Greetings my fellow corp men, women, & blog readers!!!

It has been awhile since my last installment, and the protests of the mythical, “golden ammo,” have finally been silenced. The new topic on everyone’s mind… Will the DRF control the world?

It is an interesting question. The general consensus is… Yes, if they want it. Maybe they could, but really what would it accomplish? They could brag of turning the null sec map “red.” Would that be a real victory, or would that “victory” be short lived? Would it only be a matter of time before one of the major power blocks within the DRF would get bored and turn it sights upon its “allies?” Why else do the pilots of the DRF log on, if not to wage war? It isn’t to mine or rat, they got their bots to do that.

Let’s face it… null sec is a place of war. Those that live there enjoy the conflict, and the challenge. Some like smaller gang pvp, others enjoy large fleet engagements. It is obvious that the DRF coalition has members that like it all. The DRF did a good job in targeting the NC as its primary enemy. It was a difficult target, and worthy opponent. The NC’s defenses were believed to be insurmountable by many. Yet the DRF took it as a direct challenge to be conquered. Their victory has garnered them the respect that any “super power” derives from military superiority.

They have not just displaced the NC, from the most valuable space in EvE, they have emerged as EvE’s first true “Super Power.” Their overwhelming numbers of super capitals makes it viable for their forces to wage a multiple front war in a number of regions.

Rightly so or not, they are even seen as the masters of the mighty Pandemic Legion. Many believe, the DRF may not directly control PL, but it has become quite obvious, to some, that PL knows not to bite the hand that feeds it. Many view them as a “good dog.” Knowing to bite that hand would result in swift and deliberate punishment. I for one would hope this not to be true… After being out meta-gamed in the alliance tournament, I’d love to see Pandemic Legion re-establish its wild card mercenary image.

Which brings up another question… Does Pandemic Legion still have the ability, and/or desire to influence the landscape of null-sec?

Either way… The Russians are on a roll. Where they’ll stop know one knows!

Fly Safe… Stay Profitable…

Next Report: Where do I go from here?

Greetings my fellow corp men, women, & blog readers!!!

It is funny that people seem to forget that TIME = MONEY. In a subscription based game it is in the interest for the company providing the game (in this case CCP) to make it take as long as possible before you reach your goal in game.

Therefore the real life equation would be:

GAME TIME (GT) = CCP MONEY aka Revenue(R)

So CCP’s revenue equation would look a little something like this:

12 x GT x Subscriptions (S) = Revenue per Year (R/Y)

As we all know that CCP can only make the subscription fee per month per account. The only way to increase revenue would be to increase the subscription costs or get more people to play. Call me crazy… but I think CCP has a pretty good idea of what size of the current MMO market is willing to play EvE.

NOW for the in game equation:

GT = PLAYER IN GAME MONEY (ISK)

As well all know our in game revenue equation looks like this:

GT = ISK/Hour

That being said… I am pretty sure that CCP has a pretty good grasp on the average amount of ISK that a player could generate using any in game mechanics. (Even those players that “Bot” 24/7) As a result they can do the math to determine just how long it would take a player to earn the ISK to purchase any item in the game.

SO… as I look at the direction CCP has chosen to pursue my conclusion is this:

CCP has done the math. They have a realistic idea of the amount subscriptions they will have during a given year. As CCP is a company that exists with the idea of making a PROFIT, they would like to increase the revenue that their game can generate. They know that the player base would NEVER accept in an increase in the monthly subscription price.

This means that they cannot change the 12 x GT x S = R/Y equation to make more profit as the game was in recent past! So CCP has chosen to look at another revenue model… They have moved to ad Incarna & DUST 514 into the mix in attempt to gain more subscriptions (S), but as this alone doesn’t seem profitable enough they have decided to include Micro Transactions (MT)!

So they are looking to add MT to the equation: 12 x GT x S + MT = R/Y

One thing we all know… we may be all equal in game, but outside of the game in a capitalistic society some are more equal than others. In other words… Some folks make a lot more money than others. Because of this well known fact, CCP has decided to target those deeper pockets in an effort to increase its revenue.

Because of this, a good portion of the population has begun to scream “UNFAIR!” They scream this because they have devoted or have the ability to devote more GT over others, and have an advantage. Why do they have an advantage, because we know that GT = ISK, and ISK = power in EvE.

