tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29622769243421749602024-03-13T19:49:52.977+01:00Emergent PatrollerFiction pieces about the adventures and misadventures of a group of Wormhole Space settlersEmergent Patrollerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01210394924909245177noreply@blogger.comBlogger224125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2962276924342174960.post-61968730789840447962015-02-14T23:48:00.000+01:002015-02-14T23:50:04.209+01:00OOC Entry 113 - Valentine's DayWhat would be a better start for a Valentine's Day story than a happy woman with thoughts of personal affection on her mind? In that case Hegomir Torstan's personal assistant who prepares for the day that her employer is due to return to active duty in his laboratory.<br />
<br />
Well, those of you who read any of my earlier stories will most likely expect that this can not last, especially with the Gallente spy Adrain Sourail still out there and preparing his next move.<br />
<br />
Also in <a href="http://emergentpatroller.blogspot.nl/2014/07/the-chain-of-being-part-3.html">this episode</a> the Awakened Industries capsuleers are finally united again and receive news of the situation in their home system.<br />
<br />
Happy Valentine's Day.Emergent Patrollerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01210394924909245177noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2962276924342174960.post-62265155493360434832015-01-02T16:55:00.000+01:002015-01-02T16:55:34.361+01:00OOC Entry 112 - New Year RevivalIt has been a long time since I wrote anything for my blog. Roughly half a year, enough for the usual blog to be considered dead and dropping off the radar. I had asked a friend to help me out and publish some stuff as well, but he went on to mostly write for Crossing Zebras. Not that I can hold it against him, who wouldn't like to write for a well respected news site.<br />
<br />
I may have lost the few readers I had anyway, but still, after all this time, I decided to continue my story writing. Who knows, maybe I attract some attention or someone who is into EVE fan-fiction finds my story collection on the byways of the net.<br />
<br />
So what took me so long anyway?<br />
<br />
As a matter of fact, <a href="http://emergentpatroller.blogspot.nl/2014/07/the-chain-of-being-part-2.html">this episode</a> has been waiting on my harddrive since a mere week after I wrote the first part of <a href="http://emergentpatroller.blogspot.nl/search/label/25%20-%20The%20Chain%20of%20Being">that story</a>. I ended up not publishing it because of no particular reason and then I kept on forgetting about it. When I drop out of a routine, I tend to easily forget everything that relates to it. Not playing EVE and not seeing my co-writer and RL friend much in those last months did not help with that. We did run into eachother during new-years eve though, and he asked me about picking up where I left and so I did.<br />
<br />
After so long, it feels weird publishing such a piece which is still building up the story and does not feature anything spectacular. I had to also remind myself where I was going with this but I think I mostly remember now.<br />
<br />
In any case, the arc of the Gallente spy continues from his point-of-view and we learn about his abilities and the way he works. Finally, in the end it will be revealed who the mysterious fleet are that has been busy looking for a way to Awakened Industries wormhole settlement. As you might already have guessed, they are not nice guys, but things may turn out in unexpected ways.<br />
<br />
Of course one swallow doesn't make a summer and I will have to take an effort to re-establish my publishing routine as flaky as it has sometimes been in the past.<br />
<br />
If you have followed my writing before, then I welcome you back. If you happen to be new, then I greet you and suggest you start somewhere at the beginning otherwise nothing in that current story will make the slightest sense to you.<br />
<br />
To all of you, happy 2015!Emergent Patrollerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01210394924909245177noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2962276924342174960.post-50896439093773890682014-11-01T15:15:00.000+01:002014-11-01T15:15:45.569+01:00TRS - Fitting Discussion: Incursus Rail Scramkiter<br />
The common fitting meta for Gallente ships tends to focus on blaster fit brawlers. One of the exceptions to that rule is exemplified by this fit:<br />
<br />
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<br />
<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
[Incursus, RailScramkiter]<br />
Damage Control II<br />
Adaptive Nano Plating II<br />
Magnetic Field Stabilizer II<br />
Small Ancillary Armor Repairer, Nanite Repair Paste<br />
<br />
Faint Epsilon Warp Scrambler I<br />
Fleeting Propulsion Inhibitor I<br />
1MN Afterburner II<br />
<br />
125mm Railgun II, Federation Navy Antimatter Charge S<br />
125mm Railgun II, Federation Navy Antimatter Charge S<br />
125mm Railgun II, Federation Navy Antimatter Charge S<br />
<br />
Small Auxiliary Nano Pump I<br />
Small Transverse Bulkhead I<br />
Small Hybrid Collision Accelerator I<br />
<br />
Hobgoblin II x1</blockquote>
<br />
Fitting the ship like that is actually pretty easy and can be achieved even with average fitting skills. The main bottleneck is CPU and if you should run out of it, you could use a low-cost CPU implant or downgrade one of the midslot modules to something with lower CPU requirements. I would however not recommend doing that because the range of your tackling modules and the speed increase of the afterburner are instrumental for that ship to function in its intended way.<br />
<br />
Another fitting particularity which has to do with the purpose of the ship is the Transverse Bulkhead rig. Like with many Gallente ships, hull hitpoints are the highest buffer you have and this rig increases it further. Fitting the ship with an armour plate and/or resist rig would result in somewhat higher effective hitpoints, but it would decrease the ship's speed which would again be self-defeating.<br />
<br />
I have hinted at the intended purpose of the ship a few times now, so let me explain how it works. The most important thing to do at the beginning of a fight is to apply the web and scram. Those two modules should initially be overheated for maximum range. Once you are close enough, do not forget to turn the heat off again because you depend highly on the availability of both. The range you want to stay at is between 7000 and 8000 km. Further away, you risk getting out of scram range, and moving closer means that an opponent can potentially get under the tracking of your guns. You would also run the additional risk of being within range of small energy neutralizers which would put you under a lot of pressure.<br />
<br />
At that range you are only slightly above the optimal of your guns, so you will be very good at applying damage. Only artillery cannons, missiles or pulse lasers with Scorch crystals would be able to compete with your damage projection but all three weapon systems would lose out in the DPS race. With 140 DPS at maximum skills, you would even outperform a Retribution or Wolf Assault Frigate. Short range weapons like autocannons or blasters will not even be able to hit you in most cases if you manage to control range effectively. Since you are fit for relatively high speed, you should be able to outmaneuver an opponent even if you are webbed yourself. If your opponent has no web, you are at a definitive advantage.<br />
<br />
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<br />
<br />
The main thing that needs a lot of attention is the Ancillary Armor Repairer. It is important to anticipate when you want to run it, and only do so for one cycle, two at most. You need to save capacitor and make sure you do not burn through your charges too quickly. If necessary, overheat the module to gain extra repairs and to accelerate the cycle time. Always remember that armor repairs become effective at the <i>end</i> of their cycle and act accordingly. Your structure buffer should provide you with some margin for error there.<br />
<br />
If you need to get out of a fight, move away from the enemy, keep web and scram active and overheat them, overheat your afterburner as well and the armor repairer if necessary. Pay attention to your capacitor though, make sure you always retain enough to run the afterburner and the tackling modules. Eventually you should be able to escape from the point range of your opponent except if they are in a fast afterburner ship themselves.<br />
<br />
Alltogether, this ship is cheap, easy to fit and easy to fly.You should avoid confrontations with more than one ship because your DPS tend to be insufficient to deal with several opponents quickly enough, but In frigate duels or in a small gang this is a very effective fighting ship for beginners and experts in frigate PVP.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01088902803812337777noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2962276924342174960.post-27147206854666253602014-07-16T22:22:00.000+02:002014-07-16T22:22:04.273+02:00OOC Entry 111 - TitlesWhen I wrote in a comment that I will have my next chapter ready within the week, I should have written within <i>a</i> week. I wrote that comment exactly a week ago and so I would have just about kept my word.<br />
<br />
You may not believe this, but I struggled most with the title of the story.<br />
<br />
Everything I could come up with sounded like some EVE expansion or the name of some movie with Tom Cruise as the male lead, and I hate Tom Cruise. I have hated Tom Cruise since I saw Top Gun with my very first boyfriend and decided that Val Kilmer is definitely way sexier and should have been the guy who wins.<br />
<br />
Well, at least I didn't have to endure seeing the female lead getting it on with Val Kilmer and was free to dream my young girl dreams about him. Sadly he turned rather fat later in life.<br />
<br />
But I digress.<br />
<br />
I have long wanted to write a story with Gallente antagonists, and now I finally saw the opening to do so. It will tie in with things that happened waaaay back in my stories. I find that rather suitable for a story set in New-Eden that things the protagonists did in the past catch up with them in a bad way.<br />
<br />
For starters, this chapter will not feature any of my main protagonists, but I am bringing back my favourite obnoxious support character. I am not sure yet for how long I will stay on this track where I keep my main capsuleers out of the narrative, but I feel like it could go on like that for a bit.<br />
<br />
I think it can create some extra tension when the story is about people who can actually die instead of being revived in a clone through some technological wizardry.<br />
<br />
Not that I haven't brought a few of those poor capsuleers very close to true death. <br />
<br />
Oh yes, and then there is the unsettling death of a bunch of scantily dressed girls in that <a href="http://emergentpatroller.blogspot.co.at/2014/06/24-metempsychosis.html">interlude</a> I wrote last.<br />
<br />
Let's see what becomes of that particular thread.<br />
<br />
But for now, <a href="http://emergentpatroller.blogspot.co.at/2014/07/the-chain-of-being-part-1.html">the story</a> begins with some nice food.<br />
<i> </i>Emergent Patrollerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01210394924909245177noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2962276924342174960.post-60396565840015923822014-07-16T22:00:00.001+02:002015-01-02T16:30:15.426+01:00The Chain of Being - Part 1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
Adrain Sourail decided to finally break the awkward silence that hung over the table in the exclusive restaurant his superiour officer had invited him to for supper. He set down his wineglass and took a deep breath before speaking.<br />
<br />
"Madame, I can't help to ask why you invited me here."<br />
<br />
Dechenne en Chalune chewed and swallowed slowly. She half-closed her narrow eyes while she savoured the taste of her last bite and hummed softly in appreciation. Adrain wished the old intelligence director wouldn't draw it out so much. It was her signature thing to do. Always keep everyone guessing - and worrying - what her next move could be. She hadn't earned the nickname "Lady Anxiety" among the members of the department for nothing.<br />
<br />
"Because you are my most valued operative of course, and I thought you would enjoy some good food and drink" The Intaki finally said and smiled.<br />
<br />
Adrain looked at her cheerful expression with skepticism. Her matronly smile emphasized the wrinkles on her golden-skinned face. She managed to look like anybody's favourite grandmother if she smiled like that, but Adrain knew there must be something else to it. There always was with Dechenne en Chalune.<br />
<br />
"Have you ever considered how much food tells us about a society or a culture?" The old woman continued after skewering a rubbery small cephalopod on her plate. "Minmatar cooking, for example, favours dishes which are intended for communal consumption. A lot of different small items of food which are arranged on big platters. Everyone at the table shares and exchanges."<br />
<br />
Adrain wondered where this was going while the intelligence director put the marinated piece of seafood into her mouth and chewed languidly. She swallowed, sipped from her glass of wine and then carried on.<br />
<br />
"They are also fond of strong natural tastes. Game, spicy vegetables, intense fruit flavours, bitter herbs, that kind of thing. The combination offers a lot of diversity and contrast."<br />
<br />
She pointed at her own plate with the fork. "Quite different from our own style. In Gallente cuisine everything is about creating the most refined combination of tastes, subtly tailored to personal choice. There is diversity, but it is a diversity of choice for each individual." Dechenne en Chalune picked up some vegetables together with another piece of squid and ate it at length.<br />
<br />
Adrain was wondering where this whole talk about food preparation was supposed to go, but he did listen intently. He knew his superiour. She hardly ever engaged in idle talk without meaning to get to a point. So far the Gallente agent failed to deduce what it might be though.<br />
<br />
"I can see that you are becoming impatient, so let me come to the point." The elderly intelligence director retrieved a neocom from her handbag and slid it across the table.<br />
<br />
Adrain skimmed through the Scope News item that was on display. Clearly Eifyr & Co unexpectedly announced a conference to present a revolutionary scientific breakthrough. The name of the main speaker caught Adrain's attention. "Hegomir Torstan? Wasn't he abducted by some capsuleers recently."<br />
<br />
"Correct. Wormhole dwellers to be more precise. Specifically a corporation called Awakened Industries under the command of this man." Dechenne reached over to touch the necom display which emitted the holographic image of a bearded Gallente looking man.<br />
<br />
Adrain nodded gravely. "I recognize him. He was last on record interacting with one of our agents before she vanished."<br />
<br />
The white-haired Intaki emptied her glass and leaned back in her chair. "Right, Nevire Chatal. So, where does that leave us?"<br />
<br />
Adrain finished the article and stroked his chin in thought. "It looks like a group of lawless capsuleers lead by a former navy officer have dropped a major scientific breakthrough in the lap of a Matari megacorporation. In addition to that, they might be involved in the loss of an agent." he frowned for a moment. "If I am not mistaken then the agent in question was on the trail of a wanted capsuleer spy. According to intelligence reports, the same woman agent Chatal was after, was also involved in the abduction of Savant Torstan. Sounds like we have a challenge on our hands." Adrain smirked slightly "And an opportunity to tie up a few loose ends."<br />
<br />
Dechenne nodded and displayed her grandmotherly smile again. "Like I said in the beginning, you are one of my most valued operatives. You are good at connecting the dots" she took the provided cloth napkin from the table to dab her lips. "Now remember what I said about food and its reflection of a society's values."<br />
<br />
Finally Adrain understood her meaning. "The difference in culture. The recent political moves by Empress Jamyl have defused the conflict between the Amarr Empire and the Republic. Since then the cultural differences between the Gallente and the Minmatar have become more of an issue. Now some Gallente ..."he searched for the appropriate word "... renegades have provided a Matari scientist with the means to get ahead in the game. This might develop into an issue of federal security."<br />
<br />
The smile of the old Intaki widened to the same extent as her eyes narrowed. "Which is where we come in. Or you more specifically."<br />
<br />
Adrain looked at his superiour quizzically.<br />
<br />
Dechenne en Chalune responded to his unvoiced question "I am sending you to that conference with the fake identity of a Duvolle Laboratories acquisition specialist. We need to know everything we can get our hands on about that new breakthrough in Sleeper research Torstan will be presenting." she waved her hand nonchalantly "I expect that the public presentation will only scratch the surface. Your job is to get your hands on the whole story."<br />
<br />
"How far can I go?" Adrain asked. His demeanor had turned from slightly confused to fully professional in an instant.<br />
<br />
"Any means necessary." his superiour answered matter-of-factly. "Just make sure it remains deniable." she smirked "I would hate it if I had a senator pacing back and forth in my office shouting something about a diplomatic incident."<br />
<br />
"Understood." Adrain replied curtly. <br />
<br />
"Well" Dechenne en Chalune gestured at Adrain's almost untouched food. "Enjoy the meal. You are leaving tomorrow on the first liner to Eram."<br />
<br />
***<br />
<br />
"Seriously! Is all that excessive caution necessary?!" Agitated, Hegomir Torstan paced back and forth on the forward bridge of the Rapier class recon ship. "This is a nimble ship of Minmatar design. With my added modifications it should easily be able to evade every trap, and time is of essence here my Gallente friend."<br />
<br />
Sitalaerd Baunee tried his best to concentrate on the tactical holograms displayed before his captain's chair. "You do want your research, and yourself, to reach Eram safely I would assume." he said dismissively and then issued the order to move closer to the wormhole in a spiral course.<br />
<br />
The veteran Gallente captain did not want to take an unnecessary risk here. Most of Awakened Industries' crews were still not back home. Their stations were hardly defensible and none of the corporations capsuleers - including his commander - had returned to the Anoikis cluster either.<br />
<br />
At least he had received word that the daring mission to rescue Sandrielle Jaunes was successful. Everyone would be due to return soon. The many Sleeper drones which kept circling their main control tower, still gorging their machine minds on all available information, created an effective deterrent against attack, but they were also an unknown factor. The former Gallente navy officer did not like unknown factors. If Cedrien Roucellis himself would not have agreed with the urgent demands of savant Torstan to be allowed a visit to the Arek'Jalaan facility in Eram, he would certainly not have risked one of their few remaining ships for something like that.<br />
<br />
Particularly not at a time when they needed to rebuild their battered defenses. Even now, their station barely had the fuel to last through a full defensive reinforcement cycle despite the fact that the shield generators had been restored. Granted, Torstan's insights gained from communication with the Sleepers had helped a lot to make that happen, but that did not make this trip less risky in Sitalaerd's opinion.<br />
<br />
"Captain. I just registered a Buzzard class frigate on long range scan for a moment." the crewman at the sensor station reported.<br />
<br />
"Any new entry signatures?" Sitalaerd asked.<br />
<br />
The young Matari nodded affirmative. "Yes sir. One new wormhole is being picked up by our probes." the crewman paused and turned around to face the captain. "Sir, its graviton emission profile indicates a class six phenomenon on the Criele scale."<br />
<br />
Sitalaerd frowned. "That could mean a scout for a major force." He considered the situation and finally shook his head. "We are in no shape to defend against anyone who would want to confront us now."<br />
<br />
He turned to the communications officer. "Lieutenant Maillot. Notify the station crew. Tell them to go on full defence and prepare for evacuation. Inform commander Roucellis on fluid router about the situation too."<br />
<br />
If this small exploration ship was the harbinger of an attack, him and his crew would not make any difference either. He pressed his lips together and looked at the wavering vortex before them. "Helmsman. Take us through. We will continue our mission."<br />
<br />
"Finally" Hegomir Torstan threw his arms up with a sigh or relief.Emergent Patrollerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01210394924909245177noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2962276924342174960.post-7237142610131100152014-07-15T16:28:00.000+02:002015-02-15T00:01:24.589+01:00The Chain of Being - Part 2<br />
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Adrain's superiour
had been right.<br />
<br />
Despite the fact that Arek'Jalaan officially hosted
the “groundbreaking” presentation of Hegomir Torstan, Eifyr &
Co corporate security had provided the venue and they kept a tight
ship. Everyone who was not a member of the corporation was required
to wear an implant blocker to prevent recordings. Even neocoms and
similar devices were taken away from non-affiliated visitors. Adrain
even suspected that several of the people dressed in security
uniforms were actually Republic Intelligence.<br />
<br />
His instincts,
developed throughout years in the service, enabled him to notice the
telling signs. The forced casual behaviour. The furtive glances and
subtle signals exchanged between agents working as a team. That
effort to inconspicuously follow and watch their chosen targets,
himself clearly one of them.<br />
<br />
The small number of
attendants who were not Minmatar each had one of those intelligence
operatives shadow them throughout the conference. Adrain pondered the
merit of such surveillance. He was not formally trained as a
scientist or engineer, but even with his limited knowledge about the
presented material, it seemed remarkably thin to him. Despite the
subject of possible advances of Sleeper reverse-engineering,
Torstan's presentation came across as more of a sales pitch than an
actual scientific lecture.
