The first rule of Smuggling club is...

[Seonid]

We don't have rules silly, we're not Pirates trotting out their 1950's Disney linguistic tropes, we're not Bounty Hunters practising their Travis Bickle improv in front of the mirror, we're Smugglers and the only time you really see us is passing you at 400+ in the docking tunnel, or wondering to yourself "Where did that heatsink come from?".

Even with the (known and ticketed) payout bug it can be quite a lucrative activity if you have a ship capable of smuggling (with either speed or stealth) and aren't doing high-end trading (or fancy a break from that as I am doing) then it's also quite fun IMHO. Give it a try, the missions can pay well, such as 280K to take 9 tons of "herbal remedies" one jump away and so on. That's 31K a ton profit.

Free hint to those with interdictors: If your target has drones, heatsink launchers and is faster than you, why bother interdicting? It's obvious what you are dealing with, surely? That's the down-side to being gifted the Palladium for your Vulture...

 

[Klab]

Second rule is....Don't get caught!

 

[Midnight_Sun323]

Well said, sir!! Smuggling is good fun! I was approaching the docking hole at full throttle in my Phthon when I got a scan warning. Without hesitating, I boosted through the docking hole, turning FA off, got my ship flipped around and went full throttle to shed the speed. Bounced off the back wall with minimal shield damage. It was the most fun I've had in a while with this game.

 

[Frankfort]

Rule 3 Run first fight later

 

[Rubellen]

Rule number 4: don't forget to switch off the docking computer

 

[PiLhEaD]

Agreed, I've been indulging in quite a bit of smuggling, despite the 'reported in beta still not sorted' mission-payout bug - e.g. promised: 112K, got 68K....

...whaaaat!

Got my Asp, got my heatsinks, and loving the 'smuggling' jobs that take me to outposts.

 

[Seonid]

Rule number 4: don't forget to switch off the docking computer

You need to zero the throttle for the DC to kick in, never going to happen.

 

[Frankfort]

Rule five enter station in silentrunning and low heat

 

[NeoTron]

I smuggle in my small stealth ship called Anaconda. It's small, fast and literally invisible in all spectrums. Also so fast you wouldn't be able to see it even if it wasn't invisible!

That said, I discovered a fun aspect of the new bounty system - I was smuggling into a system in which I had a bounty. On approach to the station I missed the entry-way and got scanned. Instead of a fine it was immediatly added on my bounty.

I jumped out (since all system ships were aggressive and all) and tried again. Only this time I had no heat sinks. Got scanned again - 3.6M bounty - and smacked into the station taking 50% hull damage. Oops. Jumped out and finally managed to enter on my third try using silent running and chaff.

Smuggling is a lot more fun than normal trading!

 

[CMDR Beltane]

Yep, enjoying the new smuggling missions quite alot as downtime. Designed my Courier for that very purpose. No need for heat sinks, by the time i'm in the Patrolvessels usually haven't even noticed my presence.

 

[PiLhEaD]

So, what's your technique of choice for avoiding those pesky patrols?

I line up to the slot about 8Km out, full thrust, full boost, at 7.5Km request docking, deploy heatsink, get into the 'wires' cut throttles, second heatsink (not really needed by then, but I love the icing-up effects), and coast in, gear lowering as I do.

 

[NeoTron]

In my Anaconda I do this:

• Try to enter station so I come from the planet side, but no big deal if I don't (i.e I don't skirt around trying to "line up".
• Boost once or twice to get closer, with FA OFF (for speed).
• After second boost, use heat sinks and chaff constantly.
• FA ON when appropriate and fly into the station.

This works for the most part unless I make a mistake and miss the entrance. Then I'm out of luck usually. I don't use silent running (Anaconda without shields? No, rather not) and I clearly don't rely on speed.

Smaller ships don't need to do anything special, especially "lining up" and silent running. Just exit super cruise, fly to station and enter after docking request (I forgot once, that lead to me being scanned as I backed out slowly).

As a sidenote, it seems easier to fly in when you don't make a heads on entrance, at least in more agile ships. Security ships seems more concentrated on the entrance side of things.

 

[daddyNumbers]

Rule number 4: don't forget to switch off the docking computer

Hardcore Mode for smugglers

 

[NeoTron]

I keep my docking computer on. I let it land once I'm inside the station. Only had it accidentally turn on when I completely miss my approach and then I'm typically screwed anyway.

 

[Seonid]

So, what's your technique of choice for avoiding those pesky patrols?

I'm in a Cobra so I just channel my inner Essix Boy (innit guv, wotcha) and batter in at 400+ and use that handy tower at the end of the pad as an "emergency brake". The heatsinks are for emergency use only.

 

[Cody]

It crawled into my hold, honest!

 

[DrakeAurum]

So, what's your technique of choice for avoiding those pesky patrols?

Just line up about 6km out, go in at full throttle and cut back to 40% as I reach the toastrack. Never bothered with Silent Running, used this technique with my Python before I started over for 1.3, and with my Diamondback since then.

Only time I've been scanned was when I was dumb enough to forget to ask for docking permission and had to abort as I hit the letterbox - panicked and went sideways through the patrol cordon instead of straight back out.

 

[CMDR Beltane]

So, what's your technique of choice for avoiding those pesky patrols?

I line up to the slot about 8Km out, full thrust, full boost, at 7.5Km request docking, deploy heatsink, get into the 'wires' cut throttles, second heatsink (not really needed by then, but I love the icing-up effects), and coast in, gear lowering as I do.

I use the same technique on my Courier as my Clipper, both ways in and out - and that means going in / out fast. No heatsinks, no Silent Running, no lining up - just good ol' "yeehah". Works fine for me, only on very rare occasions Patrols are able to even start the scan. And even if, which means i was too slow - its still to late for them to complete their scan.

 

[Shadowed]

Can't smugglers just deploy chaff when scanned?

 

[Kyln]

I'm running with a cobra. Stripped everything down to as light as possible (thrusters A, FSD A), I also removed shield, as i'm using silent running anyways. Top speed with this little lineup is 454. Quite fast if I may say so.