Smuggling / Coast Guard

[jmv575]

When you conduct a smuggling mission and guards appear where do you think they come from? Are they a patrol of infantry stationed on the islands, or are they marines from the naval ships?

I would appreciate any thoughts on this. Thansk.

 

[SirChristopherMings]

My inclination was always that they were marines from the coast guard ships, which I felt kind of explained why there we so few people on those ships and they were subsequently fairly easy to capture, but I like your idea of a coordinated attack by the coast guard and an infanty patrol because it suggests that word has leaked out about the illegal transaction that I am tying to pull off, and the authorities have responded by trying to stop me.

In spite of the fact that it was kind of silly, I usually sold the coast guard ships back to the same island that I had been caught on, and always with no detrimental effect, you'd think someone might have recognized that I was selling their ships back to them. <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":" border="0" alt="laugh.gif" />

 

[alan_smithee]

I always assumed there, Mings, that you repainted the ship before selling it back or at least scrawled across the side in big letters, "NOT A CAPTURED VESSEL OF YOUR NAVAL FLEET."

By the way, what's the "British Nabu"? Isn't that the planet from SW:TPM?

 

[SirChristopherMings]

<b><!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->I always assumed there, Mings, that you repainted the ship before selling it back or at least scrawled across the side in big letters, "NOT A CAPTURED VESSEL OF YOUR NAVAL FLEET."  

By the way, what's the "British Nabu"? Isn't that the planet from SW:TPM?<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd--></b>

<img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":" border="0" alt="laugh.gif" /> <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":" border="0" alt="laugh.gif" /> <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":" border="0" alt="laugh.gif" />

Decidedly, I must try that sometime just to see the reaction at the port. Repainting sounds like work to me Alan Smithee, not likely to go to the trouble, old man. <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/rolleyes.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="" border="0" alt="rolleyes.gif" />

Re the lettering on my sig,
Arggh, I was afraid of that, Rico made this very fine sig for me and I think I have copied and pasted it to the point that the letters are not as sharp as they used to be. I think Rico felt a little as you do, for look, he's gone and made me another, even more beautiful sig! Thanks again Rico!

Regarding SW:TPM, you will have to translate, we're not sprechendy the same linguidy here. <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/huh.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":huh" border="0" alt="huh.gif" />

To get back onto topic, JMV575, I hope you're planning some kind of a change for smuggling missions, it occurs to me that the more smuggling you do to a particular location, the greater the likelihood that government officials would start to catch on, or the lawful merchants would complain, and they would stat to put more effort into catching you. That doesn't seem to be the case in POTC. <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/no.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="" border="0" alt="no.gif" />

 

[alan_smithee]

Yeah, I'd love to achieve some sort of local notariety... start seeing your face on wanted posters. At that point, bounty hunters could start coming after you; maybe other ships would board yours[i/] for a change, and you'd have to fight on your own turf just to keep it. If you lose, either you die or maybe get captured or sent off in a lifeboat, to start over from scratch.

Similarly, I envision fighting off mutinies onboard your own ship when crew morale passes treachorous, instead of automatically hanging from the yard arm....

Oh yeah, and the new sig is pretty cool, Mings. (SW:TPM is Star Wars: The Phantom Menace.)

 

[SirChristopherMings]

Alan Smithee,
Those are great ideas, I have to hand it to the modding communtiy here, so many better ideas than the original game, shared on this site, and implemented by all of you working together. <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/onya.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="" border="0" alt="onya.gif" />

<!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Oh yeah, and the new sig is pretty cool, Mings.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Thanks, wish I could take the credit, but it's all Rico. <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/icon_praise.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="" border="0" alt="icon_praise.gif" />

<!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->(SW:TPM is Star Wars: The Phantom Menace.)<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Thanks, my acronym monitor is on the fritz, I thought you were giving me coordinates for someplace. <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/mellow.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":|" border="0" alt="mellow.gif" />

Don't mean to be a topic monster, but I don't think you ever answered JMV575's question, what is your impression of the people who try to break up the smuggling activities? <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/diomed.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":dio" border="0" alt="diomed.gif" />

 

[alan_smithee]

I think they're `rat-bastards` who ought to keep their noses out of my illicit activities.

