Recently I've moved to a different region of space. The decision to do so was based on a desire to meet another player whose blog I've been reading and have been a fan of. It is true that a region isn't required to hail another player as I could've added any player as a buddy contact and open a conversation at any time. But out of enthusiasm to meet the writer whose blog that I've been reading I had felt that it was necessary in order to uphold pure fandom.
The issue of traversing the interstellar warp portals wasn't an automatic decision. Readers familiar with my body of work recognize and hopefully identify with my apprehensive nature in entering lower security spaces. However to get to Korsiki I would have to make eighteen warp jumps, four of which were of a security rating of .3 so that was something to consider. Since those four systems were in the latter half of my journey I knew that it would be okay to step away from my PC and get a pot of coffee going.
Once I returned to my PC with a cup of fresh brew I saw that those .3 systems were two jumps away. That was fortunate to have caught them as I had yet to verify if there were any problems to be aware of. It wasn't until I was at the precipice of my final jump into the low security systems that I stopped my auto-pilot and pulled up the map of the galaxy. It is important to check for any ships destroyed and can be done so through the information that can be gleamed from the map. First, I check to see if there has been any ships destroyed in the last hour, all four had none. A second and in a certain way redundant check was to see if any pods were destroyed in the last hour, again there were none. And finally I checked for the number of warp jumps made within the last hour, of which the four systems had some but nothing worth noting. By this time I felt that it was safe to go continue my trek. As my shipped warped into each system I kept my eye on the local channel. With each jump it became clear that there was minimal activity in each system.
During one particular jump between systems I saw something for the first time. As my Thorax was flying through the warp tunnel between star systems there was another space traveler in my warp tunnel. That was very exciting for me to see that as we had both independently chosen this particular route to fly and coincidentally warped at the same time and shared the same path.
So eventually I made it to Korsiki and got through unchallenged. So now that I've made it to this system where is this EVE blog writer that I've admired. At the time of arrival she wasn't online. So while waiting I wanted to kill time through completing missions. As I was new to this region of space there were not many agents who could offer me a job. In an adjacent system there was a couple of level 1 mission agents who did offer me work, and although they were delivery missions I took them anyhow. So that leads me to the whole point of this write-up.
My cruiser class ship Thorax without any speed accelerator fittings is relatively slow. Although I'd love to have it pimped with a Micro-Warp Drive (MWD), to have one fitted with the rest of my fittings would use up too much CPU and power. Instead I have a simple afterburner that increases my speed by about 1.5 times the base speed. So you can imagine that I'm quite sarcastic when I say that I'm giddy with excitement when I accept delivery missions.
As I warped to the pick-up point I asked the help channel about which Gallente ship would make the best cigarette boat. The unanimous choice by the responders was the Taranis. After reviewing the needed skills to pilot a taranis, I then changed my training to accommodate the necessary requirements to be able to pilot such a craft.
Two days ago I had finished getting one of my required skills to level 5, and now I'm doing the same to Engineering. As it'll take 19 days to complete I've got a bit over two weeks remaining to complete that training. Since I had canceled my auto payment to play EVE by now my monthly subscription has ended. This isn't the first time that I've canceled a subscription to EVE, and won't be the last. In another month or so I'll rejoin the game and move forward again as I'll continue training for piloting a battleship.
So that ladies and gentleman is where I'm at in the galaxy of EVE Online. I'll see you again someday, at which time I'll continue my writing on my experiences in what is a very deep and challenging game.
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Monday, July 9, 2007
:: the art of staying alive, by gary tzu ::
Long overlooked and mentioned only in passing by older brother Sun, The Art Of Staying Alive, by Gary Tzu is a celebration in covering your ass. You don't believe me, look it up. This ten volume compendium has saved my rear on numerous occasions. The latest battle strategy that I've been employing has been paying dividends in spades. Thanks, Gary!
Okay, so I'm fibbing a little about a fictitious series written by a non-existent persona. However I have seen the light on what battle tactics works for me and my Thorax, so I'll be sticking with it. The strategy that I've been using is nothing new by any standards, but it's something that is new to me.
