True Love

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?


Oh baby. You are such a bitch.

State of Commissions: Update

Some housecleaning items:


Commissions
Between today and the end of the year I will not be taking on any additional commissions. That doesn't mean you can't continue to email me your requests, you can, it simply means I won't be working on anything "new" until the first of the year. I have enough on my table at the moment and some of these poor people have been waiting a long time. So my focus between now and then will be to clean off the work table.


This is good news for all of you that are currently waiting. Once again, thank you for your patience. I hope the final results will have been worth the wait.




Blog Pack
There will be another update in the next few weeks. So keep your eyes open for that.


For those that have written and asked me to share the process for getting selected to the Eve Blog Pack, it is extremely simple. Make sure I am aware of your blog and add it to the "Eve Sites" Blogroll in the right sidebar. That blogroll is my own personal reading list and the source of my opinions about the blogs that get added to the EBP. Please remember, there are well over 500+ blogs currently active about Eve! Selecting the blogs in the EBP is a purely subjective process and is based on my own personal opinion regarding quality, longevity, subject matter, interest to the Eve community at large, and the sheer amount of bribery involved! ( That is a joke, I don't accept bribes.)  


Seriously, if you want to be considered, send me a link to your blog. And then write awesome stuff about Eve.

Eve of Crucible

Back from four days away and the patch notes are already on-line for tomorrow's release of the newest expansion.  


Like the rest of Eve I suppose I am simply waiting. Waiting to see what it really means, what it really looks like, what the short-term and long-term meanings will be. A lot of changes, in fact I can't remember a longer list of patch notes. Maybe Dominion? My mind doesn't remember the details and human nature dictates that the moment is more important than the past anyway.


So today is a good re-entry day for me as well. Time to get caught up and move Ana into the nearest trade hub. I'm not sure when the new ships will be available and how expensive they will be when they are, but either way I want her to be ready to scoop them up. Right now I'm planning on buying at least two of each. Rixx can fly all four, so why not?


And while many people believe the new ships may only be good for killing SC in Null Space, I think that is a tad short-sighted. Certainly 40 or 50 of the new tier 3 BCs will play havoc with SC fleets, and I'm sure many null Alliances will take advantage of that, I think the longer-term use will be in small gang battles. The sheer amount of DPS that one ship brings to the mix is staggering. And while survivability might be an issue, that is one issue that can be dealt with easily with small gang strategy and tactics. Either way, I'm anxious to give them a try.


Other than that, for us low-sec dwellers at least, the remainder of Crucible is mostly a cosmetic change. The only real issue remaining will be Player Owned Custom Offices and I'll have to wait and see what, if any, impact that has on low-sec. Some have predicted it might be the "golden calf" that brings more people into our systems. I'm not convinced yet.


But new ships, new nebula, new UI enhancements, new 'fixes', new ship skins, all add up to a ton of much needed and welcomed changes. And probably the most anticipated expansion that I can remember.


But my own personal play-style, my in-game moment to moment, won't be impacted that much by Crucible. New Eden looks to be a much better place tomorrow, but still full of ships that need to be exploded.

Turkey Shoot Wallpaper

Happy Thanksgiving. The wallpaper above is available in various sizes by clicking on the image. I thought it was funny, your opinion may vary.


So I'll be away from Eve for the next five days or so and won't be posting, emailing or otherwise around in a significant way. This is a time for hanging out with family, eating way to much food and generally forgetting about the rest of it for a few days. Mostly I'll be traveling to visit my own family.


It is also tradition to take a moment to give thanks for those things we are thankful for. Last year at this time my list was significantly different than it will be this year. Last year at this time I was still in Null space, down in Providence as part of the Co2 Alliance, believe it or not. Wow, a lot has changed in the last year needless to say. So where will I be this time next year?  I guess we'll all just have to wait and see.


Until then, here are just a few of the things I am thankful for this year:


> The Eve Community. You guys keep me going. Thru your blogs, the tweetfleet, the forums and everywhere else, the Eve community is strong, awesome and full of good people. So thank you all for everything you do.


> CCP. Last year I said I was thankful to you for creating Eve in the first place. And while that still applies, I think this year I am more thankful to you for not killing it. Crucible looks to be an incredible, much-needed expansion back to the way things should be. It was a rough Summer, but you've gone a long way towards rectifying those issues. So thanks.


> Eve Friends. Say what you want about virtual friends, but they are pretty damn awesome. And during the last three years I've made a lot of them, both in-game and thru commission work. Thanks to all of you that remain a part of Eve. And to those of you that no longer play, you haven't been forgotten.


> Tuskers.  I know I haven't been in-game much the last two weeks, but you guys are great and I'm looking forward to flying with you all more in the coming months. Thanks for taking me aboard and giving this old guy a new home.


To everyone else, my readers, commenters, visitors, haters, those that say "hi" in local, those that sneak me intel, those that kill me or are killed by me, those that I once flew with and those that I fly against, thank you as well. Without you there wouldn't be an Eve and I wouldn't have a reason to log in.


