tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49675333183094325752024-03-13T23:17:12.861-07:00Scram Web - An EVE Online BlogAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12266160412251006850noreply@blogger.comBlogger231125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967533318309432575.post-47054723415967510562016-05-16T20:21:00.001-07:002016-06-03T14:17:51.702-07:00Mothership down!!!! The Battle of UTKS-5.I can't believe it has been over six years since this happened. I had a post that I wanted to make ready several years ago but I never really finished it. Here it is. Please excuse any errors as this was from my poor recollection several years after the fact, and now not having played in years I suspect I have more errors...<br />
<br />
My very favourite moment in EVE was when I was in Agony Unleashed and we hatched Caldak's insane plan to catch and kill a pair of Motherships (old name for supercarriers) that had been causing problems for us. Here is what happened:<br />
<br />
1. Situation<br />
We were living in Syndicate at the moment. At the time Syndicate was effectively a 'fight club' with multiple minor low-sec alliances duking it out with small gang fights nightly. Sometimes a large alliance would blow through, but by and large it was worthless space and so ignored by the big players.<br />
<br />
One of the larger groups was a corporation called 'No Trademark' with about 50 active pilots. Importantly two of the pilots flew Motherships ... and they were willing to use them. While Agony was trying to figure out RR Battleship gangs, once those MOMs landed on grid we were dead.<br />
<br />
2. The Plan<br />
The plan was simple ... bait and then pounce. We had a Titan at the time so we had the ability to project a large subcap force. Taking down a MOM was hard but by using Guardians to supply cap to energy nuetralizing battleships, we could effectively wipe out the capacitor of the super withing a minute. What we needed was to get the MOM tacked first. For that we would use another RR Battleship gang as bait.<br />
<br />
3. It Begins<br />
I (being relatively new pilot with less than a year) was a scout from the bait gang flying a Jaguar. I guided our force down the pipe from our home in EZA-FM to our destination of Y9G-KS near the Conomette and Pertinineere gates where we knew NOTR lived. After landing on the gate with no sign of the enemy we placed a few bubbles and camped things for a bit. Not much was happening. Then we got signs that NOTR was getting tired of us using their favourite gate. After some manouvering our force entered UTKS-5 running away from a larger NOTR force. They camped the gates and chased us around the system. The plan was sort of working.. we had been planning to chase them, instead the opposite occured and our BS gang was on the run while the attack force sat on the Titan getting organized. We were waiting for thier MOM pilots to logon.<br />
<br />
NOTR was extremely good at scanning us down. After several near misses they finally tackled one of our BS with a lucky safe-spot. As the two BS gangs engaged one of their MOMs logged on. We started loosing ships. Things were going south. But then.. the MOM appeared.. time to drop the hammer.<br />
<br />
Cyno UP!!!!<br />
<br />
In comes the reinforcements. Aside from nueting out the MOM the priority was support which we quickly cleared off. The MOM and a carrier were all that was left. Both were now being held onto by a couple of heavy interdictors and several bubbles were also going up. A falcon appeared but was chased off.<br />
<br />
After a few minutes it became clear to the MOM pilot that no reinforcements were coming so he set a self-destruct, hoping to deprive us of the killmail at least. Realizing that time was short we cynoed in a couple of dreadnoughts and then it was all over.<br />
<br />
All that was left was to loot and save killmails ... <a href="https://zkillboard.com/related/30003306/201001030000/">https://zkillboard.com/related/30003306/201001030000/</a><br />
<br />
NOTR was lucky... only a few minutes later the other MOM pilot logged on and we came close to two mothership kills.<br />
<br />
That was my favourite fight in EVE...<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967533318309432575.post-46817936258073287382014-02-04T17:14:00.002-08:002014-02-04T17:14:16.842-08:00Brawling Frigate Strategies - Part 2 - Active Tank like a MotherFrakerA while ago (last year) I covered the <a href="http://scramweb.blogspot.ca/2013/04/brawling-frigate-strategies-part-1-turn.html" target="_blank">Turn, Burn and disrupt brawling frigate strategy</a>. A second really good strategy is to active tank the hell out of your ship. Basically it involves having enough active repping power to overcome the damage from the enemy. Unlike the turning and burning strategy, this can be effective against multiple enemy ships. You will see a lot of videos using this strategy because it is very exciting and really shows off the pilots skills. Knowing when to overheat, managing multiple weapon systems, managing cap, managing the tank, is very intensive. However when everything works it is very satisfying.<br />
<br />
As a general rule of thumb, you will need an approximately 100 dps tank per enemy frigate you want to engage. A bit more if against a high dps ship like an incursis (a lot more if an enyo), and a bit less if against a low dps ship like a slasher. To get a tank high enough you will need to do several things...<br />
<br />
1. Use ships with a resist bonus or even better an active tank bonus. The breacher and the incursus are the poster children for this thanks to thier 32.5% bonus to shield boosters and armour repairers respectively.<br />
2. Use rigs to further increase tanking. Recent changes to armour rigs makes this a lot more viable. For armour this means the Small Nanobot Accelerator and Small Auxiliary Nano pump. For shield this means the Small Core Defense Operational Solidifier and the Small Anti-Em/Thermal Screen Reinforcers. I personally avoid the resistance rigs for armour since they significantly reduce velocity which is a really bad thing.<br />
3. Tanking implants. I wont list them here, but even a couple of 3% implants can be the difference between life and death. For low-sec shield boosting ships, low-grade crystal implants are very nice, although very expensive.<br />
4. Capacitor booster. Unfortunatly you are going to be using a lot of capacitor. Relying on regen or even a Nos is not enough, you will need to sacrifice a midslot to keep things running.<br />
5. Dual Small Armour Repairers or Medium Shield Booster. Tech II is pretty much the minimum however the relatively inexpensive faction armour repairers are worth paying for.<br />
6. Drugs: Standard Blue Pill Booster for Shield, Standard Exile Booster for Armour. Personally I am terrible about using drugs, I usually forget until the fight is over, or I load them and then don't have a fight for 30 minutes. But a 20% boost is very nice and not something to ignore.<br />
<br />
Let us look at some fits.<br />
<br />
First the Breacher...<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTFsvFpVo5UK0u9Atyp8thPEa2d5RzUxpSTwjq-U1ojRo-T1FxZqEj4pxIhGnAXVT2kWkikaQaThXHvp1SXqRrlVyfWBzOSax08-b6psz1SWgJodIiEnrp-djsq3kDpoeUZx5Xf9WpZk4/s1600/breachereft.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTFsvFpVo5UK0u9Atyp8thPEa2d5RzUxpSTwjq-U1ojRo-T1FxZqEj4pxIhGnAXVT2kWkikaQaThXHvp1SXqRrlVyfWBzOSax08-b6psz1SWgJodIiEnrp-djsq3kDpoeUZx5Xf9WpZk4/s1600/breachereft.png" height="449" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
[Breacher, rustbucket]<br />Damage Control II<br />Ballistic Control System II<br />Nanofiber Internal Structure II<br /><br />Medium Shield Booster II<br />Small Capacitor Booster II, Navy Cap Booster 400<br />1MN Afterburner II<br />Faint Epsilon Warp Scrambler I<br /><br />Rocket Launcher II, Mjolnir Rocket<br />Rocket Launcher II, Mjolnir Rocket<br />Rocket Launcher II, Mjolnir Rocket<br /><br />Small Core Defense Operational Solidifier I<br />Small Core Defense Operational Solidifier I<br />Small Anti-EM Screen Reinforcer I<br /><br />Hobgoblin II x2<br />
<br />
This is wonderful ship. DPS looks low, but it is selectable, and it is hard to speed tank or otherwise mitigate damage from rockets. Main problem is that it does not have a web so a standard scram/web ship should be able to run away. However the ability to engage multiple targets and live is unbeatable. I used this fit for my <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=KC2WkyrHBNA">Kill All The Things 4 Video</a> last fall.<br />
<br />
As much as I love the breacher, the Incursus is probably the most common T1 frigate for this strategy. Here is a fit that I have used:<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIFh7wnd01nyl3usbQVWcZSmnloo1R8iSQnS5FzC_R7PXTofoIO3gFx8PeXfv0_QmUMvwE4rv9dAcpqSUQAtbX_hiFUfbl7wt8SFnNgXefONIVq1YTlESr3-V_E4MYukDO48XSmEaLKSA/s1600/incursuseft.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIFh7wnd01nyl3usbQVWcZSmnloo1R8iSQnS5FzC_R7PXTofoIO3gFx8PeXfv0_QmUMvwE4rv9dAcpqSUQAtbX_hiFUfbl7wt8SFnNgXefONIVq1YTlESr3-V_E4MYukDO48XSmEaLKSA/s1600/incursuseft.png" height="368" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
[Incursus, mothertank]<br />Small Armor Repairer II<br />Small Ancillary Armor Repairer, Nanite Repair Paste<br />Damage Control II<br />Adaptive Nano Plating II<br /><br />1MN Afterburner II<br />Faint Epsilon Warp Scrambler I<br />Small Capacitor Booster II, Navy Cap Booster 400<br /><br />Light Neutron Blaster II, Caldari Navy Antimatter Charge S<br />Light Neutron Blaster II, Caldari Navy Antimatter Charge S<br />Light Neutron Blaster II, Caldari Navy Antimatter Charge S<br /><br />Small Nanobot Accelerator I<br />Small Auxiliary Nano Pump I<br />Small Auxiliary Nano Pump I<br /><br />Hobgoblin II x1<br /><br />
<br />
Be careful with your use of the ancilary armour repairer in this fit. It should go for 9 cycles, but then it will become almost useless until a 60 second reload is done. Still, until then you can easily tank two ships and hopefully take one down lowering their DPS first. Even more than the breacher this ship has some weaknesses however. Again, the lack of a web means that range control is impossible with another AB fit frigate. This plus the range/tracking issues of blasters means that you may find yourself holding a wet noodle. Fights can go on for a very long time.<br />
<br />
Finally I will show a fit for a relatively new character. My restarted main has only 1.5 million SP and I was barely able to fit into this...<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Pdv2pZCWR7aGd_ftClVvGfLkvW9QSKgcf2zYi8GlGldZiiNHfO9igBSi45vUdMzHEZ1j4TCCgO7ZEuj9yuR5jNam6rP9kKFt2Atm_Cav32uZ8MBmFwInLLA91A8px8ysnNGEsadUh0s/s1600/incursuseftlowsp.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Pdv2pZCWR7aGd_ftClVvGfLkvW9QSKgcf2zYi8GlGldZiiNHfO9igBSi45vUdMzHEZ1j4TCCgO7ZEuj9yuR5jNam6rP9kKFt2Atm_Cav32uZ8MBmFwInLLA91A8px8ysnNGEsadUh0s/s1600/incursuseftlowsp.png" height="366" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
[Incursus, LowSP]<br />Small Armor Repairer II<br />Small Armor Repairer II<br />Damage Control II<br />Prototype Energized Adaptive Nano Membrane I<br /><br />Experimental 1MN Afterburner I<br />J5b Phased Prototype Warp Scrambler I<br />Small Capacitor Booster II, Navy Cap Booster 400<br /><br />Modal Light Ion Particle Accelerator I, Antimatter Charge S<br />Modal Light Ion Particle Accelerator I, Antimatter Charge S<br />Modal Light Ion Particle Accelerator I, Antimatter Charge S<br /><br />Small Polycarbon Engine Housing I<br />Small Polycarbon Engine Housing I<br />Small Polycarbon Engine Housing I<br /><br />Hobgoblin I x1<br />
<br />
A great ship for a low SP character for sure. Decent DPS, a strong tank, it actually has a chance of victory against many other ships. I still lost it against a two year old character's punisher, but the fight was fun nevertheless.<br />
<br />
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12266160412251006850noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967533318309432575.post-54018782184184603842014-01-28T19:12:00.002-08:002014-01-28T19:12:47.195-08:00Words Cannot Describe - B-R5RBSomeone posted a sped up video of the greatest fight in online gaming history.
