First of all, I don't like giving away 'secrets', but its not a live or die situation so I guess its OK. This is entirely my opinion and how I roleplay, and I am not telling anyone this is how they should play or react. Smuggling is the hot topic this weekend so I thought I would share...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAkq1OezI6g
1. Sometimes not saying a word is 100% in character. Always not saying a word shows lack of character. Try to find a balance.
2. Highest profit isn't always a realistic goal.
a. Carry dummies. Always carry one of each contraband and several mundane items. This confuses both real players and npc's. If they say 'drop the contraband' and you drop one slave they can't immediately shoot you until they clarify, which takes a few seconds. Use it. NPC's shouldnt be too much of a bother but sometimes they can turn the base you need red.
b. Manhattan isn't the only place that buys drugs. If you see 11 cap ships logged on in NY Manhattan is not the safest destination.
c. use an appropriate ship. If you want to powertrade, powertrade. losing 5000 units of contraband will get you kicked out of ANY gang. Yeah, lose 5000 tons of mexican mafia marijuana and see if you wake up the next day. You need a ship with countermeasures and that doesen't get hung on tradelanes. You're OORP IMO if you have either of those problems.
3. Theres more than one way to skin a cat. for example you can fly straight from rochester to the cali jump gate in a few minutes. theres many alternative routes in the game that will allow you a much better chance of survival that only take you a few minutes out of the way.
4. profit over time is more important than profit per run. 2 runs that net 5 million each in 17 minutes (total) are better than one 20 minute run that nets 9.5mil.
5. Plan ahead and use some imagination. Just saying "i don't have that" is the same as "stop or die". A good one is, "your scanner is malfunctioning, would you like me to buy you a new one?" "I have the receipt right here, this is pharmaceuticals, not cardamine."
On a side note, the Junkers probably dont want you smuggling 50,000 units of cardi daily under their IFF.
Like I said, just my opinion. A lot of people won't play like this because it cuts into profits. A lot of people already play similar to this already.
Smart I used to smuggle in a bumble bee, eventually I got a beheamouth. But I only got that cause smuggling became an aside.
I might have a load of say engine components and I might have 100 units of synth just for the fun of it.
People should play like this more offten.
p.s.
Who's Michael Collins..... *WINK WINK*
I completely agree and follow most of your suggestions already. I personally don't smuggle for the monetary gain but the chance for some player interaction beyond "2 mil or die." Sure I'm more likely to get 'Drop the cargo or die" but at least it's an extra word.
That being said Liberty lawfuls move your ships away from Manhattan and into Texas and Colorado. I never see anyone over level 30 in those systems save for traders and smugglers.
Yeah I allways dropped my Cardi of at the Junker base (forgot its name), it was only a hundred Credits less and if I played it right no one would ever find me.
This was when I had a nice small transport and could sneak through any asteroid field.
Well I setup "La.Amistad" as a slave trader. I have to take the cardi into houston so that I may pick up future Cardi pickers.
Now back on topic... Need to drop my junker tag, never intended on having it in the first place.
Good advice, and some i've been following for a very long time =P
Another thing, if there's a lot of lawful activity where you need to pass through, create a distraction. Junkers have a lot of friends, but so does everyone else. I've used everything from fake distress signals in system chat to asking a pirate in PM if he'll cause some trouble away from my destination.
The biggest mistake most smugglers make is trying to use trade lanes, or trying to 'outrun' the lawfuls. You cant.
Trade lanes are a bad course of action either way, they may get you across a system a little faster, but they can be killed - and it's much harder to start up cruise and get away from someone who's 1000m away than it is to just stay in cruise and never get closer than 10k.
Everyone cruises at the same speed here, and every lawful out there has train cruise disruptors. You cant outrun the law, no matter what ship you're using. I've gotten caught quite a bit, and it's never fun, but sometimes you just have to deal with it.
One of the biggest issues I have is that lawful players seem to know where all the jump holes are. that's OORP for them - I've had lawfuls working in groups try to catch me before, and while I'd normally get away from one, there's one or more waiting for me at my destination. Unfortunately, there isnt much you can do about that, it's bad RP but it's not against any rules either. Jump holes should be 'safe' for smugglers and pirates, but rarely are.
