I was beyond surprised, and elated, to find out about the Learning Skills going the way of the Dinosaur. Huzzah! Score one for common sense!
I was also extremely happy to hear that all 1 million skillpoints I have in Learning can be put towards anything I want ^_^ See, I recently (yesterday) acquired Cruiser V, and Logistics III. Unfortunately for my 70km scimitar (2 Large Shield Transporter II's, AB II, and 2 Invuln II's as the cap suckers), I will require Logistics V to be cap stable. I mean, If you're a Logistics, you're only purpose is to constantly repair shields, and relying on cap charges just won't do the trick. It can extend that 1 minute out to 5, I guess, but cap stable is where you really want to be because:
1) you're a logistics, constantly repping
2) you're 70k away, meaning you really want that AB going to keep in range if people start moving away
3) If you do get targeted, you need the invulns to buy you time to get away while repping your mates
4) God forbid an Arazu comes along, but you'll need that AB to make it out of scram range while repping your mates and tanking some incoming fire
I would have liked to pump those Skillpoints into Battlecruiser V, but, you know, if you can't fly a ship half decently you really shouldn't, so Logistics really needs it. I can spend a month on Battlecruiser V if I can get Logistics V up first, as it's generally more useful in fleet engagements than if it weren't.
In other news, my EVE break is (obviously) over. Guess I was feeling EVE'd out, and I just took a 2 week vacation. I did play some Starcraft 2, but not as much as you might suspect. There was alot of Real Life stuff that took place that interfered, not to mention keeping up on those SC2 tournaments, like MLG Raleigh and Dallas, and then Dreamhack (very recent). Since my EVE break is over though, I will be moving some assets to low sec, generally being a pirate, maybe some slight slight slight mission running out there. Unless a war comes along like tomorrow, this will happen, becaues high sec without war is just mission running, industry, and trade. Not exactly the glory days I was looking for if you know what I mean.
At the moment I have no idea what changed/has happened with the corp, but my guess will be very little as there appear to be no corp mails stacked up in my inbox, which is the sort of thing that usually happens in my experience when the corp is taking a drastic change or moving immediately towards a new goal.
Monday, November 29, 2010
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Decisions Decisions
After reading some of the other blogs I follow (two in particular (name1, name2)), and agreeing with their analyses, I find myself wondering how EVE will continue to grow, much less keep current players.
Null sec has become super cap city. PvP is relegated for those with a downpayment of almost a year of playtime. Industry is more work than play and still requires at least a month commitment.
It's no wonder I find myself playing Starcraft 2 more than EVE lately. Starcraft is, put simply, more fun, and more challenging. It's not to say that EVE is a bad game, but it could be better.
And so lately I've found myself hardly logging on at all. Is it even fun anymore?
And after a little thinking, and not playing, I find myself realizing this: High Sec no longer interests me at all. Without wardecs, all that's left in high sec is trade, industry, research, mining, and missioning. With the recent Starcraft 2 playtime I've got, I'm finding 1v1 or PvP in general much more fulfilling, useful, and fun, than PvE.
So, if PvP is what it's going to take, then I have one of two options: 1) Engage in constant low/null roams alone or with buddies 2) join Factional Warfare 3) move to low sec and remain in the current corp 4) change corps to a low-sec or null sec corp.
The way I see it, 4) isn't entirely appetizing simply because of the ditching friends issue. 1) could work, but I feel it will rather quickly lead to 3), which precludes me from taking part in wars that involve high sec without sever ratting to increase my security status, and for 2) to happen, I need to stop training Truen1ght and train Anjali, like I promised.
Since the corp is currently going on low sec roams every week, I think I can hold off long enough to get Anjali trained up to interceptor and have her join Factional Warfare.
I suppose I could hop on Morrdack a bit more, but I don't know, something feels a bit off about it right now...it could just be that Morrdack has been inactive for a good while, but it could also be that when I do hop on, seems like no one else is. It's a bit strange, but I suppose I should expect that from an alt corp.
Good news though, Minmatar Cruiser V is almost done for Truen1ght, and when it is, Anjali trains up, forms a 1 woman corp, and goes to fight the good fight against the Caldari scum by joining the Gallente militia.
DOWN WITH BIG MONEY!
Null sec has become super cap city. PvP is relegated for those with a downpayment of almost a year of playtime. Industry is more work than play and still requires at least a month commitment.
It's no wonder I find myself playing Starcraft 2 more than EVE lately. Starcraft is, put simply, more fun, and more challenging. It's not to say that EVE is a bad game, but it could be better.
And so lately I've found myself hardly logging on at all. Is it even fun anymore?
And after a little thinking, and not playing, I find myself realizing this: High Sec no longer interests me at all. Without wardecs, all that's left in high sec is trade, industry, research, mining, and missioning. With the recent Starcraft 2 playtime I've got, I'm finding 1v1 or PvP in general much more fulfilling, useful, and fun, than PvE.
So, if PvP is what it's going to take, then I have one of two options: 1) Engage in constant low/null roams alone or with buddies 2) join Factional Warfare 3) move to low sec and remain in the current corp 4) change corps to a low-sec or null sec corp.
The way I see it, 4) isn't entirely appetizing simply because of the ditching friends issue. 1) could work, but I feel it will rather quickly lead to 3), which precludes me from taking part in wars that involve high sec without sever ratting to increase my security status, and for 2) to happen, I need to stop training Truen1ght and train Anjali, like I promised.
Since the corp is currently going on low sec roams every week, I think I can hold off long enough to get Anjali trained up to interceptor and have her join Factional Warfare.
I suppose I could hop on Morrdack a bit more, but I don't know, something feels a bit off about it right now...it could just be that Morrdack has been inactive for a good while, but it could also be that when I do hop on, seems like no one else is. It's a bit strange, but I suppose I should expect that from an alt corp.
Good news though, Minmatar Cruiser V is almost done for Truen1ght, and when it is, Anjali trains up, forms a 1 woman corp, and goes to fight the good fight against the Caldari scum by joining the Gallente militia.