Could this even happen in any other game?<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/I3PTU4Yjn9Y?feature=player_detailpage" width="640"></iframe>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12266160412251006850noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967533318309432575.post-58531063152094808332014-01-21T17:00:00.000-08:002014-01-22T12:58:05.813-08:00Trail Player Solo PVP - Not Viable - Attrition of the Solo PVP CommunityI may not be the best player in the world... but if after 14 days (the period of a trial) I am 0/9 in my efforts to solo PvP with a new character doing faction warfare plexes. I just don't have the tank, the speed or the damage to actually do more than scratch the paint of another pilot in faction warfare. None of these fights were even close. I think there was only one where I managed to get through shields of their armour tanked ship.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ83O3Y1OvkAdKLz-g-iYcQnEXcA5vUobGGZCCffHTGldz7Y_5iQIc-VU2DhBfwm7IhTs1rIh-wNVyugrWwlHKKreKY0I1CnrowmXW1YyCagqijghUOo_vpQ6aqUDAefsiAywACXsir9o/s1600/zero+for+9.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ83O3Y1OvkAdKLz-g-iYcQnEXcA5vUobGGZCCffHTGldz7Y_5iQIc-VU2DhBfwm7IhTs1rIh-wNVyugrWwlHKKreKY0I1CnrowmXW1YyCagqijghUOo_vpQ6aqUDAefsiAywACXsir9o/s1600/zero+for+9.png" height="536" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
I know that somebody out there is going to say that I just am terrible, that my fits are crap... and they may be right. I however am going to say that my old main has hundreds of solo kills, and that I know what I am doing. Just things don't work when you have only 50 dps, an inferior tank nor ability to mitigate damage through speed and/or e-war.<br />
<br />
EVE is just not a game that you can actually play on trial. To actually get to a point where you have a chance takes at least 30 days.... by which time I suspect that most players have quit and gone on to do something else.<br />
<br />
This is one of the main reasons why the solo pvp community in EVE is so sparse these days. Without any new players coming on to solo PvP, as vets leave there are less and less of us.<br />
<br />
Edit: Finally got a kill....<br />
<br />
<a href="http://eve.battleclinic.com/killboard/killmail.php?id=21580067">vragi nespyat's Kestrel was destroyed</a><br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12266160412251006850noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967533318309432575.post-86046032424241225902014-01-15T09:38:00.000-08:002014-01-15T09:50:03.374-08:00Loosing at EVE :(I think I am officially loosing at EVE. I tried my best... I sold off most of my assets, sold my main, donated all of the proceeds to PLEX for GOOD. I had an alt with a carrier... I gave her and the carrier away to an old corpmate. I have done pretty much everything I could do to not play the game and quit.<br />
<br />
Yet what was I doing last night..... I was playing EVE. My new character 'Toterra The Second' has only about 300k skillpoints, can't really win any fights, yet I am busy flying and loosing him in faction warfare.<br />
<br />
DAMM YOU CCP!!!!<br />
<br />
I will keep trying but dammit.. this game is hard to quit! Perhaps I should try mining or something.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967533318309432575.post-35135300582311216202013-12-04T00:00:00.000-08:002013-12-04T00:00:00.809-08:00Help me CCP you are my only hope<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=4967533318309432575" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a>For some reason I can't seem to transfer my character. I have entered in a petition to get this fixed a couple of days ago, but after 48 hours no response yet. Unfortunately this is interfering with my attempt to cash Toterra in for PLEX for good. I am going to refund the nice guy who paid 27 billion for Toterra. Hopefully someone from CCP sees this and comes up with a solution.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNAOoXivpwDbXbizungG8xMp4Ka32FpMXfVJZbV7ae2lFicpTX6qCkgt7ttzbO_CSL3FyuWzSo6C9TOFGgT1h9FpucvpEggItHmyqdn3eVhXK7HWgfEbRkmlzFRS7iuJef_RT9tOHzs-s/s1600/accountclosed.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNAOoXivpwDbXbizungG8xMp4Ka32FpMXfVJZbV7ae2lFicpTX6qCkgt7ttzbO_CSL3FyuWzSo6C9TOFGgT1h9FpucvpEggItHmyqdn3eVhXK7HWgfEbRkmlzFRS7iuJef_RT9tOHzs-s/s320/accountclosed.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12266160412251006850noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967533318309432575.post-89480191216734126072013-11-21T15:59:00.002-08:002013-11-21T15:59:56.818-08:00Going out with a BANG - Donating Toterra to PLEX for GoodFor a variety of reasons I am no longer playing EVE. It has been a great 5 years, but I just can't get into the game and have been thinking about quitting for a while now. With the PLEX for good announcement I have decided to donate my character to Typhoon relief and make it permanent.<br />
<br />
As a result I am selling Toterra. <u><b>All proceeds will be contributed to Typhoon relief.</b></u><br />
<br />
Here is my post onthe EVE O Forums: <a href="https://forums.eveonline.com/default.aspx?g=posts&m=3908059#post3908059">WTA 83 Million SP Sub-cap pilot * All isk will be donated to PLEX for good</a><br />
<br />
Thanks for everyone who has ever flown with or against me. I would especially like to thank Agony Unleashed for just being awesome. I can`t recommend enough that new players should do one of their courses.<br />
<br />
Cheers!!!!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967533318309432575.post-46452299232883280032013-10-08T17:11:00.002-07:002013-10-08T17:11:19.736-07:00CCP Financial statements and the failure of DUST514CCP's financial statements are actually available on the web. Having a look at the first <a href="http://www.ccpgames.com/media/47381/ccp%20financial%20statements%20june%2030%202013.pdf">6 months of 2013</a> a certain number stood out...<br />
<br />
Revenue from subscriptions and in-game sales (2013.01.01 to 2013.06.30) = 34,337,747 USD.<br />
<br />
It also mentions 490,000 subscribers of EVE Online at the end of 2012. This gives us an average revenue per subscriber of .... $11.68 per month. This sounds a bit on the low end, I can only assume that revenue per subscriber from china is a bit lower than on TQ.<br />
<br />
What is missing? How about DUST514. <b>Where is any of the revenue from that game?</b> Marketing for this period was over $12 million, I suspect much if not most of this is for DUST514.... yet the revenue contribution from Dust appears to be zilch, nada, zero.<br />
<br />
It is official.. DUST514 is a total failure. As if we didn't know that already.<br />
<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967533318309432575.post-69623196799430036172013-09-29T17:43:00.003-07:002013-09-29T17:43:54.500-07:00STAR WARS Identities - ToterraWhile attending a high-school homecoming, I visited the<a href="http://www.starwarsidentities.com/"> Star Wars Identities</a> exhibit at the <a href="http://aviation.technomuses.ca/">Canadian Aviation and Space Museum</a>. Fun stuff. Below is my 'Star Wars' Identity I created for Toterra/myself. Lots of fun this was!<br />
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<hgroup>
<h1>
Toterra</h1>
<h2>
<span class="Normal" data-type="genes">Male</span> <span class="Normal" data-type="species">Wookiee</span></h2>
</hgroup>
<span class="Normal" data-type="culture">I was raised on the lava planet Mustafar, where members of my community made their living in the hot springs and sauna business</span><span data-type="friends">. On holidays my two close friends</span><span class="Normal" data-type="culture"> and I would traditionally take in the annual lava-and-lights volcano show.</span><br />
<span data-type="parents">My parents raised me with a mix of independence and support, and I inherited </span><span class="Normal" data-type="genes">my strong set of intellectual abilities from them. </span><span data-type="mentors">Later on I spent some time with the wise Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn, whose guidance left me with knowledge I still use every day </span><span data-type="occupation">in my job as a bounty hunter.</span><br />
<span data-type="events">I remember this one time when I won a
Podrace, and my reward was my freedom from slavery. This had a pretty
big influence on me, I guess, because after that I took a job as a
courier pilot with a package delivery company.</span><br />
<span data-type="personality">People often tell me I’m a generally adventurous and curious person, I also tend to be organised and prepared. </span><span data-type="value">But
the most important thing to me is self-direction: I believe that living
in a free world means we all have the right to choose.</span><br />
<span class="Normal" data-type="genes">The Force is very strong with me, so I wasn't surprised when the Emperor tracked me down. </span><span data-type="choice">When
he offered me limitless power in exchange for my allegiance, I fought
the urge to join him and his evil minions and rejected his offer.</span><br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967533318309432575.post-90744693582418936812013-09-20T18:40:00.002-07:002013-09-20T18:40:37.646-07:00KILL ALL THE THINGS 4 - I STAND THERE AND LET HIS FEAR TAKE OVER Here is my third EVE video. In it I am flying a breacher using a dual web fitting. It was great fun making this video and I hope you all enjoy it. The final fight I am particularly happy with.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KC2WkyrHBNA">KILL ALL THE THINGS 4 - I STAND THERE AND LET HIS FEAR TAKE OVER</a><br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967533318309432575.post-16386964413360233822013-09-11T07:18:00.003-07:002013-09-11T07:18:51.919-07:00KILL ALL THE THINGS 3 - Locked in here with ME!Here is my third EVE video. In it I am flying a Firetail using a dual web fitting. It was great fun making this video and I hope you all enjoy it...<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ObUpjSZ5S8k&feature=player_detailpage"> Kill all the things 3 - Locked in Here With Me</a><br />
