The Smuggling discussion thread

If you used a cobra (or any other really fast ship) for smuggling you wouldnt have to worry about fighting. The Python is an amazing ship, but there are better ones for smuggling. 1 boost in my cobra and the scan is gone. At that speed no time to get scanned when youre docking either.

I think a good solution would be to increase the amount of cargo required for these 2m+ missions. Like 50 cargo!! This would solve many problems including people logging in and out to refresh the bulletin board and taking on ten multi million cred missions in their tiny smuggling ship that can always escape without a fight. Currently im getting some missions that require a cargo transport of just 2 or 3 items for multi million credit pay out. Got one yesterday for 2.7 mill for transporting 1 item.

If the cargo requirement was higher, you would be forced to use slower ships to handle the capacity, which would cause you to get scanned more often and maybe you wouldnt have the speed to just always get away and be forced to fight your way out. This would make things more challenging for those who want the larger reward. At the moment taking on a 2mill+ smuggling mission in a fast ship, is no more challenging than it is to make a simple delivery.

Hey Slack,

The Cobra has always been my favourite ship in game, I have a pure smuggling build, no shields or weps, and another for Combat. I struggled to leave it behind and embrace flying the Python. These smuggling missions tipped it for me, the Cobra can't carry enough cargo.. My trips from Sothis have normally been with a cargo load in excess of 140 tonnes.

Increasing cargo amounts for the high paying missions is actually a good idea. Anyway I'm sold on the Python, am having so much fun flying it, she handles amazing with FA OFF, the bridge looks amazing in VR and you can choose to fight against overwhelming odds - Not to mention it looks amazing from the debug cam..

Jeez, if my girlfriend read that last sentence I'd end up single :/
 
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Hey Slack,

The Cobra has always been my favourite ship in game, I have a pure smuggling build, no shields or weps, and another for Combat. I struggled to leave it behind and embrace flying the Python. These smuggling missions tipped it for me, the Cobra can't carry enough cargo.. My trips from Sothis have normally been with a cargo load in excess of 140 tonnes.

Increasing cargo amounts for the high paying missions is actually a good idea. Anyway I'm sold on the Python, am having so much fun flying it, she handles amazing with FA OFF, the bridge looks amazing in VR and you can choose to fight against overwhelming odds - Not to mention it looks amazing from the debug cam..

Jeez, if my girlfriend read that last sentence I'd end up single :/

haha She's probably never hear that many compliments directed at her in one sentence XD

I agree with you though, it is probably one of my favorite ships too.
 
I finally went with an Asp because an A5 fuel scoop makes refueling much faster and significantly cuts the travel time, compared to an A3 on a cobra. Fast landings are a bit trickier but nothing extraordinary. Plus, getting some combat action is actually welcome and breaks the routine.
 
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Haven't had time to chase up on Ben's cryptic clue but just had one of the best experiences in PvE since I started. 'Simple' smuggle, 600k 40ly away (2 jumps).

First jump, no issues.

I look at my co-pilot and grin "Easy money Clewy, easy money; I'll get that bounty paid off at last."
Clewy lets out a mournful gurgle "gwurgghuewwarh"
"Relax Clewy, will be in and out before they even know we've jumped in."

Second Jump:

Had to travel 1500ls, fantastic game of cat-and-mouse between me and the Police. Pre-emptive drop from SC, he follows so I bounce again; SC to normal...he follows! Four times this happened till I 'lost' him...he was waiting at the damned station :D Had to drag him far enough away from the station, without being scanned, so I could do a hot-landing, without being scanned and hand in my mission.

This was smuggling, never mind the credits, ED need to put in a few more hoops along those lines.

Mission failed if you get a completed scan on you; yes please.
Rival smuggling cartels trying to blow you out of the water; yes please.
Rival cartels trying to lure you to their side; yes please.
Being offered a chance to bribe the Police; oh hell yes.
Small chance the mission is a sting; pure awesome.

Smuggling has a good foundation now, I hope ED build on it.

EDIT:

He was waiting for me as I undocked !!?!!

EDIT 2:

Having just hit boost by mistake :D one more hoop I'd like would be on Mission Failure, where the Mission's Source sends out a hit-man to 'teach you some respect'; Jabba/Han/Boba Fett type thing.

I like the idea of a mission failure and the other additions you mention.

Though if you like the short jumps try the longer ones, the other day I had to bring 8 ton of tabacco 407 Ly, was followed by 3 different NPC's the whole way not to mention the quite a few "police" and their "smuggling" suspect interdictions.

I'd like to see smuggling become more difficult, and some modules for ships that could counterbalance the difficulty somewhat though..
 
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I've got an idea . . . lets screw with the whole game until we have a steaming pile of unplayable [________] fill in the missing word.

