Remove the Second nerf of smuggling

[Ventec247]

"waaa I can't make 20mil an hour with almost 0 risk anymore"

Risk vs Reward my ass, smuggling is absurdly easy with about as much risk of being the victim of piracy... now if your chances of being scanned/fined were 50/50 sure I'd agree with you on this... but they aren't... so I don't... and if you believe otherwise, well... you're wrong.

 

[Matnik]

Some easy example number of how one humble player thinks it should work. Higher security stations should give higher fines, and higher profits if you get in. High security systems should have auto-scanning of all ships near the letterbox, so you simply do not have time to get into them without getting scanned in a slow ship. Small ships should have an easier time of it, but will still get scanned at (at least) 1km before the letterbox so you have to be caning it to get in before you're scanned. If you're quick, and lucky, you're in and you're looking at silly profit per ton.

Back in beta, I watched videos of people lining up with the letterbox and having to do a tricky silent running maneuver to get in without being seen. In all my time smuggling illicit cargo I've never had to do that, as I hardly ever get scanned.

 

[TheoZ]

What was the risk again?

The fine?

Who was actually scanned? Anyone?

Wont touch slaves but was flying a Type 7 in full of Onion head and other Botanical from Harvest Port without a problem

At times there was One ship on Patrol around the stations, sometime there were no System Authority Vessels on Patrol around the stations.
ZERO interdiction in Super cruise.

I am all for Smuggling to be a viable Occupation, but I don't want it to be Super-Profit-Easy mode for Large Freighters Wandering in the Access-way without a care in the world.

As Cmdr Ultra says the Mission hit the role perfectly as you zip about in a small ship making deliveries.
It gives the right feel, especially when you see the mission debriefing and see you are creating unrest or a bust by delivering weapons and narcotics.

Docking just as normal and making huge Profits because there is no customs, not so much, you don't even get to see the effects of delivery 160 tones of guns or narcotics to a station.

This exactly. The profits were fine on the first pass, you could make good money on narcotics not just slaves. The problem was it wasn't equal risk to reward. It was slight risk vs massive reward.
keep the profits where they were initially but flip that on its head, gargantuan risk for massive reward. The risk should be higher than a days profit for messing up once.
to the it was an exploit crowd, yes it was that's the point of smuggling. Smuggling by definition is to bypass laws and requlations for massive personal profit.
it didn't need a nerf let alone 2, it needed a MASSIVE buff to difficulty and punishment.
More security at stations
more interdictions based on your notoriety and if carrying illicit cargo
multiplicative headhunter spawns to hunt you down with each successfully smuggle
pirate wings in high ranking large / fast ships to steal your stuff
multiplicative system security to hunt you down with a cool down debuff if you let the heat die down
triple the fines
fines placed on illegal goods over 100 tons = instant bounty
lower payout in archon space higher payout in space with heightened fines such as Hudson space.
smuggling cannot be balanced for new players, it should be outright impossible for a new player, possible in any ship minus the type 9 by only very experienced players.
expand the black market to buy and sell items and add in multiple items for alternates to slaves.
the single cheapest lowest profit item should fetch at minimum 2400 per ton profit. Putting it on par with a decent trade circuit.

"waaa I can't make 20mil an hour with almost 0 risk anymore"

Risk vs Reward my ass, smuggling is absurdly easy with about as much risk of being the victim of piracy... now if your chances of being scanned/fined were 50/50 sure I'd agree with you on this... but they aren't... so I don't... and if you believe otherwise, well... you're wrong.

Honestly,

I can't find a mission or smthg that is challenging. If I put "risk" in quotes does that make it better? Sure, increase the patrols, serious interdictions (not sideys and eagles interdicting the condas), but hey, the point still remains.

Higher "risk" shall bring better profit and not the other way around!

 

[CMDR Memphis]

Easy - the fines are just too small.
First of all, to be realistic, the cargo should be confiscated. The ship would be impounded pre-trial, so you would have to buy another ship there (or get a free sidewinder, LOL)...
Then the fines should probably be about 10-100 times the worth of the cargo (if it is music or movies, it should even be 10,000 times the worth of the cargo ha ha)

I totally agree smuggling should pay out nicely.

I think FD are fighting the problem that in the end, most people are at the "level cap", e.g. an Anaconda and every other ship you would want in the garage, and it would be harder to engage them into new play. I actually do believe that FD are keen on people grinding - it gives them incentives to do CG etc...

 

[_Flin_]

b4 the first nerf, you could smuggle imperial slaves for 10k+/ton

after the first nerf it dropped to 5k-8k. Reminder here, if you get caught you get a very big fine.

I remember when I was trading (i've stopped after reaching elite rank, couldn't take it anymore (....) I could get normal trade profit for around 2.6k-2.8k.)

after the second nerf, imperial slaves smuggling droped under 3k. around 2.2-2.5k if I am not mistaken. And if you get caught......

And you get caught how often?

Imperial Slaves smuggling is an unbalanced mechanic, available only in the region of 1 major faction.
And it's totally fine to balance it.

It wasn't intended in that amount, and it got nerfed. Well, that was to be expected. Now just wait for the next unbalanced mechanic to surface and use that one while it is still active.

There were indeed enough of them until now. Selling outfitting, rare trading, seeking luxuries, slave trade, etc. Add to that the community goals that give good profits, there really isn't a lack of credits in the game.

 

[Derath]

My continued issue with smuggling is it isn't risky, I've spent the whole game wanted in the federation, carrying stolen goods, I just don't get scanned - there really isn't any risk I can just fly and dock wherever I want.

This means huge profits would just replace trading, they need to think of some other way to really buff smuggling back up again (though i doubt that much thoughts going into it)

 

[Poseidal]

I can only imagine the wailing and gnashing of teeth when Imperial Slaves make the transition from cargo to passengers in the Orca patch.

 

[TheoZ]

I can only imagine the wailing and gnashing of teeth when Imperial Slaves make the transition from cargo to passengers in the Orca patch.

Ahh, what you reminded me now, the Orca....I was really hoping we get passanger/vip/troop missions for Clippa/FDL/Fed Dropship/Orca in 1.3.

I had bought that orca of mine 3-4 months ago, It got so dusty and rusty in my garage that I needed to sell it out. My hopes were not met. I really hoped that with powerplay Orca would be a playable ship, but no. I don't consider it playable, I consider it flyable.

I predict that in the next major patch we get:

a) new ships (big ones, ie corvettte and cutter).
b) new modules (power capicitors, passanger seats etc)
c) new weapons (size 3-4 missiles/torpedos/beamers/pulses)
d) docking bay of anaconda (xbox trailers shows that)

 

[Vasious]

I can only imagine the wailing and gnashing of teeth when Imperial Slaves make the transition from cargo to passengers in the Orca patch.

I have a feeling those of low moral fiber selling Imperial Slave to Black Markets will still be stuffing them in Cargo Pods.

In the mean time smuggling Tobacco into the Federation (regular non Power Play influenced Blackmarkets) turned out to bring 350CR a ton

I am having trouble finding Narcotics, as my old haunts were Imperial Industrial Dictatorships, which used to produce Narcotics pre-1.3 but now do not.

Seems Narcotics are now only just the green leafy variety, and does not the ones made out of Industrial Waste

Mission Descriptions back this us.