Smuggling Vs Legal trading

[ParanoidAndroid]

If admins went with the letter of the law on that one it would be completely impractical for anyone to equip a trader or house corp ID. How many traders have never had a pirate escape pod in their hold? Yet NPC police consider that contraband. On the flipside, my moneymaker has delivered several loads of self-mined artifacts to Manhattan and has never been told to drop them by LPI or Navy NPCs.
CP

I'm glad that they won't, but in my opinion trader ID is 2nd after Merc ID most general ID which limits the opportunities of rp. It could improve it and make a way better then it is now: Generic Trader IDs vs. Faction Specific Trader IDs

If by your logic, carrying artifacts on a trader ID ship is a sanctionable offense, please advise what is the smugglar ID giving up ?

1. You can't just blow away a smugglar ID for being a smugglar.
2. Smugglar ID's are not limited to smugglar class ships. (Sure go sub 1000 on smugglar ships and I will reconsider your point of view).
3. "Most" pirates do not discriminate whether you have a smugglar ID or a Trader ID.
4. "Most" lawfuls" do not discriminate whether you have a trader ID or not if you have a cargo full of cardi.

If you restrict the traders from hauling cardi, Tell me again then my friend, why would any one use a trader ID then?. Now think about it. If you are a smugglar, why would you put a banner on yourself of being a "smugglar". The lawfuls can scan you as well as any other trader. What are you gaining or losing out of using a smugglar ID ?
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I don't like to repeat but w/e.:

Smuggler ID grants its owner right to trade and escort traders. In addition to that, the Smuggler ID indicated good reputation within the Sirius unlawful factions, and is commonly used to carry smuggled goods to and from pirate bases.

Trader ID grants its owner right to trade, escort traders, hunt pirates and terrorists. Trader ID owner cannot participate in any unlawful actions

It's my outlook. Get a diffrence.

a small comparison:
Smuggler = Unlafull actions
Trader = Lawfull actions

What I'm getting at is that if you are RolePlaying trader, so from a definintion of trader it's that you shouldn't have anything common with unlaful side of Sirus. It even says that you are allowed to hunt pirates and terrorist so for the sake of what traders should go buy/sell and supply pirate/terrorist bases. I fell that you are trying to convince me that traders are ok to go everywere, buy whatever they desire and sell whereever they wish??? If by your logic, mixing trader/smuggler ID to 1 ID would be ok couse there is no diffrence between them?. Ermm I don't go for it. My point is: ID you choose is the way of RP you choose. If some is approaching the issue from this way: "nah i'll get smuggler id couse i can smuggle with so there is more good to run and more profit" it's very shallow. You are trading: choose some corporation to go with and trade as their emplyee. You are smuggling: pick up some faction, get tag, avoid crowded by lawfuls places, choose smuggling routes and hide in clouds ^^.

Current system for trading/smuggling isn't great and we both know that. It's too simple for now and that couses the problem.

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Cositas Buenas

Recruitment | Secure Comm Channel | Dossiers | Diplomatic Channel | Assassins Wing

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[blubba]

Well it's my experience that most pirate factions lower there tax if you are a smuggler who is 'smuggling'. If your a smuggler and it's legal goods (i.e trader), your fair game and rightfully so. Unfortunately however, if you are smuggling, then your fair game for the law.

As for making it more profitable, I don't agree. I just think that there should be more runs. Synthetic Marie for sale at the other end of the universe for example. Outlaw something somewhere where they pay big bucks for it and have someplace light years away be the sole (or nearly sole) vendor who makes it for nothing. At the moment, it's pretty much all going Liberty way. Artifacts from the Corsairs and Cardamine from the Outcasts. What about something for Kusari, Rheinland or Bretonia?

Just a note to add that whilst most pirates can be understanding about smugglers carrying contraband, make sure it's not the 'wrong' contaband if they catch you......I, for one, can't afford a new spangly destroyer......

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[badkarmasix]

Let's just forget the whole "get rid of the smuggler ID" arguement. It exists. Personally, I don't think it needs to be removed. I does serve a purpose, if only to remind the owner of his/her RP...which is sorely needed in many cases. Same goes for the trader ID. Or any ID for that matter.

On the matter of restricting traders from carrying mod-based contraband, I agree. First of all, traders are supposed to be lawful. Says so in the ID. For a trader to be carrying cardamine blows any number of good RP conventions out of the water. If you're going to "smuggle," then just buckle and get the ID. It really does afford the owner the best of both worlds.

As for restricting traders from carrying contraband of any kind - mod-based or faction-specific - I disagree. Moving deuterium through Bretonia is illegal in Bretonia, but nowhere else. It's not entirely legit, but it isn't outright illegal in terms of the server either. It's a grey area and I don't think we should slap a mandate on a grey area.

