Ctrl – Space

All has been quiet on the podlogs front for me: but not on the anomalous front.

I’ve had limited time with eve these past two weeks due to wrecking hits from the girlfriend (or reps, whichever way you want to look at it. We did watch season 3 of 24 in it’s entirety so no complaints from me!) and I’ve been kicked into some sort of whirlwind of activity due to my band all of a sudden being asked to do things.

[we were selected top 6 bands on YSYP and have been asked to play goNORTH, Rockness and the T-break stage at T in the Park. uhm...wtf is going on!?]

The time I have had with EVE (oh, Aurora how I missed your sweet soothing docking report updates) has been spent looking into exploration.
I’ve had an alt training up the astrometric and profession skills. He can now scan down anything he comes across with no difficulty, salvage T2 wrecks and use the Analyser for those elusive archaeology sites. All this in under 3 weeks!
Here is where I pay tribute to the banishment of starter careers and the ushering of 100% SP advance for the first 1.6 Mil SP. This, in conjunction with the 24 hour Skill Planner and we’ve got a winner, that’s for sure. I can’t help but think how many more SP my main would have if we’d had this Skill Queue from the start. All those valuable minutes and hours missed whilst sleeping or generally being absent minded; all those skills I never use but trained anyway ’cause I needed something long running whilst I was away for the weekend…

I’ve been doing all of my exploration in High Sec for now which has yielded not so much in the ways of monetary reward. Right now, the risk is too high for me to venture into low and null sec for the epic heists they promise. I’d like to wait till I have found a good exploration corp who enjoys a fight and doesn’t require me to be on every day of the week.
The sites I have found though, have been great fun.

My favourite experience so far has been in a Class 1 wormhole I found about 2 AU’s from my agents station (convenient much?).
I warped my alt in a probe to have a look at the even horizon. Pretty. Shiny. Squiggly. I slipped my main into a perma tanked Ishtar and made for the wormhole. Whilst in warp I jumped my alt through into w-space.

This is what space should look like. It’s dark and serine, an empty void on the surface but underneath you know that if you sniff around enough, you’re going find something that’ll put gold on your fingers or eat you cold, dry and without condiment.
Having no local really adds to the suspense and I’ve always agreed with those who said local should be removed from the game. Now I am even more in favour: it just works.

I drop cloak and warp to a mid planet to make a few safe spots when a buzzard drops on the event horizon. Needless to say I brick it and spam warp a few more times. My alt may be very skilled in astrometrics but I have no support skills to speak of. It’d be like shooting a dead whale in a very small fish bowl with an RPG.
My warp drive engages as a Brutix and an Absolution drop out of warp. No doubt they would engage me if I had stuck around, I know I would have.
My alt in a safe spot with the scanner pointed at the wormhole, I switch back to my main. I’m tempted. I could just jump through and engage to clear the wormhole rather than wait for them to move out. They’ve seen the probe, and now they think there is some High Sec explorer waiting for the all clear to come through: not a somewhat seasoned PvP pilot in an Ishtar that looks for any excuse to dance and kick dust.
They couldn’t risk loosing the buzzard if it was their only prober, and it would make sense for them all to jump out rather than risk the kill: but I don’t. I play it cool, like that dude in the West-Side Story. Wasn’t he real cool?

They wait a minute or so and jump out to K-space. They see my Ishtar and they size me up, hanging around for another minute or so before warping off.

Get in!!! My first w-space system all to myself!

My main makes for the safe spot whilst my alt scans down some plexes. 100% hits all round on the first 32AU probe. Cool, that’s simple. My Ishtar flies to the first “Perimeter Whatever”. In warp I hit my dual reps as I’ve heard all about the sleepers and their nasty alpha strikes: I’m dropping hawt.
Nothing there. Gah! The group that were in before me have obviously gutted the entire system!
Clutching to my sickly optimism, I warp to the next perimeter. Sleepers!

