 4, 2013 17:22:37 GMT -5
I see, well i at least think if smugglers trade into an embargo they should get 2x bonus (to selling and 1/2 to buying or something like that) either way, the smuggler profession is less appealing than the merchant.
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Post by 4BIN4D3R on Jul 4, 2013 17:27:04 GMT -5
I have a couple other ideas as well... the captain should have more free training points at start so you can tailor him to your play style whilst still having the cheap faction pardons, also, the bounty hunter falls second place to the military officer because cheaper promotions are MUCH better than cheap death warrants. An update should cause oath violation and faction loss to not affect bounty hunters at level 10 (or 12 depending on the difficulty) this would make them much more appealing and on par with the military officer.
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Post by slayernz on Jul 4, 2013 19:03:16 GMT -5
There has been an enhancement requested in play for a looooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong time now that would introduce black markets into urban areas. Smugglers would be able to buy and sell goods (at buy/sell rates similar to independents), without the need for a trade permit, or even a +RP for the faction that the black market was in. When they land successfully on a planet (however hostile the faction is), there would be a % chance the black market would be visible to the captain. There would also be a chance that your transaction is discovered by the faction police, and you could lose more RP as a result  |
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Post by 4BIN4D3R on Jul 4, 2013 19:33:52 GMT -5
That sounds pretty cool if not pretty complicated to code. The captain and bounty hunter suggestions are very reasonable
I would think. I like that idea with black markets. Where can i read more on it?
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Post by slayernz on Jul 4, 2013 20:09:51 GMT -5
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Post by 4BIN4D3R on Jul 4, 2013 20:18:36 GMT -5
thanks! i had already read the bottom one i just could not find it to post this as a reply there.
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Post by John Robinson on Jul 5, 2013 5:22:23 GMT -5
Makes sense to limit black market to % chance, versus always finding it. Smugglers are not likely to have underworld connections everywhere they go.
How about nobody else gets to purchase a "Smugglers Hold" except a smuggler Captain, and along with current protection of deliveries add +20 hidden cargo space , because Smugglers need low signature ships with high speed/agility. That often means low crew and smaller cargo capacity.
Bounty Hunter idea. BH Captain gets increasingly higher % pay offs for number of consecutive successful missions. Like when the bad guys say "I wanna a guy wacked", "There's a guy I know in Denver never misses, but he don't come cheap". If you miss a couple of hits your rates go back to normal until you rebuild your rep with the Bosses.
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Post by 4BIN4D3R on Jul 5, 2013 8:07:26 GMT -5
Bh needs something to come out of mo's shadow!
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Post by 4BIN4D3R on Jul 5, 2013 12:21:53 GMT -5
okay heres a simple idea! update it so that criminal status does not close down an exchange for smugglers and they do not lose rep during trade embargos! simple! as for the bounty hunter i still suggest that you are immune to faction lost from violating oaths. That would make it more popular because right now, people always choose the military officer for cheap promotions.
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Post by John Robinson on Jul 5, 2013 17:05:22 GMT -5
I agree, BH could use some help. BH seems like one of the most difficult types to play, so many skills used with finesse. Immune to faction oaths? Let's say 2 factions are happy with the BH. Each faction is more than willing to use him for paid assinations or capture missions. The contract descriptions always seem to imply an element of infiltration to aquire the target. On a simple level a hitman sniper better not get caught, the guy who hired him will deny it, the guy he missed will try to kill him. Result bad rep with both sides. So in ST we are using "Got to the spice hall", Wait until he takes ship, and destroy him, that's the same as go to Boston nail him with a sniper rifle.
I do think the faction oath loss is too severe. A smart hitman remains anonymous , you know, phone call contract, blind cash drop when finished. So unless the mission is a failure, the BH special ability survielance fails, target escapes. Now he is at risk of being identified by the target he let escape. So maybe you only get immunity if you don't miss. If you fail then the same faction oath violation stands, but make it a % chance, not a automatic oath violation.
Having just wrote this, I don't know how that would work in game mechanics. I don't see the advantage to cheap death warrants, do you?
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Post by 4BIN4D3R on Jul 5, 2013 18:03:01 GMT -5
Even free death warrants would not be on par with cheaper promotions. Your idea is interesting but its complicated maybe impossible to code, the more complicated the suggestion (even if its really cool) the less likely that cory trese will implement it. I do think that the smuggler and BH can use a push. At least if selling to an independent world would give a profit without shortage, rumor bonus maybe anything. The 200% cache bonus is not cutting it.
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Post by 4BIN4D3R on Jul 7, 2013 9:28:17 GMT -5
1 last suggestion for the smuggler. They get discounts for buying and selling contraband on indy worlds but are unable to get trade permits with factions other than their patron faction. That way, they can bring in electronics weapons and artifacts and still make from indy worlds and still make a profit even if you arent chasing a surplus rumor on an indy planet. Also, other factions will always loot you if you dont run to them. Bam!
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Post by Deleted on Jul 7, 2013 11:10:33 GMT -5
This is a smuggler profession idea thread, so lets focus on one thing at a time. My brain cant process ideas for two professions at the same time.
Recently, a harvest bonus was added to both merchants and smugglers. While a harvest bonus makes sense for merchants as they deal with licensed cargo which is obtained from harvest and get XP and produce records from trading licensed goods, the smuggler deals with illegal contraband which is obtained from explore, and does not get XP nor produce trade records from trading licensed goods. I think the smuggler harvest should be changed to a chance of getting artifacts from harvest, or better yet scratch the harvest bonus completely to give him a bonus that makes more sense. Here are some ideas
- Special Contraband Signature Ability - the smuggler has the special ability of reducing our negating entirely signature from illegal contraband cargo. Could apply to package contracts also
- Resist vs search ability - the smuggler has the ability to hide illegal contraband cargo to a limited amount to prevent enemies from finding and confiscating illegal cargo when being searched. Like the exo scout contract ability except for contraband cargo. Amount of cargo that can be hidden and prevented from confiscation could be based on certain ship stats, charisma, tactics, or could be a set bonus. Morale protections for search could also apply, or not if it seems overbalanced to have both
- Major landing operation bonus - the smuggler has a major bonus for avoiding encounters for urban and wild landings
- Delivery contract records ability - the smuggler has the ability to produce records and gain XP for delivery contracts as well as trading illegal contraband cargo
- Special Surveillance Ability for landings - the smuggler has the ability to do surveillance over orbit of a planet in order to avoid encounters when landing. Could be used whenever or only under certain conditions, depending on what the developer thinks is balanced
- Special Reputation Ability for Trade Rumors - the smuggler gets rep protections (50% or so) when trading during embargoes. A rep bonus for trading during trade alliances could also apply, or not if having both seem too overbalanced.
- Special Black Market Ability for Trade - smuggler has the ability to trade in a black market, to trade during embargoes, contraband without permit, with an exchange is closed rumour, or with rep too low to get into regular exchange. Black Market prices worse than normal prices
(buy/sell) and based on negotiate. The smuggler could either always find black market, have to do surveillance over planet to find black market every trade season, and/or have it be a % chance upon landing, based on tactics, charisma and/or certain officers like exo scout and tradesman.
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