DOWN WITH BIG MONEY!
Monday, November 1, 2010
Battlecruiser IV and Two for One (out of character)
I finished Battlecruiser IV today. HUZZAH! What does this mean? That I am 60 DPS more fiendish than before! What does this mean in terms of the 900 DPS overheated Hurricane?
That I'm still forever away, because it assumes maxed drone skills, maxed assault missile skills, and maxed gunnery skills. Of those, I am likely to get maxed gunnery skills in a semi reasonable amount of time (2 months). After that, it's Minmatar Cruiser V and then the Logistics to max, because Logistics ships are insanely useful for the rest of your fleet, especially if everyone you fly with is Caldari or Minmatar and shield tanks like crazy.
Nothing new there, Minmatars tend to shield tank for damage, everyone knows this, except, of course, me a few months ago.
I saw recently today that CCP is offering the first 6 months half off for a new account.
I admit I am sorely tempted. However, I need to think a bit. I'll never dual box, ever, for any reason. I'm already trained up to mine in a Covetor with pretty decent skills and can even do Mercoxit, my weapons skills are level IV straight across except for the few level V's that were necessary, and my Spaceship command skills are pretty much right there with it (from frigate to battlecruiser, tech 1 anyways. Tech 2 only assault frigs are level IV and cov ops III). Research and Industry suck, but I don't want to be productive anyways. So, if I did get a second account, what would I do with it? I suppose I could go all Amarr with it and try that style of fighting, but I'm already REAL close since I have Battlecruisers and Cruisers and Destroyers at IV. It'd seem like a waste (albeit an interesting one) to get another account.
So, I'm just going to have to pass unless someone I know wants to buy an account through me. It'll be that person's credit card too, not mine. If we have to use mine, oops! too bad.
I had an idea, and I wonder how many people I could get interested in it. I'd create an Alliance called "The Empire Strikes Back", then gather up as many empire corporations as I could and wage a war between EMPIRE space and null sec like none ever seen before. I bet it'd be beyond what Incursion hopes to bring to the table, and it'd be news like no other.
Seriously, I want it to happen, and I don't even care if I don't make the Alliance. Question is, how many corporations and people could I get to actively participate? How many would be necessary to actively participate to match, or even better, outnumber null sec forces? Surely, in either case, the EMPIRE production chain would be TONS stronger just because of the stations available for research and invention and production.
Sure, we wouldn't make many capitals, but as I well know, capitals and supercapitals and titans are not the end all be all. I knew that before the recent NC invasion into the Dronelands from killmails I'd seen by AHARM and CCRES pilots. I saw one where it was I think 4 strategic cruisers versus 2 carriers and a few t2 ships, and the guys in the strategic cruisers called it a FAIR FIGHT, and they WON on top of that, which just totally blew my mind. Apparently I can't find the killmail because I suck, but I saw it, and there it is.
And for the pirates, if you did choose to participate, I have the perfect role for you: supply line harassment. We'll cover the major attacks, forcing the null sec guys to pile on with us or else lose EVERYTHING in systems we attack, which opens you up for ripping their supply lines apart, and if you were so interested, ripping apart infrastructure or pinching them in at transit chokepoints, or even joining us in battle. I well realize that you are pirates, and as such are just as likely to attack us as them, however, how could you let the opportunity to grief null secers pass you by, and practically for free at that? Rat their plexes, steal their rocks, cut off their ice fields, reinforce towers and destroy infrastructure in the most annoying least convenient way possible. It's pillage and plunder all day, it can't go wrong as long as the rest of us are forcing their attention to us, right?
My end goal with this alliance is simply a scourge where the sole goal is to destroy everything in null sec. Everyone who claims that EMPIRE space is for sissies gets a lesson the hard way, that is, with a boot up their asses and a face full of shame. From there, people can start fresh, and all the old names could start again or fail from the experience. Once the scourge has passed, the Alliance would simply be disbanded and remembered as one of those epic times in EVE history where a war so huge was fought that it was truly galactic in scale, where the powerful were laid exceedingly low and the low demonstrated dominance over all. Indeed, with the reset of null space, the new null sec corporations may well be the old EMPIRE ones, with the old null sec ones disbanded.
And how would I manage this alliance, which would have so many members that a huge amount of trust would be necessary to administrate it?
CONCORD's control.
It would be a huge effort, but nothing worth doing is easy, and anything worth doing inspires you to make it happen. Perhaps one day in the near future I will.
That I'm still forever away, because it assumes maxed drone skills, maxed assault missile skills, and maxed gunnery skills. Of those, I am likely to get maxed gunnery skills in a semi reasonable amount of time (2 months). After that, it's Minmatar Cruiser V and then the Logistics to max, because Logistics ships are insanely useful for the rest of your fleet, especially if everyone you fly with is Caldari or Minmatar and shield tanks like crazy.
Nothing new there, Minmatars tend to shield tank for damage, everyone knows this, except, of course, me a few months ago.
I saw recently today that CCP is offering the first 6 months half off for a new account.
I admit I am sorely tempted. However, I need to think a bit. I'll never dual box, ever, for any reason. I'm already trained up to mine in a Covetor with pretty decent skills and can even do Mercoxit, my weapons skills are level IV straight across except for the few level V's that were necessary, and my Spaceship command skills are pretty much right there with it (from frigate to battlecruiser, tech 1 anyways. Tech 2 only assault frigs are level IV and cov ops III). Research and Industry suck, but I don't want to be productive anyways. So, if I did get a second account, what would I do with it? I suppose I could go all Amarr with it and try that style of fighting, but I'm already REAL close since I have Battlecruisers and Cruisers and Destroyers at IV. It'd seem like a waste (albeit an interesting one) to get another account.
So, I'm just going to have to pass unless someone I know wants to buy an account through me. It'll be that person's credit card too, not mine. If we have to use mine, oops! too bad.