<br />
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12266160412251006850noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967533318309432575.post-24642570368927351622013-08-31T06:21:00.001-07:002013-08-31T06:21:44.503-07:00KILL ALL THE THINGS 2 - She Only Loves Me When She DrinksAs a glutton for punishment I have decided to post another eve video. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=3xbnBiUh_Po">KILL ALL THE THINGS 2 - She Only Loves Me When She Drinks</a>.<br />
<br />
Similar to the first but this time I am using a ship that I have long admired, the Slicer. It takes me a few fights to get into the groove but I think my commentary is informative. The first two fights I make a lot of mistakes, but by the third I think I have things figured out. I don't really have much experience kitting, but plan on flying kitting ships for the next while to get much better at it.<br />
<br />
Cheers!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967533318309432575.post-35698652814455368172013-08-25T06:15:00.001-07:002013-08-25T06:15:36.697-07:00Kill All the Things - Episode 1For some crazy reason I decided to try my hand at making some EVE videos. Each video will have lots of small scale solo fights and include whatever commentary as to what I think is happening.<br />
<br />
Here is my first video: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYukpNvlPQ4&feature=youtu.behttp://" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title="www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYukpNvlPQ4&feature=youtu.behttp://">Kill All the Things - Episode 1</a> - Faction warfare PVP with a Tristan
<br />
<br />
In this video I use what has become my favorite T1 frigate, the Tristan. A hard ship to fly what with all the things that have to be managed successfully. It also really requires a high amount of SP as well (drone interfacing V, drones V, gallente frigate V, max fitting, max armour tanking, great navigation etc...). My commentary in the video pretty much says it all. After doing this I have a lot of respect for other EVE videographers, the amount of work to produce this was unexpectedly enormous.<br />
<br />
Anyways, have a look, and be on the lookout for more (probably one a month).Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12266160412251006850noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967533318309432575.post-11798202243196785252013-07-22T19:25:00.002-07:002013-07-22T19:50:00.242-07:00Various Slingshot How-To VideosWhile busy trying to quit EVE... and failing at that... I came across a new video from Aznwithbeard demonstrating the slingshot technique. Great video that clearly shows how to do it right.
<BR>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/07Amdtaoxcc?feature=player_detailpage" width="640"></iframe>
<BR>
Another good video from a different author on the same topic is the following...<BR>
<iframe width="640" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/903GXJvWXx0?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Personally I have always sucked at this particular and important technique. I hope to try it again with a bit more success the next time.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967533318309432575.post-16357826980781559482013-06-14T06:33:00.003-07:002013-06-14T06:33:51.497-07:00Alliance Tournament XI Ship Point ChangesWhile I have been taking a bit of a break from EVE, CCP has announced the new alliance tournament. This should be a very interesting one. Not only have there been some interesting point changes (see below), but with the complete revamp of Cruisers, Battlecruisers and other ships, we can expect a huge change in setups from previous years. Of special note are the changes of T1 cruisers to now be worth 7 points. Combined with the huge buff to T1 combat and attack cruisers I think these will be common in the tournament this year. Also I think that the micro-jump drives fitted to battleships could be interesting, assuming they don't all end up jumping out of the arena by accident.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table border="1"><tbody>
<tr><td>Ship Type</td><td colspan="3">Points</td></tr>
<tr><td></td><td>AT 7</td><td>AT 8</td><td>AT 9</td><td>AT 10</td><td>AT 11</td></tr>
<tr><td>Battleship, Pirate Faction</td><td>21</td><td>21</td><td>21</td><td style="color: red;"><b>20</b></td><td><b><span style="color: red;">21</span></b></td></tr>
<tr><td>Battleship, Navy Faction</td><td>21</td><td>21</td><td>21</td><td style="color: red;"><b>20</b></td><td><b><span style="color: red;">19</span></b></td></tr>
<tr><td>Marauder</td><td>19</td><td>19</td><td style="color: red;"><b>18</b></td><td style="color: red;"><b>17</b></td><td><b><span style="color: red;">19</span></b></td></tr>
<tr><td>Battleship </td><td>18</td><td>18</td><td>18</td><td style="color: red;"><b>17</b></td><td>17</td></tr>
<tr><td>Black Ops Battleship</td><td>18</td><td>18</td><td>18</td><td style="color: red;"><b>17</b></td><td>17</td></tr>
<tr><td>Command Ship</td><td>16</td><td>16</td><td>16</td><td>16</td><td>16</td></tr>
<tr><td>Strategic Cruiser</td><td>16</td><td>16</td><td>16</td><td>16</td><td>16</td></tr>
<tr><td>Cruiser, Faction</td><td>13</td><td>14</td><td>14</td><td>14</td><td><b><span style="color: red;">12</span></b></td></tr>
<tr><td>Heavy Assault Cruiser</td><td>15</td><td>14</td><td style="color: red;"><b>13</b></td><td>13</td><td><b><span style="color: red;">12</span></b></td></tr>
<tr><td>Battlecruiser (Navy)</td><td><br /></td><td><br /></td><td><br /></td><td><br /></td><td>14</td></tr>
<tr><td>Battlecruiser (Tier 2)</td><td>13</td><td>13</td><td>13</td><td>13</td><td>13</td></tr>
<tr><td>Recon Ship</td><td>13</td><td>13</td><td>13</td><td style="color: red;"><b>14</b></td><td>14</td></tr>
<tr><td>Heavy Interdictor</td><td>13</td><td>13</td><td>13</td><td style="color: red;"><b>12</b></td><td>12</td></tr>
<tr><td>Logistics Cruiser</td><td>12</td><td>12</td><td>12</td><td>12</td><td><b><span style="color: red;">13</span></b></td></tr>
<tr><td>Battlecruiser (Tier 3)</td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td>12</td><td><b><span style="color: red;">13</span></b></td></tr>
<tr><td>Battlecruiser (Tier 1)</td><td>11</td><td>11</td><td style="color: red;"><b>10</b></td><td>10</td><td><b><span style="color: red;">13</span></b></td></tr>
<tr><td>Cruiser</td><td>11</td><td>9</td><td style="color: red;"><b>8</b></td><td>8</td><td><b><span style="color: red;">7</span></b></td></tr>
<tr><td>Bomber </td><td>6</td><td>6</td><td>6</td><td>6</td><td><span style="color: red;"><b>5</b></span></td></tr>
<tr><td>Electronic Attack Frigate</td><td>5</td><td>5</td><td>5</td><td>5</td><td>5</td></tr>
<tr><td>Frigate, Faction</td><td>4</td><td>4</td><td>4</td><td>4</td><td>4</td></tr>
<tr><td>Assault Frigate</td><td>4</td><td>4</td><td>4</td><td>4</td><td>4</td></tr>
<tr><td>Interdictor </td><td>3</td><td>3</td><td>3</td><td>3</td><td>3</td></tr>
<tr><td>Interceptor </td><td>3</td><td>3</td><td>3</td><td>3</td><td>3</td></tr>
<tr><td>Frigate (e-war)</td><td>3</td><td>3</td><td>3</td><td style="color: red;"><b>2</b></td><td><b><span style="color: red;">4</span></b></td></tr>
<tr><td>Frigate (non-ewar)</td><td>3</td><td>3</td><td>3</td><td style="color: red;"><b>2</b></td><td>2</td></tr>
<tr><td>Hauler</td><td>3</td><td>3</td><td>3</td><td>3</td><td>3</td></tr>
<tr><td>Destroyer</td><td>2</td><td>2</td><td>2</td><td style="color: red;"><b>3</b></td><td>3</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967533318309432575.post-59129908082179085632013-04-08T06:30:00.000-07:002013-04-08T06:30:00.643-07:00Mission Maelstrom (+ Vargur)For a bunch of reasons there is a lot out Caldari and their Raven battleships seem to be the favorite for Level 4 missions. I however believe that the Maelstrom is in fact a superior boat. The Maelstrom combines a slot layout enabling both a full active shield tank and enough low-slots to provide massive damage. The active shield tank is further boosted by a bonus to shield boosting and a cap-less primary weapon usage. The primary weapon is further boosted by being able to select damage types and good to excellent range due to massive falloff. The Maelstrom is built for missions.<br />
<br />
Let's start by looking at a basic T2 setup:<br />
<br />
[Maelstrom, T2]<br />
Damage Control II<br />
Gyrostabilizer II<br />
Gyrostabilizer II<br />
Tracking Enhancer II<br />
Tracking Enhancer II<br />
<br />
100MN Afterburner II<br />
Large Shield Booster II<br />
Shield Boost Amplifier II<br />
Shield Boost Amplifier II<br />
Adaptive Invulnerability Field II<br />
Adaptive Invulnerability Field II<br />
<br />
800mm Repeating Artillery II, EMP L<br />
800mm Repeating Artillery II, EMP L<br />
800mm Repeating Artillery II, EMP L<br />
800mm Repeating Artillery II, EMP L<br />
800mm Repeating Artillery II, EMP L<br />
800mm Repeating Artillery II, EMP L<br />
800mm Repeating Artillery II, EMP L<br />
800mm Repeating Artillery II, EMP L<br />
<br />
Large Capacitor Control Circuit I<br />
Large Capacitor Control Circuit I<br />
Large Capacitor Control Circuit I<br />
<br />
<br />
Warrior II x5<br />
Hobgoblin II x10<br />
Warrior II x5<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis6k-HY8Ek6wxPzOv7h2QpbiS6f7Trn6qrzLtFu-n6f3HCS-0JYwjju92w_0c5dYymcearNqgjxkw88lYKv3HbyoJab7sw7uJ_J3-HBW-VcYVkQlMRZmgL4HFBbfging1bP0QWsPcZj8Eo/s1600/T2+Mael.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="406" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis6k-HY8Ek6wxPzOv7h2QpbiS6f7Trn6qrzLtFu-n6f3HCS-0JYwjju92w_0c5dYymcearNqgjxkw88lYKv3HbyoJab7sw7uJ_J3-HBW-VcYVkQlMRZmgL4HFBbfging1bP0QWsPcZj8Eo/s640/T2+Mael.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