There is a strong argument that someone that plays more should have an advantage over someone that does not. However in the eyes of a company that wants to make more money, they can’t sell more game time to someone that doesn’t have more TIME to spend. They can sell ISK or items for the money that they do have. Get it? You don’t have the time but money to spare, then CCP will take it!

NOW for also those that still cry “NO FAIR!” let me ask you a few questions:

Have you used a PLEX to either get ISK or to apply to your account for more GT? If the answer is “yes,” then stop bitching you hypocrite. You are benefiting from the exact thing you are bitching about! That is right! You are getting to play for free because you don’t have a G@d D@mn job or real life! (That last statement was done somewhat tongue in cheek. I have spent more than my fair share glued to a computer playing MMOs.)

Have you purchased another character with skill points for your personal use? If the answer is “yes,” then stop bitching you F&ck!#g hypocrite!

HOWEVER… Even though I understand what CCP is attempting to do, doesn’t mean I’m not worried. I do not think that deep pockets in the real world should mean a person should be allowed to have items beyond the reach of other players that can devote more time to the game. I too believe that those in game should retain the advantage. As such no “noble” item should be sold below the “fair play time” market price. By “fair play time” market price… I mean placing an ISK/HOUR value on every item.

To all CSM members going over to Iceland next week, as well to any angry vet that thinks their game is at stake, I suggest you spend some time to watch this presentation, from a GM of a gaming company that was faced with the same question CCP is faced today. “Should we enable game-changing items in our game via MT?”. After watching this video, all the doubts in my mind about what the future holds for EVE were gone.

In my humble opinion, being working for a multinational money-driven corporation in real life for many years, I always believed that, although CCP does pretend to listen to their customers, at the end of the day, as a company that values their P&L, would have no option but to enable EVE players to buy game-changing items through their NEX store.

CCP’s published devblogs, the leaked Fearless magazine and Hilmar’s leaked email all lead to the same conclusion. The emergency summon of the CSM next weekend is just a PR stunt to either throw dust in our eyes or to come out clean and present us with their vision of adding game-affecting items through the NEX store.

So, for me it’s clear. Sooner or later, CCP will add game-affecting items through their NEX store. Bitch as much as you want about it. They will do it sooner or later.

What sort of items would they be adding? That I don’t know. Here are my guesses:

- Customization Items, that don’t affect gameplay but are used primarily within station environments

• Clothes, Monocles and other stuff that will satisfy the “peacock” player amongst us (what true pirate wouldn’t want to have a parrot on their shoulder?”
• Racing stripes on ships, custom paint jobs
• Dancing poles and other stuff that you can put up in your CQ’s

- Game Booster Items, that will help a player “catchup” or grow faster than others

• Skill Points booster – buying this would double the SP/hour you’d be training for a period of time, say 24hrs or a full week
• ISK booster – buying this would double the ISK you make from bounties, killing rats etc for a period of time
• Skill Point reset – buy this and you can re-allocate all your skill points the way you like.

- Premium items, that will give you a competitive edge against other players

• T3 items that have better fitting and add more damage, optimal range or are for some reason better than anything in the game today
• T3 ships or T2,5 ships that give better bonuses or are somehow better than what we have today
• T3 implants and boosters that give you better bonuses etc..

Feel free to add to the comments below your ideas as well!

Now, if CCP does it well, this is going to be fun for all.

If they add Customization items, they need to ensure it doesn’t break the immersion element of New Eden. If they enable custom paintjobs they need to ensure that we won’t see pink hello kitty ships or Thoraxes that do look like giant cocks (that won’t be difficult to pull off).

If they add Game booster items, they need to price them correctly and give a nice variety that will help newer players boost their training plans, but also allow veterans to re-map their skills or offer some other form of “booster” for vets.

If they add Premium items, they need to make sure that these items are dropped and that are being produced by in-game materials. New weapons systems? yeah! New ships? hell yeah! New ammo? sure!

My only worry is the implementation and integration with the already existing in-game-market of EVE. Note to CCP: Please don’t make a secondary Aurum-driven market for those items. What you have already is magnificent, don’t make a secondary market that you’ll need to have Aurum to pay for any of the above items.

I already hate the idea that I have to convert ISK to Aurum for the existing (poor choice) of items available to NEX store. Why not just use my ISK? Why do I have to get plex first and then convert it to Aurum? That is complicated without need – well we are talking about CCP here so… anyways…

At least for non-clothes and stuff, give players the BPCs for any in-game items, not the finished goods, and finaly allow us to see pod-killmails with the implants your clones carry. This way, every bitter vet that is now against this idea will have the chance to high-sec gank your T3-fitted hulk in highsec, pod your expensive +10 learning pod and loot your expensive T3 gun or Golden ammo.

