Contraband Goods were hidden...

[Ned Loe]

Hello,

I did a small research on contraband and realized how much fun it would be if we could add such mechanics to the game. Yes, we do have a line of red Text saying 'contraband goods' under NPC information, but it's too simple. 

First of all, Contraband even today is well hidden. Right now in Naval Action Contraband goods are stored in hold and easily reachable. Simply kill an NPC and get an illegal goods. Where is the fun in this? Nowhere. So, here is what I suggest Developers to do. 

Keep everything as it is, but when players kill an NPC carrying contraband goods they should get a button called 'search the hold'. Such button should only be available on Contraband NPCs.

 According to history and facts Merchants stashed quick silver or other illegal goods inside actual cargo casks, boxes or even hid them around the ship (inside sugar, flour). Simply, have default goods as they are on regular Traders, but when players done fighting and exit to info screen add 'search the hold' button. This button is a roulette with a small chance to find hidden rare goods when pressed with 1 minute search timer. 

Such system makes gameplay more interesting, it requires players to keep hunting and if they do so they will get rewarded handsomely. 

Interesting gameplay is the key to success. I know this idea will end up like others on the bottom of the forum, but just in case Devs see it, it might help them. 

Thanks. 

[Hethwill, the Red Duke]

Prized goods outside of a war and brought back to alliance territory should always be flagged as contraband.

So it would always carry a risk carrying contraband versus the reward of selling it with good profit at "not so honest" ports.

 

Also your suggestion made me think again on how gold coin should be expensive and if it should be played as an asset, being carried in the ship ( to pay the crew, acquire victuals, and anything that requires coin ).

 

[Ned Loe]

5 minutes ago, Hethwill said:

Prized goods outside of a war and brought back to alliance territory should always be flagged as contraband.

So it would always carry a risk carrying contraband versus the reward of selling it with good profit at "not so honest" ports.

 

Also your suggestion made me think again on how gold coin should be expensive and if it should be played as an asset, being carried in the ship ( to pay the crew, acquire victuals, and anything that requires coin ).

 

Indeed it's a clear offence to their Nation, but what if they stashed something more valuable in their holds? P.S. I never suggested removing a risk or punishment, but simply increasing entertainment in these dark times. 

[Hethwill, the Red Duke]

Aye. Actually a secret hold could be a option for the naval crafting update if this suggestion would ever get in

[van der Clam]

1 hour ago, Wind said:

Hello,

I did a small research on contraband and realized how much fun it would be if we could add such mechanics to the game. Yes, we do have a line of red Text saying 'contraband goods' under NPC information, but it's too simple. 

First of all, Contraband even today is well hidden. Right now in Naval Action Contraband goods are stored in hold and easily reachable. Simply kill an NPC and get an illegal goods. Where is the fun in this? Nowhere. So, here is what I suggest Developers to do. 

Keep everything as it is, but when players kill an NPC carrying contraband goods they should get a button called 'search the hold'. Such button should only be available on Contraband NPCs.

 According to history and facts Merchants stashed quick silver or other illegal goods inside actual cargo casks, boxes or even hid them around the ship (inside sugar, flour). Simply, have default goods as they are on regular Traders, but when players done fighting and exit to info screen add 'search the hold' button. This button is a roulette with a small chance to find hidden rare goods when pressed with 1 minute search timer. 

Such system makes gameplay more interesting, it requires players to keep hunting and if they do so they will get rewarded handsomely. 

Interesting gameplay is the key to success. I know this idea will end up like others on the bottom of the forum, but just in case Devs see it, it might help them. 

Thanks. 

Make these actual hidden contraband goods be eggs, like prize documents, or jewels, swords, that give some secret bonus to ship or crew or officer...and make only 1 copy of each that can be lost if the captain loses his ship. If the captain who had it sunk, then he'd lose the egg and it's appear randomly in some other npc contraband ship.

Edit: Maybe even make 1 egg from each nation, like the British Scepter - bonus to crew moral, Swedish Crown - bonus to attack, Dutch EIC stock Certificate - bonus to market discounts, etc

Edit 2: Heck even add these eggs to raids, maybe set in the capitals, if we attack the capital and win it, the losing nation doesnt lose the region but loses the egg to the winning nation that gets a bonus against only that nation. Maybe even allow nations who collect eggs can relocate them to hide them in other regions. Heck, we'd all be chasing these eggs in raid all over the place.

Edited January 5, 2017 by van der Decken

[Ned Loe]

57 minutes ago, van der Decken said:

Make these actual hidden contraband goods be eggs, like prize documents, or jewels, swords, that give some secret bonus to ship or crew or officer...and make only 1 copy of each that can be lost if the captain loses his ship. If the captain who had it sunk, then he'd lose the egg and it's appear randomly in some other npc contraband ship.

Edit: Maybe even make 1 egg from each nation, like the British Scepter - bonus to crew moral, Swedish Crown - bonus to attack, Dutch EIC stock Certificate - bonus to market discounts, etc

Edit 2: Heck even add these eggs to raids, maybe set in the capitals, if we attack the capital and win it, the losing nation doesnt lose the region but loses the egg to the winning nation that gets a bonus against only that nation. Maybe even allow nations who collect eggs can relocate them to hide them in other regions. Heck, we'd all be chasing these eggs in raid all over the place.