While cap stability isn't great, with the afterburner off, it can run everything else for over 7 minutes, more than long enough to bring most rooms down to a controllable level. It also should be known that if you need extra range, switching to Barrage L extends fall-off to 59 km, giving this ship the ability to project damage across the entire grid.<br />
<br />
Typically when I engage I take out the web/scramble frigates first. Often this means burning in the opposite direction to increase range and minimize transversal. If the guns can't hit them then I send in the drones. Although the ship has the bandwidth and drone bay to handle medium and heavy drones, I just fit enough lights to easily replace losses. There is nothing worse than loosing all your light drones and having no way to destroy a scrambling frigate.<br />
<br />
As good as the T2 fittings are, this ship can really benefit from one of the most powerful relative to the T2 version faction modules in the game, the pithum medium shield boosters. Couple these with some low-grade Crystal implants 1-5 and you get a perma-tank that can handle most rooms handily.<br />
<br />
[Maelstrom, small faction]<br />
Damage Control II<br />
Republic Fleet Gyrostabilizer<br />
Republic Fleet Gyrostabilizer<br />
Tracking Enhancer II<br />
Tracking Enhancer II<br />
<br />
Republic Fleet 100MN Afterburner<br />
Pithum C-Type Medium Shield Booster<br />
Shield Boost Amplifier II<br />
Shield Boost Amplifier II<br />
Adaptive Invulnerability Field II<br />
Adaptive Invulnerability Field II<br />
<br />
800mm Repeating Artillery II, EMP L<br />
800mm Repeating Artillery II, EMP L<br />
800mm Repeating Artillery II, EMP L<br />
800mm Repeating Artillery II, EMP L<br />
800mm Repeating Artillery II, EMP L<br />
800mm Repeating Artillery II, EMP L<br />
800mm Repeating Artillery II, EMP L<br />
800mm Repeating Artillery II, EMP L<br />
<br />
Large Capacitor Control Circuit I<br />
Large Core Defense Operational Solidifier I<br />
Large Capacitor Control Circuit I<br />
<br />
<br />
Warrior II x5<br />
Hobgoblin II x10<br />
Warrior II x5<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZUA-6jFuXckSigsd4sDJmAlLXzICApV6jv31TPleB-M7OpQkAt7GlYmtBqDMXYVxKGC8Tf5KHJiESXcz0JfmKOWY1ZGb4Hji3oMPL21Qe816TuCVt4av6hdMOx209JmK0XtpWPKfulmUu/s1600/Light+Faction+Mael.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="542" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZUA-6jFuXckSigsd4sDJmAlLXzICApV6jv31TPleB-M7OpQkAt7GlYmtBqDMXYVxKGC8Tf5KHJiESXcz0JfmKOWY1ZGb4Hji3oMPL21Qe816TuCVt4av6hdMOx209JmK0XtpWPKfulmUu/s640/Light+Faction+Mael.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Although not cap stable with the afterburner, it is once it is turned off. Use the AB to move around in position but be mindful not to let the capacity drop below peak recharge at around 33%. With mission specific hardeners only the very hardest rooms can make a dent in the tank, allowing getting in close range with the target battleships.<br />
<br />
Of course there is an easy step above this fit. But it requires going with a Vargur, the ultimate mission ship. While a Macharial is more popular, the Vargur's invincible tanks, superior tracking, low ammo usage allowing the cost use of RF ammo and the ability to fit tractor beams and salvagers results in more isk/hour IMHO. Compared to the Maelstrom, it provides a better tank against EM/Therm, about 50% more speed. Here is how I fit my Vargur complete with recommended implants.<br />
<br />
[Vargur, Vargur Dream]<br />
Damage Control II<br />
Republic Fleet Gyrostabilizer<br />
Republic Fleet Gyrostabilizer<br />
Tracking Enhancer II<br />
Tracking Enhancer II<br />
<br />
Republic Fleet 100MN Afterburner<br />
Pithum B-Type Medium Shield Booster<br />
Shield Boost Amplifier II<br />
Shield Boost Amplifier II<br />
Adaptive Invulnerability Field II<br />
Adaptive Invulnerability Field II<br />
<br />
800mm Repeating Artillery II, Republic Fleet EMP L<br />
800mm Repeating Artillery II, Republic Fleet EMP L<br />
800mm Repeating Artillery II, Republic Fleet EMP L<br />
800mm Repeating Artillery II, Republic Fleet EMP L<br />
Small Tractor Beam II<br />
Small Tractor Beam II<br />
Salvager II<br />
<br />
Large Projectile Collision Accelerator II<br />
Large Projectile Metastasis Adjuster I<br />
<br />
<br />
Hobgoblin II x5<br />
Hobgoblin II x3<br />
Warrior II x7<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZHLCdbQ9MjoRjvoXFBW6cZqKzZ2zrJ80gtFGigaHJt-XWGDaekxYJkHVuV-AQaVS2KGHJOzmWCx9_9K0FszTuwyVXnjmWLg_0icZx5nk_0WPVk8ed789GQI8P_sBqx3fFxKEg9FBYeQ_8/s1600/vargur+dream.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="596" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZHLCdbQ9MjoRjvoXFBW6cZqKzZ2zrJ80gtFGigaHJt-XWGDaekxYJkHVuV-AQaVS2KGHJOzmWCx9_9K0FszTuwyVXnjmWLg_0icZx5nk_0WPVk8ed789GQI8P_sBqx3fFxKEg9FBYeQ_8/s640/vargur+dream.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
With a fit like this I was able to fully complete Worlds Collide Sansha / Angel looting and salvaging all large wrecks in under 50 minutes for about 60-70 million isk/hour. Most missions can be run much faster.<br />
<br />
The result of all this is that minmattar pilots should not feel compelled to switch to the Caldari mission boats. The Maelstrom and Vargur represent IMHO an actually superior mission platform.<br />
<br />
P.S. It should be noted that the current vision from CCP Fozzie is to somewhat nerf the Tracking enhancers. They will give a 20% boost instead of 30% to falloff. This will somewhat lower the range of these ships, but not enough to significantly change the tactics.<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12266160412251006850noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967533318309432575.post-15086481153078214672013-04-01T16:40:00.001-07:002014-02-06T08:35:14.487-08:00Brawling Frigate Strategies - Part 1 - Turn and Burn and DisruptToterra is terrible at kiting. In general I manage to usually either 1. Fly away too far and have my enemy escape, or 2. overcompensate by hitting approach and getting caught. As a result my choice in ships tends to gravitate massively towards the brawling (close range) strategies. Although many T1 frigates are effective in this role, there are two strategies, with corresponding fits, that I find work the best.<br />
<br />
<b><u>1. Turn and Burn</u></b><br />
Mostly effective against turret ships, it is on the surface very simple. Keep your angular velocity significantly higher then the tracking of the enemy guns. This works best on armour tanked ships, with four mid-slots and a utility high. With requirements like that it is not surprising that Minmatar ships excel in this role.<br />
<br />
In EVE angular velocity is usually represented in radians. According to Wikipedia, here is the definition of a radian: <i>'Radian describes the plane <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angle" title="Angle">angle</a> <a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subtended" title="Subtended">subtended</a> by a circular <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arc_%28geometry%29" title="Arc (geometry)">arc</a> as the length of the arc divided by the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radius" title="Radius">radius</a> of the arc'. </i>Sounds complicated but really it is just the ratio of how fast you are orbiting a ship, divided by how far you are from the ship. So if you are orbiting at 500m/s, and the orbit swings out to 1000 meters, your angular velocity is 0.5 radians per second. If you are orbiting at 250m/s, and you are 750 meters, your angular velocity is 0.333.<br />
<br />
<br />
The other factor in tracking is the ratio of the signature resolution of the gun (40 meters for small turrets) and the signature radius of the ship. Your angular velocity is divided by this ratio. So if your ship has a signature radius of 30 meters, and the guns shooting you are frigate sized (40 meters signature resolution), your angular velocity is multiplied by 1.333. In the case of the ship orbiting at 500m/s 1000 meters away, this results in an effective angular velocity of 0.666 radians per second (0.5 * 1.33).<br />
<br />
This new factor is then compared to the tracking speed of your guns. If the effective angular velocity is equal to the tracking speed of the guns there is a 50% chance of hitting. However that is the inflection point of the curve. In the case above, where the effective angular velocity is 0.666 radians, if the guns actual tracking speed is 0.5 then the chance to hit is only 29%, effectively dropping to less than a third.<br />
<br />
The result of all of this is that the game is designed so that frigates running an afterburner being shot at with small guns, sit around this inflection point. Anything you can do to push yourself even a little further along will make a big difference.<br />
<br />
So the turn and burn strategy is to do everything to push the tracking as far past the inflection point so that almost no damage is taken from another frigate.<br />
<br />
To do this we do several things.<br />
<br />
1. Armour tank: Armour tanking does not boost the signature radius of a ship so it increases the effective angular velocity of the ship relative to target. There is a speed hit from some hits/armour modules which will reduce angular velocity, so it is best to not go overboard. Typically a 200mm RT plate and a small repper is ideal.<br />
<br />
2. AB + Scram + Web: Fitting both a warp scrambler and a web means that it is hard for the opponent to use speed and maneuvering to reduce your angular velocity to the point where he can hit your effectively. Ideally, you have a faster ship so he can not kite you. Again, since many of your potential targets have a web, having one of your own is pretty much required.<br />
<br />
3. Tracking Disruptor: Using a tracking disruptor on the enemy ship reduces their tracking as much as 50%, even without off-grid boosters and bonused ships.<br />
