2nd Anomaly from the Left

It has come to be day Three of my hiatus from Eve.. and my own personal computer.

Spent a good amount of time the last couple days catching up on things, like house cleaning (ooo.. the floor CAN shine!), laundry (so THAT’s what fresh mountain air smells like..), movie watching (new Starbuck is HAWT!!.. and lesbian.. awww.. ), and the gym (some participants there clearly work their chests alot.. and smell alot like flowers.  I believe I may have found the near mythical “female” of my species).

I haven’t had much time to devote to Russian yet, but that will come as I will have plenty of time this weekend (Labor Day weekend in the United States) to get myself back on a working (and habitual) schedule, and I probably be able to get into a study group on Mondays, so that will be sweet.

Still catching up on the local Eve politics.. and as usual, whenever I take a break, cool and exciting things happen.  Atlas breaking up, Pandemic Legion showing off its usual strategic skill, the Northern Coalition fighting the Russians.. the Russian fighting back, etc.  The new http://www.evenews24.com/ channel is definately impressive so far.  Haven’t heard many complaints about the quality of the news.  Kinda makes me wonder if we’re seeing the start of Eve Tribune being relegated to “Newsweek” or “Time” status.

WOOT!! WTFOMGBBQ!!

Yes, my character has 50mil SP!!  As of last night, my character reached 50 million SP, and looking back it certainly didn’t feel as long as it did.  I still remember the 12mil SP milestone because for Minmatar that was the minimum you seriously needed to be effective in all three battleships.  The rest, well, was just a nice frosting.

So, this is a good time to review my character, and see where I should make improvements when I return from my Hiatus..

Corporation Management (1,085,034 SP) – Status: Acceptable.  I am not really that much of a leader.  I just follow and anticipate fairly good.  So, all I needed is the POS Gunnery aspect.. which is right where I and the corporation like it to be.

Drones (2,419,723 SP) – Status: Needs Work.  Of all the skillsets, I will admit that I dislike training drones the most, despite how effective and useful they are.  Plus, aside from the Typhoon and the Capital class ships, Minmatar ships don’t have all that much drone space, so generally you are better with the smaller and faster drones.  So, no Ogre IIs here yet, and considering that I do have the possibility of flying carriers, I definately need to force myself to train these… later.

Electronics (3,152,857 SP) – Status: Acceptable.  My current skillset in Electronics is good for Minmatar and Caldari ships and those specialized ships in their relevant races.  However, if I plan to expand into other Recons as well as become a serious Black Ops pilot, then I will need to spend more time here.

Engineering (5,352,387 SP) – Status: Superior.  Although some of the skills here could be improved, my engineering skillset is quite strong, giving me a better than average defense and maximum capacitor and powergrid control.

Gunnery (11,450,404 SP) – Status: Superior.  Aside from specialization skills being at IV, as well as trajectory analysis, I have maxed out my Minmatar Gunnery skills and have gotten most of Amarr, and a smiggin of Hybrids as well.

Industry (69,558 SP) – Status: Non-existant.  I played around a bit with invention as well as manufacturing my own ammo.  I still kinda wonder what it might have been like had I chosen to go down this path.  Aw well, shooting stuffs is much more funz!

Leadership (743, 598 SP) – Status: Needs work.  Considering that I can fly two races command ships, one would think I would have been wise enough to skill at least some of these up more.  Nope..  It’s even more ironic because of how important I view being a team player.

Learning (1,900,096 SP) – Status: Acceptable.  Again, my charisma skills are lacking, but everything else is IV or higher.

Mechanic (1,627,000 SP) – Status: Acceptable.  All critical skills are level V, all compensation skills are at least IV.  Rigging skills though I should work on down the road.

Missile Launcher Operation (2,151,280 SP) – Status: Needs Work.  This has always been another tough one.. right along with Drones.  Sure, they are useful.. but they aren’t CRITICALLY useful until you get into the Typhoon, or Naglfar, or Huginn, or Hound, or Loki… or even the Bellicose and Breacher..  And just when I think I should train them.. something that is more shiny catches my eye.  Go figure.