EVE is a game of more than just SPs and ISK – adding Golden Ammo is something good for the game in the long term.

At the end of the day, EVE is a game where how good your ship is, or how many SPs you have play a secondary role. I still recall my loss of my T2 interceptor against a rifter pilot that knew what he was doing. I am still losing T2 Recon Cruisers when I make the wrong calls, and we still win with our BC gang against Faction-fitted nano Vagas and Dramiels and Cynabals.

Do it right CCP and we’ll love you about it. Do it wrong and you’ll get a lot of people sad. Given your history, you will probably launch it half-baked, full of bugs and won’t ever bother to fix it. This is a dangerous path, failing to do this right will probably have quite a negative impact on your P&L for next year…

my 2 thoughts,

qp

Greetings my fellow corp men, women, & blog readers!!!

Well it appears we got some press over our new endeavor of the creation of a null sec based alliance.

The guys over at www.notalotofnews.com during the 25th installment of their podcast (Never Gamble with a Professional, minute 35:19-38:16) felt our recruitment expectations were “weird” and “would really not recommend” joining our newly created alliance.

This prompted me to respond in their comments section:

“Good Podcast… Tho I think you missed the premise of QP’s alliance recruitment post! Split Infinity Alliance is looking for like minded individuals & corps that enjoy all aspects of the game (mining, missions, WHs, exploration, industry). However what we learned from our Providence experience, is that to live in Null Sec means you have to defend it! We don’t want carebears… We want Noobs willing to fight for a part of space that will have all the benefits Sov Upgrades have to offer.”

They say that ANY publicity is GOOD publicity!

BTW ~ I recommend you give the Notalotofnews guys a listen. They remind me of few other pairs of podcasters that made a name for themselves bantering about the game of EvE. They clearly enjoy playing the game.

Fly Safe… Stay Profitable…

Greetings my fellow corp men, women, & blog readers!!!

As many of you have made it known, you want a new Planet Risk Podcast!!!  Unfortunately it doesn’t look like that is on the near horizon.  I, like you, enjoy podcasts that focus on the game of EVE.  Additionally if you are reading this, you also enjoy a good blog.  With the death of the iPhone application Capsuleer, so has gone my ability to get my quick EVE fix, while away from my computer.  Now I actually have to use my internet browser to track down all my favorite blogs.

Needless to say… this has given me the idea of sharing some of those items I have been enjoying absent the Planet Risk Show & Capsuleer.

Blogs to Check Out:

If you want to get a feel for the politics of war in EVE, then check out Fiddler’s Edge.  It is written akin to a historian reflecting on and interpreting the events of the past, then explaining their causes.  The author also speculates and gives opinions on current events.  As an older EVE player I’m sorry I hadn’t found this blog sooner.

Still interested in the guys of Si Radio, our perspectives, and the things we learn about EVE while drinking beer?  Then EVE Online Wormholes is for you.

Podcasts:

I have two suggestions.  One tends to be PvP focused while the other is an all around show about the game of EVE.  Both are available on Apple iTunes.

First up, Declarations of War Podcast hosted by Jimer Lins.  Jimer also hosts the DoW show on SIRadio Saturday nights at 2100-2300 EST.  This podcast is not as regular as I would like it to be (what EVE podcast is?), but when the merry band from Noir. gets a few friends together, they discuss the mechanics & politics of being a merc & pvper in EVE.  Want to know what that life style is about?  Then give them a listen.  Did I mention Noir Academy is currently recruiting?

Second up, is the Lost in EVE Podcast.  This is quickly becoming my favorite EVE podcast.  The past two seasons had weekly installments, but Jade & Jayne have changed it up to be bi-weekly.  It would seem that they have decided that they want to have a balance of real lives & game time too.  I just recently started listening, and already have heard conversations with members of the CSM & CCP!  If you really want insight into how CCP views the CSM, I’d suggest that you go check out Episode 1 from Season 3.  Additionally they are adding a round table discussion podcast to their lineup.  Topics vary week to week, and are from the perspective of two normal guys who love to play EVE, that don’t claim to be experts.

Now if you have any blogs or podcast you are enjoying, then post a comment with a link!

