If it's Firearms you are probably carrying ammunition and that can explode for some extra damage to your ship, maybe like a missile hit. If your Narcotics get hit your screen may go crazy for two or three minutes, something bad in the middle of a dogfight. And if it's Radioactives you may have a chain reaction abroad, like a Quirium Cascade Mine centered on you.
ammunition and that can explode for some extra damage to your ship, maybe like a missile hit
Interesting, but a missile hit is a bit harsh, I suggest to use player.ship.takeInternalDamage(); which can hit another cargo and initiate a chain reaction.
Some of this is already in some of the cargo in my Pods OXP. It's certainly do-able, but despite what gets said here occasionally it seems that most people don't actually want the negative stuff from OXPs, at least from the feedback that OXP gets from time to time.
Well, can it be done so it affects pirates too? This OXP would be 'bad' for smugglers (players and non-players) and 'good' for all that don't carry those goods.
I would rather have cargo that is dangerous in a different way. For instance, say you take a cargo contract for 110 tons of furs and it turns out to be narcotics, and you are being used to unwittingly smuggle illegal goods. Realistic trading risks, if you will.