The overview turns red and I hesitate.

My shields are down before I can think and they start to chip away at my armour. I let loose the hobgoblin IIs and get to work on the frig sized sleepers. 

The overview turn yellow and I hesitate.

Eh? These sleepers are rabid for drones! They can’t enough of them! Being somewhat drone like themselves and trapped for untold millennia in isolation they probably just want to make new friends. George didn’t want Lennie having puppies for reason…(that’s two Of Mice and Men references in one blog. Note to self: widen horizons)

After a little experimentation and a new found confidence that my cap is in fact stable running the reps, I found the best tactic was to keep the drones in, orbit at 500m then swarm the little bastards at point blank range. This way as soon as the overview starts to yellow, you can scoop drones and they’ll receive no damage.

After a few re-spawns, a crow appearing and disappearing on scan and a tag team salvaging session, I made back to the wormhole. I had a lot of fun with the sleeper AI and can’t wait to get involved with some RR gangs taking on the more challenging w-space content. With my alt not far off being able to clear the cans of all profession sites I’m sure I could make a few coins too.

“That’s strange, I thought I warped to the worm hole.”

Still sitting in my safe spot, I go to warp to the wormhole for real this time.

“Approach location.”

Um…what!? The wormhole had collapsed leaving me stranded till I find another exit. I can see how easy it would be to loose everything you came with and gained if you ran out of probes or had your prober destroyed.

A few mental notes I made which could come in handy for anyone yet to venture into a wormhole:

- Your prober goes in first, and out last. You don’t want to risk any complications which could result in a ship without probes getting stranded and taking the Pod Express.
- Scan max range, 360 degrees at any point you’re not clicking something else.
- Don’t fly what you can’t afford to loose. This is obvious and something you should always keep in mind wherever and whatever you fly. However, in w-space you’re not just covering the very unlikely event that you are suicide ganked in high sec. There is a good chance, not matter how prepared you are, that Sleepers could get lucky with a well timed alpha strike (and they hit HARD). Not to mention w-space pirates and local inhabitants that wants yos eggs.

This aside: go have a blast in w-space!

I’ll post some pics when I get back from work.

i was thinking of doing a series of blogs based around my first time experiences in Eve Online. you know, first time i filled my bantam cargo hold full of veld, first time i put up a buy order, first time i destroyed an NPC pirate ship in 0.9 space, that kind of thing. real interesting stuff, no?

ok, maybe something a little more engaging. i’ll start off with the first time i saw my own metal and gears reduced to nothing but space cereal for rogue drones.

the first ship i lost was a caracal. it hurt. i mean, my heart pulled the sky down around me and i felt really uncomfortable and hard done by: a real sense of numbing disbelief and prolonged shock.
the scenario went a-thusly, and i’m sure you’ve all experienced it before:

me: hey man, come through to me i’m making so much money in here. there are cruiser rats…
wingman: ok, i just bought a moa be there soon
me: cool my caracal is ripping through them
wingman: wait, that’s a 0.4 system, we can get shot at
me: it’s cool, people are just ratting in the belts
wingman: ok

[time passes by. i've maybe made a whopping 100k ISK]

stupid bully 1: what are you doing here?
me: (convincingly nonchalant) just passing through…
stupid bully 2: :D

me: ah! return fire!
wingman: my guns are in a loading screen…or something. they don’t work…
me: omg, red stuff! what’s all this red stuff coming out of me!?
wingman: ok, i’ve got a lock, but my guns only shoot 4m now…
me: i think i’m out of petrol, i can’t move…
wingman: goooooose! nooooooooooooooooo!
stupid bully 1: lulnub

i look back on it now and it brings a smile to my face. i was so naive and so blissfully unaware that a large percentage of Eve players spend so much time with the game simply to kill other people. it’s not logical, it’s not rational but it sure does seem like a great way to blow of some steam: as an inter galactic ruffian.