<br />
There are several ships at several price points that are ideal for this. Starting cheap... here is the post retribution slasher...<br />
<br />
[Slasher, Turn and Burn Slasher]<br />
Damage Control II<br />
Small Ancillary Armor Repairer, Nanite Repair Paste<br />
<br />
1MN Afterburner II<br />
Faint Epsilon Warp Scrambler I<br />
Fleeting Propulsion Inhibitor I<br />
Balmer Series Tracking Disruptor I, Tracking Speed Disruption Script<br />
<br />
150mm Light AutoCannon II, Republic Fleet EMP S<br />
150mm Light AutoCannon II, Republic Fleet EMP S<br />
150mm Light AutoCannon II, Republic Fleet EMP S<br />
Small Nosferatu II<br />
<br />
Small Projectile Collision Accelerator I<br />
Small Projectile Metastasis Adjuster I<br />
Small Projectile Metastasis Adjuster I<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8kqFqgvE4HQiSqvTBUo6vKYCvjy3PIuXSwHg9mvmx0O-AfCcfj_Q4PEngOou-XrVcdAjF6Mb0XK4Mc3piOp3WEbvCzr50kcqIZolZOq_-hVFr2Wk-tEqyxHwvtjtN4i4KxOIsF0D4IGSa/s1600/TurnBurnSlasher.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8kqFqgvE4HQiSqvTBUo6vKYCvjy3PIuXSwHg9mvmx0O-AfCcfj_Q4PEngOou-XrVcdAjF6Mb0XK4Mc3piOp3WEbvCzr50kcqIZolZOq_-hVFr2Wk-tEqyxHwvtjtN4i4KxOIsF0D4IGSa/s640/TurnBurnSlasher.png" height="498" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
This setup can massacre almost any turret based ship that doesn't have some way of mitigating the angular velocity or a second weapon system. The main problem with this ship is the tank, or rather the lack of a tank. Overheat everything going in and get under the guns as quick as possible. Take out any drones ASAP. But if you get under the guns, and kill off the drones (if there are any) then it is only a matter of time before victory. A naturally high speed/low signature radius is the perfect combination.<br />
<br />
For a bit more ISK, the Republic Fleet Firetail is an ideal option. I talked more about this ship here: <br />
<a href="http://scramweb.blogspot.ca/2012/12/ships-i-fly-republic-fleet-firetail.html">Ships I Fly - Republic Fleet Firetail.</a> This ship packs more of a punch, and has more defenses, but is a little slower.<br />
<br />
For the rich, or if you just want to try something with a bit of bling, there is nothing better then the Dramiel...<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3P2o-q0FvVu5brFcmb1PakUCOW0U902I9ZlcCNGA4wBdX5ccBIHcb8IesnE2StBRqAnUwnQS2qhpFiRiDAL2kwsghtyQYfomqMH4VdK2YT9OKBpCo4DkkPOpuloxRVDcnVGswIYJs1nwY/s1600/TurnBurnDram.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3P2o-q0FvVu5brFcmb1PakUCOW0U902I9ZlcCNGA4wBdX5ccBIHcb8IesnE2StBRqAnUwnQS2qhpFiRiDAL2kwsghtyQYfomqMH4VdK2YT9OKBpCo4DkkPOpuloxRVDcnVGswIYJs1nwY/s640/TurnBurnDram.png" height="496" width="640" /></a></div>
[Dramiel, Turn and Burn Dramiel]<br />
Damage Control II<br />
Coreli A-Type Small Armor Repairer<br />
Adaptive Nano Plating II<br />
<br />
Gistii B-Type 1MN Afterburner<br />
Faint Epsilon Warp Scrambler I<br />
Fleeting Propulsion Inhibitor I<br />
Balmer Series Tracking Disruptor I, Tracking Speed Disruption Script<br />
<br />
200mm AutoCannon II, EMP S<br />
Small Diminishing Power System Drain I<br />
200mm AutoCannon II, EMP S<br />
<br />
Small Projectile Collision Accelerator I<br />
Small Projectile Metastasis Adjuster I<br />
[empty rig slot]<br />
<br />
<br />
Warrior II x3<br />
<br />
With the Dram, I would highly recommend a set of low-grade halo implants to maximize the effectiveness (reduces signature radius) in addition to the deadspace articles mentioned above, especially if flying in low-sec. More DPS than either the Firetail or the Slasher, the Dram is pretty much the ultimate turn and burn ship. Even webbed it is still a fast ship and able to control the engagement. Additionally the use of drones gives a good chunk of DPS even when counter tracking disrupted. Expensive, but a great ship.<br />
<br />
Next post we will discuss the strategy of <a href="http://scramweb.blogspot.ca/2014/02/brawling-frigate-strategies-part-2.html" target="_blank">tanking like a BOSS</a>!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967533318309432575.post-24666267124409328032013-02-27T05:36:00.002-08:002013-02-27T06:26:37.179-08:00My Endorsement for CSM - Matias “Brave Newbie” Otero and Zander (Crossing Zebras)After listening to a bunch of podcasts and 'interviews' I have decided who I would vote for. Either Matias Otero or Zander. Neither has announced running for the CSM. I am not even sure that Matias knows what the CSM is, but listening to them they clearly would make better CSM members than any of the announced candidates.<br />
<br />
<u><b>Matias Otero</b></u><br />
Within one month of starting to play EVE created he has grown his new corp to over a thousand members strong. Listening to him on the<a href="http://declarationsofwar.com/?p=410&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+eveonlinepodpack+%28EVE+Online+Pod+Pack%29"> Declarations of War podcast</a>, he obviously has way more recent experience as a new player who is very involved in the game then any of the veterans that have announced. Stupid game mechanics that we have long forgotten about (like the idiocy of game mechanics basically encouraging war-decking new player corps) are stupid to him. He is articulate and clearly willing to do what it takes to learn the game. I feel he would actually bring something to the CSM that CCP could actually use.<br />
<br />
<u><b>Zander</b></u><br />
Host of the <a href="http://www2.crossingzebras.com/">Crossing Zebras</a> podcast, he has interviewed most of the announced candidates. His interviews are first rate. Although he claims to be off working on an oil rig, I would suggest CNN hire him. <b>Amazingly good interviews</b>. He clearly does the research ahead of time and asks tough questions that really gets at what each interviewee is all about. Amazingly he doesn't get mired in pointless arguments. After listening to most of the interviews, he his clearly more aware of the issues, and able to discuss them reasonably, then any of the candidates that he interviewed. Fantastic job, a huge amount of work, and I think he needs to be on the CSM.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Really, I hope either or both of these candidates make a run. And I hope most of the other bitter-vet / more toys for null-sec candidates drop out. In the end, with the new voting mechanics, I think we are going to see a CSM dominated by Goons and TEST with maybe one or two relatively independent bitter-vets. The CSM will spend most of it's time dealing with the most important issue facing them... 'Who gets to go to Iceland!'. Hopefully the rest of the community can come together and not split their vote so much that the major blocs dominate CSM 8.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12266160412251006850noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967533318309432575.post-48341585484704776162013-02-04T06:37:00.000-08:002013-02-04T06:37:03.071-08:00Resistance is FutileGranger of Agony Unleashed had an excellent post on our internal forums last week regarding base ship resistances by race/class. This is one of those topics that I knew some of the details for, but never really dug in to fully understand the various impacts in detail. With permission I include below the complete post:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i class="bbc">Well actually, resistance is anything but futile.</i><br />
<br />
Simply described - resists reduce the amount of damage your ship actually takes compared to what is delivered. Example:<br />
<br />
A Drake shoots a Kinetic missile at you for 100 damage. You have shield resist of 75% to Kinetic, so you only take 25 damage.<br />
<br />
The knock-on effect is that increased resists also makes self-reps
(Armor Repairers, or Shield Boosters) more effective, as well as remote
reps from logistics, due to the reduction in received damage. Thus,
increased resists not only increases your base EHP but also results in
more effective repairing, unlike adding hitpoints through
plates/trimarks or extenders/field extenders (unless of course you don't
have enough buffer to allow the reps to land, but that is another
topic).<br />
<br />
<br />
One thing that seems to be frequently misinterpreted is how the various
ship classes compare in terms of resists. Well, they all follow the same
pattern. I am going to concentrate on armor here to try and keep it
simple, but will list shield base stats too. All profiles are listed
EM-The-Kin-Exp just like in EFT<br />
<br />
<b><span class="bbc_underline">BASE</span></b><br />
Shield 0-20-40-50<br />
Armor 50-35-25-10<br />
<br />
Now - the way armor works through the classes is that all hulls have
some level of improved defence against the primary damage type of their
natural enemy. So, the natural enemy of the Caldari are the Gallente.
Gallente primary damage type is Thermal (think drones). So, all Caldari
ships have some extent of improved resist against Thermal. Likewise
vice-versa, and of course for Minmatar-Amarr. Each race also has a
secondary damage type. The primary and secondary damage types are listed
below.<br />
<br />
<b>Race - Primary - Secondary</b><br />
Amarr - EM - The<br />
Caldari - Kin - The<br />
Gallente - The - Kin<br />
Minmatar - Exp - Kin<br />
<br />
So - how does this improved defence apply across the ship classes?<br />
<br />
<b><span class="bbc_underline">Vanilla T1</span></b><br />
NB this rule applies to all T1 hulls, from Frigates to Titans. Each race
gets a 10% modifier in Armor to the primary damage type of their
natural enemy. Thus, the T1 hulls get for armor:<br />
<br />
Amarr 50-35-25-20<br />
Caldari 50-45-25-10<br />
Gallente 50-35-35-10<br />
Minmatar 60-35-25-10<br />
<br />
That's the easy part out of the way, as for the T2 ship hulls, both
shield and armor get a buff, in both primary and secondary damage types.