Fly Safe… Stay Profitable…

Having recently joined SI Radio Corp and all the activities around their new Providence home, I was eager to try out something that was completely new to me, by volunteering as a Logistic Pilot in the corps WormHole Fleet.

This is the first post in what I hope will become an ongoing series of documented learning experiences (both successes and epic failures) as I progressively learn the business of piloting a logistic ship.

To clarify the terminology… Logistic Ships in EVE does not refer to moving and managing resources, but rather the role of healer/medic in the game patching up friendly ships with shield or armor HP.

For details on ships and fittings please refer to Rifterdrifter.com, which has a nice little informative post on “Medics” in eve.

I have played EVE for a while and knew what Logi-ships were used for, but never had any practical experience with them, other than patching up corp. members after internal 1-on-1 matches. I have flown in large battleship fleets putting POS’s into reinforced, while having a nice bunch of carriers repping up the fleet taking damage from pos guns. Though that’s also logistics on a larger scale, it wasn’t really what turned me on about that specific role in fleet.

My interest for Logistics was triggered quite a while back as I started noticing a clear pattern in survivability of small gangs when flying with or without logistics… By this I mean that I HATE getting ganked by an inferior fleet that just nullifies tons of incoming dps and utterly smacks my royal hiney. I just know they should have died miserably, had they not had logistic backup. I hated the logistic pilots that elegantly negated any attempt to take them out of the fight while at the same time generously making sure their wingmen stayed in the fight.

Of course some of the motivation was me wanting to be on the winning team, but even more so there was a fascination for the awesomeness displayed by some of those logi-pilots being able to protect themselves and their fleet simultaneously.

It may not sound like a difficult feat to some, but just imagine for a second having to not only navigate your ship away from threats, but also stay within repping range of friendlies. At the same time of monitoring ranges in the overview you also have to monitor requests for your “magic touch” in the fleet broadcasts while keeping an eye on the watch-list for hi priority fleet members. And on top of that you can’t always have the whole fleet locked all the time, so you need to micro manage locking and repping multiple ships taking damage. If you fly ships like the Basilisk or Guardian working in teams of two or three, you also need to make sure there is a constant link of energy transfer supplying cap for your shield transfer or remote armor repper modules. If the energy chain is broken due to getting out of range or hostiles applying ECM modules, you only have cap for a few seconds of repairs, after which you become useless and the entire fleet is vulnerable. Adding to that you also have drones to manage along with all of the above. There is a far greater risk of information overload than if flying a Battle Cruiser or Battleship into optimal range and shooting at whatever target FC calls primary.

I wanted to learn how to do that… and preferably without dying a lot. Flying under SI Radio colors was a smart move, if I have to say so myself, because I have had a chance to practice flying logistic ships during wormhole operations that offer a lot more predictable learning environment with sleeper targets, compared to PVP roams with far less predictable outcomes. Learning the basics of how to handle the ships role in that way is perfect, and gets some procedures committed to instinct or reflex rather than it occupying percentages of my already limited mental capacity. I need as much of that mental cap freed up to stay on top of the situation and not screw up utterly when I start learning logistics in pvp engagements.

That is how I was planning my gradual introduction into the world of logistics.

• Stage one: PVE in wormholes to learn the mechanics and basics.
• Stage two: PVP to learn how to save the fleet while not to dying fast.

After joining SI Radio and getting myself ready for my first class 5 wormhole operation, I had absolutely no clue what to expect. I was all skilled up for flying a Basilisk or an Oneiros, but was kindly instructed that neither ship was of ANY use in the fleet, since it was all armor tanked and the incoming dps required multiple logistics. Basilisk is for shield transfers, and the Oneiros’s repairs less HP and would cap out. The Guardian was the way to go, but I had no Amarr spaceship command skills what so ever, and needed Amarr Cruiser at Level 5.

I was devastated after having had such high hopes that my Logistics skill at level 5 would make me a valuable fleet asset instantly. Fortunately quite a lot of the new recruits in the corp. didn’t have their T3 skills hi enough yet, resulting in the fleet mostly consisting entirely of Battleships during the first months. With Guardian skill requirements filling up my skill cue, I started my career as a logistic pilot in a slowboating Dominix sharing energy chain link with one or two other Domi pilots and sending armor love towards anybody within my armor repairers’ 8,4km range.