<br />
When Torstan
concluded, followed by applause that seemed way to enthusiastic, Adrain re-evaluated his options for losing his tail. He acted his
best to look like he was hanging on Torstan's every word during the
Q&A session, but in the meantime he expanded his senses to gauge
the reactions of people he suspected to be agents.<br />
<br />
The net was tight.<br />
<br />
Grudgingly Adrain had to settle for the fact that he would not be
able to make his move just yet. He made an effort to not let his
annoyance show when he left the auditorium and stepped out into the
red light of Eram's sun and the crowd of reporters who descended on
the scientific and corporate representatives who walked out of the
Eifyr&Co building.
<br />
<br />
'This is Aishe
Guldar for Eram System News.' a stunning young Krusual woman blocked
his path. She wore a recording visor and her black hair was braided
along the crown of her skull.<br />
<br />
'Girome de Roue of
Duvolle Laboratories has just emerged from the building and is
willing to answer a few questions on Gallente interests.' she opened
and beamed a disarming smile at Adrain when she confronted him with
his cover identity in a way that was clearly meant for him to be
caught off-guard.<br />
<br />
Had he truly been a Duvolle corporate official who
wanted to keep a low profile, he would indeed be uncomfortable with
being recorded on a live newscast. The Gallente agent acted as if
that were the case while sizing up the young reporter.<br />
<br />
Adrain inhaled
through his nose. <i>'Tailored pheromones, how cute</i>.'
he noticed. Either the local news-channel spent a lot on
biomodifications for their reporters or this was a honeytrap. If it
was, they obviously had not figured him out completely or
they would know his preferences. He smiled back at the admittedly
well chosen female and for a moment he was honestly endeared with
her for trying hard to appear desirable. He used that feeling to make
his smile appear genuine.<br />
<br />
Adrain knew most
Republic Intelligence operatives from the records of his own agency.
He had taken the effort to thoroughly familiarize himself with each
and every one of them before departure. If that girl was not who she
pretended to be, then she would most likely be a junior corporate
counter-intelligence agent who had gotten a chance to score a big one
with this assignment. Adrain decided to take the bait. If his hunch
were to be correct, this could be a way to get closer to Torstan and
the actual knowledge the Sebiestor engineer possessed.
<br />
<br />
'Indeed, how may I
be of service?' he asked and very obviously let his eyes travel along
the girl's curves for effect. She had dressed in a form-fitting
ensemble that would work wonders on someone who actually cared about
breasts and hips like hers.<br />
<br />
Adrain made sure
that he appeared to care.<br />
<br />
'A Duvolle
representative coming all this way to listen to a presentation by an
Eifyr&Co scientist? What is the story behind that?' The young
woman asked aggressively.<br />
<br />
'Well …' Adrain
replied. 'You are the reporter so I leave the storytelling up to
you.' he intentionally looked at her cleavage more than her face. It
would help to make her think she had the intended effect.<br />
<br />
'Come on now.' she
kept pushing. 'Someone working for a shrewd woman like Jinneth
Duvolle must have an agenda.'<br />
<br />
Adrain had to admit
that she got the part about working for a shrewd woman right. Only in
his case it wasn't Jinneth Duvolle.<br />
<br />
'Guilty as charged.'
he replied and played the role of the boy caught with his hand in the
cookie jar.<br />
<br />
Looking around and then back at her décolleté before he
met her eyes again he cocked his head slightly and softened his
voice. 'My corporation has not authorized me to make public
statements, but …' he paused for effect and smiled suggestively. 'I
would agree with continuing this conversation in a more ... private
place.'<br />
<br />
**<br />
<br />
Adrain checked his
wrist-neocom. He had enough time to do what he needed to and get away
before the girl would wake up. The sedative he produced from his
sweat-glands would easily keep her under for another hour or two. He
had initially been skeptical of the biomods provided by Poteque, but
he had to admit they were effective and had the additional advantage
of not registering on the usual augmentation scanners.<br />
<br />
Strategically he had
ordered a bottle of “Sun Blood” a very potent local drink known
for its aphrodisiac properties as well as its devastating hangovers.
Of course they never drank all of it and he had poured half of the
strong liquor down the toilet drain, but when the girl did wake up
and find the empty bottle she would chalk up her groggy state and
fuzzy memory to the beverage's aftereffects.<br />
<br />
It was as Adrain had
suspected. After going through her purse he linked up the girl's
necom to his own portable device. He was soon able to break the
encryption on her system and identify her as a member of Eifyr&Co
corporate intelligence. Her clearance was low but enough to serve his
purposes. Using his own neocom's data pattern extractor he
transferred her security key onto his own identity profile and modify
it accordingly to fit him.
<br />
<br />
Adrain did not want
for her to return empty handed, that would be too suspicious and
attract further attention, so he fed some data into her storage to
make it appear as she had lifted interesting information from him. It
was all fake material about his assumed identity and largely
inconsequential internal information about Duvolle Laboratories which
he retrieved from Federal Intelligence databanks. That should be
enough for her to report a success to her superiors, maybe get a
small pat on the back for a job well done. Case closed, no reason to
pursue any further.<br />
<br />
Adrain liked tying
up loose ends.<br />
<br />
Before this was over
there would be many more for him to take care of.<br />
<br />
**<br />
<br />
Miranjee suppressed
the urge to yawn. She was tired but her sense of duty prevented her
from showing it. Despite her drowsiness she was dedicated to her task
keeping watch at the sensor station during the late shift. The
capsuleers of Awakened Industries had provided for them better than
most pod-pilot commanders would. Never since she left her tribal
homeland had she experienced such true dedication to a community. Now
it came down to her and all the remaining personnel to rebuild as
much as they can until the capsuleer contingent would return home
from their dangerous mission. Reports indicated that it had been
successful, but many ships had been lost together with their crews.
Regrouping and finding a way back to Anoikis would take time.<br />
<br />
When the directional
scanner readout flared and the proximity alarm sounded, Miranjee came
to full attention in an instant. She called up the scan analytics and
her eyes widened. What appeared on the display was a full fleet of
combat ships, and their transmission beacons marked them as …
<br />
<br />
Miranjee uttered a
string of Matari curses just before the communications console lit up
with a hailing signal. She got up from her chair at the surveillance
station and looked out of the window into space. Ship after ship
appeared out of warp beyond the starbase shield. Miranjee hit the
receiver almost absent-mindedly as she looked at the red-splattered
Amarr vessels which assembled into formation out there.<br />
<br />
With the hailing
frequency open, the communication system came to life and transmitted
a cold voice accustomed to command. 'Members of Awakened Industries.
This is Deacon Commander Dam-Tharel of the Blood Raider Covenant. We
are here to make you an offer.'<br />
<br />
Miranjee activated
the station's battle alarm.Emergent Patrollerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01210394924909245177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2962276924342174960.post-67786734642652581272014-07-13T23:05:00.000+02:002015-02-15T00:10:40.756+01:00The Chain of Being - Part 3<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<br />
Ffeifra was surprised how exhilarated she felt about the return of Hegomir Torstan to active duty. <br />
<br />
A light bounce was in her step as she walked down the flight of stairs and the corridor which lead to the Savant's personal laboratory on the Eram University campus and she felt butterflies in her stomach. It wasn't any form of physical attraction she felt for the man. Having worked for Torstan as personal assistant over the course of six years, she was quite certain that she didn't have any feelings for him in that way. Neither had the exceptional engineer himself made any advances towards her, quite unlike the Eifyr&Co executive she had served before. A terrible, lecherous old man who would leer at her suggestively whenever he had her make arrangements for pleasure girls to visit him and other corporate dignitaries in their private quarters. <br />
<br />
Hegomir Torstan could be arrogant, unsympathetic and rude, but he never touched her or even as much as looked at her ambiguously. He always behaved strictly professional and in his own special way he treated Ffeifra with respect. Still a bachelor, despite his age and fame, he had of course attracted rumours that his tastes lay elsewhere, but Ffeifra knew him better than to assume such things. She was quite sure that Torstan was largely incapable of intimacy and would rather spend his time with complex field equations or the design of a propulsion system than indulging in romantic pursuits. He would probably consider that a waste of his capacities, Ffeifra mused, and she had to smile as she reached the door to Savant Torstan's laboratory. <br />
<br />
The Krusual woman was so preoccupied with how unexpectedly happy she was to have Torstan back and the opportunity to resume her work for him that she didn't even notice the missing security guard who should have been posted outside the lab. When the heavy blast door slid open she settled into the realization that, in a really subtle way which she could not even fully understand herself, she loved that ingenious but socially inept old man.<br />
<br />
Then, as she took her first step into the laboratory, her internal reflections were shattered when she saw the security guard. He lay on the ground and the angle at which his neck was bent looked disturbingly unnatural. She wanted to put her satchel with the neocom and other equipment on the ground and check on the man, but before she could do so, something hit her just above the sacrum and a jolt went through her body. It did not hurt. In fact, her mind reeled at the sudden realisation that she did not feel a thing at all from her waist down and within moments her legs collapsed beneath her uselessly. While the door slid shut behind her, a quick sequence of further blows uncannily paralysed her upper body as well and she fell against the heavy barrier that shut the room from the outside. <br />
<br />At that moment Ffeifra cursed Hegomir Torstan for insisting that no surveillance should be installed in his private laboratory because he wanted to conduct his work without prying eyes.<br />
<br />
*** <br />
<br />
'Say that again?!' Cedrien's voice sounded just as surprised as the expression on his face looked.<br />
<br />
'You heard it right commander' the holographic projection of Sitalaerd confirmed. 'It's Blood Raiders, a whole fleet of them. They are floating in space outside our shields.' <br />
<br />
'Are the Sleeper Drones still there?' Sitting across the table from Cedrien in the rented office they all occupied, Shisei looked on with a furrowed brow<br />
<br />
'Yes, some of them.' Sitalaerd nodded 'The majority have dispersed but a few are circling around the Blood Raider ships doing nothing.' The projected image of the aged Gallente man flickered momentarily and his voice distorted. Clearly the Intaki Syndicate did not reserve the best fluid-routers for people just passing through to use anonymous short-stay uplinks.<br />
<br />Sylera stared blankly into the starscape of Poitot that was visible through the wall-size window. 'They will not attack unless fired upon.' Alira, who sat next to her, confirmed that with a nod. The bond both women had shared with the collective consciousness of those enigmatic machines was enough for Cedrien to trust their appraisal of the situation.<br />
<br />
'<i>Imud Sefrim</i>' Keram cursed in Amarrian. 'Sani Sabik, the only people with a more fucked up religion than the Empire itself.'<br />
<br />
'What is it that attracts all those religious fanatics to us?' Cedrien wondered with a sigh.<br />
<br />
Whether it was intended as a rhetorical question or not, Sitalaerd answered. 'Commander, they want to negotiate with us about a material called Isogen-5. I have never heard of it sir.'<br />
<br />
'I have.' Shisei said slowly. 'The scientists of Arek'Jalaan were very interested in it and are convinced that it had a central role in the Seyllin Incident.' <br />
<br />
When the others around the table looked at him expectantly, he elaborated. 'A disaster which occurred before the first wormholes to Anoikis were discovered. The researchers of Arek'Jalaan are convinced that Isogen-5 was the source of a powerful shockwave which caused those tunnels in the space-time fabric. Furthermore ...' <br />
<br />
Cedrien's raised hand interrupted him.<br />
<br />
'You just mentioned Arek'Jalaan.' The Gallente capsuleer tilted his head. 'Sandrielle is on her way back to us from Eram where she dropped off Torstan.' he pressed his lips together. 'She's got to turn around and ask Torstan to get us in contact with those Arek'Jalaan people.' <br />
<br />
Cedrien returned his attention to the projection of his trusted lieutenant. 'Sitaelaerd. Do what you can to stall them. Tell them we are bringing an expert on the subject to negotiate for mutual benefit.' <br />
<br />
The old Gallente nodded in response.<br />
<br />
'In the meantime all of us need to get to work and find ourselves a route in.' Cedrien addressed his assembled capsuleers. 'Vacation is over.' <br />
<br />
*** <br />
<br />
The man who pulled up a chair and sat down across from Ffeifra wore the uniform of technical maintenance staff, but he clearly wasn't Matari. He looked more like a Gallente to her with his soft comely features and dark eyes. The expression on his face was strangely sad as he leaned forward and sighed before speaking. <br />
<br />
'You will die here today' he stated with a voice that sounded surprisingly emphatic despite that ultimate declaration. 'You will, however, have a choice to save many lives, innocent lives, if you help me.'<br />
<br />
Ffeifra, still unable to feel or move anything but her hands that he had bound behind her back, stared at him defiantly and said nothing. Still, his words shook her to the core with the quiet inevitability he conveyed.<br />
<br />
'There is a reactor powering this laboratory as you probably know.' the man continued with his soft voice. Ffeifra wondered why his face looked vaguely familiar. <br />
<br />
'Currently this reactor is approaching a critical condition which will cause a massive explosion.' he took something from a pocket of his utility jacket. 'Nobody can stop this from happening.' he continued. '… but you, you can influence when it happens.' <br />
<br />
He held up the object from his pocket. It looked like a short tube with a single button on top . 'This trigger will cause an acceleration of the reaction which will result in the explosion happening within thirty seconds after you press the button.' <br />
<br />
Ffeifra's eyes widened and her breathing accelerated. Quickly she tried to get a hold of herself. She did not want him to notice the fear that took hold of her. <br />
<br />
'It is still very early and there are few people in this building, but soon a large group of schoolchildren will arrive to visit the university where the famous Hegomir Torstan works. If not triggered earlier, the explosion will occur when they are well inside the building.' <br />
<br />
The man shook his head. 'But I don't want those children to die and I am sure you don't want that either. So if you help me I will give you this' He held up the device. '… and you can sacrifice yourself and a few others to save dozens of young people who have their whole lives ahead of them.' he into Ffeifra's eyes directly, imploringly even. 'Will you help me?'<br />
<br />
'What do you want?' Ffeifra hissed at him through clenched teeth and strained to get some sort of control over her body to no avail.<br />
<br />
'Hegomir Torstan's private residence is a well kept secret. I want you to tell me where it is … and the access codes to the place.' The man demanded.<br />
<br />
Ffeifra felt the chill caused by the thought of her impending death creeping up her spine but it was soon followed by a wave of intense heat caused by intense hate against that Gallente with his false empathy and the cynical choice he offered her. If she was to die here today, maybe she could take that man with her. In the end she nodded. 'I will help you.' she said with grim determination.<br />
<br />
He got up slowly, walked around Ffeifra and closed her fingers around the small tube, then he returned to his seat and looked at her again expectantly.<br />
<br />
'Get fucked by a slaver dog' Ffeifra spat at him and pushed the button.<br />
<br />
The man shook his head. 'It is not armed yet, of course. The location and the access code.' he paused and locked gaze again with Ffeifra. 'Please.' he added softly.<br />
<br />
***<br />
<br />
Adrain walked across the central plaza of Eram University campus. A group of anti-gravity passenger vehicles touched down at the far end of the large open expanse. Children poured out, attended by their teachers. The adults did their best to contain the overly enthusiastic gaggle of minors when the explosion occurred.<br />
<br />
Adrain was thrown to the ground by the shockwave just as everyone else in the vicinity of the blast that tore up the lab complex. He got up and walked away calmly without looking back while the campus behind him erupted in a cacophony of alarms and panicked screaming. <br />
<br />
He knew his destination and nodded to himself introspectively. '<i>Minmatar. They will always make a sacrifice for their people.</i>'<br />
<br />Emergent Patrollerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01210394924909245177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2962276924342174960.post-24595067027503100032014-06-18T23:21:00.001+02:002014-06-18T23:41:00.323+02:0024 - Metempsychosis <style type="text/css">P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; }</style>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
'How many have died?'</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Keram shrugged, unsure, while appreciating the backside of the naked woman gazing out of the
wide panorama window of the observation deck into the endless depths of space.
'Fifteen-hundred, maybe two-thousand.' He did not sound particularly
affected by the idea of so many dead people.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
'And on their side?' she asked.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
'Probably about ten times as many.' the
Amarrian replied. 'A good part of them died when you turned off life
support on that Nyx before self-destructing.'</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
'Self-destructing.'
she echoed with a bitter chuckle. 'As if there was anything left of me to destroy.' She did not turn to face Keram, and if she minded him staring at
her nakedness then she showed no sign of it.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
The former pirate shook his head. 'I got to say, turning off life support was one thing, but locking down the escape pods, that was just cold.'
