Cancer in Remission

My EVE Hiatus is clearly back with a vengeance, logging in briefly at best, but long enough to get in on a nice Rattlesnake kill with the guys in the Wormhole PvP Channel and then some Procurer baiting with Trinkets, netting us a brick tanked Nighthawk. Despite the lack of activity however, I do like to keep abreast of current events in the EVE Universe and it was with some interest that I was directed to DOTLAN by a friend.

It seems Wingspan, or at least the Alliance of Wingspan, have closed their doors. There's a bit of scuttlebutt about the cause of this closure and the rumour I heard was that someone well placed in the Alliance dissolved it whilst making off with some goodies, but the source isn't exactly golden. I'm interested to know what transpired so I can gauge whether the cancer is indeed in remission or just waiting to bounce back into a complacent W-Space, infecting us with Stage 4 Anoikisoma.

If you have any inside information, I'm keen to hear it.

All the Clones!

Reading through the minutes of the recent CSM Summit my attention was drawn to the discussion regarding medical services of Citadels in Wormhole space. It's long been a bone of contention that W-Space occupants have no way of switching clones in W-Space, even if they have a Rorqual, so they might take full advantage of the various system effects or capitalise on a particular ship's bonuses in the instances of PvP. The ability to have a Talisman clone to switch into in the event of catching a Capital ship is something I've longed for and now it looks like it's on the cards.

The minutes are ambiguous, but as far as I can decipher you will be able to switch clones in the Citadel, but not jump to them from outside the system as you can in K-Space. Moreover, any clones you have installed in the Citadel will count towards the maximum number you have the skills to posses, regardless of where they're situated. Importantly, the twenty four hour timer between jumps would not apply to clones in the Citadel, thereby allowing you to switch from your Hacking clone, to your Slave clone, to your Talisman clone or your Mining clone at your will. It's not without risk, of course. Such clones can be a significant investment and if someone effectively sieges out your Citadel you're going to lose the lot so I would't go investing in a bunch of High Grade Implant sets just yet. As far as I can tell however, if you get podded in W-Space you won't wake up in a fresh clone in the Citadel; you'll still wake up in K-Space.

In other news, there is talk of an Industrial Command Destroyer coming so that those mining via Frigate/Destroyer sized Wormhole connections can have those 1337 boosts. I already wrote about this recently and considering the Orca is only marginally better at boosting than the current selection of Combat Command Destroyers, I wonder how they're going to introduce such a ship without making Orcas all but redundant save for their cargo carrying capacity. Add to that the recently leaked image of what appears to be a Capital Mining Drone and there are some exciting changes to W-Space afoot for the Industry focused players in Anoikis. The Rorqual itself is getting a unique invulnerability ability to protect both itself and its fleet for a brief period to allow a defence fleet to come to their rescue should they be tackled. Frankly, anything that will get Rorqual out of Forcefields is a positive move.

There was even a bit of talk about the Noctis and how Mobile Tractor Units have made them obsolete. CCP seem to be under the impression that the rising value of salvage materials for use in Citadel construction is going to be the Noctis' savior. Sorry to burst your bubble, CCP, but it's won't do a damn thing. People will still use an MTU and a 5 Million ISK Destroyer to clean up their wrecks ahead of a 100 Million ISK Noctis. I'd suggest giving it a +2 Warp Strength and increasing its agility to rival that of a Blockade Runner, then you'll likely see people using it again. Hell, even that's probably not enough of a buff.

From what I've read, it looks as though our CSM representatives have done a decent job of representing W-Space interests with the notable exception of the Watch List changes. They're coming, like it or not and not one of the CSMs raised an objection worth a damn.

Yacht Redundancy

So apparently CCP Fozzie has been talking to the Council of Stellar Management, or member(s) thereof, about nerfing what has become a blight of W-Space under certain circumstances. Hole rolling Luxury Yachts have become a pretty common sight and I freely admit I have a couple for my low skilled alts to use. I've talked about them at length previously but I suppose I never really appreciated just what a scourge they would become at the time. For me they have been a way to create content, not avoid it, but increasingly it's the latter that has seen them popularized by many W-Space occupiers.

