Previously:
Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9
Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14
* * * * *
Everything hurt.
My back and shoulder hurt from where Rusack had flipped me into the furniture. My arm just above my wrist was turning a deep black and purple and I think the bone was fracture from the guard's nightstick. My eyes hurt from lack of sleep, my ass was sore from the hard surface of the floor, and stomach complained about no food... but the worst of all was the torture of not knowing what had happened to my brother since we were taken into custody. Is he alive? Dead? No one would tell me.
So there I was sitting in my cell on the morning of the third day, my tears spent and emotions numb, when they finally came to get me. I could barely stand I was so exhausted but the two burly security officers got on each side of me and made sure I got one foot in front of each other.
I didn't bother asking about Korannon as I assumed they were finally going to interrogate me and I had made the plan a long time ago that I would tell them everything in exchange for them telling me about my brother. I was a bit surprised when they escorted me into an office and plopped me down in a chair opposite a desk where an older woman was working on a terminal. I was even more surprised when the guards left us alone and closed the door behind them.
I was too tired to interrupt the woman across from me from whatever it was she was typing, and the office guest chair felt so good after the days in the cell. I could feel my eyes starting to drift closed when I heard, "Mr Kodachi?"
The woman had turned 90 degrees from the terminal and was facing me directly. She pulled up a tray from the floor and started taking things out of it: my comm unit, my wallet, my room key. She looked at a paper manifest and checked off the items. "These are your things, correct? Anything missing?"
"Um," I looked confusedly at the items, "no, I don't think so?" I leaned forward, awake now. "What's going on?"
"You're being released," she said with a tinge of surprise. "Didn't they tell you?"
"No one will tell me anything!" I said loudly. There was an edge of hysteria on my voice and I knew I was coming close to losing it.
"Ok Ok!" She rose from the desk. "Look, I'll go get my boss, I'm sure she can answer your questions." She left in a hurry, making sure to pass my side as far away as she could, and I felt a little pleasure that I had scared her. But the satisfaction left quickly and I felt myself on the verge of tears again, tired and lonely. I put my head in my hands and willed myself to avoid falling unconscious.
An older woman walked in with an air of authority, the first woman behind her. The manager turned and said, "Sandra, can you give us a minute? Thanks," and closed the door behind her. As she moved to sit behind the desk she said, "I'm sorry Mr. Kodachi, I meant to speak with you before you were brought to sign the forms. You're being released."
"I gathered that," I snarkily replied. She ignored my anger and continued on.
"You see, we're not pressing charges against you or your brother."
My anger started to give way to confusion. "What? Why not?"
"The station executive branch decided it was not in the best interest of any involved parties to pursue prosecution." She leaned forward and put her arms folded on the desk. "I reviewed the case. The scene of the incident, the apartment, is empty and the ownership name is a fake. The person you had an altercation with has disappeared. The weapon that went into evidence is missing. All we have is your brother in the infirmary and you."
"My brother! Is he alright?"
"Yes, he is stable in the infirmary. He will survive but he is in an induced coma while the reconstruct his hip and tissue." She looked a bit sadder now. "He will be there a long time."
I felt a huge ball of tension and worry dissolve in my gut and I thought I would faint from relief right there. I sat back in the chair and closed my eyes. "But he will live," I said quietly.
"Yes."
I looked back at her, calmer now and very tired. "So what happens now? You're not charging us with anything? I can just... go?"
She nodded. "Sandra will get you to sign forms stating you received the possessions you had when you were taken into custody and that your treatment was good, then you are free to go about your business."
I thought about complaining about my arm but the look in her eyes suggested to me that she knew what I was thinking and it was not advisable. I nodded instead. She smiled and got up from the desk and headed towards the door. She stopped and turned to me before opening the door.
"And Mr. Kodachi, the next time you and your brother think you can try to engage illegal smuggling I suggest you find another station to do it in. While your family's money and influence may have gotten your ass out of the fire this time, next time I will find a way to put you in a cell for the rest of your life and throw away the key. I have all the paper trail and evidence I need now to do so. Don't give me a reason to use it."
I looked guiltily up into her face and she locked my gaze with those stone cold eyes that I can still remember clearly to this day. I flushed and nodded before looking away.
She left and Sandra came back in so we could finish the paperwork. She was nervous at first but soon she could tell I was a lot calmer and we quickly got everything done. I left the security offices with directions to the infirmary despite being dead tired on my feet; I had to see my brother. At the infirmary I talked to the doctor's and found out how bad his injuries were and how they planned to treat them. It was all very detailed and I knew I would remember almost none of it the next day, so I nodded and agreed to whatever they suggested. They seemed very competent.
Satisfied that my brother was in good hands, I left to go back to our room and get some much needed rest. Along the way I turned on my comm and was surprised to see a message waiting for me. It was a text message from my father and it was only one line.
"Don't bother coming home."
Friday, February 26, 2010
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Next Installment of Things I Want Changed
Dear CCP:
1. Open up the market to faction items and ships. Currently you allow faction ammo to be listed in the market, but not modules nor ships. I love the market interface, hate the contract interface. What's the reason for not doing it?
2. Fleets should have someplace for persisting useful information such as voice comm information, ship preferences, current system, rally point, etc. Currently this information has to be asked for and repeated in fleet chat over and over and over again for people joining the fleet. Freaking annoying.
3. More drone bay for the Rokh, +25 or bust!
4. The recent Ultra Deep Space Safe Spots being made by exploiting log off mechanics highlights once again the pointlessness of not allowing players to make bookmarks in space from the solar system map, or editing the coordinates of existing bookmarks to accomplish the same thing. The new probing system ensures no one can hide out there, so limit it to within 128 AU of the star and allow us to make safe spots, or warp to any point. The current restriction is mind-boggling-annoying and unrealistic.
That's all for today. Carry on.
1. Open up the market to faction items and ships. Currently you allow faction ammo to be listed in the market, but not modules nor ships. I love the market interface, hate the contract interface. What's the reason for not doing it?
2. Fleets should have someplace for persisting useful information such as voice comm information, ship preferences, current system, rally point, etc. Currently this information has to be asked for and repeated in fleet chat over and over and over again for people joining the fleet. Freaking annoying.
3. More drone bay for the Rokh, +25 or bust!
4. The recent Ultra Deep Space Safe Spots being made by exploiting log off mechanics highlights once again the pointlessness of not allowing players to make bookmarks in space from the solar system map, or editing the coordinates of existing bookmarks to accomplish the same thing. The new probing system ensures no one can hide out there, so limit it to within 128 AU of the star and allow us to make safe spots, or warp to any point. The current restriction is mind-boggling-annoying and unrealistic.
That's all for today. Carry on.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
How Scorpa Got Her Wing Back
New Dev Blog! About this:
And this:
SWEEEEEEEEEEEEEET! I so need a Navy Scorpion and Rattlesnake now. And hell, I'll take one of those State Scorpions too.
And this:
Solo Flying
Since Rettic cruelly abandoned m3 corp (you bastard! *shakes fist*) and has decided to fly solo for a while, I've been thinking back my days in the aftermath of the twins birth and Strife Mercenaries' implosion and disintegration where I was flying in my trusty Thorax, looking for rights in the low sec space of Placid and Molden Heath.
A part of me yearns for the freedom of solo play. Don't get me wrong, I love my corp and the people in it, and I enjoy the PvP I get to participate in for both coalition fleets and small gang roams, but there is some nostalgia for the randomness of activity that being alone can allow with no one to answer to and no responsibilities to worry about.
Search the belts for a fight? Let's go Thorax.
Mission? Battleship please.
Wormholes? Break out the prober.
Can flipping? Where's the nearest ice belt?
Gate Camping? Its like fishing except the fish sometimes pack Uzis.
Manufacturing? No fleet invites to ignore.
Need to log? See you whenever Eve!
Ah, the carefree life. Its seems idyllic, doesn't it? But the more I thought about it, the more I remembered the downsides.
Belt ganks? Try finding a target in low sec without becoming a target yourself.
Missions? Boring.
Wormholes? Sleepers get tough for one guy fast and w-space inhabitants tend to be paranoid and have POS to run to.
Can Flipping? Killing fools that fight back is fun for a short while, but too easy or boring quickly.
Gate Camping? A lot of targets often have friends that ruin your day pretty fast.
Manufacturing? Solo play works well here, but no heart pounding excitement either.
Need to log? No one cares.
Essentially you quickly realize that the game is hard and harsh when you are alone, or mostly boring in the case of missions. Any PvP you want to do is either hard to find or you are outnumbered, and no one has your back.
The breaking point for me was after I setup a high sec tower for R&D and went away for two nights only to come back and find my corp war decc'd tower reinforced, and no hope of protecting it in the few hours I had before the timer ran out. Being alone in Eve sucks.
My only regret right now is I don't have enough time to do the non-PvP things I want to dabble in as well enjoy the PvP my corp and alliance gets to participate in. Its not a huge deal though, and living my motto in Eve has served me well for over 3 years: Do Things With Others. Its the only way to fly.