I had an idea, and I wonder how many people I could get interested in it. I'd create an Alliance called "The Empire Strikes Back", then gather up as many empire corporations as I could and wage a war between EMPIRE space and null sec like none ever seen before. I bet it'd be beyond what Incursion hopes to bring to the table, and it'd be news like no other.
Seriously, I want it to happen, and I don't even care if I don't make the Alliance. Question is, how many corporations and people could I get to actively participate? How many would be necessary to actively participate to match, or even better, outnumber null sec forces? Surely, in either case, the EMPIRE production chain would be TONS stronger just because of the stations available for research and invention and production.
Sure, we wouldn't make many capitals, but as I well know, capitals and supercapitals and titans are not the end all be all. I knew that before the recent NC invasion into the Dronelands from killmails I'd seen by AHARM and CCRES pilots. I saw one where it was I think 4 strategic cruisers versus 2 carriers and a few t2 ships, and the guys in the strategic cruisers called it a FAIR FIGHT, and they WON on top of that, which just totally blew my mind. Apparently I can't find the killmail because I suck, but I saw it, and there it is.
And for the pirates, if you did choose to participate, I have the perfect role for you: supply line harassment. We'll cover the major attacks, forcing the null sec guys to pile on with us or else lose EVERYTHING in systems we attack, which opens you up for ripping their supply lines apart, and if you were so interested, ripping apart infrastructure or pinching them in at transit chokepoints, or even joining us in battle. I well realize that you are pirates, and as such are just as likely to attack us as them, however, how could you let the opportunity to grief null secers pass you by, and practically for free at that? Rat their plexes, steal their rocks, cut off their ice fields, reinforce towers and destroy infrastructure in the most annoying least convenient way possible. It's pillage and plunder all day, it can't go wrong as long as the rest of us are forcing their attention to us, right?
My end goal with this alliance is simply a scourge where the sole goal is to destroy everything in null sec. Everyone who claims that EMPIRE space is for sissies gets a lesson the hard way, that is, with a boot up their asses and a face full of shame. From there, people can start fresh, and all the old names could start again or fail from the experience. Once the scourge has passed, the Alliance would simply be disbanded and remembered as one of those epic times in EVE history where a war so huge was fought that it was truly galactic in scale, where the powerful were laid exceedingly low and the low demonstrated dominance over all. Indeed, with the reset of null space, the new null sec corporations may well be the old EMPIRE ones, with the old null sec ones disbanded.
And how would I manage this alliance, which would have so many members that a huge amount of trust would be necessary to administrate it?
CONCORD's control.
It would be a huge effort, but nothing worth doing is easy, and anything worth doing inspires you to make it happen. Perhaps one day in the near future I will.
Friday, October 29, 2010
A Discussion on Loyalty
I've not yet been invited to Blog Banters, but a little initiative never hurt.
Actually, it hasn't been so much that I picked my corporation as it's been just going with the flow.
My first capsuleer corp was Crimson Light Horse Brigade. I was brand new to the wide open Galaxy, and had been essentially mission running for Quafe in Eystur for over a month. I'd had no idea what pilot corps were like, much less how to join one, even less what I could expect.
Unlike, apparently most people, I did zero research into my new life off world. As such, I had not a clue. So when I was asked to join a pilot corp, I thought to myself, "Why not? What have I to lose?"
So I joined.
Things were relatively good for a bit. Until halfway through my career there I'd mostly continued mission running, not knowing what else to do, if there was much else to do, and making friends in the corp comm channels. Space was wondrous place at that time. About halfway through, enough of us pooled our ISK and went to W-Space for three months, where old bonds strengthed between those of us that went in and stayed in, and for the most part frayed with the rest.
Obviously, this literal corp division was causing a corp breakdown. Upon leaving W-Space for EMPIRE, I had assumed things would knit back together. This was not the case however, as those of us who lived in W-Space felt the desire for combat while the EMPIRE dwellers by and large wanted to stick to the productive citizen routine.
The corp split. I had a choice to make: Do I stay with my old corp, and my old CEO, who's interests were not aligned with my own and appeared to be in fact blocking my interests? Or do I leave for greener pastures with those I had the strongest bonds with? Or, do I toss it all into the wind and go elsewhere to seek my goals?
Down one road laid blind loyalty to a construct. Down the second lay friendship and trust geared towards my goals. Down the last lay a new beginning, an end to everything I'd built up.
I opted for the second path. I joined my W-Space comrades (the main group I associated with, since we all pooled our money to make W-Space residency possible), and the new corp was Spartan Guard.
The moral of my story is this: loyalty is fine, to a point. Being loyal when it interferes with your life is another thing, often called blind stupid loyalty. You've only got control over your own life, and you can only live it to the best of your ability. If something is prohibiting that, you need to get by it in whatever fashion does that best. But you need a group you trust also, because without it, you're a solo vagrant earning ISK and forever on the run, always isolated, and in the end, tired of it all. Suicide may result.
My loyalty lies with those I trust who will also help me achieve my ambitions, not to a construct created to "join pilots together". Any more or less loyalty than that is a disservice to myself and those I associate with.
---------------------------------------
Welcome to the twenty-second installment of the EVE Blog Banter, the monthly EVE Online blogging extravaganza created by CrazyKinux. The EVE Blog Banter involves an enthusiastic group of gaming bloggers, a common topic within the realm of EVE Online, and a week or so to post articles pertaining to the said topic. The resulting articles can either be short or quite extensive, either funny or dead serious, but are always a great fun to read! Any questions about the EVE Blog Banter should be directed to crazykinux@gmail.com. Check for other EVE Blog Banter articles at the bottom of this post!
This month topic is brought to us by L'Dene Bean of Nitpickin's who asks: Why, and how did you pick your corporation? Is your loyalty solid or just until a better placed organization "recruits" you. The shorter version: Who holds your Unshakable Fealty and why?
---------------------------------
Actually, it hasn't been so much that I picked my corporation as it's been just going with the flow.
