Black Market Overhaul + The Internet!

Post ideas & suggestions you have pertaining to the game here.
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0xABCDEF
Militia Lieutenant
Militia Lieutenant
Posts: 124
Joined: Thu May 19, 2016 12:58 am
Location: Was destroyed by a Phobos-class dreadnought in the Eridani system

The concept of Black Market Stations and the current so-called "black market" seems very illogical to me. What kind of "black market" operates in super obvious and visibly named stations? Why are the locations of illegal activity clearly defined? Where are the space mafia and why can't I hire bounty hunters?!

Another thing about the Transcendence universe: Where are the internet and its viruses?! So far, it appears the player often uses only face-to-face (or face-to-blue-text) communication and there is rarely any visible long-distance communication. The concept of intergalactic internet should be possible in this universe given the existence of stargates which trivialize transportation and should also trivialize FTL communication, including the web...
Introducing: A new major project idea - The Internet and The Dark Net!

Add an item called the Web Browser ROM. This allows you to connect to commonwealth/friendly stations and view useful information such as maps, nearby enemies, goods for sale, item identifications/analyses, etc. Upon using the reusable ROM, you open up a dockscreen with an input box that allows you to type in addresses. However, you need to periodically pay for internet service (possibly around 1000 credits for every 10 minutes?).

When you would normally get a Black Market ID after visiting a hotel with certain "goods," you instead get a mysterious data ROM with a code. Input this code into the Web Browser screen and you can connect one of the sites in... the Dark Net! There are four main sites in this area:

1. Temp.us: This site is the new Black Market Shipyard! Order shady drop-offs of your favorite military missiles, purchase a waste cannon, or just buy some Tempus! This is also the place to get your Smuggler Holds and other classic 'vendor trash' you would find at Black Market Shipyards. A T31 or T55 will come shortly to leave a crate of illegals floating somewhere in space for you to pick up.

2. KackYourself.ssn: Ever wish that you or a bounty hunter could go on a mission to wreck ships like Salvager Nomads? Visit the mysterious message board of the mafia and take assassination missions in which you murder random ships for money, or hire someone to do that for you! Either way, now you can tell those Salvager Nomads, "go kack yourself!"

3. Neurok.ack: Want free mnemonic cubes or overpowered hacks that allow you to hack into station/ship accounts, force ships to eject all of their items, replace the firmware of nearby ships with one used by autons? Get them all at this suspicious, secret site! But be careful, because you will probably download a virus, possibly even the fearsome ransomware virus! If you get THAT one, you will have to either pay hundreds of thousands or risk instant death in a "game" of pseudo-Russian Roulette, where you can attempt to unlock your ship a certain number of times with a fixed chance of success for each attempt!

4. ROMulus: Don't have a targeting computer? Need system maps? Want more Luminous 7ame cubes? Get them all at this shady-as-kack site!* *By using this site, you agree that ROMulus and affiliates are not liable in the situation that you immediately receive the Ransomware virus, attempt to break out of the virus's deadlock, and instantly die on your first attempt. Every time you download from ROMulus, you run the 50% risk of getting ransomware or a virus that blinds/paralyzes your ship and fills up your screen with kack.

Upon receiving your first Dark Net code, you can receive codes to more of these websites by trading with Starton nightclubs. Upon selling items, the shady nightclub man may give you another code depending on how many items you sold during the most recent trade session.

This system is certainly more realistic than what we have now. I'm also very sure that would be feasible to implement most of these ideas. With Domina's blessing, it may turn out to be much more interesting than the Syndikat monopoly that we call the Black Market!

Everyone is free to take any these concepts and mod them in. Carrying out all of this is too huge a project for just myself.
shanejfilomena
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would be one heck of a dockscreen ...... off the cuff I would direct players to the Commonwealth Station ( or Arcology ) screen & base ...you can get the multiple options that lead to the targeted area......and give missions out of it ....

Missions are "limited" in much of the universe only by the energies of the author.
as with my recent Midst of Dragons , I attempted to run a trail that would take the player into the universe then....if they backtracked, the trail ( or total mission ) would complete at the Arcology where the item you were supposed to carry - which was basically your entry ticket for the mission -
would be taken away and, thus, ending the player's ability to play too close to the fire.

I know, I know, Midst of Dragons wasn't everything I wanted it to be, but I got side tracked alot.

However, in the Taverns I laid out a section of community boards...did want the player to be able to take missions off those eventually but the size of the .xml made me stop writing.

so, yes....I can see the Internet in Transcendence ...
Flying Irresponsibly In Eridani......

I don't like to kill pirates in cold blood ..I do it.. but I don't like it..
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