Disclaimer: I do not really hold any hard feelings for Rettic whatsoever. I do hope his ship dies in a fire but purely for the fun of it. ;)
A part of me yearns for the freedom of solo play. Don't get me wrong, I love my corp and the people in it, and I enjoy the PvP I get to participate in for both coalition fleets and small gang roams, but there is some nostalgia for the randomness of activity that being alone can allow with no one to answer to and no responsibilities to worry about.
Search the belts for a fight? Let's go Thorax.
Mission? Battleship please.
Wormholes? Break out the prober.
Can flipping? Where's the nearest ice belt?
Gate Camping? Its like fishing except the fish sometimes pack Uzis.
Manufacturing? No fleet invites to ignore.
Need to log? See you whenever Eve!
Ah, the carefree life. Its seems idyllic, doesn't it? But the more I thought about it, the more I remembered the downsides.
Belt ganks? Try finding a target in low sec without becoming a target yourself.
Missions? Boring.
Wormholes? Sleepers get tough for one guy fast and w-space inhabitants tend to be paranoid and have POS to run to.
Can Flipping? Killing fools that fight back is fun for a short while, but too easy or boring quickly.
Gate Camping? A lot of targets often have friends that ruin your day pretty fast.
Manufacturing? Solo play works well here, but no heart pounding excitement either.
Need to log? No one cares.
Essentially you quickly realize that the game is hard and harsh when you are alone, or mostly boring in the case of missions. Any PvP you want to do is either hard to find or you are outnumbered, and no one has your back.
The breaking point for me was after I setup a high sec tower for R&D and went away for two nights only to come back and find my corp war decc'd tower reinforced, and no hope of protecting it in the few hours I had before the timer ran out. Being alone in Eve sucks.
My only regret right now is I don't have enough time to do the non-PvP things I want to dabble in as well enjoy the PvP my corp and alliance gets to participate in. Its not a huge deal though, and living my motto in Eve has served me well for over 3 years: Do Things With Others. Its the only way to fly.
Disclaimer: I do not really hold any hard feelings for Rettic whatsoever. I do hope his ship dies in a fire but purely for the fun of it. ;)
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Live Blogging The Quarter Economic Newsletter
The Q4 2009 economic newsletter is out! Here we go with our live blogging of my reading of it. Enjoy!
Page 6 - More Eve subscriptions than the population of Iceland.
Page 9 - Hulk drops from top spot of the "ships people are in" snapshot. Hulkageddon effect methinks. Drake now most popular... someone's head in our alliance just exploded.
Page 11 - Caldari space pilot density almost twice that of the next highest. Most populated Null sec area is the "West" regions (Deklein, Fade, Pure Blind, Cloud Ring, Outer Ring, Syndicate). Providence most populated null sec region with 85.1 pilots per system! More pilots per system and Aridia in Empire.
Page 13 - 27000 pilots in Jita. E-gads! Over 472,000 pilots total in Eve. "[A]lmost 15% of the total population of the EVE universe being located in the top 10 of 7,700 accessible systems."
Pages 14 - 23 - All of the price indices showed a huge drop in October time frame.
Page 24 - The Forge commands 53% of relative share of total trade value. Jebus! Jita is a monster, isn't it?
Page 25 - A graph also known as "The Rise of JITA!" Feel bad for old trade hubs that used to compete in Placid, Genesis, and Essence regions.
Page 28 - "The trade for this particular day is at 140 billion ISK per hour and then declines to about 80 billion ISK as Europe and the US go to sleep." /me faints."The number of transactions follows a similar trend, with 8 to 10 thousand transactions per hour – or about 3.3 trades per second during the peak hour."
Page 29 - "The item that had the highest overall trade value was PLEX – the Pilot License Extension. It was by far the highest trade value, with 328 billion ISK used to trade 1,159 individual PLEXes." Each plex costs $17.50, so those traded PLEXes represents about $20280 in real money.
Page 6 - More Eve subscriptions than the population of Iceland.
Page 9 - Hulk drops from top spot of the "ships people are in" snapshot. Hulkageddon effect methinks. Drake now most popular... someone's head in our alliance just exploded.
Page 11 - Caldari space pilot density almost twice that of the next highest. Most populated Null sec area is the "West" regions (Deklein, Fade, Pure Blind, Cloud Ring, Outer Ring, Syndicate). Providence most populated null sec region with 85.1 pilots per system! More pilots per system and Aridia in Empire.
Page 13 - 27000 pilots in Jita. E-gads! Over 472,000 pilots total in Eve. "[A]lmost 15% of the total population of the EVE universe being located in the top 10 of 7,700 accessible systems."
Pages 14 - 23 - All of the price indices showed a huge drop in October time frame.
Page 24 - The Forge commands 53% of relative share of total trade value. Jebus! Jita is a monster, isn't it?
Page 25 - A graph also known as "The Rise of JITA!" Feel bad for old trade hubs that used to compete in Placid, Genesis, and Essence regions.
Page 28 - "The trade for this particular day is at 140 billion ISK per hour and then declines to about 80 billion ISK as Europe and the US go to sleep." /me faints."The number of transactions follows a similar trend, with 8 to 10 thousand transactions per hour – or about 3.3 trades per second during the peak hour."
Page 29 - "The item that had the highest overall trade value was PLEX – the Pilot License Extension. It was by far the highest trade value, with 328 billion ISK used to trade 1,159 individual PLEXes." Each plex costs $17.50, so those traded PLEXes represents about $20280 in real money.
My Workspace
Here is my eve space. Meme accomplished.
EDIT: I posted from my iPhone so the flickr image was not set up correctly. Still playing with that functionality for mobile blogging. Meh. Anyways, fixed now.
In the image you can see my 24 inch monitor that I love, G15 keyboard, trackball mouse (love it so much I have one at work too), and wireless headset charging to the left of the monitor. The Sears catalogs to the left belong to my wife, and the blue bin is filled with computer stuff I have no room for since the office upstairs got turned into a nursery. Sigh.
Regarding the Blog Pack
Yesterday I said:
1. The Eve Blog Pack is useful. It focuses people new to the community to the blogs that have garnered recognition due to effort of the authors.
2. Not all of the best writers are going to be in any Blog Pack. Newer writers just starting out might need time to build up readership, and older writers fading out still have lots of name recognition.
3. The popularity aspect of the input is unfortunate but not mean-spirited. I chose not to give a list because I was concerned about missing good blogs myself. If we were going to determine the blogs of the pack via popularity alone, I'd prefer an automated voting system per post rather than per blog.
4. CrazyKinux should have the final say as to what blogs are in the Pack. Its as objective as it needs to be and if anyone disagrees so much, they can make their own Eve Blog Pack listing. If he goes inactive for a period and his Blog Pack goes stale, well.... welcome to the internet.
For myself, I neither subscribe to the Blog Pack blogs automatically or entire OPML of eve blogs. Instead I subscribe to blogs as I come across them through links or references and find the content interesting. Without looking at CK's site or Capsuleer I couldn't tell you who is currently in the Blog Pack besides myself. I'm sure there are some really good Eve blogs I have not read yet but I have no interest in having a Google Reader subscription list of 500 eve blogs in order to find them. I've removed blogs that were active but the content did not interest me.
At the end I'm glad to be on the Blog Pack for the recognition, but would not change how I do things if I was not on it. Ultimately I blog for my own satisfaction, readers and commentators is just bonus.
CrazyKinux is looking for input on the new Eve Blog Pack. I was going to submit a list of my favourite blogs but got paranoid I might miss some and offend someone. In the end I opted to not provide input as it all feels very reminiscent of high school popularity games to me (and that was a game I failed at hard). I understand the value of the blog pack to focus people to the quality content, but I wish there was a more objective measure.Since then others have voiced similar concerns about the "popularity contest" feel of it and how it relates to Capsuleer. There have been some discussions on twitter as well. So I decided to take a minute to weigh in my full position.
Regardless, thanks to all those who put forth this humble blog, it means a lot to me.
1. The Eve Blog Pack is useful. It focuses people new to the community to the blogs that have garnered recognition due to effort of the authors.
2. Not all of the best writers are going to be in any Blog Pack. Newer writers just starting out might need time to build up readership, and older writers fading out still have lots of name recognition.
3. The popularity aspect of the input is unfortunate but not mean-spirited. I chose not to give a list because I was concerned about missing good blogs myself. If we were going to determine the blogs of the pack via popularity alone, I'd prefer an automated voting system per post rather than per blog.
4. CrazyKinux should have the final say as to what blogs are in the Pack. Its as objective as it needs to be and if anyone disagrees so much, they can make their own Eve Blog Pack listing. If he goes inactive for a period and his Blog Pack goes stale, well.... welcome to the internet.
For myself, I neither subscribe to the Blog Pack blogs automatically or entire OPML of eve blogs. Instead I subscribe to blogs as I come across them through links or references and find the content interesting. Without looking at CK's site or Capsuleer I couldn't tell you who is currently in the Blog Pack besides myself. I'm sure there are some really good Eve blogs I have not read yet but I have no interest in having a Google Reader subscription list of 500 eve blogs in order to find them. I've removed blogs that were active but the content did not interest me.
At the end I'm glad to be on the Blog Pack for the recognition, but would not change how I do things if I was not on it. Ultimately I blog for my own satisfaction, readers and commentators is just bonus.
