Ah, so we're playing the nit-picking game are we Baltar?
"No ... its about attacking the role play of smugglers. Dude ... you cannot expect people to be silent while you slander them. And don't complain because YOU don't have enough resources to cover the job. You wanna catch a smuggler (which is a cat and mouse game by the way) you've gotta outsmart them. Changing the game mechanism in your favor is not going to solve anything. All its gonna do is allow you to capture EVERY smuggler and your LPI team will cease the search away from Manhattan. Instead we'll see every LPI available hover above Manhattan ... one will kill the lane and the rest will decimate the smuggler. Oh boy ... more fun. Say goodbye to the smuggling role play since Bounty Hunters in battle cruisers like to hang out near unlawful bases farming unlawful NPCs and hitting human players. Yeah ... they'll kill the docking ports for the unlawful bases and do the same to the smuggler there. No more smuggling ... LPI can pat themselves on the back for being SO successful ... and all the happy lawfuls can enjoy the game while everybody else scratches their heads saying WHAT?"
I ain't slandering all smugglers. I admit I may have been a little broad by just using the word smuggler with no prefix or suffix. If you're an RP smuggler, good on you, so am I. But there's more to smuggling RP than just getting your payday.
Bounty Hunters, to my understanding, have no right to open fire on smugglers within Liberty, unless given orders by the LN. So that shouldn't be too much of a problem.
"No ... its targeting smugglers. And if you're gonna badmouth my role play ... expect the same in reverse. You wanna drop it ... make a retraction."
You are obviously a smuggler who plays his role. Therefore, I have not slandered you. I apologise if you took it wrong, but this is targeted at smugglers who aren't roleplaying, just power trading.
"Um ... what do you want? You want the smuggler to come out and announce, "Hey LPI ... I just entered the Colorado jump hole with 3400 units of Cardamine ... I'll be arriving at Manhattan's docking ring from the underside in approximately 2 minutes ... boy ... I hope you guys don't catch me." Then we start to hear donuts hitting the floor and belly's sloshing about as the LPI start up their engines for the intercept. Yeah ... good role play ... lets do that."
No, but I expect some sort of a reaction when I say "Halt! xxxx." That's the moment the donuts hit the floor. But incase you haven't noticed, the LPI uses Liberators, and it is very hard to kill a smuggler in the 30 seconds it takes for them to get to the mooring fixture and dock.
No, what smugglers should do when sprung is turn around their ship and head for the closest unlawful base to take refuge, with added RP of course.
"Smugglers are not hostile to Manhattan ... no more hostile than the Trader ID is hostile to Crete or Malta. The ONLY time Manhattan ever went hostile to anyone smuggling was when the NPC did their role play declaration, "Freelancer xxx, you don't mind if I look in your hold for contraband, do you?" ... then there's this 10-20 second pause ... then you hear, "Just as I suspected, drop that cargo at once or we'll open fire." ... then there's another 10-20 second pause and a dialogue box requesting you to either accept or decline. Only then ... after the smuggler declines ... or the time expires ... then and ONLY then will the docking ring go red. That's a full 1 minute at least ... plenty of time to dock and ignore the authorities. Then its the planet's authorities to do something."
You have actually just proven my point. The only difference between a player scan and an NPC scan is that it is not built into the game engine that a base becomes hostile to you once sprung for contraband by a player. It is the same thing as if you were fighting a bunch of players outside their base, were loosing so you docked with their base, as opposed to fighting a bunch of npcs outside their base, and loosing, but you can't dock, you have to run.
"So ... unless the LPI is planning on taking the full 1 minute or so to role play between the time the smuggler gets into scan range and he refuses ... don't lecture us. Just admit that you want the easy way out. You've already got the battleships, dreadnoughts, juggernauts cruisers, destroyers, gunboats, bombers and fighters at your disposal ... what do you need this for?"