It depends on ship class, though thankfully makes sense in that light
fast ships (Inty, Dictor, EAF) get slightly less bonus compared to those
we usually associate with massive tank (HIC, Command Ship). As there
are so many combinations, I am going to concentrate on Amarr Armor only
from now on.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b><span class="bbc_underline">Interceptor / Covert Ops / Interdictor</span></b><br />
These receive the smallest of all the T2 ship class buffs, an additional 10% in primary damage type only over the T1 hulls:<br />
Amarr 50-35-25-30 (NB EFT will tell you different for the Malediction,
but that is because it gets 5% resist bonus per level of Amarr Frigate
skill)<br />
<br />
<b><span class="bbc_underline">Black Ops</span></b><br />
Oddly, receives a smaller bonus to primary damage type than an Inty, but also a small bonus to secondary:<br />
Amarr 50-35-28.75-28<br />
<br />
<b><span class="bbc_underline">Stealth Bomber / Marauder</span></b><br />
Receive a bigger bonus to primary damage type and also a small bonus to secondary:<br />
Amarr 50-35-34.4-40<br />
<br />
<b><span class="bbc_underline">Electronic Attack Frigate / Force Recon</span></b><br />
As above, but now a bigger bonus to primary damage type and also a small bonus to secondary:<br />
Amarr 50-35-43.8-60<br />
<br />
<b><span class="bbc_underline">Combat Recon / Field Command Ship</span></b><br />
Amarr 50-35-53.1-70<br />
(Similar to Malediction, EFT will tell you the Absolution does better, but again it's due to the 5% resist bonus per level)<br />
<br />
<b><span class="bbc_underline">AF / HAC / HIC / Logistics Cruiser / Tech 3 / Fleet Command </span></b><br />
Amarr 50-35-62.5-80<br />
(Again EFT will tell you the Damnation/Devoter does better due to the 5%
resist bonus per level. You can also fit the resist Sub to the T3)<br />
<br />
<br />
As I say the same traits are applied to shield as well as Armor, making
it easier to make balanced Armor tankers from Amarr T2, whereas Minnie
T2 make balanced shield tankers. Caldari/Gallente are a bit oddball in
that given they are strong to The/Kin and Kin/The respectively, it means
they have a huge hole left. However, once plugged, it does mean they
can fit very strong tanks with good resist across the board, simply by
fitting an EM Screen on a shield fit or an Explosive Hardener on an
armor fit.<br />
<br />
<br />
Hope that was worthwhile.
</blockquote>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12266160412251006850noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967533318309432575.post-88654591023625709242013-01-30T18:32:00.001-08:002013-01-30T18:47:31.572-08:00Ultimate Question - Survey ResultsLast June I asked on my blog, and on some forums, for people to respond to a simple survey. The survey was designed around the concept called the "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Net_Promoter">Net Promoter Score</a>" that is a current fad in the corperate world.<br />
<br />
Personally I am a huge fan of the survey and have seen it transform organizations. As a result I thought that I would try and apply it to EVE Online to see what people say. I also asked WOW players on what forums I knew about the same question. I had over 200 reponses from EVE players, and about 90 responses from WOW players.<br />
<br />
So... without any further adieu... Here are the results<br />
<br />
EVE Online NPS = 21<br />
WOW NPS = 21<br />
<br />
Interesting eh?<br />
<br />
<u><b>Here are some of the comments from the EVE Online 'Promoters' (score - comment):</b></u><br />
9 - I enjoy the real consequences of pvp/pve and would like friends to play with me. <br />
10 - It is a uniquely realistic depiction of a lawless society, also fun, lots of fun<br />
10 - EVE allows a freedom unsurpassed in any other MMO, basically the
sandboxiness is awesome. Also, you're flying SPACESHIPS, anyone who
doesn't like that is probably a communist.<br />
10 - It's vast and wonderfully complex, it has SPACESHIPS! And it makes you think... A lot. <br />
<br />
<u><b>And here is a 'special one'...</b></u><br />
10 - player name - hahahahahaha Nice try.. Rule #1 Trust No One <br />
<br />
<u><b>Here are some of the comments from the EVE Online 'Detractors': </b></u><br />
0 - I love EVE, but it's a terrible game. It has a terrible
community, and terrible customer support (GMs often seem "out to get
you"). You need ISK for everything, but the only way to get ISK is to
spend hours a day grinding. It's a terrible, terrible game, and I love
it, but I wouldn't wish it upon my worst enemy.<br />
2 - Too time consuming - I don't want to ruin a friend's life or marriage.<br />
1- The player environment of Eve is not conductive to making new
acquaintances you could actually play with, and few people pull it off.
Paranoia levels in Eve among veteran players are so high, that the
chance to find a non-solitary niche for a new player is fairly low, and
new players drop out quickly and most importantly, together. (A solitary
niche is not worth recommending in the first place.) Which means that
if I introduce a friend or colleague to Eve, I will have to BE the core
of their social environment and provide that niche myself if I wish them
to stay. That, basically means that I'd be recommending them something
they cannot possibly enjoy on their own without me. The only way that
could work would be enticing many people to do that at once and support
each other, forming a straight up corporation entirely from friends and
colleagues. That is quite a tall order, which makes such a
recommendation not impossible, but very unlikely.<br />
2 - Goon shenanigans, especially as they impact the Market and the
overall game economy and player attitude, has made any activity for the
regular player meaningless. Also, player attitude is childish in the
extreme, especially on Forums. It used to be fun till CCP got in bed
with and praised Goons.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<u><b>For comparison here are some WOW Promoters: </b></u><br />
10 - I love the game, there is so much to do, and most of the people are amazing!<br />
9 - It's a great game to play with friends.<br />
9 - This game is
extremely fun. It's a game where you can spend time with friends and
other people. I've connected with a lot of people through WoW and people
have connected with me. This game is truly amazing and would recommend
it to everyone who loves MMO's.9 - In spite of its issues, I've loved
this game for a long time. But I would probably only recommend it to
someone if I already knew they were an avid gamer, because there's
always been a certain amount of social stigma around this game in
particular.<br />
<br />
<u><b>And here are some WOW Detractors:</b></u><br />
3 - The games long life cycle means there is no one I know who would
like that hasn't already tried it. Meaning I would just be getting back
into the game with the same old addicts.<br />
0 = After playing for 8 years the thought of explaining the mechanics
to someone new just seems like a huge task. Things that I think are
trivial probably don't come easily. Relating to someone brand new would
be an extremely challenging task. The best I can do is point you to this
blog post on the Elitist Jerks forum. It essentially goes through what
raiding at 60 was like, compared to raiding in wrath. The points still
stand and even more so now with Cata being wrapped up and heading into
Mists.
http://elitistjerks.com/blogs/2535-zeidrich/478-random_thoughts_progression_complexity_since_vanilla_wow/
The complexity I went through was seeing the changes unfold and
adapting. Now that's not the case. It's understanding what were once
pretty crazy ideas and adapting those without any background.<br />
5 - Depends on the person... mostly I would like to because I love the game... but it can also be embarassing.<br />
<br />
<b><u>My Conclusions </u></b><br />
Personally I find the results of the survey interesting. In both cases players love the game because of doing things with other people (duh! it is an MMO). WOW players loved the large amount of content, and EVE players loved the sanboxiness/lawlessness. In both cases players have concerns about new players not being able to enjoy it.<br />
<u><b><br /></b></u>
<u><b>What CCP / Blizzard need to do to improve...</b></u><br />
It seems that bot EVE and WOW should work on helping players interact more with other players more, especially when new. This seems to be the key to move them from detractors to promoters. The resistance to this in EVE is that new players are intimidated by veterans, and veterans are paranoid about new players. With WOW it sounds like there is no simply no motivation for older players to work with newer players and this results in a large amount of grinding upwards to get to be actually noticed by other players. Game mechanic changes to improve these areas would be welcome and contribute to the success of both games.<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12266160412251006850noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967533318309432575.post-9860021656696341712013-01-28T09:51:00.000-08:002013-01-28T09:51:11.122-08:00The Butcher's BillI am sure everyone has heard by now of <a href="http://themittani.com/news/asakai-aftermath-all-over-cobalt-moon">the huge fight in Asakai</a>. 3000+ players are involved in a huge furball between two large coalitions with losses approaching one trillion isk makes for rather spectacular news. CCP must be all smiles knowing the huge publicity that this is giving them. There is literally no other game on the market that can create such an epic event.<br />
<br />
Despite the headline grabbing nature of the fight I think it is important for players to understand what this all means without the hyperbole. Lets look at the facts as I see them.<br />
<br />
<b>1. The EVE-Online server can handle a fight of over 3000 players!</b><br />
In and of itself this is a huge development. While there have been other similarly sized fights in the past, they were characterized by crippling lag, client crashes and complaints of players unable to load grid resulting in losses. While lag was enormous during this fight, with time dilation likely far worse than the 10% being reported by the client, it seems that most were happy with the ability of the server to give them a viable gaming experience. Considering that this was apparently on a non-reinforced node using older hardware (low-sec gets the old stuff apparently) this was all the more satisfying. Good Job CCP! This will actually encourage more of these sorts of fights in the future.<br />
<br />
<b>2. Super-Capitals are very hard to hold down and kill.</b><br />
Hard to say this after such huge super-capital losses, but considering that there were reportedly 27 Titans on grid at one point, and countless more super-carriers, it is surprising how few were actually lost. The whole focus of this fight was to destroy super-capitals, and both sides effectively going 'all-in', yet most of them for both sides managed to escape. It is almost impossible to keep Heavy Interdictors (HIC) alive during these fights due to the massive DPS. Since HICs are the only ships that can point a super-capital this meant that loses were actually lower for the super-capitals than for support ships.<br />