Your imagination impresses me. You must be ready and set for Easter. In some I agree with you, unfortunately eggs would get spoiled on long ship journeys. Similarly to certain people who spoil these forums.  Loot Chest would work better I assume and yes they should carry rewards like many already said it on Forum and Steam Discussion. Let's see if Devs notice them .

[akd]

Pressing another button at the end of battle will surely lead to a significant increase in fun, especially if button-pressing gives you magic items!  The most skilled button pressers will dominate the game.

Seriously though, smuggling could be made a lot more interesting on all sides of the equation.  Hidden cargo might be part of that, but smuggling was just as much about the entire cargo of the ship and where and when it was delivered, which provides so much more opportunity for skill-based gameplay for all involved.

Anyways, searching for hidden cargo makes zero sense in the current implementation of smuggler / trader interception.  I mean, if the bastard is shooting at me I know 100% he has contraband cargo and he better damn well hand it over if I catch him.  It's not like he is going to sail off in his ship and keep what was hidden.  Place it in a PvP context and what you propose is even more a feature for the loser than the victor. "Lulz, you caught me, but now you get to dice roll for the best stuff I was carrying!"

Also, I would like to note that the cargo of NPCs is already a dice roll for value without having to button press, with some pretty substantial extremes. (I made over a million off a single trader brig because it had fine wood.)

Edited January 5, 2017 by akd

[Challenge]

I'd like ships I cap to have cargo that would actually fit in the hold so I don't have to toss half the loot overboard myself and you want to hide more? Doesn't seem useful with the current model.

[Hethwill, the Red Duke]

It is a old request of mine to be able to loot a surrendered vessel but return it ( with whatever cargo ) to the control of the opponent.

Would be a good addition to raiding plus perfectly fit Wind's idea.

[van der Clam]

53 minutes ago, Challenge said:

I'd like ships I cap to have cargo that would actually fit in the hold so I don't have to toss half the loot overboard myself and you want to hide more? Doesn't seem useful with the current model.

You can take the capped ship command and sail that ship home, add your attacking ship to fleet as an escort. Then if you get attacked while headed home, in that battle, you tell your fleet attacker ship to stop, sail to it, hit X to change ship, send your capped trader to escape, then fight with your attacker ship.

[Ned Loe]

6 minutes ago, van der Decken said:

You can take the capped ship command and sail that ship home, add your attacking ship to fleet as an escort. Then if you get attacked while headed home, in that battle, you tell your fleet attacker ship to stop, sail to it, hit X to change ship, send your capped trader to escape, then fight with your attacker ship.

In addition to that cargo hold should be based on how many ships are in your control or Main Ship + 2 NPC Fleet Ships = x3 cargo hold. Where is it Devs? Why we have 2 NPC ships with Empty hold sailing next to us, and people have to dump cargo overboard?

[akd]

That would be rather exploitable Wind.

[Ned Loe]

5 minutes ago, akd said:

That would be rather exploitable Wind.

Yeah, but risky as well. If you decide to load 3 ships with materials and get attacked it will hurt bad. The thing is this option should be available I think. 

[Prater]

I still think smuggling needs to be redone for both npc and player, and you can only enable the smuggler flag if you are in a trade ship.  As soon as you get in a warship it goes away.

 

Smuggling is all about avoiding taxes or illegal goods.  The players of your nation should care if you are smuggling, because it means the nation is being ripped off.

Edited January 6, 2017 by Prater

[van der Clam]

13 minutes ago, Wind said:

In addition to that cargo hold should be based on how many ships are in your control or Main Ship + 2 NPC Fleet Ships = x3 cargo hold. Where is it Devs? Why we have 2 NPC ships with Empty hold sailing next to us, and people have to dump cargo overboard?

I love the idea of player treasure fleets. Imagine coming across a multi-billion dollar fleet. WOOT!

[Challenge]

37 minutes ago, van der Decken said:

You can take the capped ship command and sail that ship home, add your attacking ship to fleet as an escort. Then if you get attacked while headed home, in that battle, you tell your fleet attacker ship to stop, sail to it, hit X to change ship, send your capped trader to escape, then fight with your attacker ship.

I did that once. The cargo didn't fit in the ship I capped.

 

[akd]

27 minutes ago, Wind said:

Yeah, but risky as well. If you decide to load 3 ships with materials and get attacked it will hurt bad. The thing is this option should be available I think. 

Oh, I thought you were saying the cargo hold of your ship should have the total capacity of all your fleet ships.  If fleet ships explicitly carry cargo in their own hold and lose it if they are lost (which I have advocated for because players should play as sheepdogs and AI as sheep), then that would be a big improvement. Lots of new UI required, however.

[akd]

2 minutes ago, Challenge said:

I did that once. The cargo didn't fit in the ship I capped.

 

I think AI traders have the hold optimization perk.  You can right click to split the stack of goods in the loot screen and take what will fit.