Up to the point where I changed battle tactics my modus operandi has been to charge headfirst into battle, guns roaring as I look to take suckas down in a blaze of glory. In level 1 missions that generally worked, as long as you identified mobs and culled them accordingly. They were also thin on shields and armor, so it didn't take too long to eliminate your targets. Once you start on level 2 missions there was a different story. Your targets are bigger now, as they too are piloting frigates and cruisers. My cruiser, a Thorax class, wasn't lasting too long in the middle of a fray with lasers, projectiles and missiles hammering me into submission. Most times I'd warp out of the fight to repair in dry dock that often times tallied up to a hefty fee that cut into my mission profits. At that time I thought to myself, how can I perform these missions without incurring a loss?
Then it dawned on me to start being smarter on the fights. Start adjusting for optimal firing ranges with the use of tactical overlays. Keep your targets at those optimal ranges and keep your guns firing. There are two preset ranges that you could adjust for to keep an enemy at a marked distance or within orbit range.
With five hard point turrets filled I made those adjustments to what I had armed. For my primary tactic I wanted to keep a distance of 18 kilometers. This was the range that both of my long range laser turrets could reach (one could reach 20 km, but the other was at 18 km). Should my targets get close to within 3500 meters, I could then fire upon them with my two projectile turrets while simultaneously sucking their energy to add to mine with my Nosferatu turret. If there were a limited amount of targets I would change from keeping at a distance to orbiting my targets. To aid me in battle are my four drones. Because my avatar's race is Gallente, I got a bit of an offensive boost by utilizing those little robots.
With that strategy in mind I performed my first well played mission where this type of tactic was immensely helpful. As I warped in to where the targets were located I saw that there were about ten of them. As I approached the closest mob at 60 km distance I was able to target up to five of them. As they got within 30 km I sent my four drones in to start attacking the targeted ship. Once that ship got within 20 km I start firing my long range laser. As my ship got to within 18 km distance it automatically did an about face and started cruising away from my target at which time I began firing my second long range laser on the target. It didn't take too long before the laser barrage exploded my target. Once that explosion took place the next target was selected, I then hit my keep at 18 km distance key, engaged my drones and then started firing both of my lasers. With each following target, wash, rinse, repeat.
During the battle as two or three ships were destroyed more pirate ships joined the fray and they too were reduced to confetti. Before I knew it I had left a trail of carnage as over thirty ships floated as wreckage. It took considerable time to salvage whatever I could hold before warping out to claim my rewards for a successful mission. What was my lesson learned from this exercise? It's okay to duck 'n run as long as you've got the long range guns to keep the fray at a leisurely distance. Even my shields barely broke a sweat as I was hardly scathed in the bloodshed. It was another remarkable day in the neighborhood.
Okay, so I'm fibbing a little about a fictitious series written by a non-existent persona. However I have seen the light on what battle tactics works for me and my Thorax, so I'll be sticking with it. The strategy that I've been using is nothing new by any standards, but it's something that is new to me.
Up to the point where I changed battle tactics my modus operandi has been to charge headfirst into battle, guns roaring as I look to take suckas down in a blaze of glory. In level 1 missions that generally worked, as long as you identified mobs and culled them accordingly. They were also thin on shields and armor, so it didn't take too long to eliminate your targets. Once you start on level 2 missions there was a different story. Your targets are bigger now, as they too are piloting frigates and cruisers. My cruiser, a Thorax class, wasn't lasting too long in the middle of a fray with lasers, projectiles and missiles hammering me into submission. Most times I'd warp out of the fight to repair in dry dock that often times tallied up to a hefty fee that cut into my mission profits. At that time I thought to myself, how can I perform these missions without incurring a loss?
Then it dawned on me to start being smarter on the fights. Start adjusting for optimal firing ranges with the use of tactical overlays. Keep your targets at those optimal ranges and keep your guns firing. There are two preset ranges that you could adjust for to keep an enemy at a marked distance or within orbit range.
With five hard point turrets filled I made those adjustments to what I had armed. For my primary tactic I wanted to keep a distance of 18 kilometers. This was the range that both of my long range laser turrets could reach (one could reach 20 km, but the other was at 18 km). Should my targets get close to within 3500 meters, I could then fire upon them with my two projectile turrets while simultaneously sucking their energy to add to mine with my Nosferatu turret. If there were a limited amount of targets I would change from keeping at a distance to orbiting my targets. To aid me in battle are my four drones. Because my avatar's race is Gallente, I got a bit of an offensive boost by utilizing those little robots.