Navigation (3,616,393 SP) – Status: Acceptable (sort of).  This is one of those skills that, as a Minmatar pilot, I sort of feel embarrassed about.  Are they good?  Absolutely.  But are they MINMATAR good.  Well, no.  Some of those skills I should have at level V, just to keep my honor as a Minmatar pilot.  oh, the shame.. the shame.

Planetary Interaction (620,057 SP) – Status: Acceptable.  Yeah, it makes me an easy 7 to 8 mil a day, however, its just a so-so proposition now and I’m not so sure it will ever improve even if I put more skills into it.

Science (1,602,563 SP) – Status: Acceptable.  It still needs work, but the skills that are critical are at level V, the skills are useful are at level IV.

Social (377,634 SP) – Status: Acceptable.  Since I don’t run missions any more, the social skills aren’t all that useful as a PVP player.  Supposedly, there might be some use for Criminal Connections out here in the 0.0 environ, but I have yet to figure that out.

Starship Command (13,620,324 SP) – Status: Superior.  Outside of the Supercaps, there isn’t a Minmatar that I cannot fly, and I can fly most Amarr ships as well.  If all goes according to plan, when I return I will have both Recon V and Logistics V as well.

Strategic Cruiser Skills (226,775 SP) – Status: Superior.  While not Elite, I now have strong Loki skills.

Trade (31,322 SP) – Status: Acceptable.  While most PVP players out there would pass this by, I think its good to have this skillset setup some, especially if you plan on selling Meta 3 and Meta 4 modules.  If you don’t, you might be at the mercy of buyers who only want to pay pennies on the dollar for your hard earned loot.  A solid Trade skillset can be had in just a couple days.

So, onto other things.  How was my first day of my Hiatus?  So far.. pretty good.  I went to bed on time and got in some guitar practice.  I was able to do some studying as well (while watching the rest of Dune, and most of Rundown).  But, the first day is always the easiest.

Most of us gamers have done this:  You’ve blown an entire weekend, living on pizza and Mountain Dew or beer (for those of the age), playing a particular video game.  I suppose it could be considered alot like camping, or hunting, etc.. besides the fact that we don’t get anything tangible except a really good time.

.. course, we still brag about it.

However, there comes a point where you blow too many weekends, where whole seasons come and go and you barely notice it outside the fact that everything around the house is looks dirtier than before, and the pets look thinner.  You’re sleep patterns went from 8 to 9 hours of sleep to 3 to 4.  And food, well, you don’t cook because it takes you away from the game for too long.

I am not at that point yet.. but I am getting uncomfortably close.

So, I am taking a serious break from Eve.. which at this time means physically disconnecting my PC and giving to a friend for a month or so, while I actually spend my time learning Russian, playing guitar, visiting friends, having actual social interaction (in other words, developing more useful habits).  I will still read up about various Eve activities, and I’ll probably be allowed to stay in M3 (this isn’t the first time I’ve had to take a break, but it will probably be the longest).  I will also blog from time to time, linking various blogs that I think deserve some consideration, so I won’t be out of the loop.. just out of the game.

Solid – noun – a body, or object having three dimensions (length, breath, and thickness)

What does being a solid pilot mean in Eve Online?  Just as a solid object has three aspects, the truly solid pilot also has three predominate aspects.  Those aspects are Reliability, Capability, and Sustainability.  Why is it important to be a solid pilot as versus, say, a really good interceptor pilot, or a really good HAC pilot?  Because a solid pilot is the core of any good combat force.  A solid pilot improves the status quo.  A solid pilot adds to the strength of the group, be that a corporation or an alliance.

How so?

Well, let’s breakdown the three aspects of the solid pilot.

First, a solid pilot is Reliable.  What does that mean?  It means simply that they will bring what is needed, not what they want to bring, to the best of their ability.  It also means they have their ship fitted in a reasonable manner as well as have it appropriately stocked with ammo and charges.  A Reliable pilot is someone you can depend upon to bring the correct ship, the correct ammo, the correct skillset, and the natural maturity not to make major combat mistakes.

Second, a solid pilot is Capable.  What does being Capable mean?  It means that while they may have some strong skills in a particular area, they haven’t neglected others.  While yes, they can fly a bomber, they can also fly a battleship, a HAC, and a Recon, etc and are willing to use them in battle.  They also are aware of what to do, and what NOT to do.  And if they don’t, they ask and listen.

