I've mentioned player-driven smuggling somewhat briefly in the suggestions thread, so instead of cluttering that thread, I figured I would go into more detail here. I want to demonstrate how the concept could add a lot of longevity and depth to the core gameplay, without requiring excessive adjustments to game assets or playstyles. I hope to convince more people that including this feature would improve the game. I want to generate enthusiasm for player-centric smuggling, so Vice might consider adding it in an update or future game.
If this post reads like one of Vice's posts, I mean no disrespect--I'm just very passionate about EM generally and this game concept specifically. If there is interest among the community, I'd like this idea to have every chance to succeed, and succeed well. To that effect, I'll gladly provide whatever help I can to make this happen.
Black Market Economics
In essence, contraband trade goods would have a much wider range of prices depending on where they are bought and sold. A cargo-hold of whiskey may be bought as cheaply as food at the planet-bound city that houses the distillery, but sell for as much as Antimatter units to a black marketeer on a distant space station.
As a general rule, the more settled core systems (Sapphire, Virgo, Olympus, etc.) would have more banned goods, driving up the sell prices. Basically, the economic map is inverted for the purposes of selling contraband. Since smuggling will carry risks, a pilot will want to be confident in their ship's combat performance before starting a career as a smuggler. In gameplay terms, smuggling would provide an excellent motivation for moving coreward later in the game.
The main feature of the pricing of contraband is not necessarily high sell prices, but a wide differential between source and destination. Even in locations where they are banned, black market goods may not have the highest sell prices, but compared to their cost at the source, they have the highest profit margin.
Policing
The risk associated with smuggling will be enforced by patrol ships that stake out points-of-sale like trade stations and cities, and in some systems, even the gates. This police force could be a separate faction, or a detachment of the local Navy faction. In practical terms, I propose a single ship at trade points tasked with making a close, predictable circuit around the station. If a ship carrying contraband comes within cargo scanning range of the ship, the ship will become hostile and summon more ships, depending on the amount of contraband detected. This is a rough guess, but I'm imagining the police ship fights the smuggler one-on-one if they have one cargo slot of cotraband and for each additional cargo slot of contraband, two more ships arrive. So:
1 cargo slot = 1 enemy ship
2 cargo slots = 3 enemy ships
3 cargo slots = 5 enemy ships
4 cargo slots = 7 enemy ships
etc.
If a player triggers police hostility, they may jettison all contraband to return the enemy ship to yellow status. The contraband cargo will be confiscated or destroyed by the police patrol. If the player defeats the interdiction ships, they can continue on their way until another patrol arrives (more than enough time to sell the contraband or escape the area).
Contraband Goods
I think a few new trade goods should be added that would have limited legality.
- Alcohol: Produced primarily on planet surfaces and available for purchase at planetary settlements, alcohol would be contraband at most space stations. Alcohol is banned in warzones.
- Narcotics: Essentially alcohol in reverse, narcotics are produced aboard space stations where they are legal and have low cost. On planet surfaces (even relatively close ones) the drugs are contraband and sell for much greater sums. Narcotics are banned in warzones.
- Firearms: Firearms would follow the basic smuggling pattern: produced and sold cheaply and freely in frontier systems, but banned and more costly in core worlds. Firearms aren't banned in warzones, but aren't necessarily cheap, either, as they are in high demand and not produced there.
- Organs: Not the musical instruments found in churches, but the squishy kind. An organ smuggler is probably not moving stolen, or even harvested organs, but vat-grown ones. Even so, enforcing strict regulations discourages a wide-scale organ market and ensures safe, ethical organ replacement. It also drives up the cost and provides lucrative opportunities to the brave and unscrupulous. Organs follow the standard contraband pattern. Like firearms, organs are in high demand in warzones, making them both legal to sell and somewhat high value.
In addition to the new black market goods, I suggest some tweaks to existing goods, to reflect their part in a black market economy.
- Biological Units: Biological units are banned in systems to which they aren't native. The further one travels from the source planet of the biological units, the greater the price they can get for them. Even a single gate jump away from the source renders the biological units contraband.
- Weapon Systems: Destructive weapons systems (missiles, particle guns and lasers) are contraband in many or most trade locations in the core systems (Sapphire/Thuban and immediate surrounding systems), although they can be traded more or less freely in more remote systems and warzones.
- Antimatter Units: Due to its volatility and destructive potential, antimatter is banned in the general pattern (banned, with a high black market price in core worlds, cheaper and freely traded in more distant systems).
Which Model?
I'd like to get some ideas for the potential application of bans on certain goods. I've considered two basic models: system-wide and station-to-station.
In the system wide model, trade bans are shared between all installations in a given system. I'm leaning away from this model, because the definition of a "star system" in EM can be rendered very loose by traveling the long way. Additionally, the space vs. planet legality I outlined in the narcotics and alcohol descriptions would be eliminated, or made a special exception.
In the station-to-station model, the rule of thumb that more goods are banned in core worlds would not be set in stone. This adds complexity to actually implementing the system, but opens up interesting trade opportunities between and within star systems. Also, player-built stations could enforce bans on any or all of the black market goods, allowing players another powerful tool to influence the game's economy.
Another question I have regarding the contraband model would be the method of selling. On the one hand, the police patrol may be the first and last line of defense at a given trading location; once the player safely reaches the dock, they can sell the goods like any other. Another, more in-depth concept is requiring the player to enter the station and arrange the trade "in person".
I prefer the second option because it lends complexity and distinction to trading illegal goods and also opens the way for a "Space Bar", another feature I'd like to see implemented. This illicit exchange scenario could entail unpredictable outcomes, like a police raid and having to fight your way away from the station when you depart. The first option, however, would be easier to implement, less time-consuming for players, and flow more smoothly with the game's existing trade rhythm. Another consideration is that a player with a fast or heavily shielded ship could run the blockade put up by the interdiction force--whether this is an interesting choice for players or simply a way to cheat the system is probably a matter of taste. An ambitious smuggler may start a career early and rely on their speed and maneuverability instead of combat readiness, but gain a nice payout compared to other early-game low-risk tasks.
The economy map inverted. Green is high sell value (illegal), red is low sell value (legal). Warzones have their own common trade restrictions.
Any thoughts, suggestions, encouragement, discouragement or criticisms are welcome!
[Edited on 7-28-2013 by DynamicRanger]