I hope you all have a great Thanksgiving with your friends and family. And for those of you that don't celebrate Thanksgiving, enjoy the next few days without me around. You are microscopically safer in space for the next few days.

Unintended Lapse of Forward Momentum

I have to admit several things today. Get them off my chest. Confess my sins. Clear the air. Wave the magic blog wand of self-indulgent introspective wanderings, so I can get back to the business of writing about, making fun of, and generally enjoying this thing we call Eve.


Funny that the next expansion is called Crucible.


Killing your own Alliance and dumping your own Corporation takes a lot out of a fella. Who'd a thought?


So I've been taking a break from Eve lately. You probably didn't even notice. I hide it well. During the last two weeks I've been in-game a total of about 90 minutes. I haven't kilt anyone in two weeks. This has been on purpose. A mini-vacation if you will. Time to take a deep breath and just chill for a bit.


All the usual. I know better then most that you can't keep the burning pace up for long, without losing the flame. Everything piled up towards the end of Summer, the Alliance, the Corp, the blog, the commissions, the Blog Pack and everything else. No big deal, but even I need a break from time to time.


But this post isn't about the break. It is about the return. And while you haven't noticed it, some have. Those waiting on commissions and my friends in The Tuskers. The new expansion hits soon, which I am very excited about. ( duh! who isn't? ) and the end of the year approaches.


So time to jump back in, undock in some shiny new ships and try to figure out why the sky has changed so much.


We now return to our regularly scheduled programming.


Take a moment and check out this bit of Eve Fiction over on Lovely Little Vagabond. I make a surprise guest appearance!

Gang Tactics: Part Four - Track & Kill

Gang Tactics is a new on-going series in which we explore the fine art of death dealing in small gang warfare.  This series is not intended as a technical exploration, but as a guide to the fundamental basics involved in small gang warfare in New Eden. And hopefully, one that is enjoyable and educational.


Part One: The Basics
Part Two: DPS
Part Three: Travel


This series is intended to encourage pilots to fly in small gangs, to remove the mystery from combat in Eve and help the new, experienced and veteran pilots better understand the fundamentals involved in organizing, traveling and fighting in a small gang. As such, I have strived to remove all of the usual technospeak from the series. For example, instead of calling certain ships "Force Multipliers" I called them "Tippers". Because they tip the scale of most fights. In my experience, this makes it much easier to learn and understand the concepts involved. If you are looking for more detailed, technospeak articles, the internet is full of them. This series is not one of those.


So we've covered the basics of forming your small gang, getting the proper mix of DPS and getting out of your system to find targets. We even covered a simple ratting ship take-down and the tactics you need to successfully kill your target. As I mentioned in the last post however, you will rarely encounter a solo ratter at a belt. Typically your potential targets are going to be a tad harder to find. So this post is going to be focused on finding those targets and successfully putting them in their pods.


Potential targets tend to be in the following areas: Docked, in a POS, on station, at a Celestial, in warp, in an Anomaly or in a Mission, or at a Gate. So let's take these one at a time and see how we can not only find them, but more importantly, what ships we might need to add to the mix in order to do so successfully. For each of these examples we'll assume a single target in a "clean" system, just to avoid exponential complications.


Docked: So this person is in local but is docked up in station. You could just move along to the next system, but let's pretend you are real killers and want to destroy him. There are actually some tactics that you can try to tease the docker out into space. If you are following the previous discussed tactics in previous chapters you only have one person in local. Assuming your scout doesn't have GCC ( if you are in low-sec and your scout does have GCC, simply have him leave local and send someone in who doesn't. If you happen to be in Null, well then, it doesn't matter. )  If there are multiple stations in local, have your scout dock and undock to find the station our ship spinner is in. Once you find him, stay docked for a couple of minutes. Open the Guests tab and watch, you'd be surprised how often the ship spinner will undock once he sees someone else in station with him. Spend those minutes looking at his info and use what you learn to help determine if this guy is worth the effort. If he happens to be a killer pilot you can sometimes use his own ego against him, remember he has no idea what you are flying or that you have other ships waiting in the next system. Don't waste a lot of time here, he could just as easily be AFK.
The last ditch effort is leave system, wait a few minutes, then have your mates jump in and see if he is on D-Scan. Sometimes they'll undock once system local is clear and you can catch him in-between your gang.


In a POS: This one is more tricky. Usually I don't bother with POS babies much, since the POS could be defended with nasty stuffs like guns, or ECM, or something. Especially in Low-Sec, POSes are typically carebear safe houses, so the odds of tricking them out are almost nill. Your D-Scan will tell you the status of the POS, what defenses it might have, etc. If you decide to make a try, send your tasty bait ship ( which depends on what ship they have, send the ship that the enemy would consider an easy target.) If the POS has guns and you don't have a ship that can take punishment, then don't bother. The idea isn't to fight on the POS, the idea is to draw the enemy out and have him follow you somewhere safe. Remember, unlike an enemy in a station, his d-scanner still works. Show him a tasty kill and see if he takes the bait.


