Happy Halloween! For most people, this'll mean lots of tricks, treats, candy, and a fun night of partying in silly costumes and basically a good de-stress moment.
Unfortunately for me, I'm forced to be indisposed to the more trivial and fun aspects of Halloween due to more pressing concerns. Sad, yes, it so very is :(
But at least its less hassle for me to try and find a get-up to get into and going out, only to end up in someone else's couch half a town away. (Yes, happened to me, horribly embarrasing).
Anyway, back to more EVE-related concerns, like an update on my Pet Project v2:
Due to RL matters taking more and more time away from me (normally comes and goes, now it just came in hard), I'm forced to actually be offline from most of EVE and play the login-swapskill-logoff game. It comes at not-too bad a time as well, since I garnered valuable player experience from flying my goal-ships with realistic setups during Armageddon Day.
As it stands, I've just finished armor tanking skills, and am working now on Advanced Weapon Upgrades skill (reduced PG usage of guns, very valuable when fitting T2 guns as they drain PG by quite a margin compared to T1/named). After this, I hit Amarr weapons and ship skills up to BS 4, then hit T2 lasers.
Goal is still mid-Febuary, according to EVEmon. Not bad considering I will be indisposed that long anyhow.
A small addendum to my post for today is a foray of my nephew into an MMO that gets a lot of bad light, or no light at all: Matrix Online. Yes, its THE Matrix MMO, and yes, its still alive. I've been able to sneak a little peek into it and from their latest patch release, they've reduced sight to near-point-blank, making everything darker than dark, and releasing zombies in certain areas for players to fight and gain odd Halloween mask things. Halloween event indeed...
Problem is, trying to play the game with everything as dark as it is due to the Halloween event is basically, well, pointless. Its definately a "niche" game now, nothing much for the newbie to look forward to besides hoping that a kind veteran or a group of them help you along. In any case, its a fun distraction, and worth probably a month or two, too bad I'm already commited to my own MMO choice: EVE Online.
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Armageddon Day, and OMG CCP GOT HACKED!
During the past two weeks, I've been knee-deep in RL matters, but not enough that I was not able to join in the test server's Armageddon Day event, which is basically a major stress-test/CONCORD day off day. You can probably imagine, with the lack of NPC police, "super"-ed characters, lots of high-end items seeded on the market at a piddlingly cheap 100 isk, how chaotic and full of PvP that'll entail, and since this was a stress-test, you can probably guess it was nigh-oh impossible to get on, and actually enjoy the supers and free stuff.
I've been able to test certain Amarr ships that I've tested with offline tools like EFT and Quickfit, and found them to be quite to my liking. This only strengthened my resolve in continuing for my Amarr spec training.
And on a more recent note: CCP's unannounced downtime a day or so ago as of this entry sparked huge rumormills and naysayings that CCP is in big trouble. Technically, they were, but they were smart in going incognito as they fixed the unauthorized entry into their system.
Personally, couple this with a rash of isk-seller posts all over the forums, my hypothesis points to not ingame alliances hacking the database itself to gain in the game (of which, they really need to get priorities straight if this were true. EVE's a game for cripes!), but to isk-sellers wanting to profit from easy-to-obtain items and sell them for isk, to sell for RL cash.
Of course, all speculation. The truth is that CCP nailed down the breech, and are watching carefully. I just hope authorities are called into this, and the suspect/s caught and put to trial. I believe I speak for the entire EVE playerbase when I say: We want the blood of the hacker/s, and we want it now for this atrocity.
I've been able to test certain Amarr ships that I've tested with offline tools like EFT and Quickfit, and found them to be quite to my liking. This only strengthened my resolve in continuing for my Amarr spec training.
And on a more recent note: CCP's unannounced downtime a day or so ago as of this entry sparked huge rumormills and naysayings that CCP is in big trouble. Technically, they were, but they were smart in going incognito as they fixed the unauthorized entry into their system.
Personally, couple this with a rash of isk-seller posts all over the forums, my hypothesis points to not ingame alliances hacking the database itself to gain in the game (of which, they really need to get priorities straight if this were true. EVE's a game for cripes!), but to isk-sellers wanting to profit from easy-to-obtain items and sell them for isk, to sell for RL cash.
Of course, all speculation. The truth is that CCP nailed down the breech, and are watching carefully. I just hope authorities are called into this, and the suspect/s caught and put to trial. I believe I speak for the entire EVE playerbase when I say: We want the blood of the hacker/s, and we want it now for this atrocity.
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Pet Project, Update
Its been quite some time since I've mentioned about my pet project, and a lot has changed from it being an alt-to-become-main, to a continuation of my current main into something else.
This is due to RL constraints and RL influence (most in part that my significant other decided that she would like to have the character and name that I chose for the alt-turned-main).
This didnt put a wrench into my plans per se, in fact, it significantly shortened my planned skill training, considering that I already have basic ship support skills up at acceptable levels, and all I needed was a bit more in a spot or two, armor tanking skills, and the T2 weaponry for lasers to fly Amarr well.
Part of the reason why I chose Amarr, even until now, is because of "horror" stories of the Abbadon becoming a force to be reckoned with on the field.
Also part in part that, on paper (and in Quickfit/EFT), the Abbadon proves itself to be the most damaging long range BS there is (albeit the range is short for long-range combat). Combine this that the Armageddon is a feared opponent in it's own right as well...
Months of Caldari missile boat flying have worn down my skills in terms of turret ship use, which is going to prove the make-or-break factor in my plan for Amarr flying. Turret ships require quite a lot more micromanagement because of turret tracking and range issues. Reward pays off in that turrets dont have to worry about flight time unlike missiles as I've said in my previous entries.
One basic technique is to fly the same direction your target is, matching its course, being parallel to it, to reduce turret tracking problems. This also helps as well if you have range, of which Amarr hold the mid-range battle very well.
Unfortunately, most PvP in EVE happens at extreme-close-range (Gallente blaster and Mimmatar autocannon territory) or at extreme-long-range (everyone else's, Rokh as range king with rails). It doesnt mean, however, that Amarr are completely left out. It'll just prove to be harder to fly them, especially solo.
So, actual update on my Amarr plan: I'm currently training Hull Upgrades lvl5 (for T2 armor tank mods), of which to follow would be each specific damage type armor compensation skill up to lvl4, before I head to get Weapon Upgrades 5 in prep for Advanced Weapon Upgrades 4.
Quite a ways before I even start anything remotely Amarr, right? Its a long haul, and plan currently holds it at late-January to mid Febuary for T2 large laser weaponry.
Not that far off, considering that the holidays will keep me busy with RL stuff :D
This is due to RL constraints and RL influence (most in part that my significant other decided that she would like to have the character and name that I chose for the alt-turned-main).
This didnt put a wrench into my plans per se, in fact, it significantly shortened my planned skill training, considering that I already have basic ship support skills up at acceptable levels, and all I needed was a bit more in a spot or two, armor tanking skills, and the T2 weaponry for lasers to fly Amarr well.
Part of the reason why I chose Amarr, even until now, is because of "horror" stories of the Abbadon becoming a force to be reckoned with on the field.
Also part in part that, on paper (and in Quickfit/EFT), the Abbadon proves itself to be the most damaging long range BS there is (albeit the range is short for long-range combat). Combine this that the Armageddon is a feared opponent in it's own right as well...
Months of Caldari missile boat flying have worn down my skills in terms of turret ship use, which is going to prove the make-or-break factor in my plan for Amarr flying. Turret ships require quite a lot more micromanagement because of turret tracking and range issues. Reward pays off in that turrets dont have to worry about flight time unlike missiles as I've said in my previous entries.
One basic technique is to fly the same direction your target is, matching its course, being parallel to it, to reduce turret tracking problems. This also helps as well if you have range, of which Amarr hold the mid-range battle very well.
Unfortunately, most PvP in EVE happens at extreme-close-range (Gallente blaster and Mimmatar autocannon territory) or at extreme-long-range (everyone else's, Rokh as range king with rails). It doesnt mean, however, that Amarr are completely left out. It'll just prove to be harder to fly them, especially solo.