With that strategy in mind I performed my first well played mission where this type of tactic was immensely helpful. As I warped in to where the targets were located I saw that there were about ten of them. As I approached the closest mob at 60 km distance I was able to target up to five of them. As they got within 30 km I sent my four drones in to start attacking the targeted ship. Once that ship got within 20 km I start firing my long range laser. As my ship got to within 18 km distance it automatically did an about face and started cruising away from my target at which time I began firing my second long range laser on the target. It didn't take too long before the laser barrage exploded my target. Once that explosion took place the next target was selected, I then hit my keep at 18 km distance key, engaged my drones and then started firing both of my lasers. With each following target, wash, rinse, repeat.
During the battle as two or three ships were destroyed more pirate ships joined the fray and they too were reduced to confetti. Before I knew it I had left a trail of carnage as over thirty ships floated as wreckage. It took considerable time to salvage whatever I could hold before warping out to claim my rewards for a successful mission. What was my lesson learned from this exercise? It's okay to duck 'n run as long as you've got the long range guns to keep the fray at a leisurely distance. Even my shields barely broke a sweat as I was hardly scathed in the bloodshed. It was another remarkable day in the neighborhood.
Friday, July 6, 2007
:: ya storyline, ya! ::
Like a stubborn mule the EVE storyline can be a bit cantankerous. When that happens my chaps tend to bunch as I'm pulling my ten gallon hat over my head with my fiery red mustache dropping around my wee 'lil boots. Okay, maybe I'm no Yosemite Sam, but I can emulate his propensity towards uttering objectionable blasphemy.
For the longest time now I've been stuck with no new storyline missions becoming available. That changed recently as I logged in one evening to find a letter waiting for me to read. It was an invitation to accept a quest from a storyline agent. Naturally the offer could not be accepted over the radio signals. I would have to fly to the system where I'd find the space station that the agent worked out of to accept her offer.
A benefit that is built in mission offers is asking for more detail. With that in mind I was able to review what was needed. As it turned out my faction needed additional resources to support the war effort. Fortunately for me the station that I was moored in had the resources that was needed for the job. What became quickly evident was that although I've got a cruiser with plenty of storage for a fighting vessel I had barely enough space for the full load. So after dropping off my cargo I barely squeezed in the minerals that was needed for the storyline mission. Huzzah! So like an unburdened Han Solo, I then left with my cargo on rendezvous with my agent.
As I arrived at the storyline agents station I docked and then started a conversation with the agent. As the offer was made I quickly accepted. Next I had opened my cargo hold along with the stations item drop window to which I moved the minerals into. After that was completed I started another conversation with the storyline agent, who gave me a nice reward for my efforts, or lack thereof.
Now that I've completed that storyline mission, I'm left wondering what's next? My play time was so long between storyline missions that I don't know where I'm at and where the story is unfolding to next. Another question that I've got is whether my previous actions with a different type of agent prompted the storyline agent to become available? Up until now I've been performing missions for agents who are identified as security related. Just prior to the storyline agent I had several quests for a merchant agent. Hmm...this just may be a case for Mystery, Inc.
For the longest time now I've been stuck with no new storyline missions becoming available. That changed recently as I logged in one evening to find a letter waiting for me to read. It was an invitation to accept a quest from a storyline agent. Naturally the offer could not be accepted over the radio signals. I would have to fly to the system where I'd find the space station that the agent worked out of to accept her offer.
A benefit that is built in mission offers is asking for more detail. With that in mind I was able to review what was needed. As it turned out my faction needed additional resources to support the war effort. Fortunately for me the station that I was moored in had the resources that was needed for the job. What became quickly evident was that although I've got a cruiser with plenty of storage for a fighting vessel I had barely enough space for the full load. So after dropping off my cargo I barely squeezed in the minerals that was needed for the storyline mission. Huzzah! So like an unburdened Han Solo, I then left with my cargo on rendezvous with my agent.
As I arrived at the storyline agents station I docked and then started a conversation with the agent. As the offer was made I quickly accepted. Next I had opened my cargo hold along with the stations item drop window to which I moved the minerals into. After that was completed I started another conversation with the storyline agent, who gave me a nice reward for my efforts, or lack thereof.