Third, a solid pilot is Sustainable.  How so?  Being sustainable means that they not only don’t overspend themselves, but also are not a drag on the finances or morale of the corporation.  They aren’t the ones causing trouble just for LOLs, but they are also making others aware of what might be serious potential problems with things either at a Corporate or Alliance level.  A sustainable pilot also has a working isk-making operation (be that Plexing, or Ratting, or Trading, whatever) that they can do on their own because without ISK, you can’t PVP very well or effectively.

So, how does this work in the real Eve world?

Let’s take the example of an interceptor pilot.  There is nothing wrong with wanting to be a really good interceptor pilot.  The task is a critical one, and very important to the proper operation of a fleet.  However, a pilot isn’t of much use if he can’t let go of being an interceptor pilot and get into something more meaty like a Recon or Battleship, especially if the fleet needs those ships and the leadership is trying to get other newer pilots to have tackling experience. 

Eventually, if the pilot can’t let go, he will become a detriment.  His “needs” will limit the training of other pilots and will be a drag on the morale of a corporation.  Other pilots will begin to ask reasonably, “Why should I risk a 150 million isk ship, when he can get away with running around in a 15 million isk ship all the time?”  By this time, the offending pilot usually has an undeserved sense of entitlement and will have no end of excuses for what they do.  Usually they won’t even acknowledge the fact that the rest of the corporation/alliance is doing and risking alot more than they are.

Now, I want to re-iterate that there is a difference between someone who is good with a particular ship or class of ships and thus prefers to use those when given the opportunity, and those who are obsessed with who they are that they expect compromises to be made for them specifically.  Usually the first group are willing, though maybe grudgingly, to fly something appropriate in fleet.  The second group will often do whatever it takes, use any justification, demanding special consideration, and even completely ignore direct orders so that they can do what they want.

So, how does being a “Solid” Pilot benefit you personally?  Well, think about what its like to have a reliable friend or co-worker or schoolmate.  When people are able to rely upon you.. you personally make your corporation and alliance stronger as well as contribute greatly to its success.  And don’t worry.. the perks will come too.

Until next time, keep your guns loaded and your enemies running.

For much of my Eve career, I have really only made isk two ways: Level 4 Mission Running and 0.0 Ratting. Now, these are definately solid ways to earn isk, and are good for basic “What do I do if I can’t PVP for “x” reason, but I am still addicted to Eve” situations. And its a simple rule in Eve, for serious PVP, you need isk.

However, sometimes.. sometimes you wanna make BIG iskies. For example, one of our Directors just lost his Golem to what he termed as “his own stupidity”. Stupid stuff happens to everyone.. however, the next day here he had another Golem. Needless to say, I can’t afford a Vargur at this time, though I suppose it has to do with my constant desire to avoid belt ratting. Because of situations like this, I have put some effort into various ways to make iskies outside of the usual drag of Solo ratting.

- Planetary Interaction (Current Status: Good) – In theory I am making roughly 20 to 30mil a day from my 0.0 sites making POS fuel at low Jita prices. In reality however, I’ve only made 60 mil total thus far. I plan to do some expansion after I get some skills trained in Industrial ships. The plus side is that it only take about 15 to 20 minutes a day to do and I have managed to effectively organize my operations to one system.

- Signature Probing (Current Status: Fair) – I’ve gotten to what I would consider a good first haul. A skillbook, some T2 building materials, and some Invention materials. However, its clear I need to skill up more as well as get my Archeology, Gas Mining, Hacking, and Salvaging skills up in order for this to be reasonably profitable. This also requires that I get my industrial ship skills up so that I can run transports. Expected returns are still up in the air.

- IPOs (Current Status: Excellent) – Currently I have 3/4 of my available isk tied up into a reliable IPO with the Alliance. I do really like running IPO investments, but it can be a very risky venture.. and like gambling, you had better be ready to lose it all. Another problem is that in order to make alot of isk, you have to have a lot of isk in the first place.

- Trading (Current Status: Very Poor) – This was my fault as I didn’t do the necessary research before hand, so my small initial investment will take months before its paid back. In another month I will take a look at it again, but I imagine I will have to spend more time researching the markets.

- Mining (Current Status: Wut’s dat?) – Yeah.. not happening.