Speaking of "worlds", Discovery is not a perfect one. Yes, it is true that no smuggler would go around broadcasting that they were a smuggler. But in a perfect world, contraband would be worth a whole lot more, and it sure as hell wouldn't get traded around in trains or transports. We'd all be restricted to freighters, complete with secret compartments and so forth. I mean, smuggling in a large train seems a little oxymorinic (to borrow the word from someone else), don't you think. You can't exactly sneak anywhere in a train. So, to repeat what I said, if you want to smuggle, just get the ID. It's pretty simple.

But getting back to the point of the topic, I think that there should be a few more contraband runs added. And I would only agree to making them more profitable if it were possible to limit the amount of contraband that could be carried. Not along the lines of the VIPs, but more like an upper limit. Perhaps something like the stackable items rule. Smugglers who have good RP, from what I understand already do this to some extent by carrying other legal goods in their hold. However, simply raising the price of contraband would, in my view, flood the server with smugglers. Doesn't really do much for the community.

Cheers,
Idaho

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"There's no mystical energy field that controls my destiny. It's all a lot of simple tricks and nonsense."
- Han Solo

Character Bio here

[ParanoidAndroid]

Yes, that's true, that there is only a couple of smuggle runs, comparing it to legal goods it's very scanty.

Incrasing pirces isn't a solution, I agree with that. We could be spammed by smugglers of any kind by this way, and we can be sure that mostly by those who have nothing common with rp.

Creating new smuggling runs and for instance 1 or 2 new goods is a great solution for me.

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Cositas Buenas

Recruitment | Secure Comm Channel | Dossiers | Diplomatic Channel | Assassins Wing

[b]

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[Barbarian]

Yes, that's true, that there is only a couple of smuggle runs, comparing it to legal goods it's very scanty.

Incrasing pirces isn't a solution, I agree with that. We could be spammed by smugglers of any kind by this way, and we can be sure that mostly by those who have nothing common with rp.

Creating new smuggling runs and for instance 1 or 2 new goods is a great solution for me.

/signed.

Can anybody think of any potential downsides to this? I cant think of any.

I was thinking the other day that it would make sense for Lane Hackers to sell counterfeit software, i mean, they are the hack-masters... and as for new contraband, nothing really springs to my mind. Anybody got some ideas?

[Barracuda]

Yes, Smugglers Should make more, But...
The question is Who works harder for their cash?
Also, If Smugglers Are upgraded to making more
What will happen, Will their be a 75% increase in Smugglers?
And a SHARP Decrease in Traders?

Then that will cause fuss.

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[Rogue63]

I have a smuggler char, with smuggler ID. The ID info says it all, Smuggler ID works both sides of the fence. Sometimes you are a legal trader and others times you are not. And as far as trade routes go, oh my goodness, smuggling is way more lucrative. Your routes maybe abit longer at times, but for per item profit you will not find any routes that can match. I am talking about going from a pirate base to lawful base, and vice-a-versa, not just pirate to pirate base or lawful to lawful base. You have to juggle your reps to maintain nuetrality to most, but easliy done. I have run the gauntlet in NY several times and other places, it is what makes it fun, regular trading can get tedious. You also inter-act with more people, payoff pirates, try to bribe police etc etc. Smuggling is fine as it is, just be creative.

[pchwang]

Smuggling should be more profitable...otherwise, what is the incentive to take the extra risk?

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[Venom.HX]

In my personal opinion.. I think the Illegal Goods, completely contraband or illegal to move system to system by house laws, should be raised in profits. I've been trading my butt off moving Cardimine and not making much more then legal traders with only double the consequences and sneaking around. Making my flight time more and my chances of loosing my cargo double. In theory of how things are, it's not profitable to be a smuggler. Profits should be raised to make it more of something to do. I work my butt off and don't come out any better then a legal trader. It sucks for us.

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[n00bl3t]

In my personal opinion.. I think the Illegal Goods, completely contraband or illegal to move system to system by house laws, should be raised in profits. I've been trading my butt off moving Cardimine and not making much more then legal traders with only double the consequences and sneaking around. Making my flight time more and my chances of loosing my cargo double. In theory of how things are, it's not profitable to be a smuggler. Profits should be raised to make it more of something to do. I work my butt off and don't come out any better then a legal trader. It sucks for us.

I agree with you, cardamine doesn't make enough money. The risk of losing it along the very long way also detracts from the advantage of doing the run.

However, if we make smuggling more lucrative will there be a drop in trader RP?

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It's not a conspiracy, it's localised bias. They're not intelligent enough to form a conspiracy.