Fallout: Boot.ini and Season's Greetings :D

As the dust settles and people get over the entire boot.ini scandal, the fact remains that due to a simple programming error, thousands of clients were affected, some to the point of them thinking that their PC has turned into a big metal brick.

Of course, the fix is easy, its just that you need to know a bit about how your PC works to fix it, which is a lot to ask for from the common PC user, who at most, rely on Windows in-built security to protect them (Vista is safer in this case though...).

Error of the century? More like the error that would kill careers. Rumormill points to a likelyhood that people were laid off because of this. Frankly its a good thing, and on the other hand, said rumormill points to a lot of people getting laid off, some who arent even close to software/QA.

One would ask the question: why?

Still, it was a huge mistake, a mistake that costed a lot of people a lot of money, and so close to Xmas too. Double whammy anyone?

Trinity is still buggy, as to be expected from huge content/upgrade/codefix patches like this. It certainly felt rushed, considering the timing, but hopefully it'll all get fixed well before the next big one comes along (which is likely to be the station-walking avatar upgrade "Ambulation").

As for me, I've taken time off the game for now (still skilling of course, too bad I missed my regular GTC buying due to seasonal shopping) to wait it out. The word on the forums and in-game is infectious, even if you dont play POS wars/logistics/war/piracy. Everyone in each of these lines of EVE play have their gripes, only renewed by Trinity's rather buggy (and boot.ini killing) entry.

In other news, hope everyone enjoys the Holiday times. Season's Greetings from the tropics! :D

Trinity graphics came, it saw, and it conquered boot.ini

Due to the biggest programming error known to man, the new Trinity update for EVE-Online is a viable danger to any and all Windows XP systems (Vista's saved, more below). Trinity Classic's safe, dont worry.

I dont think I can say it any better than CCP themselves here in this news post.

The summery is this:
Trinity premium graphics patch removes old files like EVE's "boot.ini" file. Unfortunately, due to this massive screwup of epic proportions, the delete command for EVE's old boot.ini file wasnt set to the game directory as usual, but reverted to the root drive (in this case, C:\ drive).

Windows XP keeps boot.ini in C:\, and for those who arent tech-savvy, bottom line is this: if you dont have this file, your PC is a big brick at reboot until you can get its backup (which is always made, thank god) renamed into boot.ini.

Tough luck to even rectify such a thing if the PC wont even start up, right?

IF you installed EVE Online on a different drive from C:\, you're safe.

If you have Vista, you're safe.

If you did not install the Trinity Premium graphics, you're safe.

I am confirming that Trinity Premium has been fixed and anyone who started downloading the premium graphics patch after at least 5am GMT should be safe, but still, KEEP AN EYE ON YOUR BOOT.INI FILE!!!

Keep an eye on your C:\ drive to be on the safe side. I'm keeping backups of my boot.ini file just to be safe myself.

EDIT: A good explanation why Trinity Premium did this before it was corrected can be seen in this post in the current boot.ini sticky thread.

Trinity is coming!

December 5 baby!

Dont believe me? The dev post announcing it does not lie!

Make sure you're ready for the single biggest (literally) expansion to hit EVE. I know I will be :D

Save EVE-TV

I've just come across a bit of news that just shocked me.

EVE-TV has reportedly closed it's doors after it's end of Season 1.

No news is on the website regarding this, but according to this other website, this proves to be a quiet cancellation of EVE-TV.

The website in question is here, or http://www.save-evetv.com.

I'm not exactly sure if should take this as a cruel joke, or the inklings of truth, but either way it hurts, and if it is proven to be true, its a huge blow to EVE's community.

You have to admit, having a TV show dedicated to the game you play, and a chance to get on TV is something unique to EVE. I mean, sure, Koreans have their Starcraft tournaments on TV, but thats just competition. This is EVE in it's entirety, and not just tournaments, or info from the Devs or just the Fanfest coverage. Its EVE. Simple as that.

Having just read the EVE-TV section of the forums, it seems to be true. This is horrible to the extreme.

EVE-TV made EVE-Online bigger than just a game-world. It helped become a society all its own, with its own culture and history. Taking this away is like taking the great museums and media coverage of the world away. What kind of world would that be like? Bland and boring come to mind.

A "bland and boring" game is a stagnating game, and is a dying game.

Yes, I dare use such strong language.

EVE-TV was good enough to be payed for, in all actuality. Heck, I wouldnt mind paying a bit extra just to see EVE-TV for myself, attaching that cost to my subscription. Why? Because it's great, and its a part of EVE. Take that away, and it's similar to trying to... uhh... "satisfy" one's self with someone else's... uhh... "other part/s". It isnt fun and it feels so being left out (not to mention disgusting).

Please, CCP, give us EVE-TV again. We dont mind if we have to click through a lot of ad banners or have to see international advertisements of other stuff not related to EVE-TV, as long as it doesnt jarr us from what makes EVE truly special.