So, actual update on my Amarr plan: I'm currently training Hull Upgrades lvl5 (for T2 armor tank mods), of which to follow would be each specific damage type armor compensation skill up to lvl4, before I head to get Weapon Upgrades 5 in prep for Advanced Weapon Upgrades 4.
Quite a ways before I even start anything remotely Amarr, right? Its a long haul, and plan currently holds it at late-January to mid Febuary for T2 large laser weaponry.
Not that far off, considering that the holidays will keep me busy with RL stuff :D
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Improvise!
You may soon come up to a brick wall in your progress in EVE, probably brought upon by the bane of all new players and new corporations: the griefer.
Yes, EVE is full of them, and sadly, is a way of life, but at least there are ways to combat such. One is to fight them by using hit-and-run tactics. Small groups of frigates can weaken, and even destroy, larger ships if they work together. Other ways is to ask help from neighbors. Who knows, the "enemy of my enemy is my friend" saying may come true for you.
Other ways to combat the griefer involve jumping back to an NPC corp temporarily till they get bored and move on. Whist cowardly, as long as you keep playing and having fun, they lose.
On the flipside, lets say you may be having trouble with your current ship skill set as of now, and are having trouble making ends meet. Why not try something new? One great thing about EVE is that it allows for experimentation with a ship and whatever modules you can fit on it to get the desired effect. Whilst it may be downright embarrasing to show your layout to veterans who know the basics of each ship, you may end up with a setup that would work. Most veteran players expect certain things from ships they can see, just because they know how each would fit, and how each would behave when fitted in such a way. Having out-of-the-box setups can confuse potential opponents and give you that extra edge you need to win a fight.
Dont be afraid to try something new in EVE. Whilst many are afraid of change (just go look on the forums at the many whines of the past changes to EVE), its change that brings about life and evolution in EVE, and keeps it fresh for all.
Yes, EVE is full of them, and sadly, is a way of life, but at least there are ways to combat such. One is to fight them by using hit-and-run tactics. Small groups of frigates can weaken, and even destroy, larger ships if they work together. Other ways is to ask help from neighbors. Who knows, the "enemy of my enemy is my friend" saying may come true for you.
Other ways to combat the griefer involve jumping back to an NPC corp temporarily till they get bored and move on. Whist cowardly, as long as you keep playing and having fun, they lose.
On the flipside, lets say you may be having trouble with your current ship skill set as of now, and are having trouble making ends meet. Why not try something new? One great thing about EVE is that it allows for experimentation with a ship and whatever modules you can fit on it to get the desired effect. Whilst it may be downright embarrasing to show your layout to veterans who know the basics of each ship, you may end up with a setup that would work. Most veteran players expect certain things from ships they can see, just because they know how each would fit, and how each would behave when fitted in such a way. Having out-of-the-box setups can confuse potential opponents and give you that extra edge you need to win a fight.
Dont be afraid to try something new in EVE. Whilst many are afraid of change (just go look on the forums at the many whines of the past changes to EVE), its change that brings about life and evolution in EVE, and keeps it fresh for all.
Saturday, September 15, 2007
Patience is a Virtue
By this point some players would be skilling up their way into bigger, better ships with better support skills, or working on learning skills here and there. You'd probably are starting to feel the effects of having multiple-day skills to train to get to lvl4, right.
This is why most people leave it at lvl4, and only hit lvl5 for some skills if they're a prerequisite to something they like. The gap between lvl4-lvl5 is often weeks, especially for bigger skills in rank, like, Battleship lvl5 for example, which is easily a month.
EVE rewards patience and smart gameplay. If you plan your skill training alongside how you want to progress in the game, and just have fun while waiting, you'd find yourself in that shiny new battleship and not lose it 5 seconds out the gate to some belt rat because you didnt have your support skills up.
There are many logical paths to take when skilling up for items. Take time to use the very-useful skill planner EVEMon and combine it with the "show info" command ingame for skills, modules, charges/ammo, and ships by checking their required skills.
EVEMon also suggests learning skills to speed up learning times. Take this into consideration, but dont go all-learning right out the gate. Getting all the basics to lvl5 and the advanceds to lvl4 will take 2 months roughly. Thats something you dont want to be sitting around doing practically nothing for the next two months, right?
Just take it slow, and take it easy, and you'll end up at your goal no matter how you do things. As they say, "Patience is a Virtue."
This is why most people leave it at lvl4, and only hit lvl5 for some skills if they're a prerequisite to something they like. The gap between lvl4-lvl5 is often weeks, especially for bigger skills in rank, like, Battleship lvl5 for example, which is easily a month.
EVE rewards patience and smart gameplay. If you plan your skill training alongside how you want to progress in the game, and just have fun while waiting, you'd find yourself in that shiny new battleship and not lose it 5 seconds out the gate to some belt rat because you didnt have your support skills up.
There are many logical paths to take when skilling up for items. Take time to use the very-useful skill planner EVEMon and combine it with the "show info" command ingame for skills, modules, charges/ammo, and ships by checking their required skills.
EVEMon also suggests learning skills to speed up learning times. Take this into consideration, but dont go all-learning right out the gate. Getting all the basics to lvl5 and the advanceds to lvl4 will take 2 months roughly. Thats something you dont want to be sitting around doing practically nothing for the next two months, right?
Just take it slow, and take it easy, and you'll end up at your goal no matter how you do things. As they say, "Patience is a Virtue."
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Account Security
Of course, once you're quite deep in the game, you'd probably have items and assets that people would love to have, or just steal for more isk. Account hacking, whilst rare for EVE, happens, and when it does, happens really badly for the victim.
You can do things to help against the likelyhood of such horrible activities happening on your account. Of course this wont stop any determined real hacker, but as long as you make it really hard to any aspirant delinquents, you can make them turn away.
A couple of tips include:
1. Working on a clean PC. Keep your PC clean via using continually-updated anti-virus programs, anti-spy/adware programs like Spybot-S&D, periodical anti-viral scans via multiple on-line scanners (to make sure nothing slips by your anti-virus).
2. Creating a password that is secure. Passwords connected to real life references like family name, birthday, friend's name, significant other's credit card number, etc are horribly bad. Anyone who knows you could just put two and two together and figure it out quickly, let alone a determined hacker just studying you as a potential target. Good advice in creating a strong password is including small, and capital letters, with numbers in and around. If you're really mad about password security, use GRC's "Perfect Password" page. Whilst rather overkill, some people do swear by them especially for other more important accounts, like online bank accounts, etc.
3. Learn about general PC security. Gibson Research Corporation's website on PC security is a good source to work off on, but do take time to branch out and figure out what else could help you in terms of securing your PC.
4. NEVER give away your user/pass to anyone, even CCP. CCP will NEVER ask for your password. They've got a database to look your username up if they ask for it at least. If you really doubt a possible email from CCP, you can always email them and ask for confirmation.
5. When using third-party programs for corp communication like Trillian, Teamspeak, Ventrillo, NEVER use the same user/pass that you use in EVE-Online on these programs. Use completely different user/pass for them, and if possible, just use a screen name connected to your ingame character, not your EVE Online user/pass.
Lastly, I'd recommend taking all this in with a grain of salt. You dont want to go so over-kill that you cant play EVE because you've cut off access to EVE's common connection points/ports. Being aware is half the battle, taking some steps to protecting your PC not only helps you in being secure about EVE play, but general online use as well.
You can do things to help against the likelyhood of such horrible activities happening on your account. Of course this wont stop any determined real hacker, but as long as you make it really hard to any aspirant delinquents, you can make them turn away.
A couple of tips include:
1. Working on a clean PC. Keep your PC clean via using continually-updated anti-virus programs, anti-spy/adware programs like Spybot-S&D, periodical anti-viral scans via multiple on-line scanners (to make sure nothing slips by your anti-virus).