Come on guys, get with the program, if you don't like it, go play something else.
Stop screwing it over for the rest of us who are having fun!
 
Smuggling is very profitable... Until you get caught in your conda with a cargo full of Slaves and other illegal items. The Security Scans you.... Hello Meggggaaaa Fine. Huge Fine.
I think because of this reason it is balanced and the risk is there. Security Scans on almost every single smuggle mission when docking and when in route jumping.
Good Luck Smuggling you will need it.
 
Smuggling is profitable yes... Getting caught in your Conda with a cargo full of slaves is not so pleasant. The Security Scans on almost every mission.
Very Hard to enter stations without a fine. Hell, it is very hard to fly your multiple jump route without security Scan. So you have 3m in Illegals lol... dont get scanned you will pay dearly.
It is like over 90 percent chance you will get scanned before you get inside a station.

For this Reason i feel that it is balanced fairly. What a mission giveth.....Security Taketh away.
 
Not read the whole thread, but smuggling is much more fun now, feels genuinely risky, whereas before it virtually zero risk. At worst you got fines of about 1/10th of your profit.

Now the feds seem to hunt you down:

Smuggling.jpg
 
Excellent idea, although you would think the cops would cotton on to all those silent running ships using the back door.

Perhaps more gameplay elements could be added, such as having to contact your black market source and they make an opening for you in a given time frame.
 
The most dumb thing about this missions is that you do not need to haul anything from Sothis, you can just jettison everything, travel back and then buy it somewhere...
 
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What? Why would anyone want to do that?
Jump range and interdictions when travelling back, and this way you can stack as many missions as you like in any ship.
And why would i haul imperial slaves (for example) all the way from sothis, when i can buy plenty of them almost anywhere? Price does not matter at all, it is ~0 in relation to mission reward.
 
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I think a good solution would be to increase the amount of cargo required for these 2m+ missions. Like 50 cargo!! This would solve many problems including people logging in and out to refresh the bulletin board and taking on ten multi million cred missions in their tiny smuggling ship that can always escape without a fight. Currently im getting some missions that require a cargo transport of just 2 or 3 items for multi million credit pay out. Got one yesterday for 2.7 mill for transporting 1 item.

If the cargo requirement was higher, you would be forced to use slower ships to handle the capacity, which would cause you to get scanned more often and maybe you wouldnt have the speed to just always get away and be forced to fight your way out. This would make things more challenging for those who want the larger reward. At the moment taking on a 2mill+ smuggling mission in a fast ship, is no more challenging than it is to make a simple delivery.

50 cargo is a bit extreme, but at least 10-30 for high payout missions would be more sensible. Also, cops should ask to jettison illegal cargo on the spot + fine.
 
Jump range and interdictions when travelling back, and this way you can stack as many missions as you like in any ship.
And why would i haul imperial slaves (for example) all the way from sothis, when i can buy plenty of them almost anywhere? Price does not matter at all, it is ~0 in relation to mission reward.

So I have 140 Tonnes in my hold -Combat stabs, Battle weapons, imp slaves, metals, bio waste, consumer tech and a bunch of other stuff.

Your master plan is I should eject all (to gain 4LY jump distance) Fly all the way back to populated space saving 5 minutes flight time, then fly around and rebuy the 140 tonnes again...Then carry out delivery missions, all to avoid interdictions which I can mostly evade anyway?

Yeah, thanks but no thanks...
 
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Anythings goto be better than going to contacts.
But then what if I want to buy legal stuff or outfitting.
Still I think a more secret way of accessing it would be a great improvement.
 
The most dumb thing about this missions is that you do not need to haul anything from Sothis, you can just jettison everything, travel back and then buy it somewhere...

You never did.

All missions always required you to deliver / collect "X", never cared where the "X" comes from. Not even salvage missions that ask you to get "X" from system "Y", you can salvage X anywhere, or deliver X right away from your cargo hold. It feels indeed cheap, but its not a new thing, its been like this since ever.

About dumping the cargo and buying it back later... You would only avoid interdictions on the way back, you will still have to deal with them while delivering all the stuff... And delivering all the stuff really takes a while...

I spent over 6 hours today on a smuggling trip to Sothis and back, delivering ~15 missions worth 72 million credits... Most of the time was spent picking up the missions along the trail from Sothis, and supercruising to deliver all the stuff back in the bubble while dealing with continuous police and pirate interdictions, the travelling time trip back from Sothis was meaningless in comparison. The time you save on the way back, you lose more flying around getting all the items you need to complete all those missions... Dumping the cargo is pointless and ends up costing you more, time and money.
 
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I like the idea.
Especially if you are in the tunnel and after a edge a security ships waits and starts scanning you. Would be good to have a labyrinth in which you can play cat and mouse
 
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