Compare that with the Guardian’s 71,4km remote repper range. I wanted to get in a REAL logi ship so bad. Having said that… I actually appreciate starting up like that, because it all happened at a slower pace and somewhat controlled environment. I later discovered that the it also helped a lot with range awareness compared to the luxury of having the guardians 70km+ range, which easily gets me complacent and not keeping an eye on range. I also felt the enormous power of Sleeper alpha damage on battleships compared to an all T3 cruiser fleet with guardians. It’s is absolutely just sheer awesomeness to fly in a T3 fleet after having experienced all the disadvantages of BS’s in wormholes. It’s manageable with BS’s of course, but nowhere near ideal.

This did however reconfigure my training plan somewhat and divided my future blog contributions into these topics.

• Stage one: WH PVE in Dominix.
• Stage two: WH PVE in Guardian.
• Stage three: PVP engagements

For the next post, I’ll cover Stage One and go in details of my first class 5 wormhole encounters, and how the BS fleet operated. I’ll share some Dominix fittings with stats and a few screenshots of sleepers getting raped by the SI Radio fleet. And I’ll probably end up embarrassing myself a bit when revealing some of my logistic piloting mishaps when trying to make tons of isk in hi-end wormholes.

Until then…
♪♫♪♫ All Hail the Bold ♪♫♪♫

Stryker out

Additional inspirational readings:
Flying Logistics
Wormhole Sleeper Mysteries article

I have played eve-online for quite a few years now and tried the industrial life of mining, production and trading. I have flipped cans and been an evil pirate shooting at anybody who wanted to fight back (and some that didn’t), and lost my share of battles not to mention pods in the process. I have had a go at life in null sec corps in large alliances assembling massive fleets to go blow up ships and structures worth billions of ISK. I have retired to hi sec carebearing and mission running for a while before getting restless to try something new.

In all these endeavors I have found great corpmates and flown with cool Fleet Commanders and shared awesome experiences making life in a corporation far more entertaining and rewarding for gameplay than the looong hours I have spent as a solo-player just making isk for no other purpose than that.

Don’t get me wrong… making ISK is fine and most certainly something all pilots in Eve has to do once in a while, no matter how they go about it. To me, the social aspect of corp life is directly impacting how enjoyable my online hours become.

So the question then came up… what corp can contribute to “something new”… and what do I have to offer in return?

I spent some time figuring out exactly what activities within the eve universe was important to me, and narrowed it down to 3 simple things I look for in a potential corp to join… Great social relation within the corp, PVP challenges, and Wormholes. To clarify a bit:

1) Social aspect. I wanted a Corp where people help each other out and don’t mind going out of their way to assist. I want a corp management that is organized and visible and who does not consider themselves masters of all the slave members at their disposal. And I wanted corp activities to show that there is a general support from the whole membership to get together and have some fun, no matter what the activity is.

2) PVP aspect. Having been Carebearing for too long I wanted to get into a null sec based corp that did PVP without nessecarily considering themselves mercenary quality. I have so much more to learn about PVP, but needed corp mates to fly with in small sized gangs. Blobby lag fights is not my thing. Been there, Done that… and the T-shirt aint that cool.

3) Last but not least… WORMHOLES… I had spent a little time in class 1 systems both harvesting sleepers and ganking naive noobs venturing into the unknown. But the hi-end wormhole systems were still triggering my curiosity. Partially because it’s not a one-man-show but requires a coordinated fleet effort. I just want to feel like being a part of a well oiled and smooth running isk making machine that isn’t grinding asteroids all the time (no offence to miners of course).

With that in mind I coincidently found this blog during the last recruitment period and immediately saw a potential corp to join. After contacting recruitment officers with some of my questions and an ingame voice-channel interview, I felt quite sure it was worth a try.

LOTS of things have happened in the short while since then, but in summery it was EXACTLY the “something new” I was looking for. The corp members in general are just fun to hang out with, no matter what we are doing. There is an overall friendly welcoming tone in the coms, and almost always someone to fleet up with (except in the slow dragging summer slumber holiday period). The leadership has a vision on where to take the corp, while adabting to the environment without losing the core values that founded it… and they don’t hesitate to ask the members to help influence the direction as well, which greatly boosts the feeling of it all being a joint effort. There are daily pvp opportunities, with all the traffic going on in providence, and plenty of pvp willing pilots in the corp and the ”hood” we live in to support engagements into destructive activities.

