tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31622708665071921942024-03-13T04:20:20.274-07:00Big Red GunThe wormholer blog of a member of BRG Corp, the executor corp of Ocularis Inferno.Siobhan MacLearyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08286746951109798454noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3162270866507192194.post-34658214832068716572013-10-28T08:06:00.002-07:002013-10-28T08:25:31.391-07:00Debasing Yourself In ProtestIs, frankly, a bad idea. Ever since the Somer BLINK 'scandal' with the...what was it, the Golden Magnates? Everyone and their mother has gone off the fucking deep end since then. We've got <a href="https://forums.eveonline.com/default.aspx?g=topics&f=2938">all sorts of idiots</a> making 'lottery' posts with the same basic idea: Buy GTC from person's referral link, get ISK. And don't forget the-blogger-formerly-known-as-Poetic-Stanziel quitting EVE over BLINK's 1 Quadrillion prizes, then quickly sliding off the fucking continental shelf into sheer insanity.<br />
<br />
This isn't a healthy reaction by any means. It's just not good for anyone. How does tarring yourself with the same brush accomplish anything besides make you look like an utter dumbass? Honestly. It's like protesting against terrorism by being a terrorist. Not only is it ineffectual, but anyone who would have otherwise listened to you is now deafened to everything you've got to say.<br />
<br />
I agree that the relationship between SomerBlink and CCP is suspiciously incestuous. I don't use Blink anymore myself - mainly because it's a waste of ISK that can be better spent on PvP with KILL or some other wormholer group, but also because, yes, the buying of GTC and getting a kickback on their site that can <i>theoretically</i> be turned into ISK strikes a bit too close to RMT for my comfort. I've dealt with the financial repercussions of it on an alliance level: when a director takes 2B of your SRP, blows it on Blink, then 'returns' the taken money via RMTed ISK...well, let's just say that rather sours me on it.<br />
<br />
Not to say that I was fine with it before, because RMT by its very nature is a risk I was never and will never be willing to take. Plus, selling a billion ISK for $5 does devalue PLEX, which is (along with traditional subscriptions) CCP's primary income source - and this is precisely why all the stupid lottery threads on the forums are absolutely the <i>wrong</i> way to object to Blink's (supposed) RMT practices. Point is, doing this kind of shit is likely to hurt CCP's already shaky finances. And while I'm sure there's a few people out there who would not be bothered by that at all, or might even <b>want</b><i style="font-weight: bold;"> </i>CCP to go bankrupt, I'm reasonably certain that folks like DNSBLACK or the other grognards making those posts don't actually want EVE to die. There's much better reactions to this, such as the ingame riots a la <i>Incarna</i>. Or do any number of things that don't involve sticking a log into your own eye to point out the splinter in someone else's.<br />
<br />
The long and short of it is, if you don't like RMT in any form...why the fuck are you engaging in it as a form of protest?Siobhan MacLearyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08286746951109798454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3162270866507192194.post-72502671932653781892013-06-06T17:05:00.001-07:002013-10-28T08:07:12.297-07:00Not Everyone Likes Mint Chocolate ChipIf you didn't know already, CCP hired <a href="https://twitter.com/mintchiplol">Mintchip</a> to be the DUST 514 Community Representative. A welcome thread was posted on the EVE-O forums as usual, and then a shitstorm ensued. Apparently the rampant misogyny and just general bad behavior got so out of control that the thread was locked with this post:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://i.imgur.com/wStZKRo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="114" src="http://i.imgur.com/wStZKRo.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
The thread was deleted shortly after, but you can find around 30 pages of it on <a href="http://www.eve-search.com/thread/243414-1/page/1">EVE-Search</a>. <b>EDIT: </b>Poetic Stanziel let me know this link is dead. Apparently Chribba used to date Mintchip and he's scrubbed EVE-Search of any Mintchip-related content. To be honest, though, you're not missing much with that thread gone.<br />
<br />
