While you're improving core gameplay - Increase smuggled (NOT stolen!) goods prices at Black Markets

[Cmdr Kurnek]

Honestly this has been a problem since day one, mainly with the lack of distinction between smuggling (goods bought where they are legal and sold where they are illegal) and piracy (goods stolen and sold anywhere).

It was improved slightly a while ago, but from what I can tell smuggling goods STILL pay less than if you just traded them where they are legal. Which is unbelievable given how easy it is to fix. Is good stolen - no, is good illegal here - yes = 150% profit, or whatever, tweak the numbers regularly until they feel right.

Stolen goods selling for less is absolutely fine and makes sense however, you didn't buy them so the profit margin is still potentially quite large.


Bonus points:

- Black markets visible only when found, recorded and/or hinted at locations in the new Codex?

- All Black Market prices visible even if not carrying the good, makes planning smuggling less of a chore - QOL improvement

- Low Temp Diamond miners could fly with a bodyguard or two to up the challenge for that particular commodity, to give lower end commanders a reason to target high tech system goods etc.

Dream change?

Make silent running simply shut off a predetermined selection of modules (or just all modules) instead of being an 'instant win at smuggling' button. Heat sinks are pretty easy to come by these days, and it would bring back a reason to drift into a station 'frozen'

 

[Winterwalker]

Nice. I think there's a lot of scope for - specifically on - blackmarket expansion, which means tweaking at the edges could be counter-productive. However, one thing I'd like to see - is coupled with prices, to avoid exploit / farming and add a touch of realism - a max tonnage that a blackmarket will accept. Or, perhaps it accepts the whole tonnage you bring in but there's a price threshold so the first x tons, you find a premium price and after that sale price is lower.

For me the blackmarket represents a dodgy geezer 'fence' and there would be a limit to the amount of hooky goods he safely can pass on in a given time, flood the market with onionhead and the price goes down, fast. Blackmarket goods would I think be more suscetible than most commodities, to supply-demand price changes. The area does have the potential to be a very big area though, as anyone who remembers Elite 2 will know about undercover cops, carrying out sting operations in the blackmarket, which was lots of fun.