And then there is wormholes… like with any other NPC harvesting activity sleepers quickly become predictable and monotonous, but with it all taking place in w-space it’s just demanding a higher level of alertness, that I enjoy… you never know what hostile fleet might come through from a connecting null sec system looking for a fight… or what innocent hauler with his bodyguards you end up ganking on their way to fuel their pos.

It’s just like a Kinder Egg… 3 in one… Fun corp activities, with pvp readiness, in w-space… and the nice added bonus of the isk of course… ahh… the isk. Those things fuel my online time with plenty of excitement.

I still haven’t mentioned what I am offering back to the corp, but it’s better I cover that some other time under the title “Tales of a Logi-Pilot”… only slightly hinting the theme… hint hint, notch notch, wink wink, know what I mean?

Until then…
♪♫♪♫ All Hail the Bold ♪♫♪♫

Stryker out

With the ongoing recruiting period for SI Radio I just thought I would tell you my experience with joining the corp almost 4 months ago and what has happened since.

It all started with my new found love for PVP within Eve and the need to get out there looking for a decent Corp that both enjoyed frequent PVP with just the right amount of carebearing and a large measure of relaxed play style! This started off difficult as I bounced around a few pirate Corps that although offered plenty of PVP experience, sadly lacked in people skills and relaxed game style.
As a fan of The Planet Risk Show and a love for how they always seemed to have a good time playing the game I used this as a template as to what kind of Corp is was looking for and all of a sudden SI Radio started recruiting!

I will save the exact reasons as to how and when i found out about the recruiting surge as im not sure as to the age limit of some of the fans of this blog, but needless to say, I leaped out of bed to place my app to join the corp in.
It didnt take long to get a reply and i was invited to the Corp Ventrilo channel and given an interview to join and to my astonishment I was accepted!
From the very start of joining the Corp, it became apparent that these where a good bunch of guys and instantly I knew I had found the right place.

My stuff was all brought down for me in a jump freighter op and everyone in corp was nothing but helpful in helping me get settled in our little part of nulsec.
Corp Ops began straight away in the form of delving into wormholes, running plex’s and anomolies and plenty of PVP roams both serious and “lets go out and get killed.” Even when corp ops where not happening we just sat in corp chat and vent for hours having a laugh and sharing stories and I can honestly say I’ve never met a better bunch of guys online in any game in my life!
This was 4 months ago now and I find that I cant wait to log in and find out what’s happening in corp and I rush home from work to log some decent game time in before my boss “girlfriend” comes home and starts complaining that I spend more time in space than with her lol.

So to put it short and sweet if you are looking for a fun, experienced, relaxed but serious during Corp Ops bunch of guys that are helpful, friendly and just good to log on and have a laugh with then look no further than SI Radio.

Seriously you will not be let down

Cixx

Welcome to the twentieth installment of the EVE Blog Banter, the monthly EVE Online blogging extravaganza created by CrazyKinux. The EVE Blog Banter involves an enthusiastic group of gaming bloggers, a common topic within the realm of EVE Online, and a week to post articles pertaining to the said topic. The resulting articles can either be short or quite extensive, either funny or dead serious, but are always a great fun to read! Any questions about the EVE Blog Banter should be directed to crazykinux@gmail.com. Check out other EVE Blog Banter articles at the bottom of this post!

With the recent completion of the 3rd installment of the Hulkageddon last month, @CyberinEVE, author of Hands Off, My Loots!, asks: “Griefing is a very big part of EVE. Ninja Salvaging, Suicide Ganking, Trolling, and Scamming are all a very large part of the game. What do you think about all these things? You can talk about one, or all…but just let us know your overall opinion on Griefing, and any recommendations you may have to change it if you think it’s needed.”

Greetings my fellow corp men, women, & blog readers!!!

The four items listed above: Trolling, Scamming, Suicide Ganking, and Ninja Salvaging I do not see as “greifing.”  I define “Greifing,” as intentionally targeting a person to make their game less enjoyable, repeatedly.  I agree that the four items listed can be frustrating, and can make the game more difficult.  However, all of them can be avoided with proper planning and play of EVE.  Manasi clearly tells you how to do that here.

