LE [WIP] The Secrets of Trade

[DarkGenius]

Hello there! if you thought the name of the mod was catchy, you'll be more surprised by what I, and a few other people we're cooking.

 

 

[What's this all about] I'll tell ya:

Someone really cool gets an idea posted, somewhere about a little mod, and some people gather around, discussing about it, and some crazy fella gets there suggesting a helluva lot of cool ideas, and the mod gets thought again, over and over, and surprisingly for us, we seem this thing of ours grow, and we couldn't resist sharing it, and start developing it, for our great community of gamers, modders, and people around all the world. It is still in the think-tank, but we're gathering all the tools to start building it, more on that down.

 

A little of what's to come(maybe):

 

Basic Concept:

 

Good Path:

Mostly for honest traders, wizards, adventurers looking to sell that hard-earned bandit's fur Armor, blacksmiths, enchanters, investors, the players will be able to buy farms, armories and a lot other places, things to do, mainly for honest players, who love their craft, and often they reap what they've sown.

 

Evil Path:

La Cosa Nostra, all that Corleone thing going, Build Black Markets in towns, extortion, rackeering, blackmail people, sell illegal products and goods, open road tolls, take over forts and many other really cool evil things to do. Really tempting, if you're not that, completely honest.

[expanded]

 

 

Most is copied from the main post:

 

-Thief/Burglars break-in Buildings.

 

-Hire Mercenaries, Crafters, Clerks, Henchman, Impersonators, Alchemist, Mages.

 

-Hold Orders: Jarls asking for several items, depending on how good you're at speechcraft you can get a decent amount of septims in every delivery living as a Merchant

buy farms, dairies, smithy, armories to support the local trading/crafting guilds.

 

-Caravans: selling your products at the holds, hire mercenaries or henchmen to protect your caravans from Marauders/Bandits/Wolfs/Vampires/Slenderman(JK)/Werewolf attacks.

 

-Build: Mages School in towns attract mages to town, open vampire hidden clubs at night see vampires wandering towns seeking preys, open a secret thieves den see more thieving activities, build a Hunter's Den, see more pelts, game products in town, and Hunters in the wild. With Enough research, Build Dwemer tech stuff in towns. Be it defensive, offensive, improvements.

 

-Sorcery and illusion: Hire impersonators to distract the crowd with magic tricks, buy a crystal ball and reveal the future for Npcs about their possible rant about the Clouds District, use tarot cards, reveal your fortune and get a good buff, use the crystal ball and your own future getting a rather good affinity with spells and magicka.

Open a School, Guild, academy, temple.

 

-Taming: Tame wild animals with food, raise them, sell them, use them for hunting, do shows for npcs with impressive creatures earning you some profits by the number of impressed npcs.

 

-Blacksmiths can influence holds by making better Weapons and Armor for the Guards, plus getting a decent amount of septims, plus aesthetics: Like a Hold? make those Guards seem like they mean Order with any cool crafted Armor/Weapon (aka update in game Guard level list with crafted weaponry/armor).

 

-Extort shops, blackmail people, set up Skooma and Drug Black Markets in towns, waylay carts and caravans, grow up illegal products, hire bandits, thugs to protect your Black Markets from Rival Thugs, Guards, bribe Jarls and Guards, create a crime syndicate that can expand it's control over all holds, open road tolls, takeover a Bandit forts, set up racketing operations.

 

Above is just the basic, we have several other features, I'll post them, so you can take a lot and judge it, but the main reason I'm posting this project here is because we need supporters, modders, people who can help us make this mod a reality, or just a digital reality, so if you liked the project, and would like it made, share with us what you think, what you'd like included, what you'd like changed, and if you like it through and through, support us or join us, we're looking for all kinds of people, any form of help is well welcomed. We only prefer you to be active.

 

We are currently looking for Scripters currently, but as I've put above, any form of help is welcomed.

 

The concept is still being researched, though, so, if you have suggestions for all Paths, be it Good, Evil or Neutral, you're more than welcomed to share with us what you'd like included.

in the next posts I'll share about the paths, things you can do, and possibly how the features will function. Stay Tuned.

 

And you who is an aesthetics lover, Am not going to edit this post because you didn't like how I've writed or made this thing there and there, so don't bother commenting about it (Unless it is really important, I'll fix it), I know a lot of people likes to do that, s' lit's kep tis reel kool, m'key?

 

Hope y'all like it!

 

Project Team:

Lead: Arceste, DarkGenius (craftybits members)

Scripter: Arceste, SinderionsBones

3D Artist: Aranox

Recruiting: DarkGenius, Aranox, MOTOSXORPIO

Research: DarkGenius

Beta tester/troubleshooter: MOTOSXORPIO

 

More positions open for interested people!