Importing Goods
Last night I had purchased the parts for a sniping Tempest as per this setup here for Kla'strit (as well as Citadel Cruise Launchers and ammo for Lord Rhavoc) and wondered how to get it to Providence. The first option, simply flying it down, seemed fraught with low sec and roaming reds peril. Plus it didn't involve big ass capital ships.
The second option involved having Kirith bring up the Ninveah to low sec, throwing the assembled Tempest in the ship hanger, and jumping it back down. Seemed like a lot of work for one ship.
The third option was to simply use the Nomad jump freighter and bring the Tempest down with a bunch of other stuff for sale. This is the choice I opted for.
I checked the markets in both places and purchased 32 Flycatcher and 12 Heretic Interdictors which should make me a tidy profit after they sell and the cost for docking and jump fuel. Plus it helps allies who may need ships locally and, jove knows, the Interdictor is a ship that tends to die a lot.
So after all this was done I was sitting in station putting my shiney new Tempest battleship together when I had the sudden surprise that Kla'strit, a 50+ million skill point pvp character, does not have the Engery Grid Upgrades V skill level for using Reactor Control IIs. This is a difference of 1000 power grid from Tech I to Tech II module stats and my build cannot work without it. So I might take the 9 days to train it up once Kirith is complete with Cruise Missiles V.
Incidentally, getting Energy Grid Upgrades to V opens up Marauders for Kla'strit. Any opinions on the Vargur out there?
The second option involved having Kirith bring up the Ninveah to low sec, throwing the assembled Tempest in the ship hanger, and jumping it back down. Seemed like a lot of work for one ship.
The third option was to simply use the Nomad jump freighter and bring the Tempest down with a bunch of other stuff for sale. This is the choice I opted for.
I checked the markets in both places and purchased 32 Flycatcher and 12 Heretic Interdictors which should make me a tidy profit after they sell and the cost for docking and jump fuel. Plus it helps allies who may need ships locally and, jove knows, the Interdictor is a ship that tends to die a lot.
So after all this was done I was sitting in station putting my shiney new Tempest battleship together when I had the sudden surprise that Kla'strit, a 50+ million skill point pvp character, does not have the Engery Grid Upgrades V skill level for using Reactor Control IIs. This is a difference of 1000 power grid from Tech I to Tech II module stats and my build cannot work without it. So I might take the 9 days to train it up once Kirith is complete with Cruise Missiles V.
Incidentally, getting Energy Grid Upgrades to V opens up Marauders for Kla'strit. Any opinions on the Vargur out there?
Pirate Fittings
Awesome forum thread on Eve Online's Ship forums:
[Pirate, Pro PvP]It gets better from there. Hat tip Wensley via twitter.
Lows Slots
Wooden Peg Leg II
Pirate Breeches II
Mid Slots
Puffy Linen Shirt II
Large Red Overcoat II
High Slots
Tricorn Hat II, Optional Skulls
Eye Patch II
Rig Slots:
Medium Parrot I
Monday, February 22, 2010
Four Things
Thing the First:
I went out PvPing last night, but our gang just couldn't get it together fast enough to catch a hostile recon gang made up of two Falcons, a Rapier, and a Pilgrim and in the process we lost a Rook to them. Fail. I was really hoping to get my 10th killmail of February but alas, it was not meant to be.
Thing the Second:
I've seen a good amount of disappointment about the core of Tyrannis expansion being planetary interaction. I've seen people saying that fixing the game / low sec boost / improving Assault Frigates / etc etc etc should be higher priority.
My opinion is twofold:
First, planetary interaction is overdue by about five years, and its a shame that in a space sci fi game the only interaction I have with planets is to warp to them and look at them (as pretty as they are now). By making planets mean something, all those planets in low sec will draw more people into the area. Thus, its a boost to industrialists and low sec.
Secondly, Agile development is such that they don't know all of the features (aka Stories) that are going to make it in by the deadline; everything gets prioritized and the final list of features becomes apparent based on what they get done by the deadline (extremely simplified description). In order to not over-promise, they only commit to the highest priority items. Expect to see more features announced as the date approaches in the coming months.
Thing the Third:
I forget.
Dammit... I still forget....
Ok, I remember: Derranna finally finished the long training haul of Large Projectiles V and has started into Minmatar Battleship this morning. Another long haul to get to level V. Sigh.
Thing the Fourth:
CrazyKinux is looking for input on the new Eve Blog Pack. I was going to submit a list of my favourite blogs but got paranoid I might miss some and offend someone. In the end I opted to not provide input as it all feels very reminiscent of high school popularity games to me (and that was a game I failed at hard). I understand the value of the blog pack to focus people to the quality content, but I wish there was a more objective measure.
Regardless, thanks to all those who put forth this humble blog, it means a lot to me.
I went out PvPing last night, but our gang just couldn't get it together fast enough to catch a hostile recon gang made up of two Falcons, a Rapier, and a Pilgrim and in the process we lost a Rook to them. Fail. I was really hoping to get my 10th killmail of February but alas, it was not meant to be.
Thing the Second:
I've seen a good amount of disappointment about the core of Tyrannis expansion being planetary interaction. I've seen people saying that fixing the game / low sec boost / improving Assault Frigates / etc etc etc should be higher priority.
My opinion is twofold:
First, planetary interaction is overdue by about five years, and its a shame that in a space sci fi game the only interaction I have with planets is to warp to them and look at them (as pretty as they are now). By making planets mean something, all those planets in low sec will draw more people into the area. Thus, its a boost to industrialists and low sec.
Secondly, Agile development is such that they don't know all of the features (aka Stories) that are going to make it in by the deadline; everything gets prioritized and the final list of features becomes apparent based on what they get done by the deadline (extremely simplified description). In order to not over-promise, they only commit to the highest priority items. Expect to see more features announced as the date approaches in the coming months.
Thing the Third:
I forget.
Dammit... I still forget....
Ok, I remember: Derranna finally finished the long training haul of Large Projectiles V and has started into Minmatar Battleship this morning. Another long haul to get to level V. Sigh.
Thing the Fourth:
CrazyKinux is looking for input on the new Eve Blog Pack. I was going to submit a list of my favourite blogs but got paranoid I might miss some and offend someone. In the end I opted to not provide input as it all feels very reminiscent of high school popularity games to me (and that was a game I failed at hard). I understand the value of the blog pack to focus people to the quality content, but I wish there was a more objective measure.
Regardless, thanks to all those who put forth this humble blog, it means a lot to me.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Sad Day
One of my good friends in the corp decided to hang up his pilot license and retire from Eve. Sad day indeed.
Fly Safe, Max.
Fly Safe, Max.
Friday, February 19, 2010
Introducing Tyrannis Expansion
OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG!: Introducing Tyrannis:
I'm so in favour of this! Sounds something like what I envisioned. Time for a new post label.
It‘s that time of year again. CCP‘s developers have finished planning and preparing and have started work on the next expansion for EVE Online. The exact release date will be announced later, but let‘s say that it will happen before the summer solstice.
What‘s in the package?
For a long time we have had people asking us for more options to build up their own infrastructure. It‘s something that comes up frequently at Fanfest, in past CSMs and during casual conversations with players. There seems to be some deep Freudian desire to erect something monumental. To make stuff. To create something new. At last Fanfest we announced our plans to allow you, the pod-pilots of New Eden, to shift your foci away from the heavens for a moment, onto the planets. In Dominion, we gave the planets a facelift, updating the graphics with beautiful landscapes, awe inspiring deserts, peaceful Ewok-friendly green worlds and violent burning lava fields. But that was just eye candy, right? Well, not quite. In our upcoming expansion, Tyrannis, ALL THESE WORLDS ARE YOURS.
I'm so in favour of this! Sounds something like what I envisioned. Time for a new post label.
Fiction Friday: Chapter 14
Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9
Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13
* * * * *
Holo recording transcriptions from cell block 44, cell 13 on 03/23/107:
1602: occupant: "Is my brother ok? No one is telling me anything."
1632: occupant: "Please, I'll tell you everything. Come back."
1632: officer Horez: "Stay away from the door citizen."
1706: occupant: "Rusack! He had the gun! Make sure you bring him in for questioning!"
1707: occupant: "My brother, they took him to the hosiptal. Please find out if he's alright!"
1953: occupant: "Why won't anyone tell me about my brother?"
1953: officer Horez: "Back away from the bars."
03/24/107
0601: officer Celtar: "Breakfast."
0601: occupant: "Please, I need to know about my brother!"
0601: officer Celtar: "Back off citizen!"
0601: occupant: "OW FUCK! I just... I just want to know if he's ok!"
1144: officer Celtar: "How's the arm?"
1145: officer Celtar: "Fine, be that way. Its your own fault, the sign clearly states to stay away from the bars and keep your hands and feet inside."
1429: occupant: "WHY WON'T ANYONE TELL ME ANYTHING?!"
1902: occupant: sobbing
03/25/107
0601: officer Celtar: "Gonna eat today?"
0601: occupant: "Please, I'll confess to it all. I'll tell you anything. Just tell me my brother is ok."
0601: officer Celtar: "Alright, more food for cell 45."
0601: occupant: "NO COME BACK! PLEASE!"