You see… I view other players in EVE as I view a NPC Sleepers or Rats.  They are an obstacle that can result in the gaining or loss of isk (& ship).  So to complain that I am attacked by them makes no sense in my humble opinion.  EVE is not just a game of ships, it is also an economic game.  An attack or loss of isk can occur during market transactions as well.  Just as in the real world, “buyer beware.”  If you don’t have time or brains to do the proper research of the transaction you are about to enter, you might as well buy a faction battleship, fit it with officer modules, and take it down any pipe leading to null sec.  The result will be the same.  You will lose a ton of iskies.   All though the second option will be posted as a killmail, and everyone will be able to see just what an ass hat nub you really are.

EVE is not a game for noobs to get their one hour fix of success.  (Log on to WoW, and you make a level per sitting, maybe two!)  In EVE not everyone gets the gold star.  EVE is for the patient player, who works to get better, who works to accomplish things, and is willing to risk it to get better.  You lose your ship, it is GONE.  All those hours grinding out missions to get that T3 ship… Lost!  You don’t run back to your wreck (corpse) and collect your things and carry on.  Your gear (what is left of it) is now in the possession of someone else.

So you know… I have been the victim of two of the four items listed, Scamming & Suicide Ganking.  In Amarr I wasn’t paying attention and purchased some Radio L crystals for 5,000,000 isk and not the 50,000 isk price I thought they were.  I purchased 10!  It seems I had accidentally clicked on the price column to list the highest price at the top.  I can tell you looking at my wallet a few purchases later resulted in a WTF moment.  But I had to laugh.  Why?  Because I knew better, and was dumb enough to say, “That will never happen to me.”  I now hope it won’t happen again, and triple read each transaction before I accept.  The second loss was a suicide smart bomb attack outside the Amarr trade hub station.  It was a Bestower loaded with some supplies.  Luckily it was mainly T1 stuff, the most expensive items were a set of +3 Learning Skill implants.  At first it was a WTF moment, to find myself in a pod.  However, again I had to laugh at myself… why?  WELL…  I was in a rush, wasn’t paying attention to all those folks screaming in local about what was happening.  It was a good lesson to learn.  Now, when I move high value items I insure to have the appropriate scouting, support, and tank.  Does that sometimes mean I have to make two trips instead of one?  Yes, but it is how I PLAY the game to be successful and avoid those obstacles.

The other two…  Trolling, I avoid forums.  Ninja Salvaging, I’ve been lucky enough and did most of my mission running days off the beaten path, but now reside in null sec.  There is no Concord in null sec.  However if I were to go back, I would have friends or noobs to salvage behind me.  I tell you what… if you want a chance to meet some new folks in EVE, invite a noob to salvage for you.  They will be SO excited of the isk they will make, that they probably be too shocked to realize they could steal it all.  Often you even get a “THANKS,” in return.   ***Consider it EVE Karma***

The only thing I would like to see changed…  Insurance and the Suicide Gank!  IF, you do suicide gank, and your ship is Concorded, you should not receive an insurance payout.  Insurance should not cover ships used in the commission of a crime in Empire Space.  However, suicide ganking should remain in the game.

Fly Safe… Stay Profitable…

Ag

Greetings my fellow corp men, women, & blog readers!!!

There appears to be this general lack of enthusiasm of late.  Some folks are upset over recent CSM reports of CCPs lack of resources devoted to their concerns.  Others are upset at the general lack of activity due to the summer month slump of the online population.  Others just can’t seem to find the “fun” often described in blogs.

First let us understand… anyone that takes the time to spend hours upon hours playing a game, has to be a fan.  If not, then you’d have to be a masochist.  If you are not enjoying the game, then you have to ask yourself two questions:

1. Do I like the game?  (Is there something in the game that makes me want to play it?)
2. Are there things I think that are fun, but I am not doing them? (ie You are not having that much fun, but you think you could be having a lot.)

If you answered “YES” to both, then continue to play EVE…  and ask yourself the next question:

What corporation am I in and what is it they do to provide me fun?

If you answered, “I’m not in a corp,” then you need to get in one ASAP!

If you answered, “I’m in corp *insert corp name here*, and they are doing nothing that makes my gaming experience more fun. “  Then you need to make a change.  Unless you are one of those folks that join a MMO to play by yourself, and seek no interaction with your fellow players, a corporation is the quickest way to enjoy and experience the most in EVE.  I bumbled my way through EVE until I joined my first corp.  It was amazing.  I finally had an actual people I could talk to about the game.  They could explain the game mechanics, and how the hell to do things, like the best way to keep my ship from getting blown up.  I even found out that the guys in the corp were pretty decent guys.  They were much like me, even if they lived in different parts of the world.