 

 

Sincerely,

-DG.

Edited January 9, 2013 by DarkGenius

[DarkGenius]

Evil Path: The Path to coronation

 

 

Extortion:

Ask Shopkeepers in any town to pay you a monthly fee (adjustable, depending on Speechcraft) for protection services. You'll need to hire Thugs to protect the place, but this is not Aesthetics, there is a reason, Thieves, Rival Crime Lords, Corrupt Guards. The Shop will have a Tribute Chest where you'll get your cut monthly, protect it, Thieves and Thugs might try to steal it.

 

Black Market:

Perhaps one of coolest ideas we'll work, forget these Caravans outside of the walls, these kajiit dey got nothin' on us. Underground Operations, or Nightly Markets, Stolen/Illegal goods flowing everywhere, giving players a decent amount of Gold, Npcs going in and out, "acquiring products" depending on what they get you can Blackmail them, craft drugs/illegal products. They sell everything there, to tamed creatures, dwemer stuff, strange contraptions for the nefarious, and hirable Thieves/Assassins you can hire.

Thieves will try to steal valuable items in a desirable hold. And put the loot at a Chest in the Black Market. To hire Thieves you must have completed the thieves guild questline.(changeable)

Assassins, want to kill someone or something but don't want to get your hands bloody? be it a Rival/Friendly Crimelord, incorruptible guards, people trying to blackmail you or just Heimskr, the Assassin will tell how much the hit will cost, and if the player agree, the assassin will find a good opportunity to kill the target, Dark Brotherhood Questline required.(Changeable)

 

Blackmail:

Having beggars, Hiring spies or having a Black Market allow players to do certain things, either intimidate npcs for gold, turn them to the authorities or make that npc owe you. If it is a Guard, you can blackmail them into erasing your Bounty, if Trader, you can shake them down for Gold or normal npc, you can make them work for you with no salary for a certain time. An useful tool.

 

Illegal Goods:

If you build a farm, you can grow illegal goods, you will need to defend that farm from attacks, instead of being a building, to save a lot of time, just soil a ground somewhere secluded, make several plots, hire farmers and guards, choose what kind of product you want to grow. You can use these goods at black Markets to craft drugs/rum/grog/skooma and either sell them directly at Black Markets or set up racketeering operations. It can be automated, either you pick the goods yourself, or hire carts to deliver to the places you assign them.

 

Racket Crime Operation:

So, you're extorting that harmless Alchemist across the street, but you're not getting a decent amount of profit, because the trade on that shop is ineffective? no problem in 3 months of extortion you can set up a illegal business sort in that shop. Brothels (Heya Kids, don't go down that trapdoor in the Toy's Shop(Non Offensive, may require adult tags, idea is changeable), Pub (Selling illegal beverages as Rum, Grog), Gambling Den (Gambling mostly, players can play too, try their luck), Skooma Lab (if you don't own a Black Market yet and got loads of illegal goods, hire a alchemist and some dealers to get this operation running, Alchemists will use the goods in the stock to make skooma, dealers will get skooma and try to sell it outside)

 

Forts/Toll/Corruption:

You can try to take over Forts, allowing you to hire Bandits/Henchmen, they should have follower functions, and you can assign them several options, either Protect your Operations, Waylay Carts/Caravans, take tolls in areas you control, protect extorted shops, set up ambushes.

 

Forts: Either kill the local bandit leader or buy him to work for you, having a Bandit Leader allows you to recruit Bandits and Henchmen, and control that fort, the fort might get attacked, so it is good to defend it, give the defending Henchmen(no Bandits), Armors and Weapons, you'll have to pay some salaries, but once you got some "benevolent" operations such as Brothels/Pubs near their salaries won't be high. And there are other ways to get them to work for free.

 

Tolls, so, you think you own that bridge that is a Trade Route or a Road to a nearby corrupted town. You can place some Bandits there and get a either a cut from the toll or a item weekly.

 

Corruption, to corrupt a city, you must convince a Jarl to work with you, for that you must say goodbye to a lot of Gold, but having a Corrupted city allows you to place tolls, guards won't arrest you, and "your" crimes are ignored, that does not protect your henchman/thieves/assassins/dealers and other operatives.