Now that I've completed that storyline mission, I'm left wondering what's next? My play time was so long between storyline missions that I don't know where I'm at and where the story is unfolding to next. Another question that I've got is whether my previous actions with a different type of agent prompted the storyline agent to become available? Up until now I've been performing missions for agents who are identified as security related. Just prior to the storyline agent I had several quests for a merchant agent. Hmm...this just may be a case for Mystery, Inc.
Monday, July 2, 2007
:: first pod ::
How can I go from one post and within minutes follow up with a diatribe on my first pod?
First, allow me to explain what it means to be podded. In EVE Online as a captain of your own space faring vessel you are traveling through a precarious environment where there is potential for danger. Warping between star systems is a daily necessity as you get to places that you need to be. So next we have to understand how security ratings are applied to those systems.
Each solar system has a security rating of 1 down to 0, with 1 being the safest and 0 being lawless. It becomes even more granular as you subtract a tenth of a point with areas of .5 up to 1 being safe and .4 down to 0 being downright inhospitable. Outside the fringes of the law is where space pirates can band together to bully, coerce, and extort something out of you. Hopefully through cooperation you’ll be spared your ship and your life. However if anything occurs to you like they had for me then the best that you could hope for is good insurance and a clone.
As I got back into the game of EVE Online I needed to brush up on some rusty playing skills. So the first activity that I did was head out into a systems asteroid belt hoping for some action. Luckily I found some NPC pirates who were more than adequate to re-familiarize myself with the controls of the game as I deployed my drones to shred through the pirate vessels as I tore massive holes through their cans with my ships guns. What next, I asked myself. What kind of action can I find out there that’ll really get my juices flowing? In an attempt to answer that I pulled up my map of the galaxy and searched for systems where ships had been destroyed. A nearby star called Rancer showed several ships being blown up within the last hour. Rancer has a 0.4 security rating. Ooh, sounds like adventure calling my name. Oh Anjo, come out and play buddy-boy!
A few warp hops later I was at the edge of the final warp station that’ll get me over to the Rancer solar system. Guns fully loaded with ammo? Check! Flux capacitor fluxing? Check! Cancelled the 3-ring circus and secured all animals in the zoo? Check! (okay, those last two checks didn’t really happen, but maybe they should’ve in order to avert a total unmitigated disaster). I warped in. Rancer, here I come!
Upon initial arrival my ship is in a stealth state. Whether that means I’m totally imperceptible or not I’m still not certain. What I did know with utter certainty was that just off my port bow was half-a-dozen pirates. They were real pirates too, as in real people captaining their crates. They were as real as their jolly-roger orange icon indicated and I had just entered a world of hurt.
I heard their first salvo before I felt it, and when I did feel it my ship was rocked with an earth shattering rumble and my shields went instantly red. A second volley of missiles slammed into me as I came about, hoping to warp away. This time, without shields, half my armor was stripped. Not good, not good at all. I imagine my virtual avatar losing his cool. He's frantic as he's flooring his warp accelerator pedal with a lead foot as more shots pepper him with projectiles and beam weapons that slice ‘n dice his crate into bite size little pieces. My jaw drop as I realize that I’m going nowhere, they’ve locked onto me and prevented me from warping away. I’m toast.
I watch as my ship exploded around me. What was left was my little avatar, floating there in a little pod. Although I may have lost my ship at a financial loss, at least I didn’t lose my life. These honorable and noble pirates who follow the code surely won’t destroy my little pod, will they? No such luck. Once again I hear them before I feel them and when those missiles hit I find my character returned to life as a clone. I’ve been podded.
After reviewing the mail that came in I’m seeing notices of reimbursement for losing my ship. Insurance rocks. I also retained all of my skills to that point because the quality of my clone returned all of those points.
Another couple pieces of mail notified me of the involved pirates who destroyed my ship and then destroyed my pod. Those pirates were from a corporation called Kleptomaniacs, and they are as it turned out quite good at what they do. They’ve got a post on their kill site that records their destruction of my ship. Although I do have thirty days to retaliate with kill rights, I won’t do so. Without the strength of a corporation to back me up my efforts would be futile. The only unanswered question that I got is, where do they get those wonderful toys?