Frankly, that she allegedly sold nude pics of herself for 190bn ISK doesn't matter. It does negatively impact her public perception, which I'd think is important for a Community Representative, but a little more worrying is the Amazon wishlist that she reportedly actively links to, and encourages her Youtube fans to buy things for her from that list.<br />
<br />
It is, first and foremost, in rather poor taste. Secondly, it quietly implies that she can be bought. When coupled with the "190bn ISK for nudes" story, whether it's true or not, you have to ask yourself...what the hell is CCP doing hiring this woman? When people make jokes about selling pictures of breasts to get a job at CCP, or an alliance announces in a Jabber ping that it's time for the "<i>Story of Mintchip Being A Whore" </i>to be told in their publicly accessible Mumble, it's clear that the players of CCP's flagship product have no respect for Mintchip, and since there's a great deal of crossover between EVE and DUST players...<br />
<br />
Who is going to listen to Mintchip without thinking she can be bought? The logic of "She's already sold her body and integrity, why not ask her to unban me if I give her a brand-new mouse?" is bound to run through more than one person's mind.<br />
<br />
Whether or not that logic is accurate is irrelevant; Mintchip has the reputation of a whore and - since EVE players are not immune to the G.I.F.T. - it's likely people will attempt to treat her as one.<br />
<br />
The question that concerns me most is how CCP will react to that sort of thing, whether or not Mintchip disproves the reputation - deserved or undeserved, it's there. CCP has shown they're not afraid to completely censor a thread that's gotten far out of hand, but once you start down that path it's difficult to stop. In regards to female CCP employees, I'm sure Ripley, Punkturis, and others have had to deal with creepy questions or uncomfortable jokes, but the typical sexist bullshit is far less nasty - and easier to deal with - than what I think Mintchip is likely to face.Siobhan MacLearyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08286746951109798454noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3162270866507192194.post-17440794944609517362013-05-10T23:33:00.002-07:002013-10-28T08:07:02.014-07:00Tinfoil HatsCCP needs to add shiny-side-in and shiny-side-out tinfoil hats to EVE.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>The sheer amount of paranoia about EVE is staggering. Every change ever is accompanied by the hue and cry of "CCP is trying to kill [inset piece of game here] to please [large player group of the month]!"<br />
<br />
Just look at the shit about, say, the scanning changes. You'd think it was a massive mistake on the level of Incarna rather than an unfinished feature.<br />
<br />
So, tinfoil hats. Instead of a bounty button on the forums, have a button that will give someone a tinfoil hat. Shiny side direction of your choice. Maybe include a reason area that gets sent to the player in a notification:<br />
<br />
"You have been awarded a [type] Tinfoil Hat for [reason] by [player]!"<br />
<br />
And the hat shows up in their medclone station's inventory.Siobhan MacLearyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08286746951109798454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3162270866507192194.post-3911502806753542852013-04-02T16:50:00.000-07:002013-04-02T16:50:08.001-07:00March Grab BagSo, to start things off, the corp and our friends have mostly moved en masse to a C5 wormhole which we've deemed <i>Nexus</i>. I now fly a freakin' MOROS, and I got to use one to blow up the single POS owned by the people we evicted.<br />
<br />
During the eviction I also lost my brand-new Proteus to an instalock gatecamp manned by [RED10] on the Miroitem gate out of Rancer. Whoops. Lesson: The only time you should take a wormhole-fit T3 through frequently camped areas is either alongside more T3s to back you up or if you intend to lose it.<br />
<br />
Anyway, we've started doing escalations in Nexus, and the sheer amount of cash we pull in, even distributed among 10+ pilots, is mind boggling. I actually spent a few hours doing things with XML and spreadsheets to make a thing that allows us to fairly distribute ISK from said escalations.<br />
<br />
And because of that, I've basically become the alliance's bursar.<br />
<br />
