The exact date is this Friday, but for a variety of reasons, I'm celebrating it today. Mostly because this is a week from Hell and I'm honestly not sure how much posting I may be doing this week.
So I've been at this thing for two full years now, over 700 posts, nearly 200 pieces of commissioned work, over 100 freebies, 40 cartoons, almost 200 Twitter Hats, 10 Corporation changes, 6 different Alliances - two of which I helped create, not to mention untold chaos and exploded ships, a Death Race, several events and uncounted opinions, jokes, stories and assorted whatnots.
And that doesn't mention the responsibility of the Eve Blog Pack, something I take somewhat seriously.
Nor does it mention the friends, both real and virtual, that I've made along the way. Some of whom are still with us and some of whom have moved on from our little, albiet dedicated and insane, community.
How does one sum it all up? One doesn't try. The past is dead as someone once wisely said and it would be the height of... well, not arrogance per se, but something approaching it, to wallow in it. To me, more importantly, is the future. What happens next?
So where do we go next? Frankly I don't have a clue. In fact, based on the current real-life situation I've been fighting for the last six months or more, the future is a foggy, indistinct, hard-to-fathom place right out of reach. This doesn't mean that Eve won't be a part of that future, it simply means that, pushed against a proverbial wall, I can't pretend to know what it holds in store.
But that is true of all of us. If you believe for a moment that you know what the future holds for you, tomorrow, next week or next year, then you are fooling yourself my friend. I had no idea when I started this little blog what would happen in the years that followed. I had no way of knowing just how important those ten to fifteen minutes I spend every day writing these posts would become. Or just how much the Eve Community would come to mean to me personally. How could I?
And so we move forward into the unknown together. Just as we always have. A journey whose destination is unknowable. The milestones we land upon along the way as mysterious and unfathomable as the deepest ocean. Whatever the future holds, I'll face it the same way I always have. In good faith and with a smile in my heart.
I hope that you will continue to make this blog one of your stops in your own journey.
The fact that so many of you do, well, that is the one thing I am most proud of.
An Excerpt from "Piratez Und De Scum-Suckinkt De Do" By Doctor Pieter Butthurtsky, Ph.D.
"Ya, de Piratez are a very very interestink culture in da many ways. Ya? Von of da most interestink, in mah own humblez opinion, is da questionz of Blue or da friendly status.
It is so very hard for us more culturaled types to comprehensky. The idea of honorz is warped and twisted yes, but in ze way that make total sense to ze Piratez demselves. Ya? On da one hand you can haz friends and on de udder, you can haz enemies und fight. At ze end, each parties can exclaim good fightz in de local and go on from der. It is a mind twister ya? But for dem, it is way of life."
Being a Pirate in New Eden is the hardest playstyle choice in the game and it isn't for the faint of heart. Being a criminal in the opinion of the rest of the Universe is tough and it forces you into a corner as a player, a corner with its own rules, its own conduct and its own expectations. Expectations that can change depending on the Pirates involved.
One of the aspects that have intrigued me the most since I moved from a Null based to a Low-Sec based life in Eve, has been the concepts surrounding Blues, Reds and Neutrals. In Null these conditions are set-up by the Corporation or Alliance you are a part of and are based on political conditions. Reds are Red and Blues are Blue, in most cases the two shall never cross, the amount of gray area in Null is very low.
Perhaps it is because I grew up in Providence that I've always seen things a bit differently. Since Provi was one of the few regions to "allow" neutrals to work, and we had clearly defined borders with -A- for example, the region was constantly a melting pot unlike other regions. The idea of interacting, almost on a daily basis, with Reds and Neuts was not a foreign one. I came to respect and in some cases even talk to our enemies. Even while on the "hunt" in some cases.
Low-Sec isn't all that different. For the Pirate, having official Blue standings is the antithesis of a good idea. For every Blue standing given you've eliminated a potential target. And with targets hard enough to come by, that isn't such a good idea. But that doesn't mean you can't have friends. Many, many times over the last year I've flown in gangs or fleets with people that were not officially Blue to me. Often I'll pick up a few guys in local to go roaming with, or some of us will get together on the spur of the moment to kill a Carrier or something.
In my opinion, it is the highest form of respect to a fellow fighter. The idea that we can fight each other and still get together to fight others, to take advantage of opportunities and still be "enemies" in name but not fact.
When I was in Lucifer's Hammer and nothing was going on, I'd fly into Hevrice to see if I could get a fight with a Tusker. We shared some channels with the Tuskers and I often flew with them in gangs, but I knew if I wanted a good fight I could count on them. They were officially my enemy, but they were also my friends. I got many good fights, won some and lost some, and in the end I joined them when things fell apart.