0609: occupant: "Why are they doing this to me?"
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Screenshots!
Here are some screenshots from the fighting on Tuesday evening. As usual, click to engorge.
Here is our fleet attacking the TCU while the U'K and allied fleet looks on from the safety of the Player Owned Station. Occasionally they would venture out to fight, but retreat back to the POS as our heavier firepower came to bear.
Here is the fleet preparing for a warp.
In the safety of a friendly POS, we regroup and prepare for another assault.
And here are the promised pictures of my new dreadnought, christened the Lord Rhavoc.
Undocking from the station beside a Raven battleship, you can see the size difference. Both ships are the same distance from the camera.
Close up of the prow. You can see one of the Citadel Torpedo Launchers on the starboard side.
Sunlight glinting off the hull; mysteries below buried beneath the clouds.
That's about as poetic as I get. Carry on.
Here is our fleet attacking the TCU while the U'K and allied fleet looks on from the safety of the Player Owned Station. Occasionally they would venture out to fight, but retreat back to the POS as our heavier firepower came to bear.
Here is the fleet preparing for a warp.
In the safety of a friendly POS, we regroup and prepare for another assault.
And here are the promised pictures of my new dreadnought, christened the Lord Rhavoc.
Undocking from the station beside a Raven battleship, you can see the size difference. Both ships are the same distance from the camera.
Close up of the prow. You can see one of the Citadel Torpedo Launchers on the starboard side.
Sunlight glinting off the hull; mysteries below buried beneath the clouds.
That's about as poetic as I get. Carry on.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
The Waiting Game
On Sunday I had some time to play and joined a HAC fleet that was starting to head into Catch. Then a decision was made to turn into a battleship fleet to take out a POS. I dutifully switched ships and met at the rally point, but after 40 minutes of waiting I had to log off just before the fleet left.
Due to my limited playtime, I prefer to join fleets already moving into action rather than when the call first goes out. Thus I was very happy to log in last night and find out a battle was already underway nearby.
You see, Aegis Militia wasn't working out so some core corps in the alliance decided to reform as a new alliance, dropping sov in 6 systems in Providence in the process to reclaim with new alliance. This came as a surprise to everyone else as far as I can tell, and the window of opportunity between the old alliance losing sov and the new one claiming it was large enough for Ushra'Khan and AAA to jump in and try and get some free systems.
Fortunately for us, the entire power bloc of U'K and AAA and allies is not gunning for those systems, thus their imposing Super Cap fleet is not involved. Instead there have been a lot of sub-cap fights over anchoring and onlining Territorial Claim Units to grab the system. Aegis Militia (not the new alliance, don't ask) have reclaimed 4 of the 6 systems, but 2 station systems are still being fought over. Thus the fighting last night in 3D-CQU.
I was in my sniping Megathron Barbosa and joined the fleet to assist shooting the hostile TCU being onlined and tangoing with the hostile fleet in the process. I have never been in a battle with so many reds in the overview and I had some trouble finding the primary and secondary targets fast enough when broadcasts were not going out, so I only got in on five killmails including the TCU death. I asked in corp after the fighting how to improve my targeting skills and got some good feedback I plan to make use of next time.
The fighting was quite frenetic and nerve-wracking, but the Fleet commander did a good job and almost all of our fleet came out of the fight alive with the objective TCU destroyed.
Due to my limited playtime, I prefer to join fleets already moving into action rather than when the call first goes out. Thus I was very happy to log in last night and find out a battle was already underway nearby.
You see, Aegis Militia wasn't working out so some core corps in the alliance decided to reform as a new alliance, dropping sov in 6 systems in Providence in the process to reclaim with new alliance. This came as a surprise to everyone else as far as I can tell, and the window of opportunity between the old alliance losing sov and the new one claiming it was large enough for Ushra'Khan and AAA to jump in and try and get some free systems.
Fortunately for us, the entire power bloc of U'K and AAA and allies is not gunning for those systems, thus their imposing Super Cap fleet is not involved. Instead there have been a lot of sub-cap fights over anchoring and onlining Territorial Claim Units to grab the system. Aegis Militia (not the new alliance, don't ask) have reclaimed 4 of the 6 systems, but 2 station systems are still being fought over. Thus the fighting last night in 3D-CQU.
I was in my sniping Megathron Barbosa and joined the fleet to assist shooting the hostile TCU being onlined and tangoing with the hostile fleet in the process. I have never been in a battle with so many reds in the overview and I had some trouble finding the primary and secondary targets fast enough when broadcasts were not going out, so I only got in on five killmails including the TCU death. I asked in corp after the fighting how to improve my targeting skills and got some good feedback I plan to make use of next time.
The fighting was quite frenetic and nerve-wracking, but the Fleet commander did a good job and almost all of our fleet came out of the fight alive with the objective TCU destroyed.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Delivery Accepted
On the weekend I accepted delivery of a new ship, a shiny Phoenix Dreadnought. Besides the jump freighter, it is the new champion for most expensive ship I own. I have all the skills for it except the newer Citadel Cruise Missile skills which I'm training up right now.
I didn't really need to purchase this vessel. The corp has dreadnoughts for use in operations and I'm not online for very many capital ops. But I wanted to own one, its hard to explain why. Anyways, I'll get some pictures later this week when I get it out of the package and out in space.
I didn't really need to purchase this vessel. The corp has dreadnoughts for use in operations and I'm not online for very many capital ops. But I wanted to own one, its hard to explain why. Anyways, I'll get some pictures later this week when I get it out of the package and out in space.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Head Cold
Laid out yesterday and today with a nasty head cold. Lack of useful posts thus results. I always feel guilty when I don't post as expected, like all my reader will up and unsubscribe. Then I remember you're all as addicted to Eve as I am and I feel better.
Also, thank you for the five volunteers who stepped up to help with Project Athena, but I still could use some Graphic Artistry assistance putting this thing together.
Also, thank you for the five volunteers who stepped up to help with Project Athena, but I still could use some Graphic Artistry assistance putting this thing together.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
There's An App For That
Posting from my new Iphone. Any reccomendations on apps I should get besides capsuleer?
Friday, February 12, 2010
Project Athena
Next week, providing the illnesses are past and things get back to normal, I plan to write the final Fighting Spacecraft article of Series V. That means I will have 23 articles (5 for each faction and 3 pirate), each around 2000-3000 words, detailing made up histories about ships in New Eden.
I figure its a good time to take those disparate articles and turn them into some more concrete. Enter Project Athena (greek god of knowledge amoung other things). The reason I'm calling this a project is because I want to do more than just copy and paste the articles into a MS Word doc and add a table of contents; I want to go through the older articles and do minor updates (especially redoing the older graphics), I want some proofreading / editing done by someone else, and I want to make the resulting document pretty like the Quarterly Economic reports from CCP.
Ultimately I want a PDF document that looks like it was semi-professionally done. And this is where I need help; I can do most of the work easily but someone else with better skills in publishing something like this would be an incredible boon. The goal is to be able to freely distribute a product that people enjoy, and accept donations (in ISK) for the effort.
So, to recap, I'm looking for the following volunteers to help with project Athena in March:
Editor: to review the text of the complied document to correct any grammatical errors, suggest areas requiring rewriting.
Graphic Artist: to massage layout of document, adding graphics/title page/etc to make the document look "professionally done". Also will consider ideas to replace current graphics in the articles.
If you are interested, email me at kkodachi@gmail.com and we'll talk. If you have examples of your work, that would be great.
I figure its a good time to take those disparate articles and turn them into some more concrete. Enter Project Athena (greek god of knowledge amoung other things). The reason I'm calling this a project is because I want to do more than just copy and paste the articles into a MS Word doc and add a table of contents; I want to go through the older articles and do minor updates (especially redoing the older graphics), I want some proofreading / editing done by someone else, and I want to make the resulting document pretty like the Quarterly Economic reports from CCP.
Ultimately I want a PDF document that looks like it was semi-professionally done. And this is where I need help; I can do most of the work easily but someone else with better skills in publishing something like this would be an incredible boon. The goal is to be able to freely distribute a product that people enjoy, and accept donations (in ISK) for the effort.
So, to recap, I'm looking for the following volunteers to help with project Athena in March:
Editor: to review the text of the complied document to correct any grammatical errors, suggest areas requiring rewriting.
Graphic Artist: to massage layout of document, adding graphics/title page/etc to make the document look "professionally done". Also will consider ideas to replace current graphics in the articles.
If you are interested, email me at kkodachi@gmail.com and we'll talk. If you have examples of your work, that would be great.
Real Life Interlude
I haven't been online much this past week due to real life. One of the twins came down sick Tuesday evening, his brother the next morning, and I lost pretty much all of Wednesday to looking after them as my extremely pregnant wife is not up to the task alone. They were still ill Thursday, plus we had a prenatal appointment, plus it was my birthday so going off at night for Eve was not advisable for marital bliss. On the upside, the twins were feeling better by night time so I have hope for a normal day today.
As for my birthday, I got some sweet swag:
- two 60 day timecards for Eve
- Gratuitous Space Battles and AI War computer games (very handy next month)
- IPhone (or rather, permission to buy an IPhone... funny how that works)
Hopefully things calm down and I can get stuff done this weekend with my eye towards some pew-pew Sunday night.
