Idea for a new rule

[Harcourt.Fenton.Mudd]

Actually, you could do all this without paperwork. You could institute an FLhook system to do this. Alright, lets work this out:

• If you see a smuggler you use the /report command.
  
• This command only works if you are in detection range (not cargo scan range, but as long as you can see them on scanners)
  
• FLhook then reads out the cargo of the target vessel (or last target, like /t)
  
• Based off of your ID and the ID of the reportee (as hogoshu can legally haul artifacts in kusari, as one example) and if you have authority in that system FLhook determines whether the commodity is contraband, it then checks if there is more than X units of it (maybe 100?)
  
• If it is contraband of sufficient quantity and the user has authority it does one of several things:
  • It makes all allied bases and NPC's in system hostile.
    
  • It makes a permanent rep adjustment.
    
  • It does both
    

The genius of this system is it is incredibly flexible. If a good is only partially illegal like a researcher carrying, well, take your pick, it could do a smaller size rep adjustment and not make NPC's hostile. While if it was an outcast with cardamine it would make a big rep adjust and make many hostile. The system would also allow licensing. It could be programmed to exempt those with names or tags that are licensed for certain commodities. Of course it may be very difficult, or time consuming to program these more advanced features, but it should be possible. I think at least a basic version is worth thinking about or maybe even trying, on a limited basis of course, say, liberty...

So, what do you think?

This could be awsome. Have it send a system message when reported of course, so of someone DOES abuse it, it can be screencapped (tho there may be lggs too I suppose) and are dealt with. Also, have un-justified use of it result in penalties if done too much. (automatic repfix, I mean by that of course)

This would be freaking awsome, and make RPing lawfuls actualy fun casue you CAN do something to stop em, cause unless you got a swarm of bombers or a well set up GB or two, larger transports are VERY hard to quickly stop.

This would enable players to act like NPCs in that if you DONT drop, things go hostile short term (you get /report 'd you get a temp 'everything in the area goes red' effect.

To prevent 'ohh smuggler, /report , missouri pwns smuggler' abuse, prehaps ALSO have a countdown feature. Have it give in-system countdown to drop the cargo (30seconds prehaps ?) If it detects you land, you loose your cargo automaticly, prehaps have a credit fine too if you have enough cash. If you drop the cargo, the countdown ends, but if you tractor it back in, insta-full-red with that houses lawfuls. Prehaps a /comply or some such command for complying smugg,ers in the case of slaves were the smuggler is allowed to be escorted with the cargo to a RP offload point for the slaves, since you dont shoot those in RP.

For corsairs, cardi smuggling within gamma and corsair systems could be treated similarly.

Also, rep drops should always result in this, to the lowest neutral possible. If allready dead neutral or lower, 5 min delay to leave system then drop to red. (depending on system, add extra delay per system as you leave factions space).

This would give the 'lol no cath me' smugglers a boot to the face in the form of a tool for RP, and enable the good RPing smugglers to RP with consequences, same for the lawfuls as lets face it a LPI in a liberator cant stop 90% of ships used to smuggle.

Also, add to this detection for guard systems, restricted systems, and military restricted areas, and for example you COULD (if properly IDd) boot someone out of, sat, Alaska/Z21 with a similar command if LNGuard or LSF IDd, if it gets ignored, NPCs spawn and flock to the target and forcibly remove them.

It is always a pain to catch a smuggler with one craft.

The best way is to have a craft positioned at a system enterance (though this makes it harder for bigger systems with 5-6 enterance points) and another patrol unit to intercept the smuggler.

Since we have cruise retreat / no firing with big ships / RP warning prior etc rules, it is impossible to catch a smuggler except for some rare occassions where the Smuggler tries a good RP dialogue so that both ships come close to each other and don't play cat-mouse, but write stuff.

So, a command thingy may work great, thought the programming? I have no idea on that one.

Exactly, this means that lawfuls dont have to rely on pre-set messages to quickly give an order and then watch it be ignored as the trader had instantly hit cruise after exiting gate/lane and doesnt plan to stop.

The ONLY (if it can be set up w/o any easy way to abuse it) people this would hurt would be those that dont smuggle within RP, but for a quick buck. Which basicly means, nothing will be lost. This also makes big ships not as laughibly and oorp'ly inpotent as they curently are, as they can just type in /report while having the smuggler targeted, and let the NPCs do the job if the smuggler wont halt.

Imagine a Rhinland battleship sitting by the hamburg to bearing gate, RPing as a border checkpoint. Smuggler/embargo breaker comes by, wont halt, just type in /report and they're hosed if they return to rhinland. Now, what would be REALLY Cool is if it were possible for the gates themselves to be shut down in this case, but not sure how, if at all, doable that would be. Prehaps have a 30-60 second time delay before the target cannot use the gates in that system, due to a lockdown on his neuralnet access to it. (could also prevent pirates at all from using most gates, forcing them to use jumpholes, which would be good RP. Prehaps, to be fair, give lane hackers a /hack command to use on trade lanes. Targeted lane will be cut out when someone with certain ID (ageira etc etc) approaches, but ignore the other IDs. Prehaps give LHGuard IDs the ability to hack the entire TL run theyre on, ALL the lanes go out, making police response slower. Prehaps add the same effect for jumpgates, regular JH can hack access to use it, LH Guard can hack access OR shut it down for a short period.