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Now the woman turned her head to look
at him. 'Do you realize how many I saved by letting none of <i>them</i>
live?' she said with an intensity that belied the low whisper of her
voice.<br />
<br />
She turned back to stare into the void.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
'Well.' Keram said with mocking
cheerfulness. 'You clearly cared enough to commit mass
murder.' He drew his eyebrows together and
continued more seriously. 'Actually, so did we, and we sacrificed a
lot too. Don't forget that.'</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
'Forget.' she repeated introspectively,
hugged herself and shivered. It was not a tremor caused by chill. In
fact the interiour of the Tombship was rather hot and humid due to
its aged and struggling climate control systems. The woman ran her hands
along her body like she had to remind herself that it was
actually there. 'I remember my name.' she said only slightly louder.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
'Good.' Keram answered sarcastically.
'I wasn't sure whether the burn scanner was still working properly.'</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
The olive skinned woman turned around
fully and now fixated his eyes with her own. 'My real name.' she
breathed in a low voice. Keram found that he could not hold her gaze.
Since he had known her, she had never been a person he felt at ease with,
but now there was something decidedly unsettling in her eyes. He
distracted himself by looking lower and following the swell of her
breasts while she slowly approached.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
'The Hive had erased me. The Ida nuns
gave me a new name, but it was not mine. When they released me to go
back to the stars they gave me another. It was also not mine. Year
after year I have lived a life as another woman. Now that they wanted
to destroy me again, I finally remembered who I once was.'<br />
<br />
Due to her
tall Gallente physique she ended up face-to-face with Amarrian man
and the intensity of her presence forced him to look into her eyes.
'I will not ever forget anything again.' she finally added.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Keram pressed his lips together. With
uncharacteristic seriousness, and suddenly not interested in her body
at all anymore, he finally looked at her directly. 'Sandrielle, or
whatever your real name is, you know I have suffered a lot too. We
all have. It is a fucked up universe out there, and being immortal
does not make us gods. If anything, it makes us even more fucked up.'
he put his hands on her shoulders. There was nothing but sincere
concern expressed by the gesture and his voice.<br />
<br />
'Don't go crazy on us
Sandrielle. We need you. You are one of us. We came for you because
of that. Tenshin Noy and all the men and women in his fleet came for
you because of who you are. It doesn't mean shit who did what and
when to make you that person. That you are here today and talking to
me, alive, that's all that matters. If you lose it then everyone who
died in that battle gave their life for nothing.' he grasped her
shoulders more forcefully and almost shook her. 'Do you hear me?'</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
'Tenshin Noy?' Sandrielle looked perplexed.<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Before Keram could reply, a multicoloured flare outside
illuminated the Amarrian's aquiline features and he looked over
Sandrielle's shoulder. 'What in the name of the empress' tits?' he
growled and let go of Sandrielle to approach the panorama window.<br />
<br />
At
the center of the crackling energy field a spindly ship with solar
panel outriggers floated motionlessly. Seconds later, space erupted
with ships. A whole fleet with the massive discus shape of a
red-and-green patterned Nyx supercarrier at its centre suddenly floated right in front of the Tombship.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
'Great!' Keram shouted and threw up his
arms in defeat. 'So much for the secret hiding place of our clone
store.'</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
***
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
'Sandrielle!' Tenshin Noy increased his
pace to be the first to reach her after entering the expansive
observation deck together with several of his commanders and the
Awakened Industry capsuleers in tow. The Intaki was spurred on by the
excitement of seeing the woman he had once loved back among the
living. Upon reaching her, he immediately threw his arms around her
now robed body and rested his cheek against hers with unrestrained
affection.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
The woman who had always displayed the
most incredible self-control for as long as her wormhole-settler
companions could remember, now appeared utterly surprised and incapable of
any reaction. Then, tentatively, Sandrielle returned the
hug. At last she wrapped her arms around him more tightly and kissed
his face. 'Tenshin.' she breathed. 'It has been so long.' she ran her
hand through his black hair and it looked like tears were clouding
her eyes. 'I can not even say how that makes me feel now.'
Overwhelmed by her own reaction she shook her head.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
'Then say nothing.' Tenshin Noy replied
with an affectionate smile and pulled her closer again. Tears rolled
from his eyes, and against his shoulder Sandrielle spilled her own.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Cedrien remained at a respectful
distance from the two former comrades, friends and lovers embracing each-other. Of all the Awakened Industries capsuleers he had known Sandrielle best. Yet he could not make sense of her reaction at that moment and wondered how she had changed. He looked at Keram with that unspoken question written on his
face. The Amarrian leaned back in the chair he occupied at a seating
area off to the side and shrugged helplessly. It looked like he would
come up with something witty, but he never made it. Alira came at him
faster than that and straddled him with her slender frame.<br />
<br />
'It's good
to feel you again.' she said with a saucy smile and a wink.<br />
<br />
Keram
displayed a crooked grin. '... said no Minmatar to an Amarrian ever.' he
took the opening to finally deliver a snarky oneliner. The red-haired
Sebiestor playfully slapped his face and then leaned down to plant a
kiss on his lips.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
At the rear of the group who had entered, Kassina Vikkonen smirked sourly. She switched to her native Caldari, addressing
Shisei Kanioota who stood next to her and smiled beatifically at the emotional reunions. 'I reckon we
can all be thankful for the passion of Gallente, Minmatar and Amarr
people and the great adventures that has provided us.' The tall
bounty-hunter frowned. 'As long as they don't forget to pay their
debts to me.' she added.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Shisei's smile did not falter. 'Sarcasm? And I
took you for such a strictly professional woman.' he paused.
'Sometimes achievement is its own reward.'</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Kassina shook her head slowly. 'Spare
me your Achura motivational quotes.' she sighed.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
As Cedrien looked on, sadness cast
a shadow over his features while he watched Sandrielle showing a side of
herself that he had never seen and while Alira and Keram kissed wildly.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
'She used to be very much in love with
you.' a soft voice suddenly said next to him. He hadn't noticed
Sylera appearing at his side. Bewildered he looked at the pale
young Amarrian. 'I shared my mind with her. I felt the memory of it.'
Sylera elaborated further and nodded in the direction of Alira and her Amarrian lover.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Cedrien nodded. 'I know.' he sighed
heavily. 'But I couldn't. I am her commander.' He took a deep breath.
'And you might remember what happened to the last woman I loved.'</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
'You can not always live in the past commander.' Sylera said firmly. 'None of us can afford to do so. Actually, it was Sandrielle who made me realize that.'</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Cedrien looked at the fine-featured
Amarrian again, and she looked back up at him with those light gray eyes, smiling softly. Even affectionately, it seemed to him.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
***
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Darkness. Cold, damp metal against her
skin. The skimpy dancing costume she had worn during the last moments
she remembered hung in tatters from her. The depleted air stank of
urine, faeces and the cloying, sweet odour of menstrual blood. She
heard sobs and groans, pleas for mercy, names being called out,
prayers and offers. A medley of female despair in all languages of
the cluster. Slowly her fingers crept along the metal wall she must
have been propped up against during her unconsciousness. She recoiled
when she touched something that felt like hair.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
For a split second the image of another
young woman was illuminated by an impossibly bright light. It would
have burnt itself into her retina, but before that could happen, she
and everything around her had become vaporized.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
***
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
With his chest thrust out in pride, the bridge adjutante approached the tall, straight backed figure wearing a long red coat trimmed with grey and white. He stopped at a respectful distance from the man viewing a tactical holograph of the fleet assembled at the newly spawned wormhole. <br />
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
'Archdeacon-Commander. The Lord has
accepted our sacrifice! Our scouts report that we have found the
right place!'</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
'Finally our prayers were answered.
Order the fleet to proceed and move up behind them.' The Archdeacon-Commander replied calmly.</div>
Emergent Patrollerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01210394924909245177noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2962276924342174960.post-59597118310941365512014-06-11T23:28:00.001+02:002014-06-11T23:28:36.893+02:00OOC Entry 110 - Back on the BattlefieldAfter an extended holiday I am back on the battlefield, and I mean this in more than one way. On the one hand I have returned to the scenery of devastation that I left behind at the end of my <a href="http://emergentpatroller.blogspot.com/search/label/23%20-%20Contagion">last story</a>, on the other hand I return after a round of rather turbulent things have happened in the world of CCP Games.<br />
<br />
Of course, if you are reading this blog I am pretty sure you already know about the cancellation of World of Darkness and the further layoffs that were more recent.<br />
<br />
I would love to say I am surprised, but I am not.<br />
<br />
It is my personal experience both from military and professional experience that many endeavours that are thought up by higher ups often work out not because their idea was so incredibly good, but because they manage to motivate those who need to do the actual work. Sometimes those people are motivated themselves, sometimes they are even demotivated by their leaders but they still keep going because of personal conviction, professionalism, dedication to a cause or any number of other personal reasons.<br />
<br />
If the decisions of the leaders are wrong, then it is often the lower ranks who have to suffer. In wars they die, get injured or have to endure a lot, and in business they can lose their job.<br />
<br />
I myself have long become a very cynical person with absolutely no trust in any leadership whatsoever. This is also the main reason why I have never become part of any nullsec alliance in EVE. I simply have nothing but a sour smirk left for all those people leading their space empires. How could I become enthusiastic about something in a game world which I feel disillusioned about in real life already?<br />
<br />
I also never felt any loyalty to CCP. They make the game which I
liked to play, and they created the universe I like to write fiction
about. Apart from that I could not care less about who they are and what
they do. Personally I am sure they have a lot of dedicated people there
(there are numerous testimonies confirming that too) and I am equally
sure that their senior management are a bunch of people who consider
themselves to be more important than they are.<br />
<br />
Nothing new there as far as I am concerned.<br />
<br />
That general attitude was what attracted me to life in Wormhole Space and more specifically it kept me there when our celebrity leader left us and the man who took over mainly lead on paper but he was just one of us. Sticking to my friends, my lovers, my family, my comrades and colleagues, that is something I can live for.<br />
<br />
I do wish that all the continuing players of EVE get the development they hope for. I hope that Valkyrie and Legion will not be unrealistic pipe dreams that get scrapped before they can develop properly so more people can enjoy an immersive gaming experience in that universe.<br />
<br />
I myself will stay in my little corner over here and continue to write stories. Right now it is a quiet corner because my fellow blogger is moonlighting on <a href="http://evenews24.com/author/kamar-raimo/">Evenews24</a> and <a href="http://crossingzebras.com/tarek-raimo-staff-writer/">Crossing Zebras</a> and now it is <i>him</i> who is on holiday.<br />
<br />
Of course I had my moments of inspiration while travelling around, and there is enough to pick up. What happened at the end when the Nyx changed hands? Did they win against the Hive? Have they managed to transfer Sandrielle into a new clone? What will happen with Awakened Industries anyway now?<br />
<br />
That's what I am going to deal with in the next few days when I write my next chapter.<br />
<br />
Until then.Emergent Patrollerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01210394924909245177noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2962276924342174960.post-92128816513281188072014-05-28T13:35:00.000+02:002014-05-28T13:35:04.918+02:00TRS - Fitting Discussion: Shield Coercer<br />
I like fits that are out-of-the-box designs, and while there are quite a few people who would shield-tank some Gallente ships, it is<i> very </i>uncommon to do the same with Amarr ships.<br />
<br />
During research for a <a href="http://evenews24.com/2014/05/26/redeem-yourself/">community feature piece</a>, I went on a public roam with <a href="http://www.redemption-road.com/">Redemption Road</a>. There I saw an exception to the armor tanking rule for Amarr. Considering that we flew around in nullsec and fought people with considerably heavier ships, this destroyer fit performed surprisingly well in a fleet of just under 20 people:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Z9UrtGURMJw/U4XG9s7uVsI/AAAAAAAAAI8/xLy7idR8O3s/s1600/coercersmall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Z9UrtGURMJw/U4XG9s7uVsI/AAAAAAAAAI8/xLy7idR8O3s/s1600/coercersmall.jpg" style="border: 0px none; padding: 0px ! important;" /></a></div>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
[Coercer, Shield Tank]<br />
Heat Sink II<br />
Heat Sink II<br />
Fourier Transform Tracking Program<br />
<br />
Medium F-S9 Regolith Shield Induction<br />
Experimental 1MN Afterburner I<br />
<br />
Small Focused Pulse Laser II, Scorch S<br />
Small Focused Pulse Laser II, Scorch S<br />
Small Focused Pulse Laser II, Scorch S<br />
Small Focused Pulse Laser II, Scorch S<br />
Small Focused Pulse Laser II, Scorch S<br />
Small Focused Pulse Laser II, Scorch S<br />
Small Focused Pulse Laser II, Scorch S<br />
Small Focused Pulse Laser II, Scorch S<br />
<br />
Small Ancillary Current Router I<br />
Small Anti-EM Screen Reinforcer I<br />
Small Anti-Thermal Screen Reinforcer I</blockquote>
Let's look at the good things first.<br />
<br />
This ship can reach a very nice 290 DPS and close to 600 volley damage. The Scorch crystals give the ship an optimal range of up to 18km at maximum skills. That range can be surpassed by long-range destroyers like artillery Thrashers or railgun Cormorants, but those ships will have significant disadvantages in tracking. A Thrasher with 280mm artillery will have less optimal as well. That makes the Coercer much better at actually applying its full damage.It comes close to the DPS of a blaster Catalyst but with much longer range.<br />
<br />
If you switch to short-range Conflagration crystals, you can even outperform a Catalyst using Neutron Blasters loaded with Null ammunition. Except if it's a full-out gank fit.<br />
<br />
Even at level 2 of the Destroyer skill, the tracking bonus of the ship together with the meta level Tracking Enhancer already compensates for the drawback from Scorch. Everything else is an extra bonus. With maximum skills the Pulse Lasers will not reach the tracking of a blaster Catalyst, but it will be better than any other alternative.<br />
<br />
It has somewhat decent buffer and resists, and its signature is still very low for a shield-tanked ship. It can also perma-run the Afterburner and maintain a comfortable speed. Together that gives the ship average defensive abilities. There are more flimsy destroyer fits than this one.<br />
<br />
Now, let's look at the negative things.<br />
<br />
The most glaring problem is, that this ship does not have a point. If you want targets held down, you need to bring tacklers. An opposing FC who pays attention can just wipe the frigates off the field and escape without problems.<br />
<br />
The second problematic thing is fitting. The available amount of CPU forces you to use a meta level Tracking Enhancer and Shield Extender. T2 lasers are practically a must, otherwise you wont be able to get the range and DPS out of the ship that makes it work well. Alltogether you will need pretty good fitting and weapon skills for that, so it's not suitable for the <i>really</i> new players. <br />
<br />
Last but not least, this ship is not exactly fast. Positioning on the grid is best done by getting warp-ins from the tacklers which you need to have with you anyway.<br />
<br />
For comparison, let's have a look at a more standard armor fit Coercer.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
[Coercer, Wolfpack Coercer]<br />
Damage Control II<br />
400mm Reinforced Rolled Tungsten Plates I<br />
Tracking Enhancer II<br />
<br />
Limited 1MN Microwarpdrive I<br />
Warp Disruptor II<br />
<br />
Dual Light Pulse Laser II, Scorch S<br />
Dual Light Pulse Laser II, Scorch S<br />
Dual Light Pulse Laser II, Scorch S<br />
Dual Light Pulse Laser II, Scorch S<br />
Dual Light Pulse Laser II, Scorch S<br />
Dual Light Pulse Laser II, Scorch S<br />
Dual Light Pulse Laser II, Scorch S<br />
Dual Light Pulse Laser II, Scorch S<br />
<br />
Small Anti-Explosive Pump I<br />
Small Energy Locus Coordinator I<br />
Small Energy Locus Coordinator I</blockquote>
<br />
As expected, this ship has a much better tank. About 8500 EHP compared to the 6000 of the shield fit. It is also a lot faster of course, but that speed can only be maintained for short bursts. It has slightly better range and tracking, and it has it's own point.<br />
<br />
The one thing where the shield fit excels is damage. With 120 less in DPS and 270 less volley damage, the armor version is not really impressive.<br />
<br />
<b>In Conclusion</b><br />
<br />
Would I fly such a shield Coercer in my day-to-day fleets? Most likely not. It is, however a workable and creative fit that doesn't do too bad considering that it goes against common fitting philosophy. As a mid-range DPS platform it performs exceptionally well, and even more so as a short range damage dealer. With its good tracking and damage projection, it is an excellent fit for gatecamps and ganks while still maintaining an average level of survivability.<br />
<br />