<br />
<b>3. Given a chance to kill a CFC super, PL will engage.</b><br />
The whole instigator of this fight was Pandemic legion having a chance at killing a CFC Titan. They had the chance and they jumped at it. This was not just an opportunity presented under the current political climate, they had apparently been working on this plan for months. <br />
<br />
<b>4. Given a chance to kill a PL super(s), CFC will escalate.</b><br />
Once PL dropped in, the CFC responded with the full force of their coalition. Whatever the diplomatic situation, a chance to kill a super is a chance to kill a super and super-cedes everything else.<br />
<br />
<b>5. Without the help from TEST Alliance PL would have lost.</b><br />
With a massive capital fleet, and a massive sub-cap fleet, the CFC had the numbers needed to obliterate PL's super capital fleet. While PL has a lot of heavy stuff, they needed other alliances to provide sub-cap support to save them. Top of this list was of course TEST. While PL is clearly the heavyweights of the HBC coalition, without support from TEST they can not stand up to the CFC. (PL < CFC < PL + Test)<br />
<br />
<b>6. OTEC is still alive and kicking</b><br />
None of this had anything to do with Tech moons. Although relations are being strained, the steady supply of isk coming from the tech moon printing machine is not in play. Neither PL nor the CFC have any interest in breaking OTEC. The only caveat to this is TEST. As I understand it TEST does not have nearly the Tech moon resources of either PL or the CFC. Considering TEST military strength at this point, they are going to be making requests soon and something is going to have to give. Think Germany in 1900.<br />
<br />
tl;dr: big fight, nothing much changed.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12266160412251006850noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967533318309432575.post-4862378876303936182013-01-14T05:00:00.000-08:002013-01-14T05:00:00.068-08:00Retribution T1 Cruisers - Part 8 - The Omen<b>Part 8 -Omen</b><br />
As many an Amarr player have complained over the years, the Omen never really worked all that well. It just couldn't fit the things it needed to fit to be an effective player. Now as a new 'Attack Cruiser' it has an extra low-slot, much more fitting space and a general bump in all other characteristics. Even the drone bay has been significantly boosted. Lets see how it does...<br />
<br />
Here is an Armour Omen:<br />
[Omen, Armour Omen]<br />Damage Control II<br />1600mm Reinforced Rolled Tungsten Plates I<br />Energized Adaptive Nano Membrane II<br />Adaptive Nano Plating II<br />Heat Sink II<br />Tracking Enhancer II<br /><br />Experimental 10MN MicroWarpdrive I<br />Warp Disruptor II<br />Small Capacitor Booster II, Navy Cap Booster 400<br /><br />Focused Medium Pulse Laser II, Scorch M<br />Focused Medium Pulse Laser II, Scorch M<br />Focused Medium Pulse Laser II, Scorch M<br />Focused Medium Pulse Laser II, Scorch M<br />Focused Medium Pulse Laser II, Scorch M<br /><br />Medium Ancillary Current Router I<br />Medium Trimark Armor Pump I<br />Medium Trimark Armor Pump I<br /><br /><br />Hobgoblin II x2<br />Hammerhead II x3<br /><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8_fC2sm6wI-m8fmuV6IaerY6w5XHggxTyFeKNzJohH1nrg6OUcH8AHr69znYYCQHrP0-B1ChA2XwSYOqXWmuqmHUKI1-2QXFC6MbQU_ds4p5Jroae6ttcEqrAhH1LKyhdVLQ6UXNXGfM/s1600/armour+omen.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="518" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8_fC2sm6wI-m8fmuV6IaerY6w5XHggxTyFeKNzJohH1nrg6OUcH8AHr69znYYCQHrP0-B1ChA2XwSYOqXWmuqmHUKI1-2QXFC6MbQU_ds4p5Jroae6ttcEqrAhH1LKyhdVLQ6UXNXGfM/s640/armour+omen.PNG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />Like the Maller, scorch gives the Omen the ability to do good dps out to the edge of warp disruptor range, and beyond. Not the heaviest hitter, but this extra range gives it great flexibility. Fitting is still a little tough with the 1600mm plate, requiring a single fitting rig, but otherwise this ship now works far better than before. Even the speed is great for an Armour tanked cruiser. Omen is a great small gang ship now. Basically zoom around trying to keep from being tackled while using scorch ammo to lay damage from medium range. If you like the Omen Navy Issue, you will love the new Omen at one quarter the fitted price :)<br /><br />
With only three midslots, a shield setup really does not work IMHO. There are better options if you are going that way.<br />
<br />
tl;dr: Omen is now a viable option for Amarr pilots. Fast, tough, and flexible engagement envelope.<br />
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12266160412251006850noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967533318309432575.post-58810151749421928062013-01-11T09:34:00.000-08:002013-01-11T10:20:12.250-08:00Differences Between Level 4 Skills and Level 5One thing players, especially new players often hear is that they shouldn't worry about skills because a skill at level 4 is usually only 5% less effective then level 5. In fact, often the difference is much less. It sounds good, but it is not really true. What people often forget is that skills multiply. A 5% rate of fire decrease, and a 5% damage bonus, gives a 10% bonus. Having multiple skills at level 5 vs another player with level 4 skills, adds up quickly to be overwhelming. Lets look at a Rifter as an example.<br />
<br />
Below is the quintessential rifter fit with all level 5 skills.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4a34T_8XIGPKHIl3jaZj-GpWDEn0Yzr0uLPDhpYYkukTgoJMaSyD4jwzLraD_wHpKZAia7pvyxgZMMLrckdpleTVuzquhxODu1m8rh6yVQGIxHKZ5sKQ9rcZXpoTGZVk8Z9E9aDXazn2T/s1600/lv5.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="441" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4a34T_8XIGPKHIl3jaZj-GpWDEn0Yzr0uLPDhpYYkukTgoJMaSyD4jwzLraD_wHpKZAia7pvyxgZMMLrckdpleTVuzquhxODu1m8rh6yVQGIxHKZ5sKQ9rcZXpoTGZVk8Z9E9aDXazn2T/s640/lv5.PNG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Here is the same fit with all level 4* skills:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6OIiAOSWCk7-UOgUI1YGQBQacb9qmnXQ4hg4RN7eyNGHF7WQNHqzCOPxjlJ0lO3Sk6rOOT86pibE_AU0Nb0CoP4KthGeegxopQm6r6mPbkffeP9EFkz6FQAObULj6Af50gs0rfjFpNHwd/s1600/lv4.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="442" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6OIiAOSWCk7-UOgUI1YGQBQacb9qmnXQ4hg4RN7eyNGHF7WQNHqzCOPxjlJ0lO3Sk6rOOT86pibE_AU0Nb0CoP4KthGeegxopQm6r6mPbkffeP9EFkz6FQAObULj6Af50gs0rfjFpNHwd/s640/lv4.PNG" width="640" /></a></div>
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* Note: Having all skills at level 4 is actually impossible since some skills (like small projectile specialization) require other skills to be at level 5.<br />
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As you can see there is a huge difference. A 19% drop is DPS is nothing to ignore. But that is not all. Since skills such as fall-off, range and tracking are also impacted if you look at the DPS graph with one ship going at full speed, the difference is even more extreme.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdb6D75elShz8Lx6ZJ5Yo5QxpwG8Hto82EqWG1_L8vMMXXUB3u1EnHe2p6FszpAjYGnjYzDvOXnkgFzRSnKztuJq_qagSCEG8NzZnjlzFYRVSOEFTsPHeWvpm2DtMRYyHrEXpzMnQUENh4/s1600/lv4_lv5_dps.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdb6D75elShz8Lx6ZJ5Yo5QxpwG8Hto82EqWG1_L8vMMXXUB3u1EnHe2p6FszpAjYGnjYzDvOXnkgFzRSnKztuJq_qagSCEG8NzZnjlzFYRVSOEFTsPHeWvpm2DtMRYyHrEXpzMnQUENh4/s400/lv4_lv5_dps.PNG" width="330" /></a></div>
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Here you can see at even the best range for the level 4 skilled ship, the DPS is dropped by fully 22%. Hardly the 5% difference that is often claimed. The level 5 player will not even be in structure when the level 4 player is popped.<br />
<br />
While it is very true that skills are not a simple 'I Win' button; tactics, positioning, picking fights, understanding mechanics and all that do matter more; they do matter a lot. Don't discount them.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967533318309432575.post-48860889894527900072013-01-07T05:00:00.000-08:002013-01-15T11:18:13.921-08:00Retribution T1 Cruisers - Part 7 - The Caracal<b>Part 7 - The Caracal</b><br />
The old Caracal was mostly used as an anti frigate platform. Fitted with Assault Missile Launchers (Now called rapid light missile launchers) it could clean the floor with frigates who assumed that it was fitted with heavy missiles. However since the heavy missile variety was so rare.... neither was regularly seen. With retribution bonuses are slightly improved to cover all damage types, but major improvements in fitting space slots and most importantly, mobility make this a very different bird. Lets have a look<br />
<br />
Here is a Shield Caracal:<br />
[Caracal, Shield Caracal]<br />
Damage Control II<br />
Ballistic Control System II<br />
Ballistic Control System II<br />
Reactor Control Unit II<br />
<br />
Experimental 10MN MicroWarpdrive I<br />
Large Shield Extender II<br />
Large F-S9 Regolith Shield Induction<br />
Adaptive Invulnerability Field II<br />
Warp Disruptor II<br />
<br />
Heavy Assault Missile Launcher II, Caldari Navy Mjolnir Heavy Assault Missile<br />
Heavy Assault Missile Launcher II, Caldari Navy Mjolnir Heavy Assault Missile<br />
Heavy Assault Missile Launcher II, Caldari Navy Mjolnir Heavy Assault Missile<br />
Heavy Assault Missile Launcher II, Caldari Navy Mjolnir Heavy Assault Missile<br />
Heavy Assault Missile Launcher II, Caldari Navy Mjolnir Heavy Assault Missile<br />
<br />
Medium Anti-EM Screen Reinforcer II<br />
Medium Core Defense Field Extender I<br />
Medium Core Defense Field Extender I<br />
<br />
<br />
Hobgoblin II x2<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeJwu3-XEhFiezhHrx26iL6YHoeyNCwy8U2pdhMUINZNznNvkXl9phEGRN0BfBLC8kB_9kDU7eopZyWj23yM3WBCuX-8bvFB2GXW288PNJ_ct2SEJdFfTm7SmlUzctJbfHbb4H1Py1Fto/s1600/Shield+CaracalPNG.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="578" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeJwu3-XEhFiezhHrx26iL6YHoeyNCwy8U2pdhMUINZNznNvkXl9phEGRN0BfBLC8kB_9kDU7eopZyWj23yM3WBCuX-8bvFB2GXW288PNJ_ct2SEJdFfTm7SmlUzctJbfHbb4H1Py1Fto/s640/Shield+CaracalPNG.PNG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Huge difference! As an attack cruiser the Caracal has needed speed to keep at range, firepower to do great damage out to the edge of warp disruptor range, and a full tank to keep safe if it gets into trouble. Kil2 and others (with different fits) have already created videos showing the utility of this ship in small packs. In the past the Heavy Assault Missiles could not benefit from several missile skills, now they can so hitting moving targets is now possible. Besides, the missile effects look truly bad-ass. In fleet the basic strategy is to keep about 20km from enemy targets to keep point, and reduce incoming damage. Keep outside of web/scram range of anything likely to be fitting them. Be prepared to turn on and probably overload the MWD to get out of dodge if primaried, but have the MWD off whenever possible to conserve cap. If solo, keep out about 25 to 30 km, and only move in on the kill once enough damage has been done to the enemy to be assured of victory.<br />