Sadly the spreadsheet isn't always accurate and I've been having to recalculate a lot of the shares once we get the actual money in for the salvage and tags, since the spreadsheet pretty consistently overestimates how much money will come in. I might do some experimenting and see how using sell orders as opposed to buy orders for the calculations works. I'd rather underestimate the amount of ISK each person gets from the loot and send a little extra to the alliance wallet than overestimate and be short by hundreds of millions of ISK.<br />
<br />
I've done that a few times and it is <i>supremely</i> embarrassing to ask for the money back when I can't cover the mistake by taking it out of my cut.<br />
<br />
Of course it doesn't help that E, our CEO and the alliance executor, now gives a couple guys in the alliance who do T3 production what he terms as low-value Sleeper salvage, instead of selling it off for ISK. I need to get a list of what he considers low value Sleeper salvage so I can either convince him that it's not low value - some of the things like Electromechanical Hull Sheetings are underwhelming in low volume but are worth a lot in high volume - or note that those items aren't counted for the purposes of sending people their shares.<br />
<hr />
We've also been juggling the different POSes we use, and my cans o' stuff seem to have been lost in the shuffle. You'd think a couple secure containers tagged with ☼ would be easy to find. However, in the search for them I <i>did</i> find where the low value Sleeper salvage has been getting put, so I know what stuff to remove from my spreadsheet when calculating shares for escalations. I also think I've figured out why there's such a huge discrepancy between the estimated ISK from Sleeper loot and the actual ISK we get - sales tax in trade hubs. I'll need to figure out a way to reliably make the spreadsheet factor that in so we get more accurate estimates.<br />
<hr />
When it comes to the CSM, I'm naturally in support of the "Wormhole 5" - Nathan Jameson, James Arget, Ayeson, Cipreh, and Chitsa Jason. I like Nathan Jameson the most out of those, so he got my endorsement during the pre-election. Unfortunately my alt account hasn't clocked 30 consecutive days of being subbed yet, so I only get one STV ladder this year. I think said ladder will look something like this:<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li>Nathan Jameson</li>
<li>James Arget</li>
<li>Ayeson</li>
<li>Cipreh</li>
<li>Chitsa Jason</li>
<li>Apricot Baby (for giggles)</li>
<li>Psychotic Monk</li>
<li>Sgurd Battersea (unless he pulls out)</li>
<li>Psychobitch</li>
<li>Korvin</li>
<li>Unforgiven Storm</li>
<li>corebloodbrothers</li>
<li>Ali Aras</li>
<li>Mangala Solaris</li>
</ol>
<div>
That's about it for this grab bag post - I'll try to to more focused posts later on this month.</div>
Siobhan MacLearyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08286746951109798454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3162270866507192194.post-72777298829999486552013-03-30T03:10:00.000-07:002013-03-30T03:10:12.762-07:00AWOX'D! Day 3So I started an alt account for this thing Fweddit is running called AWOX'D! It's basically a celebration of their one-year anniversary and it lasts all April.<br />
<br />
Open only to their alliance, of course - I'm eligible because I actually have a toon in Fweddit. I'm going to keep a running log of what I do with the alt each day - Day 1 was spent getting my skill plan set up and sending some ISK from my main account to get him started. Day 2 he just sat around in station while I did stuff on Siobhan and let him train up for his Catalyst. I'm going to need to either find targets with bounties or keep him supplied with a steady trickle of ISK for new Catalysts when he gets blown up by angry corp members.<br />
<br />
Anyway, I started G on an account with 51 days of time and today started establishing his background. That is, assuming the identity of someone who knows nothing about EVE.<br />
<br />
And then I started asking questions in the FNA corp chat. People were surprisingly helpful and responsive to my faux-newb questions.<br />
<br />
Things clearly explained: training time multipliers, that doing the career agents is a Really Good Idea, and that EVE is unlike any other MMO. Good start thus far. Anycase, I'd headed out to Amarr for reasons, so I toodled back to Deepari to run the Career Agent missions. Again. For the second time.<br />
<br />
God, kill me now.<br />
<br />
Anyway, buckling down and doing them later - probably tomorrow, since it's late as hell right now. I still need to finish them on my Fweddit alt, too, and do stuff on Siobhan.<br />
<br />
