The Smuggling discussion thread

[racer1]

I'd sugget reducing the time to complete the missions in Sothis et al to less than 1 hour - like the courier missions already are (40-50 mins).

That way you simply can't stack as many and have to do the return run more often. Solves mode swicthing advantage also.

I managed to stack 2 courier missions and 1 smuggling mission from Sothis with time scales of less than 45 minutes for the courier missions. It also adds an extra element to the mission - getting there quick and not stopping to fight etc.

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

I don't have any issues with smuggling itself, it's the coolest fun in the game so far. Don't even care if everyone Asping Sothis ends up with a Conda for every day of the week.

But to me, jumping out of the entire game to get it to re-roll a table has always been pretty cheapo. In any game ever; it's far too meta. I don't even like it when it happens to me by accident even if it works out in my favour. I'm certainly not going to go actively do it. That's not really playing the game, that's gaming the programming. I'd rather play the game from inside the game.

It's the difference between playing the game and playing the code.

I was at 12% tycoon when I started doing these missions. after one full day , I just hit elite in trading

If you feel that you earned that ranking fair and square, good for you.

Personal opinion alert: if this were my game, I'd not be proud of the Elite ranking knowing the shortcuts I used to get there.

edit: read your comment in the other thread and it seems you agree and you're using this as an illustration.

 

[Riedquat]

That's a train of thought I wish people would drop. It closes down the discussion we're trying to have by jumping to negative conclusions about people offering their critiques on the change. Obviously I'm not jealous or spiteful because I'm doing those missions myself.

Most of the criticism is simply out of concern for game balance. It's all just opinion and nothing that should be elevated to a personal level.

Very well said.

The issues arent with the missions themselves, it's with the gameworld not being dangerous enough, therefore there is too much reward and not enough risk.

 

[Aewarin Jameson]

...

Elegant post, however.

(a) FD had a pledge of responsibility for the things they stated in the KS and nothing more. They set their stall out to begin with by stating you could play how you wanted - solo, with friends, or with everyone. For this reason alone is why we have the "modes" - I do remember reading a long time ago a Dev (Mike ?) stating that had it been his decision he would have made the game open only (and for that matter Ironman, but that's a different story) As it stands FD are duty bound by their own words - it had nothing to do with the "old timers". We simply read the blurb and were drawn in by the vision set out by FD. I believed in DBOBE / FD and what they were trying to do and as a result named the Founders system.

(b) The mayor sway you talk of, ie the DDF, by your understanding is granted far more powers than they actually had. Read the DDF proposals and you will notice that every one of them was initiated by FD. The "old timers" discussed the proposals, sometimes at odds with each other, and FD came back with a slightly revised edition. Note - the updated proposals were of FD's own decision. Only once in the history of the DDF did we change FDs mind (in flight travel) and the result back (supercruise) again was of FDs own making. Everything you see in game today - everything - is down to FD. (We might have given them a cool idea but we weren't allowed to make decisions) FD certainly made it clear they were not beholden to us.

These two important things aside, I agree with you - FD is suffering a little from a split-brain personality. It's touted as an MMO but there are no group centric things to do. I am enjoying ED again - 1.4 has introduced some fun things (smuggling which is the reason for this thread) but I still feel quite alone in this multiplayer game.

 

[Eme]

completely disagree with the calls for nerfing smuggle missions, and even the calls to fix bulletin board refreshes. If anything the bulletin board should be QUICKER to update and refresh without needing to swap instances. Swapping instances to refresh is indication to me at least that the board does not update quick enough.

I look at it this way :.... how much time should a death in a fully kitted out anaconda cost to replace so that people DO NOT COMBAT LOG. An hour or two in real life for insurance to replace a kitted out anaconda is just about right, for me.. If it costs a player 3 days worth of game playing to replace their end game ship, then they will LOG OUT and not fight. It needs to be a little painful,, but in no way a punishment.

People want to nerf these missions,, then people complain about combat loggers,, you can't have it both ways... it needs balance, and an hour or two is just about right for it to not hurt too much and allow people to not feel the need to leave game. Any longer than a couple of hours hardcore playing and I will combat log and spoil the fun of whoever wanted to attack me.

If anything these missions should come up more often, refresh quicker... AND have some missions with even higher payout with even rarer commodities that even limit the player to carry that 'special commodity' ONLY through open play, as though thhe super rare smuggle item switches you to open for that extra threat and higher cash bonus you can get from it.

Taking things down is the wrong direction and hurts the game in open, things need to get higher risk and reward.

 

[Huros]

Conan the Barbarian?

Frank Herbert's Dune.

 

[GrumpyMinerSmuggles]

I'm not really a player that checks if things are broken per se, I just check that things work the way, in theory they should.

I've also only been playing since 1.3, so relatively new.

I was inspired by Isinona's video, and I'm excited to see as my trade rank finally improves, I'm getting recognition for my "skills." I seem to even get the sneaky/courier ascension missions too.

Sneaking just past security, at 326 m/s FAff with nothing on but thrusters in a DBX is a new definition of "sneaky." I wish there was another color besides "Look at me!! Orange."

