[Tritian]

1) Pirates
2) Blockades & Blockade running
3) Smuggling
4) Police
5) Mercs
6) RP RP RP RP RP

^--- The above is a brief list of things which would be benefitted greatly from the addition of CONTRABAND.

Add these commods:
Lothars Landing: Baby Parts
Klatches Hold: Human Organs
Evenings End: Quantar Green (illegal drug)
GBS: Conflux Biomass

These items would sell for good profit at faction stations, but if you're scanned w/ a scanner while hauling them, you get a temp bounty and can be downed. These items are uninsured. Obviously, the commod at GBS would sell for the highest profit.

Adding these illegal commods has been needed and mentioned COUNTLESS times in Jumpgate's history. I am frankly SHOCKED AND AMAZED that they havent been added already. It'd add so much RP to the game, and spurr the formation of squads and conflict. It'd bring some much needed atmosphere to the game also.

So? What about it.

[dahalb]

As you said its been mentioned a million times before. Only thing is, no-one has said whether or not this kind of thing is included or not. Can anyone give us a hint?

[Cpt_Blood]

I absolutely agree. Let's have goods produced by one faction that are illegal in a another. I would say you should not be able to sell them at a faction station as that does not make logical sense.

I think perhaps set up some small unidentified stations where illegal commodities can sold so part of the smugglers job is to find out where he can sell the goods to start with! If these stations are randomly closed and new ones open, that would add a lot of interest to the role of a smuggler.

[Tritian]

I like your idea cpt_blood, that'd be cool.

However regarding selling to faction stations... i dont see the RP reason why this would be bad, since you could just be selling it to nefarious sources at the station, rather then the station itself. Obviously the illegal commods should not show up on the open market.

[Cpt_Blood]

I originally did write open market of a faction station but a revised it before posting. I agree that if a method to sell directly to an NPC on a station was implemented that could also work, but I'm not sure just selling contraband while on a station if the item is not listed (why would it be listed?) is practical, how would you know what price you are selling it at? Also, I would expect a faction station to routinely scan all ships docking so I can't see how you would get far enough to sell it in the first place.

[JoCool]

Reminds me of Eve. Btw don't scare people away with, I quote "6) RP RP RP RP RP"

Honestly mate, my eyes widened so much it hurt when I've seen this! You either play the game or not, this whole Ic/ooc talk is the pest and bane of success. If you eat a Pizza, man say you eat Pizza. People fond of roleplay (like me) will imagine the mess in your cockpit..

It gives me nightmares when you engage in combat because you're clearly a pirate/faction nazi and someone asks you "What's your RP reason to attack me? I'm a peaceful quant" 30 Seconds later "How dare thou! I did not return fire! ooc: just fyi I will relay this incident to the GMs".
Probably I might have been traumatized by the EU server.. however, you get this point.

On topic:
You are right about contraband items, would be a welcomed addition in the long run. People will play around with it and might make some money. Others will camp stations with a scanner and shoot to kill once the bounty pops up. Another game of hide and seek - but quite frankly classics are the best.

[Tritian]

Originally Posted by JoCool

Reminds me of Eve. Btw don't scare people away with, I quote "6) RP RP RP RP RP"

Honestly mate, my eyes widened so much it hurt when I've seen this! You either play the game or not, this whole Ic/ooc talk is the pest and bane of success. If you eat a Pizza, man say you eat Pizza. People fond of roleplay (like me) will imagine the mess in your cockpit..

It gives me nightmares when you engage in combat because you're clearly a pirate/faction nazi and someone asks you "What's your RP reason to attack me? I'm a peaceful quant" 30 Seconds later "How dare thou! I did not return fire! ooc: just fyi I will relay this incident to the GMs".
Probably I might have been traumatized by the EU server.. however, you get this point.

I have no idea what you're talking about w/ this.

I dont think anyone on the US server would report someone to the GM's for civripping. And even if they did, the GM's have showned time and again that they dont give a crap. (and rightfully so...)