From whence do I imagine they come? I guess I always assumed they came from those boats you hafta fight after killing all the soldiers, since their appearances coincide. It's also possible they come from inland, in a concerted effort with the ships to `pincer-hold` us poor smugglers.

Historically speaking, do their uniforms indicate marines or `land-based` infantry?

 

[jmv575]

Historically speaking... hah. I don't think the developers had enough time to care. While many of your ideas are excellent, however they are quite beyond my skills. The point of my inquiry was to decide whether or not to work on Marines in addition to regular troops, and how common they would then be seen in game. This was just a `fact-finding` mission. It seems to me that the consensus is that they are marines.

Personally, I am torn. It would make sense either way. The nature of the dialogue with their sense of comming across the transaction unexpectidly makes me think they are a patrol of infantry which happen upon your shady dealings. That theory is blown out of the water when you get back to your ship and two Frigates are waiting for you (An endless source of frigates... because thats realistic). Since the frigates are there, it would seem that they are marines who have landed in the launch, jollyboat, or cutter. I am currently leaning toward marines.

By the same token, smuggling missions `by-and`-by have been a source of disatisfaction for me. First of all, it seems unrealistic that you would stand there with your tail between your legs pissing on yourself as the soldiers run up to you. What would be much cooler would be if you could move, but they were all equipped with pistols so they fired at you while you and your mates ran for the jollyboat.

However, I've always been curious as to why thw two frigates haven't simply raked your ship with grape and sent the marines across to the ship instead. Realistically, once a couple of frigates happen on a smuggling deal, no matter how good the crew of the smuggler is, those smugglers and their ship are going down. It seems to me that a truly fascinating system of smuggling could be developed if it wasn't based on luck so much.

Perhaps someone could make the code for smuggling tied to rep... higher the rep, less the chance of customs officers taking close notice of your cargo. Perhaps each time you enter the port you need to speak to the port authority who will "clear" your vessel. If and once cleared you can load or unload whatever you please.

I'm just thining outloud now. My initial question was the point of the thread, not the logisitcs and playability of smuggling runs. Thanks to all the responses.

Best,

JMV

 

[alan_smithee]

Oh yeah, and it'd add another dimension to smuggling to have your ship cleared at port -- you'd _really_ have to smuggle your goods, like literally find places to hide them, and it could be a `develope-able` skill... or just based on luck, whether they're found or not during a search.

You could also `pay-off` a harbormaster or governor, to have them look the other way as you make your beach deals.

And whether these soldiers are marines or not, I hope you make some marines skins. They'd just be cool to see, and wouldn't they be all hella common onboard the ships you fight?

 

[Khanaris]

Marines

I was under the impression that Marines were all you ever fought on `non-pirate` boarding actions. They certainly don't look like crewmen. The bulk of my historical knowledge is slightly more Napoleonic, but I understood British officers to have worn blue uniforms, whereas the marines wore red. The same logic extends to other countries. It would seem odd for deckhands to be wearing armor.

 

[CatalinaThePirate]

<!--`QuoteBegin-SirChristopherMings`+--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(SirChristopherMings)</div><div class='quotemain'><!--QuoteEBegin-->what is your impression of the people who try to break up the smuggling activities?  :dio[/quote]TARGET or COMBAT PRACTICE DUMMIES... <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/w00t.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="" border="0" alt="w00t.gif" />

And actually they should probably be Marines, especially if you consider that they've probably been landed there by the coastal guard and are waiting in ambush to capture any smugglers... `Land-based` troops would probably not do that...

JMV, I like the idea of having the smuggling success tied to reputation and whether you pay off the harbormaster to "look the other way" - there should be those who are easy to pay off, and those who are difficult - or nearly impossible... Imagine if you were asked to do a mission to find some unbelieveably rare item because the harbormaster was a collector - in return for him turning a "blind eye" towards your ilicit behavior... <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/par-ty.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="" border="0" alt="par-ty.gif" />