My first capsuleer corp was Crimson Light Horse Brigade. I was brand new to the wide open Galaxy, and had been essentially mission running for Quafe in Eystur for over a month. I'd had no idea what pilot corps were like, much less how to join one, even less what I could expect.
Unlike, apparently most people, I did zero research into my new life off world. As such, I had not a clue. So when I was asked to join a pilot corp, I thought to myself, "Why not? What have I to lose?"
So I joined.
Things were relatively good for a bit. Until halfway through my career there I'd mostly continued mission running, not knowing what else to do, if there was much else to do, and making friends in the corp comm channels. Space was wondrous place at that time. About halfway through, enough of us pooled our ISK and went to W-Space for three months, where old bonds strengthed between those of us that went in and stayed in, and for the most part frayed with the rest.
Obviously, this literal corp division was causing a corp breakdown. Upon leaving W-Space for EMPIRE, I had assumed things would knit back together. This was not the case however, as those of us who lived in W-Space felt the desire for combat while the EMPIRE dwellers by and large wanted to stick to the productive citizen routine.
The corp split. I had a choice to make: Do I stay with my old corp, and my old CEO, who's interests were not aligned with my own and appeared to be in fact blocking my interests? Or do I leave for greener pastures with those I had the strongest bonds with? Or, do I toss it all into the wind and go elsewhere to seek my goals?
Down one road laid blind loyalty to a construct. Down the second lay friendship and trust geared towards my goals. Down the last lay a new beginning, an end to everything I'd built up.
I opted for the second path. I joined my W-Space comrades (the main group I associated with, since we all pooled our money to make W-Space residency possible), and the new corp was Spartan Guard.
The moral of my story is this: loyalty is fine, to a point. Being loyal when it interferes with your life is another thing, often called blind stupid loyalty. You've only got control over your own life, and you can only live it to the best of your ability. If something is prohibiting that, you need to get by it in whatever fashion does that best. But you need a group you trust also, because without it, you're a solo vagrant earning ISK and forever on the run, always isolated, and in the end, tired of it all. Suicide may result.
My loyalty lies with those I trust who will also help me achieve my ambitions, not to a construct created to "join pilots together". Any more or less loyalty than that is a disservice to myself and those I associate with.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
I'm for PLEX for remaps
What I wouldn't give to be able to remap. In fact, I'm certain I would give a PLEX.
"But True! People will abuse the system! People will skill faster than me, and besides, what else comes after?! Skillpoints?!"
Ok, so people can train faster. What if, because of a lack of this functionality, you train SLOWER. I bet that changes your perspective. Buying skillpoints? I doubt it, it's already easy enough to just BUY a new identity, one that comes fit with Cruiser V or some such silly thing. Buying Skillpoints would ultimately fail.
But let's return to the first point. What if everyone else trains faster than you? How does that make you feel? "BE MORE CAREFUL WITH YOUR REMAPS NOOB!" people will say. Nevermind that training anything becomes even more brutal than before.
Once long ago, I used my first two remaps. My first remap went for Intelligence and Memory, so that I could get my core skills down, and that was great for a few months. Then I wanted to expand into different roles, thus needed to train spaceships, and guns, and missiles, and drones, and I had to remap. And thus I set forth to remap at perhaps the worst time, but I did it. Partially due to my fatigue, and partially to the mishmash layout of my attributes (why the hell is Willpower above Perception? Isn't the Perception implant the first one?), I screwed up my brain for the next year after that.
I had successfully remapped into a fail-map. Intelligence-Willpower. Groan people, give yourself a facepalm, and then laugh.
Go ahead, I'll wait for it to die down. It needs to to drive home the point I want to make.
........
Now. Repeat after me. "What if that was me?"
Think on it.
........
Let me tell you the consequences: Currently I am training Battlecruiser IV, and then V. With my remap, this training queue takes 35 days. Yes, 35. How long would it take if Willpower was instead Perception? 26 days. 35 minus 26 is...OH! IT'S THE SAME AS IF I WASN'T TRAINING ANYTHING FOR 9 FRIGGIN' DAYS!
Go ahead, clear out your queue for 9 days. Let's see how long you last until you scream at me inflammatory words and slurs. I bet you won't even last 2 days. I doubt most would last but a few hours before deciding that I was an idiot and dismissing me.
It is in this sense that I approve of PLEX for remap, because essentially, I'm the kid with the dunce cap, and sure it was my own doing, but there's no redemption for it either. It's like you lost your first Battlecruiser and were never allowed to fly another for a year. It's pretty cruel, isn't it? I'm not saying life is fair, or that it should be, or that I even deserve the remap, but if offered the chance I'd jump on it before it got taken away. If you can't go 9 days with nothing in your queue, do you have any reason to refute me?
Remapping, however, ultimately, does not make you more dangerous. It gives you the chance to do more sooner, but it does not make you more deadly. Some skills cannot be trained via injection and brain massage. Let's list a few off.
1) How to approach a bigger vessel in a frigate, and then kill it.
2) How to survive attacking a larger vessel than yourself
3) How to fit your ship
4) How to avoid gatecamps
5) How to bait
6) How to track targets, scout for a fleet
7) How to determine which ship is the bigger threat
8) How to pick your engagements
9) How to avoid bubbles
10) Staying unprobeable via safes
11) How to be an effective FC
The list goes on. Clearly, there's much a person can train but cannot make use of without the real experience. "Oh, but anyone can learn these!" Yes, but first you have to know that you need to learn about them. First you have to have the desire. First you need see combat as something other than, "I put out X damage versus yours, and I have Y hitpoints versus yours, so I kill you 1.5 seconds before you kill me, so I win." (Obviously that last is almost never true for anyone who's done real PvP)
And how is skill training any different? Anyone can train anything to max sooner than someone else. I can max out my gunnery long before my buddy of an equal age simply because I've stuck with it while he wanted to try some research and invention. Shouldn't we have the same skill levels? No, that's absurd. So what's the difference? In the end, resolve decides what skills you have, and style of course, and the remap to train faster is just a nice little bonus that makes life much easier, simpler, less frustrating. It'd leave me, and no doubt many others, feeling less like retards because we no longer need to suffer under the yoke of bad remaps.