Most recently I've seen them used during the siege of a C4 system when Wingspan repeatedly denied access to system by applying critical mass to every connection as it appeared. To be clear, what the Luxury Yacht can do can also be done by a Tech III Strategic Cruiser, the significant difference is the skills that are required. You can train an alt into one in less than a day, a Strategic Cruiser takes months. The result is a proliferation of Luxury Yachts that, barring an immense fuck up by the pilot, are impossible to stop from rolling a connection from right under your nose. Wingspan have the required proliferation of young pilots, so they took full advantage. It does make me curious if it was Chance Ravinne, CEO of Wingspan and CSM Member who raised the issue with CCP Fozzie. I'd be pleasantly surprised if it was the case.

A popular solution being suggested seems to make fitting Higgs rigs impossible to nullified ships. Whilst this would solve the issue, it would also make the use of Tech III cruisers in this role redundant. Since the use of Strategic Cruisers wasn't anything like the problem we see with the Yachts, I don't see this as a viable alternative. It's not a matter of skill point elitism, it just wasn't a major issue and when it is seen, it could be dealt with.

A far more effective solution would be to nerf the power grid of the Yacht itself. Without the ability to fit an oversized afterburner, the mass of the cruiser would be insufficient to make it an effective hole rolling ship. That said, I wouldn't particularly miss Tech III rolling cruisers, they do limit engagement opportunities by their very nature. Seal clubbing rolling Megathrons is still fun, after all. =]

Logistical Nightmare

I'm coming up on a skill remap shortly to Perception & Willpower so I thought it would be prudent to examine the benefits of training Logistics Frigates to Level 5. It's near enough to a month of training and since level 5 in logistics cruisers is, for the most part, absolutely necessary, I had assumed the same could be said for the frigates.

In the Logistics Cruiser branch the benefits of the Tech II variant over their Tech I counterpart are obvious. The most striking difference is the ability of the Tech II cruisers to fit what are, essentially, oversized repair modules. The fact that you can make that cruiser capacitor stable with a partner makes the Guardians and Basilisks the go-to choice for armour and shield fleets with the solo variants in the Scimitar and Oneiros filling a more nuanced role. The addition of aggression timers for logistics cruisers has made their use far less common, but they're still very capable in their own right.

Now, in the frigate line, capacitor transferring isn't bonused, so you have a choice to make. You can gimp your fit and hope you never get neuted to make a cap stable frigate, or you can go with cap injection. Considering their cargo bays are quite large, I've chosen the latter. For the sake of the experiment I'm going to compare the Bantam to the Kirin. Teamed up with a few shield tanked Svipuls and Jackdaws pouring through a frigate sized wormhole, I can envision them being a force to be reckoned with. Moreover, the abundance of mid slots on both ships allows for cap injection and a decent tank, the same can't be said for the Minmatar line of logistics frigates.

The base stats don't look appreciably different, do they? The main difference between these two ships comes from the Logistics Frigate skill. At level 5 you are essentially boosting 50% more at a 50% capacitor reduction. So whilst the Bantam has three shield transporters, the Kirin effectively has four and a half. The capacitor bonus has little effect in the comparison with both cap injected fits I created having ample capacitor to keep all of their modules running.

[Bantam]

Damage Control II

Micro Auxiliary Power Core II

1MN Y-S8 Compact Afterburner

Medium F-S9 Regolith Compact Shield Extender

Medium F-S9 Regolith Compact Shield Extender

Small Capacitor Booster II, Navy Cap Booster 400

Small S95a Scoped Remote Shield Booster

Small S95a Scoped Remote Shield Booster

Small S95a Scoped Remote Shield Booster

Small Anti-EM Screen Reinforcer II

Small Core Defense Field Extender II

Small Core Defense Field Extender II

Hobgoblin II x1

Navy Cap Booster 400 x20

This setup sees the Bantam at 100% cap stability and a decent buffer tank of 8,881 Effective Hit Points. No shame in that from a Tech I Frigate. Importantly, it's ridiculously cheap to build and has a relatively low skill requirement.