EVE is special CCP. Make it even moreso.

"...is Reborn"

Short blog this time, because frankly I'm knee-deep in holiday work, and partly because I'm still in shock with the new Trinity update.

They just released a new trailer here, with a bigger version, all on the EVE-Online video's page.

Take time to download either version, and watch it. I can wait.

You done yet-oh ewww dude clean yourself up!

jeebus... a bit of self-control please... okay can I turn around now?

Oka-auuhh heck dude cmon!

okay, are you done now?

You'd better be-oh okay good.

You may have a lot of questions once your brain gets off the hormonal high you just experienced, so let me point you to the important facts in links!

The Trinity FAQ is on the forums here.

The "Can you run Trinity" forum post by a Dev is here.

The Patch Notes of the Trinity update here, with a second page linked at the bottom of said patch notes.

Oh, screenshots dont do the new engine justice, but anyway here's the forum thread with all the posts and links of people, in case you're interested. Be warned, some people dont have all the bells and whistles turned on and/or are viewing the ships when the screenies were taken in bad lighting conditions, which make the ships look uglier than thou (like the Dominix).

The good stuff is in HDR, so a mid-high range videocard like an Nvidia 7800 and above would suffice. I'm sorry ATI readers, I havent used an ATI card in my life, so an equivalent ATI card will also do. Its all in the "Can you run Trinity" I linked.

Moar stuff as soon as Trinity hits TQ! Till then, enjoy the trailers and/or Singularity Test server goodness :D

Fanfest '07! ZOMG! Also, serious stuff here, srsly.

The last two weeks have been a load of EVE-related info for me. First off, the Fanfest for this year, covered by the great guys over at EVE-TV, covering many topics such as the Council of Stellar Management, to the new Trinity expansion.

In a bit of detail regarding the Trinity expansion:

The Trinity expansion is a total rework of the graphics engine of EVE Online to allocate for Directx9 graphics capability and the use of Shader Model 3.0. This allows for such fancy effects you would expect in today's games like HDR, not in a game that's 4 years running. CCP do love their baby after all.

In fact, I best not link stuff here about the new shiny graphics and stuff, since the EVE-TV fanfest coverage covers nearly all topics regarding this...

...oh who am I kidding, here, have a teaser trailer made exclusively in the new graphics.
(bigger version here!)

I'll wait till you picked up your jaw from the floor and cleaned yourself up.

Done yet?

Okay, done yet? Okay good. Did you enjoy yourself? ;)

EVE, when it first came out, was a leader in graphics in 2003. Won awards for it, and it shows, still as stunning as it was back in it's day. But wait!

Does this mean we're forced to upgrade to keep playing EVE (albeit shinier and prettier)?

Nope.

You heard me, nope.

This is why, or in case you're too shocked to read a proper Dev Blog...

The reasoning is simple: the old graphics (new engine, just with the shiny bits turned off, but with the core optimizations in place) will be made available still, alongside the new shiny graphics in a seperate optional download in case you wish to (either) burn your videocard to a crisp, or finally see how EVE should have been back in 2003, only in the next-gen age of 2007/8.

Also, omg new stuff?! In my EVE?! Of course! Its an expansion after all. Lots of new Tech 2 ships like electronic-warfare frigates, heavy interdictors, marauder battleships and the secretive black-ops battleships. More toys for everyone to play with, eh?

Also, with the new graphics/engine/updates, comes more user-friendliness, in the form of a badly-needed UI update, along with EVE Voice being made, wait for it...

Free.

Yes, free.

Dont believe me, read it again.

Yes, EVE-Voice, the ingame-based voice communication system, will be made free alongside Trinity for the foreseeable future. This indeed would bolster communication in small corps/alliances who do not have external voice comm systems like Teamspeak/Ventrillo servers for them.

This though brings up a sensitive topic in regards to those who are hearing/speech impared...

And now, regarding the Council of Stellar Management:

Before GM Xhagen was able to write up a dev blog about it, along with a paper, I decided to bring the matter up after reading about it (and subsequently hearing about it on EVE TV's coverage). Barring all the topics said already, I suggest reading up on it, since, player or not, this is an important step in the development of MMO's gaming communities, and not only EVE.

It is the biggest can of worms CCP has had to open in regards to EVE's community, and has all the chance of blowing up all over their faces when they do open it.

EVE's community is rapidly growing out of just being a gaming community into being a sort-of society on it's own. In fact, CCP hired an economist to act as an "EVE Central Bank" to keep the economy in check for it's own good. Here's his quarterly report in a blog if you're interested.

Considering the arrival of Trinity to be before the end of 2007, I'd say its going to be one very interesting holiday for those who are in EVE.

Too bad for me being too busy/unable to play EVE properly as of late :(

Happy Halloween! Also, update on pet project v2

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.

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.

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

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.

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."

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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