I'm all for PLEX for remaps, and if I have to do some shady things out in pirate space or trade human lives and illegal implants to get to it, I'd do that too. I've already missed out on 1.2 million skillpoints due to a bad map, how much more must I suffer?
I'll probably be 2 million short by the time my next remap comes round, and it pisses me off. Some people would ragequit you know, and if it were you, I bet you'd be just as impotently furious as I am about it.
Addendum : I do understand that Real Money Trading is a serious problem, however, it's probably safe to say that powergamers and real money traders aren't likely to mess up neural maps like mine very often, and to implements this new remap feature, it would probably be best to force in game items with ZERO real money exchanged, and make them rare items at that.
"But True! People will abuse the system! People will skill faster than me, and besides, what else comes after?! Skillpoints?!"
Ok, so people can train faster. What if, because of a lack of this functionality, you train SLOWER. I bet that changes your perspective. Buying skillpoints? I doubt it, it's already easy enough to just BUY a new identity, one that comes fit with Cruiser V or some such silly thing. Buying Skillpoints would ultimately fail.
But let's return to the first point. What if everyone else trains faster than you? How does that make you feel? "BE MORE CAREFUL WITH YOUR REMAPS NOOB!" people will say. Nevermind that training anything becomes even more brutal than before.
Once long ago, I used my first two remaps. My first remap went for Intelligence and Memory, so that I could get my core skills down, and that was great for a few months. Then I wanted to expand into different roles, thus needed to train spaceships, and guns, and missiles, and drones, and I had to remap. And thus I set forth to remap at perhaps the worst time, but I did it. Partially due to my fatigue, and partially to the mishmash layout of my attributes (why the hell is Willpower above Perception? Isn't the Perception implant the first one?), I screwed up my brain for the next year after that.
I had successfully remapped into a fail-map. Intelligence-Willpower. Groan people, give yourself a facepalm, and then laugh.
Go ahead, I'll wait for it to die down. It needs to to drive home the point I want to make.
........
Now. Repeat after me. "What if that was me?"
Think on it.
........
Let me tell you the consequences: Currently I am training Battlecruiser IV, and then V. With my remap, this training queue takes 35 days. Yes, 35. How long would it take if Willpower was instead Perception? 26 days. 35 minus 26 is...OH! IT'S THE SAME AS IF I WASN'T TRAINING ANYTHING FOR 9 FRIGGIN' DAYS!
Go ahead, clear out your queue for 9 days. Let's see how long you last until you scream at me inflammatory words and slurs. I bet you won't even last 2 days. I doubt most would last but a few hours before deciding that I was an idiot and dismissing me.
It is in this sense that I approve of PLEX for remap, because essentially, I'm the kid with the dunce cap, and sure it was my own doing, but there's no redemption for it either. It's like you lost your first Battlecruiser and were never allowed to fly another for a year. It's pretty cruel, isn't it? I'm not saying life is fair, or that it should be, or that I even deserve the remap, but if offered the chance I'd jump on it before it got taken away. If you can't go 9 days with nothing in your queue, do you have any reason to refute me?
Remapping, however, ultimately, does not make you more dangerous. It gives you the chance to do more sooner, but it does not make you more deadly. Some skills cannot be trained via injection and brain massage. Let's list a few off.
1) How to approach a bigger vessel in a frigate, and then kill it.
2) How to survive attacking a larger vessel than yourself
3) How to fit your ship
4) How to avoid gatecamps
5) How to bait
6) How to track targets, scout for a fleet
7) How to determine which ship is the bigger threat
8) How to pick your engagements
9) How to avoid bubbles
10) Staying unprobeable via safes
11) How to be an effective FC
The list goes on. Clearly, there's much a person can train but cannot make use of without the real experience. "Oh, but anyone can learn these!" Yes, but first you have to know that you need to learn about them. First you have to have the desire. First you need see combat as something other than, "I put out X damage versus yours, and I have Y hitpoints versus yours, so I kill you 1.5 seconds before you kill me, so I win." (Obviously that last is almost never true for anyone who's done real PvP)
And how is skill training any different? Anyone can train anything to max sooner than someone else. I can max out my gunnery long before my buddy of an equal age simply because I've stuck with it while he wanted to try some research and invention. Shouldn't we have the same skill levels? No, that's absurd. So what's the difference? In the end, resolve decides what skills you have, and style of course, and the remap to train faster is just a nice little bonus that makes life much easier, simpler, less frustrating. It'd leave me, and no doubt many others, feeling less like retards because we no longer need to suffer under the yoke of bad remaps.
I'm all for PLEX for remaps, and if I have to do some shady things out in pirate space or trade human lives and illegal implants to get to it, I'd do that too. I've already missed out on 1.2 million skillpoints due to a bad map, how much more must I suffer?
I'll probably be 2 million short by the time my next remap comes round, and it pisses me off. Some people would ragequit you know, and if it were you, I bet you'd be just as impotently furious as I am about it.
Addendum : I do understand that Real Money Trading is a serious problem, however, it's probably safe to say that powergamers and real money traders aren't likely to mess up neural maps like mine very often, and to implements this new remap feature, it would probably be best to force in game items with ZERO real money exchanged, and make them rare items at that.
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Overviews and the Trade Profession
For the last few days, maybe last week, I've been having this issue: I add someone to my contacts list and hit them to my watch list. Almost never do I see what standing I set them as, unless it was red bar (Terrible).
This had of course prevented me from taking down war targets until I figured out that I could only see red bars in local. I was further hampered in not being able to group them by corp this way until I discovered the fix.