[Kirin]

Damage Control II

Micro Auxiliary Power Core II

1MN Y-S8 Compact Afterburner

Medium Shield Extender II

Medium F-S9 Regolith Compact Shield Extender

Adaptive Invulnerability Field II

Small Capacitor Booster II, Navy Cap Booster 400

Small S95a Scoped Remote Shield Booster

Small S95a Scoped Remote Shield Booster

Small S95a Scoped Remote Shield Booster

Small Core Defense Field Extender II

Small Anti-EM Screen Reinforcer II

Hobgoblin II x1

Navy Cap Booster 400 x20

This setup sees the Kirin at 88% cap stability and a very impressive buffer tank of 18,827 Effective Hit Points. Moreover, a sensor strength of 19.2 versus the Tech I of 14.4 means that the ECM resistance is significantly improved.

When I first started toying with these fits I admit I wasn't all that impressed with the Kirin over the Bantam, but the more I consider it, the more I like what I see. Having effectively double the EHP of the Bantam and the improved sensor strength makes it enormously survivable as you can sustain a significant amount of damage until friendly shield reps land and anyone who has flown the Tech I logistics frigates in a fight will testify that they are just a bit too squishy, often getting primaried off the field before friendly reps could land. Moreover, for a Tech II frigate they're pretty damn cheap, selling for around 20 Million ISK in the hubs. Allow for another 15-20 Million in fitting and you're looking at roughly double the cost of a fit Bantam but getting a whole lot more survivability and combat effectiveness into the deal.

I'm interested to know what experiences you may have had but it certainly looks like Logistics Frigates V is on my horizon. Plus there's a sexy new skin on the way. =]

I think, therefore I am online

The number one complaint I see regarding Watch Lists is that it's game breaking and all too easily accessible intelligence. If you read my last post you'll know I disagree, but I was brief in my explanation as I was writing with an element of vitriolic anger at the time. I've had some time and space to gather my thoughts since then and form what I hope is a convincing argument of my position.

Let's start with the claim that it's even intelligence. In a non-online gaming environment, be it sport, war or just your competitive spirit, it's no secret that your adversary is always present. Real life doesn't lend itself to logging off temporarily, at this stage it's still a permanent one time only offer. So you know what you're up against. That adversary maybe their gun goal kicker, the army over the hill or the sales executive you just need to sell more than this month. You know they're there, what you don't know is if he's fully fit and in form, the composition of their armoured divisions or what leads he has the ability to close at short notice. That information would be intelligence. That information can be garnered in a variety of ways. You could spy on training sessions and review past matches, send aerial recon over the hill to get a visual on the enemy column or raid your competitors diary to see what appointments he has today. Such intelligence requires guile, cunning and will. Armed with that intelligence you can form a strategy. One thing is certain however, your adversary is ever present.

EVE Online doesn't provide the same guarantee, however. The ability to log off for whatever reason changes the scope of every engagement from possibly happening to not happening at all. For a game that's supposed to be all about the contest, the arm wrestle for resources, changing the ability to see if your opponent is even online, prepared or not, is content reducing by its very nature.

Now, I spend the lion's share of my time in W-Space, so I know my perspective is biased. That said, I understand the K-Space argument, too. Many Alliances will have well maintained watch lists of Titan and Super Carrier pilots expressly for the purpose of avoiding a fight that escalates beyond their control, or trapping a pilot in transit. Such lists can go on for many months, even years before bearing any fruit but when they pay off, they generally pay off in a big way. In that instance, I agree watch lists are misused. Trinkets offered a unique solution yesterday, one that would largely eliminate the K-Space abuse of watch lists but also appease occupants of W-Space.

Set a time limit. As such, when you add someone to your watch list, after a brief period of one to two weeks, mutual consent will be required. In the intervening period however, the watch list maintains the full functionality that it currently has. Under such a system, Null Sec entities would have to constantly update their databases to the extent of making it untenable, HiSec Corporations under a War Declaration could track their targets and aggressors for a brief period and W-Space occupants could still track potential targets or aggressors in their region. Everyone wins.

Can anyone tell me why this wouldn't be an effective compromise to the existing plan?

