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[Hal900x]

My guess is that the text of the faction reputations are misleading. They seem to indicate that smuggling inspections might be more lenient. But now, a minimal suspicion pretty much guarantees a pursuit + inspection. It's purely based on how many times I've smuggled, rep notwithstanding, isn't it?

[Amoebka]

There are certain bar events that guarantee a cargo scan no matter the reputation. I think what might be happening, is that you accept more of these on the planets you have good rep with, because you visit more often or have contacts there.

[Megas]

And there is no indication that they increase suspicion until player finds out the hard way.  I have learned to ignore most bar encounters because they are traps.  Visiting the bar is sifting through piles of crap until player finds the few that are legitimately good.

[Amoebka]

Visiting the bar is sifting through piles of crap until player finds the few that are legitimately good.

Yeah, that's a bit unfortunate. You have to check the bar every time you land because some events are amazing (stealing/buying ships, marines, nanoforge), but 90% of the time you will get nothing good. Feels like playing an annoying slot machine that wastes time instead of money.

[Salter]

Visiting the bar is sifting through piles of crap until player finds the few that are legitimately good.

Yeah, that's a bit unfortunate. You have to check the bar every time you land because some events are amazing (stealing/buying ships, marines, nanoforge), but 90% of the time you will get nothing good. Feels like playing an annoying slot machine that wastes time instead of money.

I feel like this adds consistency to the game rather than makes it a detriment because you are not always supposed to be given the best hand. Though ive never been stop-searched for smuggling out some drugs or something. Ive only ever been stop-searched in the system where ive had to deliver it too.

Though stop-searches dont happen spontaneously. They are either cause you got caught with your transponder off or you did black market sells with it on. If you want to see your current suspicion by local authorities, just hover your mouse over the black market tab and it will show you an indication of your suspicion level.

[Megas]

Though stop-searches dont happen spontaneously. They are either cause you got caught with your transponder off or you did black market sells with it on. If you want to see your current suspicion by local authorities, just hover your mouse over the black market tab and it will show you an indication of your suspicion level.

The thing about gaining suspicion from bar encounters is there is no warning about it.  And the "hard drinker spacer" one (with a freighter to sell) has no indications he is a criminal of some sort.

So, I guess the player visits a bar, then shop to check suspicion level, where the shop also tells you buying from black market can raise suspicion?  Why not tell the player while in the bar instead of making him jump through more hoops?

And bar should be more useful than offering mostly shmuck baits and traps that will shaft first-time players and annoy veterans who know better.

[Amoebka]

you are not always supposed to be given the best hand

The issue is that there's no time pressure in Starsector. If you don't get offered what you want, you don't "make do", you just fly around the core in circles until you get the dice roll you want. The optimal way to play is tedious.

[Thaago]

you are not always supposed to be given the best hand

The issue is that there's no time pressure in Starsector. If you don't get offered what you want, you don't "make do", you just fly around the core in circles until you get the dice roll you want. The optimal way to play is tedious.

Hmm, thats not really my experience, just because I always have something better to do than fly around in circles. Even if a perfect bar mission doesn't come up there's always something profitable to do thats worth more than aimless flying.

[BHunterSEAL]

you are not always supposed to be given the best hand

The issue is that there's no time pressure in Starsector. If you don't get offered what you want, you don't "make do", you just fly around the core in circles until you get the dice roll you want. The optimal way to play is tedious.

I can only name a few games--actually, Twilight Struggle is probably the only one, and it's a board + card game--where the "optimal" way to play is also enjoyable / balanced. You can spend an hour rerolling your starting colonists in Rimworld to get three Space Marines who cover every skill in the game with ** affinity, or put dozens of hours into enchanting + crafting to make equipment with infinite stats in Skyrim... but why would you?

[Hal900x]

I agree that power-gaming is incredibly boring in Starsector, as smuggling is the "optimal way" to make piles of cash, at least early-midgame. "Balance" is a rabbit hole that can suck the fun out, but I wonder if raising the rewards for bar missions isn't needed. Then inflate colony and/or ship prices to compensate. There's probably a hundred things I haven't considered and the devs have, but this really is a sore spot because I have to be physically restrained from not power-gaming.

Should that bar encounters should affect your suspicion so you can actually see it is rising and connect the two? I had no clue till I started this thread, and probably never would have figured it out.

[intrinsic_parity]

I think the problem with bad bar missions is not that you re-roll them over and over until you get good ones, but rather that bar missions are just not that useful in comparison to other things you can do. Maybe that is ok, but I think going to bars for missions is a more interesting way of getting them than just looking at the intel tab.

Personally, the only bar missions I do are bounties early to try and find military contacts and bulk delivery missions. If contacts did not exist, I think bar bounties would be pointless since the intel bounties seem generally better. Once I have military contacts, there is no reason to do bar bounties any more. The ship acquisition missions have a very small chance of being good, but 90% of the time, the ships are not ones I want/need at the moment I get offered them. It takes longer to find a good ship acquisition mission than to just make money and buy the ships I want.

Personally I would do away with intel missions in general, and make all missions through either the bar or contacts.

[Megas]

The best military contacts (with high or very high importance) I get from bars are the base commanders (and not powered armored pirate) that offer a cheap ship to buy.  Those are something like "capitan/colonel/admiral sitting at a table".

I look for the following recurring people at bars...
* Guy with paper book, a.k.a. historian (notable NPC; blueprint for Legion XIV; history enabled after five years of play)
* Officer sitting at table (buy military ship cheap, possible military contact, often the base commander)
* Flashy guy (blueprints for phase transports, possible pirate contact)
* Powered armor guy (buy ship cheap, needs marines, possible pirate contact)
* Tattooed guys if contract is up (experienced marines for sale)

[Megas]

I think the problem with bad bar missions is not that you re-roll them over and over until you get good ones, but rather that bar missions are just not that useful in comparison to other things you can do. Maybe that is ok, but I think going to bars for missions is a more interesting way of getting them than just looking at the intel tab.

Bar missions (like raids or drop dead for something) pay even worse than named bounties (which already underpay if you cannot win flawlessly), after revenge fleets or other "gotcha" traps sprung.

More recurring people to look for sometimes:
* Arms dealers, illegal or otherwise.  (Order things, possibly without blueprint; possible contact)
* (Maybe) Someone concerned about increased pirate raids.  (Effective system bounty at a fringe system)

And sometimes, especially in my own colonies, someone posting bounty missions like a contact.  (I do not know if you can make contacts with your own faction.)

[Billhartnell]

I think the problem with bad bar missions is not that you re-roll them over and over until you get good ones, but rather that bar missions are just not that useful in comparison to other things you can do. Maybe that is ok, but I think going to bars for missions is a more interesting way of getting them than just looking at the intel tab.

Bar missions (like raids or drop dead for something) pay even worse than named bounties (which already underpay if you cannot win flawlessly), after revenge fleets or other "gotcha" traps sprung.

More recurring people to look for sometimes:
* Arms dealers, illegal or otherwise.  (Order things, possibly without blueprint; possible contact)
* (Maybe) Someone concerned about increased pirate raids.  (Effective system bounty at a fringe system)

And sometimes, especially in my own colonies, someone posting bounty missions like a contact.  (I do not know if you can make contacts with your own faction.)

Bar bounties are much easier than intel bounties in terms of the ratio of fleet power to money, so they are good to get in the early game.