Discovering the fix was another issue. It had occurred at the same time Anjali created her own corp. It also occurred recently when my CEO set corp standings against other corps. It also occurred around the time I started saving old contacts in notes (linked contacts). So, I destroyed the notes, then dissolved Anjali's corp...and finally, with no other idea what was going on, I reinstalled EVE.
None of these fixed the issue. I was so frustrated, and given the crap optional patches that have been deployed I reasoned it could very well be due to that. If that was the case however, nothing I could do would fix it. So, I went to fill out a petition. "Please attach your dxdiag output". No, screw you and your optional patch, I don't have time for this mickey mouse ********, to quote Gary Oldman.
So I decided to make do, and set everyone to red bar, and live with it.
And then I'm playing with the overview, and find the fix. ugh. Go to Overview, appearance, and states. Deselecting any of those prevents them from showing in any chat. Any selected will show. Thus the answer was to reselect the orange bar, blue plus, deep blue plus, etc.
I had messed with these about a week ago because I wanted to create an overview where the only ships I would see were red bars, or orange bars, or blue pluses. This was supposed to help Anjali track targets as they moved about Empire. It affects all characters on an account though, so I'd rather not reset it each time I switch characters, especially as I sometimes rapidly change between them for killing or diagnostic reasons.
***********************************
Anjali's trade experiment in Oursulaert went about half and half. All of the 200 mm Autocannon I's sold for the new price, hence, she made a buck. The Warp Disruptor I's however are not selling. More accurately, I've sold 2 in the last week. They are being bought, but barely.
So clearly the question isn't solely just "What price range will the lazy factor take advantage of?", but also "How often do people really need/use said item, and this is relation to how often they are lost in combat or missions?"
Like I said, this is an experiment, and in terms of experiments, it's going great. I'm building upon conclusions to reach a greater understanding of how something works. In terms of ISK generation, it has a ways to go before I can start supporting an intense PvP habit, possibly with the inclusion of no longer needing to pay CCP to enjoy EVE.
Once Anjali does get to use the training queue however, she's training interceptors. Since she's Amarr, a Malediction seems reasonable. The goal is to use Truen1ght for most things, like wars, griefing, pirating, null/low sec if/when we make the move. Anjali's goal is to join the Gallente faction war, because as far as I know the Minmatar Faction Wars are largely against Final Agony in Ammamake (Pirate Corp for those not in the know). And Morrdack, I'm not sure, maybe just PvP hilarity, with t1 fit throwaway ships. When the new character creator comes along though, they're all getting a face lift. This will be hard for Anjali I think. Making a good looking girl look better with an unfamiliar creator will probably be a daunting task. I expect to spend many hours and several attempts getting it right. There can be no compromise for Anjali. Truen1ght and Morrdack though can be improved easily however, It shouldn't take long. Given how I'd prefer not to pay CCP to try again however though, there's likely to be no compromise for either of them either.
In other news, I just saw the Dronelands War movies (youtube), and I thought they were awesome. Plus, it's cool to know history like that that still gets talked about today or you see references to in signatures and such. Like when BoB died apparently. Apparently it was a great day, so great that it was in fact reported by the New York Times at some point.
And speaking of signatures...*sigh*...I need to make a banner for this, my own personal flair instead of a regular title and description (which also needs updating, because it seems I am not redefining player vs Gang as Player vs Gang). I had a cool idea though, a modified Stabber (made to look sort of like a Hydralisk) swooping down and smashing the bejesus on some unsuspecting ship as yet to be decided upon. I draw my inspiration from Star Trek VI, where Chang's Bird of Prey swoops in towards the Enterprise, uncloaking and launching torpedoes at the same time, then swooping off again while cloaking. Maybe I can also wear a patch, go bald, and scream over local "CRYYY HAAAVOC! AND LET SLIP THE DOGS OF WAR!". Now that would awesome. I need to rehash that movie and find some more excellent Chang quotes. Practice will of course be in order, as I have a spinning command chair I sit at, and at night there's nought but an orange light, very dim at that.
*Addendum: awesome chang quotes to shotu in local while pwning someone:
1) I am constant as the Northern Star! (when you're really messing someone up)
2) I can see you *name*, can you see me? (when you're taunting someone to start)
3) Oh, be honest *name*, warrior to warrior, you do prefer it this way, don't you, as it was meant to be? No peace in our time, "Once more unto the breach, dear friends." (when you're about to start shooting and are taunting)
4) Cry Havoc! And let slip the dogs of war! (when you're winning)
5) Tickle us, do we not laugh? Prick us, do we not bleed? Wrong us, shall we not revenge?
6) Our revels now are ended *name*!
As an aside, I think any EVE player can watch this video and immediately see how closely the space battle connects to EVE.
1) Cloaked ship attempts gank on other ship while taunting. ( I can see you *name*, can you see me?)
2) Cloaked ship appears to be winning (CRY HAVOC! And let slip the dogs of war!)
3) Cloaked ship attempts ransom of victim while shooting, or possibly just taunting. (..Wrong us, shall we not revenge?)
3a) Victim's buddies jump in system and swear up and down to warp faster (Sulu: "Fly her apart then!!")
4) Victim's buddies warp in ("Now we've given her something else to shoot at!")
5) Ganker becomes victim, gets primaried, and goes up in flames.
(Kirk: FIRE!, Sulu: Target that explosion and FIRE!)
Note: Chang should have kept his transversal up and reduced the damage from the torpedoes ^_^ )
This had of course prevented me from taking down war targets until I figured out that I could only see red bars in local. I was further hampered in not being able to group them by corp this way until I discovered the fix.
Discovering the fix was another issue. It had occurred at the same time Anjali created her own corp. It also occurred recently when my CEO set corp standings against other corps. It also occurred around the time I started saving old contacts in notes (linked contacts). So, I destroyed the notes, then dissolved Anjali's corp...and finally, with no other idea what was going on, I reinstalled EVE.
