Generic IDs,

[Hone]

It's fairly clear that flying around proclaiming yourself to be a smuggler/pirate/slaver is a ridiculously bad idea. It's also clear that the Trader ID is just a nerfed version of the Freelancer ID, and the Merc ID is exactly the same. So, are we playing Freelancer or Mercinaries?

Secondly; work for freelancers is rather scarce, most traders prefer to run alone, and save a little money. Freelancers are far more restricted in what they can do than was origionally intended/advertised on the freelancer box. If you have it, take a look at the back - go anywhere, do anything, hero/pirate trader/smuggler, these are all the roles that freelancers were INTENDED to play.

This is Discovery FREELANCER, but the freelancer ID is one of the least used - less than the merc, and one of the least "powerful" as well as being so far removed from the origional canon.

So, in the interests of removing ridiculous out of rp situations, such as declaring yourself to be a smuggler, removing unnessecary IDs, such as the Merc ID, and bringing the freelancer ID back to its intended status of FREEdom: I propose melding all the above IDs into the freelancer ID.

Some would say this will lead to freelancers abusing the ID by pirating outside lawful bases or something, but thats what FR5 is for.

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[Toaster]

Agreed.




If you look at that sentence carefully, you will notice that it is in fact constructive.

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Olivia Sable

[ProwlerPC]

Sounds almost too Vanilla to be true.

Yeah I'm in the preference of only a Freelancer ID as a generic ID. I'm old school, though, and Disco has changed. Good luck.

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[AceJoker]

I voted yes.

A merc accepts a job, and get paid after the job's finished.

A freelancer ingame makes missions.

So freelancer = merc?

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How to speak like a Rheinland native

[Cannon]

Sounds good as long as I'm allowed by the rules to kill Freelancers on contact because they *might* be a pirate.

The current ID system treats Freelancers as the lawful side of the the Pirate ID.

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Proud member of "the most paranoid group of people in the community"

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[VoluptaBox]

Uhm, I like it.

[DCKilla]

I like this also. It would be best to keep Freelancer and Pirate seperate.

Trader/Merc/Smuggler = Freelancer ID = Semi-Lawful

Pirate = Pirate ID = Unlawful

[Daedric]

Melding the Freelancer/Merc/Smuggler/Trader IDs really isn't a bad idea. Melding the Pirate ID into those IDs is a bad idea. For the reason Cannon pointed out.

Though I think the point of having them is so that it makes it clear exactly what you are. If I have a Merc ID, I'm a mercenary. A indy trader, I'm a trader. As for the smuggler, I'd say toss it. Pretty stupid to run around broadcasting that you break the law.

My suggestion is as follows:

Mercenary ID

Pilot carrying this ID is a Mercenary, who :
Can escort traders
Can fulfill lawful and unlawful bounty contracts
Cannot pirate, but can provide security services for pirates who are pirating if paid to do so. Mercenaries can only fire on traders or smugglers in self-defense or if the trader or smuggler fires on or is bountied by the mercenary's employer.
Cannot demand contraband unless specified in employer's bounty
Allowed ships: Fighters, Gunboats

Independent Trader ID

Pilot carrying this ID is an independent trader, who :
Can trade and escort traders
Cannot attack anyone except in self defense or to defend the vessel they are escorting,
Cannot fulfill bounty contracts
Cannot pirate
Cannot use any ship with more than 3,800 cargo space, except for the Pirate Train
Cannot land on any lawful bases when using the Pirate Train
Allowed ships: Freighters, Transports

Freelancer ID

Pilot carrying this ID is a Freelancer, who :
Can trade and escort traders
Can fulfill lawful and unlawful bounty contracts
Cannot pirate, but can provide security services for pirates who are pirating if paid to do so. Freelancers can only fire on traders or smugglers in self-defense or if the trader or smuggler fires on or is bountied by the Freelancers's employer.
Cannot demand contraband unless specified in employer's bounty
Cannot use any transports with more than 3,800 cargo
Allowed ships: Fighters, Freighters, Transports

These changes reflect the role I believe the IDs are to fill. A mercenary is a combat oriented character, thus he has no use for a trade ship. The trader ID is merely a fusion of the current smuggler and indy trader ID. The Freelancer ID is exactly the same but they can't use gunboats. Reasoning on that is, a gunboat is a pure combat machine. I think it more logical that a Merc would be found flying that over a Freelancer. It all depends on what you feel the role of a Freelancer is, I myself am unsure of that.

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[AceJoker]

Why not merge the Merc ID with the Freelancer ID and smuggler ID to the Independent Trader ID?

I mean, if i wanna hunt/shoot things im a merc/freelancer. If i wanna trade/smuggle im a trader.

In other words.
I want to pewpew i go for fighters/bombers/whatever = small cargohold
I want to make money with commodities so i go for freighters/transports/whatever = large cargohold

So why not add a simple line to indie trader ID like "can smuggle" and add a line to IDs which allow you to fly
5K transports "cannot smuggle"? Would make sense even inRP. A corporated trader has his trade tour ordered
by his corporation. Indie traders can choose their customers, by... dunno. Asking the factions in the forums for
some kind of business agreement? And as a side effect it would be the perfect cover for smugglers. As a lawful
you have to scan his cargo first before you can shout "Smuggler stop!". As it should be!

Now if the prizes would become balanced like: contraband of 3600 gives a roughly equal profit of 5K legal cargo
you give the players the freedom of choice. Do i want to play a smuggler or a trader? So you make smuggling
attractive again.

EDIT: Daedric was faster

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How to speak like a Rheinland native

[Alex.]

How about Unlawful Freelancer, Lawful Freelancer? Lawful would not allow pirating, smuggling, etc.

Also wtf? Why does the forum say when I edit my posts now?