It is also a cheap ship, so losing one for the sake of flying an experimental gimmick fit is not such a bad tradeoff.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01088902803812337777noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2962276924342174960.post-21656291947920083892014-05-15T20:52:00.000+02:002014-05-15T20:52:45.504+02:00TRS - Fitting Discussion: Shield Logi FrigatesIn <a href="http://emergentpatroller.blogspot.nl/2014/05/trs-fitting-discussion-armor-logi.html">my previous</a> fitting discussion post, I said that I will feature shield logi frigates, and so here we are.<br />
<br />
To begin with I have to admit that this is pure theorycrafting. I prefer to write about ships I have some experience with but I have never actually flown a shield logi frigate. I have flown shield logi (Scimitar mostly), but that was in a time before there were frigates available for that role.<br />
<br />
I have, however, applied much of the same fitting logic I would apply to the armor versions. That is: Keep your signature low, keep your speed up, maximize buffer and keep your capacitor stable.<br />
<br />
When it comes to shield fits, there are two challenges with those goals: Shield ships tend to have pretty high signatures and they tend to have lower hitpoint buffers when compared to armor. Those negative aspects are balanced out by two pretty nice advantages: Shield ships are generally faster and shield transfers become effective at the <i>beginning</i> of the cycle. The latter factor makes it easier to apply your repair cycles correctly.<br />
<br />
When it comes to fitting a ship that I am not experienced with, I usually have a look at the <a href="http://wiki.eveuniversity.org/Main_Page">EVE University Wiki</a>
to check whether they have some example fits there. Unfortunately their suggested shield logi frigate fits are not what I would call
optimal. They have a higher signature and lower EHP than the fits I came
up with. A rather bad combination, because the higher signature makes
it easier to hit you for full damage.<br />
<br />
I would still
recommend to take a look at their Microwarpdrive fits. They may have
their uses despite me being prejudiced against using an MWD for such a
ship because of the signature bloom. If your fleet tactics involve
crossing some distance and moving fast on the grid, MWD fits might be
necessary.<br />
The ship that clearly has the speed advantage is the Minmatar Burst:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Y0QdtiIXFgU/U3UDI3Wc_QI/AAAAAAAAAIk/fF_KsAQoDos/s1600/slogi-burst.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Y0QdtiIXFgU/U3UDI3Wc_QI/AAAAAAAAAIk/fF_KsAQoDos/s1600/slogi-burst.jpg" style="border: 0px none; padding: 0px ! important;" /></a></div>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
[Burst, AB Logi]<br />
Damage Control II<br />
Capacitor Power Relay II<br />
Capacitor Power Relay II<br />
<br />
Medium Shield Extender II<br />
1MN Afterburner II<br />
Adaptive Invulnerability Field II<br />
<br />
Small S95a Remote Shield Booster<br />
Small S95a Remote Shield Booster<br />
Small S95a Remote Shield Booster<br />
<br />
Small Anti-EM Screen Reinforcer I<br />
Small Capacitor Control Circuit I<br />
Small Capacitor Control Circuit I</blockquote>
With the Burst setup above you will have a lower buffer than any of the armor logi frigates, but you will be significantly faster. The ship is also easier to fit than any armor counterpart because of the lower powergrid needs of shield tank and shield transporters. With good skills you can fit a T2 Afterburner for some extra speed advantage.<br />
<br />
Other than armor, there is no rig for shield that reduces the amount of capacitor you need for remote repair. That means you need to use Capacitor Control Circuits to achieve cap stability. Still, with the Burst you can get just as comfortably stable as with the armor repair frigates.<br />
<br />
Another thing that sets the shield frigates apart from the armor
versions is their better scan resolution. The Burst stands out the most in that respect. It gets noticeably faster locks, and it is important to lock fast
if you are a logistics pilot.<br />
<br />
So how does the Caldari version - the Bantam - compare to this?<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rrAZNZR0IBw/U3UEQ4sF1HI/AAAAAAAAAIs/nq1kNiYJDzo/s1600/slogi-bant.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rrAZNZR0IBw/U3UEQ4sF1HI/AAAAAAAAAIs/nq1kNiYJDzo/s1600/slogi-bant.jpg" style="border: 0px none; padding: 0px ! important;" /></a></div>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
[Bantam, AB Logi]<br />
Damage Control II<br />
Capacitor Power Relay II<br />
<br />
1MN Afterburner II<br />
Medium Shield Extender II<br />
Cap Recharger II<br />
Adaptive Invulnerability Field II<br />
<br />
Small S95a Remote Shield Booster<br />
Small S95a Remote Shield Booster<br />
Small S95a Remote Shield Booster<br />
<br />
Small Anti-EM Screen Reinforcer I<br />
Small Capacitor Control Circuit I<br />
Small Capacitor Control Circuit I</blockquote>
Almost all Caldari ships are natural shield tankers and this one is no exception. Its hitpoint buffer comes close to that of the Inquisitor and its EHP is superiour to the Navitas. Interestingly enough, its buffer is lower than that of the Navitas and it's EHP are worse than the Inquisitor's because of lower resists. Quite nicely balanced.<br />
<br />
This ship is just as easy to fit as the Burst. You have
slightly lower powergrid but better CPU, but even if you run out of
powergrid, you can still downgrade your Shield Extender or Afterburner to a meta 4
version.<br />
<br />
The Bantam has the highest signature of all the logi frigates and it is slower than the Burst. That puts it at a disadvantage for avoiding incoming damage. It still manages to outrun any armor logi frigate easily. Do not forget to keep moving within range to the friendlies you want to support. As I wrote in my last post: Always make sure you stay away from the thick of the fighting and always keep your radial speed as high as you can.<br />
<br />
Shield fleets tend to be less popular these days, but there are still quite a number of frigate doctrines which use shield fits and take advantage of their high damage and speed. With the Bantam being a very well-rounded ship, and the Burst being the quickest and fastest locking of all logi frigates, those ships are definitely a good addition to any frigate based fleet doctrine.<br />
<br />
Too bad that the Bantam was built by the State Bureau for Ridiculous Ship Design.<br />
<br />
P.S. As with the other logi frigates, bring a scout drone to get on killmails. <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
</blockquote>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01088902803812337777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2962276924342174960.post-88343030225727024732014-05-09T21:49:00.000+02:002014-05-09T21:49:31.029+02:00TRS - Fitting Discussion: Armor Logi FrigatesLogistic ships are an important backbone of more advanced fleet operations. In the past, there was exactly one T2 hull for each race available to fulfill that role.<br />
<br />
Since Retribution we have T1 logistics cruisers and frigates available. That opens the way for pilots to grow into the role of "healers" without having to train up to a T2 ship at first.<br />
<br />
For the new pilots who would like to train for that role, the logistics frigates are an ideal entry point. I will feature all four of them, but I will begin with the two armor logi frigates.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8Isg8nrYB6I/U20fyG1qXJI/AAAAAAAAAIA/f7D1C3baDOQ/s1600/inqisi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8Isg8nrYB6I/U20fyG1qXJI/AAAAAAAAAIA/f7D1C3baDOQ/s1600/inqisi.jpg" style="border: 0px none; padding: 0px ! important;" /></a></div>
<br />
The Amarr Inquisitor is the one I have most practical experience with. A good standard fit for that ship looks like this:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
[Inquisitor, Logi Standard]<br />
400mm Reinforced Rolled Tungsten Plates I<br />
Pseudoelectron Containment Field I<br />
Energized Adaptive Nano Membrane II<br />
Energized Adaptive Nano Membrane II<br />
<br />
Cap Recharger II<br />
Experimental 1MN Afterburner I<br />
<br />
Small 'Solace' Remote Armor Repairer<br />
Small 'Solace' Remote Armor Repairer<br />
Small 'Solace' Remote Armor Repairer<br />
<br />
Small Remote Repair Augmentor I<br />
Small Remote Repair Augmentor I<br />
Small Remote Repair Augmentor I</blockquote>
<br />
The Inquisitor's drone bay has room for one small drone. Personally I would suggest using a Warrior II because it can be directed at targets quickly to get on killmails. Using a single repair drone or ECM drone is hardly effective.<br />
<br />
This ship is quick to train for and easy to fit, but I would suggest training Amarr Frigate and Remote Armor Repair Systems to V as soon as possible. Both skills reduce the amount of capacitor needed by the RR modules. Being cap-stable is important for this ship, as I will explain. <br />
<br />
To begin with, you want to be able to run your RR modules permanently if possible. You will also be in need of something to help you survive, because logi ships tend to get primaried often. Apart from a decent tank for a frigate, you will rely on a low signature and speed to avoid incoming damage. That makes the ability to permanently run your afterburner particularly important.<br />
<br />
With your extended range for the RR modules, you can stay out of
range from the main fight, and you should. Pay special attention to ships with stasis webifiers and energy neutralizers. Both can mean the end of your ship really quickly. Enemies with medium to long range are
best dealt with by keeping your radial speed up to challenge the
tracking of their guns.<br />
<br />
Often fits for this ship will use an anti-explosive rig. Personally I consider the speed-tanking advantage of running your afterburner permanently a better asset in combat than the extra explosive resistance. So I prefer going for three Remote Repair Augmentors to stay comfortably cap-stable with everything running.<br />
<br />
The Pseudoelectron Containment Field is chosen above the Internal Force Field array because of the price. If ISK is not an issue, and you are not worried to have a needlessly expensive frigate on your list of losses, by all means, go for the meta 4 version.<br />
<br />
Of course you are not only there to avoid damage, but mainly to repair it.<br />
<br />
The main challenge for the beginning logistics pilot will be to time their repairs properly. Because armor repair becomes effective only at the <i>end</i> of the cycle, you need to be proactive. Keep as many friendlies as possible on your watchlist and pre-locked. Start repairing once they take damage. Do not wait until they enter armor or your reps could be too late. Especially in frigate fleets one missed cycle can mean the the difference between exploding and surviving.<br />
<br />
For those who do not have Amarr Frigate trained, the Navitas is an alternative.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-czOZU0r1nvQ/U20nqGP2qAI/AAAAAAAAAIQ/1VgfFX8SSgQ/s1600/navibanner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-czOZU0r1nvQ/U20nqGP2qAI/AAAAAAAAAIQ/1VgfFX8SSgQ/s1600/navibanner.jpg" style="border: 0px none; padding: 0px ! important;" /></a></div>
<br />
This weird-looking fish-like ship has one less low slot but an extra mid. This means a less effective tank, but on the other hand you gain a bit more versatility. You can fit an ECCM in the extra mid to protect yourself against electronic warfare, or you could provide some EWAR support like in this example:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
[Navitas, TD Logi]<br />
400mm Reinforced Steel Plates II<br />
Damage Control II<br />
Energized Adaptive Nano Membrane II<br />
<br />
Experimental 1MN Afterburner I<br />
Cap Recharger II<br />
Balmer Series Tracking Disruptor I, Optimal Range Disruption Script<br />
<br />
Small 'Solace' Remote Armor Repairer<br />
Small 'Solace' Remote Armor Repairer<br />
Small 'Solace' Remote Armor Repairer<br />
<br />
Small Ancillary Current Router I<br />
Small Remote Repair Augmentor I<br />
Small Remote Repair Augmentor I</blockquote>
<br />
The main problem with the Navitas is it's powergrid. Even with maximum skills you will need a rig or an implant to fit propulsion, three reppers and a 400mm plate. Even with a Tungsten Plate you will have too little powergrid, so better use that rig and fit a T2 plate if you have enough CPU with your skills. Because you are forced to use a powergrid rig, you will have a much harder time to get this ship cap-stable. Only with maximum skills in Afterburner and Fuel Conservation in addition to others that's achievable. <br />
<br />
Personally I find that the Navitas is a bit broken in that respect. With maximum skills this fit <i>should</i> be possible without a rig. It's only 0.75 that's missing!<br />
<br />
In total you end up with more hitpoint buffer, but still a good 1000EHP less than the Inquisitor because of lower resists. The signature of the Navitas is slightly higher, but it is also faster than the Amarr ship. Together those factors balance each other out nicely.<br />
<br />
Just like the Inquisitor, the Navitas has space for one drone. Again, I'd suggest a Warrior II.for the killmails.<br />
<br />
This concludes the first part of logistics frigates discussion. The next time I will deal with the shield versions: The Burst and the Bantam.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01088902803812337777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2962276924342174960.post-86159650773447437142014-05-05T23:21:00.002+02:002014-05-05T23:21:37.335+02:00OOC Entry 109 - TechnomagicOne of the things that fascinates me most about technology is the strange realm where it almost begins to feel like magic. When it comes to EVE that feeling was always strongest for me in relation to the way capsuleers existed.<br />
<br />
The skill system tells us of Infomorph Psychology. That's the thing you need to be familiar with to have multiple clones.<br />
<br />
But what is that infomorph, and what sort of psychology applies to it? Like any good magic, such technology poses a lot of very intriguing questions, and I love those.<br />
<br />
In my <a href="http://emergentpatroller.blogspot.nl/2014/01/23-contagion-part-5.html">last chapter</a> of the <a href="http://emergentpatroller.blogspot.nl/search/label/23%20-%20Contagion">current story </a>I make a bit of an attempt to explore that state of mind which makes a capsuleer something else than other humans. That consciousness which resides both in a brain but also in a computer. The part that can travel between machine and flesh in an instant and which is the actual immortal aspect of the capsuleer.<br />
<br />
Such a mind can achieve great things when melded with a spaceship, but what else could it do immersed in an artificial system of complex machines?<br />
<br />
Well, there is all that in the story but also some close combat in the corridors of a supercarrier and an escalating fleet fight still going on.<br />
<br />
It's a bit of a longer read, but I hope you <a href="http://emergentpatroller.blogspot.nl/2014/01/23-contagion-part-5.html">enjoy it</a>.<br />
<br />
I'm delivering this to you on the evening of my departure for two weeks of holidays. So next time I will actually have an excuse for taking longer to write something ;)Emergent Patrollerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01210394924909245177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2962276924342174960.post-33895123966923856802014-04-26T15:06:00.004+02:002014-04-26T15:06:53.407+02:00TRS - Fitting Discussion: Scram-Kite KestrelI had something bigger in development, but it's been a busy week of frigate combat and I have flown something I never sat in before: A Kestrel. Now, I have been active in EVE for more than five years, but I was never really a Caldari sort of guy. I guess everyone who starts as Caldari will get a Kestrel during the tutorials, but I never did. I<i> did</i> promise<a href="http://emergentpatroller.blogspot.nl/2014/04/trs-fitting-discussion-legion-black-ops.html"> last time</a> that I'd do something newbie friendly, and this was a new ship for me too, so here we are.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DjmdSUBlCVI/U1uolE81buI/AAAAAAAAAHw/iMaP0lyYkxc/s1600/kestrel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DjmdSUBlCVI/U1uolE81buI/AAAAAAAAAHw/iMaP0lyYkxc/s1600/kestrel.jpg" style="border: 0px none; padding: 0px ! important;" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
For my first Kestrel experience I got into a small gang of three with my alliance mates Zerkova Bluecrown and Julianus Soter. Credit for the fit goes to Zerkova Bluecrown.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
[Kestrel, Small Gang Kestrel]<br />
Damage Control II<br />
Ballistic Control System II<br />
<br />
Medium Subordinate Screen Stabilizer I<br />
Experimental 1MN Afterburner I<br />
J5b Phased Prototype Warp Scrambler I<br />
X5 Prototype Engine Enervator<br />
<br />
Rocket Launcher II,Mjolnir Rage Rocket<br />
Rocket Launcher II,Mjolnir Rage Rocket<br />
Rocket Launcher II,Mjolnir Rage Rocket<br />
Rocket Launcher II,Mjolnir Rage Rocket<br />
<br />
Small Anti-EM Screen Reinforcer I<br />
Small Core Defense Field Extender I<br />
Small Core Defense Field Extender I</blockquote>
<br />
The whole package is pretty easy to train for and to fit. On my 25mill skillpoint character I still have some CPU and powergrid left over. If you have better skills you can opt for more T2 modules.<br />
<br />
The first one to upgrade would be the warp scrambler. The more range you get there, the better. The reason for that lies with the tactic for flying this ship: This Kestrel is used in a way that people generally call scram-kiting. That means you keep at the edge of your warp scrambler range and shut down the opponent's microwarpdrive and slow them down further with the web.<br />
<br />
With your opponent held down, you maintain a tight orbit at your best speed and let loose with rockets. It is a good idea to set your default orbit for that ship to 8000 if you don't want to be manually piloting all the time. The missile velocity bonus of the ship will allow you to out-range
blaster fit frigates easily. You don't even need perfect missile and frigate skills to fight effectively inside your scram range. Even frigates fit with railguns or artillery will be forced to fight in their falloff range, and since you can
easily maintain your top speed of around 1km/s, they will have trouble
applying damage if they can't web you.<br />
<br />
Obviously, this tactic works best against brawlers that rely on MWD to close range. Atrons and Merlins come to mind as ships that are often fitted like that. <br />
<br />
You can even engage ships with heavier firepower. Despite the shield tank your signature remains rather low which also helps with avoiding damage. In it's virgin flight with me at the helm, this ship survived a fight against an MWD fit gank catalyst. (I was at 95% structure by the end of the fight, but I won). Ships you should be wary of are those which are very likely to use webs themselves. Caldari Navy Hookbills, for example, should be avoided on 1v1 fights. Energy neutralizers can be a problem too if you don't manage to get out of their range quickly enough, but at least you can keep shooting at them without capacitor.<br />
<br />
The DPS on this ship looks low when compared to turret-based ships, but that can be misleading. After all, with your opponent scrammed and webbed, you will apply close to full damage all the time even while you orbit at full speed to avoid incoming fire. While an Incursus or Merlin will do more DPS on paper, they will graze or miss ever so often if there is any significant transversal or radial motion going on. Even in comparison to blaster frigates, a maximum DPS of ~130 and volley damage up to ~340 is still pretty respectable. Since the Kestrel has a damage bonus for all light missiles and rockets, you get the added bonus of selectable damage type. I have used Mjolnir Rockets here, but you should choose the ones that best exploit your opponent's weakness. Because missile damage relies a lot on signature, shield tanked ships are the best targets to engage. Hence the Mjolnir Rockets in this example: They exploit the weakness in EM resistance which shield tankers tend to have.<br />
