Large transports should be banned from smuggling to manhattan. Its ridiculous to think that a large ship would stay moored for so long. While heavy lifters pick their pods off.. then sort the cargo to put in freighters to take planetside. Surely someone would notice they are moving 5000 tons of drugs.. or artifacts instead of fruit...
The way I've always seen it is, the transports should take it to rochester or Beaumont, then small freighters should run to manhattan. Limiting both the risk of losing the entire shipment but there is less chance of being caught, and if caught it is feasable a small freighter can escape.
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To the grave if I must
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And a flag that I trust
I have to say a loud NO! This would not even be kept to the lawfuls. What would stop anyone from using this command, not just on contraband but on in cargo!! You could be flying by and a pirate just takes your cargo!! That would really be to POWERFUL a command to do.
' Wrote:I have to say a loud NO! This would not even be kept to the lawfuls. What would stop anyone from using this command, not just on contraband but on in cargo!! You could be flying by and a pirate just takes your cargo!! That would really be to POWERFUL a command to do.
Interesting idea though.
the thing that will stop this will be probably how they build the command making it work only on contraband. or restricting it to faction/bases.. meaning some factions can make only some bases undockbale for #t (target) player
' Wrote:I think we're forgetting some key elements in this equation here....
I agree with whoever said that it's unfair to the smuggler because alot of lawfuls don't patrol and just wait by the end of Smuggling routes. There aren't terribly many of them, and the best profit margins on each run (To my limited knowledge on the subject) tend to be at heavily-trafficked areas, increasing the chances of running into lawfuls in the first place at the end of your route. (Like Manhattan,for instance).
If there's alot of traffic around a planet or station, it's feasible that a ship could slip by, even if it -is- detected. A planet is a big place, there's only -so many- police, and -so many- potential places to land planetside. Granted that this doesn't excuse Smuggler's from RPing or interacting, but as someone else said. If you were a -real- smuggler and you were relatively close to your destination and thought you might be able to get away from a cop that spotted your stash, wouldn't you try? Some might, some might pay the fine/tax/bribe/whatever. Some might open fire on the lawful and try to destroy/kill him in order to preserve one's cargo.
As has been said elsewhere, if you are in anything larger than a freighter you have to use the mooring fixture. This means you are not landing on the planets surface you are docking with the fixture. Ir would be pretty easy to stop a smuggler who's ship was just sitting in space docked. You could blow it up right there if you wanted. Unfortunately game mechanics dont allow this to be what actually happens.
I like this point though. What if the command was restricted only to transports? This way small smugglers would still be able to land and sell, seems even more in RP. I really like this actually.
' Wrote:Adding this extra code is giving a huge element of player-control to someone else, and I don't like that concept. What's to stop (in how it's coded, which I don't really know anything about) someone, for instance, who is an unaffilated lawful, let's say, from locking down docks or stealing the cargo of lawful traders? Or Smugglers who aren't carrying anything illegal? I don't like the idea of someone being able to magically steal my cargo or preventing me from docking.
Response:
' Wrote:Yeah, perhaps i didnt fully explain it. The command reads the player ID. Only the ID's that are chosen (let's say lawful navy and police ID's) can use it. Also It would not seize any cargo, this would be incredibly easy to abuse, it will only seize unlawful cargo.
' Wrote:is it only House Police/military bases?
I don't know, but think about the real city of say Denver, people i'm sure smuggle drugs in all the time, right at the border of the town, right past cops. Distributing it all across town. Even when they get stopped on routine traffic stops, sometimes they get away, or hide their contraband.
How does a Smuggler really -hide- contraband anyway? Avoid ever being scanned at a final destination? I can't help but think of a cheesy line from StarWars Episode 4. Y'know, the scene where Han is taking a hard time for "dropping his [contraband] cargo at the first sight of an imperial cruiser?"