Busy busy.Siobhan MacLearyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08286746951109798454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3162270866507192194.post-13614948473187964892013-01-29T13:01:00.001-08:002013-01-30T02:08:06.160-08:00Lights in the Sky over Asakai: Coverage ClearinghouseThis is just a quick attempt by yours truly to assemble as much of the coverage of the Battle of Asakai as possible in one place. In no particular order:<br />
<h2>
TheMittani.com</h2>
<div>
<a href="http://themittani.com/news/breaking-massive-super-fight-asakai-lowsec">BREAKING: Massive Super Fight In Asakai Lowsec</a></div>
<div>
<a href="http://themittani.com/media/pretty-lights-video-battle-asakai">Pretty Lights: Video of the Battle of Asakai</a><br />
<a href="http://themittani.com/news/asakai-aftermath-all-over-cobalt-moon">Asakai Aftermath: All Over A Cobalt Moon</a><br />
<h2>
Reddit</h2>
</div>
<div>
<a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/Eve/comments/17d0fw/full_report_of_what_happened_in_asakai_from/">Full report of what happened in Asakai, from someone at the start</a></div>
<div>
<a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/Games/comments/17ebak/eve_online_how_exactly_a_war_can_cost_multiple/c84qb54">EVE Online: Exactly how a war can cost multiple thousands of REAL dollars. (LONG)</a></div>
<div>
<a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/Eve/search?q=asakai&restrict_sr=on">Search for "Asakai" in /r/eve</a></div>
<h2>
EveNews24</h2>
<div>
<a href="http://evenews24.com/2013/01/28/battle-report-video-super-sunday-kicks-off-a-week-earlier-as-the-biggest-eve-fight-in-years-explodes-in-asakai/">BATTLE REPORT + VIDEO: SUPER SUNDAY KICKS OFF A WEEK EARLIER[...].</a></div>
<h2>
CCP Devblogs</h2>
<div>
<a href="http://community.eveonline.com/devblog.asp?a=blog&nbid=74227">A Weekend Of Epic Destruction in EVE Online</a></div>
<div>
<a href="http://community.eveonline.com/devblog.asp?a=blog&nbid=74226">The Battle of Asakai and Poinen Must Burn By The Numbers</a><br />
<h2>
The Penny Arcade Report</h2>
<a href="http://penny-arcade.com/report/editorial-article/planning-for-war-how-the-eve-online-servers-deal-with-a-3000-person-battle">Planning for war: how the EVE Online servers deal with a 3,000 person battle</a><br />
<h2>
PC Gamer</h2>
</div>
<div>
<a href="http://www.pcgamer.com/2013/01/28/eve-online-battle-asakai/">EVE Online’s Battle of Asakai: who was involved, the stakes, and the aftermath</a><br />
<h2>
Mashable</h2>
<a href="http://mashable.com/2013/01/28/eve-online-asakai/">Accidental Click Ignites Insane 3,000-Ship Battle in 'EVE Online'</a><br />
<h2>
VG247</h2>
<a href="http://www.vg247.com/2013/01/29/eve-onlines-battle-of-asakai-had-3000-participants-over-the-weekend/">EVE Online’s Battle of Asakai had 3,000 participants over the weekend</a><br />
<h2>
Eurogamer</h2>
<a href="http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-01-28-eve-online-when-3000-players-collide">Eve Online: when 3000 players collide</a><br />
<h2>
Polygon</h2>
<a href="http://www.polygon.com/2013/1/27/3922136/eve-online-players-wage-a-massive-battle-with-more-than-2800-involved">Eve Online players wage a massive battle with more than 2,800 involved</a><br />
<br /></div>
<div>
More will be added as I come across it or it's brought to my attention.<br />
<br />
E: @meanharri let me know of more coverage on PCGamer, mashable, and so forth. Thanks dude!</div>
Siobhan MacLearyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08286746951109798454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3162270866507192194.post-65574019923965771492013-01-24T02:15:00.003-08:002013-01-24T02:55:58.010-08:00Rabble Rabble<div class="tr_bq">
So, while the rest of the EVE bloggers and the subreddit are busy jizzing themselves over the abortive bloc war between the HBC and the CFC, I'm going to just sit here in my corner and talk about dread blapping and the POS revamp.</div>
<br />
So first, dread blapping. Apparently Two step, CCP, and the CSM as a whole see the ability to fit a dreadnought to kill tiny shit as a problem. They seem to forget the need for a fleet of webbing and target painting subcaps to allow this to happen at all.<br />
<br />
Two step posted this in the <a href="https://forums.eveonline.com/default.aspx?g=posts&m=2482197">forming threadnought</a>:<br />
<br />
<blockquote>
"My issue with dread blapping is that there isn't a counter to it other than "bring more stuff". I am fine with dreads killing caps and battleships, but if I show up in small sig cruisers, dreads shouldn't be dominant.