<br />
All together, this is a very solid fit and a fun ship to fly for new pilots and more experienced PVPers alike.<br />
<br />
Fly deadly.<br />
<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01088902803812337777noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2962276924342174960.post-12369846457347370472014-04-22T17:25:00.000+02:002014-04-22T17:52:36.555+02:00OOC Entry 108 - Carriers and MercsThe Easter weekend is behind us, and I used the opportunity of some time off to work on the <a href="http://emergentpatroller.blogspot.nl/2014/01/contagion-part-4.html">next story chapter</a>. This time I directly referred to the "Rooks & Kings Manual of Advanced Triage Carrier Tactics" for <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMFahR4wXTg">the way</a> how Rasenzoku are using their carriers.<br />
<br />
Like I said, this chapter also features some shipboard combat for which I have been browsing through quite some Dust514 informational material. As always I am dedicated to keeping things as close to game-lore as possible. I've never played the game myself, so I needed to get familiar with the weapons and armour that is being used by the infantry elite of New Eden.<br />
<br />
It turns out, that I am still unable to bring the battle to a conclusion in this chapter, so you can look forward to yet another chapter full of excitement and action.<br />
<br />
I think after this story I will have had enough for some time of large battles ;)<br />
<br />
At some time my poor protagonists should be able to enjoy a moment of peace, don't you think?Emergent Patrollerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01210394924909245177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2962276924342174960.post-35322256838145372282014-04-13T20:41:00.002+02:002014-04-13T22:08:28.491+02:00TRS - Fitting Discussion: Legion Black-Ops LogiI'm on a bit of a roll here with the "elite PVP" stuff, so bear with me for a bit. Next time I'll do something for the newbies again.<br />
<br />
Many people consider the Legion the red-headed stepchild of the T3 ships. It's not great at PVE when compared to the Tengu. It lacks the DPS potential of the Proteus and often people will favour Loki support rather than Legion.<br />
<br />
But there <i>is</i> one specialization where the Legion really holds the field undisputed: Armor black-ops logistics.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Rn2AGpxPHSU/U0rR10yro0I/AAAAAAAAAHQ/0d1NAQ_Zas0/s1600/logilegion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Rn2AGpxPHSU/U0rR10yro0I/AAAAAAAAAHQ/0d1NAQ_Zas0/s1600/logilegion.jpg" style="border: 0px none; padding: 0px ! important;" /></a></div>
<br />
Logistics with black-ops gangs is a difficult thing, and that's why it is rarely used. You could have logistics on the field already before you drop your
black-ops gang, but more often than not, that wont be the case. So if you want logi support for your hotdrop, the only possibility you have is to commit a T3 ship with a covert ops subsystem. Outside of the Etana Alliance Tournament price ship, no other alternatives exist. <br />
<br />
So when you fly an armor black-ops gang, there are really only two possibilities for logistic T3 ships: The Proteus and the Legion.<br />
<br />
To be honest, I only mention the Proteus here because it technically offers the possibility of an armour repair subsystem. In reality, you should never use a Proteus as a remote repair platform. It will be inferiour to the Legion in every way when set up like that. EHP, speed, signature, capacitor ... you name it. The Legion will always beat the Proteus. If you are going to bring Proteus hulls to your black-ops gang, then fit them for DPS and tackle, never for logistics. <br />
<br />
The Legion, however, does work perfectly in that role:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
[Legion, BLOPS Logi]<br />
Damage Control II<br />
Energized Adaptive Nano Membrane II<br />
Energized Adaptive Nano Membrane II<br />
Energized Thermic Membrane II<br />
1600mm Reinforced Steel Plates II<br />
<br />
Cap Recharger II<br />
Cap Recharger II<br />
Medium Capacitor Booster II, Navy Cap Booster 400<br />
ECCM - Radar II<br />
10MN Microwarpdrive II<br />
<br />
Medium Remote Armor Repairer II<br />
Medium Remote Armor Repairer II<br />
Medium Remote Armor Repairer II<br />
Medium Remote Armor Repairer II<br />
Medium Remote Armor Repairer II<br />
Covert Ops Cloaking Device II<br />
<br />
Medium Trimark Armor Pump I<br />
Medium Trimark Armor Pump I<br />
Medium Remote Repair Augmentor I<br />
<br />
Legion Propulsion - Wake Limiter<br />
Legion Offensive - Covert Reconfiguration<br />
Legion Defensive - Adaptive Augmenter<br />
Legion Electronics - Dissolution Sequencer<br />
Legion Engineering - Capacitor Regeneration Matrix</blockquote>
<br />
I'll start with the subsystems. The Covert Reconfiguration is the obligatory thing here, otherwise your Legion wont be able to jump through a black-ops bridge. The Adaptive Augmenter is another one you just have to choose because it has the remote repair bonus. Unfortunately, it does not have the range bonus you would usually see on logistics ships, and that brings up the issue of propulsion.<br />
<br />
Normally a logistics ship would be fitted with an afterburner to keep it's signature low, but this ship will be forced to close range quickly with targets it needs to repair. To get at least some reduction of the resulting signature bloom during that approach, the Wake Limiter is used.<br />
<br />
The Dissolution Sequencer is an obvious choice to increase you sensor strength so you are less vulnerable to jamming. The Tactical Targeting Network can be a good alternative because it increases your scan resolution, resulting in faster locks and defense against Sensor Dampeners. Because both subsystems offer similar stats and the same slot layout, you can switch them in the hangar depending on what you are facing in terms of enemy EWAR. <br />
<br />
Finally, the Capacitor Regeneration Matrix is a good choice because of it's namesake capacitor regeneration and the additional low slot.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-c5-Ii455V4g/U0rZUVIloeI/AAAAAAAAAHg/QfyElOPctWw/s1600/logilegion2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-c5-Ii455V4g/U0rZUVIloeI/AAAAAAAAAHg/QfyElOPctWw/s1600/logilegion2.jpg" style="border: 0px none; padding: 0px ! important;" /></a></div>
<br />
While we are on the subject of capacitor. Obviously cap is essential for a logistics ship to offer some resistance against neuting and to keep remote repair modules running. A Capacitor Booster is therefore a good choice here. Even without the cap booster, this Legion has the potential to perma-run two reppers as long as the MWD is turned off. For as long as you have charges, you can run four of them and maintain cap stability. The fifth comes in when incoming damage becomes really heavy. Under such pressure, you could load an 800 booster charge for one cycle (you wont be able to fit more) and run all reppers cap stable for the 12 seconds cycle time. If you are not neuted, you can run all reppers long enough to coast through one recharge cycle of the cap booster.<br />
<br />
When it comes to the charges, note that the Navy versions have less volume, so you'll be able to fit more into your cargohold, and when it comes to the 400 charges, you can fit three instead of 2 into your cap booster.<br />
<br />
When using 400s, you will even be able to run three reppers together with your MWD. That can come in handy if you need to get transversal up (keeping in mind that your signature will increase) or if you need to reposition yourself quickly on the field while still repairing someone. A situation where you need to keep up with a fast ship that is under attack comes to mind.<br />
<br />
The ECCM can be run permanently without any problems, together with the Dissolution Sequencer it will provide quite good defense against jamming. If ECM is not an issue, you could fit a target painter for killmail whoring instead.<br />
<br />
You could also go for a tankier version with three Trimark Armour Pump rigs. On max skills you gain about 14K EHP, but you would lose the continued use of one remote armor repairer. Basically everything I said above about how many reppers you can have running cap stable will be minus one. It's a question of preference, but if you fight enemies with high-alpha doctrines, the extra buffer can be a life-saver when your ship is primaried.<br />
<br />
Some people really like to pimp their T3 ships. I'm not a fan of it if it's not strictly necessary. You shouldn't have any significant problems fitting this ship, but you can knock yourself out with Faction and Deadspace stuff or T2 rigs to give it even more tank than the 104K (118K with three trimarks) EHP it can already have with max skills. <br />
<br />
Everything considered, the Legion offers a viable option to have logistics support for armor hotdrops. I myself have flown that configuration to great effect during such operations. Also, it's a damn sexy looking ship.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01088902803812337777noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2962276924342174960.post-19394460785439346202014-04-12T15:29:00.001+02:002014-04-13T06:50:43.747+02:00TRS - Fitting Discussion: Armour Loki Part 2On this second installment of my <a href="http://emergentpatroller.blogspot.nl/search/label/Loki">Armour Loki discussion</a> I want to start out with a fit that is more of a backbone for a combat fleet rather than support.<br />
<br />
<b>Role: Artillery Gang </b><br />
<br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-z3beAvSMcZg/U0krEUXvQaI/AAAAAAAAArw/N9n53e7YE2U/s1600/armorarty.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-z3beAvSMcZg/U0krEUXvQaI/AAAAAAAAArw/N9n53e7YE2U/s1600/armorarty.jpg" style="border: 0px none; padding: 0px ! important;" /></a>This doctrine saw wide use among such noteworthy PVP crews as Black Legion, Shadow Cartel and Snuffbox. It is used for nullsec and lowsec mid-size fleets with fast tackle and logistics support. It looks like this:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
[Loki, Arty Armor]<br />
1600mm Reinforced Steel Plates II<br />
Energized Adaptive Nano Membrane II<br />
Armor Thermic Hardener II<br />
Armor Explosive Hardener II<br />
Damage Control II<br />
Co-Processor II<br />
<br />
J5 Prototype Warp Disruptor I<br />
Tracking Computer II, Optimal Range Script<br />
X5 Prototype Engine Enervator<br />
Experimental 10MN Afterburner I<br />
<br />
650mm Artillery Cannon II, Republic Fleet EMP M<br />
650mm Artillery Cannon II, Republic Fleet EMP M<br />
650mm Artillery Cannon II, Republic Fleet EMP M<br />
650mm Artillery Cannon II, Republic Fleet EMP M<br />
650mm Artillery Cannon II, Republic Fleet EMP M<br />
650mm Artillery Cannon II, Republic Fleet EMP M<br />
<br />
Medium Trimark Armor Pump I<br />
Medium Trimark Armor Pump I<br />
Medium Trimark Armor Pump I<br />
<br />
Loki Defensive - Adaptive Augmenter<br />
Loki Electronics - Immobility Drivers<br />
Loki Engineering - Power Core Multiplier<br />
Loki Offensive - Turret Concurrence Registry<br />
Loki Propulsion - Fuel Catalyst</blockquote>
<br />
Tactically, this ship works similarly to a <a href="http://emergentpatroller.blogspot.nl/2014/04/trs-fitting-discussion-poor-mans.html">Zealot AHAC</a> in the way how it relies on low signature and heavy armour for defense. The major combat asset of this fit is it's high alpha strike capability at a respectable range. (Up to ~2100 at an optimal of 21km) The Turret Concurrence Registry subsystem helps maximizing that. It also provides a tracking and falloff bonus which are both very useful for artillery cannons. When taking falloff into account, you can achieve engagement ranges of almost 50km. You can even switch to Tremor T2 ammunition and turn this into something of a sniper ship with 78km optimal range, albeit with a significant damage tradeoff. You will lose a good 1000 volley damage. <br />
<br />
With high damage ammunition, the optimal range of your artillery cannons is similar to your web range. A very useful trait when considering the horrible tracking of artillery. At closer ranges you should definitely switch to a tracking script for that TC, so always keep one in your cargo hold. Apart from that tracking drawback and lower DPS, the artillery Loki is superiour to the Zealot AHAC fit. It has a staggering advantage in volley damage, it's hitpoints are far above the Zealot too and it's even slightly faster thanks to the Fuel Catalyst.<br />
<br />
Just like the other fits, this one is prone to run into CPU problems, but again, you can optimize your fit by using implants or faction modules. If you do so, you open up the possibility to fit heavier artillery like this: <br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
[Loki, Arty Armor Faction]<br />
True Sansha Armor Kinetic Hardener<br />
True Sansha Armor Thermic Hardener<br />
True Sansha Armor Explosive Hardener<br />
1600mm Reinforced Rolled Tungsten Plates I<br />
Damage Control II<br />
Gyrostabilizer II<br />
<br />
Tracking Computer II, Optimal Range Script<br />
Tracking Computer II, Optimal Range Script<br />
X5 Prototype Engine Enervator<br />
Experimental 10MN Afterburner I<br />
<br />
720mm Howitzer Artillery II, Republic Fleet EMP M<br />
720mm Howitzer Artillery II, Republic Fleet EMP M<br />
720mm Howitzer Artillery II, Republic Fleet EMP M<br />
720mm Howitzer Artillery II, Republic Fleet EMP M<br />
720mm Howitzer Artillery II, Republic Fleet EMP M<br />
720mm Howitzer Artillery II, Republic Fleet EMP M<br />
<br />
Medium Trimark Armor Pump I<br />
Medium Trimark Armor Pump I<br />
Medium Trimark Armor Pump I<br />
<br />
Loki Defensive - Adaptive Augmenter<br />
Loki Electronics - Immobility Drivers<br />
Loki Engineering - Power Core Multiplier<br />
Loki Offensive - Turret Concurrence Registry<br />
Loki Propulsion - Fuel Catalyst</blockquote>
<br />
Now you can get a pretty sick alpha strike in excess of 3900 and an optimal range of 28 with 36 falloff added. Thanks to the better resists, you get virtually the same EHP as before even with downgrading the armor plate. Still, this fit needs a +2% powergrid implant to work. This fit also shows the alternative of completely leaving point and tackle to other fleet members and go for even better range or tracking. You keep the web, however, to slow down targets at close range.<br />
<br />
The total package comes with a hefty pricetag, but when flown properly with good logi support and even command bonuses from links, a squadron or two of those Lokis will turn into a fighting force that can punch significantly above it's weight. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vFPWJVLADjs/U0k4Fu9Kv5I/AAAAAAAAAsI/CjYxw1-4j1E/s1600/arty2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vFPWJVLADjs/U0k4Fu9Kv5I/AAAAAAAAAsI/CjYxw1-4j1E/s1600/arty2.jpg" style="border: 0px none; padding: 0px ! important;" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<b>Special Forces</b><br />
<br />
As the last part of this discussion I want to introduce two more specialized fits. Both are built around 100MN Afterburners instead of 10MN Microwarpdrives. That way you keep signature low during approach or escape and reach similar speeds thanks to the bonus of the Fuel Catalyst subsystem.<br />
<br />
The 100MN AB has two major drawbacks when compared with the MWD: First, it's rate of acceleration is a lot slower, so you will need two or more cycles to reach full speed. Second, once you achieve top speed, stopping or even maneuvering is extremely hard. You will have the inertia (and align time) of a freight train while the propulsion is active. Then again, when fighting inside scram range, that 100MN AB can make the difference between being unable to leave before the enemy tacklers are down and being able to pull range because scramblers do not shut down your propulsion module.<br />
<br />
The first 100MN AB setup is a variation of the previously discussed heavy tackler:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
[Loki, 100mn Armor Webloki]<br />
Armor Explosive Hardener II<br />
Armor Kinetic Hardener II<br />
Energized Adaptive Nano Membrane II<br />
1600mm Reinforced Steel Plates II<br />
Damage Control II<br />
Nanofiber Internal Structure II<br />
<br />
J5 Prototype Warp Disruptor I<br />
X5 Prototype Engine Enervator<br />
X5 Prototype Engine Enervator<br />
Experimental 100MN Afterburner I<br />
<br />
220mm Vulcan AutoCannon II, Republic Fleet EMP M<br />
220mm Vulcan AutoCannon II, Republic Fleet EMP M<br />
220mm Vulcan AutoCannon II, Republic Fleet EMP M<br />
220mm Vulcan AutoCannon II, Republic Fleet EMP M<br />
220mm Vulcan AutoCannon II, Republic Fleet EMP M<br />
220mm Vulcan AutoCannon II, Republic Fleet EMP M<br />
<br />
Medium Trimark Armor Pump I<br />
Medium Trimark Armor Pump I<br />
Medium Trimark Armor Pump I<br />
<br />
Loki Defensive - Adaptive Augmenter<br />
Loki Electronics - Immobility Drivers<br />
Loki Engineering - Power Core Multiplier<br />
Loki Offensive - Projectile Scoping Array<br />
Loki Propulsion - Fuel Catalyst</blockquote>
<br />
As with all other setups you can optimize here by using faction modules. By now I am sure you can fill in the blanks. As for the rest, this works just like the standard heavy tackler with the considerations for 100MN AB added.<br />
<br />
Finally, there is the possibility to use a similar setup as tackler and hunter-killer for black ops gangs by using the Covert Reconfiguration subsystem:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
[Loki, BLOPS Webloki]<br />
Armor Explosive Hardener II<br />
Armor Kinetic Hardener II<br />
Energized Adaptive Nano Membrane II<br />
1600mm Reinforced Steel Plates II<br />
Damage Control II<br />
Co-Processor II<br />
<br />
Warp Disruptor II<br />
X5 Prototype Engine Enervator<br />
X5 Prototype Engine Enervator<br />
Experimental 100MN Afterburner I<br />
<br />
220mm Vulcan AutoCannon II, Republic Fleet EMP M<br />
220mm Vulcan AutoCannon II, Republic Fleet EMP M<br />
220mm Vulcan AutoCannon II, Republic Fleet EMP M<br />
220mm Vulcan AutoCannon II, Republic Fleet EMP M<br />
Covert Cynosural Field Generator I<br />
Covert Ops Cloaking Device II<br />
<br />
Medium Trimark Armor Pump I<br />
Medium Trimark Armor Pump I<br />
Medium Trimark Armor Pump I<br />
<br />
Loki Defensive - Adaptive Augmenter<br />
Loki Electronics - Immobility Drivers<br />
Loki Engineering - Power Core Multiplier<br />
Loki Offensive - Covert Reconfiguration<br />
Loki Propulsion - Fuel Catalyst</blockquote>
<br />
Because it lacks damage bonuses and a full rack of guns, this ship really is mainly a tackler. Yet again, some potential for optimization by means of faction modules exists here. One should go for better resists then. Because in it's role as hunter-killer this ship needs to move ahead of the Black-Ops gang and act as tempting bait for would-be attackers, so you need to be able to soak some damage while you light your cyno.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Wrapping up</b><br />
<br />
So, this concludes my two part excursion into the realm of expensive "Elite PVP" fittings. If you are a new player, this can offer you an ambitious perspective for training. If you are more experienced, you might already be familiar with T3 gangs, but I hope I could still offer some insight. If you think of joining any of the small to medium gang PVP crews in the game, being able to fly something like this ship will make you a useful asset.<br />
<br />
Of course, this was not an exhaustive discussion of Loki configurations. There are several more which are quite viable and widely flown, but this is one specific aspect I have personal experience with and which has been battle-tested. It remains a strong addition to T3 armor gangs or - in the case of the artillery fit - the main combat platform for roaming gangs.<br />