I love that ship but don't trust her at all for interdictions with the long range stuff. She's too slow to break target lock.

 

[Iain M Norman]

Last night smuggling I just boosted in without a care in the world.

A 440m/s cobra helps avoid scans just by running away.

When you're being paid 5 million credits to deliver 4 tonnes of slaves, who cares about the scan fines anyway!

 

[Tom Areani]

As to the MASSIVE money making oppurtunities in recent smuggling missions (different way of looking at it)

Has anyone considered that things are working AS INTENDED? I.E., Frontier MADE this intentionally, and as a result of so many people taking advantage of, it is going to cause some massive, in game, galaxy affecting consequences? Like a MASSIVE slave revolt as a result of the HUGE amount of slaves being sold and shipped? I mean, think about it; where are all these slaves COMING from? Human trafficking being a real and terrible thing in the RL, in today's world most trafficked humans are either kindnapped from their families, or tricked into slavery while trying to cross international borders.

So consider this. Trade those slaves, if you must. Make your millions. But remember that they MUST be coming from somewhere.

And don't forget, in the game EVE online, an entire FACTION was born when the slaves revolted against their Amarrian masters, eventually forming the Minmatar nation.

What, I wonder, will come of this? Perhaps nothing.

Perhaps...

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

Last night smuggling I just boosted in without a care in the world.

A 440m/s cobra helps avoid scans just by running away.

When you're being paid 5 million credits to deliver 4 tonnes of slaves, who cares about the scan fines anyway!

How big are the fines by the way?

 

[Kzak]

I predict revolts, uprising, large-scale riots among other things. Star systems going independent or falling into anarchy. Battle weapons, narcotics, slaves etc. tend to not do much for the stability of a society.

 

[CMDR Sheehy]

Last night smuggling I just boosted in without a care in the world.

A 440m/s cobra helps avoid scans just by running away.

When you're being paid 5 million credits to deliver 4 tonnes of slaves, who cares about the scan fines anyway!

It's not the fines... it is the rep-hit you get that hurts most. If you're just doing mercenary smuggling, then that's fine... but if you care about keeping rep with the people you take the job from... it's not. If you lose too much rep, you lose the missions.

As for the cobra, well... I have another thread about that: https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=191526

 

[Navigare Necesse Est]

It's a lot of battle weapons, too. At least on my route.

 

[LeetNoob]

and another thread about this......I'd be surprised if FD are thinking that strategically around the ED universe when it comes to BB missions.

 

[Tom Areani]

And further more, where are these illicit organizations finding such VAST sums to be able to pay for the transport of what amounts to a few slaves, or a few tons of tobacco? I mean, 900k credits for 3 slaves? Could there be something deeper goin on? Could someone or someone's be manipulating things, essentially producing vast sums of fiat currency to cover all this? What would be the consequences of THAT, I ask you?

I may partake of smuggling from time to time, but I like to think of myself as, at least to some degree, an honorable smuggler. I'll take no part in THIS, I tell you! Something doesn't smell right, and any smuggler worth his sand knows to trust his instincts.

Something ain't right, I tell you...

 

[Iain M Norman]

How big are the fines by the way?

No idea. Not really into smuggling. Just thought I'd try out some of these long range 400ly smuggling missions.

Made 17 million in an hour and a half and only needed like 20t of cargo space to do so.

I popped between Sothis and Ceos doing the small missions between them and stocking up on the big ones till I felt it was time to leave and do the long trek.

 

[Lasse B.]

Well, you have to compare the amount of slaves smuggled in small-ish ~84t cargo holds to the amount of slaves traded in 452t or 500t cargo holds, which means it would require ~5 smugglers for every regular slave trader if the smugglers exclusively trades slaves. Which they don't. There are narcotics, combat stabilizers, combat weapons and other kinds of illicit items smuggled on each run a smuggler undertakes, reducing the amount of slaves smuggled even further. On average, I had ~20 slaves in my cargo hold when smuggling. 452 slaves traded vs 20 slaves traded. This means that for every regular slave trader there must be ~22 smugglers. So it turns out that smuggling could actually be the best thing to happen to limit slave trading.

And it doesn't stop there. You also have to account for the time a slave trader or smuggler is underway. Trading slaves regularly can be done much quicker than smuggling.

 

[Navigare Necesse Est]

The banning of slaves in those systems should make the price for slaves triple.

It's still an Empire system. It's old traditions that don't die easy.

Like I said about Prohibition era in the US. Alcohol price nearly tripled, and speakeasies flourished.

It's absolutely ridiculous that you take a loss.

And yes, I would have accepted a bounty or fine if I had been caught red-handed with cargo full of imperial slaves in a system where they are illegal.

However, that relates to what I said above (and on Reddit)... Smuggling has no risk.

Risk needs to be increased ALOT, and the profit margin needs to follow.

When there's no demand the price is low. It's like fridges selling in the arctic.

 

[Inodoro Pereyra]

Has anyone considered that things are working AS INTENDED?
Perhaps...

It seems that the new ships will be freacking expensive

 

[Temple604]

Fed corvette and Imp cutter : 1 BILLION creds each