I can say I didn’t do a lot research prior to joining my first corp.  I was just happy someone would have me.  However, that can be one of the first mistakes a player can make in EVE.  You join a corp, get to know the folks, and determine you like them.  They help you learn the game, and then you realize they aren’t doing the things in the game you enjoy.  You then spend a lot of time either doing things without your corpmates, or doing those things you don’t enjoy.  Either way you are defeating the purpose of playing a MMO…  TO PLAY A GAME YOU ENJOY WITH OTHER PEOPLE!

I can honestly say that once you find a group of guys (or gals) that are of like mind in the game EVE really begins to shine.  However just like everything else in EVE that can be difficult to do.  Look at my corp history… it is a testament of my trials and tribulations over the years.  What I found consistent in all those corps, was that they were all good bunch of guys (even those I butted heads with), but they lacked or were not in line with my ideas of what I wanted in a corp.

SO without anymore explanation, here are some things you should consider before clicking the Submit Application button to any corp:

Corporation Focus & Level of Professionalism – What is it that the corporation does?  Some corporations are very specific in their focus.  There are corporations that are solely dedicated to mining, production & markets, PvP (pirates, mercenaries, small gangs, large fleet), wormhole exploration (PvE & PvP), missioning/ratting in High Sec.  Then there are other corporations that dabble in the various aspects.  Some corporations are based on Role Playing.  Other corporations focus simply on the social aspect of EVE.  You must first decide what is it that YOU want to do in EVE.  That way you can at least align yourself with others doing the same thing in the game that you enjoy.  If a corp has a particular focus you have to ask, “What is their level of professionalism or commitment to that focus?”  This will determine what their expectations will be of you as a corp member.  A PvP focused corp will often expect a certain level of killboard efficiency.  A mining based corp could expect you to take part in a certain number of mining operations per week.  Role Play focused corporations often establish what ships you can and cannot fly. (No self-respecting Amarr would be caught dead in a Minmatar ship!)  If you aren’t willing to meet those obligations, you better move on.

Alliance – Often overlooked, but very important!  Being part of an alliance has its pro’s and con’s.  Alliances can offer a corporation and its’ members additional number of pilots to fly with and other benefits if run correctly (0.0 access, jump bridges, stations).  But a new alliance or poorly run one can be a drain upon a corporation.  If those additional pilots aren’t willing to add their numbers in a War Declaration, then you may find yourself getting podded in High Sec, as weak alliances tend to bring multiple and repeated threats of war from PvP minded corps.  I found myself dodging more folks in High Sec due to another corporation in my alliance getting War Dec’d, and losing more ships trying to fight off those attackers, than the corporation that brought the War Dec to the alliance.  In addition a new alliance trying to claim SOV or with poor SOV defenses may not be able to offer those 0.0 benefits for too long.  I have had to move my stuff across 0.0 more than once because of “FAIL Alliances.”

Membership Size, Activity Levels & Time Zone Presence – Let’s face it, you want to play with your corpmates!  If no one is online when you are…

Maturity Level – I try not to ask what the average age of the corporation membership is, but it can be a factor.  I am an older player.  So some of the games or the antics a younger player will engage in does not interest me.  (ie smack talk in local, griefing new players, etc)  Now notice I listed maturity level.  There are older folks that have the maturity level of a nine year old, and there are plenty of teenagers wiser beyond their years.  Do you want to play with adults or children? ***Tip – Avoid the Emo Rage***

Leadership – The greatest thing that will make or break a corporation (or alliance).  You have to have and active leadership element. If only to insure all the functions of the corp are done.  Such as paying rent, accepting new members, insuring the day to day functions of the corp are met, getting and keeping members involved.  In every corp, that I have been in, where the leadership took a break from the game the corp began to suffer and/or failed.  Another aspect is how those leaders run the corp.  There are dictatorships, democracies, councils, and free for alls…  Which leadership style do you work best with, and are you willing to live by their rules?

Corporation Assets & Income – What does the corp have to offer?  Do they have a ship replacement or discount program, killboards, forums, ships provided for corp operations, SOV in 0.0, POS’s, etc?  The more a corp can offer is usually a sign that it is a well run and active corp.

If you have any suggestions or criteria you think folks should consider, please feel free share them…

One last thing…  Changing corps isn’t the end of your friendships with your old corpmates, you’re just moving on to make more!

Fly Safe… Stay Profitable…

Ag