Any experience smugglers?

[Jackie McMackie]

How difficult is smuggling?

I know we've probably all seen that "Han Solo" video but I'm just wondering how you smuggle

Today I picked up some illicit cargo and sold it to an outpost, and it felt good, my first taste of going against the system!

Then I picked up some other illicit cargo, but seeing as there was no outpost with a black market on the system, and I couldn't be bothered to jump, I put on silent running, and headed for a full-size station at full speed (not turning off all my modules) while requesting docking, and steered into the station with my unwieldy cobra

I've always been a relatively quick docker (not upto the point where I do the whole thing at max throttle, but what's as high a throttle as I can confidently handle) and I think the only couple times I've ever had my ship cargo scanned was when I was idle outside a station when waiting for someone or taking pictures

Which leads me to believe that as difficult as the han solo guy made it look, (not saying it wasn't awesome) what he did was somewhat unnecessary. (his station was probably considerably higher security than mine though - I think mine had about 2 eagles and a viper patrolling.)

How difficult is smuggling goods between places? Any particular difficulties you've had to deal with? So far, my guess is that if you're a relatively fast docker and you don't hang around, smuggling should be pretty easy.

EDIT: Title is meant to say "experienced"

 

[CMDRJob']

i dont believe you can be scanned once inside a station. I like to vary it, sometimes i just line up from about 10k out, gun it into the slot, and engage landing gear and throttle down just before i enter to slow me down so i dont hit the back wall. Ill usually see the ship scan detected for a second but by the time im inside he will have had no time to complete the scan. Other times i do the cool running which is fun too. Its really not terribly difficult, but just involved enough to be fun for me. I also dont believe there are scanners at outposts

 

[dayrth]

Sounds like you are doing it right. Outposts will not scan you and if you can get into a station quick you're home free. The more security there is round the station the higher the ikleyhood that you will be scanned. Silent running means the cops won't see you until they are are very close so less likely to scan.
Getting from where you pick up the booty to the station can be stressful. Waiting for the interdiction alarm to go off, and the last mad dash to the slot is very exciting. Once inside though you are safe. No need to rush to the pad.
The thing you want to avoid though, is docking at a station without a black market. If you have to leave with the goods still in your hold, you are much more likely to be scanned on the way out.

 

[Archvillain]

Luck plays a role, but consistency is what kills me. I can fly into a mailslot pretty good, but I often try to cut corners and so sometimes I come in from a bad angle and screw it up. If I'm smuggling and I have to stop my approach and realign with the mailslot, I'm a sitting duck for scans. So even though it's very achievable to evade scans, if smuggling is your thing then you have to achieve that close to 100% of the time, constantly, and that's where skill comes in - not just being able to not screw up, but in being able to never screw up.

You also have to avoid security in RES's and the rest of the systems. Docking is just where you know they'll try to scan you, but they can scan you randomly in quite a lot of places.

 

[Marra Morgan]

Once you've got your technique well practiced, it will feel very easy. I haven't been caught for months, and I'm not happy unless there's something hot in my hold

Sounds like you're doing everything right. Approach non-outpost stations with the planet behind you - this will put you somewhat in line with the slot. Then I use FA off to line up my approach proper, under silent running. Don't bother turning mods off, it makes no practical difference.
Once lined up, I switch back to FA on and get into the slot sharpish.

If you smuggle regularly into a certain port, it's well worth getting in that faction's good books - they appear to scan you less once you're Friendly and seldomly once you're Allied.

Good luck! o7

 

[Ben Ryder]

I've put some stuff together with a bunch of others about smuggling that you might find handy. It's a bit of a ramble the but you'll find some good stuff in it


https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=82931&highlight=

Not showing off just showing it can be done and there's more than flying through the slot to really getting in to smuggling (sadly it's really badly balanced and neglected in the game and it doesnt look like 1.3 is going to improve it beyond racing through letter boxes with stuff found floating in space)

 

[Dbrn47]

There's a lot of times where you can just line up with the slot and fly at full speed, making it in before any scan finishes. To be safe on the bigger more illegal loads, silent run, at about 5-6km, heat sink, landing gear at about 3.5km, slow down as necessary as you fly in. Turning off modules and flight assist isn't necessary, boosting isn't necessary and a lot of times silent running isn't even necessary when entering a station. Should you have to leave the station with illegal goods though, I do suggest silent running, heat sink and boost as you are leaving.

As you experiment, you'll get a feel for when each thing is or isn't necessary. You can always practice avoiding scans with no goods on board.

 

[CMDR Reza Malin]

Make sure you have a ship thats suited to it. Invest in a decent power plant to reduce heat generated and increase the time you can use while silent running. Always be prepared to be scanned when you least expect it, and have good thrusters for boosting away from security. Stock heat sinks.