2. Creating a password that is secure. Passwords connected to real life references like family name, birthday, friend's name, significant other's credit card number, etc are horribly bad. Anyone who knows you could just put two and two together and figure it out quickly, let alone a determined hacker just studying you as a potential target. Good advice in creating a strong password is including small, and capital letters, with numbers in and around. If you're really mad about password security, use GRC's "Perfect Password" page. Whilst rather overkill, some people do swear by them especially for other more important accounts, like online bank accounts, etc.
3. Learn about general PC security. Gibson Research Corporation's website on PC security is a good source to work off on, but do take time to branch out and figure out what else could help you in terms of securing your PC.
4. NEVER give away your user/pass to anyone, even CCP. CCP will NEVER ask for your password. They've got a database to look your username up if they ask for it at least. If you really doubt a possible email from CCP, you can always email them and ask for confirmation.
5. When using third-party programs for corp communication like Trillian, Teamspeak, Ventrillo, NEVER use the same user/pass that you use in EVE-Online on these programs. Use completely different user/pass for them, and if possible, just use a screen name connected to your ingame character, not your EVE Online user/pass.
Lastly, I'd recommend taking all this in with a grain of salt. You dont want to go so over-kill that you cant play EVE because you've cut off access to EVE's common connection points/ports. Being aware is half the battle, taking some steps to protecting your PC not only helps you in being secure about EVE play, but general online use as well.
Friday, September 7, 2007
Indepth Guides to Character Creation.
Just to help in case you're still lost in terms of character creation, I've found a couple of videos and links that should help you along.
First off, the videos.
This EVE Online Character Creation tutorial on Youtube can help you in case you have questions in regards to what attributes affect what, and where. Though the speaker has trouble at certain portions, it does achieve its goal.
WANG Character Creation 101 is also a good video to look up on. It refers a lot to Goonswarm's public wiki for information, of which includes the Recommended Base Stat Builds, and the Character Portrait guide.
I have to note that the Recommended Base Stat Builds are very specialized, and often have lower-than-average attributes in important places, like memory and willpower. Still, they score higher in intelligence and preception, which are primaries for many skills. Its often better to leave memory/willpower at least 7, and make intelligence/preception a bit lower than what the linked guide says. It'll help once you're branching out into other skill trees that require a bit more in memory/willpower, due to them becoming primaries, like, for example, tech 2 ship skills or industry.
Note: Goonswarm is a large player alliance that is part of a larger group of alliances fighting a long-standing war. Their reputation with the playerbase and CCP in general is of general dislike, due to their known actions in the past. This doesnt mean they're all bad, just that everyone's bad in one way or another. Goonswarm just made it more apparent about themselves.
First off, the videos.
This EVE Online Character Creation tutorial on Youtube can help you in case you have questions in regards to what attributes affect what, and where. Though the speaker has trouble at certain portions, it does achieve its goal.
WANG Character Creation 101 is also a good video to look up on. It refers a lot to Goonswarm's public wiki for information, of which includes the Recommended Base Stat Builds, and the Character Portrait guide.
I have to note that the Recommended Base Stat Builds are very specialized, and often have lower-than-average attributes in important places, like memory and willpower. Still, they score higher in intelligence and preception, which are primaries for many skills. Its often better to leave memory/willpower at least 7, and make intelligence/preception a bit lower than what the linked guide says. It'll help once you're branching out into other skill trees that require a bit more in memory/willpower, due to them becoming primaries, like, for example, tech 2 ship skills or industry.
Note: Goonswarm is a large player alliance that is part of a larger group of alliances fighting a long-standing war. Their reputation with the playerbase and CCP in general is of general dislike, due to their known actions in the past. This doesnt mean they're all bad, just that everyone's bad in one way or another. Goonswarm just made it more apparent about themselves.
Honorable Mention: Day of Darkness
Dire Lauthris, an ingame character, has just created what I believe is a masterpeice of video craftsmanship. Its based off on a well-known EVE Chronicle depicting the beginning of the enslavement of the Mimmatar to the Amarr, entitled Day of Darkness.
Dire Lauthris has done justice to the backstory, and then some.
This video is epic. Nuff said.
Watch it in Youtube. I'd recommend getting the high-quality version from EVE-Files however. Way better that way.
Dire Lauthris has done justice to the backstory, and then some.
This video is epic. Nuff said.
Watch it in Youtube. I'd recommend getting the high-quality version from EVE-Files however. Way better that way.
Breaks and Goals
Of course, things change over time, and you may find yourself in a situation that you need to take a break from EVE. This is normal for older EVE players who already have stable bases to work off on, or have connections in the game with other players as well. Taking time off is a normal thing, especially when real life matters come into play.
For this, the general advice is to set a very long skill training (the most common would be Battleship lvl5, of which takes 30-45 days depending upon attributes), and at least check in once that set skill finishes, and set another long one, or start playing again.
Now if you're already feeling burnt out 3 months into EVE, there's a problem. I'd strongly suggest you take a look at your goals in the game. Take time to re-examine them, and see whats wrong. Normally by this point, you should be in a corp and be in lowsec/0.0 if you're a combat person, or mining with the corp if you're on the less pewpew of things.
Looking up your goals you set for yourself time and again is always the best way to play EVE. EVE can look endless if you take it all in, and can scare you, but always go down to the details of "what should I be doing next week? Should I get the BPO into this station for my corp? Should I start skilling for this module that can help us?". I always looked at what could help me in combat, and when I had time away from that, looked at what else I could enjoy, like when if I'm too busy/too stressed from RL matters to shoot stuff, I could go mining, or move stuff for the corporation (meaning I have to train for transport ships), etc etc.
For someone still young in EVE, think of what could benefit yourself in terms of your chosen profession, and how it will affect your corp. Will training for cruisers help if you'll still need time to train for proper tanking, weapons, and support skills for it? Will training for mining help the corp when they need more combat support?
Examining your goals in EVE helps a lot in enjoying it all the more. You make the fun for yourself in EVE, and if it isnt fun for now, or when you need to take a break because of something else, at least you can pop a long skill and come back later.
For this, the general advice is to set a very long skill training (the most common would be Battleship lvl5, of which takes 30-45 days depending upon attributes), and at least check in once that set skill finishes, and set another long one, or start playing again.
Now if you're already feeling burnt out 3 months into EVE, there's a problem. I'd strongly suggest you take a look at your goals in the game. Take time to re-examine them, and see whats wrong. Normally by this point, you should be in a corp and be in lowsec/0.0 if you're a combat person, or mining with the corp if you're on the less pewpew of things.
Looking up your goals you set for yourself time and again is always the best way to play EVE. EVE can look endless if you take it all in, and can scare you, but always go down to the details of "what should I be doing next week? Should I get the BPO into this station for my corp? Should I start skilling for this module that can help us?". I always looked at what could help me in combat, and when I had time away from that, looked at what else I could enjoy, like when if I'm too busy/too stressed from RL matters to shoot stuff, I could go mining, or move stuff for the corporation (meaning I have to train for transport ships), etc etc.
For someone still young in EVE, think of what could benefit yourself in terms of your chosen profession, and how it will affect your corp. Will training for cruisers help if you'll still need time to train for proper tanking, weapons, and support skills for it? Will training for mining help the corp when they need more combat support?
Examining your goals in EVE helps a lot in enjoying it all the more. You make the fun for yourself in EVE, and if it isnt fun for now, or when you need to take a break because of something else, at least you can pop a long skill and come back later.
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
EVE's golden rules
Akita T has made a post that everyone, veteran or newbie, should see. Like in real life, there are certain "golden" rules you never should break in EVE, lest you suffer the consequences of your misguided actions.
Some of these are common sense to the majority of EVE players, learning them through the trials of playing the game.
Oh one last thing: EVE is harsh. Indeed I may start sounding like a broken skipping recording, but it goes without saying. Its the truth, and many often go into emo-rages when things dont go their way in the game.
Its a multiplayer game, everyone doesnt get their way, only compromises and consequences.
Some of these are common sense to the majority of EVE players, learning them through the trials of playing the game.
Oh one last thing: EVE is harsh. Indeed I may start sounding like a broken skipping recording, but it goes without saying. Its the truth, and many often go into emo-rages when things dont go their way in the game.