There may not be a "Fiction Friday" post today. I haven't had time to map it out and get it started so we'll see how much free time I have at lunch to get it going.
As for my birthday, I got some sweet swag:
- two 60 day timecards for Eve
- Gratuitous Space Battles and AI War computer games (very handy next month)
- IPhone (or rather, permission to buy an IPhone... funny how that works)
Hopefully things calm down and I can get stuff done this weekend with my eye towards some pew-pew Sunday night.
There may not be a "Fiction Friday" post today. I haven't had time to map it out and get it started so we'll see how much free time I have at lunch to get it going.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
The Provi-Catch War
I've been chronicling the Provi-Catch war in the Eve Tribune the past few weeks and the latest installment is up!
Sometimes You Get Lucky
I logged in last to check how things are going and lucked out to find a fleet leaving "RIGHT NOW" to go help out our allies in Sylph who ran into trouble with bill payments much like the Goons did. I jumped into Barbosa, my sniper Megathron battleship, and met the fleet at the rally point just as the order came to move out.
We got to J6QB-P and went about anchoring some Sov Blockade Units to disrupt the new Ushra'Khan sovereignty there. At one point a U'K fleet warped to 100 km to try and harass us but the battleship arm drove their HACs off with no damage except a lone Crusader interceptor that got pointed and then killed along with an Eris interdictor. I lucked out again this evening as I managed to lock the Crusader before he was destroyed and get in on the killmail.
After an hour of helping out I was out of time and had to log. According to the killboard, about an hour later the fleet snagged a Nidhoggur carrier, which if true, is awesome! Good work team!
We got to J6QB-P and went about anchoring some Sov Blockade Units to disrupt the new Ushra'Khan sovereignty there. At one point a U'K fleet warped to 100 km to try and harass us but the battleship arm drove their HACs off with no damage except a lone Crusader interceptor that got pointed and then killed along with an Eris interdictor. I lucked out again this evening as I managed to lock the Crusader before he was destroyed and get in on the killmail.
After an hour of helping out I was out of time and had to log. According to the killboard, about an hour later the fleet snagged a Nidhoggur carrier, which if true, is awesome! Good work team!
Tuesday, February 09, 2010
Titan = over $7000
Monday, February 08, 2010
Whence Goonswarm?
Just the Facts
On the early morning of Jan 26th, the Goonswarm alliance lost sovereignty control of about 30 systems out of about 130. However, some of these systems were of great strategic importance, including the historic NOL-M9 system in Delve region. Goonswarm's enemies (IT, -A-, S-K, and others) descended on Delve, Querious, and Period Basis regions in an effort to secure station systems with which to launch further attacks into the area.
It was later revealed that the reason control dropped in these system was because the bills came due and the controlling corporation lacked funds in the right wallet division with which to pay them.
Despite a desperate defence, many key systems in the area were taken by IT alliance (which is the core of the old Band Of Brothers alliance goons screwed over a year ago) and -A- alliance. Soon thereafter the Goonswarm leadership announced to its members that the fight for Delve and the rest was already lost with the key systems lost and that the alliance would withdraw to Syndicate region to regroup.
Then on February 3rd, the coup de grace: the current leader of Goonswarm and CEO of the main corporation, Goonfleet, kicked all corporations from the Goonswarm alliance and moved Goonfleet into an alliance called Band Of Brothers. The Goonswarm alliance is empty except for an executor corp, and Goonfleet is locked into the Band of Brothers alliance as the perpetrator announced his intentions to leave Eve (taking the keys to the corporate control with him), this last act his poke in the eye to the players he felt had lost the way according to his posts on forums. According to some estimates, he also made off with 300 billion in cash and assets
Random Musings
Its hard to feel sorry for the Goons who will lose a lot in the following days and weeks as they try to regroup in Syndicate. This is, after all, an alliance that used every meta-gaming trick in the book and took great pride in scamming and trying to ruin other pilot's enjoyment of the game at every turn. But when you are part of an alliance built on such attitudes, can you really be surprised that eventually you get burned by the same disregard for others towards yourself?
I was surprised by the announced retreat to Syndicate so soon in the episode. I expected them to be able to put up a larger and longer fight, but apparently a large majority of their cap fleet assets were locked in those stations that fell, crippling them at the knees against a refreshed and hungry nemesis in IT alliance. Rather than fight a demoralizing battle over weeks or months, leadership apparently thought it was better to cut the losses and run.
But as frustrating as the loss of space must be, the betrayal of their leader and the loss of their brand and name must sting even more. Homeless in space and name, is this the end for the Goons?
Rewind one year. Band Of Brothers alliance was disbanded by a disillusioned director with too much control who defected to the Goons. The pilots reformed as Kenzoku and fought a battle to prevent their space from being taken by the invading Goonswarm, but they lost that fight and the alliance seemed to crumble and disperse in empire. Then, this past fall a new alliance called IT forms of the old Band Of Brothers/Kenzoku corporations and launches attacks at high end moons and eventually Fountain region, an obvious stepping stone towards Delve and the Goons.
The point is that names and space can change and assets can be lost worth billions, but a dedicated group of pilots never go away in Eve. I expect the Goons in some form or another will be back, causing their brand of mayhem.
On the early morning of Jan 26th, the Goonswarm alliance lost sovereignty control of about 30 systems out of about 130. However, some of these systems were of great strategic importance, including the historic NOL-M9 system in Delve region. Goonswarm's enemies (IT, -A-, S-K, and others) descended on Delve, Querious, and Period Basis regions in an effort to secure station systems with which to launch further attacks into the area.
It was later revealed that the reason control dropped in these system was because the bills came due and the controlling corporation lacked funds in the right wallet division with which to pay them.
Despite a desperate defence, many key systems in the area were taken by IT alliance (which is the core of the old Band Of Brothers alliance goons screwed over a year ago) and -A- alliance. Soon thereafter the Goonswarm leadership announced to its members that the fight for Delve and the rest was already lost with the key systems lost and that the alliance would withdraw to Syndicate region to regroup.
Then on February 3rd, the coup de grace: the current leader of Goonswarm and CEO of the main corporation, Goonfleet, kicked all corporations from the Goonswarm alliance and moved Goonfleet into an alliance called Band Of Brothers. The Goonswarm alliance is empty except for an executor corp, and Goonfleet is locked into the Band of Brothers alliance as the perpetrator announced his intentions to leave Eve (taking the keys to the corporate control with him), this last act his poke in the eye to the players he felt had lost the way according to his posts on forums. According to some estimates, he also made off with 300 billion in cash and assets
Random Musings
Its hard to feel sorry for the Goons who will lose a lot in the following days and weeks as they try to regroup in Syndicate. This is, after all, an alliance that used every meta-gaming trick in the book and took great pride in scamming and trying to ruin other pilot's enjoyment of the game at every turn. But when you are part of an alliance built on such attitudes, can you really be surprised that eventually you get burned by the same disregard for others towards yourself?
I was surprised by the announced retreat to Syndicate so soon in the episode. I expected them to be able to put up a larger and longer fight, but apparently a large majority of their cap fleet assets were locked in those stations that fell, crippling them at the knees against a refreshed and hungry nemesis in IT alliance. Rather than fight a demoralizing battle over weeks or months, leadership apparently thought it was better to cut the losses and run.
But as frustrating as the loss of space must be, the betrayal of their leader and the loss of their brand and name must sting even more. Homeless in space and name, is this the end for the Goons?
Rewind one year. Band Of Brothers alliance was disbanded by a disillusioned director with too much control who defected to the Goons. The pilots reformed as Kenzoku and fought a battle to prevent their space from being taken by the invading Goonswarm, but they lost that fight and the alliance seemed to crumble and disperse in empire. Then, this past fall a new alliance called IT forms of the old Band Of Brothers/Kenzoku corporations and launches attacks at high end moons and eventually Fountain region, an obvious stepping stone towards Delve and the Goons.
The point is that names and space can change and assets can be lost worth billions, but a dedicated group of pilots never go away in Eve. I expect the Goons in some form or another will be back, causing their brand of mayhem.
Friday, February 05, 2010
Last Thoughts On Star Trek Online
Short version: I will not be subscribing.
Longer version: Over the past week or so, whenever I had 15-30 minutes to spare (anything longer and I'm in Eve) I've been trying to get on Star Trek to give it a go. My hope is that I will have a game that can be my second MMO for casual laid back play when I have only moments to spare. Drop in, shoot stuff, explore, log out.
First off the good news. The release game is far more polished and stable than the Beta. The transitions between zones is reasonable albeit longer than what I am used to in Eve. The space combat is very positional, and progress so far even with my limited time in game feels substantial. And the graphics are much improved with the better server hardware, I can run at much better levels of detail.
The bad news is that the space combat, the only thing I want to really do, is frustrating for me at the moment. Its not for lack of things to do, its because I have to always be doing something! Steering the ship is an exercise in frustration. I wish so bad I could pilot the ship with mouse clicks like in Starfleet command. Constantly having to instruct the weapons to fire is annoying as well. Combat feels too... frenetic. I still miss the overview too. And orbit command, and approach. Dammit, you can learn somethings from Eve guys! Its not that hard.