- Invention (Current Status: Non-Existant) – Aside from having a research Agent, really not doing much in this regard.

- Manufacturing (Current Status: Non-Existant) – Again, not my cup of tea.

- Scamming (Current Status: Non-existant) – Relieving smart people from their goodies is one thing, but from dumb or inexperienced people is not something I feel good about doing.

So, that’s about it at the moment and if there are any other interesting ways to make Isk, I’d like to hear about them, or I’ll let ya know if I find something out too.

I’ll state this right now.. I hate Stealth Bombers.  I actually loathe to fly them.  The reasons are two fold:

1. I see far too many pilots think they are an acceptable ship instead of battleships, battlecruisers, cruisers, or Interceptor.
2. I swear that every pilot who flies one has a Texan (not the smart sounding Bush accent either) or Indian (“My keyboard is broke.”, “Pleawese put in da Reastored CD und Reastart yur Compooter…” variety) accent.. and if I bring up the topic of “Why didn’t you bring the right ship?” I get innundated with lame reasons why their Bomber is just as good as whatever was requested in fleet.

You people make me want to pod you.. really.

However, that isn’t to say that the Stealth Bomber is a worthless ship.  No, the last Alliance Tournament definately showed that in some situations, a Stealth Bomber can play a critical role in success.  And while I have very little experience behind the wheel of the Minmatar Hound, the following is a great guide should you choose to make yourself familiar with them.

http://amerrylifeandashortone.blogspot.com/2010/08/stealth-bomber-guide.html

Anyone who flies one can generally say two things about flying logistics ships in combat:

1.  It can be a thankless job.

2.  It’s hard work.

Currently each race has one logistics ship, and they follow what might be considered the racial fleet “concept”.  Today’s ship, the Scimitar, follows the Minmatar T2 ship doctrine.. shield tanked, fast, with a low signature rate.  This makes it ideal for roaming gangs because a useful configuration can easily fit a MWD, and because Shield Transporters repair at the beginning of a cycle, rather than the end like an Armor Remote Repairer.

First off, let’s start with the ship features:

• Great base shield resists.
• Low signature 65m.
• Base speed of 253 m/s.
• Minmatar Cruiser bonus of 150% to Shield Transport Range (and Tracking Link range) per level.
• Minmatar Cruiser bonus of 20% Shield repair amount for Shield Rep drones.
• Logistics Ship Bonus of 10% effiency to Tracking Links per level.
• Logistics Ship Bonus of 15% reduction in capactior use for Shield Transporters.
• Role Bonus of -50% CPU requirement for Shield Transporters.
• 45m3 Drone bay with 45m3 Bandwidth.
• Ladar strength of 17.

So, how does that all play out for you, the brand new Scimitar pilot?  Well, the setup allows you with Logistics IV to be a pretty helpful member of your gang.. though the Scimitar shines with Logistics V.  But I would also recommend that you have Shield Emission Systems up to Level IV, along with your Repair Drone Operation at IV.  This would be above and beyond a typically balanced player’s skillset.

This is a common setup that  I use, and I currently have Logistics at level IV:

[Scimitar, Orakkus's Scimitar]
Power Diagnostic System II
Capacitor Power Relay II
Capacitor Power Relay II
Capacitor Power Relay II

Large Shield Extender II
Cap Recharger II
10MN MicroWarpdrive II
Invulnerability Field II
Conjunctive Ladar ECCM Scanning Array I

Large S95a Partial Shield Transporter
Large S95a Partial Shield Transporter
Medium S95a Partial Shield Transporter
Small Remote Hull Repair System I

Medium Capacitor Control Circuit I
Medium Capacitor Control Circuit I

Light Armor Maintenance Bot I x1
Light Armor Maintenance Bot I x1
Light Armor Maintenance Bot I x1
Light Armor Maintenance Bot I x1
Light Armor Maintenance Bot I x1
Medium Shield Maintenance Bot I x1
Medium Shield Maintenance Bot I x1

This is a fairly cap stable setup at Logistics Level IV.  You’ll notice that I don’t have anything that might cause aggression on this ship, either a turret or a combat drone.  A logistics job is simply to keep people healthy, not to smooze in on killmails.  I also chose to have a small remote hull repper instead of another small shield transporter because you will have times, where any inty (or any ship in your fleet for that matter) will take some pretty heavy damage.. including hull damage.  Having a small remote hull repper at least allows you some ability to fix that problem while you may be waiting for another PVP opportunity. 