<br />
<br />
FYI, this isn't something that I just came up with out of thin air, this has been a frequent complaint I have heard from many different corps and alliances. What makes EVE PVP great is that you should always be able to counter a specific fleet setup without just bringing 2x the numbers. That isn't the case with dreads + webs/painters."</blockquote>
To which I respond with a hearty "<i>You are full of shit!</i>" The only mechanic within EVE PvP that currently has no counter is permajamming with ECM. If you're anywhere in high-end wormhole space, you can BET people will be using TD/TP/webs/points/the whole goddamn kitchen sink against you. Wormhole space is fucking cutthroat. People in high-end space use tracking dreads <i>primarily</i> for shooting the fuck out of Sleeper battleships in a timely and (relatively) low risk manner. I say relatively, because it's still wormhole space and while the NPCs might not be able to kill you, someone bigger, meaner, and more prepared is probably watching you right now.<br />
<br />
Paranoia's a way of life in Anoikis.<br />
<br />
People in high-end space use these same dreads to drive off intruders because they're territorial bastards and they will use the biggest, baddest, meanest ships they have to scare you away. A blapping dread has far more of the "oh shit" factor going for it than a pair of T3 cruisers. It's also a statement - "We're so loaded with ISK that yes, we can easily risk multiple billion's worth in ship and fittings to make you <i>run the fuck away</i>."<br />
<br />
Honestly, people. High-end w-space. You're supposed to be smart and resourceful. you <i>know</i> your enemy will use webs and painters to make you easier to shoot. Unless you're jammed out, you can always fight back with tracking disrupting, sensor dampening, and blowing the support fleet to kingdom come.<br />
<br />
Saying there's absolutely no counter whatsoever is patently false, and being mad that people don't roll over when they see [AHARM] on grid is dumb. You jump into someone's home, they'll fight back using all means available.<br />
<br />
You want a good, fair fight? Fucking arrange one.<br />
<br />
That said...if CCP does change it, and they probably will, I won't be mad unless I can't paste Sleepers in C5s anymore. That money goes right to me making things and getting in fights. I'll be really pissed if my income stream is fucked.<br />
<br />
Moving on to the POS revamp...well, not much to be said. The Goonswarm propaganda machine's covered <b>THAT</b> pretty well already, so I'll just say I'm glad it's still happening, if far more slowly than I'd hoped.<br />
<br />
Still, someday...I'd love to have a space city in my wormhome. Dreadnoughts at anchor, smaller ships flying about doing things, and a big damn picture window I can sit behind while I drink a beer, manage my PI, and shoot the shit with my alliance mates.<br />
<br />
I'll just keep dreaming.Siobhan MacLearyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08286746951109798454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3162270866507192194.post-78188036212400438412013-01-20T20:12:00.000-08:002013-01-24T02:55:58.011-08:00BB44 - Transponders, Nerfing Local, Etc.This discussion about removing/nerfing local seems to happen fairly often. Being a wormhole dweller, I personally see no issue with at they very least, making local non-immediate.<br />
<br />
Just as quick recap, in case you don't pay attention: It's happening again, and this time it's become a Blog Banter!<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"The local chat channel provides EVE players with an instant source of intel of who is in the system. With a quick glance you can tell who is in system and what your standings are to them. War targets, hated enemies, friends and corp mates all stand out clearly. Is this right? Should we have access to this intel for free with no work or effort? Should the Local chat channel even exist? Should normal space be more like wormhole space where the Local channel appears empty until someone speaks?"</i></blockquote>
Personally, I like <a href="http://emergentpatroller.blogspot.nl/2013/01/blog-banter-44-local-universe-and-rest.html">EmergentPatroller's idea</a> the best - it changes local to make sense and to be more player-controllable (in nullsec), though the author says that AggressiveLogistics has a <a href="http://aggressivelogistics.wordpress.com/2013/01/18/bb44-transponders-more-than-meets-the-eye/">better implementation</a> of the same basic idea.<br />
<br />
Which, as a plus, doesn't affect wormholes negatively! Though it would be interesting to be able to anchor a transponder array in your POS so that your alliance/corp can see who is in system, but they can't see you.<br />
<br />
Aside from this, I don't have a whole let else to say, except that local as it is helps defuse some of the mystery and danger of EVE, and I'd like to see local change so that people feel that wonder and danger of their first time undocking more often.<br />
<br />