I would be glad to take that 1 minute to RP, or longer, if the smugglers allowed it, but they simply don't. The oorp smugglers are only interested in their powertrading, not their rp. We need this TO be able to rp
"Carrying contraband does not make you a smuggler. Carrying contraband and AVOIDING the authorities makes you a smuggler. The whole idea is to avoid being caught. I rarely ever bring my stuff to Manhattan ... BUT ... what about the Manhattan black market? That is part of role play. Why do you suppose Manhattan pays the most for Cardamine and Artifacts? And why do you think its one of the best places to purchase Counterfeit Software. With your proposal ... you can say goodbye to the black market role play. The same rules apply to you that apply to pirates ... if the trader (or in this case the smuggler) docks before you catch him ... to bad ... your loss."
Carrying contraband makes you a smuggler. Getting caught makes you unresourceful. Remember, it is possible, once again I say I have made hundreds of millions of credits smuggling Cardamine past LPI and LN, and never been caught. This post doesn't concern carrying Couterfeit software either, cause it is still very easy to escape with that for smuggling, but that's not an issue like this.
"Bases and planets are not hostile to traders and smugglers until they are caught and you run through the whole demand process. Here's something to consider:
1. Smuggler arrives and you declare your scan
2. Saying "halt" and the smuggler refusing does not give you the authority to destroy him ... in fact ... you have no reason to halt me until AFTER you scan me
3. After you scan me ... you gotta tell announce what you found and demand I drop it
4. You need to give me a few seconds to make up my mind as to whether to drop it or not.
5. If I say no ... fine ... shoot away ... if I ignore you for too long ... fire away
6. If I make it to the docking ring before you can get the scan, make the declaration, wait for my response and then start shooting ... your loss not mine
7. Don't call me OORP because you cannot catch me before I dock
8. If this whole dock disruption thing goes through ... cool ... makes it more challenging ... BUT ... with a dock disruption available ... you can't just park above the ring (that's crap role play and you know it)
9. Quit calling us OORP because you can't do your job ... a smuggler is SUPPOSED to avoid you and is SUPPOSED to ignore you and is SUPPOSED to run silent and dock as quick as possible"
That may be what you do, but let me list what actually happens.
1. Smuggler arrives, like all traders I scan him for contraband.
2. I immediately take a screencap, then type xxxx, halt!
3. Smuggler is already too close to the mooring fixture to fire at him
4. Smuggler docks
5. I read the smuggler the laws about smuggling and demand he pay the fine
6. Smuggler logs out
7. I'm calling you oorp because you dock after being caught.
8. A smuggler is SUPPOSED to avoid you, I agree, smugglers that get by undetected get my kudos. Smugglers that aren't crafty and resourceful enough to get by undetected and just go stampeeding into Manhatten becacause they know they can't be stopped are the problem here. Smugglers are SUPPOSED to be silent and undetected, and dock as quickly as possible. But once being sprung, docking should no longer become available as an option. Smugglers are SUPPOSED to flee or comply once being called out for carrying contraband.
Once again, like I said in the first post, every smuggler and his dog is gonna jump on this and whine about it. But lets not listen to them, they're just too afraid for a little challenge in the presently easy task.
Things could be done to balance it out, like making the payout of smuggled goods on planets higher, the Outcasts and Corsairs would have to respond to this new technology by offering a greater profit for smugglers, or no one would ship their goods.
If you started making 16mil for a Firefly filled with Cardamine instead of 9, would you still do it?
This is just a suggestion, so how about some constructive critisism instead of trying to crap all over it. At present it is too easy for smugglers, and no matter how much we say we're gonna crack down on smugglers, it simply isn't possible due to rule constrictions. Don't think for a second I'm just biased because I'm a LPI, because I'm also a successful smuggler. I've seen the other side, I know what its like. So tell me Baltar, do you have a Liberty Lawful character? Have you tried stopping any smugglers recently? If not, them who are you to comment on how the LPI operates?
Knock the mooring ring idea all you want, but leave the LPI/LN out of it.
Its good to see you support the idea regardless though...
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