It is also a wise idea to install some form of ECCM.  The Scimitar has a sensor strength of 17, which is equal to battleships.  This makes them much more difficult to jam.. and having the extra ECCM will really make your enemies work  trying to keep you out of the fight.

Now, probably the hardest thing about Logistic ships is figuring out how to fly them and fly them effectively.  There are actually a couple schools of thought on this.  But since that might be considered classified information by my alliance, I will only delve into the basic tactics a smart Logi pilot will use.

First Tip:  When you start in a gang, target every single ship.  If they target you back right away (i.e. their Auto-Target Back function has not been changed to “0″), then inform them directly both in chat and on voice that they need to turn off that feature.  If they do not after a couple attempts.. DO NOT REPAIR THEM.  Nothing worse than getting shot down by a idiot who couldn’t be bothered with smart preperation.

Second Tip:  Always, always move.  No matter where you are, or what happens always be on the move.  A good idea in this regard is to orbit someone/something in the center of the gang at between 1km to 10km depending on gang size.  This is to maximize your ship’s defensive strengths, such as the small signature, generally fast speed, and transversal.  Another point is when hanging around a gate, always orbit the gate within jump range so that if you need to GTFO, you can.

Third Tip:  Only put critical people in your watchlist.  The FC, Interceptors, and other Logistic ships.  Those ships are generally critical in maintaining group strength and effectiveness.  If you can put everyone in your gang on your watchlist, then go ahead.. but once the gang gets past ten, clear it out and only put those people on it.

Fourth Tip:  Don’t Aggress, ever.  A Logistics ship is a force multiplier.. but not a damage multiplier.  When things go pear shaped.. which can happen in seconds.. then you need to be able to leave the area quickly.  If  its by docking up, or by jumping through the gate, then not being aggressed makes escape successful.. However, if you are aggressed, then you will not be able to save yourself, or your buddies later.  If you absolutely NEED to be on killmails, then have your corp/alliance install a Scout/Logistics mod to their killboard so you can add yourself to the killmail after the battle.

Fifth Tip:  Do not hero-save unless ordered to, and even then, question the reasoning.  If someone in your gang wasn’t paying attention when the fleet warped off a gate, it IS NOT YOUR responsibility to try and save his hide.  And if that pilot berates you, you let him have it.  Unless the FC directly tells you to do that, do not waste your time trying to hero save them… you’ll either lose both ships, or you will lose your expensive ship instead of his… (and while he might be glad you made the sacrifice, I highly doubt he cover your ship costs…).

Sixth Tip:  Learn and know your rep ranges.

I personally enjoy flying a logistics ship because it does takes a lot of skill, and is certainly the most active and most difficult task in a typical combat fleet (outside of FC).  The Scimitar is a nice blend of form and function, and operates well in fast moving gangs.  It certainly something that all reasonable pilots ship at least train, because a good logistics pilot, or group of logi pilots, can make a huge difference in combat.

Until next time, keep your guns loaded and your enemies running.

CCP Zulu, formerly CCP Zulupark, decided to give us a bit of goings on behind in his blog:

http://www.eveonline.com/devblog.asp?a=blog&bid=777

While the blog is rather informative, it was clearly put out to counter various CSM blogs, such as Mynxee’s “Life in Low Sec” post and just normal players like Letrange’s Eve Blog post .  It is rather detailed, and goes into why each one is being done, which is a nice addition.  Quite a few people have disagreed with their priorities, particularly since much of these tasks outlined by Zulu don’t appear to help any current aspect of game play (i.e. lag or lowsec).

However what I am somewhat surprised about is why, particularly Minmatar pilots, didn’t sneer the moment this CCP dev clarified who he was.

CCP Dev Zulupark…

.. the dev who single-handedly delayed much needed updates to the Minmatar weapons and ships for years.

.. i.e. the dev whose “name will not be mentioned”…

.. and now he’s a senior producer.

It scares me for the game to see Zulupark so integrated at this point.  I don’t have anything personally against the guy, but his past actions indicate to me that he will continually steer the developers to new things while ignoring serious game problems.