Naturally, the majority of the people who partake in any metagame activity and who play EVE with the expectation seem to be in support of local getting ye olde nerf bat, so that the same information is available but requires work to obtain. I'm sure there's plenty of people who disagree - strenuously. These, unfortunately, tend to be the same people to whom a single red in system means hiding in their holes and waiting for the bad man to go away.<br />
<br />
I call that cowardice. Maybe I'm biased, since after all, I live in a wormhole but then again, every minute of my time spent in w-space is a minute in which I could be dropped on by a hostile gang.<br />
<br />
And I love every minute of it. I wouldn't have it any other way.<br />
<br />
Maybe that's what null needs - the ability for a gang to pass through a system, hunt down targets, and strike out of the blue. Right now, all a safety-minded nullsec dweller has to do to avoid a fight is watch for local to spike and dock up when it does.<br />
<br />
Then again, what do I know? I just regularly hunt down people with d-scan and probes.Siobhan MacLearyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08286746951109798454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3162270866507192194.post-62240435915131983072013-01-19T12:19:00.000-08:002013-01-24T02:55:58.008-08:00HOLY FUCK, FLYABLE JOVE BATTLECRUISERHOLY FUCK HOLY FUCK HOLY FUCK, ARE YOU GUYS <i>SEEING</i> THIS?<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i.imgur.com/ELazgG3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://i.imgur.com/ELazgG3.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://wiggles.gamingradio.net/blog/?p=386">Screencap by DJ Wiggly</a> | <a href="http://i.imgur.com/ELazgG3.jpg">Full Size</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
THAT right there, ladies and mentlegen, is the <b>first Jove ship that players get to fly</b>. To my knowledge at any rate. This thing is a wormholer's goddamned <i>wet dream</i>. 25% damage bonuses across the board to <i>all</i> medium-size weapon systems. 50% bonus to drone hitpoints and damage. 37.5% increase to probe scan strength.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i.imgur.com/m1MYNYK.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://i.imgur.com/m1MYNYK.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://wiggles.gamingradio.net/blog/?p=386">Screencap by DJ Wiggly</a> | <a href="http://i.imgur.com/m1MYNYK.jpg">Full Size</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Now, look at this thing's fitting: 444 CPU, 1200 (!) PG, 400 Calibration. 6/6/6 slots, with 5 turrets <i>or</i> launchers.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i.imgur.com/HPet8YA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://i.imgur.com/HPet8YA.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://wiggles.gamingradio.net/blog/?p=386">Screencap by DJ Wiggly</a> | <a href="http://i.imgur.com/HPet8YA.jpg">Full Size</a><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://wiggles.gamingradio.net/blog/?p=386">Screencap by DJ Wiggly</a> | <a href="http://i.imgur.com/S4EfzbY.jpg">Full Size</a></td></tr>
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And now the stats, oh god, the stats. 4k/4k/4k across the board, with 27.5% omni shield and 32.5% omni armor.<br />
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I need to go plug this shit into PYFA. And change my pants.Siobhan MacLearyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08286746951109798454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3162270866507192194.post-10366845617316881812013-01-03T00:12:00.002-08:002013-01-24T02:55:58.003-08:00Remember That We Are EVE<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/awesome/comments/15uq8y/simon_pegg_on_being_a_geek/">Simon Pegg on Being a Geek</a></td></tr>
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I ran across this today while clicking the "Random" button on Reddit. Being a self-described geek, it resonated with me a lot, and I felt like checking out the comments. Naturally, someone quoted and linked to John Scalzi's excellent post "<a href="http://whatever.scalzi.com/2012/07/26/who-gets-to-be-a-geek-anyone-who-wants-to-be/">Who Gets To Be A Geek?</a>" It is something I think everyone should read, especially with Fanfest 2013 quickly approaching. The most important thing to take from the post is this:
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"Geekdom is a nation with open borders."</blockquote>
That's something that applies to EVE players, too - joining this throng of 450,000 people is joining a community of geeks, of people who all enjoy the same thing: Playing EVE Online. Maybe in different ways, but at the root of every playstyle from the oft-derided hisec carebear to the ~elite PVP~-obsessed Russian nullsecker lies the fact that everyone who plays this game does so because they enjoy it. And because of that, we are the people who represent EVE, moreso than anyone at CCP.<br />
<br />
Everyone who plays EVE is an ambassador, even - yes - a stakeholder in the game. And the most important part of being an ambassador is to reinforce that whole "nation with open borders" thing - to make New Eden a place people WANT TO BE.<br />
<br />
So I have a challenge for everyone. It just lasts until Fanfest is over. Here it is: Act like an Ambassador.<br />
<br />