 

Rival Crimelords:

I know this might be tricky, yeah, but how about acting enemies and friends? an underworld diplomacy. Be them Bandit Lords, Extorters, Rival Thieves, you can either negotiate with them or wipe them out (idea under suggestions)

 

 

The Crime Syndicate:

(Da Evil Empire of Evilness)

So, you're the Big Boss, the Emperor of Evil, controlling several operations, owner of a Black Market in Each town. Corruptor of Two Cities, Big Boss of 3 Crimelords who obey you without questioning, you're one step to make your own Empire of Evil, you'll control Skyrim as if you were it's High King, you'll have your own Army, Forts and several other cool things to do. It's like reaching the pinnacle of the Evil Path, people will beg to work for you, you'll be feared and Guards will ignore you, either you control their city or not, Bandits rivals will think twice about attacking your properties, you can recruit Minions(Henchmen) to accompany you at a "Syndicate HQ", all the profits from the operations you own will be transported to the Stash at your own Throne room at the Syndicate's HQ. Your own Palace, you can buy improvements to HQ, protect from Dragon attacks, Rival Syndicate Armies from other provinces (beware what you do, the crown does not come cheap, don't become enemy of at least 3 Syndicates or you'll be removed from authority), attack other syndicates making a large scale war, destroy their HQ making you have one less syndicate to compete, make meetings with Other Syndicates Lords, make treaties with them, diplomacy, Hire scholars to research other paths improvements, like the Dwemer Industry neutral path, to improve your properties and cities, equipping your minions with colors and armors which represents either your mood, your ego, or just your good taste en artistic crafts.

 

Above is what we have for the Evil Branch right now.

All the evil path is also in research, so feel free to give suggestions to the whole theme.

Edited December 18, 2012 by DarkGenius

[DarkGenius]

Neutral path: Focusing on the Future.

 

RESEARCH/DEVELOPMENT/EMPLOYMENT:

 

Holds buy technologies from player develop to improve their community, players can develop technologies by Hiring Tinkerers and Scholars to study/research and develop Dwemer artifacts,ruins,constructs,schematics looted by Hired Looters/Scavengers in Dwemer Ruins, these researches can develop:

Teleporter Stations: in towns which can transport goods/commodities and people.

 

Dwemer Constructs Guards: that patrol the Community, replacing some Guards.

 

Dwemer Improvements: such as Healing Station which npcs with low Health go replenish, Construct Vaults where when a city is under attack, or the security is compromised they'll spawn and attack the aggressors.

 

Supply/Armor/Weapon Stock: Develop new Dwemer Weapons and Armors, such as crossbows, repeater crossbows, powered Swords, versatile dwemer armors, Jarls may place orders on developed technology to supply their hold, Guards will start using dwemer armors, weaponry if the players agree to trade with that hold.

 

Looting: Hired Scavengers will get back with Dwemer Loot, you can choose the items you'd want to research, sell, keep or discard.

Looting Ruins is dangerous and might take time for Scavengers to come back with loot, to rush it, the player must make a initial funding, with supply/mercenary/transport requirements in order to rush the looting/salvaging on the ruins

 

Research: Hire Scholars to study recovered dwemer loot in specific area, Improvement, Armory, Items/gadgets, Teleporters, Constructs (aka Dwemer mech followers)

it may take several resources, most valuable time, so it can allow players to think their strategies, because rival scholars/thiefs might try to steal their work and recovered loot.

 

Development: Hire Tinkerers and Engineers to craft what the scholars studied, be it a town improvement, Armor/weapons, teleporter, Constructs or Gadgets/Items with recovered materials, adding them to stock.

 

Players can choose to equip their henchmen/mercenaries with better Tools, Armors/weapons, equipments.

Upgrade your avenues/shops/builds with dwemer improvements, either increasing productivity, Anti-Theft alarms, transporting/teleporting.

Jarls might buy several improvements for their holds, mainly town improvements: Stations, Teleporters, Guard Constructs and lastly Guardsman Armor/Weaponry/Gadgets

 

Town Improvements such as Stations add a monthly profit, Teleporters increase the quality of Trading Routes, as it will no longer be required to use Caravans/Carts to get goods, it will all be Teleported, increasing quality of certain commodities, and productivity of certain goods, also preventing Bandits from ambushing Caravans. But beware of skeptic Npcs trying to sabote Stations and Teleporters, the progression is too much Mainstream for them, or some think so, or maybe they fear it.

 

Careful as well of Malfunctions, Constructs might be saboted and attack npcs, decreasing the possibility of new orders on stock from that hold's Jarl, placing a tinkerer/engineer to fix problems and doubling patrols might prevent disasters

 

The Neutral Path is totally under suggestions on the theme, it is optional, whether it should be allowed by both paths through research, or limited. Feel free to post suggestions about it.