• Zulupark delayed the Amarr getting a boost, back when they were horrible and were proven horrible.
• Zulupark delayed the boost to the Minmatar for years after several nerf/buffs made most Minmatar ships worthless in PVP situations, particularly battleships.  This was despite the recordable and tested facts that were presented directly to him regard problems with projectile weapons and Tempests in particular.  His counters to them turned out to be based on the belief that Minmatar ships “feel balanced”, as well as comments made by Zulupark that ended up being factually inaccurate and misleading.  It wasn’t until CCP Nozh actually ran the numbers that proved the EVE community correct that the ball finally got rolling.
• A review of suggestions made by Zulupark for game changes even surprised me by the fact that one word constantly made its appearance.  That word was “WTF?”

I feel for the CSMs because now that I know Zulupark is involved, they can expect him to do whatever it takes not to do the correct thing, or even to do anything that goes against his world view…

.. facts or no.

The Ashimmu, the unique Blood Raider Cruiser that combines the both the support capabilities of the Amarrs’ Neutralizers and the Minmatars’ Web technology to produce an impressive ship the fits well into the lore of the Blood Raiders (Kirith Kodachi has a full write-up here, though some of the technical information is no longer applicable: http://www.eve-tribune.com/index.php?no=4_28&page=4).  Recent changes to all the Faction ships changed the Ashimmu from a lackluster (even pointless) ship well into competition with T2 Recons and HACs.  The price for these ranges in around 120 mil isk (as per July 2010 prices), so the cost is on par with typical T2 ship prices.

So, is this ship worth flying?  Well, let’s start off with its strengths and weaknesses.

The Ashimmu Ship Strengths consist of:

• 100% Damage bonus to Energy Turrets
• Amarr Cruiser Skill Bonus: 15% increase of Drain amount, per level, for Energy Nosferatus and Energy Neutralizers
• Minmatar Cruiser Skill Bonus: 10% bonus to velocity factor of Statis Webifiers, per level.
• 10m3 Drone Bay

The ship high slot configuration allows for three turrets to be mounted, so the Special Base 100% Damage bonus greatly improves its damage capability, though not to the level of say the Thorax or the Rupture.  Damage aside, its true ability lies in the combination of Neutralizers and Webifier bonuses.  With the Neutralizer/Nosferatu bonus, two medium sized modules are more effective than one large Neut/Nos, and three of the medium modules have the power of two large Neuts/Nos (at level V Amarr Cruiser skill).  On the other side, the Minmatar web bonus makes the T2 Statis Web modules are boosted enough to force your target to lose 90% of their speed at Minmatar Cruiser V.  Add to that enough powergrid and CPU that you can mount a fairly effective active or passive tank.  In the end, this thing is a beast! 

However, I found that the Ashimmu does have one flaw.  And its not an obvious flaw initially, and especially if all you are doing is EFT warrioring.  The flaw is.. Range.  With all these powerful tools, the combat radius is stuck at a maximum of 1o to 12km from the ship (barring Faction mods).  This severely limits its usefulness in most gang situations.  The range problem is especially aggrevated by passively armor tanked configurations, which made it very difficult for me to move off of the gate to catch gate crashing ships.  Often, even when I was ideally placed at the gate, the enemy ship was able to get in range of the gate before my neuts and webs had any meaningful effect.

Skillwise, ideally you should have both Minmatar and Amarr Cruiser trained to V, as well as Energy Emission trained up to at least IV.  You could run a passable Ashimmu though, with both Minmatar and Amarr Cruiser skills at IV.  Other than that, a typical combat skillset is necessary (web skills, MWD skills, T2 Energy Turret skills, etc.) and I would also suggest not to use this in PVP until you have spent some time messing around in a Huginn or Rapier.

So, how should the Ashimmu be used?

To me, the mix of strengths and flaws clearly put the Ashimmu as an ideal first strike ship, when you know you can get into range within a short length of time.  It also is useful in supporting the Huginn and Rapier series Minmatar Recons.  It also has a reasonably effective active tank setup, and so can be useful in smaller gangs and solo operations.  What it should not be used for is as a replacement for either the Huginn/Rapier or Curse/Pilgrim.  The Ashimmu does not have the range that make these ships more effective, nor does it have the direct offense necessary to match their Empire T2 counterparts.