What's that mean? Well, it means putting your best foot forward when talking about EVE. It means less denigration of people who play EVE differently than you but enjoy it just as much. It means not letting the CSM Chairman make an ass of himself, no matter how drunk he is! It means cultivating newbies and fast-tracking them to the part of the game that they want to experience.<br />
<br />
Why should we do this? Well, frankly, enlightened self interest - if the EVE community as whole makes an effort to make EVE itself more attractive to people who don't already play it, then that's more people to shoot, scam, and steal from. It means more of what we love.<br />
<br />
And that's something I think we can all agree on.Siobhan MacLearyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08286746951109798454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3162270866507192194.post-39820835596678298292012-12-18T13:33:00.003-08:002013-01-24T02:55:58.007-08:00Pop 'n' SplatterKilling a Drake pilot and then catching the pod. Always feels good.<br />
<br />
Pod <a href="http://eve-kill.net/?a=kill_detail&kll_id=15569835">killmail</a>.<br />
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Drake <a href="http://eve-kill.net/?a=kill_detail&kll_id=15569836">killmail</a>.Siobhan MacLearyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08286746951109798454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3162270866507192194.post-23232723463085577952012-12-14T06:11:00.000-08:002013-01-24T02:55:58.005-08:00F&I: Please Do Your HomeworkI spend a lot of time poking around in the F&I section of the EVE forums. While there's a lot of great ideas - Drone UI revamps, making PI optionally more complex as well as more profitable, "Pocket Dreads", the list goes on - there are many decent ideas that are hamstrung by a lack of research. And there are a ludicrous amount of simply terrible ideas like "Wormhole Stabilizers".<br />
<br />
But the focus of this post is that middle class of F&I, the idea that is, in general, fairly good, but happens to be completely hamstrung by a lack of proper research.<br />
<br />
Case in point: <a href="https://forums.eveonline.com/default.aspx?g=posts&m=2321877" target="_blank">Someone just suggested an XL Shield Extender</a> to help close the gap between the potential EHP of shield and armor tanked ships. While personally, I believe that shield tanking is just fine due to the front-loaded nature of shield reps and local recharge, it's nice to have options.<br />
<br />
The problem with this idea is that, frankly, it's poorly researched and poorly thought out. In an attempt to be civil, I didn't say this in <a href="https://forums.eveonline.com/default.aspx?g=posts&m=2321877#post2321877" target="_blank">my post</a>, but it's basically like the OP thought about it for two seconds then spewed out what he thought was a good idea without doing any research or consideration of how this module will be used and abused - and admit it, we abuse the shit out of everything in this game.<br />
<br />
Really, people. If you're going to suggest something, at least take the time to consider how it compares to what already exists ingame as well as how it will likely be used by your fellow capsuleers. It's an extra ten minutes. Tops.<br />
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It'd also be nice if you at least tried to use proper English, or made a note of your inability to do so due to it not being your native language or due to disabilities such as dyslexia.<br />
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It really is hard to take people seriously when they shit out a post like they're texting their BFFs and OMG did you see her hair and ugh.<br />
<br />
Please.<br />
<br />
At least try.<br />
<br />Siobhan MacLearyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08286746951109798454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3162270866507192194.post-15326960903448497972012-12-12T04:13:00.001-08:002013-01-24T02:55:58.004-08:00First Post, First KillSeems fitting to me. To tell the truth, this isn't the first thing I've killed, but it's the first ship I've killed that <i>I</i> received the killmail for. It also helps that I actually remember what happened due to an excellent log kept by my alliance member, who I'll call C for now.<br />
<br />
For context, I recently (as in, no more than week before the events of this post) bought and fitted out a PVP Proteus. The fit is based on <a href="http://eve.battleclinic.com/loadout/52158-PvP-Proteus.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">this</a> Battleclinic fit.<br />
<br />
I know, I know. Battleclinic, ew, right?<br />
<br />
However, I did say <i>based on</i>. Not copied verbatim. I don't have any Faction/Deadspace gear right now, nor do I have T2 guns. My fit differs in that I trade an EANM for an Armor Layering Membrane II and the 1600 Plate for a Capacitor Power Relay II.<br />
<br />
In general, our alliance treats any ship we don't recognize on d-scan as hostile. Fairly paar for the course given we live in wormhole space.<br />
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<h4>
The Battlelog</h4>
<div>
At <i>22:19</i>, Judas and Shawnakthx notice a Caracal on D-scan.<i> </i>C logs in and announces in our alliance intel channel that he is going to pop probes.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