First, allow me to explain what it means to be podded. In EVE Online as a captain of your own space faring vessel you are traveling through a precarious environment where there is potential for danger. Warping between star systems is a daily necessity as you get to places that you need to be. So next we have to understand how security ratings are applied to those systems.
Each solar system has a security rating of 1 down to 0, with 1 being the safest and 0 being lawless. It becomes even more granular as you subtract a tenth of a point with areas of .5 up to 1 being safe and .4 down to 0 being downright inhospitable. Outside the fringes of the law is where space pirates can band together to bully, coerce, and extort something out of you. Hopefully through cooperation you’ll be spared your ship and your life. However if anything occurs to you like they had for me then the best that you could hope for is good insurance and a clone.
As I got back into the game of EVE Online I needed to brush up on some rusty playing skills. So the first activity that I did was head out into a systems asteroid belt hoping for some action. Luckily I found some NPC pirates who were more than adequate to re-familiarize myself with the controls of the game as I deployed my drones to shred through the pirate vessels as I tore massive holes through their cans with my ships guns. What next, I asked myself. What kind of action can I find out there that’ll really get my juices flowing? In an attempt to answer that I pulled up my map of the galaxy and searched for systems where ships had been destroyed. A nearby star called Rancer showed several ships being blown up within the last hour. Rancer has a 0.4 security rating. Ooh, sounds like adventure calling my name. Oh Anjo, come out and play buddy-boy!
A few warp hops later I was at the edge of the final warp station that’ll get me over to the Rancer solar system. Guns fully loaded with ammo? Check! Flux capacitor fluxing? Check! Cancelled the 3-ring circus and secured all animals in the zoo? Check! (okay, those last two checks didn’t really happen, but maybe they should’ve in order to avert a total unmitigated disaster). I warped in. Rancer, here I come!
Upon initial arrival my ship is in a stealth state. Whether that means I’m totally imperceptible or not I’m still not certain. What I did know with utter certainty was that just off my port bow was half-a-dozen pirates. They were real pirates too, as in real people captaining their crates. They were as real as their jolly-roger orange icon indicated and I had just entered a world of hurt.
I heard their first salvo before I felt it, and when I did feel it my ship was rocked with an earth shattering rumble and my shields went instantly red. A second volley of missiles slammed into me as I came about, hoping to warp away. This time, without shields, half my armor was stripped. Not good, not good at all. I imagine my virtual avatar losing his cool. He's frantic as he's flooring his warp accelerator pedal with a lead foot as more shots pepper him with projectiles and beam weapons that slice ‘n dice his crate into bite size little pieces. My jaw drop as I realize that I’m going nowhere, they’ve locked onto me and prevented me from warping away. I’m toast.
I watch as my ship exploded around me. What was left was my little avatar, floating there in a little pod. Although I may have lost my ship at a financial loss, at least I didn’t lose my life. These honorable and noble pirates who follow the code surely won’t destroy my little pod, will they? No such luck. Once again I hear them before I feel them and when those missiles hit I find my character returned to life as a clone. I’ve been podded.
After reviewing the mail that came in I’m seeing notices of reimbursement for losing my ship. Insurance rocks. I also retained all of my skills to that point because the quality of my clone returned all of those points.
Another couple pieces of mail notified me of the involved pirates who destroyed my ship and then destroyed my pod. Those pirates were from a corporation called Kleptomaniacs, and they are as it turned out quite good at what they do. They’ve got a post on their kill site that records their destruction of my ship. Although I do have thirty days to retaliate with kill rights, I won’t do so. Without the strength of a corporation to back me up my efforts would be futile. The only unanswered question that I got is, where do they get those wonderful toys?
:: first post ::
Now I haven't written a blog before but I thought that this is as good a place to start as any.
In the following blog I'll record my experiences as I play through EVE Online.
What is EVE Online?
So now my dear readers, I present you my web log as I take this jaunt through a virtual universe.
In the following blog I'll record my experiences as I play through EVE Online.
What is EVE Online?
EVE is a massive multiplayer online game (MMOG) set in a science-fiction based, persistent world. Players take the role of spaceship pilots seeking fame, fortune, and adventure in a huge, complex, exciting, and sometimes hostile galaxy.
So now my dear readers, I present you my web log as I take this jaunt through a virtual universe.
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