it was disheartening at the time because i had spent a lot of time running level 1 missions to save up for that caracal which was 7 million ISK if memory serves. two years ago it wasn’t so easy to come by ISK as a new pilot…
it did however fuel my curiosity for pew pew which turned into a burning and somewhat sadistic passion for me. every time i would get that killing blow, every time i would insta lock and one volley a pod in my sniper eagle my lips would curl and i would curse the pirates who made me the shell of a pod pilot i am today.

anyone else have some firsts to share? give me a shout over, i’d like to read the other noob horrors of New Eden.

well, it turns out my first foray into Faction Warfare didn’t turn out as well as i had hoped.

the pre req’s for Command Ships finished up on saturday and with an hour to kill before i could slip into my ultra sleek and shiny new Night Hawk, i signed up to the Caldari militia for some quick and easy, no strings attached PvP.

as i’m re-learning the ropes, i didn’t want to bring anything expensive to the fight. i also don’t really like to fly anything bigger than a cruiser class hull PvP because my mobility is usually my greatest asset (yes, i was a huge fan of the nano-fit back in the day and still feel naked without a MWD on any ship class).
so with a budget and an eye for something skimpy, i went with the trusty merlin.

now, back when i started playing eve the merlin was my dream ship. i’d use it for everything and i would even rat in 0.0 with one, collecting loot and webbing for the big boys.
my fits were always a little obscure in that i would never fit any damage dealing modules of any sort. i was built for speed and tackle in the same way you can buy nike trainers and a toy fishing rod for a child who has just discovered the wonders of upright life…

i’ll write a blog about these early days soon as i’m surfing the tangent here.

anyway, i had a merlin to go. this time with a turret/missile split some tackle gear. i “x” up in militia, get into fleet and meet up with my comrades somewhere near Tama.
the fleet chat reminds of me of alliance fleet chat: faux fleet commanders in their dozens,  cheap mother digs (who am i kidding, those are mostly me) and the “are we there yet?” from those backseat children who just wanna be at the zoo already.

to my surprise i received a request to activate my eve voice so i could actually listen to the FC rather than read relayed orders in “txt spek”. before i ended my subscription 8 months ago you had to pay for eve voice, so i may be on a trial or something. if it’s now inclusive of your Eve Online subscription then great move CCP!

warp. jump. warp. jump. no war targets in sight. i was growing bored and doubting my thorough and mindful overview set up. then we got word of activity on the other side of the outbound gate.

this was it, back into the fight. let me at ‘em!

the FC jumped through to bait an engagement, and when they started pounding on him, the remainder of the fleet tumbled in. oh, i was real excited and the adrenaline was kicking in. my finger trembled as i hit the jump button.

grid loads: 2 targets!?

super disappointed.
rubbing salt into the bitter wound was the fact they had MWD’d 100k off the gate by the time we got there.
oh well. the FC sends an inty after them to see if we can get one locked down ( i have no idea what ship types they were flying, but that far off the gate in such short time i would guess they were inty’s) and in the meantime tells us to pop some drones that were left behind.
i target the drones and squeeze the trigger in the same way you punch your pillow at night after you come home from football practice where all the big boys made fun of you cause your legs are so little and you can’t kick the ball very far but it’s not my fault i’m small my mum says i’ll grow up to be strong and handsome and you’ll be jealous and i don’t want hair on my body anyways! /punchpillow

no? really? yeah, me neither….

where was i? oh yeah, my ship blows up. just like that: nothing but spinning debris and space dust. turns out these drones were left behind by someone who was not part of the enemy or friendly fleet: most probably a pirate or a ransom.
i did get the pop up to say that this was a dangerous act or whatever but i was anticipating one anyway as this was the first time i had engaged in PvP since the new install. well, it was the wrong warning and the gate guns got me.

first experience of Faction Warfare: not so hot.