At one point or another I've flown in gangs with just about everyone that flies in our general region of space. Heck, even some that have flown in from out of town. It is one of the things I like best about Low-Sec. The camaraderie of Pirates.
On the other hand, it is always good to have enemies. And in some cases those enemies have to be created from nothing. This was a tactic I used to great effect in Lucifer's Hammer and it works to unite and focus your Corporation. A Pirate without enemies is lonely. You can't be friends with everyone, but you can respect your enemies. And they, hopefully, will respect you. But that isn't required.
In the end, for Pirates, any Official Blue standings are doomed to eventually fail. One day, one side or the other, will exhaust the available targets in the region and start thinking dangerous thoughts. It always happens.
In my darkest hours I feel that I will never get the hang of this Eve thing. I study, I practice, I read, learn, talk, discuss and write about Eve and yet - after three years - I still don't really feel like I'm any gosh darn good at it. There are moments of course, moments when I feel like a God.
But during the last three plus years I've had the distinct pleasure of meeting and flying with about a half-dozen players for whom Eve makes total sense. This "sense" has nothing to do with knowledge, ability, rhyme or reason, it has everything to do with... what exactly?
Let me try and explain the person I'm talking about first and maybe, just maybe, by doing that we can help to explain this "sense" thing. There are 'elite' pilots in Eve, well-respected pilots in Eve, well-known, regarded, feared, pilots in Eve. But this thing I'm talking about doesn't have anything to do with that. Perspective isn't a part of it. Especially outside perspective.
I call them Pod Gods for the sake of this post. And I think it is an apt term. So I'll stick with it for now.
I can undock and travel solo thru eight or nine systems and find nothing to fight let alone kill. A Pod God gets two solo kills in my home system. I get bushwacked by two Canes and a Caracal and explode, the Pod God manages to escape. I land on the belt 145k away from the Naga, the Pod God lands right on top of him. Coming back from a roam in my Drake I come out of a Gate into 40 fast-locking FW ships, the Pod God comes out into a small gang of Frigates and kills three of them. I could go on and on.
Are you starting to think of pilots you know?
When I was younger I played a lot of Basketball. I loved basketball. And I was very good at it. I worked hard, practiced and really loved playing the game. But there was this one kid that never practiced, didn't care one way or the other really, and yet he could hit shots like there was no tomorrow. One after another, with little or no effort. He was on my team and I loved that guy like a brother with a different mother, but secretly - I wanted him to fail. And suddenly Rixx reveals a bit much about himself on the blog. Back to our story.
This "sense" has nothing to do with Killboard stats and everything to do with something that can't be measured. You either have IT or you don't have IT. The same phenomenon is true in all walks of life. In all facets of your life there are always people that have IT and those that don't. The falling into shit and coming up smelling like roses people. The ones that always win the office pool. The guy whose rich Uncle left him everything. The ones that roll easy and life pushes forward with a gentle breeze.
This phenomenon in Eve reveals itself in the Pod Gods. Pilots for whom Eve comes as natural as a stroll in the park. Things just work out for them. They just happen to find the missioning Carrier, just happen to land right on top of the ratter, just narrowly escape the War Dec gate campers, warp off before the reds land, are in the POS when dog poo hits the fan, and every other way in this game that one thing works out better for someone else.
Being around a Pod God comes with a dark side though. IT doesn't always translate to YOU. And YOU can become rather prickish about it can't you? All that happenstance piled onto the shoulders of that other guy really rubs you the wrong way doesn't it? Why him? Tell me, in secret back rooms of your mind, you want him to fail don't you?
I don't. I'm not a third grader playing basketball for the first time any more. I'm an adult now and I'll continue to play the game the way I want to play it. I may never have IT the way other players have IT. Not all the time. But there are days, moments, when I do. When I can feel the Pod God blood flowing, and I live for those days.
That kid in third grade? Came down to the last play of the game in front of a big home crowd, he cut the ball away from the other team and took it to the basket. No one on him. Easy lay-up. And he missed. Guess who got the rebound and made the winning shot?
Don't get me wrong here, I love being a scum-sucking Pirate. But still, there are things about living in Null that I do miss. As long as I'm in Low-Sec I'll probably never see something like the above screen shot again... at least, it won't be a fleet that I'm in.