As for hiding contraband I think it would be hard to hide thousands of units of cargo. There is always the old packing it in coffee method. So maybe there would need to be something more to balance this command out. I had also thought of a percentage thing, like the command only works X percent of the time. Though with cargo scanners seeing if someone is hauling illegal goods seems like it would be a 100% kind of thing, unless you want to deem those OORP.
' Wrote:I haven't really smuggled, (I'm relatively new to the Server) but it strikes me as one of the more difficult IDs to RP and to profit from at the same time and I think this gives too much of an advantage to lawfuls for an ID that (I could be wrong here, I'm not sure) can be pirated/attacked by unlawfuls/terrorists and fined/attacked by lawfuls. You've got pirates who frequent the out-of-the-way routes that Smugglers I imagine have to take to get their goods to where they are profitable, and Lawfuls hawking by the ends of those routes. To add YET ANOTHER obstacle that is in-essense OORP seems unreasonable.
So far I think I have corrected most of the OORPness of this command, but there may be more. Let me re summarize the command.
Revised Command
Will seize the illegal cargo of certain smugglers that land on lawful bases within X minutes of use.
Can only be used:
By those with lawful ID's
Within scanner range
on transports, not freighters
It warns the person who it was used on
It does not become active for X seconds to prevent ninjaing.
Its as simple as this. Lawfuls you need to do your job. If you are sitting and lulwutting outside the end destination of a smuggling route, expect the quick dock, no smuggler is going to sit there at his end destination and loose his cargo after a 15 to 20 minute trip. You need to be active and go to some piont up the lane or near a point of a jh or jg, there you have time to stop/cd/scan or what ever that needs to be done, so the smuggler has to deal with you. The smuggler will then be too far away from his destination to actually run/hide/escape/dock or whatever he does to try avoid a lawful. In addition you have time to rp with the smuggler or destroy him if refusal of fine or release of cargo. Thats what pirates do to traders, I dont see them sitting at end points doing taxation (do you?) no! If they did, they would have the same problem, bam, trader quick dock.
Quit being lazy and be proactive on stopping smugglers and quit sitting outside base/planet/station and do your patrols.
Sometimes we don't have enough players to cover everywhere, so instead of assuming we are lazy, perhaps you need to observe some more before making assumptions that are going to make you look bad.
Currently it is a 8:1 ratio unlawfuls to lawful ratio.
Formerly known as LPI Police Chief Hull O'Brien.
Creator of Sgt. V. Price, 207th Precinct out of Chula Vista Station
' Wrote:Sometimes we don't have enough players to cover everywhere, so instead of assuming we are lazy, perhaps you need to observe some more before making assumptions that are going to make you look bad.
Currently it is a 8:1 ratio unlawfuls to lawful ratio.
Its not about assumptions, its about being effective. As a law, I am fully aware of the ratio; its obvious.
I appreciate that you are aware of the ratio.
Its about the chase, its about planning and pre-empting the smuggler. There are several entry points and in certain areas only 1 to two sometimes three. Using your tools available (chat window), knowing your smugglers habbits (know smugglers and what he usually carries) and his most common entry points, being a single law using this meathod will increases your chances of catching him in the act. CDing is an effective reach at 2.5 to 3k, you are not going to catch all of them, thats the point, you won't (thats life). If you catch 2 or 3 perfect. Its about the RP as well, this is what I mean as being active. IMO, Sitting at the station/planet/base, just poor rp and not active playing. Chase and catch. If your a single law hire a freelancer or Merc, thats why they are there (Its called Deputizing, pay em). Be inventive utilize the resources around you. Think.
When I read the title I thought you meant a plugin which auto-fined the smuggler on landing at a lawful base.. that'd suck.
Anyway, I really don't like how effortless this proposal would make taking millions of credits away from a smuggler, not to mention it completely bypasses the "Stop right there criminal scum!" part of being a lawful, since you just type the /command and leave them to rage.. oh there's a point, imagine the amount of swearing/flaming sanctions this'd cause, jeez.
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