Its a multiplayer game, everyone doesnt get their way, only compromises and consequences.
Friday, August 31, 2007
Life and Death
Friends are one of the most important parts of being part of a group. You would have friends from school, from work, and even friends online. Friendship is one idea that cannot be ignored in a game that is basically a world on it's own.
But friends go beyond just gaming at times. When someone's is in trouble, real trouble, and that someone is a good friend of yours, what would you do?
You'd go out of your way to help him, right? Its not only the right thing to do, its also the only thing to do. He's a buddy, he's a pal, he's a friend. There's no if's, no but's, no huh's.
I've made many friends in my time online in EVE Online, mostly just good combat buddies I can trust to keep an eye on my ass when the shooting starts. Even if we end up on opposing fronts, once off the battlefield, I'd still take him to the bar for a good drink and talk about the battle, and other sorts.
But sometimes you meet someone who you end up being part of for the rest of your life. Best friends are what I'm talking about. They're the kind who are always there when you need em, and the kind that you'd help out even if they really didnt need it, just because you can.
They're one in a million, and are irreplaceable. They mean a lot more than that shiny new battleship or that new blueprint original you need for manufacturing, because they're a friend you can truly trust.
A fellow capsuleer has lost a good friend, and I wish him condolences on his great loss, and condolences to the family of the lost friend. I know how he feels, how earth-shattering it can be when someone close to you ends up with the worst hand on the table and is forced out of the game. Nothing truly bring that person back, except the good memories of that person when they were still around.
I guess the greatest gift a true friend can give is the memories and the good times, because once they're gone, thats all you'll ever have of them. And it is true, what they leave behind lives on in you, and everyone else they've touched.
Even though I personally never met this capsuleer or his friend, it still sends out shockwaves of sorrow through the entire community. Whilst true that many may not care, there are many who do, because losing a friend is something that nobody wishes upon someone else, because its too painful to bear. It overshadows my own loss of family member and friends due to health reasons as well, something I wish not happen to anyone, at all. *sigh* What can I say...
Rest in peace, Azuran. May you find the peace that many of the living forever seek, but never find. Rest in peace, friend, you will be missed.
But friends go beyond just gaming at times. When someone's is in trouble, real trouble, and that someone is a good friend of yours, what would you do?
You'd go out of your way to help him, right? Its not only the right thing to do, its also the only thing to do. He's a buddy, he's a pal, he's a friend. There's no if's, no but's, no huh's.
I've made many friends in my time online in EVE Online, mostly just good combat buddies I can trust to keep an eye on my ass when the shooting starts. Even if we end up on opposing fronts, once off the battlefield, I'd still take him to the bar for a good drink and talk about the battle, and other sorts.
But sometimes you meet someone who you end up being part of for the rest of your life. Best friends are what I'm talking about. They're the kind who are always there when you need em, and the kind that you'd help out even if they really didnt need it, just because you can.
They're one in a million, and are irreplaceable. They mean a lot more than that shiny new battleship or that new blueprint original you need for manufacturing, because they're a friend you can truly trust.
A fellow capsuleer has lost a good friend, and I wish him condolences on his great loss, and condolences to the family of the lost friend. I know how he feels, how earth-shattering it can be when someone close to you ends up with the worst hand on the table and is forced out of the game. Nothing truly bring that person back, except the good memories of that person when they were still around.
I guess the greatest gift a true friend can give is the memories and the good times, because once they're gone, thats all you'll ever have of them. And it is true, what they leave behind lives on in you, and everyone else they've touched.
Even though I personally never met this capsuleer or his friend, it still sends out shockwaves of sorrow through the entire community. Whilst true that many may not care, there are many who do, because losing a friend is something that nobody wishes upon someone else, because its too painful to bear. It overshadows my own loss of family member and friends due to health reasons as well, something I wish not happen to anyone, at all. *sigh* What can I say...
Rest in peace, Azuran. May you find the peace that many of the living forever seek, but never find. Rest in peace, friend, you will be missed.
We are Legion
So, lets say you've found the corporation for you, and want to help your corpmates out as they help you along in your chosen career path. Well, there are also some basic steps you can take that are true for nearly all professions involved.
Some tips are:
1. Listen to your CEO. Most of the time your CEO has way more experience in handling matters you may just be learning to understand. Also, besides from assigned "diplomats" who speak on the CEO's behalf in out-of-corp matters, your CEO is also the spokesperson for the corp. What he says, goes most of the time. CEO's are most often good team leaders, who actually do it for a living, or just have the natural talent to lead. It's rare to bump into a corporation that is succeeding with a horrible CEO as its head.
2. Be helpful to your corpmates. Sure you're just a new guy in the corporation, and may not get some of the group mechanics that the older guys have made standard in their gaming. Thats normal. Just be understanding and as helpful as possible. Offer help when you think you can do so, and even if you're turned down, the gesture is nearly never ignored down the line.
3. When one of your superiors asks you to do something within reason for the corp, dont hesitate to do it, and if possible, go above and beyond the call of duty. Good help is very hard to find nowadays, and the more resourceful people helping the corporation succeed, the better it is for everyone, including you.
4. Make friends. Whilst true that trusting someone enough to consider them as a friend is a risky venture in a harsh game like EVE, it has also proven to be the deciding factor in may of the great history-making player actions that has made EVE what it is. For example: when I accidentally deleted my old Amarr main (with all the stuff on it), I was basically starting from scratch. An old friend of mine (still is, though he doesnt come on as much anymore) spotted me up some major isk to get me going pronto. If he didnt, I'd probably be still in a cruiser stuck doing lvl2 missions.
(Okay fine, it isnt one of those big historial events of EVE, but I had to think of something, and if you consider it, putting yourselves in my shoes, that single action of helping me out to restart is a big thing, right?)
5. Be open-minded to better opportunities. Sometimes being stuck in a certain profession can become stagnant. For example, in an old corp I joined, one of our industrial characters was considering retiring from EVE, as manufacturing was already, to him, easy to do, even for advanced tech 2 items. We suggested he give combat a shot, and he did. He now is one of the better pilots of the corporation before I left. This may contradict the advice to specialize a bit but also consider, once you're good at something, good enough that you can consider yourself "done" on that aspect of the game, try something else. Variety is the spice of life, and your corporation will benefit from people like you who can do many different things when the designated person to do this one job isnt around, but you just happen to finish the skill training for that job.
Friendships and good connections are a path to success in life, and in multiplayer games as well. Your reputation is also another factor to consider, as this is just one persistent world, your actions affect all the others who play EVE. True success in EVE is not measured by one person, but by the actions of an entire group of people. Sure you may be overshadowed by the group's name and leader speaking for you all, but all in all, being part of something, no matter how big or small, is basically what we humans want. We are a social race of beings, after all.
Some tips are:
1. Listen to your CEO. Most of the time your CEO has way more experience in handling matters you may just be learning to understand. Also, besides from assigned "diplomats" who speak on the CEO's behalf in out-of-corp matters, your CEO is also the spokesperson for the corp. What he says, goes most of the time. CEO's are most often good team leaders, who actually do it for a living, or just have the natural talent to lead. It's rare to bump into a corporation that is succeeding with a horrible CEO as its head.
2. Be helpful to your corpmates. Sure you're just a new guy in the corporation, and may not get some of the group mechanics that the older guys have made standard in their gaming. Thats normal. Just be understanding and as helpful as possible. Offer help when you think you can do so, and even if you're turned down, the gesture is nearly never ignored down the line.
3. When one of your superiors asks you to do something within reason for the corp, dont hesitate to do it, and if possible, go above and beyond the call of duty. Good help is very hard to find nowadays, and the more resourceful people helping the corporation succeed, the better it is for everyone, including you.
