Category Archives: Eve Online

Making NPCs Matter – Blog Banter 46

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“EVE Online is a unique piece of science fiction that is ‘participatory’.” – CCP Seagull, December 2012 EVE Online is heading into its Second Decade with renewed vigour and a new development strategy. At the CSM Summit in December, Executive Producer CCP Unifex and Development Director CCP Seagull explained how future development and expansions will be broader in scope than recent “collections of features” stating that CCP “want to create something more inspirational, that players aspire to play.” With the return of Live Events such as the Battle for Caldari Prime, clearly the prime fiction of EVE is back in favour as part of this new thematic approach to expansions. However, EVE’s story is very much a tale of two playstyles, with an entirely player-driven narrative unfolding daily in parallel to the reinvigorated backstory. Often, they do not mix well. How can these two disparate elements be united or at least comfortably co-exist in a single sandbox universe? The biggest disconnect between the lore of Eve and the Reality of Eve, in my mind, is that nothing players do has much impact of the NPCs of New Eden, aside from making an endless supply of red crosses explode. The following Continue Reading →

Meanwhile, In Black Rise…

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I had surgery a few days ago, so I missed all the fun in Enulari over the weekend.  Boo! No longer will the Caldari be using Ena for quick jumps into Nenn.  Hikkoken, my favorite place to lose frigates, has no stations.  In fact, no systems that the Caldari control neighboring Nennemaila have stations, so I kind of hope the squids push back and take something.  So I’m fighting neutrals and lowering my sec status.  I’ve found a few fights there recently, and I just had a fun one that makes me like Eve. I’m in Hikkoken, running down buttons, because why the hell not?  I’ll take a nice pile of LP for hitting the scan button.  A neutral Atron hopped into my plex (because I own it, right?).  I was also in a kitey Atron, and we had a fun little dance.  I wasn’t quite hitting enough, but he kept letting me get out of point range.  So I got out at mid structure.  GFs happen, and then he says “I need to learn to fly better.”  I told him to not let me get out of point range.  We both ran back to Nenn, and met up in Continue Reading →

PI Challenge – Final Results (Edited to Respond to Mabrick)

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Edit:  Mabrick responded to this post, and I want to share/respond to some of his thoughts, as I may have not been clear about some things.  I made isk, 134m isk specifically.  I did not lose any money on this.  HS PI will MAKE YOU ISK! In Mabrick’s initial post, he gives a specific skill set.  I DID NOT use this skill set.  I tried to note this below, and in the previous posts, giving my skills, and revised estimates for how much might be earnable. Even given the above, based on my experience, Kao’s results, and Mabrick’s own writing, I stand by my claim: Mabrick’s original and revised amounts per month, and my own revised amount per month, are false given the current state of PI in High Sec. I did wholeheartedly try to make as much as possible, and was in no way trying to sabotage Mabrick’s claims.  I only wanted to test them. I am in no way opposed to the “passive” playstyle.  I have an alt that only does industry, and did this challenge.  It is my opinion that for a brand new player, however, spending the first 2 months of the game training skills that Continue Reading →

Double Play in a Three Way

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Low sec faction warfare has a lot of wrinkles any time engagements start.  An interesting twist to many fights is that allies in one moment are you foes the next.  Amongst faction warfare pilots, you have those who have hit pirate status (pies) and those who either haven’t by choice or those who haven’t simply because it takes some time to drop your sec rating.  I joined FW with a shiny 5.0.  As I write this, one month in, I stand at 3.8.  Yep, I’ve become that evil bastard that shoots the innocent.  Sometimes. Tonight we had a nice little fight that showed how all of these mechanics work.  My corp had meeting to discuss various things, and then we decided the proper way to conclude business was a gate camp in Akidagi, on the Ichoriya gate.  For those who are unaware, Icho is a HS Caldari system jumping into low, so it gets s moderate amount of consistent traffic from both Militias, neutrals, and pirates.  It’s a good place to catch those who are not taking the proper precautions when entering low sec.  It’s also a really nice place to catch Caldari Militia loners who don’t bother checking intel. Continue Reading →