Minority Retort

The number one feature of W-space that draws me in is the lack of a local chat. The unknown. The fact that you just have to assume that there's a cloaked Proteus watching your every move. The upsides are obvious, you can take your time hunting your prey, present a hard counter to whatever it is you're likely to face or choose whether to engage at all. But when you're actively hunting in space with no local chat and systems so vast you can't possibly D-Scan all at once, you absolutely need to know if your quarry is even online still. Who knows how many hours are now going to be wasted stalking people who aren't even logged in, never mind actually active, all because of one little change.

I can remember almost a year ago when Chance Ravinne floated this idea on the EVE Online forums. Although he's not the first to suggest it, he was summarily shouted down by most of the posters on that Wormhole sub forum. Wingspan saw it as interfering with their play style as when they camp someone's system, those being camped can know if their enemy are active in system. The easy answer would be to move system and stop terrorizing harmless bears, but no, that wouldn't do. We must change the game to suit the Wingspan style of play, not adapt to the way it is.

Well, the times they are a changing. Now it is us, the Wormhole community, that must adapt to the play style of camping douche nozzles like Wingspan. Judging by the Reddit thread I appear to be in the minority opposing this change but I suspect that's more because the Reddit community doesn't have the obvious Wormhole bias that I do. I accept that and I'll adapt. It just blows my mind that we'd elect someone to CSM to represent the Wormhole community and then sit back and applaud as he lends influence to a content reducing change to the region. Essentially, this makes watch lists redundant. You want to keep tabs on a war target? Nope. Want to know when that guy selling his Wormhole is online? Nope. Want to know if the guy that was ratting earlier is still online? Nope. I mean really, what is the point of the watch list at all under these circumstances? So friends can keep tabs on friends? Asinine.

Cue the butthurt posts.

ISK in the Nether Regions

The move to a HiSec pocket started with a bang, but work commitments from pretty much all of our pilots have really hampered much in the way of PvP content over the last month. As such, with the limited time I've had, I've started poking about in the LowSec regions around us to see what sort of a living can be made running the various 3-6/10 rated DED sites.

First order of business was to fit out a ship capable of doing the job solo. I don't like dual boxing at the best of times and frequently getting called away from my screen means it must be a Covert ship so I can just warp out to a safe spot until time permits me to return. I looked at the various T3 options but in a Covert configuration they have positively anaemic damage output. The Stratios really is the only option.

As I'm going to be using it primarily in Blood Raider sites, a lean toward EM/Therm resistance and damage was necessary. I tinkered with the idea of a shield fit for the pure DPS a pair of Geckos could crank out with three or four drone damage amplifiers on, but it just wasn't tough enough to handle a 6/10 site solo. So, taking advantage of the ship's bonuses, I developed the loadout you see on the right.

Blood Raiders have a tendency to tracking disrupt the shit out of your guns, so I decided to make this an exclusive drone boat. Moreover, their tendency to use energy neutralizers meant there was a few less capacitor hungry modules to feed, freeing up high slots to fill with a Drone Link, Probe Launcher and some Dead Space Nosferatus to help nullify the effects of neuting. The extra range you get from the Dead Space variants is absolutely worth it. They're cheap to buy and with fall off you can gain cap from over 30 km 's away.

My primary drones will be Geckos, Curators and Ogres, so a Drone Navigation Computer and a Tracking Link will do wonders for drone flight time and damage application. An Afterburner to keep some transversal on my targets and some capacitor regeneration modules finish off the mid slots.

The low slots, predictably enough, will be where the tank and DPS upgrades reside. I went with a Dead Space repairer for the capacitor savings and a faction hardener. They're not woefully expensive and you should cover the cost of the fit in pretty short order.

As for the drones, it's always a good idea to carry a couple of large Logi bots around so you can repair on the fly. You won't always have access to station repair facilities and even undocking in LowSec carries its own dangers.

In a pinch you could carry around a depot and some different drones and hardeners should you stumble into the space of a different faction, if that's likely for you, it'd probably be worthwhile changing the rigs slightly.

With the theory crafting done, I got to scanning. Aridia isn't highly populated so the space doesn't get farmed all that much meaning I don't have to travel very far or for very long to find appropriate sites. But it's been profitable. With only a very casual effort and minimal man hours, I've collected about 1.5 Billion in loot so far. So I'm well in front with the ship cost and able to pretty low stress PLEX an account as needed. It's not as lucrative as W-Space, but it is at least different.