Trade Route Balance and coloring up traders

[Cawdor]

now we probably had this topic some times now but still i want to invest another thread into this.
at first, i have to confess that i used some sort of hardcore trade-route spoiling program, that already flew of my drive since it just destroys the game. what i saw there, however, was something all of you already knew: ALL routes that are truly profitable are concentrated in the eastern part of sirius. to name those parts: new berlin, sigma 13, neo tokio and everything inbetween.
now we had some threads where people complained about bretonia being very unpopular. so they thought about some sports-events and spoiled some routs which in the end are not as profitable as the eastern routes. so with all due respect to those posters who came up with wars and sports and stuff (bretonia has some really big potential btw - if you think about the dublin situation where the mollies are fighting for something more realistic than the bundschuh on the eastside) but we REALLY need some balancing here. because only with the trades you get the pirates and with the pirates you get the lawfulls.
so let me please be perfectly honest and tell you something about me and many other players out there to support my arguments:
as i am building up my characters, i am a total cashwhore. even if i take my bundschuh out of the garage to tax and RP a little for a change, i'm always hanging out at s13 because it is the main artery of sirius' cashflow. and there is NO WAY in the world that i gonna do ANYTHING in bretonia in the next months because i simply cant afford it!

On an other note, as gronath suggested in the general mod discussion forum, houses should get individual trading vessels. you always see the NPC traders in the same two vessels: the train (yay) and er .. that other thing ... er ... the "transporter"?. on the other hand most players are sitting in a train and other who don't are already working forward to it (like me tbh). so adding some new models here might color up the gray trading hours. it also might be helpfull to see on the first glimpse where the chars are from.
now i know the "ships we need" list is really long and you guys are spending lots of work to complete it. but please: next time before you do some cool looking Battlecruiser or fighter offhand, that most likely ends up in the already over-stacked motor pool of the corsairs or outcasts, think about doing something that may appear unspectacular at first but turns out to be a enrichment for the game afterwards!

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[Asymptotic]

/signed

I also think that the adv train, as an example, should be nerfed to be even less manuverable because of its cargo hold. It should be reaaaaally easy to take out, so as to encourage diversity in ship selection.

[ScornStar]

I agree but I also use Britonia for safer trade which equals more profit. Less traders less pirates and deffinate successful trade runs are more profitable than pirated/taxed runs even if the potential numbers are smaller, it the net that counts.

I do want many more trade vessels. like BATTLE SHIP SIZED TRADE SHIPS WITH 20K CARGO!!!!!!!!!!:yahoo:

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[AdamantineFist]

/signed

I also think that the adv train, as an example, should be nerfed to be even less manuverable because of its cargo hold. It should be reaaaaally easy to take out, so as to encourage diversity in ship selection.

This would also make escorts more likely for them, which is another good thing.

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[SimonBlack]

All smuggling routes end up in Liberty. I dont understand, cant other people afford drugs?

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Character background summaries:
Red Hessians Major Matthias Schwarz
Golden Chrysanthemums Chusa Fumiko Shimazu

[Cawdor]

if you keep the time/money ratio in mind there are also some good routes leading to texas or keler.
but basicly you are right. they all end up at about the same spot.
an other problem with smuggling is that you dont really have acceptable contiuation routes which are supposed be "off-streat". all you can do is to take some cheap cr** to your next target, once you delivered the cardi/sm. and thats what IMO really hurts about smuggling =(

Edit:

I also think that the adv train, as an example, should be nerfed to be even less manuverable because of its cargo hold

oh come on man! it already feels like flying a bloody sponge :(. wouldnt it be better to ... you know ... just weaken the shields of the big ones? so escorts would generaly become an obligation?

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[Rider]

Well if you are nerfing transports and whatnot, make some ships actually live up to their name.

For instance, the Firefly transport, while looking awesome (who doesn't want to fly a popular sci-fi show ship?) it can't defend itself from piracy at all, despite what its description says.

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Characters:
Rider.S - Independent Trader, semi-legal hauling.
Rider.F - Ex-LPI defected Corsair Bomber pilot.

[Jihadjoe]

All smuggling routes end up in Liberty. I dont understand, cant other people afford drugs?

not true, try cardi to new berlin, cobalt to honshu, engine comps to malta. smuggling both engine comps and cardi, making like you're legit with the cobalt.

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[Doom]

modders do work on several new transport ships...

i am not sure for others, but in next release i will submit new ALG transporter which is a size of a liner (not so long but higher), new Heavy Miner...also very large transport ship...it will be longer then adv train for sure....

as for smaller transports, there are variety among them but they are not used very much cause of smaller cargo space...that will always be their flaw...

there are trade factions that could get their own trade vessel, but i really doubt that there will be anything larger in cargo then adv train...

and people will try to have largest cargo hold no matter what we put in game or how we reduce their agility and defensive possibilities

[Panzer]

One way outta this would be making all high-end transports have the same cargo space, only play weapons/armor/shield class when balancing.

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