never one to be thrown by such a disappointment, i rolled my little egg all the way back to jita (eww) where my command ship was waiting for me: and it’s everything i expected it to be.
finished the night by running a few level 4 missions in saila and the Night Hawk absolutely annihilates everything in it’s path without fear of my tank ever breaking.

take it! /punchpillow

————————–

Night Hawk fit:

Hi

- 6x Heavy Launcher II (fury missiles for the BS)
- Drone Link

Med

- Target Painter II
- 2x Large Shield Extender II
- 2x Shield Hardeners II (rat specific)

Low

- 2x Shield Power Relays II
- 3x Ballistic Control Units II

Rigs

- 2x purgers

Drones

- 5x Hobgoblin II

All I know is the fight.

I started out like any cadet. A fist fight in some back alley bar on Caldari Prime, a toxin fuelled stupor to stiffen my jaw back up again, follwed by a piece of paper rammed down my throat from some uniformed Caldari State poster boy.
He’s a talker, alright. His stripes would give the impression of a brave tactition who pulled lesser men through the black hell of contested space. A man of honour, a man who thinks on his feet without fear. I can tell however, from the focus in his eyes and the way his weight is shifted to his heels that he’s never seen any action past holo-reels and simulations. A man born of social exclusivity: those were payed for.

I got soul, he said. I got fire, he said. Be a patriot and advance to Caldari Prime and proclaim myself a Hero of the State.
A hang-over is all I really had, and the man doubled over counting his teeth on the floor was the only cure I could afford.

My days in the academy were short, which suited me fine. There were no soldiers, no order and no discipline, just a band of brawlers pissing up walls. We were all here for one thing. None of us cared for the State and our sense of duty came from the desire to line our pockets. Those of us who made it through signed it all away, to be welcomed with assignments branded “early retirement”, to engage Guarista outposts. None of us were expected to come back. I couldn’t get enough of them.

The thrill of the hunt and disregard for consequence became aparent to my Agent. He had a sense of humour that’s for sure.
My weekly briefings became daily, which in turn became personal visits everytime I came to dock. I grew accustomed to sleeping in my pod during transit, so rare it was I had the chance to spend my few unconcious hours in homely comforts; and the only thing that put me to sleep was the pills.

They decommissioned me from active duty shortly after 112 consecutive flights post initiation throughout New Eden, without leave. Top brass considered me a liability. No pilot can withstand such sleep and comfort deprivation without the abuse of illegal depressants and stimulants. They themselves upped the dosage every couple of days so I could keep flying, but some brown nosed official or the press must have caught wind. I was branded a loose connon: all fist and no velvet glove.

For my “loyal service” they brought out all the fanfare that would fit into the Admiral’s office and congratulated me on my honourable discharge. His teeth sure made a mess of my knuckles.

Now I get to sleep at home. On the bar.

My Agent, the bastard, still has mission briefings slipped through the cracks to my station quarters. Kill Gallente liberist scum, straight and narrow. The politics numb me more than the pills and as far as I’m concerned I don’t care for nobody regardless of which side of some imaginary line they spawned from.
The Navy have long buried me. These orders are stricly on a need to know basis: no doubt private investors with their honey in the hands of Gallente Corporations.

Me? I just need to know where I start swinging.

——————————

please excuse my first foray into Role Play of any inaccuracies, faux pas and general school boy errors. don’t tell my friends i did this…

anyone who would like linked from my page who has a podlog blog, or any other Eve Online orientated blog, please send me a link and i’ll put it up in my “New Eden Herald” section.

firstly it means i don’t have to click too much to get my blog fix, and secondly we could have a nice little cluster added to the Eve Online community.

two nights in to my revisit of New Eden and it’s all flooding back to me.

i first logged in and found myself in a rather ghostly and vacant station somewhere in Venal. i had a T2 fitted drake, a nano ishtar and a raptor sitting in my hanger hungry for some action. “wow, hold on there sparky!” i said, “we’re older, wiser and more in tune with our sensitive side. we can’t go around hassling those we don’t know for trivial thrill seeking, can we?”.