<i>22:23</i> : Judas tells C to wait to pop probes as there may be a Caracal in system. C switches to a Helios, warps to his safe cloaked, and begins using d-scan to pin down where this Caracal might be while forming a fleet and getting into voice comms.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
At <i>22:29</i>, C sends a Jabber ping calling for PVP pilots to log in. One minute later, myself, B, and Alex are ingame, in fleet, and on comms. Talk about response time. By this time, C has pinned down the Caracal - and his alt in a Drake - at a POCO, sitting AFK and letting their shields recharge since they had been running sites.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
<i>22:33</i> : C warps, cloaked and at range, to the POCO while myself, Judas, Shawn, and Alex warp in with guns hot. I'm first to arrive, and I'm oriented poorly - I'm on the other side of the POCO from the targets but well within my 31km point range. I instantly lock both ships and get point on the Caracal while MWD burning directly towards it to get into optimal for my guns.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Oops - instead of intercepting the Caracal, I bounce off the POCO. Thinking quickly, I manually pilot off the POCO then turn to intercept the Caracal, who has - finally - begun shooting back. As the rest of the fleet lands on field, the Drake skedaddles before anyone else can lock and point him. Shrugging, we turn our attention to the Caracal and ignore the warped-off Drake, whose pilot has undoubtedly pissed himself.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Once I get close to being in range, I switch off my MWD and close the last few kilometers at normal speed, then orbit the webbed and pointed Caracal at 5km, pouring basic T1 Antimatter M into his ship.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Two minutes later, at <i>22:35</i>, the Caracal is dead, and we scramble to lock the pod, which unfortunately warps away and bails out to wherever he came from.</div>
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<br /></div>
<h4>
Analyzing the Fight</h4>
<div>
First, the <a href="http://eve-kill.net/?a=kill_detail&kll_id=15487076" target="_blank">killmail</a>. A well-fit Caracal, though a dead giveaway that 0rbiter wasn't expecting a fight. With 2 empty lows and an empty rig slot, he wasn't making the best use of his fitting options to maximize his ship's effectiveness. He could have put on an extra BCS to improve damage, added a Shield Power Relay to boost the recharge rate of his shields, and tacked on an Anti-thermal Screen Reinforcer to plug the hole in his resists. The sense backup array is an interesting touch - Sleepers don't use ECM, so I'm not sure what he thought he was going to need it for. Maybe to fight against ECM boat jamming, but that didn't seem to do much for him.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Note that Sleepless Patroller on the killmail - this meant he was running sites in the wormhole, and that 22k damage means he had a decent tank. Since his presence was noted 16 minutes before the kill, he had more than enough time - at ~50.5 HP/s of shield recharge - to be back up at full health before I beat his nose in. I don't know whether it was his tank or the Drake's tank that broke first, but since they both warped to the same spot within meters of each other, it's a reasonable assumption that this was one guy dualboxing, and that his Drake alt likely had worse fitting skills. Especially awesome is that 0rbiter's last recorded loss was in 2008, and eve-kill knows of nothing else between then and now.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The best part all this is that he never got me past 75% shields, at a rough guess. Had the Drake stuck around, I'm sure this fight would have taken longer, though whether it would have had the same result or not is a mystery to me.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h4>
Lessons Learned</h4>
<div>
0rbiter learned not to intrude on an occupied wormhole. Hopefully he keeps a closer eye on D-scan next time, since the wormhole system is small enough that you can get a 360 max range scan from just about anywhere and not miss much.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I learned that point > web, especially if you're going to be the first on field. And fitted as I am, I'm pretty likely to always be first on field. Someone else can always web targets, but I have a 62km diameter sphere in which I can get tackle on someone and make them STAY, so 2 points is a more effective fit. The only exception to this is if I'm expecting a solo fight, in which the point/web combo is more useful.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
I'll also be keeping a medium armor rep, that omitted 1600 plate, and a webber in my hold so I can more easily refit to tackle different situations. The 1600 plate is likely to take the place of the cap power relay, since bumping my EHP from 42k to 90k is worth an extra 2 seconds of align time and a speed reduction of ~100m/s. I can always offline it if needed, anyway.</div>
Siobhan MacLearyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08286746951109798454noreply@blogger.com0