On a Station: Now the enemy is in space. But they are on station. This one simple situation deserves an entire post all its own, but I'll try to summarize the tactics involved here. Some things to keep in mind if you are in Low-Sec. Station guns hit out to 150. Station guns hurt, especially small ships. If the enemy is positive or neutral standing, then attacking him on station will result in you getting GCC and the station will shoot you. If the enemy is negative standing, then you can shoot at will. In Null these rules do not apply and anyone is fair game on station. 


First example: he is in a Drake on the undock and he is negative standing. Your scout should stay off the station, since he will be mostly useless in this fight, but can stand by the catch the Drake if he decides to warp off. Have one ship jump in and warp to station at Drake range, which is usually about 70-80, so warp in at about 50. When you land align out to a celestial, something close and easy to see. ( When align-baiting never pick a celestial in a cluster, since it will be hard for the target to see exactly where you went. Always try to pick one that sits alone in the sky.) Start shooting the target. He will either dock, shoot back or warp off. If he docks he was gonna do that no matter what you did. If he warps off watch where he goes and send your scout there to catch him. If he starts shooting you don't panic yet, there are still two options in this scenario. He is sitting still shooting you or he is coming towards you and shooting you. Stay aligned! If he is sitting still, have your mates jump in and warp to station at zero and engage. They need to kill him fast if he stops aggro, which he probably will once local jumps. You can warp off and return to help. If he is chasing you, so much the better. Wait until he gets a bit further from the station and then have your mates jump in and warp to station at the enemies range. Don't forget to get points, especially Webs if you have them, since he can still warp away. Webs will cut his speed down and keep him from returning to station.


Second example: he is in a Drake but he has positive standings. Since you do not have Logistics in your small gang this scenario is much like the first one, except you do not want to fight at the station. You still warp in the same as above, align out to an easy celestial (You can have your Scout do this) and then warp off. The idea is to get him to follow the easy kill, point him, and then have everyone jump in to kill him.


There are an infinite variety of scenarios involved in fighting on station, but what I've just given you is the fundamental ingredients involved in all of those scenarios. If you understand the basics involved, you can address any and all scenarios you will face using those basic principals. No matter how many ships are involved.


Celestials: We already covered this in the last post and the tactics are the same with a ship in a belt, planet, custom office, etc. 


In Warp: If you enemy is already in Warp, or warped away from you, finding him involves watching where he went and using your d-scan tactics to find him. If he warped to any of the above locations, then simply use those tactics to engage him. If he warped to a Gate you should also. As the Scout you should jump ahead of him if you can ( to determine who might be in local over there, but also the get point on him when he jumps) and have your mates jump in and also warp to the gate.


Anomalies and Missions: Both of these are easier if you have a Prober along with your gang, either in the main gang or as an alt of someone. If you do not have a Prober along Missions are going to be off-limits to you, there really is no other way to find a Missioner imbedded in a Mission. However, anomalies are a different story. You can find someone running an Anomaly without a Prober and here is how.


In addition to your directional scanner, you also have a System Scanner. The system scanner takes about 25 seconds to scan the system and show you the various anomalies in the system. Your target is at one of these, but which one? It is tricky and time consuming, but it can be done. Wrecks are the key, wrecks and drones. Your d-scanner will pull this information for you. I find the quickest way is the following, double-click the anomaly and wait until your ship aligns, then stop its warp. Now your ship is pointed in the direction of that anomaly, now run the d-scan at maximum and see if any wrecks or drones appear. Continue doing this until you get a hit on wrecks, drones or the enemy ship. There is also the option of simply warping to each one, or guessing and warping, or having your mates jump in and everyone picks one to warp to. ( We used to call that a Belt Blitz in Null, when you have as many ships as belts, everyone jumps in and warps to a different belt.)


If you do have a Prober along, then use him. He is also the only real way to find enemy ships hiding in a safe spot.


At a Gate: Gate tactics are so complicated they really do deserve their own post. So the next post in this series will be focused on fighting and killing on Gates in both low and null sec space.  Once we've covered the basics of gate fighting we'll start teaching tactics for fighting other small gangs and eventually larger enemy fleets.


Eve is a complex and ever changing universe and the advice and information given here is intended as an overview to small gang tactics in that universe. I encourage you to seek out more detailed information, advice and strategy from your fellow Corp and Alliance mates, on the forums, or from other Bloggers. Feel free to ask me specific questions in the comments and I will do my best to answer them or point you in the right direction.

Wallpaper: Golden Rokh

Click the image to download various sizes.


This is a version of a recently completed private commission that I just finished, which I converted into a wallpaper. I'm particularly proud of the sense of scale in this piece and how well the Rokh "feels" within the environment. Someone contacted me about two months ago ( I know, I am being extremely slow in responding to commissions lately, my continued apologies.) about creating something that showed the relative scale of the Rokh against something based in the real world. I immediately thought of the Gold Gate Bridge.


Anyway, I hope you enjoy it.