So if you kill someone, and they complain, simply ignore them, or get a good laugh from their illogical F4's. It's what I do. =)

[daslog]

Seems like a good, simple (read: implementable) idea.

I like it.

Now, if you want to make it more complex (and maybe unworkable), the production system could be tweaked when these goods are sold. For example, when Sol Core receives a contraband shipment of Liquid crack, the result would be a 25% increase in the rate of production.

[Tim]

contraband = brilliant. Brilliant!
RP = weak cover for random actions (with a few exceptions, sure)
contraband impacting normal production = nifty concept, but it might take so much time to do well that it's best left for a future date

[Wild_Bill]

Drugs from unreg stations are obvious. Not sure about the body parts though. Possibly a smugglers' modex to confuse or hide stuff from station scans when docking. Or else a simple percentage chance of getting caught smuggling (and save the modex slot?) Perhaps an NPC contacts you for a "trade"? (to avoid selling to market). I mean the game knows what you have on board, right? Either IC or OOC the info is there. This would give a certain chance that the NPC was truely a "criminal" or else an undercover cop. So when you make the trade of contraband and launch, you might or might not get a bounty! Alternately, you might get an instant pod ride losing your ship and cargo (no insurance for a smuggler who gets caught!) plus a PR hit instead of the bounty. BIG profit. BIG risks to go with it. Either way would work for me.

Another possibility would be buying/selling equipment during times of war or increased tension. An Oct shouldn't be able to buy Graverobbers from Tripoint if their factions are at war. Whether the Oct is civ or MT/HG makes no difference. Nor should a Sol be able to buy Flails at Outpost if the factions are hostile. So an Oct would haveto buy his Graverobbers from a POS belonging to a Quant, rather from the TRI Station. If the Oct was scanned by a Quant MT in Quant space, then the Oct would get an instant temp bounty if he had Quant equipment on-board. At the same time, I think scanning should generate a temp bounty on the scanner since it's clearly an unfriendly act. This way the "smuggler" could fight back without any further bounty or penalty.

This finally gives some RP backing to the POS market idea. Why would you want to buy from a POS at higher prices? Well, because that's the only way you could buy certain equipment, etc. In Jumpgate Evolution, this would open up a really good avenue for neutral factions or even neutral NPC factions (like our current non-playable Hype and Aman). The AI NPC traders could buy Graverobbers from Tripoint or Flails from OutPost; haul them to Aman or Hype (or some place new and interesting) without a problem since they are by definition neutral, and then Octs could buy the Graverobbers without penalty or the Sol could get access to Flails. Either would be safe as long as they avoided the producers faction space with the cargo aboard.

Honestly it doesn't make sense that with factions at war status, a foreign ship should be able to dock at a station, buy commodities or anything else. Since this would totally destroy the economy (such as it is), it does make sense that certain equipment would be contraband to foreign traders while commodities were uneffected.

[JoCool]

Originally Posted by Tritian

I have no idea what you're talking about w/ this.

I dont think anyone on the US server would report someone to the GM's for civripping. And even if they did, the GM's have showned time and again that they dont give a crap. (and rightfully so...)

So if you kill someone, and they complain, simply ignore them, or get a good laugh from their illogical F4's. It's what I do. =)

That is what I do.

I was sharing my experience from the european server.




Back on topic:

I feel these commodities need another meaning besides being a money booster. If we got the ability to manufacture individually based on blueprints and commodities, these could be made necessary for special harder to build items (to refer to Jumpgate Classic, the dream engine, the guzzlers, the injustices, etc. top end items)

[dahalb]

Originally Posted by Wild_Bill

Either would be safe as long as they avoided the producers faction space with the cargo aboard.

This would also make the choke points mean something (like GVB, Dark Gateway etc.) Someone might want to sit there and wait for smugglers.

Also, this would mean that those sectors are worth fighting for (ownership wise).