None of these fixed the issue. I was so frustrated, and given the crap optional patches that have been deployed I reasoned it could very well be due to that. If that was the case however, nothing I could do would fix it. So, I went to fill out a petition. "Please attach your dxdiag output". No, screw you and your optional patch, I don't have time for this mickey mouse ********, to quote Gary Oldman.
So I decided to make do, and set everyone to red bar, and live with it.
And then I'm playing with the overview, and find the fix. ugh. Go to Overview, appearance, and states. Deselecting any of those prevents them from showing in any chat. Any selected will show. Thus the answer was to reselect the orange bar, blue plus, deep blue plus, etc.
I had messed with these about a week ago because I wanted to create an overview where the only ships I would see were red bars, or orange bars, or blue pluses. This was supposed to help Anjali track targets as they moved about Empire. It affects all characters on an account though, so I'd rather not reset it each time I switch characters, especially as I sometimes rapidly change between them for killing or diagnostic reasons.
***********************************
Anjali's trade experiment in Oursulaert went about half and half. All of the 200 mm Autocannon I's sold for the new price, hence, she made a buck. The Warp Disruptor I's however are not selling. More accurately, I've sold 2 in the last week. They are being bought, but barely.
So clearly the question isn't solely just "What price range will the lazy factor take advantage of?", but also "How often do people really need/use said item, and this is relation to how often they are lost in combat or missions?"
Like I said, this is an experiment, and in terms of experiments, it's going great. I'm building upon conclusions to reach a greater understanding of how something works. In terms of ISK generation, it has a ways to go before I can start supporting an intense PvP habit, possibly with the inclusion of no longer needing to pay CCP to enjoy EVE.
Once Anjali does get to use the training queue however, she's training interceptors. Since she's Amarr, a Malediction seems reasonable. The goal is to use Truen1ght for most things, like wars, griefing, pirating, null/low sec if/when we make the move. Anjali's goal is to join the Gallente faction war, because as far as I know the Minmatar Faction Wars are largely against Final Agony in Ammamake (Pirate Corp for those not in the know). And Morrdack, I'm not sure, maybe just PvP hilarity, with t1 fit throwaway ships. When the new character creator comes along though, they're all getting a face lift. This will be hard for Anjali I think. Making a good looking girl look better with an unfamiliar creator will probably be a daunting task. I expect to spend many hours and several attempts getting it right. There can be no compromise for Anjali. Truen1ght and Morrdack though can be improved easily however, It shouldn't take long. Given how I'd prefer not to pay CCP to try again however though, there's likely to be no compromise for either of them either.
In other news, I just saw the Dronelands War movies (youtube), and I thought they were awesome. Plus, it's cool to know history like that that still gets talked about today or you see references to in signatures and such. Like when BoB died apparently. Apparently it was a great day, so great that it was in fact reported by the New York Times at some point.
And speaking of signatures...*sigh*...I need to make a banner for this, my own personal flair instead of a regular title and description (which also needs updating, because it seems I am not redefining player vs Gang as Player vs Gang). I had a cool idea though, a modified Stabber (made to look sort of like a Hydralisk) swooping down and smashing the bejesus on some unsuspecting ship as yet to be decided upon. I draw my inspiration from Star Trek VI, where Chang's Bird of Prey swoops in towards the Enterprise, uncloaking and launching torpedoes at the same time, then swooping off again while cloaking. Maybe I can also wear a patch, go bald, and scream over local "CRYYY HAAAVOC! AND LET SLIP THE DOGS OF WAR!". Now that would awesome. I need to rehash that movie and find some more excellent Chang quotes. Practice will of course be in order, as I have a spinning command chair I sit at, and at night there's nought but an orange light, very dim at that.
*Addendum: awesome chang quotes to shotu in local while pwning someone:
1) I am constant as the Northern Star! (when you're really messing someone up)
2) I can see you *name*, can you see me? (when you're taunting someone to start)
3) Oh, be honest *name*, warrior to warrior, you do prefer it this way, don't you, as it was meant to be? No peace in our time, "Once more unto the breach, dear friends." (when you're about to start shooting and are taunting)
4) Cry Havoc! And let slip the dogs of war! (when you're winning)
5) Tickle us, do we not laugh? Prick us, do we not bleed? Wrong us, shall we not revenge?
6) Our revels now are ended *name*!
As an aside, I think any EVE player can watch this video and immediately see how closely the space battle connects to EVE.
1) Cloaked ship attempts gank on other ship while taunting. ( I can see you *name*, can you see me?)
2) Cloaked ship appears to be winning (CRY HAVOC! And let slip the dogs of war!)
3) Cloaked ship attempts ransom of victim while shooting, or possibly just taunting. (..Wrong us, shall we not revenge?)
3a) Victim's buddies jump in system and swear up and down to warp faster (Sulu: "Fly her apart then!!")
4) Victim's buddies warp in ("Now we've given her something else to shoot at!")
5) Ganker becomes victim, gets primaried, and goes up in flames.
(Kirk: FIRE!, Sulu: Target that explosion and FIRE!)
Note: Chang should have kept his transversal up and reduced the damage from the torpedoes ^_^ )
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Skill Training
As I lay there groaning with a dull headache, the door hissed at someone's entrance. Judging by the lack of Klaxxons screaming in my ears, I assumed it was one the few people I associated with. What can I say? I have a healthy distrust of other capsuleers as it were. I know how often I come close to abusing my power, and I've got a fairly strong willpower to resist the urge too (literally, 24 points without implants because I screwed up my neural remap). Even so I find myself slipping from time to time, and I had no doubt that many other capsuleers did too, if not more often and with more glee than I.
I lifted my head and opened my eyes ever so briefly to be greeted by Anjali's stunning figure. Amarr she might be, but racially discriminating and all religious fervor she was not, unlike most other Amarr. As always, she dressed for business. Of course, for a woman of her charms, business for her was using her charms on poor suckers like me. It was, after all, how I'd been convinced to throw Oleysa Petrov down the biomass recycler and take on Anjali as a partner.