<br />
That is until CCP Fozzie and Rise mess around with the T3 subsystems probably later this year. At that point I'll probably have to rewrite this whole thing.<br />
<br />
Happy hunting! Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01088902803812337777noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2962276924342174960.post-62074665478087189612014-04-10T22:44:00.000+02:002014-04-11T04:34:35.469+02:00TRS - Fitting Discussion: Armour Loki Part 1In the previous few <a href="http://emergentpatroller.blogspot.com/search/label/Fitting%20Discussion">fitting discussions</a>, I have focused on ships that were easy for new players to train into. This time I want to go for something more advanced. Full-on "elite PVP" material: A Strategic Cruiser. More specifically the Minmatar Loki in an armour configuration.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5L8eX5S3-L0/U0b3ZGzXlEI/AAAAAAAAAG4/kJifOO4BE-0/s1600/armorloki1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5L8eX5S3-L0/U0b3ZGzXlEI/AAAAAAAAAG4/kJifOO4BE-0/s1600/armorloki1.jpg" style="border: 0px none; padding: 0px ! important;" /></a></div>
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<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
I will begin with a disclaimer: The fits I will discuss are meant for lowsec and nullsec gangs because that's the thing I have experience with. I imagine that the wormhole meta is different. I also heard they are using armour tanked Lokis in incursion fleets. I wont be talking about any of this. Neither will I take coalition level fleet engagements into account. I'm focusing on small and medium gang PVP tactics here.<br />
<br />
Because this is about a Tech 3 ship, subsystems play a role in fitting. Rather than discussing each and every one of them, I will mention how the specific ones I choose are useful for the fit. Even though I am restricting myself to one specific fitting concept, there are still enough variations for this ship, so the whole thing will be two parts.<br />
<br />
Now let's get started.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Basic Building Blocks:</b><br />
<br />
For all the setups, I consider it fine to use the same set of rigs. It can be argued that one fit or the other could be optimized by changing rigs, but there is one rig setup which I consider the mean standard of all the armor fits I am going to discuss:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Medium Trimark Armor Pump I<br />
Medium Trimark Armor Pump I<br />
Medium Trimark Armor Pump I</blockquote>
<br />
In addition to that you will need the following subsystems to assemble all possible combinations I will be discussing in both parts:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Loki Defensive - Adaptive Augmenter<br />
Loki Electronics - Immobility Drivers<br />
Loki Engineering - Power Core Multiplier<br />
Loki Offensive - Projectile Scoping Array<br />
Loki Offensive - Covert Reconfiguration<br />
Loki Offensive - Turret Concurrence Registry <br />
Loki Propulsion - Chassis Optimization<br />
Loki Propulsion - Fuel Catalyst</blockquote>
<br />
You wont need all of them if you only want to fly one sort of Loki all the time, but this is a T3 ship. The cool thing about it is that you can change the way it works by switching subsystems.<br />
<br />
Now let's look at the first concept: <br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Role: Heavy Tackle and Support</b> <br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
[Loki, Armor Webloki]<br />
Armor Explosive Hardener II<br />
Armor Kinetic Hardener II<br />
Armor Thermic Hardener II<br />
1600mm Reinforced Steel Plates II<br />
Damage Control II<br />
Co-Processor II<br />
<br />
Warp Disruptor II<br />
X5 Prototype Engine Enervator<br />
X5 Prototype Engine Enervator<br />
Experimental 10MN Microwarpdrive I<br />
<br />
425mm AutoCannon II, Republic Fleet EMP M<br />
425mm AutoCannon II, Republic Fleet EMP M<br />
425mm AutoCannon II, Republic Fleet EMP M<br />
425mm AutoCannon II, Republic Fleet EMP M<br />
425mm AutoCannon II, Republic Fleet EMP M<br />
425mm AutoCannon II, Republic Fleet EMP M<br />
<br />
Medium Trimark Armor Pump I<br />
Medium Trimark Armor Pump I<br />
Medium Trimark Armor Pump I<br />
<br />
Loki Defensive - Adaptive Augmenter<br />
Loki Electronics - Immobility Drivers<br />
Loki Engineering - Power Core Multiplier<br />
Loki Offensive - Projectile Scoping Array<br />
Loki Propulsion - Chassis Optimization</blockquote>
<br />
Fits similar to this one are in wide use as heavy tackler. Implants or faction modules can significantly increase the tanking ability here. Using CPU friendly faction modules can free up CPU for more resistance like this:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
[Loki, Armor Webloki Faction]<br />
Federation Navy Armor Thermic Hardener<br />
Federation Navy Armor Kinetic Hardener<br />
Federation Navy Armor Explosive Hardener<br />
1600mm Reinforced Steel Plates II<br />
Damage Control II<br />
Energized Adaptive Nano Membrane II<br />
<br />
Warp Disruptor II<br />
X5 Prototype Engine Enervator<br />
X5 Prototype Engine Enervator<br />
Experimental 10MN Microwarpdrive I<br />
<br />
425mm AutoCannon II, Republic Fleet EMP M<br />
425mm AutoCannon II, Republic Fleet EMP M<br />
425mm AutoCannon II, Republic Fleet EMP M<br />
425mm AutoCannon II, Republic Fleet EMP M<br />
425mm AutoCannon II, Republic Fleet EMP M<br />
425mm AutoCannon II, Republic Fleet EMP M<br />
<br />
Medium Trimark Armor Pump I<br />
Medium Trimark Armor Pump I<br />
Medium Trimark Armor Pump I<br />
<br />
Loki Defensive - Adaptive Augmenter<br />
Loki Electronics - Immobility Drivers<br />
Loki Engineering - Power Core Multiplier<br />
Loki Offensive - Projectile Scoping Array<br />
Loki Propulsion - Chassis Optimization</blockquote>
<br />
I am using Federation Navy here because I have FW LP for them. In case you are not with the Gallente Militia, the True Sansha or Shadow Serpentis variants are usually a lot cheaper and have the same stats. Alternatively a CPU implant can be used to achieve similar results. If you are not flying in nullsec that much, I'd recommend going with the implant. Both options free up CPU to use a triple hardener setup in the low slots and then add an EANM. Alternatively you can fit a Gyrostabilizer, Tracking Enhancer or a Signal Amplifier. Effectively you gain an extra lowslot. Mind you, even with implants and faction modules, this ship is hard to fit. You will need good fitting skills, but then again, you wouldn't be flying a T3 if you hadn't? Right?<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LZXG8CPPvp0/U0b5K6ZRgGI/AAAAAAAAAHA/A40Runn8fvw/s1600/armorloki2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LZXG8CPPvp0/U0b5K6ZRgGI/AAAAAAAAAHA/A40Runn8fvw/s1600/armorloki2.jpg" style="border: 0px none; padding: 0px ! important;" /></a></div>
<br />
The fighting tactic for this ship is pretty straightforward: Due to the bonus of the Immobility Driver subsystem, your warp disruptor and your two webs have more or less the same range (1km longer for the warp disruptor on maximum skills). Your job is to lock a target, point them and put two webs on them. If you have more than one such Loki you can spread webs between primary and secondary targets. That will bring even faster ships to a near standstill. That makes them easier to hit, and prevents them from burning for gates or stations. Your defensive potential helps you to stay afloat once you have someone tackled. Ideally long enough for friendly logi reps land and for friendly DPS ships to blow your target to pieces.<br />
<br />
With almost 16K armor hitpoints and above 100K EHP you should be able to hold out for a moment or two. The Adaptive Augmenter subsystem provides you with increased resistances, so make sure you have that subsystem skill trained high. The Microwarpdrive should be used no longer than necessary to get in range with your target. The Chassis Optimization gives you some extra speed to help with that. Once you have them, they wont be going anywhere fast. Pulse your MWD if they somehow manage to pull range anyway.<br />
<br />
With high DPS ammo your optimal+falloff will be below 20, so your web and point actually reach further than the Autocannons. If you want to apply some meaningful damage I would recommend getting as close as 15km. That still keeps you out of web and scram range of ships with no bonus for those. Alternatively you can load Depleted Uranium or Barrage for longer range and less DPS. Depleted Uranium has a tracking bonus, but significantly lower DPS. Barrage has more damage and longer range, but also a tracking penalty. The Projectile Scoping Array very much favours autocannons because it has bonuses to rate-of-fire and falloff range, so I would personally always go for the highest DPS.<br />
<br />
There is the possibility to make this thing even tankier - and slower - which doesn't necessarily defeat it's purpose and function at all. Consider this fit: <br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
[Loki, Double Plate Armor Webloki]<br />
Armor Explosive Hardener II<br />
Kinetic Plating II<br />
Energized Adaptive Nano Membrane II<br />
1600mm Reinforced Rolled Tungsten Plates I<br />
1600mm Reinforced Rolled Tungsten Plates I<br />
Damage Control II<br />
<br />
J5 Prototype Warp Disruptor I<br />
X5 Prototype Engine Enervator<br />
X5 Prototype Engine Enervator<br />
Experimental 10MN Microwarpdrive I<br />
<br />
220mm Vulcan AutoCannon II, Republic Fleet EMP M<br />
220mm Vulcan AutoCannon II, Republic Fleet EMP M<br />
220mm Vulcan AutoCannon II, Republic Fleet EMP M<br />
220mm Vulcan AutoCannon II, Republic Fleet EMP M<br />
220mm Vulcan AutoCannon II, Republic Fleet EMP M<br />
220mm Vulcan AutoCannon II, Republic Fleet EMP M<br />
<br />
Medium Trimark Armor Pump I<br />
Medium Trimark Armor Pump I<br />
Medium Trimark Armor Pump I<br />
<br />
Loki Defensive - Adaptive Augmenter<br />
Loki Electronics - Immobility Drivers<br />
Loki Engineering - Power Core Multiplier<br />
Loki Offensive - Projectile Scoping Array<br />
Loki Propulsion - Chassis Optimization</blockquote>
<br />
Again, you can improve on resistance with CPU implants or faction modules that use lower CPU. Still, even with this vanilla setup you can reach 140K EHP and more than 22K armor hitpoints. Your weapon range will be slightly reduced, as will DPS. Volley damage suffers quite a bit, but you are not flying this ship to become top damage dealer on the killmail, you are flying it to make sure there will <i>be</i> killmails.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Up next?</b> <br />
<br />
In the second part of this fitting discussion I will focus first on artillery fits that are more for actual fighting, and then end it all with some special fits like a version for Black Ops drops and a 100MN Afterburner setup.<br />
<br />
Fly deadly.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01088902803812337777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2962276924342174960.post-49687681825563845002014-04-06T19:13:00.000+02:002014-04-15T19:15:24.430+02:00OOC Entry 107 - Ok, that was hard.It has been over a month since I managed to continue my <a href="http://emergentpatroller.blogspot.nl/search/label/23%20-%20Contagion">latest story.</a> I am not even sure how long exactly, but now I finally made it: I published the <a href="http://emergentpatroller.blogspot.nl/2014/01/23-contagion-part-3.html">third chapter</a> \o/<br />
<br />
I would love to say it was only my daily life that kept me for so long, but if I'm honest, I have to admit I had a terribly hard time writing this. I wanted to have black-ops battleships and bombers and all kinds of other stuff in it. I never really did a hotdrop with black ops ships in-game, so I had to read about it and get some advice.<br />
<br />
The credit goes to my fellow blogger Kamar Raimo for being an expert consultant and for providing a screenshot of a Widow. He tells me that one would rather use T3 ships than recons for such hotdrops, but I like Pilgrims and so I wanted to have Pilgrims in the story.<br />
<br />
There needs to be some artistic license here!<br />
<br />
I generally have little experience with the whole bridging business and cynos and all that. I have been in quite a few nullsec fights when I was with Noir and Black Legion, but nothing that I would call proper knowledge of all things involved in force projection through jump bridges. While this is a story and not everything has to reflect game mechanics 100%, I wanted it to be as realistic as possible.<br />
<br />
All that made things complicated, and I find writing space battles difficult enough as it is. Then I also had to come up with some Rooks & Kings style elite PVP tactic that would actually make it possible for that smaller but more disciplined force to beat a much larger Hive fleet with a supercarrier as support. I developed new ideas all the time and then discarded them again. <br />
<br />
I rewrote the whole thing from the ground up more than once, and I am still not sure whether it is really any good. I guess I let the readers judge. I just had to hit "publish" eventually or otherwise I'd go crazy with that story remaining unfinished in my head.<br />
<br />
Originally I intended the battle to be just one chapter, but it turned out that it had to be two. Even as it is, this current episode is already four written pages long, and I always try to keep a single episode between two and three for ease of on-screen reading.<br />
<br />
Well, at least you now get two episodes full of action. The second one will also feature some shipboard combat. I've never done that before, so I really wanted to give it a try.<br />
<br />
I hope you have less of a hard time reading <a href="http://emergentpatroller.blogspot.nl/2014/01/23-contagion-part-3.html">this chapter</a> than I had writing it :DEmergent Patrollerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01210394924909245177noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2962276924342174960.post-67057487635010305322014-04-04T18:32:00.001+02:002014-04-10T22:31:58.213+02:00TRS - Fitting Discussion: Poor man's ArmorHACI promised <a href="http://emergentpatroller.blogspot.nl/2014/03/trs-fitting-discussion-shield-gank.html">last time</a> that I will discuss something else than a brawler ship and during recent fleet operations in armor cruiser gangs, I was reminded of the staple ArmorHAC. This successful small to medium gang Zealot-based fleet concept became famous for it's good performance and because of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-kGGW0UlPA">this</a> classic piece of FC raging.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QfozS-5NhHg/Uz7TsLAgW6I/AAAAAAAAAGQ/C-GQv4wW88Y/s1600/zealot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QfozS-5NhHg/Uz7TsLAgW6I/AAAAAAAAAGQ/C-GQv4wW88Y/s1600/zealot.jpg" style="border: 0px none; padding: 0px ! important;" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
So what's the ArmorHAC all about:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
[Zealot, ArmorHAC]<br />
Heat Sink II<br />
Heat Sink II<br />
1600mm Reinforced Steel Plates II<br />
Tracking Enhancer II<br />
Energized Adaptive Nano Membrane II<br />
Damage Control II<br />
Armor Thermic Hardener II<br />
<br />
Experimental 10MN Afterburner I<br />
Warp Disruptor II<br />
Stasis Webifier II<br />
<br />
Focused Medium Pulse Laser II, Scorch M<br />
Focused Medium Pulse Laser II, Scorch M<br />
Focused Medium Pulse Laser II, Scorch M<br />
Focused Medium Pulse Laser II, Scorch M<br />
Focused Medium Pulse Laser II, Scorch M<br />
<br />
Medium Trimark Armor Pump I<br />
Medium Anti-EM Pump I</blockquote>
<br />
The concept behind this fit is simple yet effective. With Scorch and the Tracking Enhancer your optimal range becomes 30km and more. That makes this an ideal setup to fight at gates. On a non-regional gate anything that jumps through into your gang will be in optimal range and therefore take full damage. Likewise, if you jump into an enemy you can be pretty sure that you can engage them right away except if they are sitting far off in sniper ships.<br />
<br />
Your defense relies on heavy buffer and resistance, and a very low signature for a cruiser sized ship. That is why this ship is flown with afterburners: To keep the signature low. That low signature results in longer lock times for the enemy and a reduction in incoming damage because it makes tracking harder. Also missile damage is affected negatively by low signature and that means an ArmorHAC gang can engage turret and missile ships equally well if speed can be maintained. They are vulnerable against excessive missile bombardment though.<br />
<br />
The third midslot is pretty much up to your preferences. Many people fit target painters there to increase their chance to hit by increasing enemy signature. Others like to use a Sensor Booster for increased lock speed. Personally I like the web because it works well if a brawler tries to get under your guns.<br />
<br />
The typical ArmorHAC gang will be supported by suitable logistics ships and - if you have enough ISK to burn and high skilled pilots - Armor fit Lokis with long-range webs. The latter are particularly useful against the main weakness of this setup which is kiting ships. Once an enemy gang can get outside optimal range, you wont be able to chase them down again. On the other hand, that usually means you can warp out and escape them.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pS4gyYiNZIw/Uz7UDyV62uI/AAAAAAAAAGY/byOpj4ZbU_E/s1600/ahacgang.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pS4gyYiNZIw/Uz7UDyV62uI/AAAAAAAAAGY/byOpj4ZbU_E/s1600/ahacgang.jpg" style="border: 0px none; padding: 0px ! important;" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
To fly and fit a ship like that, high fitting skills are needed, and training the HAC skill is also not something that is done in a few days. On top of that, a Zealot hull is not what you'd call cheap. So I thought about possibilities for similarly effective setups that can be done with lower skills and hulls that are more affordable for the pilot on a budget.<br />
<br />
The obvious first ship to look at would be the Omen. After all, the Zealot is based on that hull. So let's see whether an Omen can work as a "poor man's ArmorHAC":<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
[Omen, Poormans ArmorHAC]<br />
1600mm Reinforced Rolled Tungsten Plates I<br />
Damage Control II<br />
Energized Adaptive Nano Membrane II<br />
Tracking Enhancer II<br />
Heat Sink II<br />
Heat Sink II<br />
<br />
Warp Disruptor II<br />
Experimental 10MN Afterburner I<br />
Tracking Computer II, Optimal Range Script<br />
<br />
Focused Medium Pulse Laser II, Scorch M<br />
Focused Medium Pulse Laser II, Scorch M<br />
Focused Medium Pulse Laser II, Scorch M<br />
Focused Medium Pulse Laser II, Scorch M<br />
Focused Medium Pulse Laser II, Scorch M<br />
<br />
Medium Anti-EM Pump I<br />
Medium Trimark Armor Pump I<br />
Medium Trimark Armor Pump I</blockquote>
<br />
Well, let's compare: The signature of the Omen is actually lower than that of the Zealot, so that's a good thing. Of course - being a T1 ship - it also has substantially lower armor resistance and one less low slot. In terms of absolute armor hitpoint buffer we get close to the Zealot. With the above setup a Zealot will be a bit above 101K armor hitpoints, the Omen gets around 97K. The main drawback here lies with the turrets. Because the Omen lacks the optimal range bonus of the Zealot, our engagement range will be reduced by a good 10K. A Tracking Computer like in the setup above brings you closer to the Zealot's range but not quite there. Also the damage output of the Omen lies significantly below the Zealot. On the other hand, the Omen <i>can </i>use drones, so we can actually push our DPS beyond what the Zealot would achieve when adding a mixed flight of light and medium drones. Another thing is speed. You will need to maintain transversal speed to help avoiding damage, and while the Zealot can run it's afterburner permanently, the Omen can't. That puts it at a disadvantage here.<br />
<br />