There is something about being in a fleet. No matter what ship you happen to be flying, the feeling of power as hundreds of ships align and warp together... well, if you haven't felt it yourself then I suggest you go find it. At least once. It is an awesome and amazingly wonderful, and somewhat unique, feeling.
I don't even remember what or where the above screenshot was taken, but does it really matter? ( Ok, it was in X6AB-Y on August 2nd, 2009 and that there is a CV@ Fleet of 75 ships, mostly BS, waiting on the X-RSMN gate I think. So I lied. Sue me. Just sounds freaky admitting that I remember such a thing. )
The one thing that Null has going for it in my opinion is that sense of common goals. While we Pirates tend to be more self-sufficient and self-reliant types, those that make their home in Null tend to flock. And I'm not saying that as if it is a bad thing, in fact it is often a good thing. Community is important. To many people it is impossible to live without.
And while I'm comfortable in my own skin these days, I have to admit that I miss it sometimes. The sense of working together to achieve something, to build something, to make things, all together and all for one. It sounds alluring to the memory.
And then you remember that nothing lasts. That everything you work for turns to dust eventually, that those you relied on will turn their backs on you, or log-off when the going gets tough, or move out to save their precious assets, or fall back on role-playing convenience when they need to help you... that goes along with Null space as well.
I enjoyed my time in Null. And someday, I may very well go back.
But that day isn't today. Until then, I can remember it fondly. And then poke my head in every once in awhile and blow them up some. And then leave before they make me shoot at a POS for eight hours. Or join a CTA.
It took me five seconds to fall in lnve with Eve the first time I saw it.
It took me five seconds to fall in love all over again yesterday.
I won't soon forget dragging my ships into the hanger one by one to see how they've changed and giggling like a school boy when I kept hearing the subtle 'thrum' noise when they slowly changed into the next ship. I may never forget the sheer unadulterated joy I felt when my Myrmidon slid out into... into what exactly? Words fail to describe the beauty of the new nebula surrounding my home Station in Hevrice. I quickly docked the large Myrm and undocked in a small fast Daredevil so I could swim in it, watch the engine trails swirl and... well, gosh darn it, my ship and I danced in space.
We danced.
I just kept undocking all my ships one by one, just so I could see how incredible they now look in space. And I have over 50 ships. I wasn't in a hurry.
A moment of panic when my bookmarks seemingly lost their folders. That had happened once before during one of the previous expansions and with over 4k bms it can take a long time to re-organize them. It all snapped back into place once I opened the People & Places window. Nice.
I love the new font. I love all the little touches. I love just how amazingly beautiful space is now. And here I thought it was pretty gosh darn beautiful before.
A few of us spent some time shooting a Customs Office. And then I had to leave New Eden for the night.
I'm sure there are issues, problems, concerns and whatnots to deal with. I'm sure the forums will be full of the usual usual, the haters, the whiners, those without joy in their hearts. Goodness knows those of us that love Eve complain because we simply want it to be the best it can be. Like caring parents we want it to grow up to be something, anything, we can be proud of.
I warped away and left my drones at the Customs Office. When I warped back later and they were not visible in space, I feared they had been lost. Then I remembered. Reconnect to lost drones. More joy.
I've used the word 'love' a bit in this post. There are those that will probably consider that a negative. Those are the immature that do not fully appreciate the meaning of the word yet. The young. For those of us a bit more 'mature' >cough< who have been around the block a few times, the feeling is appropriate because of what Eve has come to mean to us. I mean, c'mon, I write a stupid blog about it. I do artwork to it. And I play an internet spaceship game! I should know better.
I should grow up. Seriously.
But that's love for you. Thick and thin. Good times and bad. Sticking it out. Refusing to allow the worst to over shadow the best.
What happened this past Summer. Don't EVER do that again. Don't confuse love for Eve as love for CCP. Don't take advantage of us again. Love forgives, but love isn't stupid either. They say love is blind, but those of us that know better, know that true love sees everything.
All is forgiven by that moment yesterday when my ships kept undocking into a Hubble photograph. The fire was rekindled.
I could just undock and fly around the universe and be perfectly happy.
But happiness is only one emotion. And I have others that require more immediate and thunderous attention as well. So I will enjoy watching things explode against the backdrop of glorious space. Ka-Blooie.
It ain't all sappy love songs baby. Some of it can get a bit rough. But you like it rough, dontcha?
This morning as I snapped Interceptor V into the training window, my skill points popped up over 50 million. I picked Interceptor V, among so many other skills that need trained up, because it felt especially appropriate. Given that I spent such a large portion of my formative time as a Hero Tackle pilot. I don't even fly Ceptors much these days.
