Fixed Smuggling: Chance to be Caught is either 0% or 100%

[Hylie Pistof]

So I finally scraped together enough money to make a smuggling run. I had to go to Port Royal looking for Saldhana so decided to try smuggling too.

Did the Saldhana stuff and hired Rys Bloom then talked to the smuggler. Then went downstairs and no soldiers. Went in and out the door a few times with no joy. Gambled until I lost too much money, went out and in with no joy. Visited the merchant and got kicked out and still no joy. So I went upstairs to see about sending an officer ahead, but never saw that dialog, so just took off to the beach where me ship was anchored. On the way out of town I decided to talk to a random soldier, but that did not end well. It's a good thing I save a lot.

It went well with the smugglers. No soldiers and the Heavy Pinnace's of War stayed calm so I could get away.

 

[Pieter Boelen]

I assume you mean the coastguard ships?
What does "they stayed calm" mean?

 

[Hylie Pistof]

I assume you mean the coastguard ships?
What does "they stayed calm" mean?

Uh, no they were not Coast Guard ships. There were 2 groups of ships consisting of one HPoW and a smaller ship like a cutter or lugger. That is one thing that bothers me. If I get caught I have no chance at all.
It is a double or nothing toss of the dice. Also, it is getting so complex it is almost like a side quest now.

 

[Pieter Boelen]

Uh, no they were not Coast Guard ships. There were 2 groups of ships consisting of one HPoW and a smaller ship like a cutter or lugger.

Oh, random "Coast Raiders" that didn't bother you? That's OK then.
They are being affected by Sea AI too, so often they should go about their business if you don't bother them.
If it works as intended, then sometimes they might proceed to an anchorage and then just stay there.

If I get caught I have no chance at all.
It is a double or nothing toss of the dice. Also, it is getting so complex it is almost like a side quest now.

We discussed that already and that will be changed. Soon. Ish. Whenever @Levis gets the chance to actually change that.

 

[Pieter Boelen]

We discussed that already and that will be changed. Soon. Ish. Whenever @Levis gets the chance to actually change that.

And to make sure we DON'T forget, I have now made this a separate Bug Tracker issue!

 

[Hylie Pistof]

New game, new version, same problem.

My 1st smuggling of this new game went fine except for there being no soldiers.

Much later I managed to scrape up enough money to try it again, even if it was less than half what my holds could hold.

Same thing as before. No soldiers, got kicked out of the store again, wandered aimlessly (there has been no one outside the North exit except for one time there were some monkeys), found a soldier sitting at a table but all he wanted to do was drink, so we did. Until someone called me a cur and we got into a fight. I hired an officer so I could send him scouting but no dialog for it showed, so I just completed the deal and took off.

When we got to shore the bell rang but there were no soldiers so I did the deal with the smugglers and set sail. The Coast Guards this time were a Cutter, a Brigantine, and a 6th rate Frigate and since the wind was with me I got away without too much damage. Then outsailed them in me Polacca, heading for Hispaniola.

Until the next day when Sail Ho! and there they were.............

But this time it was different as some other ships showed up! No ideer who it was as they were too far away but I got away after taking some more damage and direct sailed to Port au Prince.

So it appears that smuggling is still completely broken.

Here is a save just before I go onto the beach.

 

[Talisman]

I hired an officer so I could send him scouting but no dialog for it showed, so I just completed the deal and took off.

If you talked to the officer after you had talked to the Smugglers Agent for the 2nd time ( when he tells you the beach) - then the dialog will not be there .

You have to talk to the officer after talking to the Smugglers Agent for the 1st time & before talking to him for the 2nd time. Then you will get this dialog - see image - ( you can also hire an officer after talking to the Smugglers Agent for the 1st time and they will have the dialog also)

PS @Hylie Pistof -- I would avoid using the Officers for scouting at the moment ( unless you have a save before talking to the Agent ) - there is a Game Crash - Black Screen of Death problem with them - see this thread :- Fix in Progress - Smuggling: Triple Player Character After Officer Returns | PiratesAhoy!

 

[Pieter Boelen]

I thought we had established that the Coastguard ships now DO disappear after escaping to the worldmap.

The detection chance has not been modified, so of course that remains as it was before.
That is why this issue isn't marked as "Fix in Progress" yet.

There is still quite some work to be done, that much is clear.
And I have very little time. I'll look into it later if I must, but of course it should be Levis' work, not mine.

 

[Levis]

I'm planning on looking at this tomorrow (sunday). Finally feeling well enough again.

 

[Pieter Boelen]

Glad to hear you're feeling better again, mate!

 

[Hylie Pistof]

So I had some quest things to do on Jamaica so decided to do some smuggling too.

Took care of business and then talked to the smuggler. Of course there were no soldiers around so I got a room until the evening. No soldiers, but my officer from the last time showed up! He was real sorry he could not find the best time for smuggling.

Then the soldiers started showing up and I got the best time to go, so went. I saved just before going onto the beach so you can try it yourself. The first time I just went and talked to the smugglers and did the deal. No soldiers, but there were ships and it did not end well.


So I started over from the last save and went to my ship to wait until the opportune moment. It actually ended up the same except that this time there was a wind and I got far enough away to go to the world map just seconds before that Advanced Warship was going to sink me.


Here are logs from both encounters plus that last save if anyone is interested.

 

[Levis]

The logs say both times the soldiers are created.
It's possible they where still far away so they didn't caught you.
Working on this now.
My idea is to have a chance of X percent the coastguard arived by ship. if they did they will appear on the reload locator on the beach and walk to you. Now there will be ships instandly even you bypass them.
Else they came from land and only after speaking with them ships will be spawned.

 

[Hylie Pistof]

It is a small beach and there were no soldiers.

I tried it a third time from that save and it all went like it was supposed to go. There were no soldiers or their bell, we did the deal, and then I sailed away peacefully.

 

[Nightmare]

i know this has noing to do with the bug but can you please send the texture for the ship your useing @Hylie Pistof

 

[Levis]

Found the problem of the coastguard not appearing.
Does @Pieter Boelen or @Jack Rackham or @Bartolomeu o Portugues know how I can find on which locator you emerge when you are loading from your deck (or from sea) to the beach?
edit: nvm found it already its in the island init

 

[Levis]

Okay this should at least fix the problem of the coastguard ships always showing up.
Please let me know how this works and if its clear.

 

[Pieter Boelen]

@Hylie Pistof: Are you saying that you DID show up at the first time, but you got caught by ships anyway?
That's not right.

Did you end up escaping using DirectSail at any point?
Still interested in a compile.log file from that.

@Nightmare: That ship is WIP and will be included soon.

@Levis: If the coast guard came by land, should there be any ships at all?
How did they signal them to come?

 

[Hylie Pistof]

I said that in the 1st attempt I did the deal when I got there, which was 8 hours too soon. I got sunk.

The 2nd attempt was made at the correct time. I escaped into the World Map or I would have been sunk.

All log files are in the zips.

 

[Levis]

@Levis: If the coast guard came by land, should there be any ships at all?
How did they signal them to come?

For now this is the "easy" stage to see if people get this.
I might add another random number to the land one...

Later I want one of the guards to run away once you start fighting. if he reaches the jungle again he will signal the coastguard and there will be ships. But for now thats to difficult

 

[Pieter Boelen]

Later I want one of the guards to run away once you start fighting. if he reaches the jungle again he will signal the coastguard and there will be ships. But for now thats to difficult

Couldn't a simple solution be: Coastguard from land = no ships?