4. Make friends. Whilst true that trusting someone enough to consider them as a friend is a risky venture in a harsh game like EVE, it has also proven to be the deciding factor in may of the great history-making player actions that has made EVE what it is. For example: when I accidentally deleted my old Amarr main (with all the stuff on it), I was basically starting from scratch. An old friend of mine (still is, though he doesnt come on as much anymore) spotted me up some major isk to get me going pronto. If he didnt, I'd probably be still in a cruiser stuck doing lvl2 missions.
(Okay fine, it isnt one of those big historial events of EVE, but I had to think of something, and if you consider it, putting yourselves in my shoes, that single action of helping me out to restart is a big thing, right?)
5. Be open-minded to better opportunities. Sometimes being stuck in a certain profession can become stagnant. For example, in an old corp I joined, one of our industrial characters was considering retiring from EVE, as manufacturing was already, to him, easy to do, even for advanced tech 2 items. We suggested he give combat a shot, and he did. He now is one of the better pilots of the corporation before I left. This may contradict the advice to specialize a bit but also consider, once you're good at something, good enough that you can consider yourself "done" on that aspect of the game, try something else. Variety is the spice of life, and your corporation will benefit from people like you who can do many different things when the designated person to do this one job isnt around, but you just happen to finish the skill training for that job.
Friendships and good connections are a path to success in life, and in multiplayer games as well. Your reputation is also another factor to consider, as this is just one persistent world, your actions affect all the others who play EVE. True success in EVE is not measured by one person, but by the actions of an entire group of people. Sure you may be overshadowed by the group's name and leader speaking for you all, but all in all, being part of something, no matter how big or small, is basically what we humans want. We are a social race of beings, after all.
Trust is a weakness
Due to the "adapt or die" mentality that prevails in EVE, trust is often seen as a weakness. It is a point in itself. You dont just easily trust the stranger you just met down the alleyway to help you in carrying a heavy load. Who knows, he could easily just brandish a knife and stick you. All deities above (and below), I hope that never happens to you, dear readers, but it stresses a point that you should be careful in day-to-day dealings with people in real life, and also in EVE because of the fact that they can easily take you down to the point of insignificance as well as help you reach great heights.
So, to help aspirant capsuleers in their future careers, simple tips of safety in EVE:
1. Never accept gang invites unless you are absolutely sure the other person/s in the gang are friendly/trustworthy. There's currently a nasty loophole in where if a gang has members of two opposing corporations currently in a CONCORD-sanctioned war, anyone added into the gang is free-game for all, and thus can be killed without CONCORD provocation.
(CONCORD btw, is the NPC "police" of EVE. They only provide consequences, not safety, in higher-security space)
2. Get into a corporation that you are sure you can trust to take care of you. Many make it their game-life's work to train aspirant capsuleers in the ways of EVE. Others may trick you into coming into their corp so they can just shoot you (which is legal for player corporations), in which case you can leave (and if they do use tricks to keep you in the corp, you can petition for game harassment).
3. Once in low-security space, always expect trouble. If traveling through untrusted space, have a corpmate scout ahead of you, and if possible, have combat ship escorts from your corp as well. Its fun too, especially if everyone in the corp benefits from your travel.
4. Use the map and its many filters. The map can tell you of combat activity well before you arrive. The show ship kills in the last hour and show pod kills in the last hour are two of the most powerful filter settings you can use to plot ahead when in unsafe space.
5. Learn how to use the directional scanner. The scanner is a vital tool in checking whats up ahead and whats around you. You can scan as far as 14.5 Au with the directional scanner. A common trick is to warp close enough to your intended destination (but not at), and, if close enough, scan your destination for possible ships. If there are, assume they're hostile, even if it's a shuttle or a industrial ship. They can still give intel to other capsuleers who do have combat ship to hunt you down.
6. Play smart. Use your head in planning and doing what you want to do in EVE. Trusting people in EVE is a risk, which can either lead to great success, or great failure. Corporation spying is everywhere, and so is corp theft. Think ahead on your next course of action and see if its safe enough for all parties involved. The less risk, the better.
Now, what about being part of a good corporation? What can you do to help everyone's success and your own? Thats for the next post.
So, to help aspirant capsuleers in their future careers, simple tips of safety in EVE:
1. Never accept gang invites unless you are absolutely sure the other person/s in the gang are friendly/trustworthy. There's currently a nasty loophole in where if a gang has members of two opposing corporations currently in a CONCORD-sanctioned war, anyone added into the gang is free-game for all, and thus can be killed without CONCORD provocation.
(CONCORD btw, is the NPC "police" of EVE. They only provide consequences, not safety, in higher-security space)
2. Get into a corporation that you are sure you can trust to take care of you. Many make it their game-life's work to train aspirant capsuleers in the ways of EVE. Others may trick you into coming into their corp so they can just shoot you (which is legal for player corporations), in which case you can leave (and if they do use tricks to keep you in the corp, you can petition for game harassment).
3. Once in low-security space, always expect trouble. If traveling through untrusted space, have a corpmate scout ahead of you, and if possible, have combat ship escorts from your corp as well. Its fun too, especially if everyone in the corp benefits from your travel.
4. Use the map and its many filters. The map can tell you of combat activity well before you arrive. The show ship kills in the last hour and show pod kills in the last hour are two of the most powerful filter settings you can use to plot ahead when in unsafe space.
5. Learn how to use the directional scanner. The scanner is a vital tool in checking whats up ahead and whats around you. You can scan as far as 14.5 Au with the directional scanner. A common trick is to warp close enough to your intended destination (but not at), and, if close enough, scan your destination for possible ships. If there are, assume they're hostile, even if it's a shuttle or a industrial ship. They can still give intel to other capsuleers who do have combat ship to hunt you down.
6. Play smart. Use your head in planning and doing what you want to do in EVE. Trusting people in EVE is a risk, which can either lead to great success, or great failure. Corporation spying is everywhere, and so is corp theft. Think ahead on your next course of action and see if its safe enough for all parties involved. The less risk, the better.
Now, what about being part of a good corporation? What can you do to help everyone's success and your own? Thats for the next post.
Thursday, August 30, 2007
EVE Is Harsh
EVE is harsh. I will not lie to you about it. In fact, because of its harsh gameplay and darwinistic evolution, many have left the game because of it. Many more have joined because it is so harsh.
Being smart in playing EVE is very rewarding. In fact, playing smart can actually earn you ISK indirectly. For example. I once spotted a huge debris field empty of loot, but full of wrecks from a leftover war from neighbors. Most of my corpmates were around the area, so I knew it was safe enough to go take out my salvager ship and salvage the wrecks for components for rigs.
I earned 100 million that day :D
EVE will reward you if you play smart, thats just one example. Play it without thinking ahead can be fatal to your gaming experience.
EVE is not a HappyLand Online game, as this thread says. It is harsh, brutal, unforgiving, and will kill you even if you look at it bad.
It doesnt mean its unplayable. Look at me and the many other filipino gamers in EVE (around 65 in the Filipino corporation). They made it, so why cant you too? :D
Being smart in playing EVE is very rewarding. In fact, playing smart can actually earn you ISK indirectly. For example. I once spotted a huge debris field empty of loot, but full of wrecks from a leftover war from neighbors. Most of my corpmates were around the area, so I knew it was safe enough to go take out my salvager ship and salvage the wrecks for components for rigs.
I earned 100 million that day :D
EVE will reward you if you play smart, thats just one example. Play it without thinking ahead can be fatal to your gaming experience.
EVE is not a HappyLand Online game, as this thread says. It is harsh, brutal, unforgiving, and will kill you even if you look at it bad.
It doesnt mean its unplayable. Look at me and the many other filipino gamers in EVE (around 65 in the Filipino corporation). They made it, so why cant you too? :D
Retort and Counter-Retort!
Everything in EVE has a counter, barring really cheaty activities like hacking, spying on an enemy corporation's communique out-of-game (also known as Meta-Gaming, which is frowned upon, but is unfortunately done daily due to the win-at-all-costs mentality that now thrives on EVE), so on and so forth.
This applies true to the different racial ships available to players (aka capsuleers). Below I've given a personal review of each of the races, not counting their more advanced (Tech 2) ship counterparts, as I have little-no experience in how they fly, they fight, and work. Also, such ships are meant for very specialized work, and for general combat are not effective enough for all sorts of vastly changing battlefield conditions.