 

[adflet]

Which leads me to believe that as difficult as the han solo guy made it look, (not saying it wasn't awesome) what he did was somewhat unnecessary. (his station was probably considerably higher security than mine though - I think mine had about 2 eagles and a viper patrolling.)

I'm guessing you're talking about Isinona's video. It was made during beta and was a completely different world. Heat mechanics were way different, system patrols spawned in much quicker so you didn't have time to just shoot at the slot full speed, etc. He didn't make it look more difficult; it was.

 

[dayrth]

O...
If you smuggle regularly into a certain port, it's well worth getting in that faction's good books - they appear to scan you less once you're Friendly and seldomly once you're Allied.

Good luck! o7

Good point. I had forgotten this

 

[Greyhawk]

You can also get scanned in signal sources. Happened to me luckily a gnats wing away from scooping up some hot cargo so although I was sat 10 ft away from stolen goods with my scoop wide open, captain observant was cool with it and jumped out....

 

[Patau82]

I've put some stuff together with a bunch of others about smuggling that you might find handy. It's a bit of a ramble the but you'll find some good stuff in it


https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=82931&highlight=

Not showing off just showing it can be done and there's more than flying through the slot to really getting in to smuggling (sadly it's really badly balanced and neglected in the game and it doesnt look like 1.3 is going to improve it beyond racing through letter boxes with stuff found floating in space)

View attachment 31367

WOW! did you make that from rare salvage!?

 

[I and I Redeye]

I find smuggling very easy.
You just have to be switched on most of the time.
Docking without scan is easy.
I do it without silent running if I'm lined up with the slot.
This is by far the best way.
Helps if you line up your ship correctly when exit supercruise.
Otherwise you'll prolly have to use silent running and FA off to line up or boost away and make a big circle to line up so you are away from there scans. Usualy over 7km out they stop scanning.

I think if your allied they may even ignore illegal cargo. Not 100% sure.
If you are hostile I'm not sure if they even scan but they certainly try hard to stop you docking.
If you do get a scan you have to turn 90 and boost away out of range and try again.

Like someone said, know where your black markets are.

 

[Ben Ryder]

WOW! did you make that from rare salvage!?

Nope from a well planned train robbery, tied in to smuggling mission tied in with a community goal. No one died if I remember rightly, just a bumps and bruises.

I don't do salvage scooping or piracy unless I have to or it's part of a bigger plan.

I'm trying to think up another mission. Been toying with one but it needs a few commanders to help out. So far I've flown solo and at most in a wing of three.

I like smuggling you have to really work hard to come up with anything interesting because the devs seem to have completely overlooked it and always mess up the 'fixes'... Maybe there will be smuggling in the game that really does go beyond how you park you ship without getting a ticket... I hope David has something to say this afternoon on the subject.

How you fly through a slot is smuggling 101 for beginners. No offence meant. Taking 180 tonnes of Onion Head in one run, in one ship and selling it on the Black Market in Sol is my idea of what smuggling should be about. So I did. There's adventure to be had. Just think outside of the box. Always looking for chaps to go adventuring with mostly for fun because there's no real profit to be had (come on developers sort it out, please).

 

[Lupin]

NEVER used silent running (other than pressing the button to see what it did). Boost and good class thrusters are all you seem to need.
Getting in and out of a station undetected is not the problem. Having had to smuggle on multi stops.

Be being scanned going to a system, in single sources and in local system by police is a problem. Interdiction by police depends on system, so hit & miss.
Normally if you are interdicted by police you can boost away before they scan.

Hope this helps.

 

[gazelle]

I also dont believe there are scanners at outposts

It's not the station that scans you, the security vessels do. Military outposts do have security vessels, most others don't.

And if you got interdicted and the fight takes to long (I'm terrible at combat) security ships can show up. But instead of helping you fighting the pirate, the first thing they do is (you may guess) scanning you.

 

[Ben Ryder]

It's not the station that scans you, the security vessels do. Military outposts do have security vessels, most others don't.

And if you got interdicted and the fight takes to long (I'm terrible at combat) security ships can show up. But instead of helping you fighting the pirate, the first thing they do is (you may guess) scanning you.

If you are smuggling and you dont want the security to turn up do this > Go to your right-hand panel and turn off Report Crimes Against Me. This means that if you get interdicted by pirates then you wont send out a cry for help and the police wont turn up and make matters even worse. You'll just have the pirates to contend with

 

[Pendra]

I just boost my way in. Police rarely starts the scans and never finishes it. I carry some illicit cargo 99% of the time.

 

[gazelle]

If you are smuggling and you dont want the security to turn up do this > Go to your right-hand panel and turn off Report Crimes Against Me.

Yeah, I'm normally a law-abiding citizen. I just had "Motrona Experience Jelly" with me, which turned out to be illegal in most systems. But I couldn't just dumb it, it's a rare.

 

[Ben Ryder]

Smugglers get your questions to David quickly