I let my head fall back against the cushions and closed my eyes. As pleasing as she was to look at, my head wasn't having any of it. "What do you need, Ms. Subranni?"
She sat down on the couch next to my hips. Resist the charms True, resist. I could picture the seductive yet conniving smile that was her trademark for taking advantage of us males. She leaned across and supported herself with another hand on the other side of me. Her hips pressed gently but firmly into mine, and no doubt she was looking down at me. I knew better than to meet her eyes if I could help it, my hormones would go out of control.
"True, I was just wondering..." she started in that innocent voice of hers, "...I was wondering when I'd get to use the training bandwidth."
"Well, Ms. Subranni, that depends on a large number of things going on, and you know how indecisive I can be sometimes," I replied. "For the time being however, I need to get some weapons training under me, as well as some survival training in relation to shielding. After that, it's a long month of Battlecruiser training." I practically groaned that last one out.
"Why so long?" she whined. It wasn't an annoying whine either. How did she make everything sound appealing? And I had to agree with her: how could something that reshapes your brain and neurons take a whole month to train something? It was absurd that nothing better was available, but it was better than doing it the hard way, which would likely take decades.
"The headaches are getting worse. Every time I get podded, the headaches come back stronger, even if they are only for a few days. At the same time, I can't ignore the recent thirst for combat. So, with that conclusion, I have to train myself to be more combat effective."
Anjali exhaled rather unhappily. She remained sitting next to me however, no doubt concocting something.
Trust me, concocting stuff is what she does. She's brilliant, and devious to say the least. Her sex appeal only highlights those aspects.
"When would you be done training Battlecruiser five?" she asked almost absentmindedly.
"Roughly a month and a half," I replied. "However, depending on how things develop with the 54th, I may require some queue time for my alternate body as well. Don't worry, most of that training will be to three and four, almost no fives, none if I can help it."
"That's only a maybe though?" she asked innocently.
"Only a maybe," I conceded. I had to throw her a compromise, lest she come up with something less pleasing in my favor. She leaned in closer to me, laying her other hand on my neck, massaging it gently and easing some of the tension away. After a minute, she told me to roll over onto my stomach.
I complied. A few seconds later I felt her straddle my lower back as she put her hands to work on my neck, back, and shoulders. Bliss was something I had never known before that moment.
"So in about a month and a half I'll get to use the training queue?" she asked gently. Truly she was a miracle worker with those hands, I felt as if I could pass out from the pleasure.
"Yes," I confirmed. After few moments I thought to ask, "What will you be training towards?"
I felt her weight shift, her long luxurious hair draping around her face and around my head. I felt a light pressure and moisture on my neck. No mistaking it, I wasn't going to get a straight answer with her kissing me.
Hell, I preferred the necking to straight answers anyways...
I didn't feel the need to continue talking.
I lifted my head and opened my eyes ever so briefly to be greeted by Anjali's stunning figure. Amarr she might be, but racially discriminating and all religious fervor she was not, unlike most other Amarr. As always, she dressed for business. Of course, for a woman of her charms, business for her was using her charms on poor suckers like me. It was, after all, how I'd been convinced to throw Oleysa Petrov down the biomass recycler and take on Anjali as a partner.
I let my head fall back against the cushions and closed my eyes. As pleasing as she was to look at, my head wasn't having any of it. "What do you need, Ms. Subranni?"
She sat down on the couch next to my hips. Resist the charms True, resist. I could picture the seductive yet conniving smile that was her trademark for taking advantage of us males. She leaned across and supported herself with another hand on the other side of me. Her hips pressed gently but firmly into mine, and no doubt she was looking down at me. I knew better than to meet her eyes if I could help it, my hormones would go out of control.
"True, I was just wondering..." she started in that innocent voice of hers, "...I was wondering when I'd get to use the training bandwidth."
"Well, Ms. Subranni, that depends on a large number of things going on, and you know how indecisive I can be sometimes," I replied. "For the time being however, I need to get some weapons training under me, as well as some survival training in relation to shielding. After that, it's a long month of Battlecruiser training." I practically groaned that last one out.
"Why so long?" she whined. It wasn't an annoying whine either. How did she make everything sound appealing? And I had to agree with her: how could something that reshapes your brain and neurons take a whole month to train something? It was absurd that nothing better was available, but it was better than doing it the hard way, which would likely take decades.
"The headaches are getting worse. Every time I get podded, the headaches come back stronger, even if they are only for a few days. At the same time, I can't ignore the recent thirst for combat. So, with that conclusion, I have to train myself to be more combat effective."
Anjali exhaled rather unhappily. She remained sitting next to me however, no doubt concocting something.
Trust me, concocting stuff is what she does. She's brilliant, and devious to say the least. Her sex appeal only highlights those aspects.
"When would you be done training Battlecruiser five?" she asked almost absentmindedly.
"Roughly a month and a half," I replied. "However, depending on how things develop with the 54th, I may require some queue time for my alternate body as well. Don't worry, most of that training will be to three and four, almost no fives, none if I can help it."
"That's only a maybe though?" she asked innocently.
"Only a maybe," I conceded. I had to throw her a compromise, lest she come up with something less pleasing in my favor. She leaned in closer to me, laying her other hand on my neck, massaging it gently and easing some of the tension away. After a minute, she told me to roll over onto my stomach.
I complied. A few seconds later I felt her straddle my lower back as she put her hands to work on my neck, back, and shoulders. Bliss was something I had never known before that moment.
"So in about a month and a half I'll get to use the training queue?" she asked gently. Truly she was a miracle worker with those hands, I felt as if I could pass out from the pleasure.
"Yes," I confirmed. After few moments I thought to ask, "What will you be training towards?"
I felt her weight shift, her long luxurious hair draping around her face and around my head. I felt a light pressure and moisture on my neck. No mistaking it, I wasn't going to get a straight answer with her kissing me.
Hell, I preferred the necking to straight answers anyways...
I didn't feel the need to continue talking.
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