The Amarr
Lets start off with the Amarr. The Amarr have the advantage of being one of the more damaging races due to the higher damage-per-second total of laser weaponry, having the toughest ships, able to tank damage (similar to being a tank, but instead of only one person handling the damage, its uniform for everyone to have tanking skills, as it is vital for combat survivability) through their armor, and the fact that their ships are basically laser-gunboats. Simple central idea, which helps in piloting them.
But, because of their reliance upon laser weaponry, they suffer greatly from energy capacitor (or cap, in EVE) shortages, since lasers use no ammo, but use cap instead. Couple this with the fact that lasers are bound to the two easiest-to-tank damage types (EM and Thermal, which are strong against shields but weak against armor, which most ships can easily adjust to), and that they are turrets, easily jammed by turret destabilizers, Amarrian ships are easily countered. Unless in numbers, Amarrian ships are frustrating to fly, especially if your skills in them, and the support skills required, are low.
The Caldari
The Caldari are a powerhouse of a racial ship family. Missile weaponry delivers damage values that would easily make any unprepared ship cry for mommy easily, their ECM jamming capability being unsurpassed, and near-limit ranges of the Rokh-Class Battleship with its railguns place them well in any group combat operations. The Raven-Class Battleship is also a crowd favorite in terms of anti-NPC work, due to the flexibility of missile weaponry in switching to the most-damaging damage type depending upon the NPC in question, and is the most-common ship to use in mission work, especially at lvl4.
Unfortunately, due to the ECM nerf, only 3 ships in the Caldari family are the only ones effective enough with ECM to be even considered for group combat, and since they stick out from the group, are often called the primary target by opposing forces (in EVE, primaried). Missile weaponry, whilst flexible and damaging, suffers from major flight-time issues due to the missiles needing to make contact with the target before delivering damage. This is a major problem especially when the target is far away, or is fast enough to avoid the missiles in the first place. Lastly, most of Caldari's railgun-based ships suffer from lack of damage output, and only the Rokh-Class uses the extreme range possible from railguns as it's calling card. This places it well in fleet operations where long-range combat is very common, as it clearly out-ranges all the other battleships when they're set for long-range combat by as much as 50-100km. Even then, the Rokh suffers low damage outputs.
The Gallente
The Gallente ship family is home to the easiest-to-PvP-with ships, and if skilled properly, are flexible and damaging enough for all situations. Blaster weaponry combined with advanced drone warfare deliver maximum damage-per-second values that would shatter even Amarrian armor. They are the easiest race to do combat solo, and does it very well. Combined with fast bursts of speed using microwarpdrives and/or afterburner technology, you have one racial ship family that basically comes up, sprinting, to your face and punches you with a very spiky glove.
Blasters are very short-ranged weapons. So much so that Gallentean combat ships have to be right beside their target to deliver their maximum damage, or else they have to use drones. This forces them to rely upon speed modules that basically light them up to targetting and weapon lock scanners, making them an easy target to deliver damage to when they're on the ingress. Coupled with problematic drone AI especially during laggy combat, and the normal 45km range limit of drone commands leaves Gallente as a close-up in-your-face only race. Setting them up as long-range fleet combatants however, is possible, but suffers from low damage outputs as they have to use railguns (falls under the same weapon family as blasters), without the range bonii that the Rokh enjoys. This is countered by slightly higher damage outputs due to ship bonii.
And the Mimmatar
The Mimmatar ship family enjoys its one trait very well: speed. They are the premiere hit-and-run ships, with projectile weaponry that deliver first-strike damage that is unsurpassed. They are very flexible, able to use missiles as well as drones to complement their projectile weapons, and can allocate for both shield- and armor-tanking for their damage reduction. Their projectile weapons dont use cap at all, along with the missiles, and so they do not suffer from anti-capacitor warfare as much as the other three races in terms of damage output.
Projectile weapons suffer from bringing out as much DPS (damage-per-second) as possible. Whilst they are not as inflexible as railguns, and do deliver near-insane first-strike damage figures, their cycle times are longer than the other turret weapons. Mimmatar ships also suffer from being too versatile, a sign that they lack a central design philisophy, unlike the Amarr with its pure lasers+armor take. This forces capsuleers to be profient in many more skill families to make Mimmatar ships shine on the battlefield.This requires a lot of skill training time, time that could be better used in other endeavors, or other skill families like a secondary profession.
I may be wrong in certain parts here, because its been a while since I've played all the races through the many trials I've had (the latest I have is of course, Caldari), but more or less, with the research I've done, this is mostly the gist of how each racial ship family is. Do note that you are not bound to any one racial ship family. You can train for another, or even all of them if you wanted to, or had the time. There is no "best" racial ship family here, as they are good at certain things, bad at others. For example, the Amarr are great in mid-range gang combat, but suffer from close-range fights, or anything that damages their cap or laser targetting. Caldari are perfect in gang warfare due to ECM and missile use, but solo, they suffer the most. Gallente are mostly stuck in either extremely short-range combat, or long range fleet combat, leaving a big gap. And Mimmatar are the most flexible racial ship family to go for, but suffer from being the hardest racial ship family to train for to be effective because of so many skills to be good at.
As I've said before, take the time to try out all of the races, and their ships and how they fight with multiple trials if you want. Ask questions, be curious, take time to learn the game at your own pace, and you'll succeed, even unconsciously, if you pay attention to what you're doing :D
This applies true to the different racial ships available to players (aka capsuleers). Below I've given a personal review of each of the races, not counting their more advanced (Tech 2) ship counterparts, as I have little-no experience in how they fly, they fight, and work. Also, such ships are meant for very specialized work, and for general combat are not effective enough for all sorts of vastly changing battlefield conditions.
The Amarr
Lets start off with the Amarr. The Amarr have the advantage of being one of the more damaging races due to the higher damage-per-second total of laser weaponry, having the toughest ships, able to tank damage (similar to being a tank, but instead of only one person handling the damage, its uniform for everyone to have tanking skills, as it is vital for combat survivability) through their armor, and the fact that their ships are basically laser-gunboats. Simple central idea, which helps in piloting them.
But, because of their reliance upon laser weaponry, they suffer greatly from energy capacitor (or cap, in EVE) shortages, since lasers use no ammo, but use cap instead. Couple this with the fact that lasers are bound to the two easiest-to-tank damage types (EM and Thermal, which are strong against shields but weak against armor, which most ships can easily adjust to), and that they are turrets, easily jammed by turret destabilizers, Amarrian ships are easily countered. Unless in numbers, Amarrian ships are frustrating to fly, especially if your skills in them, and the support skills required, are low.
The Caldari
The Caldari are a powerhouse of a racial ship family. Missile weaponry delivers damage values that would easily make any unprepared ship cry for mommy easily, their ECM jamming capability being unsurpassed, and near-limit ranges of the Rokh-Class Battleship with its railguns place them well in any group combat operations. The Raven-Class Battleship is also a crowd favorite in terms of anti-NPC work, due to the flexibility of missile weaponry in switching to the most-damaging damage type depending upon the NPC in question, and is the most-common ship to use in mission work, especially at lvl4.
Unfortunately, due to the ECM nerf, only 3 ships in the Caldari family are the only ones effective enough with ECM to be even considered for group combat, and since they stick out from the group, are often called the primary target by opposing forces (in EVE, primaried). Missile weaponry, whilst flexible and damaging, suffers from major flight-time issues due to the missiles needing to make contact with the target before delivering damage. This is a major problem especially when the target is far away, or is fast enough to avoid the missiles in the first place. Lastly, most of Caldari's railgun-based ships suffer from lack of damage output, and only the Rokh-Class uses the extreme range possible from railguns as it's calling card. This places it well in fleet operations where long-range combat is very common, as it clearly out-ranges all the other battleships when they're set for long-range combat by as much as 50-100km. Even then, the Rokh suffers low damage outputs.