So how about alternatives? Let's look at the other race that typically uses armor tanks. How about a Thorax with railguns?<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DGcAOS1mi7k/Uz7XNOB2n2I/AAAAAAAAAGk/JXJEi1S72j8/s1600/railrax.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DGcAOS1mi7k/Uz7XNOB2n2I/AAAAAAAAAGk/JXJEi1S72j8/s1600/railrax.jpg" style="border: 0px none; padding: 0px ! important;" /></a></div>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
[Thorax, Armorrailrax]<br />
800mm Reinforced Rolled Tungsten Plates I<br />
Damage Control II<br />
Tracking Enhancer II<br />
Energized Adaptive Nano Membrane II<br />
Magnetic Field Stabilizer II<br />
<br />
Experimental 10MN Afterburner I<br />
Warp Disruptor II<br />
Tracking Computer II, Optimal Range Script<br />
Tracking Computer II, Optimal Range Script<br />
<br />
200mm Railgun II, Federation Navy Antimatter Charge M<br />
200mm Railgun II, Federation Navy Antimatter Charge M<br />
200mm Railgun II, Federation Navy Antimatter Charge M<br />
200mm Railgun II, Federation Navy Antimatter Charge M<br />
200mm Railgun II, Federation Navy Antimatter Charge M<br />
<br />
Medium Anti-Explosive Pump I<br />
Medium Trimark Armor Pump I<br />
Medium Trimark Armor Pump I</blockquote>
<br />
Because of the lower powergrid, we wont be able to fit a 1600mm plate with those guns, so the hitpoint buffer of the Thorax is below that of the Omen. The armor resists are spread differently and end up being slightly weaker, so in the end this ship has a good 8K less EHP compared to the Amarr T1 counterpart. It's signature lies between the Zealot and the Omen which is still OK.<br />
<br />
Now for the good part: The Thorax almost reaches the DPS of the Zealot and has more than the Omen. When it comes to volley damage it exceeds both ships, achieving a maximum above 900. It's optimal range is close to the Omen, and with falloff added it will shoot farther than both Amarr ships. Because you will be in falloff range, you wont achieve full damage at such ranges, but at least you can still hit. In addition to that, the Thorax can actually control a full flight of medium drones, and that makes it better in DPS than either of the other two. So under the bottom line, the Thorax is the best damage dealer at ranges around 20K. That damage potential suffers from very poor tracking though. Because you are using tracking computers, you can actually mix and match scripts if you are closer to an enemy, but even with two tracking speed scripts you wont be as good as the lasers. With the lighter armor plate, the Thorax comes out on top when you look at speed, but just like the Omen it can not permanently run all modules and keep the afterburner active.<br />
<br />
Let's consider an alternative for this particular ship:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
[Thorax, Armorrailrax Dual150]<br />
1600mm Reinforced Steel Plates II<br />
Damage Control II<br />
Tracking Enhancer II<br />
Energized Adaptive Nano Membrane II<br />
Magnetic Field Stabilizer II<br />
<br />
Experimental 10MN Afterburner I<br />
Warp Disruptor II<br />
Tracking Computer II, Optimal Range Script<br />
Tracking Computer II, Optimal Range Script<br />
<br />
Dual 150mm Railgun II, Federation Navy Antimatter Charge M<br />
Dual 150mm Railgun II, Federation Navy Antimatter Charge M<br />
Dual 150mm Railgun II, Federation Navy Antimatter Charge M<br />
Dual 150mm Railgun II, Federation Navy Antimatter Charge M<br />
Dual 150mm Railgun II, Federation Navy Antimatter Charge M<br />
<br />
Medium Anti-Explosive Pump I<br />
Medium Trimark Armor Pump I<br />
Medium Trimark Armor Pump I</blockquote>
<br />
Here it gets interesting. Now we reach an armor buffer above both the Omen <i>and </i>the Zealot. Because of lower resists, this ship still wont have the EHP of a Zealot but it does exceed the EHP of the Omen setup above. Tracking is now closer to both ships, but we do sacrifice a significant amount of range. Optimal + falloff <i>together</i> will be just under the optimal range of the Zealot. Despite achieving higher DPS than the Omen and better volley damage than both Amarr ships on paper, again you wont do all of that damage at the same range that the lasers turrets can achieve. Still, at ranges of 12K you will outgun both ships, and that is before you add drone damage. Not bad for a T1 cruiser.<br />
<br />
Edit:<br />
That being said, the Pulse Laser boats can switch to short-range crystals when finding targets at such close range. Multifrequency will increase DPS and volley damage slightly over Scorch. Because of the better tracking one could then outperform a Thorax. Conflagration is another option, then you would outdo the damage of a Thorax but you lose the better tracking. Still for slow targets at close range that track badly themselves (like battleships) Conflagration on an Amarr ship is the superiour damage dealer. (thanks to raylu for reminding me of that) <br />
/Edit<br />
<br />
So when looking at low-skill and low-price alternatives for the classic ArmorHAC setup, both Omen and Thorax offer viable options. Tracking is the main weakness of the Thorax when compared to the two other ships, but with tackle and Target Painter support, a lot of that can be mitigated and it's superiour damage potential can be realized. <br />
<br />
Naturally the Zealot has the better resist tank and therefore profits more from logi support, but the T1 alternatives work well enough to allow for participation of newer players with lower skills in an ArmorHAC gang. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01088902803812337777noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2962276924342174960.post-70600247654146563542014-04-01T20:36:00.000+02:002014-04-01T20:36:51.180+02:00OOC Entry 106 - Sacrificed on the marketing altarWith this post I will do two things which I never did before: I will throw a serious <i>j'accuse</i> at CCP and at the same time defend a griefer. Even me - a currently inactive player - could not miss the perfect storm in the EVE community that was created by the Erotica 1 Bonus Room Affair. I was following the threads and blogs and comments with a rather <span data-dobid="hdw">blasé attitude</span>, and then <a href="http://www.minerbumping.com/2014/03/erotica-1-banned-from-eve-acquires.html">this happened:</a><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-E5oUvN9jm4c/UzrxZvpdAfI/AAAAAAAAArQ/0PucDbjium4/s1600/eroban.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-E5oUvN9jm4c/UzrxZvpdAfI/AAAAAAAAArQ/0PucDbjium4/s1600/eroban.png" height="203" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Let me make one thing perfectly clear at this point. I have nothing but contempt for scammers and griefers who prey on the weak. The practices of Erotica 1 and his friends at Minerbumping are among the worst examples of in-game behaviour that can be found in EVE as far as I am concerned. Still, in this particular ruling of CCP I see nothing but a marketing lie and Erotica 1 became the convenient sacrifice to prop it up.<br />
<br />
<h2>
A Dangerous Hypocrisy </h2>
<br />
When Ripard Teg wrote his blogpost, both the EVE community and third party media latched on to it and the reaction was largely negative with only a minority defending scamming and related practices as legitimate gameplay., The public image of EVE had taken a serious hit: Obviously this must be a game where sociopaths and sadists can freely engage in their despicable activities and are fully condoned by the game's creators. At a time when the influx of new players into EVE is as high as it hasn't been in a long time, CCP found itself at an impasse: Should they let this slip and stand vilified in the wider gaming media, or should they take action and possibly alienate a significant part of the playerbase by putting restrictions on the sandbox.<br />
<br />
In the end they opted for a singularly double-faced approach. They declared to the playerbase that <a href="http://CCP themselves officially stated that they did not intend to change any policies regarding this matter">nothing will change</a> (after all, real-life harassment has always been forbidden) but simultaneously kicked Erotica 1 from the game.<br />
<br />
The problem with this is, that CCP is guilty of serious, and dangerous, hypocrisy here. While Erotica 1 has become a very prominent scammer and griefer that could be made an example of, many similar and even worse practices still go on. Goons will still scam people out of all their stuff with the false promise of a membership in their ranks. The New Order will still obsessively hunt and kill every "carebear" they can find, over and over again, openly declaring that they want them gone from the game. ALODs will still be published on websites, accompanied by articles that publicly ridicule the person who managed to lose an expensive and/or ill-fitted ship in a stupid way. The collecting and publishing of tears and rage continues at an unmitigated pace. Racial slurs and misogynistic trashtalk still persist both in-game and metagame communication.<br />
<br />
EVE has not become any less infested with the likes of Erotica 1 or even worse griefers. As Erotica 1 states himself on <a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/Eve/comments/21m7g1/erotica_1_permabanned_from_eve/">reddit</a>:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
If I'm banned, then there are thousands of players, with clear evidence
on the internet and within logs that should be as well for more
aggregious(sic) activities.</blockquote>
Of course CCP can not, and will not, do that. They have made their bed (or sandbox) and now they have to sleep in it. That bed is infested with vermin, but they show all the world how they have removed <i>one</i> flea and now probably expect everyone to accept that as proof that everything is fine.<br />
<br />
But that's a lie, and with this lie they pave the way for remaining griefers and scammers to reel in new victims who have been given a false sense of security. After all EVE is fine now that this "evil sadist" has been banned. CCP is taking action to defend the weak against such abuse.<br />
<br />
Pardon me if I laugh bitterly at this.<br />
<br />
<h2>
The Gevlon Defense</h2>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>What I really respect Gevlon Goblin for is putting his money where his mouth is - </i> Alekseyev Karrde on <a href="http://declarationsofwar.com/?p=665">DOW Episode 71</a> </blockquote>
What really should have happened here is a promotion of in-game retaliation. Gevlon Goblin - in my view - is a pretty crazy person, but he did something that hundreds, if not thousands, of others who complain about Goonswarm have not done: He tried to create trouble for them in highsec to a degree that they would be hurt by it. One can discuss the level of success he had with that endeavour, but he decided to look for an in-game (and metagame) solution for something he perceived as an in-game problem: The influence Goonswarm and their allies were having in highsec space.<br />
<br />
All those people posting accusations and screaming for a ban (if not even a prison sentence) for Erotica 1 could - and should - have instead done just that. Warn everyone publicly and thereby restrict the pool of potential victims for that scammer. Harass the New Order with wardecs and counter suicide ganks. Infiltrate the organization of Erotica 1 and his friends to steal right back from them. In the past, I became aware of one stratagem where a griefer and troll was hit hard and life in his favorite hunting ground was made impossible for him: That was when <a href="http://zedrikcayne.blogspot.nl/2011/06/socratic-filesthe-ultimate-punishment.html">Zedrik Cayne set up Socratic</a>.<br />
<br />
All those people with their righteous rage could have done similar things with Erotica 1.<br />
<br />
Actually, if CCP <i>wanted</i> to mess with the sandbox to support the weak, then they should implement a way how victims can actually band together and make life more difficult for the perpetrators. What if all those mission runners who have perfect standings with the Caldari Navy could pool LP to gain a docking ban charter for known scammers and griefers, evicting those guys until they got their standings back up? Erotica 1 would have to move his assets out of Jita and could be attacked, not to mention having to look for a new hunting ground.<br />
<br />
The whole problem here is not that there are people who will do their malicious best to exploit the uninformed, the naive, the gullible and the weak. The problem is, that there is very little the victims can do to fight back against someone who basically sits in a station and conducts all his nefarious business from there.<br />
<br />
I would even dare to say that people like Erotica 1 would appreciate the challenge. <br />
<br />
Instead, CCP opt for a publicity stunt at the cost of one particular player who I personally would call the most elaborate scammer and griefer, but certainly not the worst, and ultimately at the cost of more new players who get blindsided by that publicity stunt.<br />
<br />
If I were to put it as outrageous hyperbole, I'd say CCP just scammed a lot of potential new players in ways that Erotica 1 could not have done better.Emergent Patrollerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01210394924909245177noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2962276924342174960.post-84823458746941667712014-03-29T16:54:00.001+01:002014-03-29T16:54:52.846+01:00TRS - Fitting Discussion: Shield Gank CruisersIf you have read my previous two fitting discussions, then you'll know that I'm a bit of a fan of brawling ships. I promise that for my next installment I'll write about something else than a brawler, but before that I would like to introduce you to the top end of shield-tanked facemelting T1 cruiser DPS: The Moa and the Thorax.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xV9yBf4VNkg/UzbjEEGs5fI/AAAAAAAAAF0/JDO84NN-Y7Q/s1600/thorax.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xV9yBf4VNkg/UzbjEEGs5fI/AAAAAAAAAF0/JDO84NN-Y7Q/s1600/thorax.jpg" style="border: 0px none; padding: 0px ! important;" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Yes, you read that correctly. The Thorax as full on DPS shield-tank brawler. It looks like this:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
[Thorax, Shield Ganker]<br />
Damage Control II<br />
Magnetic Field Stabilizer II<br />
Magnetic Field Stabilizer II<br />
Magnetic Field Stabilizer II<br />
Nanofiber Internal Structure II<br />
<br />
Experimental 10MN Microwarpdrive I<br />
Large Shield Extender II<br />
Adaptive Invulnerability Field II<br />
Warp Scrambler II<br />
<br />
Heavy Ion Blaster II, Void M<br />
Heavy Ion Blaster II, Void M<br />
Heavy Ion Blaster II, Void M<br />
Heavy Ion Blaster II, Void M<br />
Heavy Ion Blaster II, Void M<br />
<br />
Medium Core Defense Field Extender I<br />
Medium Core Defense Field Extender I<br />
Medium Anti-EM Screen Reinforcer I</blockquote>
<br />
There is nothing subtle to this ship. With your Nanofiber Internal Structure and your Microwarpdrive, you achieve speeds at which you can outrun some frigates. You use that to charge your enemy, hold them with the warp scrambler and beat them down with blasters. I have left drones out of the setup because they are really up to you. You can use some damage drones, but a flight of Vespa EC-600 drones are also not a bad idea in case you need to break the lock of someone pointing you. Honestly, you don't need much extra damage anyway. This ship can achieve up to 540 DPS with good weapon skills and volley damage in excess of 1300. With a handful of such Thoraxes warping in on an enemy, you will blow things up quickly.<br />
<br />
There are shield Vexor fits that can have more DPS than this Thorax, but when it comes to directly applied raw damage, nothing in the same ship class outperforms the Thorax except one, the Moa:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SZpvCpPlLDc/UzboCf16z1I/AAAAAAAAAGA/cxsLR5ZXCEY/s1600/moasmall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SZpvCpPlLDc/UzboCf16z1I/AAAAAAAAAGA/cxsLR5ZXCEY/s1600/moasmall.jpg" style="border: 0px none; padding: 0px ! important;" /></a></div>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
[Moa, Blaster Moa]<br />
Damage Control II<br />
Magnetic Field Stabilizer II<br />
Magnetic Field Stabilizer II<br />
Magnetic Field Stabilizer II<br />
<br />
Experimental 10MN Microwarpdrive I<br />
Adaptive Invulnerability Field II<br />
Stasis Webifier II<br />
Warp Scrambler II<br />
Large Shield Extender II<br />
<br />
Heavy Neutron Blaster II, Void M<br />
Heavy Neutron Blaster II, Void M<br />
Heavy Neutron Blaster II, Void M<br />
Heavy Neutron Blaster II, Void M<br />
Heavy Neutron Blaster II, Void M<br />
<br />
Medium Ancillary Current Router I<br />
Medium Anti-EM Screen Reinforcer I<br />
Medium Core Defense Field Extender I </blockquote>
<br />
Because the Moa has a naturally higher shield capacity and resist, you can get away with fitting less defense and still get more effective hitpoints than the Thorax. While the Thorax is not bad at all with it's 22-23K EHP, the Moa can easily get 25-29K depending on your skills. With tank in the same range, you can free up a rig slot which makes it possible to put that Ancillary Current Router there and fit Neutron Blasters, and then things get really nasty. Now we are talking DPS of up to 570 and volley damage of almost 1700 maximum.<br />
<br />
If you like more heavily tanked stuff, stick to Ion Blasters and put an extra Defense Field Extender on there instead. This will push your effective hitpoints well beyond the 30K mark but you do sacrifice about 30DPS and a significant amount of volley damage. You will still have the same damage output as the Thorax. So when comparing the two ships on the tank/gank scale, the Moa can either have better EHP and much higher damage than the Thorax, or it can have similar damage and much stronger tank than the other ship. <br />
<br />
The Moa has one significant disadvantage when compared to the Thorax: It's speed. At comparable skill levels, the Moa will be a good 600m/s slower than the Thorax. Closing in on fast targets will definitely be more difficult, so it's better to have a ship like this warp in at close range and start shooting. To prevent the opponent from pulling range, you fit that webifier in the midslot. This serves a second purpose too: The Moa lacks the tracking bonus of the Thorax, so you will need a way to prevent your opponent from running circles around you and avoid most of the incoming damage. When it comes to drones, the same goes for the Moa as for the Thorax: ECM can be more useful here than damage.<br />
<br />
Variations of both fits exist which substitute Tracking Enhancers for Magnetic Field Stabilizers to get more range and make sure you can hit your target for full damage more often. Personally, I am not sure whether that matters much if you are close and always stay fixed on your opponent instead of orbiting them. Also, the Thorax has a built-in tracking bonus already.<br />
<br />
In the end, I didn't call those ships shield gankers for nothing. They are not built for fancy maneuvering but for warping in on a target and blowing them to bits as quickly as possible. One caveat for both: Stay away from opponents with energy neutralizers. They will quickly shut your propulsion, your resistance and your turrets down. Again ECM drones can save your life in that case.<br />
<br />
Have fun blowing up things.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01088902803812337777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2962276924342174960.post-70446477287645324912014-03-22T17:39:00.001+01:002014-03-24T08:57:08.284+01:00TRS: Enaluri 2103<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1K4PH--4UK8/Uy24O-tFHEI/AAAAAAAAAFM/bdH1LKe4G0E/s1600/fwmap.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1K4PH--4UK8/Uy24O-tFHEI/AAAAAAAAAFM/bdH1LKe4G0E/s1600/fwmap.jpg" style="border: 0px none; padding: 0px ! important;" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Yesterday Friday the 21st of March, the Faction Warfare system of Enaluri was the site of a large fight escalating from cruisers to capitals and finally to supercapitals. It involved several different parties and made for an interesting story. I am not attempting to write a complete and concise battle report here, but rather a single Gallente Militia line pilot's perspective. As a consequence, the following can contain inaccuracies and bias.<br />