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tl;dr: Fast, tough, hits hard out to warp disruptor ranges, the new Caracal delivers,<br />
<br />
Stay tuned, next post I will discuss the Omen.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12266160412251006850noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4967533318309432575.post-46181563721175471342012-12-25T12:08:00.000-08:002012-12-25T12:08:42.849-08:00Solo PvP - Some Basic AdviceThis past summer DaDutchDude made an excellent post on the internal Agony Unleashed forum about solo PvP. With his permission I am posting it in it's entirety here. Enjoy...<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span class="bbc_underline"><b class="bbc">Rejecting fights / staying alive</b></span><br />
One of the fundamentals of soloing in any ship is putting yourself in
harms way, while maintaining the ability to reject fights and stay
alive. In a MWD frigate, you should be able to escape from most any
situation, but when you switch to a cruiser / BC, you loose a good
amount of that. A lot of time, you can still escape if you keep your
calm and they don't, but as it implies, it demands a bit more finesse
from you and stupidity from them. That is why it is good to start
learning to solo in frigs, and once you get used to that rush and remain
calm and controlled, you can move on to bigger ships.<br />
<br />
One of the ways you can help yourself is by bringing a dual-boxed covops
alt to get you through gates without blindly running into a bad
situation. As an added bonus, you can fleet up and get a nice bonus to
agility, shield / armor HP and lock time / range if you have some decent
leadership skills. If you however don't have a second account for that,
or don't want to dual-box, you really need to accept that you release a
very large amount of control over the situation.<br />
<br />
<span class="bbc_underline"><b class="bbc">Solo approaches</b></span><br />
When you solo, there's a couple of approaches.<br />
<br />
<i class="bbc"><span class="bbc_underline">Brawl</span></i><br />
When you brawl, your focus is on quickly locking down a target and
killing him off before friends show up or he can run away. Compared to
your opponent, you are usually either very heavy on tank, DPS or both.
You usually behave as the aggressor, initiate an engagement, and commit
first. Unless you have a really big tank and fight on a gate or station,
it'll be hard to disengage, so make every second count.<br />
<br />
<i class="bbc"><span class="bbc_underline">Kite</span></i><br />
When you kite, your focus is on being able to dictate range and maintain
your ability to disengage. Compared to your opponent, you have good
speed and agility and DPS range. You usually behave as the target,
letting your opponent come to you and let him initiate aggression, and
you don't commit until the fight is already won. That last part means
basically that initialy, you should not care too much about tackling
your target, but put damage on him while keeping range. Only when he's
almost dead and it's safe to do so should you make sure you dive in for
tackle.<br />
<br />
<i class="bbc"><span class="bbc_underline">Fish</span></i><br />
Fishing is sort of a mix between brawling and kiting. Your ship is setup
like a brawler, but your behavior (at least initially) is more like a
kiter. Basically you set up a trap for a\specific (type of) opponent,
wait for him to engage you, and then close the trap and brawl him down.<br />
<br />
<i class="bbc"><span class="bbc_underline">Control</span></i><br />
Arguably this isn't a specific type of combat, but more a variation on
brawling or kiting, and is a generalization of fishing. The point of
control style fighting is that you have some measure of control over
your opponent that diminishes his ability to fight you, and it's
particularly suited for ships with an ewar bonus like recons. A Rapier
for example can control range with dual-webs and despite low tank and
low DPS either kill an opponent or disengage. A Curse can do something
similar with neuts. A fishing Celestis (with webs + scram) is sort of a
control setup in disguise, controlling the ability for small ships to
disengage.<br />
<br />
<i class="bbc"><span class="bbc_underline">Concluding</span></i><br />
Choose the type of approach, and pick the right tools (ship + setup) for
the job and specialize. Although there will always be targets that you
can brawl in a kiting ship and kite in a brawling ship, you should be
wary about that and not give into temptation too often when frustration
and / or boredom strikes.<br />
<br />
<span class="bbc_underline"><b class="bbc">1 vs 1 or 1 vs many</b></span><br />
Again, there's a different types of fights you could be looking for when you solo.<br />
<br />
<span class="bbc_underline"><i class="bbc">1 vs 1</i></span><br />
Especially when you like to brawl or fish, these are the fights you will
usually be looking for. Personally my recommendation is to cruise
through an area, maybe linger, but surely don't stick around to long for
people to form up. The longer you hang around in an area, the more
gates you want to between the closest population center and you, giving
you more time before possible reinforcements come.<br />
<br />
It's also sometimes a good idea to toy around with somebody before you
engage. A lot of the times when you get a 1 vs 1, the other opponent
wants that fight just as badly as you do, so making him work a bit for
it, for example making him follow you a system, gives you more time to
assess the situation, decide on tactics and setup correctly for it.<br />
<br />
<span class="bbc_underline"><i class="bbc">1 vs many</i></span><br />
The reality is that a lot of solo PVP ends up as 1 vs many, and it can
actually be a lot more fun if approached correctly. However, there are a
lot more things you need to be aware off.<br />
<br />
When kiting, watch that magic 150km mini-warp range. It is so easy to
kite somebody far enough for gate for his support gang to be able to
miniwarp up to you, giving you big head aches. Choose new align at 80km
points, realign before 120km. Any further and somebody that gets through
on the opposing side of the gate might still be able to miniwarp up.<br />
<br />
If you are brawling, don't fight on the in-gate. If you know or suspect a
gang will come for you, warp to a different gate from the one they will
come in from, so you can see local go up, check scan and know what's
coming before they are actually there, and if you choose to disengage
and go out through the gate with less of a chance of more gang members
waiting there. However if you are kiting, you should kite on the
in-gate, because that means that people coming in can't immediately
mini-warp to your first chaser, but instead have to bounce or burn after
you.<br />
<br />
When stuck on a gate with a hostile gang, watch which hostiles are
aggressing you and which aren't (and because of that, can follow you
through). Based on that, decide if you should crash gate again on the
other side, or kite off, or try to cold warp off. If you have the
ability to take a breather in gate cloak (when they don't have something
that can prevent you from gate crashing like a Rapier), use it.
Whatever you do, don't give up too early, I've escaped stupid amounts of
situations I should have died in in my HurriPain by simply gate
crashing 2 or 3 times, and then kiting or cold warping off after the
coordination in the hostile gang has completely disintegrated due to
blood lust / panic / brain dead / bad comms / whatever.<br />
<br />
When fighting multiple opponents, esp. when kiting, don't worry too much
about having tackle on your targets initially, because most of the
time, they will stick around on their own any way. Focus much more on
choosing the right target, deploying drones, maneuvering, etc.<br />
<br />
Splitting up opponents, either in range or on different sides of a gate,
is essential. There's too many examples to mention about how you can
think of it, but thinking of it a lot is key.<br />
<br />
Be VERY worried about gangs with ewar ships, they are game changers (and
usually spoilers), probably even more so then logistics. Soloing is all
about control, and with EWAR is all about giving them more control over
you, and that severely limits your options.<br />
<br />
<span class="bbc_underline"><b class="bbc">Active vs passive tank</b></span><br />
There's no single right answer to what is better for solo PVP, although
at the moment of writing, Ancillary Shield Boosters are particularly
powerful. In general though, I think the passive tanks work well for 1
vs 1 brawlers and all shield kiting / control setups, but not so well in
most 1 vs many brawlers. Active tanking can do well in most situations,
although you really need to be pretty knowledgeable about the limits of
it and needs more finesse / micromanagement because when it breaks, it
usually breaks hard.<br />
<br />
<b class="bbc"><span class="bbc_underline">The measure of success (or "how do I enjoy something that is inherently very difficult to succeed in")</span></b><br />
Understand how you measure success, or what makes you enjoy playing
solo, and let that guide you. Every person is different, and that is why
some advice will resonate well with you and other advice won't. Since
that sounds vague, I'll try to illustrate with an example:<br />
I as a (solo) pilot and very result focused. A lot of the process of
(solo) PVP I find frustrating, but when I get good results, it's all
worth it. Getting blown up repeatedly without any kills pisses me off.
This guides how I approach (solo) PVP, and I usually play more of a
kiting / controlling type of PVP. However, a lot of Agony pilots are
different. I know for example Alta seems to enjoy the process of going
out hunting a lot and getting blown up seems to be less relevant to
him, as long as het gets a fight (although getting blobbed when flying a
Rifter does piss him off slightly). People like Alta are usually more
brawler style PVPers.<br />
<br />
Knowing why you want to solo, what draws you to it and what you want to
achieve should guide how you do it, and what works and what doesn't
because in the end, you need to overcome the inherent frustration of
solo PVP and enjoy it.<br />
<br />
<b class="bbc"><span class="bbc_underline">Conclusion</span></b><br />
I hope I wasn't too much Captain Obvious and some of what I wrote strikes you as useful. Good luck <img alt=":)" class="bbc_emoticon" src="http://www.agony-unleashed.com/public/style_emoticons/default/smile.png" /></blockquote>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12266160412251006850noreply@blogger.com1