Overall, the frustrations in space combat are minor, but the game is not lending itself to drop in casual play very much. Last night I accepted a mission which involved going to four different systems to patrol. I went to the first, got thrown into a 3 ship instance with two strangers, and battled pirates. All well and good, right? I had a few more minutes so I left to go to another system and found I was still in an instance group with the other two ships, even though they went different directions. Now I'm sure I could find a way to leave instances and join a different one in my system, etc, but I felt bad. Furthermore, the fighting at the systems took forever even with three of us, and myself alone in one system was hopelessly outgunned in my starter ship.
Its just not a game that I think I can play casually. And when combined with the fugly ground combat system with stupid NPCs (I STAND HERE AND SHOOT AT YOU! CROUCHING? UNHEARD OF! RUNNING WHEN SURROUNDED AND OUTNUMBERED? NEVER!) I find myself not wanting to play.
I will give it more of a try since I do have one month free, but I don't foresee me ponying up for a subscription. Time involvement to get my money's worth would be too high.
Longer version: Over the past week or so, whenever I had 15-30 minutes to spare (anything longer and I'm in Eve) I've been trying to get on Star Trek to give it a go. My hope is that I will have a game that can be my second MMO for casual laid back play when I have only moments to spare. Drop in, shoot stuff, explore, log out.
First off the good news. The release game is far more polished and stable than the Beta. The transitions between zones is reasonable albeit longer than what I am used to in Eve. The space combat is very positional, and progress so far even with my limited time in game feels substantial. And the graphics are much improved with the better server hardware, I can run at much better levels of detail.
The bad news is that the space combat, the only thing I want to really do, is frustrating for me at the moment. Its not for lack of things to do, its because I have to always be doing something! Steering the ship is an exercise in frustration. I wish so bad I could pilot the ship with mouse clicks like in Starfleet command. Constantly having to instruct the weapons to fire is annoying as well. Combat feels too... frenetic. I still miss the overview too. And orbit command, and approach. Dammit, you can learn somethings from Eve guys! Its not that hard.
Overall, the frustrations in space combat are minor, but the game is not lending itself to drop in casual play very much. Last night I accepted a mission which involved going to four different systems to patrol. I went to the first, got thrown into a 3 ship instance with two strangers, and battled pirates. All well and good, right? I had a few more minutes so I left to go to another system and found I was still in an instance group with the other two ships, even though they went different directions. Now I'm sure I could find a way to leave instances and join a different one in my system, etc, but I felt bad. Furthermore, the fighting at the systems took forever even with three of us, and myself alone in one system was hopelessly outgunned in my starter ship.
Its just not a game that I think I can play casually. And when combined with the fugly ground combat system with stupid NPCs (I STAND HERE AND SHOOT AT YOU! CROUCHING? UNHEARD OF! RUNNING WHEN SURROUNDED AND OUTNUMBERED? NEVER!) I find myself not wanting to play.
I will give it more of a try since I do have one month free, but I don't foresee me ponying up for a subscription. Time involvement to get my money's worth would be too high.
Fiction Friday: Chapter 13
Previously:
Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9
Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12
* * * * *
"OPEN UP! SECURITY!"
The banging on the door startled Rusack and he involuntarily pulled the blaster back while looking towards the front of the apartment. If I had had my military training back then I would have taken advantage of the distraction but instead I simply yelled, "Help! My brother is hurt!"
He looked back at me with a snarl on his face, angry that his fun had been interrupted. I could almost see the wheels turning in his head as he pondered if he could get one more shot off and still claim to be defending himself. His self preservation must have overcome his sadistic side as he backed away, the weapon still trained on me but finger off the trigger, and he called out, "Security! Please come here immediately!"
The door banged open and a team of four station security officers ran in with weapons drawn. One aimed at Rusack and ordered him to drop the weapon, another trained his sidearm at me and my unconscious brother while talking into his comm unit, asking for medical assistance to my relief. The other two scoured the apartment for anyone else. I could see out in the hallway the figure of Blodel's slave Derranna looking in with a worried look on her face.
The next few minutes felt like both and eternity and an instant. Rusack laid the weapon down while talking a mile a minute about how his home was invaded by us waving the gun around, while I was taken and put in restraints while lying on my stomach. I noticed with alarm how Rusack was not similarly restrained by my protests were stopped by an 'accidental' boot to the ribs. The paramedics finally arrived with a med-gurney and they spoke in jargon I barely understood as they tended my brother and ran out with him, my cries ignored as I tried to find out how he was.
With my brother gone from the room, the adrenaline was wearing off and my body ached from the awkward position on the floor, hands tied behind my back. My nose and back throbbed. I felt drained; beaten. Finally security was done taking Rusack's statement and I was roughly helped to my feet. "Don't leave the station," the guard warned Rusack as we were leaving, "but I'm sure we'll have this all settled shortly."
"Of course not, Jake, I mean officer, " he replied with a smirk on his face that only I seemed to notice. He felt more than heard the guards holding my arms chuckle and I realized the warning and compliant answer were merely formalities for the automatic recordings made of all security officer activities. It slowly dawned on my clouded mind that Rusack would be gone long before anyone came to corroborate my side of the story. I was however, too tired to care.
As we left the apartment I saw Derranna was still there and I wanted to say "thank you" as we passed but she was talking to a newly arrived Blodel. I could tell she was trying to explain something when a look of anger passed over Blodel's face and he backhanded her across the face with a practiced motion. "I told you not to get involved!" She crumpled on the ground, obviously taken off guard by the sudden blow.
"Sir," one of the guards said with annoyance in his voice, "don't do that." But I caught the unspoken implied word at the end: "here." I slowly realized that slavery was tolerated in practice in the State, but it was the least of my concerns despite the sorrow I felt for Derranna's plight.
"Of course officer," answered the flustered Amarrian, "I don't know what came over me."
As I was led away once more, I looked back over my shoulder to see Derranna slowly getting to her feet without help while holding her side of her face, Blodel looking all the more furious for getting publically reprimanded, and Rusack standing at his door with a smug look on his face.
Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9
Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12
* * * * *
"OPEN UP! SECURITY!"
The banging on the door startled Rusack and he involuntarily pulled the blaster back while looking towards the front of the apartment. If I had had my military training back then I would have taken advantage of the distraction but instead I simply yelled, "Help! My brother is hurt!"
He looked back at me with a snarl on his face, angry that his fun had been interrupted. I could almost see the wheels turning in his head as he pondered if he could get one more shot off and still claim to be defending himself. His self preservation must have overcome his sadistic side as he backed away, the weapon still trained on me but finger off the trigger, and he called out, "Security! Please come here immediately!"
The door banged open and a team of four station security officers ran in with weapons drawn. One aimed at Rusack and ordered him to drop the weapon, another trained his sidearm at me and my unconscious brother while talking into his comm unit, asking for medical assistance to my relief. The other two scoured the apartment for anyone else. I could see out in the hallway the figure of Blodel's slave Derranna looking in with a worried look on her face.
The next few minutes felt like both and eternity and an instant. Rusack laid the weapon down while talking a mile a minute about how his home was invaded by us waving the gun around, while I was taken and put in restraints while lying on my stomach. I noticed with alarm how Rusack was not similarly restrained by my protests were stopped by an 'accidental' boot to the ribs. The paramedics finally arrived with a med-gurney and they spoke in jargon I barely understood as they tended my brother and ran out with him, my cries ignored as I tried to find out how he was.
With my brother gone from the room, the adrenaline was wearing off and my body ached from the awkward position on the floor, hands tied behind my back. My nose and back throbbed. I felt drained; beaten. Finally security was done taking Rusack's statement and I was roughly helped to my feet. "Don't leave the station," the guard warned Rusack as we were leaving, "but I'm sure we'll have this all settled shortly."
"Of course not, Jake, I mean officer, " he replied with a smirk on his face that only I seemed to notice. He felt more than heard the guards holding my arms chuckle and I realized the warning and compliant answer were merely formalities for the automatic recordings made of all security officer activities. It slowly dawned on my clouded mind that Rusack would be gone long before anyone came to corroborate my side of the story. I was however, too tired to care.
As we left the apartment I saw Derranna was still there and I wanted to say "thank you" as we passed but she was talking to a newly arrived Blodel. I could tell she was trying to explain something when a look of anger passed over Blodel's face and he backhanded her across the face with a practiced motion. "I told you not to get involved!" She crumpled on the ground, obviously taken off guard by the sudden blow.
"Sir," one of the guards said with annoyance in his voice, "don't do that." But I caught the unspoken implied word at the end: "here." I slowly realized that slavery was tolerated in practice in the State, but it was the least of my concerns despite the sorrow I felt for Derranna's plight.
"Of course officer," answered the flustered Amarrian, "I don't know what came over me."
As I was led away once more, I looked back over my shoulder to see Derranna slowly getting to her feet without help while holding her side of her face, Blodel looking all the more furious for getting publically reprimanded, and Rusack standing at his door with a smug look on his face.
Thursday, February 04, 2010
EEEEK!
Warhammer 40K MMO to be fully revealed this summer!
...
No, I did NOT just squeal like a little girl.