The Gallente
The Gallente ship family is home to the easiest-to-PvP-with ships, and if skilled properly, are flexible and damaging enough for all situations. Blaster weaponry combined with advanced drone warfare deliver maximum damage-per-second values that would shatter even Amarrian armor. They are the easiest race to do combat solo, and does it very well. Combined with fast bursts of speed using microwarpdrives and/or afterburner technology, you have one racial ship family that basically comes up, sprinting, to your face and punches you with a very spiky glove.
Blasters are very short-ranged weapons. So much so that Gallentean combat ships have to be right beside their target to deliver their maximum damage, or else they have to use drones. This forces them to rely upon speed modules that basically light them up to targetting and weapon lock scanners, making them an easy target to deliver damage to when they're on the ingress. Coupled with problematic drone AI especially during laggy combat, and the normal 45km range limit of drone commands leaves Gallente as a close-up in-your-face only race. Setting them up as long-range fleet combatants however, is possible, but suffers from low damage outputs as they have to use railguns (falls under the same weapon family as blasters), without the range bonii that the Rokh enjoys. This is countered by slightly higher damage outputs due to ship bonii.
And the Mimmatar
The Mimmatar ship family enjoys its one trait very well: speed. They are the premiere hit-and-run ships, with projectile weaponry that deliver first-strike damage that is unsurpassed. They are very flexible, able to use missiles as well as drones to complement their projectile weapons, and can allocate for both shield- and armor-tanking for their damage reduction. Their projectile weapons dont use cap at all, along with the missiles, and so they do not suffer from anti-capacitor warfare as much as the other three races in terms of damage output.
Projectile weapons suffer from bringing out as much DPS (damage-per-second) as possible. Whilst they are not as inflexible as railguns, and do deliver near-insane first-strike damage figures, their cycle times are longer than the other turret weapons. Mimmatar ships also suffer from being too versatile, a sign that they lack a central design philisophy, unlike the Amarr with its pure lasers+armor take. This forces capsuleers to be profient in many more skill families to make Mimmatar ships shine on the battlefield.This requires a lot of skill training time, time that could be better used in other endeavors, or other skill families like a secondary profession.
I may be wrong in certain parts here, because its been a while since I've played all the races through the many trials I've had (the latest I have is of course, Caldari), but more or less, with the research I've done, this is mostly the gist of how each racial ship family is. Do note that you are not bound to any one racial ship family. You can train for another, or even all of them if you wanted to, or had the time. There is no "best" racial ship family here, as they are good at certain things, bad at others. For example, the Amarr are great in mid-range gang combat, but suffer from close-range fights, or anything that damages their cap or laser targetting. Caldari are perfect in gang warfare due to ECM and missile use, but solo, they suffer the most. Gallente are mostly stuck in either extremely short-range combat, or long range fleet combat, leaving a big gap. And Mimmatar are the most flexible racial ship family to go for, but suffer from being the hardest racial ship family to train for to be effective because of so many skills to be good at.
As I've said before, take the time to try out all of the races, and their ships and how they fight with multiple trials if you want. Ask questions, be curious, take time to learn the game at your own pace, and you'll succeed, even unconsciously, if you pay attention to what you're doing :D
My Pet Project
You're probably wondering what "pet project" I have going on. Well worry not, I'm about to tell what it really is, but first, a bit of backstory...
When I lost my old Amarr main due to my drunken stupidity, I was distraught. It was 6 hard months of dedicated skill training, down the tubes. But I decided to give it another go, as a Caldari. Thinking that Caldari technology and advances in ECM and shielding would work better than my energy-guzzling lasers and heavy-to-move-around armor, I went for it.
Boy was I in for a shock.
So I was 3 months into my new Caldari main, and decided to use one of the great tools that the EVE community has: Quickfit.
So I was setting up ships I was planning to own, seeing how well they performed on paper in PvP situations, against other ships from other racial families, and discovered something that basically was a slap to my combat-scarred face.
Caldari shielding requires too many slots used by needed PvP-related modules to work solo.
Caldari ECM, their ace-in-the-hole, had just then suffered a nerf to effectiveness, leaving only 3 ships in it's family to actually be effective enough to be considered as "ECM boats". Coupled with the fact that the same slots for shielding technology occupy the same slots for ECM modules and the fact that these ships would soon become priority-one targets in combat... well...
Caldari weaponry (missile weaponry), whilst easy to use and very deadly on impact, suffers from flight time issues at range. Whilst turret weapons deliver their damage instantaneously, missiles need to fly to their target to score a hit, leading to a delay to damage application. Sure at short-to-medium ranges, this is not too much an issue, but in large-scale fleet warfare where combat occurs at extreme 150+km, flight time is a major factor.
So I then decided to return to my Amarrian roots, but how?
I then spent the next month or so researching on the fastest way to return to Amarr ships, and, not counting a 3-month break from EVE that I took due to personal issues with certain players in an old corporation I was in (and other reasons I will not speak of publicly), I decided that I needed a solid base to create this new character from.
I then endeavored to recreate my current character to run NPC missions for funding. Soon I had access to lvl4 missions, the hardest-to-do alone missions, with the greatest pay. (Note CCP has just released lvl5 missions, meant for gang work, so I did not bother considering them due to difficulty).
I then spotted the character creation info I have mentioned in my previous entry, and thus became the start of my return to Amarrian combat.
Using another tool from the EVE community, namely EVEmon, I planned my skill training to encompass another step I wish I have taken in EVE: Mining. Mining, when done right earns millions of isk per hour, and would definately help in setting up a new base to work off on once I retire my old missioning character.
The total time as of this post is 524 days, 12 hours to return to Amarrian combat ships.
Yes, it is indeed a dedication of nearly two years of play- and training-time in EVE. Even then, the current plan I have can change, and it may add, or subtract, the number of days of skill training I have planned.
Now, you may be wondering why I chose to plan to train for Amarr ships? Dont they have disadvantages like the Caldari? Why yes they do. In fact, thats enough for another entry in itself, so...
When I lost my old Amarr main due to my drunken stupidity, I was distraught. It was 6 hard months of dedicated skill training, down the tubes. But I decided to give it another go, as a Caldari. Thinking that Caldari technology and advances in ECM and shielding would work better than my energy-guzzling lasers and heavy-to-move-around armor, I went for it.
Boy was I in for a shock.
So I was 3 months into my new Caldari main, and decided to use one of the great tools that the EVE community has: Quickfit.
So I was setting up ships I was planning to own, seeing how well they performed on paper in PvP situations, against other ships from other racial families, and discovered something that basically was a slap to my combat-scarred face.
Caldari shielding requires too many slots used by needed PvP-related modules to work solo.
Caldari ECM, their ace-in-the-hole, had just then suffered a nerf to effectiveness, leaving only 3 ships in it's family to actually be effective enough to be considered as "ECM boats". Coupled with the fact that the same slots for shielding technology occupy the same slots for ECM modules and the fact that these ships would soon become priority-one targets in combat... well...
Caldari weaponry (missile weaponry), whilst easy to use and very deadly on impact, suffers from flight time issues at range. Whilst turret weapons deliver their damage instantaneously, missiles need to fly to their target to score a hit, leading to a delay to damage application. Sure at short-to-medium ranges, this is not too much an issue, but in large-scale fleet warfare where combat occurs at extreme 150+km, flight time is a major factor.
So I then decided to return to my Amarrian roots, but how?
I then spent the next month or so researching on the fastest way to return to Amarr ships, and, not counting a 3-month break from EVE that I took due to personal issues with certain players in an old corporation I was in (and other reasons I will not speak of publicly), I decided that I needed a solid base to create this new character from.
I then endeavored to recreate my current character to run NPC missions for funding. Soon I had access to lvl4 missions, the hardest-to-do alone missions, with the greatest pay. (Note CCP has just released lvl5 missions, meant for gang work, so I did not bother considering them due to difficulty).
I then spotted the character creation info I have mentioned in my previous entry, and thus became the start of my return to Amarrian combat.