<br />
<h2>
The beginning</h2>
Gallente Militia is currently in a state of resurgence. After a recently successful campaign to recapture the Placid system of Oicx, our military command had set it's sights on Enaluri in Black Rise. I had just listened in to our CEO instructing a new pilot when the call came to join a cruiser fleet to go fight for system control. I was a few jumps away but got into my trusty Vexor to join the fray. While listening to the coms channel I became witness of a change in plans. The Caldari weren't putting up much of a fight, but the notorious outlaws of Balkan Express were showing up in Enaluri with a fleet of Legions and Guardians. Our intelligence officers also reported that the BALEX Titan pilot was online, and so we expected a possible escalation. While I was in transit, a call went out for heavier ships.<br />
<br />
Now, I am a low skillpoint character and flying HACs, T3s or even Battleships is beyond my reach for now, so I just kept on course while more powerful militia capsuleers prepared to commit everything up to capital ships. We went for the fight and jumped in a Thanatos and an Archon for support while trying to destroy the enemy logistics at the Enaluri - Hallanen gate. To our surprise, BALEX did not stay and fight, but rather chose to leave the field after the loss of only one Guardian logistics ship.<br />
<br />
<h2>
An unexpected turn of events</h2>
Considering what was to come, I have to wonder whether they knew something we did not. In any case, our cruiser fleet FC commanded us to follow the fleeing BALEX force into Hallanen. Our carriers prepared to extract themselves and we jumped through the gate. But then the unexpected happened: One of our carriers got pointed by another enemy ship that seemed to have come out of nowhere. The pilot of that ship lit a cynosural field and within seconds we had a very different fight on our hands: Snuffbox jumped in a fleet of carriers, dreadnoughts and battleships. Seeing no other choice if they wanted to get their carrier out, Sicarius Draconis, Blackfox Marauders and Monkeys with Guns counterdropped with militia capitals to fight Snuffbox. <br />
<br />
Nobody wants to stand by on the other side of a gate while militia brothers and sisters are fighting and dying, so our FC ordered us to jump through and attack the battleships. Very soon it became clear that we could not break through the carrier reps that the enemy battleships received, but the onslaught from our own heavy weapons platforms did force Snuffbox carriers to enter triage and their dreads to go for siege mode. Since that made the enemy capital ships incapable of receiving repairs, our FC ordered us to primary them to support our own.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aaRsssRWkME/Uy2_l43LXvI/AAAAAAAAAFk/v2gEUbPyk-U/s1600/dread1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aaRsssRWkME/Uy2_l43LXvI/AAAAAAAAAFk/v2gEUbPyk-U/s1600/dread1.jpg" height="297" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<h2>
A third party and a fourth</h2>
It was a pretty even fight with our militia forces being at a slight advantage when Sniggwaffles warped in with a fleet of sniper Nagas. Quickly militia diplomatic operatives were scrambled to convince Sniggwaffles to shoot at Snuffbox rather than us. It worked only to some degree. Having no affiliation with either side, they spread fire among all targets of opportunity. With at least some firepower added to our cause, Snuffbox got put on the back foot and began to lose both carriers and dreads. They decided to escalate further in an effort to hold the field. Nyx supercapitals were dropped into the fight and now things began to look grim for us <br />
<br />
The situation became even more dire when yet another group appeared on the battlefield: Pandemic Legion with their infamous supercapital force dropped in. They opened fire on both Gallente Militia and Snuffbox with an overwhelming force of approximately 30 Nyxes and Aeons supported by a contingent of Slowcats and their Sniggwaffles affiliates. The system hit heavy TiDi and PL prevailed. Nothing on the field could withstand such firepower.<br />
<br />
Everyone who could, did their best to get out of there. I myself almost died to a smartbomb on my way through the gate to the adjacent system of Nennamaila. None of our capital ships made it out of there alive. When we collected our losses, we had fared better than Snuffbox, losing less capitals and other ships. Pandemic Legion - however - turned what could possibly have been a narrow victory for our side into a route of our forces.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hLWjX_T-djI/Uy2_VjcjHyI/AAAAAAAAAFg/Vuh1nhcttIg/s1600/carrier1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hLWjX_T-djI/Uy2_VjcjHyI/AAAAAAAAAFg/Vuh1nhcttIg/s1600/carrier1.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<h2>
In retrospect</h2>
While I have lived in nullsec for most of my EVE life and am no stranger to large fleet fights, this was definitely the largest one I have seen since I resubscribed and lived in lowsec. The development of the fight from the seed of a usual skirmish with Caldari Militia to a fight against outlaws and then into a capital brawl certainly was a special experience that is much different from the large nullsec fights which tend to occur around timers. I can only thank all involved parties for a great fight and I'm happy to now have one Vindicator and six capship killmails on my name ... I even got into the top 25 damage dealers for most of them with my little Vexor.<br />
<br />
Good fights all around.<br />
<br />
Edit: As of today, 2203, Enaluri is Gallente <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01088902803812337777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2962276924342174960.post-77361862442231421312014-03-21T18:06:00.000+01:002014-03-22T02:42:47.451+01:00TRS: Fitting Discussion - Atron, Btron, Ctron<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9YqXsp88Z10/UytMdocfxNI/AAAAAAAAAq4/2HQzqMquv0w/s1600/atron.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9YqXsp88Z10/UytMdocfxNI/AAAAAAAAAq4/2HQzqMquv0w/s1600/atron.jpg" style="border: 0px none; padding: 0px ! important;" /></a></div>
<br />
The <a href="http://emergentpatroller.blogspot.nl/2014/03/trs-fitting-discussion-shield-enyo.html">last time</a> I discussed a ship that is definitely not something for the new players among us. This time I want to do the exact opposite. Once there was a time when every newbie was told to train for a Rifter if they wanted to PVP. Thanks to CCP Rise, Fozzie and Ytterbium those days are behind us and every race now has decent attack frigates for beginners.<br />
<br />
The Gallente version of that ship type is the Atron.<br />
<br />
In my discussion of this nasty little bugger I am going to start with one of those counterintuitive fits. A shield-tanked Atron. Here is the option for really new players with low fitting skills.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
[Atron, Shield Atron]<br />
<br />
Micro Auxiliary Power Core I<br />
Micro Auxiliary Power Core I<br />
Emergency Damage Control I<br />
<br />
Medium Subordinate Screen Stabilizer I<br />
Limited 1MN Microwarpdrive I<br />
J5b Phased Prototype Warp Scrambler I<br />
<br />
Anode Light Neutron Particle Cannon I, Federation Navy Antimatter Charge S<br />
Anode Light Neutron Particle Cannon I, Federation Navy Antimatter Charge S<br />
Anode Light Neutron Particle Cannon I, Federation Navy Antimatter Charge S<br />
[Empty High slot]<br />
<br />
Small Hybrid Collision Accelerator I<br />
Small Core Defense Field Extender I<br />
Small Anti-EM Screen Reinforcer I</blockquote>
<br />
And here is a version for maximized fitting skills (especially when it comes to CPU). If you lack the CPU, a meta level Damage Control will also work.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
[Atron, Shield Atron Highskill]<br />
<br />
Micro Auxiliary Power Core II<br />
Micro Auxiliary Power Core II<br />
Damage Control II<br />
<br />
Medium Subordinate Screen Stabilizer I<br />
Limited 1MN Microwarpdrive I<br />
J5b Phased Prototype Warp Scrambler I<br />
<br />
Light Neutron Blaster II, Federation Navy Antimatter Charge S<br />
Light Neutron Blaster II, Federation Navy Antimatter Charge S<br />
Light Neutron Blaster II, Federation Navy Antimatter Charge S<br />
[Empty High slot]<br />
<br />
Small Hybrid Collision Accelerator I<br />
Small Core Defense Field Extender I<br />
Small Anti-EM Screen Reinforcer I</blockquote>
<br />
While this is easy to train for, it comes with a bit of a manual. Your ship is a short-range brawler. Outside of the warp-scrambler range of approximately 8km you are useless, and above 5km you do negligible damage. The idea is to use the Microwarpdrive to get close to the target quickly. That poses it's own problem. The combination of active MWD and the shield tank will make your signature the size of a battleship. While the MWD is running you can be locked in a second by another frigate (as opposed to two seconds without). You will also be easier to hit. That makes it advisable to not fly straight at your target but rather in a spiral course, but you are dependent on closing range fast or your enemy might escape and hit you from distance. In short, you will have to do some manual piloting. Then again, your ship is <i>fast</i>. Even with mediocre propulsion skills you will reach speeds of above 3000m/s. Top speed at max skills is 3700m/s. Your speed can also work as a factor to mitigate incoming damage.<br />
<br />
The fact that you need to get some practice at manual piloting makes a fit like this rather difficult for the fledgeling solo pilot, but I can only encourage you to try. Where it really works well is in a small fleet. If your opponents can not shoot down all the buzzing little Atrons at the same time, some of them <i>will</i> get in range, and then the enemy will be in trouble. With volley damage in the mid to high 300 range and DPS between approximately 130 and 150 a squad of those ships can create a lot of problems for larger ships. One very important thing to remember is to turn off your MWD as soon as you are close enough to be in your optimal range (at or below 1km).<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rXgs4lx2OlM/Uyxu51KForI/AAAAAAAAAEs/V8UTV5ulbjQ/s1600/atron2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rXgs4lx2OlM/Uyxu51KForI/AAAAAAAAAEs/V8UTV5ulbjQ/s1600/atron2.jpg" style="border: 0px none; padding: 0px ! important;" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
So much for that. now I want to introduce you to a very different kind of Atron:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
[Atron, Plex Camper]<br />
Damage Control II<br />
200mm Reinforced Steel Plates II<br />
Magnetic Field Stabilizer II<br />
<br />
Limited 1MN Afterburner I<br />
X5 Prototype Engine Enervator<br />
Warp Scrambler II<br />
<br />
Light Electron Blaster II, Void S<br />
Light Electron Blaster II, Void S<br />
Light Electron Blaster II, Void S<br />
5W Infectious Power System Malfunction<br />
<br />
Small Trimark Armor Pump I<br />
Small Trimark Armor Pump I<br />
Small Hybrid Collision Accelerator I</blockquote>
<br />
In many ways this one is the exact opposite of the shield Atron. It is slow, but it has a very low signature radius (increasing enemy lock speed and reducing incoming damage). It has pitiful volley damage, but the DPS is higher. It is not designed to get into range with an enemy, but to make sure an enemy doesn't get away and then blast them at short range. Because you have weaker guns, overheating them will almost be a must here, but beware to not burn out your neutralizer.<br />
<br />
This ship setup is best suited for camping faction warfare plexes. You can sit inside a plex right at the warp beacon so anybody who comes in will end up right in front of your guns. Your web and scram are there to keep them from pulling away and your energy neutralizer will disable active tanking (except ancillary shield boosters) and everything else active (like lasers or hybrid turrets, or a warp disruptor/scrambler). You can run that neutralizer for quite some time, long enough to prevail in a 1v1 fight. Actually it can even help you escape by neuting out the enemy's capacity to hold a point on you (I can attest to that from experience).<br />
<br />
The main downside of this ship is, that it is rather specialized. For example, you better not take a fight against anything that does not use capacitor for guns (Like Minmatar ships or Caldari/Amarr missile boats) Targets that are likely to run an Ancillary Shield Booster are also a bit problematic because you might lack the damage output to bring their regenerating buffer down. On the other hand, since you will be avoiding ships with selectable damage types, you can actually get away with not plugging that explosive hole. You will not be able to take all possible fights, but then again, knowing which ships you do want to fight and which ones you don't is actually a good thing for solo work. Unfortunately if your opponent gets help that usually means you are screwed.<br />
<br />
Because this is a fit for a very clear purpose and a simple tactic, it
is well suited for the beginning pilot. The fit shown needs mid-range
skills, but you can easily manage it if you do not use T2 modules.<br />
<br />
When you fly with friends, this Atron can also be a really nasty tackler for an armor frigate fleet if you fit it with a Micro Auxiliary Power Core and a Microwarpdrive like this:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
[Armor tackle]<br />
Damage Control II<br />
200mm Reinforced Steel Plates II<br />
Micro Auxiliary Power Core II<br />
<br />
1MN Microwarpdrive I<br />
X5 Prototype Engine Enervator<br />
Warp Scrambler II<br />
<br />
Light Ion Blaster II, Void S<br />
Light Ion Blaster II, Void S<br />
Light Ion Blaster II, Void S<br />
5W Infectious Power System Malfunction<br />
<br />
Small Trimark Armor Pump I<br />
Small Trimark Armor Pump I<br />
Small Hybrid Collision Accelerator I</blockquote>
<br />
There are of course other possibilities and variations both for the shield and the armor fit. What that shows nicely is the versatility of the Atron. It may not be a particularly strong ship, but the possibilities it offers can keep your enemy guessing.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01088902803812337777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2962276924342174960.post-1025126590073803622014-03-18T00:40:00.001+01:002014-03-18T00:57:42.085+01:00Blog Banter 54 - The Definition of a HeroI have not written anything here in quite some time, and my <a href="http://emergentpatroller.blogspot.nl/search/label/23%20-%20Contagion">latest story</a> is still stuck at the cliffhanger before the final confrontation. But rejoice! There is a <a href="http://www.ninveah.com/2014/03/blog-banter-54-heroes.html">Blog Banter</a> to contribute to. Here is the premise:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b>Do classic heroes exist in EVE? Is such heroism even possible in EVE?
How would you go about being one without opening yourself wide open to
scams? Is the nature of the game so dark that heroes can't exist? How do
you deal with that irony? What effect does this have on us and the
psyche of new players coming in from other MMOs? Is it something special
that we don't have classic heroes, or should we? Are our non classic
heroes more genuine?</b></blockquote>
<b>
<br />
And I would add to this, who have we elevated to the level of larger
than life heroes ourselves in the game, and do they actually deserve it?</b><br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Do you know what the definition of a hero is? Someone who gets other people killed. - </i>Zoe, Serenity</blockquote>
<br />
Drackarn at Sand, Cider and Spaceships <a href="http://sandciderandspaceships.blogspot.nl/2014/03/bb54-eve-aint-no-place-for-no-hero.html">argues</a>
that there are no heroes in EVE. Capsuleers are all mass murderers and
even the best among them have countless deaths to account for. At first
glance he is not wrong. Clearly New Eden is a world of <a href="http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/BlackAndGrayMorality">Black and Gray</a>
morality. In such a world, heroes are not necessarily nice people,
though. As a matter of fact, the idea that heroes are morally
impeccable, or even always doing the right thing, is not one that has
always applied.<br />
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Quite
fittingly for my argument, the question asked in the Blog Banter itself refers to the
concept of the Classic Hero. Many of those were actually tragic figures
doomed to untimely deaths and bound to cause tragedy and despair despite
- or sometimes because of - doing heroic things: Oedipus unknowingly
kills his father and marries his mother who commits suicide upon
realizing what had happened. He gouges his own eyes out.<br />
Heracles
kills his own children in a fit of madness and in another similar
episode murders a whole royal family when the King breaks his promise to
let Heracles wed his daughter. The guy also commits quite a few scams
to achieve his famous twelve labours ... basically he's gaming the
system in a very EVE-like way.<br />
Odysseus - upon his return from
Troy - slaughters all the suitors of his wife who have taken residence
in his house, and then he has all the female servants who slept with any
one of them hanged. <br />
Jason scams the king of Colchis and runs
off with the Golden Fleece and the king's daughter, whom he betrays
later to marry another woman for political gain. Speaking of that
daughter, Medea: She helps Jason betray her father, kills her own
brother to cover their escape and tricks the daughters of a king to cut
their father to pieces. To round it all off she kills the girl that
Jason marries instead of her and also the two children she had with
Jason.<br />
<br />
<br />
The list of examples like that could go on to
cover almost all the heroes of classical Greek myth. Things were not
so black-and-white at all in those stories.<br />
<br />
Looking at
it from that position, New Eden definitely has it's heroes. The Mittani
is a hero for Goonswarm. He was instrumental in bringing down their arch
enemy and then in the buildup of the largest and most prosperous empire
currently in existence. Elo Knight is a hero because he tirelessly
leads Black Legion's fleets to victory after victory, often against
superiour forces. The same can be said for the great FCs of Pandemic
Legion and NC. Makalu Zarya once was a hero who lead Against All
Authorities in an epic but doomed defense of their homeland. In classic
hero fashion he then abandoned them after a bitter failure. Progodlegend
was there for the same heroic defense that Nulli Secunda lost, just like
-A-, and he remained a leader throughout the time that Nulli Secunda
rebuilt and returned to be a major power in nullsec again, leading up to
the largest fight ever in gaming history.<br />
<br />
... and then there is Chribba, but Chribba is not a hero, he is a saint. See the difference?<br />
<br />
Indeed,
New Eden's player-generated narrative is full of heroes in the
classical sense. Heroes with all their dark sides, their tragedies and
failings who do indeed get people killed. It doesn't even have to be
those larger-than-life alliance leaders and fleet commanders. The
wormhole pilot who collapses a hole at the loss of her own ship to lock
out part of an invading force. The Interdictor pilots who know that they
will be primaried but make sure that the rest of the fleet can beat a
bubbled enemy. The logistics people who keep large alliances alive
risking their immensely expensive jump freighters on a regular basis.
All of them are heroes in the sense of the classical definition.<br />
<br />
Heroic deeds just usually do involve lots of bloodshed and tragedy as well.Emergent Patrollerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01210394924909245177noreply@blogger.com0