I have to admit that all these milestones lately, the 50m, the three years in-game, have given me a natural place to ponder. Wonder, mull, and otherwise consider. And yes, I know I think too much.
And since I know that, I've decided not to think. Just going to keep doing. Moving forward. Much like the skill train itself, time marches on, and more often than not - decisions are made for us. What to do? What to train? And deeper questions, all seem to resolve themselves eventually.
So I went on a shopping trip and re-stocked my supplies, bought a few new ships - including a Cynabal, which I realized I haven't flown in over a month. I decided not the replace the Absolution I lost yesterday, not yet anyway. I tend to over-rely on certain ships and that one was becoming a bit of a crutch lately. So I probably won't but another one for a month or so. Time to give some other ships a run.
I also have a few other things up my sleeve to spice things up a bit. I can't share everything on the blog y'know. Eventually, all things become clear however.
So 50? Honestly I thought it would mean more. All I see are the skills that still need to be finished off, the things I still have to do, accomplish, learn and get better at doing. Eve continues to be a journey and not a destination.
Where will it lead next? Let's undock and find out.
There are few words that invoke the anger, hatred, fear, loathing and general wtfs in local than the word: Blob. Nice blob. I've wuz blobbed. Blobbing and being blobbed are two sides of a combat coin that at once provide the best and worst of Eve.
But, what exactly IS a Blob?
I've been in fleets numbering from 2 to 2,000*, and for the most part not a single one of those were blobs. However, that depends on your perspective doesn't it? Over the weekend I was in a fleet that numbered around 50, not huge and not small. While we were waiting on a gate, a lone Hurricane jumped thru and we all opened fire and killed him in a matter of seconds. Now, to that poor Cane pilot, our fleet was certainly a huge blob of death. But it wasn't a blob.
Over the years I've come to certain conclusions regarding the word, function and results of blobs in Eve. And mostly they come down to one fact of life - no one likes to die without hope. That Hurricane pilot in the story above? No matter how skilled, talented, well fit, trained or officer blinged his Cane was - he didn't stand a chance. Zip. Zilch. Zero.
I don't care who you are, no one likes to die like that. We spend a lot of time, effort and in-game resources to prepare ourselves for the worst. And then, well sometimes the worst happens. We pick the wrong gate, the wrong undock, the wrong whatever and kla-blooie!! All gone.
That hurts.
But, again, not always a blob. So, what is a blob anyway?
I've developed a definition that I'm sure no one will like, but I'll share it with you anyway.
Blob: The deliberate and purposeful accumulation of sufficient resources to render your opponents resources meaningless in a direct confrontation.
"Deliberate and purposeful" speaks to the thought process of the blobber. In the Cane example, we were on the gate because there were large enemy fleets in the next system. We were not there to destroy the Cane, it just got in the way. However, had I found a Cane ratting in the belt and assembled a like force to kill him, that would be a blob.
"Render your opponents resources meaningless" means this definition works no matter what your enemy is flying, or how many they have. If it's an Archon ratting in a mission, or 10 BCs in system, or a single Rifter, you decide to bring enough ships along that it won't matter what they have. You'll win no matter what happens. The blob eliminates or reduces the possibility of defeat.
But Rixx, isn't your definition the actual purpose of combat?
It is indeed. The fact is there are only 2 kinds of blobs in Eve, the one your in and the one that finds you. And neither of those is wrong, bad or otherwise worthy of hatred. Even if I have 2 ships in a gang and some poor schmuck is unlucky enough to be flying something stoopid in a belt and we kill him, is that a blob? To him it is. To us, a good kill.
Perspective. Goodness knows I've been blobbed many, many times. And I still get angry about it. Because it sucks. It stinks to be caught and have no way out, no chance to escape the overwhelming display of firepower. And I will never get over it.
But it happens. I might even make some snide comment in local about it, and I certainly will never offer a gf, but really that is all for show. Inside I know it could have easily been the other way around and I'd be posting a new killmail.
So what have we learned about the blob? Nothing really. This is all just my opinion. And in my humble opinion there are no blobs, only people with less friends than other people. People with worse luck that day. People without intel channels. People that shouldn't be flying that there. And people that should learn the proper ways to avoid being blobbed in the first place.
HTFU. No wiser words.
*NOTE: Several people have brought to my attention that no fleet in Eve can have 2,000 members. Of course this is technically correct. No single fleet can, but I was counting combined fleet efforts on single battles. I have seen those numbers several times, as I'm sure many of you have.