Using another tool from the EVE community, namely EVEmon, I planned my skill training to encompass another step I wish I have taken in EVE: Mining. Mining, when done right earns millions of isk per hour, and would definately help in setting up a new base to work off on once I retire my old missioning character.
The total time as of this post is 524 days, 12 hours to return to Amarrian combat ships.
Yes, it is indeed a dedication of nearly two years of play- and training-time in EVE. Even then, the current plan I have can change, and it may add, or subtract, the number of days of skill training I have planned.
Now, you may be wondering why I chose to plan to train for Amarr ships? Dont they have disadvantages like the Caldari? Why yes they do. In fact, thats enough for another entry in itself, so...
The "Perfect" Starting Character
Okay, fine, you may be wondering at this point, after trying the trial and learning the basics, what character setup is best to start off with. Ideally, I would start saying that there is no "best" character setup in character creation that will help you train faster or give you more skills in what you like, etc.
Realistically, however, some people actually have found ways to get the most time-efficient-training characters from the character creation process. I myself happen to be using one of the "builds" in my pet project.
The Skills section of the forum has many guides to help you along in maximizing your character creation, and thus, faster training in certain fields of skills. For example, Tripoli (character name) has taken the liberty to create two guides to help you along in creating the perfect character attributes by explaining how they work, here, and here.
Secondly, Akita T has created a rudimentary attribute start comparison guide, and Juwi Kotch has extended that into the starter skills available depending upon the choices of careers you can choose during character creation.
Long-story short, a Caldari Achura Inventor, with Industry-Engineer training is the best start off for balanced-training characters, and is the race and ancestry of my pet project, due to the speed of training. Most skills are Intelligence/Memory based, or use either in most of their training attribute scores. Having them both high is a great asset. For combat, a high Preception and Willpower helps as well in training weapon and ship skills. Charisma suffers in this "build" so no trade, corporation, and social skills will train as fast.
This is just an idea of what you should plan for when you have decided upon a profession you want to take for real. Trials are, of course, without obligation, so you can have as many as you'd like to learn as much as you can on your own. I would recommend taking that chance. Besides, its 14 days of fun, for free :D
Realistically, however, some people actually have found ways to get the most time-efficient-training characters from the character creation process. I myself happen to be using one of the "builds" in my pet project.
The Skills section of the forum has many guides to help you along in maximizing your character creation, and thus, faster training in certain fields of skills. For example, Tripoli (character name) has taken the liberty to create two guides to help you along in creating the perfect character attributes by explaining how they work, here, and here.
Secondly, Akita T has created a rudimentary attribute start comparison guide, and Juwi Kotch has extended that into the starter skills available depending upon the choices of careers you can choose during character creation.
Long-story short, a Caldari Achura Inventor, with Industry-Engineer training is the best start off for balanced-training characters, and is the race and ancestry of my pet project, due to the speed of training. Most skills are Intelligence/Memory based, or use either in most of their training attribute scores. Having them both high is a great asset. For combat, a high Preception and Willpower helps as well in training weapon and ship skills. Charisma suffers in this "build" so no trade, corporation, and social skills will train as fast.
This is just an idea of what you should plan for when you have decided upon a profession you want to take for real. Trials are, of course, without obligation, so you can have as many as you'd like to learn as much as you can on your own. I would recommend taking that chance. Besides, its 14 days of fun, for free :D
GTC = Isk. >:(
As I've mentioned in my previous blog, you can buy GTC's for Isk. They're usually in the format of 30day, and 90day GTC's and usually go for 200mil isk per 30days.
200mil isk is a huge amount for anyone pre-6 months into the game. Even I only earn 20-30 mil isk per day, and thats when I'm seriously pushing myself.
I myself do not condone this quick RLcash-to-GTC-to-isk transfer, but it has its merits. First off, many long-time players of EVE sometimes have to use this option to keep their accounts active long enough through a rough financial spot, and others use it as a secondary market to create, and then sell, purpose-built characters.
Yes, you can buy and sell characters as well. At least that I can understand, since as it stands, you must specialize in a certain field to be good at it, and thus earn your isk. Trying to be a jack-of-all-trades will take far too long, and would cost you far more in terms of isk and time to do so than buying a character created just for that purpose.
I'm even leaning towards getting myself an industrial alt, actually. But first things first, my pet project...
In any case, the Character and Timecode Bazaar is where you should go in case you are interested.
200mil isk is a huge amount for anyone pre-6 months into the game. Even I only earn 20-30 mil isk per day, and thats when I'm seriously pushing myself.
I myself do not condone this quick RLcash-to-GTC-to-isk transfer, but it has its merits. First off, many long-time players of EVE sometimes have to use this option to keep their accounts active long enough through a rough financial spot, and others use it as a secondary market to create, and then sell, purpose-built characters.
Yes, you can buy and sell characters as well. At least that I can understand, since as it stands, you must specialize in a certain field to be good at it, and thus earn your isk. Trying to be a jack-of-all-trades will take far too long, and would cost you far more in terms of isk and time to do so than buying a character created just for that purpose.
I'm even leaning towards getting myself an industrial alt, actually. But first things first, my pet project...
In any case, the Character and Timecode Bazaar is where you should go in case you are interested.
Talk About a Quick Start...
One of the possible career paths to get your footing in EVE is to become a salvager. You basically salvage ship wrecks and remains for any parts useable into creating ship rigs, which are basically "implants" for ships, modifying certain portions of it's performance, at certain drawbacks. Ship riggings, when installed, cannot be removed from the ship, and must be destroyed when the ship is put up for sale, or repackaged into it's market form.
Lately, some people have figured out how to quickly gain isk fast enough that they can actually play EVE for free.
Note: Yes, you can technically play EVE for free, as there are many GTC sellers in the forums, but I myself look down upon this as it is a quick RLcash-to-Isk transfer, and more or less cheating, but if you want to do so...
This thread apparently reveals that some people have actually tried it out, and more or less rumors of success through this plan are coming through.
So in case you're interested in earning a quick buck, there's a market for you to exploit and succeed in...
Lately, some people have figured out how to quickly gain isk fast enough that they can actually play EVE for free.
Note: Yes, you can technically play EVE for free, as there are many GTC sellers in the forums, but I myself look down upon this as it is a quick RLcash-to-Isk transfer, and more or less cheating, but if you want to do so...
This thread apparently reveals that some people have actually tried it out, and more or less rumors of success through this plan are coming through.
So in case you're interested in earning a quick buck, there's a market for you to exploit and succeed in...
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Newbie status
Now, you've just made a character, and wish to learn more besides the tutorial that you just gone through. Well there are a lot of sources of information to help you along.
First, there is the Rookie Help channel that you are automatically part of. Lots of people are in there willing to help (especially the ones with blue/light blue text for chat. They're volunteers assigned to helping new players).
Unfortunately, "gold sellers" have infiltrated the channels. Dont even think about buying isk from them. CCP can, and will, find out, and you'll suffer.
A second source of information is the newbie section of the EVE Online forums. Once you have an account and character, you can post there (using the character you have of course as the "identity"). Your character is who you are in the game, and so you have a reputation, no matter how insignificant, to consider.
Lastly, if you're a filipino gamer and wish to meet like-minded filipinoes, you may want to head to the ingame channel "PINOY" and greet us in there. We'll help you along in a moreso "pinoy-friendly" way hehehe :D
First, there is the Rookie Help channel that you are automatically part of. Lots of people are in there willing to help (especially the ones with blue/light blue text for chat. They're volunteers assigned to helping new players).
Unfortunately, "gold sellers" have infiltrated the channels. Dont even think about buying isk from them. CCP can, and will, find out, and you'll suffer.
A second source of information is the newbie section of the EVE Online forums. Once you have an account and character, you can post there (using the character you have of course as the "identity"). Your character is who you are in the game, and so you have a reputation, no matter how insignificant, to consider.
Lastly, if you're a filipino gamer and wish to meet like-minded filipinoes, you may want to head to the ingame channel "PINOY" and greet us in there. We'll help you along in a moreso "pinoy-friendly" way hehehe :D
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