EDIT
Oh, and last thing... Do not smuggle through chugoku, alaska, or omicron minor/100 - for everyone's sake. Not only is it a very, very risky route to take (either one), but it makes you look like a piss-poor RP'er who's interested in nothing more than powertrading, probably for some big bad battleship you dont deserve.
actually if i was the pirate i would shoot first and ask questions later
as in "Halt!" BLAM KABOOM! all in 2 seconds
then as your notoriety spreads
peolpe won't even wait for you to shoot they will just fork over the money
' Wrote:actually if i was the pirate i would shoot first and ask questions later
as in "Halt!" BLAM KABOOM! all in 2 seconds
then as your notoriety spreads
peolpe won't even wait for you to shoot they will just fork over the money
That is such a noob pirate if I ever heard of one. You're out to collect a tax FIRST. Kinda hard to do when you've spread them all over space. Your "tax" is then floating all around you.
I don't smuggle but if I did, I would lie, cheat, dodge, run away from or go around any one who might try to stop me.
Dodging the Bretonians, the LSF/LN, the LR, Hackers, KNF, AFA, various BH outfits and some over zealous pirates makes smuggling fun. If they catch you and stop you, you'll lose that cargo AND pay a fine. It's much more fun than trading normal commodities (and the law have fun trying to catch you).
Use TL's if you get the jump on them, try running if you don't. It is possible to outrun them (though not usually through roids and such). If you are smuggling, use any system you can. Alaska being a case in point. If you seriously think your going to make it, try it. Don't be disappointed if you don't. The chances are probably 50/50. Depends on who is around.
Importantly, share some of that love around!
Change your route regularly. A different police force. A different illicit cargo. A different destination. Smuggling is not about how much you can make. It's about having fun AND how much you can make.
RP is also important. Witty retorts to some typical police type questions always go down well, even if you are about to be turned over.
Best suggestions I can make to avoid the smugglers blues (if I were one of course)?
Keep an eye on your long range scanners (Y key) and be flexible about your route, your destination and your possible next run.
the most fun I've had smuggling is infact being caught... I had tried everything against a Bounty Hunter
I hadn't bought a CM dropper as it was a new ship I'd bought.
I had plenty of mundane items on board, but unfortunately because cargo is listed alphabetically, my cardamine was easily visible.
As soon as I jumped to texas I saw the hunter there, the Tradelane already down. I engaged cruise engines and flew up. Because of no CM I lost cruise... he demanded the cardi be dropped... I dropped 10 units and engaged cruise.
I got disrupted again, this time I offered a bribe... he wouldn't even look at my offer.
I tried fleeing again, my shield and hull was shot down by his gunship. I decided at this point to give up.
So yeah, I lost my cargo... what followed was good fun, a corsair entered the system while I was making excuses. The corsair misheard and got confused that it sounded like the BH was trading unlawfully...
I tried to encourage this thought, but the corsair continued his route as usual, darn.
So then a Navy officer (not of the [LN]) entered, and the BH and him started discussing me... a reort of me smuggling had been made the day before (planned for my RP) so the first comment by the navy was "Him again?"
At this I made every excuse under the sun
"I never smuggled, the BH has a vendetta against me"
"the receipt says pharmecuticals, i demand compensation"
"Its medicine for my dying father"
"Its a hereditary disease so my whole family needs some"
etc. etc. Of course I wasn't going to win and be declared evidence... they had documentation showing my hold... but when caught, a smuggler would try to show innocence
The day before... a guild this smuggler char was involved with (a fully lawful trading company - see my sig) have an agreement with Bretonia. They are allowed to take Deterium to planet Harris in Tau 31.
I had done this lawfully many many times... this time, the first and only time, I decided to take it into Kusari.
As soon as I unusually entered tau 29 the BAF officer (who was in london so hadn't scanned me) he contacted me
He claimed that I seemed to have deviated from the allowed route... I said
"On what evidence... or are you making such slanderous comments based on presumption?"
to which he then apologised for questioning my integrity... he asked once or twice whether I had deterium... and I never answered the question, I made him feel like he was being rude. Once I answered:
"Sometimes one must go to Kusari, I didn't think I'd be treated like a criminal!"