...
No, I did NOT just squeal like a little girl.
To Be Or Not To Be...
Since I can't get in game due to increasing real life pressure from preparations of the third member of the carebear brigade (March 8th!), I'll avoid saying much about the renewed -A- offensive other than I was surprised at first they opted to attack 9UY, but in hindsight I can see some very possible logic from the strategy.
There are times I really really regret not being involved at higher levels for corp and alliance planning. Some of the best moments during my Warhammer 40K hooby days were marshaling battle plans for my side at megabattles, culminating in the epic beatdown my Chaos side delivered to the Imperials in a massive megabattle back in June '07. I would love to be formulating strategies for the alliance warfare but I lack the time to give to such a commitment and I leave it in the hands of others.
But that is not the focus of this post. This post is a rambling thought regurgitation on that central concept that is often ignored in moderns MMOs: Roleplay.
In the Beginning...
Pencil and paper role play games (rpgs) were built to allow you to actually play the role of a character in a fantastical setting. You were a character over a series of adventures with a static group. The characters progressed, improved, and the challenges scaled accordingly. I'm sure you all know this but its always good to set an agreed starting point in any conversation.
Anyways, you can see the basis for many common "themepark" MMOs in that basic premise. Somethings are vastly different though. For one thing, the "static group" is now an exception rather than the rule because the online games brought large numbers of people together making it easier for "pick up groups" to form as opposed to having to wait for all members of the static group to be available at the same time. The pick up grouping eventually developed into large entities typically called guilds but with varying names based on the game you choose (i.e. corporations in Eve). Some games, like Eve, have even larger groupings of players emulating an actual society as it grows. But that's another post for another day.
Another thing that has changed a lot from the pencil and paper days, and that is the concept of roleplaying. And thus we come to the focus of this post.
Today
Two things happened recently to make me think on this subject more. For one thing, my best friend Andrew has been playing Dragon Age: Origins and posting about his adventures in that game. And for a second thing, my corporation joined Paxton Federation in Providence which means we are a close ally of the Curatores Vertatis Alliance (CVA), the Amarr role playing alliance in Eve. Listening to Andrew describes how he makes choices for his character in the game (i.e. Fiona would say this and choose this) and how the CVA pilots choose to role play in Eve makes me realize that in this day and age these are often the last things players do in a game, exceptions rather than rules.
All too often in games players make choices based on what is perceived to be the winning move; how to get the best ally in Dragon Age; or how to fight a war against an enemy in Eve. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that Andrew and CVA are weirdos or lolRPGers but just that most commonly people don't make decisions based on the character's preferences, but on their own.
I don't role play in Eve. When I'm in game, I'm using Kirith Kodachi the character but it's me, Bill, talking and making decisions, and choosing to shoot that ship. That's not to say I don't think about what my character might think and feel if I was actually roleplaying him, and my "Fiction Friday" series is evidence of that. Its just that I prefer to not add that extra level of complexity to my game when I'm in game. I have been tempted in the past, back before I found m3 Corp, to join a role play alliance and let my right brain have some free rein (I even tried to apply to Ushra'Khan at one point but I was turned down, don't remember the details, was a long time ago) but it was never a driving need for me.
(Although, I have to admit that right now, the fiction I have for Kirith in which he is disillusioned with the Caldari State ideals and hates slavery, does not jibe with being in an alliance allied with CVA. It was hard enough living in Amarr space! I am trying to mentally reconcile that still. Someday I will return to my adopted homeland in Molden Heath! ... OMG, I'm roleplaying!)
So the question is, why has role playing become an oddity in these "Role Playing games"? I believe there are a number of reasons.
1) The introduction of single player RPGs.
The Dungeons and Dragons "gold box series" set the tone for many copycats for years after, and in that game it took a traditional static group role playing game and turned it into a single player experience with the game acting as Dungeon Master and the player as all characters in the party (typically six). The result was that there is no other role players to feed off of and by inspired by, and as you are playing 6 characters its harder to "get into character" as it were. The divorce of the character and the player is important as it turns the player into a gamer as opposed to role player. Also, game itself, i.e. the Dungeon Master, is a fixed obstacle without any built in human judgment to make the game enjoyable for a player who is struggling. This means that the game rewards optimal decision making rather than character decision making whereas in a pencil and paper game the person acting as the Dungeon Master can more easily change parameters to scale the adventure and reward in-character decisions and acting.
2) The introduction of strangers.
As RPGs moved into the online world and brought about the idea of Massively Multiplayer Online games, the other people make it harder to roleplay. It takes a certain amount of chutzpah to start talking to greet a player you do not know with "Forsooth good mage, I am Lord Lucas Draknoght, knight in the Order of the Obsidian Tempest!" rather than "hi there, how's it going?". In a group where you know everyone well and everyone else is also roleplaying, its ok. In a public sphere, its a different matter.
3) The introduction of casual players.
In order to boost sales and number of subscriptions, role playing games strive to appeal to people who may not have ever played a role playing game before and don't want to. They just want to play a game, Peggle , WoW, Batman, whatever. Thus fewer players in the population role play and fewer people are encouraged to do so.
4) Alts and level caps and progression ramps, OH MY
Since many games have a strict character roles (i.e. DPS, Tank, Healer) and level caps such that a character stops progressing when they reach a level cap (admittedly there are others ways to progress but the main method is fixed). Couple that with lower and lower progression ramps and you have players often playing many different characters (i.e. alts) in order to try different roles and continue to progress, thus further divorcing player from character.
5) Emergence
My last, and most controversial point I suspect, is that as games develop further into communities working towards common goals there is no need to roleplay. I don't have to roleplay a character fighting a war with thousands of allies against thousands of enemies in a battle to control resources and living space because I AM fighting a war with thousands of allies against thousands of enemies in a battle to control resources and living space. Eve is interesting in the same way a sport is interesting to participate in; you have competition, camaraderie, glorious victory, ignominious defeat, and at the end of the day everyone goes home to have a beer and go to bed.
To Be Or Not To Be...
So there you have it. My rambling post on role playing in todays "role play" games. I'd love to hear comments on what others have to think and say.
There are times I really really regret not being involved at higher levels for corp and alliance planning. Some of the best moments during my Warhammer 40K hooby days were marshaling battle plans for my side at megabattles, culminating in the epic beatdown my Chaos side delivered to the Imperials in a massive megabattle back in June '07. I would love to be formulating strategies for the alliance warfare but I lack the time to give to such a commitment and I leave it in the hands of others.
But that is not the focus of this post. This post is a rambling thought regurgitation on that central concept that is often ignored in moderns MMOs: Roleplay.
In the Beginning...
Pencil and paper role play games (rpgs) were built to allow you to actually play the role of a character in a fantastical setting. You were a character over a series of adventures with a static group. The characters progressed, improved, and the challenges scaled accordingly. I'm sure you all know this but its always good to set an agreed starting point in any conversation.
Anyways, you can see the basis for many common "themepark" MMOs in that basic premise. Somethings are vastly different though. For one thing, the "static group" is now an exception rather than the rule because the online games brought large numbers of people together making it easier for "pick up groups" to form as opposed to having to wait for all members of the static group to be available at the same time. The pick up grouping eventually developed into large entities typically called guilds but with varying names based on the game you choose (i.e. corporations in Eve). Some games, like Eve, have even larger groupings of players emulating an actual society as it grows. But that's another post for another day.
Another thing that has changed a lot from the pencil and paper days, and that is the concept of roleplaying. And thus we come to the focus of this post.
Today
Two things happened recently to make me think on this subject more. For one thing, my best friend Andrew has been playing Dragon Age: Origins and posting about his adventures in that game. And for a second thing, my corporation joined Paxton Federation in Providence which means we are a close ally of the Curatores Vertatis Alliance (CVA), the Amarr role playing alliance in Eve. Listening to Andrew describes how he makes choices for his character in the game (i.e. Fiona would say this and choose this) and how the CVA pilots choose to role play in Eve makes me realize that in this day and age these are often the last things players do in a game, exceptions rather than rules.
All too often in games players make choices based on what is perceived to be the winning move; how to get the best ally in Dragon Age; or how to fight a war against an enemy in Eve. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that Andrew and CVA are weirdos or lolRPGers but just that most commonly people don't make decisions based on the character's preferences, but on their own.
I don't role play in Eve. When I'm in game, I'm using Kirith Kodachi the character but it's me, Bill, talking and making decisions, and choosing to shoot that ship. That's not to say I don't think about what my character might think and feel if I was actually roleplaying him, and my "Fiction Friday" series is evidence of that. Its just that I prefer to not add that extra level of complexity to my game when I'm in game. I have been tempted in the past, back before I found m3 Corp, to join a role play alliance and let my right brain have some free rein (I even tried to apply to Ushra'Khan at one point but I was turned down, don't remember the details, was a long time ago) but it was never a driving need for me.
(Although, I have to admit that right now, the fiction I have for Kirith in which he is disillusioned with the Caldari State ideals and hates slavery, does not jibe with being in an alliance allied with CVA. It was hard enough living in Amarr space! I am trying to mentally reconcile that still. Someday I will return to my adopted homeland in Molden Heath! ... OMG, I'm roleplaying!)
