Balance the risk/reward of smuggling and reward smuggling-specific skills by increasing the consequences of getting caught
Smuggling missions are intended to be high-risk/high-reward, contrasting freight missions' low-risk/low-reward. However, smuggling missions are currently low-risk/high-reward.
The goal is for the player to "sneak" their ship and cargo into a station to avoid getting scanned by system security. The docking approach should be a tense moment in which the player either slips in undetected, or is scanned by system security and has to deal with the consequences of being a space criminal. But as currently implemented, smuggling missions are essentially high-paying freight missions because the consequences for getting caught are not comparable to the reward, and this gap widens as smuggling missions increase in pay.
For all the talk of smuggling strategies (silent running, heat sinks, depowering modules, lining up the perfect docking approach from outside scanner range, etc.), in practice the player can simply dock with a station as normal, and if they are scanned by security, then no big deal; they will be fined thousands of credits for a mission that pays hundreds of thousands, or even several million credits. There's also a local reputation hit, but those are easy to deal with or simply ignore, especially if the player is running smuggling missions out of a remote system and does not particularly care about their reputation with the destination stations.
Fix the Low Risk, Keep the High Reward
With the emergence of the lucrative Sothis smuggling runs, some players are wondering if smuggling pay will be reduced to offset the ease of smuggling missions. I would suggest that Frontier instead enhance the difficulty of smuggling by increasing the consequences of getting caught with illicit cargo, both to balance the high rewards and to better differentiate smuggling gameplay from freight gameplay.
This would give more meaning to the various available tricks and maneuvers to enter stations undetected, and ships with low heat signatures would better fit the role of smuggling ships because their ability to slip past scanners would have more material value. The risk would scale organically with the smuggling pay, as getting caught would be a small setback for players running 20ly missions for thousands, and a huge setback for players running 500ly missions for millions.
The existence of those lucrative long-distance smuggling missions (Sothis, etc.) would give aspiring smugglers incentive to improve their entry skills with low-paying local smuggling missions until they are ready to pick up big jobs. Imagine the pressure of flying 500ly to Sothis and picking up 40,000,000 CR worth of missions if getting caught by security at the first station effectively wiped out that potential income! Players who perfect their smuggling approach and keep cool under pressure will be rewarded with reliable payouts from those missions.
This implementation would better balance smuggling risk/reward for all pay levels, and further distinguish smuggling as its own unique high-stakes play style requiring skills/gear not used in conventional freight running.
Smuggling missions are intended to be high-risk/high-reward, contrasting freight missions' low-risk/low-reward. However, smuggling missions are currently low-risk/high-reward.
The goal is for the player to "sneak" their ship and cargo into a station to avoid getting scanned by system security. The docking approach should be a tense moment in which the player either slips in undetected, or is scanned by system security and has to deal with the consequences of being a space criminal. But as currently implemented, smuggling missions are essentially high-paying freight missions because the consequences for getting caught are not comparable to the reward, and this gap widens as smuggling missions increase in pay.
For all the talk of smuggling strategies (silent running, heat sinks, depowering modules, lining up the perfect docking approach from outside scanner range, etc.), in practice the player can simply dock with a station as normal, and if they are scanned by security, then no big deal; they will be fined thousands of credits for a mission that pays hundreds of thousands, or even several million credits. There's also a local reputation hit, but those are easy to deal with or simply ignore, especially if the player is running smuggling missions out of a remote system and does not particularly care about their reputation with the destination stations.
Fix the Low Risk, Keep the High Reward
With the emergence of the lucrative Sothis smuggling runs, some players are wondering if smuggling pay will be reduced to offset the ease of smuggling missions. I would suggest that Frontier instead enhance the difficulty of smuggling by increasing the consequences of getting caught with illicit cargo, both to balance the high rewards and to better differentiate smuggling gameplay from freight gameplay.
- If the player's illicit cargo is discovered by a security officer, then the officer orders the player to jettison the illegal cargo.
- If the player complies, then they receive a fine for smuggling and forfeit the jettisoned cargo (the officer would stay with the cargo until the player jumps away to ensure they do not scoop it back up).
- If the player does not comply, then the officer opens fire and the player receives a bounty instead of a fine.
- If the player's illicit cargo is discovered by patrolling security near a station, then the station denies the player's docking privileges (revoking any permission the player may have requested before the scan).
- Docking privileges are restored if the player complies with system security and jettisons their cargo, and the player receives a fine.
- Docking privileges are withheld if the player does not comply, and the player receives a bounty and is attacked by security.
This would give more meaning to the various available tricks and maneuvers to enter stations undetected, and ships with low heat signatures would better fit the role of smuggling ships because their ability to slip past scanners would have more material value. The risk would scale organically with the smuggling pay, as getting caught would be a small setback for players running 20ly missions for thousands, and a huge setback for players running 500ly missions for millions.
The existence of those lucrative long-distance smuggling missions (Sothis, etc.) would give aspiring smugglers incentive to improve their entry skills with low-paying local smuggling missions until they are ready to pick up big jobs. Imagine the pressure of flying 500ly to Sothis and picking up 40,000,000 CR worth of missions if getting caught by security at the first station effectively wiped out that potential income! Players who perfect their smuggling approach and keep cool under pressure will be rewarded with reliable payouts from those missions.
This implementation would better balance smuggling risk/reward for all pay levels, and further distinguish smuggling as its own unique high-stakes play style requiring skills/gear not used in conventional freight running.