Edited December 18, 2012 by DarkGenius

[Aranox]

I'm interested in helping out any way I can, send me a PM if you would like the help, i'll tell you what I can and cannot help with there.

-Aranox

[DarkGenius]

I'm interested in helping out any way I can, send me a PM if you would like the help, i'll tell you what I can and cannot help with there.

-Aranox

 

Thank you, we're always looking for people to join the project, I'll be sure to send you a PM in a few minutes.

 

Sincerely,

-DG.

[DarkGenius]

http://thewormhole.nfshost.com/forum/index.php

 

The Wormhole, if you want to join the Craftybits team, there's a topic on that.

Edited December 19, 2012 by DarkGenius

[SinderionsBones]

As requested, one of two planned posts here :D I'll post the second one tomorrow after I put what I have in some form reasonably displayed here. (Just some charts and stuff... nothing fun)

 

This sounds a bit insane lol. I kinda like the general idea though. The common thread is something I think could be really fun, both to mod and to play. There's so much written here that the common thread would end up different for any given person reading it, I'll give you that. I'm seeing the player interacting with with good, bad, and neutral elements of Skyrims population learning and eventually mastering Skryims "Secrets of Trade". As my first submission, I'd like to put forward a bit of structure to bind it all together, just one such idea. One of any number of possible ways to find a good starting point.

 

If someone leads, mostly just says 'hey do this, because it fits here in our plan'. I'd love to come along. That's arguably more important, more precious, than any given modding skillset. I'm not even worried about how finished it gets really, or how fast. I just don't do the leading, pulling, pushing thing for now. I can do quite a bit with the CK, would be nice to get this thing somewhat structured so it can start rolling in one form or another.

 

- SinderionsBones

[DarkGenius]

As requested, one of two planned posts here :D I'll post the second one tomorrow after I put what I have in some form reasonably displayed here. (Just some charts and stuff... nothing fun)

 

This sounds a bit insane lol. I kinda like the general idea though. The common thread is something I think could be really fun, both to mod and to play. There's so much written here that the common thread would end up different for any given person reading it, I'll give you that. I'm seeing the player interacting with with good, bad, and neutral elements of Skyrims population learning and eventually mastering Skryims "Secrets of Trade". As my first submission, I'd like to put forward a bit of structure to bind it all together, just one such idea. One of any number of possible ways to find a good starting point.

 

If someone leads, mostly just says 'hey do this, because it fits here in our plan'. I'd love to come along. That's arguably more important, more precious, than any given modding skillset. I'm not even worried about how finished it gets really, or how fast. I just don't do the leading, pulling, pushing thing for now. I can do quite a bit with the CK, would be nice to get this thing somewhat structured so it can start rolling in one form or another.

 

- SinderionsBones

 

We're looking for a Scripter, if you want to help you're quite welcome, we need shop interations menu, there's quite a lot of mods that has scripts for that, but for our own purposes, could you try to make a "Shop Approuch" Option? we're starting the Evil Path first.

 

Player enters a Shop, the shop is an General Merchant: Usually they have more Gold, options:

 

Intimidation: Shake him down for Gold Coins, extracted from his current gold amount, how much is taking depends on player current speechcraft skill, players should quickly run as the merchant will try to find Guards.

 

Extort: Highly dependant on Speechcraft skill, player will get a monthly cut of the profits from the shop, but he must provide security to it, by hiring thugs, either by owning a Bandit Fort and talking to a Bandit Leader or Mercenaries, eventually, enemies and rivals will try to take that shop from you, or steal your profits (World and Local Value)

 

I'm taking this to the members at wormhole, if you're free to join us there as well.

 

To get the coal for the train, perhaps we should try to add the Intimidation part, allowing players to get septims without working, and then settling the crime value and fear value which will take place later as some kind of currencies or levels. Yeah, you'll need to be feared and clever criminal to allowed to corrupt cities, take over forts, build black markets and such things.

 

Could you work that option for us, Sinderions? we're really eager to see what we'll be able to do, also if have any friends interested en joining the project, we're gathering every able person to help us :)

Edited January 9, 2013 by DarkGenius

[SinderionsBones]

Ok, I said I'd post some stuff, but I don't think I'll bother doing it here :D it's on the craftybits forum thing. I think all interested parties are there anyways. It's pretty much an adaptation of many common skyrim conventions to suit fitting in this boat load of features.

[DarkGenius]

Ok, I said I'd post some stuff, but I don't think I'll bother doing it here :D it's on the craftybits forum thing. I think all interested parties are there anyways. It's pretty much an adaptation of many common skyrim conventions to suit fitting in this boat load of features.

 

We're also taking part here, we'll keep both Topics updated with our latest.