A Prayer for Freedom

Hubris. Pride. Avarice. These are the latest Sins of the Providence Holders.

God has punished their latest transgressions. Providence burns.

Arrogance. Immaturity. Deception. These are the Sins of Goonswarm.

God has been busy.

For the first time in many months I undocked in a battleship. To join with our allies, to take the fight directly to our enemies and strike their very hearts.

The Wolf Soldier has returned to service.

Worse, I can’t believe I’m enjoying it.

Yes, my captain's name is John Sheppard. It's temporary.

I had expected 0.0 warfare to be more entertaining than it is. Most of your time is spent waiting.

Between that and the fact that none of my friends like EVE, I will probably be moving on shortly.

For a game I would never have expected to be playing, but it seems to have found the right blend of casual gameplay, customisation, and an established IP to get a rapid following.

I still rate Champions Offline as one of the worst financial decisions I’ve made lately, so here’s hoping Cryptic Studios have learnt their lessons.

I write this not as a way to sate my vanity but to answer questions I have been asked.

I am a devout man. I follow my God to the exclusion of all else. How, then, did I come to serve the Ushra’khan, the Minmatar ‘terrorist’ organisation dedicated to the destruction of “Amarrian Providence”?

The reason is simple.

It is my faith that led me here.

The book teaches us that God created Man in His own image. Think on that. We are reflections of Him. The practice of Slavery is an attempt to elevate ones-self above God. It is an abomination. Who are we to shackle God?

The Amarrian Empire claims that slavery is a divine mandate and is for the betterment of the slaves. This is folly. Fear of the lash does not bring one closer to a true and genuine belief in the divine.

The Curatores Veritatis Alliance claim to act as an extension of the Amarrian Empire and have brought the same practice of slavery to their new territories.

CVA are not God. They may not speak for him.

My faith is unbreakable and my will unstoppable. I will fight – with the pure blinding light that illuminates the darkness, with my fearless and terrifying kinfolk of all races and all creeds in the Ushra’Khan alliance and other forces that strive to free us all from the Empire.

DEUS VULT! GOD WILLS IT!

So your blood is boiling, you can hear your Alliance mates fighting over the battle-comm. Your heart pounding in your chest, you race to your hangar, jump in the next ship, and get out there.

And then lose days or possibly weeks of training time because you were in too much of a rush to update your clone.

Follow the CHAIR test and this should never happen to you!

Every time you undock, check:

• CLONE – Is your clone updated?
• HOSTILES – Are there reds in system? Are they camping the undock?
• AMMO – Did you remember to load ammo into this ship’s cargo bay?
• INSURANCE – Is the ship insured? Is the contract current?
• REPAIR – Have you confirmed the ship is fully repaired?

We live in interesting times.

Recently EVE Online crossed the 300,000 subscriber mark. This has been attributed primarily to the very dramatic disbanding of the Band of Brothers alliance, and the release of the latest expansion Apocrypha which offers an alternative ‘end-game’ for smaller groups of players who feel they may not be able to influence 0.0 warfare but do not consider current PvE content fulfilling.

What this means is there has been a huge influx of new players or previously retired players returning to the game. This has had an explosive effect on some communities but brings with it a new host of challenges.

In order to sustain any group for a long period recruitment must occur, and it must be at least at the same rate as attrition. However, if the experience of the older players does not get passed on to the new, then the group suffers anyway.

This is relevant now more than ever as the influx of excited new players offers a powerful advantage to the people who are able to tap it and turn these new players into lethal pew pew machines, and the potential for disaster if they recruit people who then end up losing or even stealing resources.

On a larger scale, it will be interesting to see what effect this “baby boom” of new pilots will have on the game. At the moment they’re insular (very few young accounts voted in the CSM). Will there be an upcry from these pilots once they get past the early stages and suddenly discover that they will eternally be behind the curve in SP? Will they form new powerblocs looking out for their own interests?

It’s going to be fun to find out.

When faith and freedom come into conflict, can both survive?