it was a shame to leave them behind, the ishtar especially was all T2 fitted and rigged out for ultra nano-tom-foolery and i never really got a chance to melt hulls with it before i unsubscribed.
but lets be sensible here. i can fly the raptor back and if it gets popped it’s no biggy. i can put the ishtar up on contract for some PvP enthusiast to make good use of and i’ll maybe make a sweet buck or two.

i set my destination to Jita (oh, that is a dirty, dirty word), undocked and for lack of a better term legged it: tail between my legs back to the warm, spongy bosom of high security space.

the trip was mostly uneventful. a vagabond and cerebus caught wind of my movements and followed me a few jumps down the pipe but there was no way they were going to be able to lay a finger on me.
one jump out from empire space and without thinking i warped straight to the outbound gate. common sense throttled me a few AU’s in and i opened up the scanner. it’s changed: a lot.
i let the confusion wash over me and ushered in some blissful naivety. i mean, nothing is going to happen to me as i’m wholly unprepared, right?
i dropped into real space and my eyebrows stitched as i was pulled 40km passed the gate. oh, it was disco fever in 0.0 tonight: two large bubbles and small gang of born young ruffians dressed to impress.
i kept my cool. i took a deep soothing breath. i calmly and graceful selected the star gate in my overview, then i started screaming some feral overture whilst violently spamming the approach button. i kicked the micro warp drive into gear and immediately started pummelling the jump command (from about 30km out…)
they got a lock on me, my overview went red and time ceased whilst jump lag stubbed out its cigarette, necked a shot whiskey and shuffled over to the big red button.
i was safe. not a scratch. though now i was reminded why i loved this game so much: there’s no other game in existence that leaves you shaking with adrenaline and this was just 5 seconds of action…

i know i came back to this game to get involved with the in depth PvE content but i have serious doubts if i’ll be able to stay on the straight and narrow…

in jita i assembled a brand new shiny T2 drake and looked up my nearest, highest quality level 4 agent. i’d never done a level 4 mission before and was a little apprehensive. turns out there’s really nothing to it. i’ve swapped out a shield thingy in the low slots (that’s it’s technical term) to fit another BCU II and with the fury missiles the battle ships melt pretty fast with my shields holding just under 50% under fire from seven battleships.

i have an extravaganza mission up next. i’ll give that a whirl and then I think I’ll sign up to the militia. missions are great and everything but i can’t resist the pull of ruining someone’s day.
if it turns me on, i’ll look for a faction warfare player corp and push forward to Caldari Prime.

i’d like to take this moment to thank Eddie Gordo of Podlogs for providing this service free of charge.

cheers

this is a blog it would appear…

just back from an 8 month break, where i explored and plundered the best the MMO universe has to offer, where i came to the conclusion: there’s no place like home.

Eve Online was my first MMO, and my first grapple with a gaming vs. RL dilemma: do i go out for a few drinks with those human beings i call friends, or do i sit in a station for 4 hours awaiting the order for the fleet to move out an undisclosed amount of jumps to achieve an undisclosed mission objective?

i’ve come back to eve to enjoy the more casual aspects of the game. get through all those level 4 missions i promised myself (and the riches that follow); have a little peek at w-space and perhaps sport some t3 contraption that will be the envy of my peers; involve myself with faction warfare, where fleet engagements i would imagine are relatively hassle free…

to do all these however, i’ll need a corp.

my last corp which was also my first, was Rionnag Alba: a collective of Scots who loved nothing more than pew pew and the banter. The corp grew, we accepted pilots from all over the globe to help with our alliance efforts, we contributed to taking a nice little chunk of 0.0 and struck fear into the hearts (or wallets) of our neighbouring enemies.

however, those days are over for me.

it’s bunnies for me, now. green ones, blue ones and a little house to call our own. no puppies though…or blondes…or hands for that matter…