Here are a couple of configurations that I have used thus far in 0.0 combat:

Passive Tanked Version:

Highslots (6) : 3x T2 Heavy Pulse Lasers, 3x T2 Medium Neutralizers

Midslots (4): 1x 10MN T2 MWD, 1x Medium Cap Booster “Named” (w/800 cap charges), 1x T2 Webifier, 1x T2 24km Warp Disruptor

Lowslots (5): 1x T2 Damage Control, 1x 800mm Plate, 1x T2 Heat Sink, 2x T2 Energized Adaptive Nano Membranes

Rigs to taste

The first is the 800mm passively tanked version, which I downgraded from a 1600mm plated configuration.  The 1600mm plate was simply just to ungainly to operate in a typical roaming fleet or gate camp.  The reduction to the 800mm plate, allowed me to upgrade the Lasers from Medium Focused to Heavy adding an additional 50 dps, and freeing up one rig slot.  However, this reduced the tank by a fair percentage so you won’t be able to tank as well.

Active Tanked Version:

Highslots (6):  3x T2 Heavy Pulse Lasers, 3x “Named” Nosferatus

Midslots (4): 1x 10MN T2 MWD, 2x T2 Webifier, 1x 24km T2 Warp Disruptor

Lowslots (5): 1x T2 Damage Control, 2x Medium Armor Reppers, 1x Energized Adaptive Nano Membrane, 1x T2 Heatsink

While I have not been able to use this yet in combat, this configuration is certainly one to be checked out.  Remember that Nosferatus (or Vamps) won’t work unless your percentage of capacitor is below the target’s.  This requires that you do a bit of backwards cap management.  The above configuration allows you can run both reppers so long as you have all three vamps running, and locking down your target for good.  It also has the bonus of not having to deal with any mass issues as it doesn’t use plates.

Now, since this faction ship is so particular in the types of fleets it can be effective in, I would welcome any comments regarding its use, any experiences using one, or any problems you also encountered while in combat.  And as always, keep your guns loaded and your enemies running.  C’ya around.

The PVP’ers Prayer is simple:  Please, give me a leader..

.. then give me some targets.

I sort of mutter this hopeful wish each time I log into Eve right now.  Its been a little over a month since we moved into the Vale Region, joining with RAGE alliance and its still taking some time for me to get used to.  Aside from one CCP contract bug, so far my introduction into the area has been calm.  There has been alot of CTAs and operations going on since we joined and most of M3’s pilots are adding their muscle to forays and personally I do like how quickly Home Defense fleets get formed.  However, I haven’t been able to make very many.

Strategically, this area requires a new way of operating for me.  Back down in Providence, enemy forces were pretty well known to enter our region through just a couple areas, so there really were only a few options that roaming gangs, and even our own gangs, could do.  In esssense, how the enemy was going to move was pretty easy to predict up to a certain point.  Here in Vale though, the enemy has quite a number of ways to get into our territory, and as a counter, the allied jump bridge system is certainly impressive and its fairly easy to get from Point A to Point B, once you know where everything is.  My only problem right now though is that I live on the US West Coast, and it seems that everything is winding down by the time I log in.  I’ve only managed to get a pathetic seven kills during June.. though, for the most part I’ve been playing Florence Nightengale instead of the Doc Holliday.

So right now, I am still getting my feet and getting familiar both with the systems and the enemy.. and as such, I haven’t been able to do much testing of some of my PVP combat fits.  I was able to get some time in my Ashimmu and thus found a performance flaw (I’ll detail this in my Ashimmu post), so I am chomping at the bit for some opportunities to see if what changes I made will make it more combat effective.

In the meantime I have been working on my Trade and PI skills to help boost the financial side of my PVP expendature as well as still selling some items left over in Providence, and generally finding my inner carebear.

However, if I start spouting off that High Sec should be 100%, someone better fly over and pod me.

Up and coming, there will be an Ashimmu post coming (SOON!.. I hope) with a few tested combat fits as well as a discussion regarding the effective use of Target painters both in solo and fleet scenarios.  Until then, keep your guns loaded and your enemies running!