So the question is, why has role playing become an oddity in these "Role Playing games"? I believe there are a number of reasons.
1) The introduction of single player RPGs.
The Dungeons and Dragons "gold box series" set the tone for many copycats for years after, and in that game it took a traditional static group role playing game and turned it into a single player experience with the game acting as Dungeon Master and the player as all characters in the party (typically six). The result was that there is no other role players to feed off of and by inspired by, and as you are playing 6 characters its harder to "get into character" as it were. The divorce of the character and the player is important as it turns the player into a gamer as opposed to role player. Also, game itself, i.e. the Dungeon Master, is a fixed obstacle without any built in human judgment to make the game enjoyable for a player who is struggling. This means that the game rewards optimal decision making rather than character decision making whereas in a pencil and paper game the person acting as the Dungeon Master can more easily change parameters to scale the adventure and reward in-character decisions and acting.
2) The introduction of strangers.
As RPGs moved into the online world and brought about the idea of Massively Multiplayer Online games, the other people make it harder to roleplay. It takes a certain amount of chutzpah to start talking to greet a player you do not know with "Forsooth good mage, I am Lord Lucas Draknoght, knight in the Order of the Obsidian Tempest!" rather than "hi there, how's it going?". In a group where you know everyone well and everyone else is also roleplaying, its ok. In a public sphere, its a different matter.
3) The introduction of casual players.
In order to boost sales and number of subscriptions, role playing games strive to appeal to people who may not have ever played a role playing game before and don't want to. They just want to play a game, Peggle , WoW, Batman, whatever. Thus fewer players in the population role play and fewer people are encouraged to do so.
4) Alts and level caps and progression ramps, OH MY
Since many games have a strict character roles (i.e. DPS, Tank, Healer) and level caps such that a character stops progressing when they reach a level cap (admittedly there are others ways to progress but the main method is fixed). Couple that with lower and lower progression ramps and you have players often playing many different characters (i.e. alts) in order to try different roles and continue to progress, thus further divorcing player from character.
5) Emergence
My last, and most controversial point I suspect, is that as games develop further into communities working towards common goals there is no need to roleplay. I don't have to roleplay a character fighting a war with thousands of allies against thousands of enemies in a battle to control resources and living space because I AM fighting a war with thousands of allies against thousands of enemies in a battle to control resources and living space. Eve is interesting in the same way a sport is interesting to participate in; you have competition, camaraderie, glorious victory, ignominious defeat, and at the end of the day everyone goes home to have a beer and go to bed.
To Be Or Not To Be...
So there you have it. My rambling post on role playing in todays "role play" games. I'd love to hear comments on what others have to think and say.
Wednesday, February 03, 2010
Provi Versus Catch Part 2
A followup article in the Eve Tribune that I finished writing Monday is now up on the site!
Enjoy.
Enjoy.
Tuesday, February 02, 2010
What Now For The South?
Or at least, perceived blue. Was it merely an alliance of convenience while Goons were the common enemy? Will the powerhouses of IT and AAA regard each other with hostility now that they share a common border? Or will AAA be free and clear for an extended campaign against the Holders and CVA? Its all very exciting even from a grunts point of view.
Unlike life prior to Dominion, alliances can't up and go across the cluster for temporary wars. The new Sov rules mean the bulk of pilots have to stay close to home, which means you want at least one border with a hostile entity. Makes me wonder most particularly what IT alliance will do with control of both Fountain and Delve. Will they occupy both, or leave one to fortify the other? Decisions decisions.
And is RED.Overlord a blue or red to AAA? I thought blue but I could be wrong. What about the Initiative? Curiouser and curiouser.
At the end of the day, all these questions control the ultimate fate of m3 and Providence as a whole. I eagerly await to see what the outcome of this sudden Goon collapse will be. Glad I'm not in Syndicate these days.
Reorganization
I currently have three characters in m3 corp: Kirith, my main character and used for anything to do with shooting; Kla'strit who is trying to repair sec status in rare quiet moments and also a backup pvp char; and Derranna who I planned to use for logistics, exploration, backup PvE, and a second char for PvP ops.
However, plans don't always work out. Logistics hasn't been really necessary with Providences fairly easy access to empire and the number of jump capable pilots in the corporation. I haven't had any time for exploration or PvE at all, and I'm hesitant about dual-boxing in PvP as I find all my computer's and brain's resources are required for one ship.
In essence, Derranna has been seeing very little use in M3 corp, and it costs me money as a result (corp taxes). So last night I pulled the plug on her roles and will move her out to Ninveah Enterprises where she can still do the logistics and industry I need without the constant war decs a regular 0.0 alliance sees.
I've got an order for more Flycatchers, so time to dust off her production skills and put her to work.
However, plans don't always work out. Logistics hasn't been really necessary with Providences fairly easy access to empire and the number of jump capable pilots in the corporation. I haven't had any time for exploration or PvE at all, and I'm hesitant about dual-boxing in PvP as I find all my computer's and brain's resources are required for one ship.
In essence, Derranna has been seeing very little use in M3 corp, and it costs me money as a result (corp taxes). So last night I pulled the plug on her roles and will move her out to Ninveah Enterprises where she can still do the logistics and industry I need without the constant war decs a regular 0.0 alliance sees.
I've got an order for more Flycatchers, so time to dust off her production skills and put her to work.
Monday, February 01, 2010
My Thoughts On The War
Its hard blogging about a war you are directly involved in because you don't want to be a fount of inspiration and intelligence to your enemies, nor discouragement to your allies. So I try and stick to publicly available facts and avoid inserting too much opinion. It tends to lead to dry blogging as a result.
It also sucks being on the losing side of the fighting so far because its harder to get excited to write a blog post that effectively says "we got the crap beat out of us last night!". Even if some of the beatings verge on the historically epic kind.
Fear not, my good readers. I am making notes for a retrospective after the dust has settled, for good or for ill. I have opinions and they will not be dulled by the lens of time. For now I can only say that my corpmates have made me proud and my alliance has tried hard to succeed in the face of overwhelming firepower and enemy competence.
It also sucks being on the losing side of the fighting so far because its harder to get excited to write a blog post that effectively says "we got the crap beat out of us last night!". Even if some of the beatings verge on the historically epic kind.
Fear not, my good readers. I am making notes for a retrospective after the dust has settled, for good or for ill. I have opinions and they will not be dulled by the lens of time. For now I can only say that my corpmates have made me proud and my alliance has tried hard to succeed in the face of overwhelming firepower and enemy competence.
A New Reality
Regular life in Providence faces a new reality. With the vital southern system of D-GTMI in the hands of the enemy, its much easier for Ushra'Khan and Triple A to launch roams into our space. Before we had the buffer of SV5 and F9E to warn us of incoming hostiles from HED and beyond.
What it means is that you have to be on your toes more than ever in Paxton space.
Last night a roaming gang from Gentlemen's Club alliance came strolling through in about 30 HACs and Recons and we scrambled a fleet to engage them. Our FC decided upon Remote Rep battleships as the ship of the line and I rolled out in my Armageddon battleship, Memories of Mynxee. We were only about to get about 18-20 battleships along with a support fleet, but we decided to try to engage anyways.
We didn't fare so well, losing a few battleships and support ships for four enemy ships worth nothing in the grand scheme of things. I did manage to activate my weapons on a Drake that went down so I have proof I was there.
We made our way back to base and we formed up a new home defence fleet made of Paxton pilots. I jumped in my Crow, The Question, and we moved to try and engage and destroy a Vagabond harassing friendlies in a nearby system. The Vaga was joined by a Rapier and our own Rapier pilot went in for a tackle but a miscommunication meant the Falcon that was to back him up was not in position. Our pilot was lost but his sacrifice was not completely in vain as the rest of us jumped on the hostile Rapier and took him and his pod down. Sadly, the Vaga got away.
I thought those three killmails put me at 10 for January but even though it was Jan 31st for me, it was Feb 1st for Eve. Oh well, headstart on February's goals.
What it means is that you have to be on your toes more than ever in Paxton space.
Last night a roaming gang from Gentlemen's Club alliance came strolling through in about 30 HACs and Recons and we scrambled a fleet to engage them. Our FC decided upon Remote Rep battleships as the ship of the line and I rolled out in my Armageddon battleship, Memories of Mynxee. We were only about to get about 18-20 battleships along with a support fleet, but we decided to try to engage anyways.
We didn't fare so well, losing a few battleships and support ships for four enemy ships worth nothing in the grand scheme of things. I did manage to activate my weapons on a Drake that went down so I have proof I was there.
We made our way back to base and we formed up a new home defence fleet made of Paxton pilots. I jumped in my Crow, The Question, and we moved to try and engage and destroy a Vagabond harassing friendlies in a nearby system. The Vaga was joined by a Rapier and our own Rapier pilot went in for a tackle but a miscommunication meant the Falcon that was to back him up was not in position. Our pilot was lost but his sacrifice was not completely in vain as the rest of us jumped on the hostile Rapier and took him and his pod down. Sadly, the Vaga got away.
I thought those three killmails put me at 10 for January but even though it was Jan 31st for me, it was Feb 1st for Eve. Oh well, headstart on February's goals.
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