CSM 8 Endorsements

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I voted, on two accounts.  With two lists made of the same people in varying orders. Here is my list: 1. Ripard Teg Ripard is opinionated but thoughtful, and often willing to admit when he is wrong.  His communication skills are top notch, and I think he will bring a solid voice to the CSM.  He also has experience in almost every area of Eve.  Beyond that, I don;t think there is much I need to say about Ripard. 2. Trebor Deahdoow I don’t agree with many things Trebor has spoken for.  I also think he is unlikely to destroy PvP in Eve as some seem to think.  I am ranking Trebor as my first candidate not because of his platform, but because as the sole returning member of CSM7, his knowledge of what occurred over the last year between CCP and the CSM will be invaluable in letting the next CSM choose if they want to continue the work of previous CSMs or cast it aside.  Without knowing much of what happened behind the NDA, and based on interviews and podcasts I have lsitened to, I think it is very important to have at least one returning member on Continue Reading →

Learning Logi

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Tonight was an interesting night.  Whenever I log in on Grimmash, one of the first things I do is check the fleet finder to see if any gangs are out and about.  While I have been trying, and failing, to figure out solo pvp in my frigs and destroyers, I find small gang to be both more enjoyable and more effective.  By effective, I mean I might have to actually put more ammo in my ship at some point instead of learning if I insured it or not.  Tonight started slow, with a few losses to bring my ego in check.  Two destroyers and three frigates found the jump gate to the great FW hunting grounds filled with booze and good fights in various ways on April 1, 2013.  I mostly blame my poor choice in engagements.  I keep warping into plexes in situations I think I can handle and finding out the friendlies already popped, or that I misread the situation. But that was not to be my only action on the Day of Fools!  After licking my wounds, doing some *real* shit, and trying to find PvP videos to learn something from, I hopped back in game.  It Continue Reading →

The Battle of Hikkoken

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Fweddit came to Hikkoken tonight. Word came in that the Amarr Militia wanted to come over and fight.  I guess they needed a break from getting shoved around by the Minmatar?  However you look at it, they made it known when they wanted a fight, and we started preparing.  But not well enough. We got about 30 pilots together, and sent out scouts.  Much bouncing through systems and plexes ensued.  As the Golden Glob was approaching one jump out, we learned they had significantly more numbers and organizations that we did.  10 logis, and another 50 or so cruisers.  We had about 5 logi and 20 cruisers with some frigates for fun.  A frantic align and warp got us out of Pyn and back into Nennemaila, and reshipping began.  ECM was added, the call was sent out, and we eventually got up to around 60 people.  Fweddit was nice enough to wait next door while we tried to make the fight more interesting. After a bit too long a wait for some tastes, we undocked and flew to Hikkoken.  The dirty slavers had taken up residency in the Medium plex of the Cadlari pig-dogs, and we warped on in to Continue Reading →

A Week in Black Rise

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We always hurt the ones we love… I officially have a rank in the Gallente militia now, so I guess that makes me a totally legit faction warfare pilot.  Right?  Guys?  Oh well… I’m a week in to FW, and after missing fleets most of said week, I finally got in on some fun action tonight.  By fun, I mean I managed lie, cheat, point, and whore my way into some 17 kills, give or take, tonight, including my first solo killmail ever.  On a Condor that I’m pretty sure didn’t know I was shooting him.  So that was awesome. But the most interesting part of the evening wasn’t my first solo kill during a fleet fight.  It was a particular Vexor gang that found out what happens when you linger too long in one place.  A mixed group of Fidelas Constans came for spin through Black Rise and got pincered between at least two Galente FW fleets and a whole bunch of folks who showed up.  It started out Innocently enough.  Chatter had been coming in about some FCON Vexor fleet that was tooling around in Enaluri and thereabouts.  This was met with mixed thoughts on my part, as Continue Reading →

PI Challenge – Day 18

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More results for you: Up from 36m isk in profits to 72m isk.  The daily average profit is now at 3.6m/ day, or an end estimate of 108m isk, in profit.  Interestingly there is a side to this that I have not spoken of:  What you will profit not including the initial costs.  Since my initial outlay of about 33m isk, my daily costs have hovered around 1.5m, and my total sales are at 133m.  That means the profit only including day-to day costs is 106m, or 5.9m isk per day.  That gives a final profit, less sunk costs, of an estimated 177m isk. So month one may be a bit of a bust, but subsequent months will be more profitable, by a considerable amount.  I’m interested to see how this plays out. I also moved a lot of ECUs around today to combat depletion, which cost 315k isk.