I have been thinking about this issue for some time. Well it's an issue in my point of view anyway and its bugging me silly!
Smuggling. Aka the dark side of trading.
Lets be more specific and assume its a freelancer here that smuggles/trades.
What my problem is the punishment that can happen to smugglers: FR5ing.
Thesis:
The possibility for FR5ing smugglers kills activity and makes it so that smugglers will avoid all contact with anyone to reach their goal. This will inadvertently effect all other factions associated with the smuggler to possible negative ways, making other players bored as hell.
Argument:
1) Activity interaction drop.
Smugglers that know there is a chance that they will be FR5ed by a ship that is worth 5 times more than the cargo they are carrying will not want to take chances with meeting anyone. ANYONE. There is always the possibility that someone will snitch and then you get punished for playing the game. I can speak for myself and a few others at least that I enjoy the interaction between cops and stuff from time to time. I don't care a lot if i get my stuff dropped or not or pay a fine. What I do care is an FR5 placed on me because I smuggled. Why should I let that happen then and I might rather just make sure i meet no one on my journey?
2) Alt-tab above plain trading.
Plain and simple really. Go above/below lanes and cruise the entire way. Don't use the lanes or gates but rather JHs. You know you wont find anyone so why not just alt-tab too for the kick of it.
But here is the thing... its an RP server.
3) The balance between Trader vs Pirate & Smuggler vs Cop is non-existant when it comes to FR5.
A pirate vs a trader can have the trader dock at the nearest station with no concequence and then they can undock at any time they want and continue trading. Almost every stop on a lane is a base to dock at.
What do smugglers have vs cops? Pretty much nothing and when you DO dock then you get punished for being successful in running away and saving your life. HELL there were cops i saw that all they wanted was to shoot. If you in RP try to save your own life that is still punishable?
Let me get one thing straight. Cops can have FR5 and take revenge on a successful smuggler but pirates just have to suck it up that they lost a trader?
Really?
4) Other faction activity drops.
With smugglers avoiding any confrontations this means that LPI will get bored for example and just look around for things to do and find little. Do we see LPI log? Rarely. My opinion at least.
But how about if there is no risk of FR5? I for one would LOVE to have a cop chase, or a challenge of some sort with a cop! The adrenalin rush is great! For me AND for the cop! But if there is a system where the cop can just take revenge because he didn't shoot you down and you had your fun in running away then that is ok?
Solution:
1) Insert rule for docking of smuggler to be like a kill.
Very easy. Smugglers that dock once they are caught cannot exit back to space just like a normal death. This will make the player think twice before docking.
2) An OORP agreement.
Agree OORP to not FR5 and to have interactions and have fun!
I would totally do this. Cop chases and what not! I could get fined, drop my cargo... hell even RP arrested and even a court case! But why would you FR5 me if I want fun for both parties?
I have to agree, people complain that players avoid interaction. Well yea i agree, if your smuggling and happen to have a rep sheet you have worked very very hard on then an fr5 screws that all up, so of course your gonna do everything you can not to get caught, but then you are the one who avoids RP, well duh if your smuggling you are sure to try and do as much as you can to not get caught. Once your fr5ed then there is no point in smuggling cause you cannot land to sell. So that character is pretty much useless. +1 on this post.
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Doesn't this thread already exist, or am I just being stupid?
(10-24-2014, 07:12 AM)nOmnomnOm Wrote: 1) Insert rule for docking of smuggler to be like a kill.[/b]
The Rules Wrote:3.4 Fleeing from combat and then docking at a station or planet while you are in 10k range of the ship you were fighting counts as PvP death. Freighters and transports in this case may return to the system for the sole purpose of trading.
Granted, you can "return to the system for the sole purpose of trading", but most people don't. Of course, this relies on you actually engaging the smuggler, which can be harder than it sounds.
I've also never heard of a smuggler being caught by a police or navy, destroyed, and then FR5'd. Usually they're fined first. And if they're fined, they then don't get FR5'd, at least not usually. If you get caught like ten billion times, of course you're going to get FR5'd - it's the closest thing we can do to "arresting" someone, as there's no gameplay way to really do that.
I should also mention I'm talking from the standpoint of Liberty. I haven't a clue how the other Govs or Lawful forces work.
No this thread does not already exist. Just similar in a way. The original topic of the other one is different.
I want to ask to make a rule especially for smugglers so that there is a hour time consequence for docking. Would think twice then.
Also actually you can very well rp an arrest if you wanted to. I would not mind as well. Would be fun.
There are just simply other ways to deal with it other than FR5 he is gone.
You are literally removing interaction and fun for yourself for the sake of rp When you FR5. The smuggler won't smuggle again and no more interaction. Um hello this is a game lol.
I would rather you take away FR5 against smugglers, but give Police IDs (preferably Official Faction perks) the ability
to lock down a station to prevent a smuggler from docking, or maybe a weapon that, if it hits the smuggler, it prevents.docking in some way.
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I agree with the idea of forming that rule, although it's somewhat subjective in its wording and its general objective.
And yes, it is quite possible to roleplay an arrest with people. However, realize that the majority of smugglers (at least in my experience) not only ignore roleplay and interaction in-game, but out of game, they will also tend to ignore attempts for the Lawfuls to roleplay with them, fine them, arrest them, et cetera. By doing this, there's little left for the lawfuls to be able to do.
Also, the idea to lock down stations and removing the ability to FR5 smugglers is fine by me. I'd like to see that given to Navy IDs too, if only because they should have the same (if not more) jurisdiction over docking rights as Police factions do, at least official factions.
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(10-24-2014, 08:06 AM)nOmnomnOm Wrote: Hey give some love! Not all smugglers ignore rp. You can say the same about lots of other sub groups. Bounty hunters for example.
I know all of them don't. I'm talking from my personal experience, here. The same goes for traders, cap pilots, bounty hunters, miners, and everything else. It just so happens that a majority of the smugglers I've ever encountered tend to b-line for the nearest station without so much as a word in the chat. I know it certainly doesn't speak for all smugglers, and I've seen evidence to the contrary. I'm just assuming this from the standpoint of the average smuggler I have to deal with on a daily basis.
EDIT: I'd also like to point out a majority of smuggling behavior in general comes out of the fact it's really not worth the money. Trading ore on the lanes makes more money than dodging police patrols and selling Cardamine on Houston. That's a bit odd, to be honest. But balancing smuggling prices is for another thread >.>
For those that do not want to co-operate at all then I can see FR5 being an ultimate solution.
But for those that rp and still get punished... Its not that fair to them. Even if they were to break the law again and again and pay for it each time they might still get FR5?
Keep in mind its a form of sanction. ... A sanction for sucking at being sneaky and failing to avoid anyone in a rp server?